Page 23 of The Publicist

Her reply comes almost instantaneously.

Quinn:I would love to watch you beg. I want you on your knees calling me Princess.

I laugh out loud, which earns me a few strange looks, and reply.

Me:Princess, if I’m on my knees, I’m not going to be begging. I’ll be taking what’s mine. I’ll see you tonight.

I stow my phone away, a smug look on my face, and return to work. These practice sets are dragging on way too long, and I just want to get out of here.

“All right,Tait and Caleb, let’s set up for hand to hand combat,” Adam says.

We each take our places, and my body goes on autopilot. We have rehearsed this fight sequence so many times, I can do it with my eyes closed. I allow my mind to wander as I dodge his punch and react with my own. Quinn’s face pops into my mind, and I think about her perfect lips and breasts. A dull ache on my jaw snaps me back to reality.Did he just punch me?

“Caleb, you can’t zone out. You get hurt when you zone out,” Adam scolds.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” I rub my jaw and squint my eyes at Tait, who is trying to cover a smirk. There’s a low throb in my jaw where his fist made contact. “Got something to say, Tait?” I ask, trying my best not to lose my temper.

“Payback’s a bitch,” he says.

Chapter 21

I wakeup to the sun streaming through the windows, and I roll over, dropping my arm over my eyes. I reach out toward Caleb, but he’s gone.Fucking figures.I scold myself for sleeping with him. I’ve known the man for two days, and I know better than to mix business and pleasure. When I open my phone, there’s a forgotten text from Tait from last night.

Tait:I might quite like being slapped around by you, Quinn. Watch out.

I chuckle but decide to not write back. Turning my head to look at the clock, I see it’s already a quarter past seven. Realizing I’m running late, I jump out of bed.

I throw my hair up and jump in the shower, not even waiting for it to get warm as I start washing up. I look down and see a few red marks on my breast, and I can’t help but smile as I think about the night before—his hands, his lips, his cock. I push down the urge to stick my fingers between my legs in favor of being on time for work.Damn job!

Finishing up, I get out, towel dry quickly, and put on my favorite dress. It’s a simple black V-neck fit and flare with capped sleeves. I accent it with a small amount of jewelry and my crimson pumps. After adding a small amount of make-up to my face and spritzing my hair with dry shampoo—whoever invented this stuff is a genius!—I pull it into a ballerina bun at the top of my head, allowing a few stands to come loose to frame my face.

A scrap piece of paper on the table catches my eye. There’s something written on it.

Quinn,

I had to leave for a training session, but we’ll talk soon.

XX

Caleb

Well, at least it doesn’t saythanks for the sex, sucker.

After grabbing a shake from the fridge, I head out the door. Hopefully, I can make it to work on time.

* * *

I plopdown in my seat, and not even five minutes later, Thad walks into my office with a smug look on his face.

I push out a big sigh. “What do you want, Thad?”

“Rumor is you and Caleb are dating. How’s that going?”

I roll my eyes. “You’re the one who wants me to do this, soyouknow the rumor is just a fabrication. It’s going fine though. He’s learning to not piss me off, so small victories.” I’m trying to keep my normal bitchy tone with Thad, but it’s proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be. “I’ve got work to do, and since you have sold me for the next few months, I better get caught up now.”

He takes the hint and moves down to Amanda’s office to ask about her weekend. My phone buzzes, and I look down to see a message from Tait.

Tait:Good morning, friend of mine. Caleb is smiling like an idiot over here. What did you do to him?