No Strings Attached Read online

  I smooth the front of my suit, making sure my tie is tucked neatly inside my jacket. As Sebastian clears his throat, I cut my eyes at him, silently telling him to sit there and let me handle it, but his eyes are trained across the table to the leggy blonde. She’s also not hearing a word I’m saying, her icy blue glare shooting over at Sebastian.

  As the two of them battle it out in a stare-down of epic proportions, I continue the pitch Sebastian and I have been working on for the past few months, hoping I can impress Mr. McDavid enough to give us the account.

  Smiling, I pick up the remote control. “Let’s get started, shall we?” I ask as I flip to the first visual aide.

  Sebastian is so paying for this little stunt. He knows the rules: you never fuck the competition, you never fuck the clients, and if for some reason you break rules one and two, you never bring that shit into the boardroom.

  He’s obviously broken two of those rules.

  “Jude, my boy,” Mr. McDavid says, shaking my hand and clapping my shoulder all at the same time. “That was one of the best spiels I’ve ever heard. Shit, I’d buy a fleet of cars after hearing your campaign.”

  “Well, thank you, Mr. McDavid,” I tell him, smiling as I return his firm handshake. “We look forward to working with you and for you, sir.”

  “I wasn’t sure the two of you could handle this. I have to admit I was a little hesitant when I heard Frank and Joe had handed this off, but I see why they put so much confidence in you.” His distinguished gray mustache twitches as he smiles. “I heard about the little side wager you two had going. How about I sweeten the deal with a box suite?”

  My smile grows, and I glance over to Sebastian, who seems to be back in control of his faculties. His eyes widen, and he steps in a little closer. “We’d definitely be interested, Mr. McDavid.”

  “You get me the numbers I’m looking for on next quarter’s sales report, and the suite is yours for the season.”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal,” I tell him, shaking his hand even harder.

  Mr. McDavid walks toward the door, calling out over his shoulder, “Ms. Jameson will be in contact.”

  “It was great meeting you both,” she says, her bitch-brow going up as she looks at Sebastian. “Monday morning. I want to get started on this as quickly as possible.”

  I nod as they both walk out of the room.

  “What the fuck was that?” I ask as the door shuts.

  “Fuck,” Sebastian says, groaning as he slouches down into one of the chairs. He leans his head back and blows out a deep breath.

  As I loosen my tie, Sebastian groans again and rubs his eyes with his palms. “You’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do, Lucy,” I tell him, taking the chair beside him. “She’s the one, isn’t she? The one from the club?” I ask, knowing I’m right before he even says it. The pieces started falling together during our pitch.

  “Yes.”

  I lean back in my chair and laugh. Uncontrollably. I don’t know why it strikes me as funny, but it does.

  “It’s not funny,” Sebastian whines. He literally whines like a toddler.

  Wiping the tears from my eyes, I sit up and lean over on the table as I collect myself. “Oh, but it is. This is actually the funniest turn of events I’ve witnessed in a long damn time.”

  “What the fuck am I supposed to do now?” he asks.

  “You’re going to do your fucking job. That’s what.”

  The chair Sebastian was sitting in flies back as he stands up. “How in the fuck am I supposed to do that?”

  I look up to see my friend coming unhinged. “It’s going to be fine. You can handle this.”

  “Says who?” he asks, whipping around with a crazed look in his eye. “There’s a reason I stopped going to that fucking club.”

  Wait. What?

  “Wait. You stopped going to the club?”

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “When Kirk kicked me out for almost beating the shit out of some guy who bid on Lexie,” he says loudly, pointing at the door. “That tall gorgeous blonde who has my balls in a box and carries them around in her fucking briefcase!” He kicks the chair and then sits back down in it forcefully. “How the fuck am I supposed to work with her now? I’m going to ruin this for us.” He holds his head in his hands and starts pulling at his hair.

