“Don’t just stand here. I’ll take you to lie down.”
Quinn followed him, asking, “Then we can talk seriously?”
“Yup,” Chase mumbled.
At the top of a short flight of stairs, Quinn stumbled. Chase quickly steadied her.
“Easy there,” he said, holding her arm. “Are you really drunk?”
Quinn pressed her fingers to her temples, replying, “A little dizzy.”
She had had less than a full glass of wine all day. Even for her, it shouldn’t have hit this fast. Maybe she had drunk it too quickly. Her steps were unsteady as Chase led her forward.
He hadn’t expected the drug to work so fast. He was a little worried but also relieved. If she were fully conscious, he wouldn’t know how to face her.
By the time he got her to Maddox’s room, Quinn was completely out of it, barely able to keep her eyes open. He laid her on the bed and looked up to see Maddox emerging from the bathroom.
Maddox was pleased with Chase’s promptness. He was about to speak when Chase put a finger to his lips. They stepped out into the living area before Chase spoke, “Mr. Dixon, there’s something I have to tell you.”
Maddox was impatient, his eyes still fixed on the bedroom.
“What is it? Spit it out!”
“Quinn is my wife, but I’m in love with someone else. We’ve been married for three years, and I’ve never touched her…”
Maddox’s head snapped toward him as he yelled, “What did you say?”
Chase had no choice but to tell him. If Quinn were a virgin and he hadn’t explained, he wouldn’t get the credit. Successful men, especially, had a thing for virgins. If he played his cards right, Maddox would be deeply indebted to him. The family business could grow tenfold.
“I don’t love her, and I didn’t want to hold her back, so I never touched her,” Chase explained. “It’s her good fortune to have met you, Mr. Dixon. But… I don’t know if she’s been with anyone before me. If not, then this will be her first time…”
A buzzing filled Maddox’s head. He didn’t hear the rest of the explanation. He didn’t care about love.
All he heard was that Quinn was a virgin.
It had been years since he had been with a virgin. And Quinn, who had stunned him with her beauty, was a virgin. He was buzzing with excitement.
He practically shoved Chase out the door, barking, “I get it! Now get out!”
“She has a temper, Mr. Dixon,” Chase managed to add. “You’ll have to be gentle with her!”
Maddox shoved him out and slammed the door. Chase stumbled, nearly falling.
“Chase?”
He looked up to see Zeke. He quickly straightened up, forcing a smile.
“Mr. Croft.”
“What are you doing here?” Zeke asked, looking at him strangely. “I thought this was Maddox’s room.”
“Yes, I just had some business with him. I was just leaving.”
Zeke waved a dismissive hand, and Chase scurried away.
Zeke entered the room next door.
“That distant relative of yours, Chase Sterling. What were you thinking, inviting him to this party?”
The guests today were all A-listers. Chase was a nobody.
Julian was sitting by the window, a laptop on the table in front of him. He closed it as Zeke approached and looked up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t I tell you his wife was beautiful? Turns out she’s a drunk. She’s already wasted. I was making a call and saw Chase coming out of Maddox’s room. That couple. Not a respectable bone between them.”
“His wife is drunk?”
“Yeah, she could barely walk,” Zeke said. “So classless.”
Julian suddenly shot to his feet.
Zeke jumped, barking, “What are you doing?”
Julian’s jaw was tight, his lips a thin line, and his eyes deep and stormy.
Zeke was completely baffled, murmuring, “You throw a party, and then you hide in your room working. Now you’re acting all jumpy. What is going on?”
Julian didn’t answer. He abruptly sat back down.
Zeke leaned over the table, his hands braced on the surface.
“Something’s not right. You’re the man who wouldn’t flinch if a mountain collapsed in front of him. What just happened? Tell me. What can’t I know? What secrets could you possibly have from me?”
Julian looked up at him, asking, “Are you bored?”
