Quintessentially Q

Three f**king years she belonged to a whorehouse for upmarket businessmen. A place where no questions were asked, any freakish perversion was permitted, and all lips were sealed.

Sephena sat with tears dripping into her lap. In a horrible daydream, she morphed into Tess. Broken, undernourished, and shattered beyond my reach. The thought of Tess ever being that way choked my heart with such fear I couldn’t breathe.

Tess will never be like Sephena. Tess is mine. I’ll protect her forever.

I needed to leave. “If you want anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. I won’t rush you to talk to your husband, but soon you’ll have to face your past and move on if you want to have any chance of happiness. You need those who love you, not to stay hidden in a rambling house like this.” I gave her a soft smile and descended the stairs.

My thoughts turned to Tess. She would work for me and it would be a relief of sorts. It would be good to have a diplomatic relationship. Purely business. I wouldn’t be able to touch her. She’d be my employee—completely off-limits.

Maybe then my brain would finally see her as something other than a strong-willed woman who I longed to break. Maybe I could force myself to change by acknowledging she was my equal.

You’ll still want her blood, you bastard.

I sighed heavily.

Even if we did work harmoniously together, it meant a whole other issue of office gossip. How would I ever explain to my staff why the woman I lived with couldn’t sit down without wincing, or why she had to apply makeup on her neck to keep certain marks hidden?

“I said I’d fight for you. That you deserved to be fought for. You’re worth every fight. Every argument and bump in the road. I’ll fight because I’m falling for you, Q.” Tess’s voice popped into my head.

Did she truly mean that? I couldn’t be honest with her though. I’d murdered my father, buried my drunken lout of a mother, and f**ked a slave when I freed her, all because my willpower had an expiration date. She’d hate me. I hated me. No. Tess would never know. It was better that way.

The one person who knew everything was Frederick, and one was more than enough. Even Suzette and Franco didn’t have a clue what had truly happened.

I preferred to live in the dark. On my own. I didn’t want Tess to know the real me. She’d run. She’d break her promises and leave. And that was completely unacceptable.

Giggling greeted my ears as I entered the lounge, heading for the kitchen. I kept my face blank, even though I wanted to scowl when I found Tess and Suzette, leaning close, hands around steaming coffee cups.

“So you’re going to Moineau Offices? Are you scared?”

“Scared? Why would I be?” Tess asked.

“Well, dealing with Q at home is bad enough. Working for him—” Suzette’s eyes flew up, connecting with mine.

This time I didn’t hold back and glowered with every f**king annoyance I felt. “Are you quite done, Suzette?”

She flushed a bright shade of maroon and darted into the pantry.

Tess laughed, taking a sip of her cappuccino. “No need to laser-beam the poor woman with your eyes. She was only making sure I was mentally prepared.”

I huffed, stalking toward the already poured and perfectly made latte. Suzette may not know when to keep her bloody mouth shut, but she made a damn good coffee.

The sun warmed the top of my head and shoulders through the skylight and the kitchen glittered in the morning light.

Tess never took her eyes off me as I sipped the hot liquid. I kept myself guarded. The way she sat with her elbows on the table and cup to her lips caused her shirt to gape, showing glimpses of her bra and barely covered br**sts.

Teases of red from whip marks made my c**k thicken in my pants and all I wanted to do was grab a knife, slice off her clothing, and f**k her.

My legs locked into place as the need to savage her built behind my eyes. Every part of me felt wrong—not complete until I took her. Took her screaming and moaning and crying out for more.

Fuck, I wanted her pu**y to clutch around me. I wanted to douse her insides with cum so she smelled like me all day long.

Think of something else. Sephena. Think of the poor broken women who dealt with bastards like you and didn’t survive.

That put a stop to my lust, but only enough so I didn’t f**k Tess in front of the staff.

Goddammit, I’d have to keep my distance the entire day to resist f**king her in public.

Suzette wandered out of the pantry, her arms laden with flour and other ingredients. Her body rolled in on itself, trying to be as small as possible.

