This I Promise You (11 page)

“Quentin?” she answered after two rings. She sounded hesitant, uncertain what to expect.

“Hey, Ma.”

“Hey, Junebug.”

“Got a minute?”

Her voice softened. “You know I’ve always got time for you.”

He swallowed with sudden difficulty. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about everything that’s been going on…with your family.”

When his mother fell silent, he got up and stood at the bank of windows that overlooked downtown Atlanta. “I owe you an apology for my behavior.”

“Quentin—”

“No, listen. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you after Uncle Edward’s visit. It was selfish of me to disregard your feelings like that.”

“Oh, Junebug,” his mother said gently. “How could I ever call you selfish when you’ve always been there for me? You stepped in and became the man of the house after your father died. You worked hard in school to get scholarships because you knew I couldn’t afford your college tuition. When it was time for you to attend law school, you could have gone to Columbia to be closer to Alexis’s culinary school like you both wanted. But instead you stayed home and went to Emory so you could keep a close eye on me. Do those sound like the actions of a selfish son? I think not.”

Quentin tucked his hand into his pocket, staring out at the downtown skyline.

“You’ve always looked out for me, Junebug. Why would I expect anything less when my brother shows up out of the blue after all these years?”

Quentin let out a deep breath and shook his head. “I’m really trying to be magnanimous here, Ma. But every time I think of how much time has passed…” He trailed off as he felt anger stirring again.

“I know exactly how you feel,” his mother said quietly. “You don’t think I’m angry too? I am. I’m furious. Since seeing my brother on Saturday, my emotions have been all over the place. I go back and forth between wishing he’d never showed his face and wishing I’d given him a hug when he was here. He’s my baby brother, and once upon a time, he meant the world to me. They all did.”

The pain and yearning in her voice made Quentin’s chest ache.

“Edward called me yesterday,” he told her.

She sighed. “I was afraid he would.”

“How’d he get my number? I know you didn’t give it to him.”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t do that.” She let out another deep sigh. “Your uncle is a very powerful and resourceful man, Quentin. I’m sure it wasn’t hard for him to get your unlisted number.”

Quentin clenched his jaw, biting back the bitter retort that sprang to mind.

“I’ve been thinking about Junior and how much I want him to know my side of the family,” his mother continued. “Despite everything that happened, I had a wonderful childhood. I have very fond memories of the summers my family spent in Sag Harbor and Martha’s Vineyard. I wanted you to have those same experiences when you were growing up, and I want the same for Junior. Oh, I know you and Alexis will give him the best of everything. Between her family and the Reddicks and the Wolfs, Junior will always be surrounded by people who love him. But I want my family to be part of the picture as well.”

Quentin was silent. He knew he wasn’t going to like the next words out of his mother’s mouth.

“Your uncle invited us to Savannah this weekend. You, me, Alexis and Junior. He wants us to meet his wife and children and see the rest of the family. I told him I’d get back to him.” She paused a long moment. “I don’t think I can do it alone, Junebug. Will you go with me?”

Quentin closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the cool window as Lexi’s words ran through his mind:
I want you to think about your father and the kind of man he was. Knowing how close your mother was to her family, what would he want for her right now? Would he want her to make peace with them? Would he want them in her life?
What would he want for you?

“Quentin?”

His chest expanded as he inhaled, held the breath and then slowly released it. “All right.”

At the other end of the line, his mother let out a sigh of relief and whispered, “Thank You, Jesus.”

Quentin’s phone beeped to remind him of his lunch appointment. He welcomed the diversion.

“I’d better go, Ma. I’m meeting a client for lunch.”

“All right, baby. I know how busy you are. Before you go, I was thinking we could leave for Savannah on Friday morning and come back Sunday evening, if that works for you.”

Quentin swallowed hard and nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll move some things around on my schedule.”

Before he hung up, his mother said, “Junebug?”

“Yes?”

There was a knowing smile in her voice. “Please thank Alexis for me.”

Quentin’s expression softened. Closing his eyes, he whispered, “Will do.”

***

Later that evening, he was at his desk catching up on some paperwork when his phone buzzed with an incoming text. He picked it up and looked at the screen, smiling when he saw that the message was from Lexi.

