Subfrenzy (the Subfrenzied Series) (19 page)

“
You don't have to do anything other than rack up the bill. Be sadistic.”

I was sinking in information I didn't understand. “
Is Anthony's wife like him? You make Tony sound like someone to watch out for.”

“
She's... flashy. Tony likes it that way.”

“
Flashy, hm? Designer dress, shoes, and bag?”

“
Everywhere she goes.”

I
was really glad I'd consulted Lane for my wardrobe and accessory decisions. She had loaned me a brand-name, top of the line purse for the evening.

“
Anthony Barton isn't handsy, is he?”

“
No, I promise you that he's not. Be warned, though, he's plenty annoying in other ways.”

“
That's all I was worried about. Annoying, I deal with every day at work.”

“
Me too.” Quinn leaned over to put his cigarette out. “No more work talk, hm? Not until later.”

The aggressive edge in his tone made me angry for him.
He was worried.
“Last question, and it's not really about work.”

“
Yes?”

“
Are you okay, Sir? Really?”

“
Yes, Clara. I won't be starving any time soon, I promise.”

“
Well, that's reassuring.”

“
Was that sarcasm?”

“
It was more concern than sarcasm, if that helps any?”

“
Look at me.”

I
did, until the intensity in his gaze made me look down at his chest.

“
What happened? I didn't say, look down, did I?”

The
harder edge to his tone made me gasp.
With all of the willpower I gathered, I couldn't make myself hold his gaze for more than a few seconds. He carried power easily, but I didn't want any over him-!
Why did he keep having me look at him?
My nerves crawled, demanding that I offer him the proper level of submission. Which, I knew, meant that I should do what he had told me to...
What did he want to see?

Quinn
took hold of my neck and raised my head so he could kiss me.
I held my breath when he unzipped my corset. The zipper snagged for a moment, but he tugged downward, hard, and it did what he wanted. Once it was off, his hand tangled in my hair as he pulled me closer.

“
I know why you can't.” His voice was warm instead of dangerously low. I pressed myself against him and kissed the side of his neck, the upper part of his chest. “That doesn't mean I'm not going to punish you.”

“
I'm-”

A
ringing sound startled me back to reality.

“
Damnit,” he swore, sighing when he located his phone. “I need to take this. Sorry for the interruption.”

“
Whatever you need to do, Sir.” I shrugged, pressing my lips together so he knew I'd stay quiet.

He
groaned quietly and took a deep breath. “Quinn here. There were problems?”

His
professional tone. I was surprised when he took my wrist and led me into his office.

“
Yes, the second zip file.” He moved his mouse so his computer came out of power-saving mode. “I'll send the updated version over.”

I knelt in front of his desk chair and felt his Dominant side wrap around me, happy with my submission. He undid his pants without making any noise. There was no way to ask if he wanted to come. I assumed, no. Not yet. Light stimulation made his cock harden slowly against my tongue. The worry that I'd gag made me careful about how I moved.

“
What's happening, exactly? Is he looking to rent, buy, or is he- … What do you mean, did I know?”

The
way he laughed made me hurt for him. He was able to laugh at pain, too.

“
If I had, do you think it'd be happening? The property
is
incredibly cheap. I'm going to find out why.”

The
head of his cock pushed against the back of my throat. I opened my mouth around his shaft and teased him with my tongue.

“
Because I don't trust any of the research he's done. I don't alter facts. If it doesn't go as he planned, they won't have the resources to move back. It's too soon.
”

             
I rocked back on my knees and heard a cracking sound.
No
, I panicked,
oh no!
I hid behind every defensive tactic I could think to use. My pain-threshold snapped, leaving me frozen in indecision. It felt like someone was using a hammer to pound at my kneecap. I changed position, crouching down on one knee instead of kneeling. When the throbbing, pounding sensations immediately stopped, I wanted to moan aloud in relief. But I couldn't, for more than one reason.

A
moment of submissive realization left me stunned. My first instinct should have been to bite down. The pain had hit so quickly, I forgot his cock was in my mouth. Though, apparently I hadn't. Horror from what could have happened would stay with me for a while. My lips slid over his shaft and I was able to do what I'd planned.

“
Thanks for confirming what I estimated. Call me tomorrow with updates?”

He
made me gag when the head of his cock thrust toward the back of my throat. My hands went behind my back, showing him my apology. When I looked up at him, I was relieved to see he wasn't on the phone anymore.

