long as you understand there is no escape clause.”
“Understood.”
“Right! So let’s get down to necessary details.”
He scooped her upright again and released her from his embrace, retaining only her hand as he swung her out beside him to perform an acknowledging bow to the still applauding spectators. Their faces were a blur to Nicole. She was gripped by a weird sense of shock that the deal had actually been made. Quin was going to pay off the ruinous debt and she was about to become his sex slave for three months.
Being his sex slave was not something new, she sternly told herself, just a repetition of the past, but her legs started wobbling as they made their way back to the bar. Neither she nor Quin were inclined to head for their respective tables since there was still private business to be done. She hoped he understood that their negotiated intimacy should remain private, too.
“Another drink?” Quin asked.
“Just iced water,” she replied.
He ordered two, probably feeling the same need to cool down. While they waited, a man came up and clapped Quin on the shoulder, claiming his attention and making Nicole’s nerves even more jumpy.
“Got to say you’ve met your match, Quin,” he rolled out with a grin, twinkling brown eyes spreading his good humour to both of them. “Great dancing! You should snag him for a partner if you’re still doing dance competitions, Nicole.”
Shock hit her hard, squeezing her heart and making her stomach contract in fear.
Tony Fisher!
She remembered giving him dancing lessons—something like two years ago—but she couldn’t remember how she’d been working her situation at the time. Did he know about Zoe? Would he mention her to Quin? How closely were the two men connected?
“Tony…” she greeted him belatedly.
“Glad you remember me.” He exuded happy warmth as he offered his hand.
She took it briefly. “Not many men have so much charm. I hope you’re enjoying your own dancing.”
“I am, indeed. As to charm…” He flicked a wry smile at Quin. “It seems my friend has considerably more.”
Friend!
“Not so I’ve noticed,” she said coolly. “But then, charm isn’t a necessary component when doing business. The primary aim is to understand each other. Quin and I are trying to settle the details of an agreement, so if you’d be so kind as to…”
“Leave you alone together? Got it!” He raised a hand in a salute to both of them and moved away.
Quin handed her a long glass of iced water. “Very deft,” he commented. “A pity you’re wasting your talent for handling people in a dance school.”
So he knew that much. “Believe me, it’s not wasted there,” she said dryly. When he made no other observation about her current life, Nicole’s tension eased a little. “Let’s tie this up quickly before we’re interrupted again,” she said briskly. “Are you carrying a business card with your e-mail address on it?”
“Yes.” He put his drink down to get the card out of his wallet and give it to her. “Do you have yours in your handbag?”
“You won’t need it. I’ll e-mail you when I get home tonight, spelling out where the money has to be transferred. You can reply to sender, giving me your home address and what time you want me to arrive.”
“That works,” he agreed.
Nicole wanted to get away from him now, escape the tension of being this close. She had to spend twenty-six nights in his company but tonight wasn’t one of them. “I want this deal kept private, Quin,” she quickly stated.
His eyes mocked her concern. “I’m hardly likely to spread the fact that I have to buy sex from you.”
A tide of scorching heat rushed up her neck and burnt her cheeks. “You didn’t value it when I gave it to you,” she fired back at him.
“I’ll count the worth of every second this time.”
“Do that!” Her chin lifted in defiant denial of any more seconds on the clock with him now. “In the meantime, please excuse me. My friends are probably wondering where I am.”
“Oh, I don’t think they’re wondering, Nicole. Not after our tango. But I’ll escort you back to their table to ensure they know you’ve been in good hands.”
“I don’t need to be escorted, thank you,” she flashed at him as she turned to go.
“I wouldn’t want your friends to think I’m not gentleman enough to give you that courtesy,” came the insidiously determined voice behind her.
Nicole gritted her teeth and said no more, knowing there’d be no shaking him off until he performed his self-appointed role. Waste of breath to argue. In actual fact, Quin had always played the gentleman with women; opening doors, seeing them seated, extending protection whenever it was appropriate. It had once given Nicole the sense of being cherished, but his courtesies had nothing to do with cherishing. Quin simply followed standards he’d set for himself.
She sailed ahead, acutely aware of him trailing closely in her wake and inwardly stewing over how she was going to explain what she’d been doing with Quin to Jade and Jules. No doubt they had seen the tango performance, which certainly didn’t gel with banishing the man from her life. There had been nothing cold about it, either.
Quin had caught up and was shoulder to shoulder with her when they arrived at the table. Both Jade and Jules had wide grins on their faces, probably thinking they’d been witnessing the rebirth of a passionate affair. Before Nicole could issue a polite dismissal to Quin, Jade surprised her by holding out a brilliant yellow butterfly, exquisitely fashioned from silk with silver glitter outlining its wings.
“For your tree,” she rushed out. “I made it to brighten you up. Not that you probably need it now but I thought I’d give it to you before the two of you make off out of the club.” Her eyes sparkled delight. “It can mark this reunion with Quin.”
“It’s beautiful, Jade. Thank you. But…”
“What tree?” Quin cut in before Nicole could deny the double departure Jade was obviously anticipating.
“The butterfly tree,” Jules supplied. “It’s a great fantasy décor piece. The branches are made of driftwood and…”
Nicole panicked, afraid he was about to mention Zoe. “It’s a private thing, Jules,” she warned, her eyes stabbing the point home. “And you’re mistaken, Jade. Quin and I are not going off together. We were simply settling an old score between us.” She quickly turned to Quin and held out her hand. “Thank you. We do have everything settled, don’t we?”
He gripped hard, his eyes probing hers with nerve-tearing intensity. “Time will tell,” he said, the sense of threat behind his words warning Nicole she had better deliver her side of the deal.
She nodded. “I won’t keep you from your party any longer.”
His mouth curled into a sardonic little smile. “Nor I from yours.”
To her intense relief he said good night to Jade and Jules, taking his leave without another word. Which left her with the task of fending off their curiosity for the rest of the evening at the club. Fortunately they didn’t want to stay late as they had an important business meeting in the morning. By one o’clock Nicole had been driven home and she was seated at her computer, ready to transmit the necessary figures for Quin to rescue her mother from losing everything.
Her fingers hesitated over the keyboard.
She stared at the e-mail address on the card he’d given her.
This was the point of no return.
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