My mom has the day off tomorrow, so she offered to stay over and watch Jr tonight.

Quentin lifted a brow and texted back:
Yeah?

Yeah. Got any late appointments?

He leaned back in his chair as he typed:
Not today.

Good. I have plans for you.

A slow grin curved his mouth.
Sounds intriguing…

Meet me at the Hilton in half an hour.

Heat curled through his groin.
The one on Spring?

No, the new one. Neither of us has ever been there before with other people,
she added pointedly.

A sheepish flush crawled up his neck, making him chuckle before he typed:
Good choice.
See you there
.

As he powered off his computer and rose from his chair, the phone beeped again.

One more thing. Take off your ring before you come inside.

If his dick hadn’t been hard before, that would have done the trick. Because he knew Lexi’s directive could only mean one thing: he was in for a smokin’ hot night of role-playing.

Coming
,
he wrote back.

Not yet
, his naughty wife responded.
But you will be soon….

Holy shit!

Quentin bit his fist, then grabbed his suit jacket and briefcase and made a beeline for the door. His secretary glanced up, startled, as he sailed past her desk.

“Enjoy your night, Mr. Reddick.”

“Oh, I will.” His grin was wicked. “Best believe I will.”

10

S
he was sitting inside the swanky hotel bar when he arrived.

Lifting her eyes to the long mirror that backed the length of the counter, she watched him step through the doorway and look straight toward the bar. When their eyes met, a delicious thrill of excitement ran through her, fluttering her stomach and quickening her pulse.

The corners of his mouth curved with the beginnings of a sexy smile.

He was wearing one of his impeccably tailored suits, this one in dark navy. He’d ditched his tie and loosened the top three buttons of his white shirt. Even clothed in bespoke Armani, he still managed to exude a rakish aura that bordered on uncivilized.

Lexi brought her glass to her mouth and sipped her club soda, watching as he came toward her with that lazy, rolling swagger. The swagger that turned female heads, that caused women to lick their lips and imagine the serious heat he was packing between those long, powerful legs.

Even after all these years, just watching Quentin Reddick walk into a room turned Lexi on. By the time he reached her, she was more than ready to jump his scrumptious bones.

It was all she could do not to look at him as he slid onto the empty stool next to her. He was so close she could feel the heat and testosterone radiating from his body, smell his unique male scent beneath the lingering trace of his cologne. The intoxicating combination sent goose bumps racing across her skin and made her nipples harden against the lace cups of her corset.

Quentin had barely sat down before a tall, leggy bombshell appeared out of nowhere and boldly rested a manicured hand on his shoulder. When he turned his head and slid a lazy glance at her, she purred flirtatiously, “Hello, handsome. Want some company?”

Seriously?
Lexi thought. Couldn’t she enjoy some sexy role-playing with her husband without some thirsty heffa trying to cockblock?

Biting back an exasperated sigh, Lexi smiled ever so sweetly at the woman and cooed, “Sorry, boo. He’s taken.”

“Am I?” Quentin challenged softly, his eyes glinting with that irrepressible mischief she knew so well. He deliberately glanced down at her bare hand and his own, then cocked a single brow at her. “I don’t see any rings.”

So he wants to play me, huh?

Lexi swiveled on the stool and provocatively crossed her legs, watching Quentin’s gaze follow the hem of her skirt as it rose up her thigh to reveal sheer black stockings held up by a black lace garter belt.

As his eyes darkened with hungry appreciation, he slid his tongue along his lush bottom lip, making it glisten.

“She’s right,” he drawled, barely sparing a glance at his hovering admirer. “I’m taken.”

The rejected woman shot a dirty look at Lexi before tossing back her hair and strutting off in a huff.

With a satisfied smile, Lexi returned her attention to Quentin. He was still staring at her, his gaze slowly meandering over her body. She was wearing a fitted white trench over a corset trimmed in black lace, her full breasts swelling over the top. Beneath her black leather miniskirt, she wore an edible lace thong.

When the bartender came over to take Quentin’s order, Lexi said smoothly, “He’ll have a Jameson neat.”

