Cooper

Holy shit.

Once Corinne left my office, I let out a long sigh, running my hands roughly over my face. It was clear from the conversation we’d just had that there was still a lot for me to learn about this girl, whether she agreed to my offer or not.

My cock twitched at the thought of Corinne saying yes, of her melting in my arms and allowing me to have my way with her. At first, I thought she was simply a timid little bird seeking shelter, but now I wasn’t so sure.

The way she came marching in here, armed with the confidence to make sure I met her demands? It was sexy as hell, and exactly the side of her I needed to see to know that she could handle what I wanted to give her.

Oh, the things I want to give her.

Before I could get carried away in my thoughts, I quickly stood up, stretching out my neck and shoulders. If I was serious about keeping my sex life and work life separate—even if they both involved the same gorgeous, fascinating woman—I needed to focus while I was at work, not fantasize about all the ways I planned to introduce Corinne to a healthy and satisfying sex life.

As I walked to Quinn’s office to go over Corinne’s file, which I’d wanted to review and hadn’t gotten the chance to yet, I struggled to suppress a tiny lingering thought in the back of my mind. Maybe someone like Corinne with her wide, concerned eyes and soft, gentle manner was exactly what I needed to get out of this funk I’d been in since Emma.

Before I could explore that thought further, I arrived at Quinn’s office, offering a single knock before opening the door.

“Hey, man, what’s up? You work out your misunderstanding with Corinne?” Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow and shooting me a lopsided grin. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, obviously pretty damn pleased with himself.

“Yeah, we’re all good,” I said, ignoring his mischievous smirk. I didn’t plan on keeping my newest proposition to Corinne a secret, but now didn’t feel like the right time to get Quinn up to speed on my plan. “Still, I was thinking I’d like to take a look at her file, just to be sure she’s the right fit.”

Quinn eyed me for a moment, trying to size up my emotions, but quickly gave up and pulled Corinne’s file out of the stack of papers in front of him. “I figured you’d need confirmation,” he said, tossing the file in front of me.

I opened the manila folder and scanned the first few pages, which contained her standard cover letter and résumé. Flipping further into the stack, I frowned at its contents. As I’d expected, Quinn had done a full background check on her, just like we did with all new employees. And Corinne’s past was even worse than I thought.

She grew up in an orphanage outside the city, and started working the second anyone would hire her. Her file didn’t suggest she’d had to resort to anything illegal or unsavory, but it was clear that her life had never been glamorous or easy.

What I read in her file, along with the history of abuse she’d hinted at, made it clear just how broken this woman really was. The realization made me feel even worse about how forceful and aggressive my initial come-on was toward her. Sure, we had plenty of girls come through here with rough and troubled pasts, but something made Corinne different. I thought I felt it when she burst into my office that morning, and after reading her file, it was clear to me what it was—Corinne and I were both lost and broken souls in need of someone to help us find our way.

“So, what do you think?” Quinn asked, his low voice interrupting my thoughts.

I cleared my throat and rolled my shoulders, pushing aside the deep thoughts still swimming through my head. “She’ll do just fine,” I muttered as I snapped her file closed and placed it back on Quinn’s desk.

I pressed my lips together in a hard, thin line, determined not to let my feelings show. If I gave Quinn an inch, he’d take a mile—and would demand to know what my plans with her entailed exactly. Since I was still figuring that out myself, I wasn’t ready to discuss it.

Quinn studied me for a moment, squinting as he leaned back in his chair. “Something’s different with you,” he said, pursing his lips. I didn’t respond, instead shooting him a somewhat annoyed look. “I mean, besides the whole fleeing-the-city-due-to-a-broken-heart thing. Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight after work?” he offered, his tone equal parts friendly and serious. “I think you and I have some catching up to do.”

After some continued light teasing, I agreed to join Quinn for dinner, if for no other reason than to appease his nosiness. I still hadn’t decided whether to tell him about the proposal I’d made to Corinne. Part of me longed for the guidance of a wise older brother, while another part of me knew that Quinn was just as clueless about love and acceptance as I was.

But it was clear that he already knew something was up, so maybe dinner was as good a time as any to get him up to speed. After he’d had a couple of cocktails, preferably.

The day passed by quickly, and as I finished up the last of my work and made my way to the parking lot, my stomach grumbled as I climbed into my car. If nothing else, I was looking forward to Quinn’s cooking.

• • •

When I arrived at Quinn’s place, he greeted me with a smile and a brisk clap on the back.

“Steak night,” he said, leading me to the kitchen. “The meat’s resting, and the mushrooms are almost done. Help yourself to a drink.”

I let myself into Quinn’s liquor cabinet, my gaze roaming lazily over the bottles. Quinn had made sure to stock up on my favorite whiskey, so I happily poured myself a measure.

Once the food was ready, we sat down at his table to eat, our conversation light and easy. I’d been suspicious when Quinn invited me over, worried he might be staging some sort of intervention. But with how things were going so far, it was clear he really did just want to catch up.