  I can’t watch him crumble like this, so I do the only thing a friend can do at a time like this. I walk over, put my hands on his shoulders, and force him to look at me. Then I slap him. Kind of like a girl. But it’s better than me punching him in his cry-baby nose. “Wake the fuck up and get your shit together.”

  He looks at me with wide eyes and palms his cheek where I made contact.

  “You’re going to be the Sebastian Jones I know and love. You’re going to kick ass and take names. You’re going to be so fucking good at your job she’s going to be groveling at your feet and begging to suck your dick. Got me?”

  He nods, still rubbing his cheek.

  “And we’re going to show McDavid the best damn sales numbers he’s seen, and he’s going to give us that suite, and we’re going to be living it up and laughing in those douchebags from Friedman’s faces.”

  He takes a deep breath and nods again...still rubbing his cheek. Fucking pussy.

  “You’re not going to fuck this up, because I’m not going to let you.” I clap his shoulder with my hand and give it a good squeeze. “Bros before hoes.”

  He nods again. “Yeah, okay. I can do this.”

  “Fuck yes, you can do this.”

  He stands up, and I direct him toward the door. “And we’ll get that box suite.”

  “Yes, we will.” Giving his shoulder an encouraging squeeze, I direct him out of the conference room. “But for now,” I say as we walk, “we need meat and beer. Let’s go get some lunch.”

  “Why’d you have to hit me?” he asks as he allows me to lead him down the hallway.

  “It was necessary. Besides, I didn’t hit you. I slapped you. It’s different.”

  “I think you left a mark.”

  “Suck it up, you pussy, or I’ll tell Ms. Jameson you sleep with the afghan your maw maw made for you when you were three.”

  “You fucking prick,” he says, shaking his head as we walk down the sidewalk.

  Oh, this is going to be fun.

  After two half-pound burgers and a pitcher of beer, Sebastian and I are basking in our greatness. The Ms. Jameson Debacle has been put to bed for the moment, and we’re discussing how we’re going to make this McDavid account our bitch. The fact Mr. McDavid wants to throw in the box suite has us kicking it into high gear, wasting no time formulating a game plan. We want to be firing on all cylinders when we meet with Lexie on Monday.

  Now that I know what’s up, I’ll be able to play referee when needed, and hopefully, we’ll all three be able to work together to see this thing through. Worst-case scenario, I’ll handle the meetings with Lexie solo. I’m not sure how Sebastian would handle that. Now that he’s passed the shock and awe of the moment, I can tell he really likes her.

  It worries me, but I feel for the guy. I try to put myself in his position, and I realize that on one hand, it sucks—having a sexual past with a client is never good—but on the other hand, it kind of feels like fate. Sebastian quit going to the club because he couldn’t handle seeing Lexie with other guys. He removed himself from the situation, or rather Kirk did. And now, here she is, showing up where he least expected it.

  Kind of like Quinn.

  A lot like Quinn.

  Just the thought of her makes me rub my chest and will my dick to mind its manners.

  I wonder if she’ll ever text me or if that was just her way to get rid of me. But she agreed that we could still see each other on Sundays, even though I haven’t had the chance to test that one out yet. I guess she could be planning to stand me up at the park too.

  Fuck.

  Sebastian excuses himself to the bathroom, and I take the opportu
nity to check my phone. Just in case.

  Nothing.

  “Refill?” the waitress asks as she walks by our table.

  “Nah, just the check,” I tell her, putting my phone back in my pocket and pulling out my credit card.

  Part of me, the one that closely resembles a girl, wants to shoot Quinn a text. Just a hi or how’s your week going. I miss her.

  The waitress comes back with the check, and I hand her my card.

  Just as Sebastian sits back down in the booth, I feel my pocket vibrate. I practically rip the fabric of my pants trying to get it back out, and my heart leaps out of my throat.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Sebastian asks, eyeing me warily.

  I ignore him and look at the phone like it’s grown two eyes and legs and arms...It’s now my best friend in the whole wide world.

  emergency

  Chapter 12

  As soon as the door to the hotel room opens, Quinn pounces.