“
I'm so sorry-”

“
You're sorry?” He seemed stunned as I'd been. “You didn't hurt yourself just now?”

“
I should have been more focused. Did I hurt you, Sir?”

“
No, you definitely didn't. I knew
something
happened. You've never broken position like that before. Is your knee okay?”

“
Yes. It is, Sir.” The warmth around my kneecap was pleasurable, fading as other parts of my body started to ache and throb for real pleasure..

“
Is it really?”

“
Yes. Really.”

“
If you say so... You tell me if that changes.”

“
I will, Sir.”

“
I know why it doesn't hurt you. Lay down, on your back.”

My
lower body rested on the long, rectangular carpet behind his chair, I felt the cold wooden floor under my back. I wrapped my legs around him after he nudged my legs apart. His cock slid inside me before his hips touched mine. The back of my body burned, then itched from friction against the carpet.

“
You like being fucked on the floor?”

Pleasure
built and I stayed still so he could fuck me harder. “Anywhere that pleases you, Sir.”

Quinn
half-laughed, half-groaned quietly. “Such a good submissive, you are...”

Energy
was different, less animalistic, but just as intense. His arm wound underneath my neck. I felt him grasp my hair so I couldn't move. He brought his knees in so that we were closer, my chest pressing against his. The white-hot waves started to crash into one another. Pressure pooled in my lower body, throbbing outward until I moaned helplessly. He repeatedly rubbed my g-spot, forcing pleasure higher until I felt light-headed.

'Please,
Sir, may I come?”

“
... maybe.”

I
laughed and kissed his shoulder. Blood roared in my ears. The frenzy building felt like electricity racing over my skin.

“
Sir-” I held my breath before he put his hand over my mouth. 

Quinn
held me tighter, fucked me harder, and kept me from losing my anchor to reality. When he raised one of my legs to his shoulder, my back arched off the floor. I dug my nails into the back of my wrists, bringing them above my head. Speaking wasn't possible. There was a ringing sound in my head as he brought me to the edge again.

“
Yes, come for me.”

The
orgasm had me cry out in pleasure. My nails slid harmlessly over the smooth floor, frustrating because I wanted to grab something. I stared at him as aggression lost to lassitude. Aftershocks rippled outward from deep inside me. When he pulled back, I was ready to make him come. He quickly grabbed my shoulder and pushed me back down onto the floor. I laughed, surprised because the jab of defiance quickly melted back into submission.

“
Don't kneel. Stay where you are.”

“
Yes, Sir.”

He
laid down, having me face him. The head of his cock slid past my lips. My hair wound around his hand. When I couldn't continue the fast, hard pace he wanted, he took control back. I gasped, then gagged when he pulled back, pushed deeper. 

“
Fuck,” he snarled. “You're going to make me come so hard...”

Quinn
seemed frozen with pleasure, after, staring sightlessly at the ceiling.
No more work talk
, I heard in my head. I kissed my way up to his chest and laid down on top of him.
So long as I could make him forget for a while.

-
Chapter 15
-

~
Bat Country ~

A
fter bringing him a drink and his cigarettes, I settled in with his laptop on the couch. I hadn't heard his phone ring while we were on the floor of his office. Quinn had chosen to ignore it. The return call had ended, unless they had been disconnected. His cell-phone was ringing again. I heard him lean back, one side of his chair hitting the desk, and the rapid-fire typing sounds slowed.  

My
thoughts were racing too fast, in too many directions for me to concentrate. It was relieving to know that he wasn't going to move. To Rochester. I mentally groaned and forced myself to move on. He wouldn't know anything until Monday, which meant I wouldn't either. There was still all of Saturday, then dinner with Anthony Barton, his wife, Cleo...

It
would go well, I felt nothing but confidence, because it needed to. I stretched back against the couch and let tension go. My body felt too good for worry, a pulsing sensation continuing inside me from how hard I'd came. A deeper sense of pleasure burned because Quinn had let me see how he really felt, and he had told me what was really going on. Clarity and rationality returned. All of my wayward thoughts had been categorized. I closed my eyes and drifted on calm.

His
home phone rang. I saw it flashing green on the living room table and brought it to him. The sheer curtains over his windows fluttered with the breeze, making goosebumps rise on my skin. When I got closer to his desk, I understood why both windows were open. With the desk light on, the large monitor, and the computer itself, he was surrounded in a bubble of heat.