“So,” he said after a long sip of his drink, “Corinne. What do you think about her, really? Off the record. Those hips hitting you anywhere in particular?”

Yeah, those hips shot me straight in the dick, but I bristled slightly at my brother’s quip. Not because I thought he said it with any malice, but because of how well he seemed to know my taste.

“She’s great,” I said, forcing myself to sound as normal as possible.

Quinn gave me a mischievous smile. “Come on, Coop. I know there’s more to it than that.”

I sighed and swirled the liquid in my glass. This was whiskey number two, and while I didn’t feel the slightest buzz yet, I knew we were at a tipping point in the night’s conversation.

Fuck it.

“You’re right,” I said, tapping my fingers on the side of my glass. “She’s special. So special, in fact, that I’ve offered her an exclusive no-strings-attached sexual relationship. No feelings, no commitments, just sex.”

I winced once I had it all out there. Yeah, that was a lot to unload on somebody.

Quinn leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and raising a critical eyebrow. “You did what?”

“You heard me. I made her an offer. Purely physical. She’s still thinking it over.”

Quinn stared at me for a moment longer before bursting into laughter. “That’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” he said between breaths. “Out of all the women in this city you could be banging out your sadness with, you choose the one you’ll have to see every day at work. You’re a mess, man.”

I shook my head. “No, it won’t be like that. Strictly separate. At work, we’ll work. Anytime outside work, we’ll fuck,” I said matter-of-factly, surprised by my brother’s disapproval. Quinn wasn’t the relationship type. Why was he, of all people, giving me shit for this?

“You’ll get to know each other too well, dude. She’s either gonna hate you or fall for you. Either way, you’re fucked. And not in the good way,” he added.

I thought again of what I read in her file, about the orphanage she grew up in.

“I’m not so worried about either of those things,” I said, taking on a serious tone. “She mentioned something about demons in her past . . . I don’t know the story, but it’s left her with some hang-ups. She’s a broken person, Quinn, and terrified of sex. To think of someone so beautiful, with so much to offer, afraid of the pleasure she could so easily receive . . . it tears at me. If this arrangement would help her, then why shouldn’t I go for it? I saw the way she looked at me just before she ran—she wanted me too, it was written all over her face. She’s curious, and that’s what terrifies her. I’m more than happy to be the one to help her move past that fear.”

I paused then, suddenly aware of the wistful look I was probably wearing. I snapped out of it and cleared my throat before draining my glass.

Quinn shrugged. “If that’s how you feel, I won’t stop you,” he said, rising from his chair. “But I think this calls for another drink.”

I followed Quinn to his library, where he poured us both a glass of brandy. We clinked glasses and each took a swig, and I relished the slight burn as the liquid slid down my throat. I examined some of the books on a nearby shelf while Quinn watched me, a concerned look on his face.

“You haven’t been back in here since that night with Emma, have you?” he said.

A thin, cheerless smile spread across my face as I remembered the night when the woman I thought I loved crushed my dreams, choosing the white-hot passion of my brother Gavin over the stable love I had to offer her. Thinking of that night didn’t sting as much as it used to, but it wasn’t a memory I cared to linger on more than was necessary.

“No,” I said, turning to face him, making as neutral a face as possible. “How are Gavin and Emma doing?”

“Well, I think. All settled into the new place. Looks like happily-ever-after is possible for the Kingsley brothers after all.”

I nodded, forcing a grim smile to my lips. After a moment, I raised my glass in the air. “To Gavin and Emma.”

“To Gavin and Emma,” Quinn repeated. After we both took a sip of our brandy, he swirled the liquid left in his glass before looking up at me. “Do you know what you’re doing with this new girl, Coop? It sounds like you’re entering into some pretty dangerous territory.”

I sighed and sat in one of the plush armchairs by the fireplace. “Not a fucking clue,” I muttered, running a hand over my face. “But I need this. I need to be focused on someone else for a while, I think.”

Quinn nodded, then sat in the chair next to mine. “Just do me one favor, okay?” When I answered with a shrug, he said, “Talk to Gavin about this before you do anything big.”

“Why would I do that?”

“You and I both know he was into the Dominant/submissive scene before Emma. He might know a thing or two about helping a reluctant woman surrender to pleasure.”

I nodded, downing the last of my brandy. Quinn had a point. Gavin would be the person to talk to about how to set up a sexual relationship based solely on one person’s pleasure, especially when it came to thinking outside the box.

I left Quinn’s that night with a slight buzz, both from the alcohol and the thought of embarking on a purely physical relationship with Corinne. Quinn might not have fully approved but he didn’t shut me down, and I was more eager than ever to show Corinne how to unlock the pleasure within her, should she agree to my proposal. Things were looking up, and I could feel myself slowly shedding the bitterness and rage I’d been cultivating since Emma turned me down.

The only thing keeping me from feeling more excitement than I had in months?

The thought of asking Gavin, my brother and Emma’s husband, for sex advice.

Fucking kill me now.