Quinn spoke even softer. “She’s having a hard time dealing with something that happened to her when she was just a girl, something bad. She’s an intelligent, sweet woman deserving of a night out without feeling threatened.”
My stomach lurched violently. I was a horrible person. My jealousy had turned me into a shrieking banshee. A spoiled brat. A mean girl.
I hated those girls.
Placing his hands in his pockets, he rocked back on his heels. “She actually reminds me a little of you.”
I swiped angrily at the tear that had dared to escape. Tonight was a good night, goddamn it! What the hell happened?
Suddenly beat, I stated tiredly, “Get back to your date, Quinn.”
He stood silently a moment before stating, “I miss you.”
I miss you too.
Fuck my fucking life!
Fingers at my elbow made me suddenly realize I was standing in front of the ladies’ room, looking out into nothingness. He asked quietly, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I forced a smile. “I’m fine. I’ll be off duty soon enough.” My act of calm failed miserably when nice-lady-Michelle began making her way toward us. “But you’re not. Have fun tonight, Quinn. Give your date her money’s worth.”
Pushing open the ladies’ room door, my heavy feet shuffled in. As soon as the door swung closed, I rubbed at the ache of my racing heart.
So…that’s what being in love feels like.
It was horrible. Dreadful. Then…
Why did I want it more than anything?
Quinn was gone.
It was a little past midnight and I hadn’t seen him—or Michelle—for over an hour, which meant I’d spent the good part of that hour wondering—in graphic detail—what he was doing with kind, sweet Michelle.
I found myself blanching at the thought. Simultaneously, my chest ached. It was something to know the man you loved was an escort. It was a whole other thing seeing him in action with another woman. It hurt. Bad.
Ella had only left the dance floor the one time to make a dash to the ladies’ room. On her way, she rushed past me and pulled me into a sneak-attack hug. I chuckled lightly at her outward enthusiasm then resumed watching from my place beside the stage.
Mike made his way from the dance floor to wait for Ella by the ladies’ room door. And the small gesture made my heart ache. He was clearly a good guy, and I was glad they had this second chance. Sure, I may have had a bit to do with that, but hey, sometimes a person needed a slight nudge.
The second she stepped out of the bathroom, he took her small hand in his enormous one and pulled her into him. She smiled up at him. His eyes smiled down at her then he lead her back out to their place on the dance floor, completely oblivious to anything or anyone, apart from each other. The way Mike wrapped Ella up in his strong arms and held her close made me jealous.
I wanted that. I would never have that with the one person I wanted it with. God, that sucked.
I made myself busy, checking in with staff who was almost done for the night, going over my checklist again and again up until the event was minutes away from ending. I walked around the outskirts of the ball, taking in the smiling faces, laughter, and dancing couples that would likely leave together—Ella and Mike included, from the stolen kisses I witnessed.
Just then, the emcee returned to the stage. He groaned dramatically, “Oh, what? Is that the time?” He grinned, and I swear his gleaming white teeth sparkled. “From the bodies grooving away out here, I’m going to go ahead and deem the D&D Ball of 2015 a success! Let’s hear it for everyone out on the dance floor!” The crowd went wild, clearly letting loose from alcohol consumption. “The time has come, ladies and gents, to make like a tree and leave. Thank you all so much for attending Desperate and Dateless, and as you know, you don’t need to be either of those things to attend this rocking shindig. Tell your friends about us and consider next year’s ball. Goodnight, all!”
The deejay switched from easy listening to soft background music, the lights came up all the way, and the dance floor disbursed, leaving behind a mess of streamers, balloons, plastic cups, and napkins all over.
Once the hall was empty, excluding cleaning staff, Ella and Mike made their way over. Ella let go of Mike’s hand long enough to give me a long hug. “You did it. You officially popped your event cherry.”
I pulled back, smiling. “And I was so glad you got to share in said cherry-popping.”
She sighed lovingly. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way, Cheech.”
Mike was looking over at us, amusement clear in his eyes. I looked up at him and teased, “You stealing my girl away?”
He paused to look Ella in the eye. “Only for as long as she lets me,” he rumbled, and I went all squishy inside. I knew Ella did too from the way her face softened.
She turned quickly and pulled me into another hug. “Thank you,” she whispered into my ear.
I responded on a squeeze, “You’re welcome, honey.”
Mike took hold of Ella’s outstretched hand and asked, “You need a ride, Mia?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ll just catch a cab.”
His brows rose. “Why? I’m here, I got a car, and I’m not offering more than I’m telling you that I’m taking you home.”
My brows rose to match his and I turned to Ella, who whispered, “Oh, my God, he’s hot.”
I was not about to disagree. He kind of was when he got all bossy. A soft smile spread across my cheeks and I turned back to Mike. “I would love a ride. Thank you, Mike.”
Mike’s lip twitched. “Y’welcome, babe.”
Ella walked me through the last stage of the night, seeing to the cleaning crew and returning equipment to the hotel storage for pick up on Monday morning, then we were out of there. The second I got into Mike’s car, I removed my shoes and groaned.
Ella confirmed from the front seat, amused, “Are y
our feet finally free?”
I laughed softly, “God, yes. Why are shoes so hurty?”
Ella chuckled. “Beauty is pain, chica.”
When we arrived outside my apartment building, Mike got out and walked me to my door. He made sure I got in safely and closed the security door behind me before making his way back to the car. I waved them off and made my way up to my floor.
The time was 1:49 a.m. I was officially drained, both physically and emotionally. I told myself not to think about Quinn, but it was easier in theory. I wondered where he was and what he was doing.
As I turned the corner of the hall that lead to my apartment, I walked slowly, shoes in hand, fishing into my bag in search of my keys. I shuffled down the hallway, hand in purse, looking for those pesky little critters. Once I had my hands on them, I pulled them out and straightened.
My body stilled in shock.
It seemed I didn’t need to think about where Quinn was or what he was doing. He sat with his back to my door, knees bent. His head was slumped to the side, mouth parted slightly, breathing deeply as he slept out in my hall.
Chapter Forty-One
Mia
Once my shock subsided, I carefully made my way over to the man who had become my world in such a short time. Kneeling by his side, I placed my bag on the ground and lifted my hand to his cheek. The moment the backs of my fingers brushed his stubbled cheek, he leaned into my touch, groaning softly.
“Quinn?” I spoke quietly, silently loving the way he reacted to my touch. “Wake up, honey.”
He came back to the land of the living, blinking away sleep, his hair adorably rumpled. He looked at me then blinked while looking around the hall before his eyes landed back on me. His voice sleep roughened, he muttered, “Hey, baby.”
I hated him right then. Or, I wanted to. I was upset with him. He could not win me over with a simple, ‘Hey, baby.’ No. I wouldn’t allow it.
But somehow, my anger faded into the background. I ignored the way his fingers ran down the length of my arm to reach my hand. I tried to ignore the way he took my hand, his thumb caressing my palm. I couldn’t ignore the way my body thrummed. “How long have you been out here?”