“
Thank you.” He checked the number and typed the last part of a sentence. “I'll be out in a little while.”

“
Take your time, Sir. I'm not bored.”

The
cold had been refreshing. After I wrapped myself in one of his pullover sweatshirts, I opened the balcony door to let some fresh air into the living room. The screen shut behind me and I drifted, staring at the sky, the city, everything I could see through his bedroom window from the balcony. His covers were rumpled. He had left a pair of jeans folded near the bottom of his bed. There was a t-shirt on his pillow. I made a mental note to take it when I got back inside.              

Movement
caught my attention. I turned in time to see Quinn come out of his office, on the phone. He walked around his living room table, then over to the kitchen island.

“
I promise you, I'm not going to be mad. Now please, I really don't have time to bullshit. Tell me what you called to say?”

The
note of actual pleading in his tone alarmed me. It was rude to listen, I wanted to heed my submissive side. But he was pacing around, speaking very loudly...

“
If you need money, let me know how much. You know I'd prefer that rather than-” he broke off and sighed angrily. “I know you are. I know you do. Fuck, Vera. Can I say
anything
that will persuade you to do something else?”

Vera?
My eyebrows went up and unease curled in my stomach. He walked past the balcony door, then again when he saw me. Before I could do anything, whomever was on the phone said something to piss him off. His expression hardened and I watched him pace back and forth from his front door, down the corridor that led to his office and up into the living room again.

“
How do you expect me to react, again, now I know you're-- Wait a minute, what-?
When
are you coming by? … That's
not-
!”

I
stared out at the city again when a plane taking off drowned him out. Someone named Vera was coming by? I sat down on the lounge chair.
What exactly had I heard?
My submissive side mentally backhanded me for my thoughts. Panic eased and I forced the pain out of my eyes. He was my Dominant, I was his submissive. I hadn't checked to verify where the new lines were drawn.

“
Fucking paranoid,” I berated myself. Such paranoia when I didn't know anything.

“
-- I know where you'll be. Yeah.” The unease rippled again when I heard how much warmer his voice was. “I know, yes. Yes, Vera. Me too.”

What
was trust, if I couldn't have it last beyond a couple minutes when we weren't in bed?
The rules we had were mired in common sense... but what he was doing didn't make sense to me.

“
When tomorrow? Um... sure. Call first, okay?” He laughed, the sound dark and deeply amused. “Yes, we
do
have a lot to talk about. I hate when you drop news like that over the phone. For a year and a fucking half... I know
. ... Me too, always.
Bye, Vera.”

Quinn
came out on the balcony, half done with a cigarette. He braced his hands on the railing and breathed in deeply when the wind blew. It seemed to invigorate him, taking the weariness from his back and shoulders.

“
How are you doing?” I asked lightly, making myself get up.

“
I'm fine,” he stretched backwards and smiled at me without opening his eyes. “How are you? You're not freezing out here?”

“
Are you?” I didn't move when he stood behind me, his arms around my waist. It hurt me that the shields didn't fall as they usually did. Submission filtered in and out, fighting for supremacy again.

“
You're an icicle.” He rubbed the sides of my arms and wrapped himself around me. “C'mon inside. I'll help you get warm.”

“
You're always warm,” I replied. “Thank you.”

“
This weekend might be busier than I expected,” he said, choosing to leave the glass door open. “My sister, Veronica, Vera, called, and she might be stopping by sometime Sunday. Do you have plans, or errands, or anything else going on?”

His..
I remembered that he
had
mentioned having a sister.

“
I'm sorry, Sir,” I smiled helplessly. “Do I have to run errands tomorrow? No... Why?”

“
Because you look so startled. I'm giving you an out, in case you actually want to relax  before Monday.”

“
Before Monday? You want me to stay with you all weekend?”

“
So long as you can. I might be working for a while tomorrow, but it shouldn't be for very long. I'm sorry about the current craziness, Clara. I'm going to give you so much pain later...” He squeezed the inside of my right leg and left his hand where it was.

The
promise made me smile.

“
It might not be so busy. I doubt Vera's coming by so soon. 'Sunday,' by her definition, could mean anytime in the next two weeks. She's always been that way. Impulsive.”

“
Is she your older or younger sister?”

“
Younger, by five years. Melanie Veronica, but she won't answer to her first name.”

“
If she does call, would it be better if I'm not here? Is she okay?”

“
Do you really want to hear about this? You've listened to me rant about things all night.”