The bartender nodded, shooting an envious grin at Quentin before he poured his drink and served him.

Quentin picked up the glass, his eyes returning to settle on Lexi’s face. “How’d you know whiskey was my poison?”

She smiled, giving him a slow once-over. “You look like a man who can handle a good, strong Irish whiskey.”

A roguish glint sparked in his eyes. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Oh, it was,” she purred.

He lifted his drink to hers. “
Salud
.”

They clinked glasses and sipped, watching each other. As if they were truly meeting for the first time, Lexi felt herself getting lost in the mesmerizing depths of Quentin’s hazel eyes.

“What’s your name, darlin’?”

“Alexis.” She didn’t bother with an alias. The fantasy—the illusion of being strangers—was enough.

“Alexis,” Quentin murmured. “That’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you.” She ran a fingertip around the rim of her glass, then touched it to her lips as he watched her. His focused attention was magnetic, addictive. A thrilling aphrodisiac.

“I’m Quentin.”

She pretended to consider him for a moment. “You look like a Quentin.”

His eyes gleamed. “And what does a Quentin look like?”

She smiled. “You.”

His answering smile was as slow and heated as a summer sunset.

“Got a last name?”

“Reddick.”

“Good name. Very strong and masculine. Red…dick.”

The suggestive innuendo made his eyes glint with wicked amusement. When he turned on his stool, his legs were so long their knees brushed. The simple contact sent a rush of heat pulsing through her veins. She shifted on her seat, achingly aware of her tingling clit rubbing against the wispy thong.

Quentin leaned close to her, his increased proximity quickening her breath and making her nipples sting.

“You smell good,” he murmured.

“Mmm. I taste even better.”

His eyes darkened swiftly with lust. “I bet you do.”

“How much?”

“How much what?”

Leaning toward him, she ran a manicured fingertip from his knee up to his thigh, feeling his muscles clench beneath the fine Italian wool. “How much would you bet that I taste good?” she purred.

He stared down at her hand for a long moment, then slowly lifted his lashes and met her gaze. The wolfish smile that curved his mouth made cream thicken between her thighs.

Without taking his eyes off her, he lifted his glass to his mouth and drank his whiskey.

She bit her bottom lip, watching him. With his wicked good looks and raw sex appeal, Quentin was the kind of guy who caused a girl to go home and masturbate like hell after seeing him just once. Fortunately for her, she didn’t have to settle for getting herself off while fantasizing about his fine ass. He was her man, so she could have him anywhere or anytime she wanted.

She wanted him now.
Badly
.

“I’ve never met anyone like you before,” he drawled, the velvety rasp of his deep voice raising goose bumps on her arms.

She smiled intimately. “And you never will. I’m one of a kind.”

His eyes roamed over every inch of her body. “No doubt.”

Staying in character, she leaned close to whisper seductively in his ear, “Thought you might like to know that I’m wearing an edible thong. But you’ve got me so hot and bothered right now, the panties are about to melt right…between…my…thighs.”

Quentin shuddered and swore roughly.

She smiled, her tongue rimming his ear. “If you’re as turned on as I am, I’ve got a suite on the top—”

He set his glass down on the counter with a sharp clink and stood.

Before Lexi could react, he put his big hands around her waist and plucked her right off the stool.

She laughed, a surge of heated excitement racing through her body as he carried her through a maze of tables and out to the elegant lobby.

When the elevator came, he swept her inside and gently set her down. The doors had barely closed before he backed her against the wall and took her mouth with sizzling urgency. She moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing closer to him. She was only five two, but tonight she wore five-inch fuck-me heels that brought her to the middle of his chest.

He framed her face between his hands to better control the kiss, angling his head to lock them mouth to mouth. He kissed her as if he couldn’t get enough of her, as if he wanted to absorb her into his very skin. She clung tightly to him, her senses reeling as he stroked her parted lips and sucked on her tongue. She was wet, his kiss was wetter, and within seconds, her inner thighs were drenched.

By the time the elevator reached the top floor, she was breathless and aching to be fucked.

Taking his hand, she led him down the hallway to the suite she’d booked for the night. At the door, he took the key card from her and inserted it into the lock. When the light turned green, he opened the door, then bent to recapture her mouth as he backed her slowly through the entrance.

