Quinn
I was in a familiar room. Tied to a chair with a gag over my mouth. The door opened and I strained against the rope, trying to find some way out. The person at the door chuckled and my eyes shot open. No. That voice didn't belong to the normal man. That voice belonged to someone who had recently become a pain in my side.
Charlie grinned, "What's the matter, Quinn. Thought you liked being tied up? Or is it only when you want Danny doing it to you?" His tone was nasty and I struggled to get away as he stepped closer.
"Come on, Quinn. Why so afraid? It's only me. Tiny, defenseless, Charlie. Isn't that right, Quinn?"
I sat up in my bed, feeling the cold sweat keep my hair clinging to my back.
"Quinn!" I took a few deep breaths, changed into a shirt, and went to open the door. I pulled my hair into a bun as I did to cool off a little.
Zade was standing at the door with Annie and Ryan and none of them looked happy, "Where the hell have you been and oh, my, God. Why do you reek? No, no, and no. Quinn, you go get your ass in the shower and then we'll talk,"
Zade pushed me towards my bathroom and I held up my hands in surrender, closing the door behind me. I sighed, trying not to think about the nightmare or the fact that for the first time in eight years, my father was no longer the center of it.
I turned on the shower to lukewarm and allowed the nightmare to sink down the drain. I grabbed the liquid peach soap rather than the usual bar of unscented soap. I needed a rejuvenated cleansing and the peach soap was my go-to.
When I finally got out and changed, Annie snorted when she saw my hair in a towel, "I did not see that coming," she cackled and both Zade and Ryan joined it.
"You three have short hair. I don't want to hear it. It helps dry it out a little. Plus it keeps the detangler from dripping out. Now, what do you guys want? Other than to interrogate me," I bent over and unraveled the towel, squeezing it slightly before standing up straight, letting the water from my hair fling towards my friends.
Zade made a face and said, "Quinn, you've been gone for two weeks. We've all been worried about you. Ryan said that Ken said that Master Knight didn't fire you, so why have you been gone for so long?"
I sat down and sighed, "I don't know. I needed a breather away from it. From Charlie and the stress he was putting me under. I didn't like that feeling, so—"
"So you ran," Zade said softly and by the look he was giving me, I knew what he was insinuating. I ran like I always do.
Ryan stood up and sat next to me, "Look, I know that Charlie has done some petty shit, but if he was putting you under stress, then it's only because you wouldn't tell Master Knight. We've heard Master, oh to hell with it, he ain't gonna hear us. Daniel has told Ken a couple times that he wished he hadn't let Charlie back into his life.
Ever since that night, Charlie and Daniel have been fighting. I heard them in the office once. Charlie basically told Daniel that he had a choice and whatever Daniel said, Charlie did not like the answer. We have a staff meeting tomorrow with the bartenders and the V.I.P. Doms and subs and you will be there. You are going to stand up to Charlie and tell Daniel everything. If you don't, we will,"
"Ryan's right, Quinn. When you started working at the club, Daniel was always making sure you were okay and that you didn't need anything. Owen and I both witnessed it numerous times. Even when Charlie was around too," Annie said matter-of-factly.
I frowned, realizing Owen wasn't here, "Where is Owen? I figured he would've been the first one to bust down the door,"
"Owen was going to come, but Cale called and he had to go meet with him about something. I don't remember, but don't change the subject. You are coming to this meeting, right?"
"Not that I have much of a choice, but yeah. I'll come back and I'll come to the staff meeting, but I'm not going to tell Daniel everything in front of everyone. I will tell him, I promise,"
Zade nodded and stood, "So, now that that's out of the way, what do you have for lunch?"
"Lunch? It's only . . ." I trailed off as I read the clock. 1:18 p.m. Had I slept in that long?
"Yes, lunch. I'm starving and I'm here, so I'm going to eat. Quinn? Why do you have a package of Oreos in your fridge?"