“
You really haven't, Sir.”

“
She called to-- It's not exactly a short story. Basically, she wanted to know I'm not upset with her. Vera calls, as she always calls, to let me know when she's doing something I'd be against. If she really thought I was mad, you'd have met her already. ”

“
I'm sorry...?”

“
She used to work for a club in Manhattan. A burlesque hall, as she calls it. She's started working there again.” He sighed slowly. “I thought she was giving dance lessons at a studio. The dance studio she works for is owned by the people who own the burlesque place.”

He
sounded
thrilled
. I understood why he had taken my news about
Rack's
so well. Vera had desensitized him to the topic.

“
She's very passionate about it, talking about her club, the lessons they give... I know she's going to bring it up.”

“
Did you say
her
club?”

“
She talks about it like it's hers. Maybe it will be one day. I'm sure she won't turn the opportunity down.”

“
I can see how that'd bother you.”

“
It doesn't, not anymore. By the time I found out, she had quit and enrolled in college. No matter what other jobs she's taken, that place sucks her back in.”

He was unreadable again. Edgy. “Are you okay after the news you just got?”

“I'm more surprised than anything else. I thought she was going to quit. No,” he amended, “I thought she
had
quit, as of three months ago. She was worried our parents would find out. They only live half an hour from the club. I guess she doesn't care anymore.”

“
Where's her club?”

“
Upper Manhattan.”

“
And your parents? What do they do?”

“
They're retired and in Upper Manhattan, too. What about your family?” 

“
My parents are also retired, living on a lake in Vermont. We have a lot of family there. My sister, Gwen, is going to college in Washington. She's two years younger than me.”

“
Have you always lived in New Jersey?”

“
I have. My parents moved here after they got married. They both grew up in New England, but Gwen and I are Jersey-born.”

“
Because of the stories you told, did they not know they were moving into a bad area?”

“
No, we lived in a really nice neighborhood. That move happened because, um, there was a string of deaths in the family.” But I hadn't stopped myself soon enough. It was an over share, one I didn't want him to know. A few mental doors rattled, but I focused on Quinn and was saved from remembering specifics. I liked to pretend that whole, dark year hadn't happened.

“
...I knew that. Not about the-” He rubbed his hand over his face and stared into nothingness for a moment. “I wasn't thinking, which isn't any excuse, but--”

“
It was a busy year for my parents. That's what I meant to say.”

“
I'm so sorry. What--
” he paused, seeming to understand I didn't want to talk about it. “I'm sorry, baby.”

“
It's all in the past,” I said, smiling because the darkness didn't stir. “My Dad and Mom are good, Gwen's doing well.”

“
What did your parents do before retirement?”

“
Dad ran a construction company. Mom was an accountant. They both retired at the same time, about five years ago.”

“
Good for them.”

“
What about yours, if you don't mind me asking?”

“
Dad owned a gun and ammo shop. Mom worked at a library, part-time.”

“
A library and a gun shop? That's really cool.”

“
What I said to you before wasn't.” I stared at him, surprised to see how embarrassed he still looked. “I'm really... sorry about that.”

“
I don't mind the questions you ask.”

“
It's almost nine. Let's go lay-” His cell-phone shrilly rang from wherever it was in his office. Quinn growled quietly, obviously not wanting to get up. “I need to check that.”

“
I'll be here, Sir.”

A few seconds later, I heard him laugh. His happiness was infectious, having me smile without knowing why. “He's only bidding for it? You're sure?”

I
sat back down on the couch and put the laptop aside when he came into the living room. He paced up and down the hallway a couple times, listening intently to whomever had called. Quinn had a cigarette balanced between his lips, pages that he'd printed in his hand, and his home phone, which he left on the kitchen counter.

“
What's the highest bid, as of now?”

He threw the papers down onto the island. “
They're just practicing. I'm sure Global...whomever-they-are has more to spend. They have a reputation for being fuck-all risk takers.” Quinn laughed and the sharp edge dropped way from him. “Yes, I'll say it like that Monday. International profit puts them way over. They're going to get tired of bidding and it's going to spike. It's only a matter of time. They'll want to get it cheap as they can, no contest.”

He
came out into the living room and stood next to me by the sofa. I tipped my head down when he firmly rubbed the back of my neck. The sound of a drawer opening, and the smell, made me smile before I'd opened my eyes. He handed me a clear bag with his pipe and pot.