  The door slams, and I’m shoved against it while being attacked by her luscious mouth. She’s everywhere all at once, and I do my best to keep up and keep my hands on her… anywhere… as long as I’m touching her.

  I’d been in a meeting with my boss when I got her text this evening. It kind of came as a shock since we just met here two nights ago. Even though we don’t have a set schedule, Quinn and I can usually make it a couple of days before one of us caves and sends out the bat signal. When she texted me twice within ten minutes, I dropped everything I was doing and came here as quickly as possible.

  She’s fucking wild tonight—ravenous—pushing me against the door, slinking down my body and kneeling in front of me.

  I don’t even get a chance to catch my breath or register what she’s doing before she has my pants unzipped and my dick in her mouth, sucking like her life depends on it. Grabbing her hair, I twist it around my fist and thrust deeper into her mouth because I know she likes it this way.

  After hooking up for the past month, I know her body and her needs as well as I know my own.

  It’s not always like this, though. We’re not always this frantic and rough with each other. Sometimes, we fuck deep and slow, memorizing every inch of each other before coming together. Those are the nights I like best, because although we don’t talk about it, and Quinn would never admit it, I can feel us growing closer.

  There’s something intimate and passionate about our time together.

  Nights like tonight, when it’s wild and primal, normally happen when one or both of us have had a shitty or stressful day and we just need to fuck it out of our systems. Quinn is obviously tenser than I am, but I’m not complaining. I’ll happily screw the stress out of her anytime she needs it.

  “Quinn, I’m gonna come if you don’t slow down,” I warn her.

  She tightens her mouth around my cock but then slowly slides off, letting it pop out of her mouth, making me groan from the pleasure. When she stands, I finally take notice of what she’s wearing. Or not wearing, to be exact. Her tits are bare, and my hands gravitate towards them, twisting and pulling her nipples. She’s also not wearing panties, only a black lacy garter belt with black stockings being held on with the attached clips. Then there are the shoes—heels that make her the perfect height for me to fuck her up against the door, which is exactly what I want to do.

  Quinn reaches around to my back pocket and pulls out the condom package she knows is there, tearing it open and sliding it down my length in the blink of an eye.

  I slide my hand through her long hair at the nape of her neck and pull her mouth to mine, letting my tongue delve deep inside her mouth while I move my other hand between her legs. She’s wet and slick and so ready for me. I can’t wait another second. Turning us around, I press her back against the door. Her breaths are coming out in small pants, and a sexy smile plays on her lips. This is what she was hoping for. And I’m going to give it to her.

  Kissing her jaw, I bend down and grip her knee, wrapping it around my waist. As I line up with her entrance, I lean forward and place my lips at her ear, listening as she sucks in a breath when I fill her completely.

  Fuck.

  “Yes,” Quinn whispers, and her hot breath covers my neck before she sucks on my skin, licking and biting as I thrust harder. This is how she shows her feelings. She doesn’t use words; she uses her body. She’s marking my skin just as she marked my heart weeks ago, and I fucking love it. She can mark me wherever the hell she wants.

  “Harder, Jude. Please.”

  As much as I like fucking her against the door, I need her on the bed. I need to see her when she comes for me. Grabbing her ass, I hoist her up, carrying her to the edge of the bed and easing her down, letting my slacks drop to my feet while still inside her. Wrapping my arms around her thighs, I begin pounding into her. The blood leaves my head and goes straight to my cock, giving me a light-headed feeling, something close to euphoria.

  “Fuck, yes! That’s it. Just like that,” she yells. I love it when she’s loud, and I love that I make her that way. Me.

  Spreading her legs, I look down at her. Her hair is wild and spread out around her head, and her hands are desperately looking for something to hold on to. One claws at the bed covers while the other grabs her breast, rolling her nipple between her finger and thumb.

  So fucking sexy.

