Authors: Adrianne Byrd
King's Pleasure (21 page)
“S
o she got her new beginning?” Dr. Turner said, smiling.
Quentin nodded. “Yep. Jeremy said that they talked for hours at that restaurant until the employees had to tell him that it was time to lock the doors. Then they went for a long walk on the beach, where they talked until the sun came up. They both said that it all passed by in the blink of an eye. But I think that the best part was when he finally walked her back to her friend’s house and tried to put the moves on her, and she told him that she didn’t sleep with guys on the first date.”
Dr. Turner laughed.
“Oh, you like
that
joke. Well, believe it or not, Jeremy still managed to get her in front of the preacher before his son arrived. It seemed like as soon as Leigh gave herself permission to take the risk, she was like a daredevil. Hell, she’s knocked up again now.”
Dr. Turner smiled, and then shook her head. “I still find it fascinating that you possess such wisdom and keen insight when comes to other people’s love lives. But when it comes to your own, you’re willing to put blinders on. It’s all so fascinating.”
“Oh, I see my problems just fine. It’s just that I don’t know what the hell to do with them.”
“So you ignore them and hope that they go away?”
“Well, it worked for a while. I just didn’t know that eventually I’d crack up,” he joked.
Dr. Turner braided her fingers together.
“Oh, how fast the worm has turned,” Q said, shaking his head.
“So how do you feel now that your little boys’ club is no more?”
Quentin sucked in a deep breath before he gave her an honest answer. “Disappointed, but what are you going to do?”
“That was going to be my next question. What
are
you going to do? You’re the sole owner of three successful gentlemen’s clubs. That’s got to keep you pretty busy.”
“It does.” He nodded. “That’s the one good thing about it. I’m constantly flying around.”
“And how often do you get home?”
“Which home?”
“Your real home,” she said. “Where your mom and dad live, where your brothers live? Don’t you miss them at all?”
“Of course I do. But you’re not asking the right question.”
“Which is?”
“Do they miss me?” He met and held her gaze. “I have a phone just like they do. Planes fly to where I live just as they fly to where they are. Frankly, I think they’re all happy to be rid of me.”
“Oh, I doubt that.”
“Why?”
“Unless you’re about to tell me that you’re on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for some heinous crime, what would make them feel that way?”
“Well, I’m no angel. I can tell you that.”
“There are some things, Quentin, I don’t need to be told.”
“Sassy.” He grinned. “I like sassy women.”
“You like women period,” Dr. Turner amended.
“There is that.”
Dr. Turner grinned. “I have to tell you that I really like your cousins. Each of their stories was different and they certainly married different women. Do you think there’s a chance that there’s a woman out there for you?”
“Oh, there are plenty of women out there that I enjoy. Some—a few times a week.”
“How do you think you’re ever going to find or understand love if you’re too busy running away from it?”
“Maybe I like to play hard to get?”
“Or maybe you don’t have any idea how to have a real, intimate relationship? Maybe your fascination with not just your cousin, but your brothers as well, is that you envy their ability to take their masks off and be vulnerable.”
“A
real
intimate relationship? Where’d you get that? Out of a textbook?”
“How about you try to answer the question?”
“Of course I know how to have an intimate relationship. I have them all the time.”
“There you go again. How come all roads lead to sex with you?”
“I never had any complaints.”
“Do you stick around long enough to hear them?”
He rolled his head away in a huff. “I do believe my time is up.” He pushed himself up onto his feet.
Dr. Turner shook her head as she climbed to her feet. “You always leave just when things are getting interesting.”
“Is that your professional way of saying that you’ll miss me?”
A smile eased back across her lips. “Have a good day, Mr. Hinton.”
“Good day.”
They performed their usual ritual as she walked him to the door. “Next time, I expect us to talk about your relationships,” she told him. “All of them—girlfriends, crushes, hook-ups and even your short trip down the aisle.”
“Are you sure about that? I have stories that will…”
Julianne Turner pressed a silencing finger to his lips. “Don’t.”
Quentin smiled behind her finger. “Scaredy-cat.”
They shook hands as her next client stood up in the waiting room.
Nice hands.
“Tell Reggie I said to watch his back.” He winked and then watched a burst of color paint her cheeks.
Walking out of the Peachtree Towers, Q actually had an extra pep in his step. He smiled at all the ladies and snuck in a couple of double takes at their passing rear views. As he approached his black Mercedes, he slid on his favorite sunglasses. Once he was behind the wheel, he felt the urge to call Sterling. This time, he waited until the urge passed and started the car.
A few minutes later, he was whipping through the streets of Atlanta, rather enjoying having his car back all to himself. No ghosts, spirits or mirages of his sister-in-law. “I can’t believe it. She’s gone.” Shaking his head and laughing, he reached to turn on the radio. He couldn’t have pulled his gaze from the road more than two seconds, but when he glanced back up, he was speeding straight toward a woman, screaming in the middle of the road in what looked like…a wedding dress?
Quentin closed his eyes and slammed both of his feet on the brakes. He could feel the back of his car fishtail and even smell the burning rubber. Then all at once, everything stopped.
Since he could clearly hear his heart hammering in his chest, he felt safe to conclude that he wasn’t dead.
“ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!”
Quentin’s head whipped around just as the woman ripped off the billowing veil swirling around her face, and recognition slammed into them.
“YOU!”
KING’S PLEASURE
ISBN: 978-1-4592-8171-4
Copyright © 2011 by Adrianne Byrd
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