Page 6 of Ignite: Tony's Story
“And when exactly were you going to tell me this?”
“When I felt it was prudent, I suppose. Why are you so worked up?”
“I’m not worked up.”
“Dude, you’re worked up,” Quinn says, flinching at the look Tony throws at him.
“Let’s go get some lunch and get everything out on the table, if that’s okay with you both?” I look pleadingly between the two guys, red flags going up at how they’re already snipping at each other.
Quinn turns and walks away the moment he hears the word “lunch”, holding one finger in the air to signal he’ll only be a moment.
I can tell that learning exactly who I am has flustered Tony a bit, and while I’m hoping it’ll help sway him to work with me now that he knows I’m legit, it also might intimidate him. Then again, if it does intimidate him, then he isn’t the person I want on this team. So it’s good to find out either way.
“Exactly what do we need this guy for?” Tony asks.
Is he always so grouchy? I don’t know why, but I find it amusing. And I’m more than pleased that he just referred to us as “we”, but I decide not to point it out. I’ll take anything I can get and hold on tight.
“Quinn has a lot of connections and some very useful talents that extend beyond just passports and identification documents, although those are handy themselves. He’s a little out there, but he’s also wicked smart and knows his way around a lot of programming languages.”
Tony looks up to where Quinn walked off to, his mouth open to say something, but the words must get stuck in his throat. He gapes for a few moments before turning and walking away. Looking over my shoulder, I see Quinn has removed his wetsuit entirely and is standing butt-naked on the beach, rummaging through a bag.
Cocking my head a little, I can’t help but check him out. His swimmer's physique is near perfection, every bit of him covered in lean muscle. His smooth, tan skin is a full shade lighter on his muscular ass and thighs.
“Hmm,” I say, more to myself since Tony is likely too far away to hear me. “I didn’t realize that tattoo went all the way down…”
Quinn
“Mara fucking Smyth.” She raises her eyebrows. “I mean, Wilson. My bad. What have you been up to?”
“Same old, same old,” she says around a mouthful of pasta.
“How can you fit so much food into such a tiny body?” Tony asks, a mixture of concern and amusement on his face.
Mara shrugs, and I get back to questioning her. “You still after that big pharma guy?”
“Yep, and I’m this close to getting him.” She holds up a pea, speared on her fork. She stares at it as she continues. “I got that job, thanks to you, Quinn, and I’ve been working under him for almost a year now. I’m practically invisible to him, so I’ve overheard a lot of sketchy shit, plus I’ve gotten access to a lot of his files. Then, a couple of days ago, he threw a massive tantrum in his office. I don’t know what was wrong, but he stormed out, yelling at me to get the jet ready.”
“Where was he headed?”
“No idea. He canceled his entire schedule for the next week.”
Tony isn’t impressed, apparently. “And you think Adley throwing a tantrum is important why?”
Man, Tony is hot as hell, but he’s kind of a dick. I don’t really like the way he’s talking down to Mara like she isn’t the most badass bitch at this table, but I know Mara can handle herself. I try to keep my scowling to a minimum.
She looks over at him with a sly grin that makes my cock twitch. “Because when big, powerful men like Jackson Adley have big, powerful tantrums, they make mistakes. Whatever is happening is big, and he’s distracted. This is our time to strike, I know it.”
Tony grunts. He’s about to use actual words, I think, but his phone vibrates.
“I have to take this,” he says, walking away from the table.
Mara watches him leave, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Well, I’m in. I’m always down for you, Mouse.” Yeah, yeah. I’m laying it on thick, but I like the girl, alright? On top of being the smartest person I’ve ever met, she’s fierce and feisty and flawless. I kissed her once, over a year ago, and my dick is still hard.
And it’s not even like I expect anything. While I certainly wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to stick my tongue wherever she’d let me, I’m perfectly happy just being in her orbit.
“I hoped you would be,” she says, looking up at me sincerely. “I’m really sorry I ghosted you after…”