"Cause they're delicious cold. Don't judge. You keep bread in your fridge,"
Annie rolled her eyes and beckoned me towards the couch, "Come here and I'll braid your hair while the boys raid your fridge," I grinned and sat down, grabbing my hairbrush as I did.
"Lean back. So, can I ask a personal question?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"What do you think Daniel is going to say when he finds out everything?"
I hesitated, "I . . . I don't know. He could brush it off and say I'm lying, but if you guys are right and he does have some kind of feelings for me, then maybe Daniel will say goodbye to Charlie,"
"And how do you feel about it?"
"It would be nice,"
"But?"
I laughed softly, "Yes. But, I would feel like a second choice and I already don't like that feeling. It's why I've been hesitant to say anything. While having Charlie out of the picture would be amazing, the idea of Daniel of choosing me only after Charlie's been discredited feels like a loss to me,"
Annie hit a tangle and I hissed, "Sorry, Quinn. You don't have to agree to be with him. You've got Master Alex and that seems to be going pretty well. You can have anyone at that club and I'm sure they're all dying to have a night with you, especially with the Pride Party so close,"
"Pride Party?"
"You haven't heard? Zade! Quinn hasn't heard about the Pride Party!"
Zade made a screeching noise and the next thing I know, he's staring at me from three inches away from my face, "You don't know about the biggest party of the year? Okay, so basically every June for the last three years, Daniel has hosted a relaxed, but enjoyable night where everyone and everything is glitter, rainbows, and gay. It's the one time where Daniel pretty much allows a free for all and the V.I.P. Doms and subs put on a show. This year it's Annie and Sam, Theo and Sylvia, and Cale and Owen. It'll be their first time doing anything in public,"
"Actually, Theo and Sylvia backed out. It's going to be me and Ken!" Ryan shouted from the kitchen and we all turned to look at him.
Annie raised her eyebrows and said, "I'm sorry. You what? You guys are definitely back together?"
"Yeah. Didn't I tell you? We got—hang on," Ryan's phone rang and he held up a finger, "Hey. Wha–. Oh. No, of course. We'll be right over. Bye,"
Zade frowned and stood up. Annie wrapped the hair tie around the end of the braid and we both turned to face Ryan, who had a hand covering his mouth.
"What is it?"
"That was Owen. He wants us to meet him at his apartment. Something about a case,"
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None of us except Annie knew where his apartment was, so she had to drive us to Owen's apartment.
He opened the door slowly and when he saw us, he silently gestured us in, "Hey, guys,"
Master Cale was sitting on a couch with two ladies, all three of them solemn.
"Owen? Who're these guys?"
"Mer, Lu. These are my work friends. This is Zade, Annie, Ryan, and Quinn. Guys, these are my moms, Meredith and Luanne,"
"Moms?" Ryan asked and Owen nodded, "That's cool. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. and Mrs. Bales,"
"Please call us Mer and Lu. Why don't you come sit down? I'm sure Owen is going to need some support from his friends,"
"Mer," Owen said softly, but he directed to sit on the couch he had. Cale stood up and grabbed a bar stool for someone to sit on.
He and Owen sat down on the rocking chair together. Everyone was silent for a minute before Owen spoke up, "I've been asked to speak against Xander," he whispered.
"Oh, honey. Are you going to be able to do that?"
"Who's Xander?" I asked and everyone gave me a warning look.
"It's not—"
"It's fine, Cale. He doesn't know the full story. You know that I was sued for assaulting a man a few months ago, right? Well, while Cale and I were separated and I was on probation, I started working for a man named Xander Jennings. It turned out he was the one who was behind the man who . . . who,"
"Okay, okay. Shh, deep breaths, Owen. You don't have to continue," Lu said and Cale rubbed Owen's back.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just can't,"
"It's okay, Owen. You don't have to continue. I understand," I said quickly and he nodded.
