213 Trading freedom for a relationship 1

~ Seattle, Quentin's apartment ~

Thursday, July 4

8:23 AM

Brianna is eyeing herself in the mirror. The silky cream shirt and green summer knee-length skirt are light and perfect for summer, and just her size.

What is she doing in Quentin's apartment? She is not sure herself.

Last night Quentin suggested that she stays at his place. It sounded practical and he also taunted her, and she would be lying if she said that she was not hoping for a steamy night because no matter how much she is trying to avoid Quentin, Brianna is aware that he is almost impossible to resist. Almost.

Bri texted Liz that she will stay at Quentin's place and other than one 'OK' (a few hours later), Liz didn't say anything. Well, Liz was never the nosy one. This time, Bri was happy that she didn't need to inform Mia about this change in sleeping arrangements because Mia would definitely tease her.

When they arrived at Quentin's apartment, he gestured toward the guest bedroom door. "You will find everything you need in there. If you get hungry or thirsty during the night, help yourself with whatever you find in the kitchen."

Quentin didn't linger. After drinking a glass of water, he went to the master bedroom, leaving Brianna in the living room with: "Have a good night".

Brianna observed the living room and noticed a few changes. The magazines were gone. She wondered, did he remove them due to her leaving the last time she was in his apartment? She dispelled that thought because, how would Quentin know what triggered her to leave? And even if he knew, that is not the reason to remove them.

Brianna got in the guest bedroom and she saw several outfits neatly arranged on the bed. There were a nightgown and underwear as well. Everything was from high-end brands, with tags still on, so Brianna knew that no one wore them before and that they are probably purchased for her because they are her size and they had that fresh-out-of-store scent lingering. She wondered if Quentin went with this approach because of the designer's dress he gave her last time which was previously worn by a model he hooked up with. Again, she caught herself making ridiculous assumptions. Is it possible that he is so observant and that he cares so much?

The bathroom had luxury toiletries for females and the bedsheets were crisp and lavender scented.

Somehow, Brianna knew that Kendra (aka his assistant) prepared these on short notice because there is no way that Quentin knew in advance that Brianna will stay overnight, right?

The troubling thing is that Brianna was unable to sleep for more than a series of brief naps. Part of her hoped that Quentin will come to her room and she fought her urges to go into his… and she managed to stay in her room on sheer stubbornness.

Back to the present…

Brianna is hoping that her face will not show her lack of sleep or her confusion with the current situation. If Quentin had no intention for this to end up with a steamy night, why did he invite her? It's not possible that he did it out of the kindness of his heart, or because he wants them to be friends. Bri was not sure what to make out of all this.

Brianna got out of the bedroom and found Quentin in the dining room.

He is sitting at the table filled with breakfast items and looking at his tablet. Based on the glasses he is wearing, Brianna guessed that he is reading. She didn't know that he wears glasses; they make him look more… scholarly.

Quentin lifted his gaze and gave her a quick look over his glasses. "Good morning. I hope you slept well."

"Good morning. It was OK.", she responded and hoped that he will not call out her obvious lie.

His lips raised in a small smile. "I'm glad the clothes fit you well."

"Yes. Thank you."

Seeing that she is standing in front of him awkwardly, Quentin gestured toward the seat on his side. "Help yourself…" And then his gaze moved back to the tablet in his hand.

Brianna took her seat and observed that other than toasted bread, pastries, and a variety of spreads, there are mini-sandwiches, quiche, and fruits, and there are orange juice, milk, and coffee as well.

"Do you always have so many choices for breakfast?", Bri asked while pouring coffee for herself.

"No. I was not sure what you feel like eating, so I've got more than usually.", Quentin responded without lifting his gaze.

"Kendra brought these?", Brianna asked.

"Mhm...", Quentin confirmed with a hum.

"Does she always bring you breakfast?"

"No. I usually eat at the office, and on non-working days I manage. I called her for this because you are visiting.", he explained while giving her a super-quick glance.

"It's a holiday. Doesn't she mind?"

Quentin shrugged. "It's her job."

Brianna took a sip of the coffee before adding cream.

"What is so interesting?", she asked while craning her neck to see the tablet. Part of her was irked that Quentin is ignoring her. OK, not ignoring, but he is acting like whatever is there is more interesting than she is, and he is not showing the courtesy of talking to his guest.

"Reports on the effect of our latest marketing campaign.", Quentin said while allowing her to see a number of graphs with explanations under them.

Brianna had difficulty seeing him as a hardworking guy. "Do you always work on holidays?"

"I work when it's needed. We acquired a publishing company last week and are expanding our online presence. I am tasked to make sure everything runs smoothly. This is real-time data from my marketing department, and I can't leave this for after the holiday, because if our ads are hitting the wrong customer base, we will lose a lot of money in the next few days. The trend from the last five years shows that people shop from fifteen to twenty-five percent more during the Fourth of July holidays compared to their shopping habits on regular days."

"Oh…", a sound escaped Bri's lips.

"You sound surprised.", Quentin voiced his observation.

"I just thought…", Brianna was unable to finish her sentence because she realized that it can't end well.

However, Quentin finished it for her: "You thought that my job is to attend photo shoots and seduce models. As you can see, I do much more than that."

Brianna kept the coffee mug on the table and looked at him like a child who was wronged. "Why are you like that?"

Quentin was half-amused while wondering if she is sulking for real or faking it. In either case, he found her little pout adorable. "I apologize. It was not my intention to be rude. Like most people, I tend to get defensive when others make assumptions about me. Please, enjoy your breakfast."

Brianna saw that Quentin's attention went back to the tablet and she understood that this is where the chit-chat ends.

She took a toast and applied strawberry jam on it.

Bri ate in silence while her gaze drifted to Quentin often. He had a serious expression on, which went very well with his thin-framed glasses. She found him to be nice to look at. More than nice. Attractive and sexy… and she was back to finding him to be irresistible.

After an unknown measure of time, Quentin kept the tablet on the side, removed his glasses, and refilled his cup with coffee.

"What are your plans for the day?", Quentin asked.

Brianna blinked, surprised by this question. Why does it sound like she should have plans separate from his? Is he telling her to eat and leave?

"I'm not sure. I thought that I will be at Liz's place and I relied that she will come up with things to do. Even if we don't go anywhere, we spend time chatting. Coming here was unexpected, so I don't have any plans.", she admitted.

Brianna looked at Quentin who nodded and didn't say anything else while picking a mini-sandwich. Her frustration bubbled. What's with that silence? She had to ask: "What about you?"

Quentin looked at her and responded flatly: "There is no right answer to that question. If I tell you what I usually would do, without including you, I will appear rude. And if I come up with something that includes you, you will call me clingy and push me away."

Bri found him borderline unpleasant. "Why are you like that?"

"Honest?"

Brianna pressed her lips into a line and thought how this reminds her of their initial interactions. At that time, Quentin said that she is bashing him and hurting his feelings, and she responded how she is only telling the truth. Is it possible that the tables have turned like that?

"Why did you invite me?", she mustered courage to ask.

Quentin looked at her with amusement apparent in his eyes. "What do you think?"

After a second of hesitation, Bri decided to tell him what is on her mind: "I don't know what to think. Last night I thought that you want us to spend the night together, but by now I realized that my assumption was wrong."

Quentin's eyebrows went up in slow motion. "What would you do if I came to your room last night?"

Brianna opened her mouth and realized that she is unable to speak. Her heart thumped wildly and with every beat it was traveling higher up her chest, throat, threatening to come out. She closed her mouth and lowered her head.

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