  Sweat trickles down my back as my hips pivot, hitting her clit with my pelvis. When she screams for more, I drape her knees over my shoulders, getting closer… deeper… before running my thumb through her wet folds and pressing down on her clit.

  Her thighs quake as she squeezes around me, and soon, her orgasm is taking over.

  I love watching her let go like this. She completely embraces the full-body experience and doesn’t hold back in any way. Her sounds and movements work together to express the pleasure she feels, and I wish everyone could experience sex this way.

  It’s beautiful.

  She’s beautiful.

  Just before her orgasm slows, I slam into her three more times while still pressing on her swollen nub. I explode inside of her as she comes again, pulling me deeper as we ride this one out together.

  Unable to stand or walk or think, I hover over her. My head is spinning, and I feel like I just ran a fucking marathon. I kiss her cheek and then her neck, slowly pulling out and immediately missing the heat and warmth.

  When I think I can hold my own, I stand up and take off my remaining clothes and toss the condom into the nearby trash can. Then I crawl back onto the bed and pull Quinn to me, covering us with the blanket. Eventually, sleep takes us both, silent and sated.

  Two hours later, we’re awake but still lying in the same position. It took us a couple of weeks before we started wrapping ourselves around each other and allowing ourselves to sleep, and now, we do it every time. I’ve never been much of a snuggler, and I get the feeling Quinn wasn’t either. But she’s much more relaxed and talkative when we’re like this, and I can’t help but think we’re bonding on a deeper level than just fucking.

  “How’s the McDavid account going?” Quinn asks as she’s draped across my chest, drawing swirls on my skin with her fingertip.

  “It’s going well. We’re pretty close to finishing the first part of the new campaign, so we’ll be doing a test run soon.”

  “And Sebastian and Lexie?” she asks, letting out a small chuckle.

  I’ve told Quinn all about Sebastian and Lexie and how they behaved during our pitch. Now, she expects weekly updates on them and how they pretend to hate each other while we’re working on this ad campaign.

  “They’re as loud as ever,” I answer. “They spend their time either arguing in the office or screwing in the closet, but they’re getting their work done, so I don’t really care. The funny thing is, they honestly think they’re fooling everyone, but it’s so obvious. I actually heard Lexie tell Sebastian she was bringing her flogger with her tomorrow.” I groan, rubbing my eyes. The thought makes me feel like I need brain bleach.

&n
bsp; Quinn laughs, and I love how it feels against my chest. I love everything about this moment, in fact. I wish it didn’t have to end.

  I run my fingers through her thick hair, and she melts deeper into me with a relaxed moan. “How’s Henry doing?”

  She used to tense up when I’d ask about her son, but now she simply answers my questions. “He’s great.” It’s a small change that feels huge. “He’s ready for Christmas break. I know that,” she continues. “Every day, he circles something new in the toy catalog.”

  I chuckle, remembering how Lucy and I would spend hours circling things. Mom would always tease us and tell us we should just submit the entire catalog as our Christmas list.

  She laughs. “He’s obsessed with anything you can build.” Her content sigh makes me do the same. And once again, I’m filled with unchecked, uncharted feelings for this woman.

  I normally don’t put a lot of thought into Christmas. I mean, my family always does the holiday up big, and Sebastian and I will do something fun together, but Quinn is the only person I know with a young kid. As far as I know, she only has Henry and her mom. I know she does well for herself and can provide for her family, but I want to help too. Not financially—although I totally would if she needed help—but… I want to be there for her… and for Henry.

  This is where our current situation gets tricky.

  Here I am, imagining being with her and Henry on Christmas Day, opening presents and having a great time, and yet, I seriously doubt she’s had the same thoughts. She’ll probably freak out and leave if I even suggest getting together for the holiday, so I’ll just continue to bide my time...for now. That doesn’t mean I won’t be buying them gifts, because I absolutely will.

  A smile breaks out across my face as I think about what to get Henry. It’s been years since I’ve been to a toy store, but suddenly, I can’t wait to go.