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I turn around and head back down the hallway. “Fuck off, Delilah.”
She rushes after me. “Don’t speak to me like that!” she hisses.
“I’ll speak to you any way I damn well please.”
She reaches my side and lays a hand on my arm. I’m about to shake her off when I see Felix heading my way, a sterling silver tray with a single glass on it. Delilah’s hand falls away without an ounce of guilt.
I snag the glass from the tray and knock back ten thousand dollars’ worth of prime whiskey in one swallow. I swear I catch a wince from Felix as I set the glass back on the tray. “Thanks, old man.”
“Always a pleasure, sir.”
“Tell my father something came up, would you?”
Felix opens his mouth. Delilah beats him to the punch. “Really, Quinn. Do you have to be so difficult? You bothered to come all the way here. And you’re just going to turn around and leave again?” There’s a frisky little fire in her eyes that I want to stoke, but being in this house, with so many reminders, risks setting me off.
“Tell him to send me an email or you tell me what this is about.”
Delilah transfers her attention to Felix. “That will be all, thank you.”
The old man retreats with a stiff nod.
“I mean it, Quinn,” she whispers fiercely. “I need to see you. It’s been months.”
“And the last time you asked me nicely, I accommodated you. I believe the you-owe-me-one box is ticked in my favor?”
She swallows. “That…it wasn’t the same.” Her hand finds my arm, her grip firmer. “Please, baby. I can’t function.”
I ignore her plea and jerk a thumb toward the study. “What the hell does he want? I won’t ask you again.”
She waves an impatient hand at the question. “It’s something to do with schedules and the campaign.”
My brain ticks over for a minute. “What about the campaign? Is he thinking of not running?”
She frowns. “No, quite the opposite. Since you played an integral part last time, he wants to go over a few things with you. He just wants to get the ball rolling asap, that’s all. But I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about us…”
I exhale slowly, let her words drift over me. My plans would remain the same regardless of which course Maxwell takes, but this is a better outcome.
I thought he intended to discuss Blackwood Estate business even though he no longer plays a day-to-day role in the company. Now I know what the summons is about, the cogs in my plans resume spinning.
“Quinn?” Delilah presses harder.
I step away from the clinical analysis of my plans and stare down into her face. She swipes a tongue over her lower lip, leaving it glistening in the hallway light.
I cover the hand on my arm with mine. “Fine. I’ll be in touch in a few days. Are you able to bear waiting that long?”
Relief and triumph swirl over her face and she gives a sultry laugh. “I’ll manage. Just about.” I start to walk away, to head back to the study. Her grip tightens. “Will it…I want it to be just you and me this time.”
I tap the tip of her nose. “You know better than to make demands, Delilah. You get it the way I give it to you. Or you don’t get it at all. Is that going to be a problem?”
Her face drops along with her hand. “I don’t know why I tolerate this from you, Quinn.”
My finger traces the side of her pursing mouth. “Spare me the affronted routine, hmm? We both know it’s fake. Now run along back to bed. I’ll be in touch.” I walk away without a backward glance. I know she’s still watching me because I don’t hear her footsteps retreating.
I enter my father’s study without knocking. He’s standing at the window, his gaze on the square of darkness and light that forms Central Park at night. When he turns, he’s holding a crystal cut glass similar to the one I just used.
The fury in his eyes hasn’t abated, but I can tell he’s fighting to get a handle on it. Use it to his advantage. “Can we discuss the reason I asked you here, like two adults?”
I shut the door behind me, shove my hands back in my pockets and stroll to the center of the room. “By all means, Dad. But perhaps I should save you the trouble of a discussion and offer my congratulations?”