She sucked in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, master. I didn’t mean to speak out of turn.” Her hazel eyes held the same crippled terror that used to haunt her when she first came to me.

I’d worked so hard to remove that fragmented look, the part of her that was defective—shattered by bastards who broke her bones for pleasure.

I put the coffee down and pinched the brow of my nose. I was on a roll today. Pissing everyone off and being an ass**le. “I’m not angry. Everything’s fine.” I dropped my arm to pat her on the shoulder, but she shied backward, trembling.

Goddammit, she’d regressed. “Don’t you dare fear me, Suzette. I will never hurt you.”

Tess froze on the barstool, never taking her eyes off Suzette. Anyone with half a brain could see she wasn’t the same carefree woman who’d giggled only moments ago. She was a ghost of her former self. The beaten slave who was so badly mangled internally she would never have children.

My words seemed to sink in, and Suzette slowly nodded. Gradually her shoulders relaxed, and she placed the ingredients on the counter. “Sorry. Momentary lapse, that’s all.”

“Are you okay?” Tess whispered.

My eyes shot to her. Her body had mirrored Suzette’s—tense, hunched, protective from whatever enemy they feared. Tess hadn’t told me what happened in Mexico, but if she ever did, I wouldn’t be responsible for the string of corpses that would be left behind.

We’d made a vow to hunt the cocksuckers down, and I planned to start that journey today. We’d already waited too long.

Suzette shook herself, shedding the last remaining fear. “Of course. Ignore me. Pretend you never saw that.” She waved her hand, laughing. It sounded genuine, if not for the brittle edge. “I’m going to get started on my to-do list. I’ll see you when you come back tonight.”

Without another word, she bolted from the kitchen and disappeared.

The second she left, the unfinished lust between Tess and I erupted into spine-tingling awareness. Tess took a breath, her coffee forgotten.

“You’re the reason she’s better. You’re the reason she can laugh and enjoy life again.” The awe in her voice touched me deeply. I’d never been proud of the man I was, but Tess’s approval meant everything.

“It wasn’t just me. She cured herself by finding another interest. Her healing hasn’t been easy.”

Tess shook her head, eyes glistening with reverence. “She wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you.” Her voice dropped to a husky rasp; my c**k instantly reacted.

She hopped off the stool, moving toward me like a perfect doll: blonde halo, porcelain skin, and thick lashes guarding the most stunning pair of eyes I’d ever seen.

The look she gave undid me.

She accepted me. She wanted me. She made me feel worthy.

I was struck dumb. I lost sensation of the warmth of my coffee cup. I forgot how to blink and breathe. All I could do was stare at the woman who was successfully breaking me into smithereens just by being alive.

What the f**k is happening to me?

The need between us crescendoed, arching like static electricity.

Tess’s lips parted, and I couldn’t look anywhere else. We took a step in perfect unison, compelled to be closer, unable to live with any distance between us.

I licked my lips, almost in physical pain with the need to kiss her. To whip her. Fuck her. Flay her. Possess her.

My chest pumped as I reached to capture the back of her neck. Her hair coiled upward, freeing her snowy skin. The urge to yank her into my embrace vibrated my muscles.

Images of ravaging her in the pantry flashed across my thoughts. We’d never make it to the bedroom. I needed her. That. Fucking. Second.

Tess was immobile, breathing shallow, the little buttons on her shirt strained against her br**sts.

“I meant every word,” I whispered. Ducking my head to nuzzle her throat, drowning myself in frost and scent that was uniquely Tess.

“Umm…” she moaned, reaching for my lapels, dragging me closer. I lost my footing, crashing into her, forcing her to back up and collide with the kitchen bench.

“You’re my gravity. Je suis à toi,” I murmured. I’m yours.

How could I f**k this woman, sleep beside her, and care for her when I didn’t even know her? My heart knew hers, my body belonged to hers, but I didn’t own her mind.

And I wanted to. Needed to.

Grabbing her hips, I positioned her square with my cock. Her taut belly quivered as I pressed hard against her, pinning her against the counter. “I need to know you, Tess. I need to own every last thing about you.”