Breaking their kiss, she turned and sashayed backward across the luxurious suite, provocatively untying the belt of her trench coat. Quentin followed her, peeling off his suit jacket and carelessly tossing it over a chair. His piercing eyes stared at her with an intensity that had her sex throbbing almost painfully.

When her trench coat fell open, he sucked in a ragged breath. His scorching gaze devoured her curves in the sexy corset, leather miniskirt and black lace garters.

“You like?” she purred.

He licked his lips. “Hell, yeah.”

“Mmm.” Her eyes lowered to the humongous bulge between his legs. “I can tell.”

He gave her a smoldering look as she turned away and seductively sauntered toward the wall of windows. The moon was full and glowing. In the silvered darkness, she felt sultry and mysterious…primal.

Within seconds Quentin had reached her, trapping her against the cool window with the weight of his big body pressed to hers. Her breath quickened as he lifted her arms above her head and flattened her palms against the glass, sensually lacing his fingers through hers. She moaned, aroused by his scorching heat and the insistent throbbing of his erection against her buttocks.

The bright lights of the city stretched out below them. She could see their reflections in the glass, and the sight of them together turned her on even more.

She watched through half-closed eyes as Quentin kissed his way up the curve of her neck, licking the sensitive spot beneath her ear. When she shivered, he gave a husky laugh that curled lusciously between her thighs. She leaned her forehead on the window as he slowly rocked his hips, grinding his hard cock against her ass. She whimpered and moaned, her breath steaming up the glass. Her pussy ached to be filled.

She swayed on her feet as he slowly turned her around. Staring into her eyes, he slanted his lips over hers. She shivered as his tongue stroked the inside of her mouth and then retreated to trace her lips before sliding between them again, tasting her over and over.

She sighed when he pulled away. Lowering his head, he planted a kiss between her breasts, then started to unlace her corset. The way he was eating her with his eyes made her feel like the hottest, most beautiful woman that ever lived.

Together they watched as he deftly unfastened her corset, lace by lace, until the garment fell away with a whisper of fabric. Then he cupped her aching breasts in his palms, his thumbs stroking her hard nipples until she moaned with pleasure.

She stared down at him as he unzipped her leather skirt and knelt to ease it over her round hips and down her legs.

“Step out of it.” His voice was a silky command.

She stepped away from the skirt and pushed it aside with her foot. There was something deliciously voyeuristic about being undressed in front of a window, forty stories above the glittering city. If anyone on the street happened to look all the way up, she knew her trench coat would at least conceal her nudity. 

Kneeling before her, Quentin ran his hands up her calves and the backs of her knees, then up her thighs and over the flare of her hips. The rough heat of his palms created friction between the silk stockings and her hypersensitized skin, causing her to moan.

Her pussy grew even wetter as his hands returned to knead her thighs before sliding upward to clasp the swell of her ass. His eyes burned over her, blazing with lust.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, caressing her buttocks. “So fucking perfect.”

She groaned, unbearably aroused by his words and his touch. She watched as he kissed her stomach, slowly dragging his moist lips and tongue upward. Her skin felt hot and flushed, burning from the inside out. She arched back against the window as he kissed his way up to the undersides of her breasts. She gasped as his lips closed over her nipple, pulling at it with the hot suction of his mouth.

“Quentin,” she moaned, her fingers curling tightly in his hair.

He slowly kissed his way back down her trembling body. Reaching the wispy triangle of her edible thong, he breathed deep and rumbled appreciatively, “Mmm. Cherry.”

“Your favorite?”

“How’d you know?” Bending down, he pressed his mouth against her warm mound, tonguing her through the panties.

She gasped, her hips arching into the intimate kiss.

He slowly licked at her crotch, the heat of his tongue disintegrating the panties until all that remained was the string waistband.

“Delicious,” he purred, licking his lips. “But I want all that honey at the center.”

Lexi groaned as he tugged off the dangling scrap of material with his teeth. Then he hooked her right leg over his shoulder, bent down and gave her pussy one long, electrifying lick that had her head lolling back against the window.