Page 49 of Wicked S.O.B.

Quinn sits me down on the sofa, loads a plate of food, and takes a seat next to me. “We leave in an hour, but first I need you to eat something, okay?”

“Okay.”

My response appears to please him. He smiles, kisses my temple, and feeds me a piece of tortilla-wrapped chicken. Although my enjoyment of the food is markedly absent, he still nods in approval when I chow down a good portion of what he feeds me.

By the time the staff wheel ten suitcases into the living room, we’re done eating. We head back into the bedroom to get dressed. A sleeveless jumpsuit is easy to pull on, and the soft wool design doesn’t require a bra, which gives me one less thing to worry about. I throw on a cashmere cardigan and scarf, catch my hair up in a ponytail, and I’m ready to go.

Quinn emerges from his dressing room pulling on a black sweater over black cargo pants. Against the black clothes, thick black hair, and dark stubble, his eyes stand out like piercing white lasers. I freeze and stare, even as my heart jolts wildly in my chest.

He catches me looking, and a slow smile spreads across his face. It’s a smile I’ve seen before. There’s unshakeable intent there. A purpose. A vow.

My insides shake a little when he holds out his hand. “You ready?”

The question is more than its face value. It’s a promise of a next step in this turbulent existence we call our relationship.

With a bracing inward sigh, I place my hand in his. “Yes.”

Our bags are stowed in a separate SUV, and Lionel is waiting by the limo when we get downstairs. I spend the whole journey to Teterboro Airport sprawled against Quinn with my feet on the seat. He’s content to stroke whichever body part his wandering hand finds, and I close my eyes and bask in his touch.

The transfer from car to plane barely registers before I’m tucked beside him again and we’re soaring into the sky. I watch the carpet of lights below us grow distant before I turn to him.

“Where are we going?”

His eyes gleam down at me for a moment before his lips find my cheek. “It’s a surprise. Go to sleep. I’ll wake you before we land.”

It looks like leaving New York behind also loosens the demons’ hold on me. I fall into heavy sleep, and when Quinn scoops me up in his arms a while later, I’m too lost in delicious sleep to wake up properly.

When I next open my eyes, it’s to blinding sunlight and a heavy dose of déjà vu. Except it’s more than that. It’s a reality of white sheets. Sea air. Crisp white T-shirt and panties.

I lurch upright. My hands curl in the sheets, and my heart begins to race. He’s brought me to the scene of where he first had me.

When he was Q and I was Lucky.

My gaze darts around the room, searching for evidence of a camera. I don’t see one, and I’m not sure whether to be pleased or disappointed. I’m still processing what’s happening when I hear a knock on the door.

“Umm…yes?” I half croak.

The door opens, and an unfamiliar woman enters, carrying a breakfast tray. “Hi, my name is Debbie. The boss has asked me to help you get ready.”

My already-racing heart triples in velocity. “Umm, okay. How long do I have?”

She sets the tray on my lap and glances at her watch. “He wants you over in his wing at midday. That gives us a little over three hours.”

On the one hand, I’m disappointed to have to wait three long hours to see Quinn again. On the other, I welcome the fierce, raw thrill fizzing through my blood. The events of the last week still linger in my mind, but it’s suppressed beneath the welcome weight of anticipation.

My appetite fully returned, I wolf down the bagels, coffee, and juice, much to Debbie’s delight on her return. Once she clears away the tray, we get to work.

I can barely sit still as I’m buffed, polished, and primped to within an inch of my life. Other parts of me are prepared that bring mortifying blushes to my cheeks, but the knowledge of what I’ll be receiving in return ramps up my excitement even more.

Midday sees me standing at the double doors that separate my wing from the other parts of the massive South Carolina mansion. With my hair swept up into a knot on top of my head, I feel especially naked. I look down at the royal blue teddy and matching thong, the black lace-up corset and garters, and the sky-high black heels. I reach up and touch the inch-wide black lace choker around my neck as my stomach flutters in excitement and more than a touch of trepidation.

“Is there a good reason you’re not coming to me, Lucky?”

My breath bursts out of me, and I freeze. I haven’t heard that sexy, electronic voice in over a year. Hot, torrid memories rain on me and trigger my feet into movement.

But like last time, when I hit the wide foyer and the twin curving staircases, I hesitate.

“Right stairs. Second door on the right,” he instructs. There are no cameras in sight this time. None that I can see anyway, but since he’s directing my movement, I assume he can see me.

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