"Basically, with Owen's testimony, Xander was arrested for numerous things and the prosecuting lawyer has asked Owen and a few other people to testify against Xander. I've tried to dissuade the prosecutor, saying that Owen isn't ready seeing as everything happened four months ago, but he feels with Owen's testimony again, there's a good possibility Xander will be placed in jail for a long time,"
Owen's eyes welled up again and he used the long sleeves to press into his eyes so he didn't cry anymore, "I'm terrified. I'm going to have to be in the same room as him again. I'm going to have to stare at him and talk about what he did. I don't . . . I can't—"
Cale ran his fingers through Owen's hair while the other hand grabbed his hands, kissing them lightly. Owen took a few deep breaths and coughed, "You don't have to do this, Owen. I don't care what that lawyer said. I will sue him if he forces you to speak when you don't want to," Cale growled and Owen rolled his eyes, sniffling and rubbing his nose.
"You don't need to sue anyone. I've got a week to decide and I'll figure something out," Owen stood and moved in between Ryan and Annie. Annie rubbed one arm while Ryan hugged Owen tightly.
"What do you need from us?"
"Support. Maybe tell Ken I won't be in for a day or two. I just want to process this a little,"
Ryan nodded, "Of course. Of course, Owen. We're gonna be here for you, don't worry,"
After a few minutes, Owen was asleep and snoring softly. Cale picked him up and carried him to his room while Zade, Annie, Ryan, and I all stood up.
"Maybe we should leave. I'm really sorry for Owen this is happening, but it was nice to meet you guys," Zade said and both Mer and Lu smiled sadly.
Lu stood up and shook our hands, "Yes, I wish it had been under better circumstances, but it was nice meeting you all too. He talks about you guys all the time. I'm just happy he has friends so supportive of him,"
We waved them and Cale goodbye and headed back out the car. Annie dropped me off since I was the closest and before I could get out of the car, she locked it.
"You are going to the meeting, right?"
"Yes, Annie. I promise. I will be there tomorrow. I will even contact Ken today to let him know. I'll even come back to work today if it will make you feel better,"
Annie finally relented and unlocked the door. I waved with another promise to be there before she finally left. I glanced at the time and groaned. It was almost three and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. But, I called Ken and told him I was coming back.
Daniel
Ken was grinning from ear to ear as I sat in my chair. His sole focus was on the bar and I understood the second I looked over at the bar. Standing there, smiling, and laughing with Zade was Quinn. After two weeks of not showing up, I was afraid he had actually quit.
"How long have you known he was coming?"
"About a day. And I didn't want to tell you in case certain other people found out,"
I rolled my eyes. Since our argument, Ken has made it very clear where Charlie stands and I was beginning to see his point. A fight every single day. Sometimes twice. I was exhausted and I was annoyed.
I had tried to see things from both sides, but Quinn never said anything. I was positive that Quinn and Charlie held animosity toward each other, but no one would tell me why. It was driving me insane. Hence the staff meeting tonight. I was going to get to the bottom of the issue, even if we were here all night.
Throughout the night, I watched Quinn. It was hard not to. Especially since the smile he had been wearing earlier was gone. Or at least, it wasn't as big. He was constantly checking his tip bag and looking around.
Had he been acting like this a lot recently? How had I missed it?
The closing of the club couldn't have come any sooner and as everyone sat in the main seating area, I did a headcount. The only people missing were Owen and Cale. Which, given Owen's situation, I wasn't surprised.
"Okay, good. Now that everyone is here, we can get started. For almost a month and a half now, there have been some whispers, rumors, and fights happening in the club and those who have been here long enough should know that I don't like drama. So, this meeting is about letting the rumors rest, not fighting, and figuring out why people aren't getting along. So, if anyone wants to step forward and start talking,"
Ken cleared his throat and stood up, "I was going to stay out of it, but not after tonight. Not after everything I've heard over the last month. I am tired and sick of certain people being petty towards others and causing them to want to quit and fuck it, cause I wasn't going to name names either, but Daniel for the love of God, Annie told Zade, who told Ryan, who told me that Quinn didn't receive any tips tonight and that many of the Doms didn't even want Quinn to serve them,"
"Is that true, Quinn?"
