Page 20 of Enticing My Off Limits Billionaire

I storm out of the elevator, past the doorman in the lobby, and out onto the streets of the Upper East Side. I need to breathe. I need to be alone. Central Park is just a hop away, and I could go there, walk, figure out what the hell I'm going to do with myself.

"Hey, Sterling," a voice says.

I look up to find Quinn standing there, his hands in his pockets. He's wearing grey slacks and a white shirt, a blazer slung over his shoulder. We both look so ridiculous in our formalwear, all for a club where the members fucks the waitresses...

"I don't want to talk," I tell him.

"You don't have to," he shrugs. "I just thought you might want some company. Even if it's quiet company."

I bite my lip so hard that it stings, my fingers curling until my nails bite into my palms. I know I need to calm down, and that I should really be careful about walking alone at night—but I want to be rebellious.

I've always been such a good girl, and I just want to be bad for once. To act out.

Make my dad angry.

"Fine," I mutter. "Walk?"

Quinn nods. "Where to?"

"The park."

"Sounds good."

He offers his arm, and I take it without a word, wishing I'd worn good shoes for walking and not these damn heels. I guess I had no way of knowing that I would end up storming out, but I should have assumed that Kylie and Dad keep doing things that hurt me, and tonight is no different. I fume about the baby news as we start to walk, ignoring the pain in my heels when it's nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

We walk across a street, and then we're in Central Park, glowing streetlights overhead, a light fog hanging in the air. Quinn doesn't let me go, a solid presence at my side, and I find that I'm grateful for him. Just that small presence helps me remember to breathe, to take more careful steps...and then my feet start to hurt.

"Hold on," I mutter, and he pauses as I kick off one of my shoes, then the other.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I ask.

"No," I scoff. "But I need to walk, and these are giving me blisters."

"You sure you don't want me to carry you?"

I give him a skeptical look. "You think you could carry me?"

"I'm strong."

"And I'm heavier than I look," I laugh. "Don't worry...I'm up to date on all my shots."

He laughs and shakes his head, and we keep on walking with my shoes dangling from one hand. I wish I was drunker right now—which probably isn't a good thing—and it reminds me once again that I probably need to call Andrea, the dang therapist.

Quinn and I walk in silence for a while, taking in the beauty of the night and the peacefulness of the park. My thoughts are still swirling, but the movement and fresh air are starting to calm me down. I even start to feel a little guilty for how I reacted to Kylie's news. She's going to have a baby, and that's amazing. I should be happy for her.

But it's not that simple.

"I'm sorry," I say suddenly, breaking the silence. "For being so rude back there."

Quinn gives me a small smile. "It's okay. I get it."

I shake my head. "No, you don't. I'm not even sure I get it. It's just that my dad was never there for me. He was always too busy with work or whatever else he had going on. And now he's going to have another kid, and he'll probably be the best dad ever to that one. It's not fair. Why couldn't he have been that way with me?"

Quinn squeezes my hand. "I'm sorry, Madison. That's really rough."

I shrug. "It is what it is. I just need to figure out how to deal with it."

We walk in silence for a while longer; the only sounds are the crunch of leaves underfoot and the distant honk of a car. There are a few other people sitting on benches and a few jogging. It all reminds me the world is still going on out here, spinning around like it always does. I start to relax, the anger and hurt slowly melting away.

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