Chapter Six
The moment Quinn returned to his office, he sank into his chair and buried his face in his hands. Bloody hell! He couldn’t believe he had just been talking about masturbation with the Earl of Hawkesmere’s virginal sister. Worst of all, he’d been inexplicably, undeniably, aroused by the conversation.
He willed his body back into submission, hoping that neither she nor anyone else had noticed. But how would she have noticed? The poor girl obviously didn’t have a clue how the male body worked.
Oh, how I’d like to be the one to show her...
With a furious growl, he pushed all such thoughts away. He didn’t have time for this. A murderer still walked his streets, he hadn’t slept in over thirty-six hours, and he needed to go question a man at a dirty picture studio.
Pushing to his feet, he grabbed his coat and hat, grateful for the six-block walk that lay before him. Perhaps some fresh air would chase away the cobwebs in his brain and wake him up again. As he strode through the lobby, he told the desk sergeant where he was headed, refusing his offer to send one of the constables with him. He knew Carlton Delaney rather well, and he didn’t anticipate any problems.
As he walked, he found his mind repeatedly straying to the conversation he’d had with Allison, and to distract himself, he tried to run images of the crime scene through his head instead. There had to be something he was missing, something that would lead him to the bastard who had done such a terrible thing to a beautiful young woman.
Before he knew it, he’d arrived at the nondescript warehouse where Delaney plied his dubious trade. He quietly let himself into the cavernous space, sticking along the outer wall, unnoticed in the hub of activity happening around him. Delaney had quite an operation here. At least ten stages had been set up in the center of the warehouse, different set pieces and themes, cameras and lights, women in all stages of undress posing and laughing with the cameramen.
No one here seemed oppressed or abused in any way. Already, he was starting to doubt that Delaney had anything to do with Polly’s murder. However, the picture had obviously caught someone’s fancy or made someone very angry, and Delaney might know who.
Unfortunately, he didn’t see Delaney on any of the sets. He was rounding the far corner of the building, heading toward the stairs he knew led upstairs to Delaney’s office, when the last set caught his gaze. In this one, unlike the others, both a male and female model were engaging in a startlingly explicit act.
Quinn stopped and stared despite himself, glad for a rack of costumes that hid him from view. For a moment, he allowed himself to watch as the woman, who was on her knees in front of the man, took his engorged member into her mouth, rocking back and forth.
He'd heard of such things, but he’d never actually had the act performed on him, and he’d certainly never had the opportunity to watch it. He suddenly felt as innocent as Allison.
“What are they doing?” As though his thoughts had conjured her, Allison suddenly stood at his side, her bright blue eyes locked on the tableau taking place in front of them. “Is that... is that how...? I didn’t know a woman took a man with her mouth. I thought it was something far different!”
“This isn’t... it’s not the normal way. What the hell are you doing here?” he hissed, still flummoxed and wondering if he’d somehow imagined her.
“I followed you,” she said smugly. “You said you were coming here, and I wanted to see.”
He couldn’t believe that someone like her had managed to follow him without him knowing. He could only chalk it up to his distraction and the fact that he hadn’t slept in so long.
“Well, I think we’ve seen enough,” he said sharply. “Come on, we’re leaving.” He took her arm, but she shook free of him.
“I’m not!” she said stubbornly. “Please, Quinn. Let me stay for a few moments more.”
He shook his head, but the man on the set in front of them suddenly grabbed the woman and threw her on the divan so that she sprawled on her back, legs spread wide. This time, it was the man who sank to his knees, burying his face between the woman’s creamy thighs. She gasped and then let out a guttural moan, all while the cameraman captured it all. In shock, Quinn realized they were making an actual moving picture, and the ramifications of that made his head swim. What would some men do to be able to watch such a thing at their leisure?
Allison let out a soft, breathy sound of her own, her cheeks so flushed he thought she might burst into flames. She glanced up at Quinn, her eyes wide and shocked. “This isn’t the normal way either, is it?”
He swallowed, his cock straining against the front of his trousers. He should not be here with her, but he was, and it was the most erotic thing he’d ever known.
“There are lots of different ways for a man and woman to make love,” he answered roughly, just as the woman gave a keening cry and orgasmed all over the man’s face.
Without missing a beat, the man surged to his feet, taking his cock in hand and stroking it a few times before plunging himself deep inside the woman, who seemed to be enjoying the entire thing immensely.
“That’s... that’s more what I thought it was like,” Allison whispered, glancing from the couple to Quinn and then letting her gaze drop to his erection. She gasped, and then her eyes flew to his. “Your... it’s... does it hurt?”
He gave a strangled laugh and resisted the urge to cover himself. She was getting quite an education here, and he’d be remiss to leave her with the wrong ideas. “When a man is aroused, blood flows to his... member. It grows, which allows us to do... that.” He gestured vaguely toward the couple.
“I think... I think I’m aroused too,” she whispered. “I tingle... down there. I... don’t know what’s happening.”
This woman would try the patience of a saint. And he’d never claimed to be a saint. “You’re damp. Your body is preparing itself, easing the way. It’s normal.”
She bit her lip and nodded, then turned back toward the couple, watching with such wide-eyed curiosity he was in awe of her. Most gently bred young women would have run screaming from such a sight, but here she was, obviously enjoying it as much as he was.
“She seems to like it,” Allison said quietly. “He’s giving her pleasure.”
“It appears so,” he answered, just as softly.