“I guess you could say that.” She adjusts her glasses. Then adjusts them more. “It’s more that it takes a lot of studying to become a doctor.”
“But you’re into it?”
“It’s my plan.”
So, she’s not into it?
That’s hard to believe.
We’re not exactly best friends, but every time we talk, she’s in study mode.
“We need a lesson plan,” I say.
“Oh.” She pushes her glasses up her nose. “That’s really smart.”
“You sound surprised.”
“Not surprised. More…”
“You think I’m an idiot?”
Her laugh is more nervous than anything. “No, I just… That’s a great idea. What do you have in mind?”
“You leave in four weeks, right?”
Her eyes turn down for a split second. Then she blinks, and the hurt is gone. “Yeah.”
“How much do you want to learn?”
“The basics, I guess.”
“You want to learn to fuck and suck cock?”
Her eyes dart around the room. Fix on a guy in the corner, working on his laptop, earbuds on. Then on the barista who’s texting on her phone, glancing in our direction. “She’s listening, isn’t she?”
“I’ll use my inside voice.”
“Is that your inside voice?”
I can’t help but laugh. Yeah, I’m not so good at shutting up. “Yeah. But at least now you know I’m loud.”
“Oh my God.” She blushes. Hides behind her hands as she adjusts her glasses. “You… uh… how do you say stuff like that?”
“You want to learn that too?”
She nods.
“Dirty talk?”
“Yeah. But not just that. The confidence. The boldness.”
“It’s mostly experience and practice.”
“Practice?”
“Yeah.” My balls tighten. It’s very fucking difficult hashing this out without picturing her naked.
“You mean in bed or—”
“Everything. Try it.”
She leans in closer. Close enough to whisper. “Try it how?”
“Tell me what you want to do.”
“Now?”
“At our first lesson,” I say.
“Oh, well…” She looks around the bright room. Checks that no one is listening. Then she scoots toward me. Brings her lips to my ear. “I want to start slow. But, eventually, I want to… to have sex with you.”
Her voice is low and shaky.
Her breath is warm and fast.
Fuck, she’s doing shit to me.
Shit my jeans are failing to hide.
She pulls back. Settles into her seat. Wraps her lips around her straw.
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was driving me wild on purpose.
But this is Quinn.
She’s this innocent.
She wipes her hands on her dress. “So. Four weeks. I work Thursday to Sunday.”
“You free tomorrow?”
She nods. “All day.”
“Good.”
“Should we meet at your place? Or mine? Or maybe some third location?”
“You want to spring for hotel rooms?” I ask.
“No, I just… I’ve never done this before.”
“Me either.”
“Yeah, but you—”
“I’m a slut.”
“I was going to say you’re experienced.”
I can’t help but laugh. “You don’t have to sugar coat it. I’m used to Griffin.”
“He’s a little—”
“He’s a tactless asshole.”
Her lips curl into a smile. “He’s experienced too?”
Yeah. And I’m not letting her linger on that thought.
I’m sure Griffin would be happy to teach Quinn.
He’d do a good job.
But there’s no way in hell I’m letting another guy fill this position.
“My place is fine for our first meeting,” I say.
“Our first meeting?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
“We’ll do one lesson a week.”
“Is that enough?”
No. There’s no way I’ll ever get enough of fucking Quinn.
But I have to be smart here. I have to lay ground rules.
So neither of us get attached.
“On Mondays?” she asks.
“Yeah.” Fuck, what a way to start the week.
“Okay.” Her fingers tap her glass. She looks down at her drink. Watches the amber liquid swirl as she stirs with her straw. “What if, um… what if… well, I’ve always heard that sex makes people feel stuff.”
“I’d hope so.”
“I mean, emotionally.”
“Oh.” I try to figure out what she’s getting at, but her expression doesn’t offer any clues.
She’s still shaking with nerves.
It’s flattering.
But it’s not good.
I can’t do this if she’s clenched and scared.
“I don’t want to fall for you.” Her eyes meet mine. “No offense, Wes, but you’re a player and I don’t need my heart broken.”
That makes two of us. “We’ll see how it goes.”
She stares at me like I’m crazy.
“You start to feel something, you tell me.”
“What if you start to feel something?”
“Same deal.” That’s not going to happen. But there’s no reason to tell her that. It isn’t personal. I like Quinn. A lot. But I’m not interested in love. Love is heartbreak, pure and simple. I’ve had enough of that for one lifetime.
“So, we meet once a week until August?”
I nod.
“And you teach me…”
“Everything.”
“Everything.” She adjusts her glasses. “In four weeks?”
I nod. “I’ll have to pack a lot into our sessions.”
Her teeth sink into her bottom lip. “Four lessons. Then we part. No strings attached.” She extends her hand.
I shake. “Deal.”
Chapter Seven
Quinn
My iced tea and Wes buzz fades faster with every passing minute.
A dry medical practice is not the place to fantasize.
It’s not sexy.
And it’s not at all appropriate.
I’m supposed to be writing down Dr. Lee’s notes. She’s saying something to her patient about albuterol and sports and exercising outside.