He nodded slightly, "Yes, Sir. This happened a couple of weeks ago too,"
"Why didn't you say anything? I would've made a statement or something. Did they say why?"
"Sir? If I may?" I turned to Master Theo, "It's just, well, we've heard a lot of rumors about Quinn and the last one was kinda the last straw,"
"And what was that, Theo?"
"That Quinn used to live on the streets and he had to, well, entertain others to make money," Theo said quietly and my anger flared.
"How did you find out? Who told this to you all?"
"Charlie, Sir,"
I turned to Charlie, who shrunk away, "The only way you could've known was if you looked in my files, which you knew were off-limits for this very reason!"
"But Danny, I was only trying to protect your business from scum like him. This is a well-respected establishment. It didn't need to be tarnished by his reputation,"
Before I could speak, Quinn stood up, shaking. Out of fear or anger, I wasn't quite sure.
"My . . . reputation? Really? That's your reasoning? What bullshit. You've had it out for me since day one when you told me that you would ruin me if I ever told Daniel about my feelings. I didn't! I didn't say a word and you still tried to ruin my life. I don't care anymore, Charlie. I spent years running from people like you and I don't want to anymore. So, you can take your rumors, your bullshit, and your fucking jealously and shove it up your pretentious ass!"
"Okay, okay. Calm down, both of you. Charlie, why would you do that? Why would try to get him to quit?"
Charlie's lip quivered, "Well, ever since I've come back, no one's really been nice and I know that he's been talking about me behind my back and—"
"Why did I start this club?"
He froze, "Um, what?"
"What are my parent's names?"
"Danny, I don't—"
"Do you even know when my birthday is?"
Charlie looked down, his neck red from embarrassment.
"Danny, you're embarrassing me. Why is all that important?"
"You've known me for over a year. You went to my parent's party with me. You and I spent my birthday together. You should know this information," he was shaking from the tears and he ran off.
"Daniel?" I faced Ken, who was pushing Quinn towards the front, "He's got something to say,"
"What?"
Quinn looked down and shuffled his feet, "You started this club because you wanted to create a safe environment for people who were like you. You made consent your number one rule after your cousin was raped twice by the same woman. Your parent's names are Greg and Edna and they've been married for thirty-four years. Dating longer. They were high school sweethearts. Your birthday is September thirteenth. You don't like celebrating it because you don't like having attention drawn to you, which is weird given that you're a club owner,"
I took a step forward, almost not believing what I was hearing. Quinn started to back away, but I grabbed his hands and pulled him close. One arm wrapped around his waist, the other pushing hair out of his face before I kissed him. He made a small noise of surprise and I pulled away. His eyes were closed for a second and when he opened them, I didn't give him any warning as I kissed him again, rougher this time.
I could faintly hear cheering in the club, with Ken cheering louder than the rest of them, but I barely noticed. I pulled away and Quinn buried his face in my chest, "Wanna go somewhere private?" I whispered and he nodded.
Hello, everyone! I have been waiting for this chapter forever. It's also a lot longer than I had anticipated. This is like five separate scenes all rolled into one chapter and this is where it gets fun and exciting and I hope you guys are prepared. Cause this rollercoaster still ain't done yet!
So, good news! I won't be going off the grid! I've got chapter thirteen done/in editing and I have already started fourteen. Because my entire outline got screwed up due to chapter eleven, I'm currently moving stuff around in my outline, so the next couple of chapters were not originally supposed to be in here, but that's the fun thing about writing. You can always write more scenes.
Also, just a tiny rant. I don't mind criticism on my books. I appreciate constructive criticism where I can take it. I do not, however, appreciate someone essentially commenting that my books are inaccurate and then proceed to recommend another author's works.
I understand that my books aren't perfect, but I work hard to make sure my books are as accurate and as enjoyable as possible. I spend hours and days, sometimes weeks, researching important information and it's not a great feeling when someone says that all the hard work I do isn't worth anything.
Anyway, I think that's all the news I have for this week and I will see you guys next week with thirteen!
Stay safe and have a good day/night!