“I’ve greeted all your guests for you,” Zeke said. “So, yes, I’m at a bit of a loose end.”
“Go have a drink,” Julian said. “Stop bothering me. You’re noisy.”
Zeke straightened up, asking, “So I’ll go?”
Julian waved him away.
Zeke grinned and turned to leave.
Julian sat for only a few seconds before he shot up again and strode to the door. He threw it open to find Zeke leaning against the wall, a knowing smile on his face.
He raised an eyebrow, saying, “I knew it!”
Julian gave him a cold look, said nothing, and strode past him.
Zeke followed, asking, “Where are you going? Take me with you!”
Meanwhile, in Maddox’s suite, he stood by the bed, leering at the beautiful, intoxicated woman.
To Maddox, sex was a simple, consensual act between adults. Whether the other person was married or had a boyfriend, or if he was being a homewrecker, none of that was his problem. Even in a situation like this, where Quinn was not a willing participant, he wasn’t worried. His family was rich and powerful. They could bail him out of anything, even if he broke the law.
Besides, her own husband had delivered her to his bed. What was there to worry about?
And the thought that she might actually be a virgin made the heat in his body surge. A first time was a feast to be savored.
The blue dress clung to her, a stark contrast to her snowy skin and exquisite curves. They were on the ocean, and Quinn was a mermaid who had swum up from the depths and onto his bed.
Maddox rubbed his hands together and knelt on the bed, his greedy eyes tracing her face.
Just as he reached for her, she moved.
She was uncomfortable, a fire burning inside her. She was dizzy, her mouth dry. Her hands pawed at her clothes.
The strap of her dress slipped, revealing a smooth, white shoulder.
Maddox was about to lose it. As his hand grazed her shoulder, he was struck by how impossibly white, smooth, and soft her skin was.
This woman was a prize, who was better than any he had had before.
Maddox climbed onto the bed, his voice and movements gentle.
“Quinn, if you stay with me, I’ll take good care of you. That Chase guy, talking about being in love with someone else… I bet he just can’t get it up! Leave him. Be with me.”
The more Maddox looked at her, the more he wanted her. He wanted to keep her by his side, not just for a night but for a long, long time…
He admitted it. He was smitten. She was the first woman to make him feel this way at first sight.
He reached for her face, wanting to kiss her.
Suddenly, Quinn’s eyes flew open.
“Quinn, don’t be scared…”
She felt awful. Her vision was blurry, as if she were looking through a haze. But a voice deep inside her was screaming that she was in danger. The presence beside her was unfamiliar and threatening. The feeling of being watched by a snake returned, stronger than ever. A clammy, disgusting sensation on her skin.
“Go away…” she yelled weakly and swatted at him, struggling. “Don’t touch me…”
“Quinn…” Maddox whispered, his eyes full of fascination. Up close, her features were flawless, her skin so perfect it looked like it would bruise at the slightest touch.
Before he could kiss her, her hand connected with his face. But she was weak, her body limp. The slap had no force behind it. To Maddox, it was just part of the game.
“Don’t worry, baby, I’m here to take care of you.”
The last remnants of Quinn’s sanity told her that the man before her was dangerous and repulsive, someone to be hated. But her body was no longer under her control.
She felt so hot.
Maddox knew from her reaction that her drink had been spiked. He had to hand it to Chase.
He was overcome with lust and triumph. In a few quick movements, he had his shirt off. Before he could even get to his pants, he was leaning in to kiss her.
“No…”
Quinn’s heart was filled with terror, despair, and pain. But her body was weak, and the fire coursing through her was about to burn away her last shred of reason. She bit her lip, trying to stay awake.
Maddox’s hands roamed over her body, tracing her curves.
Quinn’s mind was resisting, but her body seemed to betray her, arching toward him. She didn’t even have the strength to keep biting her lip. The darkness was closing in.
She struggled.
Maddox couldn’t wait any longer. He reached for her dress. The teasing was over.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.