Quinn lifted his gaze to me abruptly, his eyes narrowed and silence stretched. I thought he wasn’t going to answer. His jaw seemed to be set and his mouth drawn in a particularly thin line as though he were considering something unpleasant. I took the opportunity to look at him, really look at him. A twisting pain originating just under the left side of my rib cage made my breath catch; I missed looking at Quinn and I missed talking to Quinn.
But he wasn’t Quinn. He was Mr. Sullivan. The Boss.
I licked my lips and broke the silence, “I guess it doesn’t really matter, I just thought- I just thought it would be good to keep things consistent.”
A momentary flash of something that looked almost like alarm crossed Quinn’s features and he turned to Steven; his voice sounded accusatory, “I thought Janie only worked on the public accounts?”
Steven lifted his hands slightly as though he were defending himself, “She does. She does, we split the two. I handle all the private clients on the back end but-” Steven’s eyes met mine for a brief moment before he continued, “but Carlos and I were thinking that some of the Infinite Systems clients might respond well to her-”
“I thought I was very clear.” Quinn’s voice, although quiet, had the cadence of a growl and he slowly pulled the iPad completely out of my grip, arranging it on his lap and turning his attention to the figures on the screen.
Carlos cleared his throat and I could only watch the strange exchange with wide, confused eyes; “Mr. Sullivan, Janie is very talented. Please consider-”
Quinn huffed, “I won’t. Don’t bring it up again.”
He was angry. Quinn looked even more amazing when he was angry. The silliness of my priority in thought process dawned on me sluggishly as I watched him review the information I prepared. I knew that, instead of focusing on his good looks, I should be focusing on why I was being purposefully excluded from participation in Infinite Systems, despite Carlos and Steven’s suggestions. Maybe it had something to do with my suspicion that I didn’t deserve my job. That I’d been hired based on a whim, not based on ability.
As I pulled my attention from him I swallowed, my throat felt thick and tight; I surveyed the group: Steven briefly met my gaze and he gave me a tight, apologetic smile. Carlos’s expression was one of stormy frustration directed at his hands on his lap. Olivia seemed to regard me with something resembling displeasure and suspicion.
Before my mind could wander Quinn abruptly dropped the iPad in my lap; his voice aloof, “Send the web link to the development group and have them use the open source product to start drawing up requirements. Now, before we touch down I want to review the invoices for Outrageous and the scope of work for the Las Vegas properties.”
The subject of my involvement with Infinite Systems seemingly closed, we turned to the subject of the upcoming meeting.
Throughout the two-hour gauntlet that followed, I did my best to stay focused on Quinn’s questions and not his mouth; on where he pointed and not his hands. I swear whatever pheromones Quinn Sullivan secreted were the equivalent of Janie-cat-nip.
The most difficult and dangerous parts were when he would shift close to me and lean over my shoulder. I found myself resisting the urge to lean into his coat lapel and smell him. At one point I became slightly fixated on the pulse point at the base of Quinn’s neck and nearly missed one of Carlos’s questions.
Carlos seemed to take my distracted response as a sign of fatigue and suggested a break. Everyone immediately agreed. Thankfully, Quinn excused himself as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and walked to the back of the plane to make a call.
I didn’t allow my gaze to linger on his backside as he walked away (even though I wanted to). Instead I lifted my eyes to Steven’s and he winked at me. His small gesture served to calm my nerves and I forced my hands to relax on the case of the iPad.
“You did really great.” Carlos was the first to speak, his tone was quiet. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to be respectful of Quinn’s telephone call or if he just didn’t want to be overheard.
“Thanks.” I gave him a tight lipped smile, “Is he always like this? On trips?”
Steven nodded, “It can be pretty brutal. But, you know, he’s the Boss. He gets the job done and so must all of we.”
Olivia leaned over the aisle, “I don’t mind. I think he’s brilliant.”
Steven muttered something under his breath but I couldn’t hear it. I frowned at him and he mouthed: “I’ll tell you later.”
“Looks like we’re almost there.” Carlos absentmindedly remarked as he glanced out the window.