Torrid Little Affair (Forbidden Desires #3)

Cooper

Holy shit.

Once Corinne left my office, I let out a long sigh, running my hands roughly over my face. It was clear from the conversation we’d just had that there was still a lot for me to learn about this girl, whether she agreed to my offer or not.

My cock twitched at the thought of Corinne saying yes, of her melting in my arms and allowing me to have my way with her. At first, I thought she was simply a timid little bird seeking shelter, but now I wasn’t so sure.

The way she came marching in here, armed with the confidence to make sure I met her demands? It was sexy as hell, and exactly the side of her I needed to see to know that she could handle what I wanted to give her.

Oh, the things I want to give her.

Before I could get carried away in my thoughts, I quickly stood up, stretching out my neck and shoulders. If I was serious about keeping my sex life and work life separate-even if they both involved the same gorgeous, fascinating woman-I needed to focus while I was at work, not fantasize about all the ways I planned to introduce Corinne to a healthy and satisfying sex life.

As I walked to Quinn’s office to go over Corinne’s file, which I’d wanted to review and hadn’t gotten the chance to yet, I struggled to suppress a tiny lingering thought in the back of my mind. Maybe someone like Corinne with her wide, concerned eyes and soft, gentle manner was exactly what I needed to get out of this funk I’d been in since Emma.

Before I could explore that thought further, I arrived at Quinn’s office, offering a single knock before opening the door.

“Hey, man, what’s up? You work out your misunderstanding with Corinne?” Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow and shooting me a lopsided grin. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, obviously pretty damn pleased with himself.

“Yeah, we’re all good,” I said, ignoring his mischievous smirk. I didn’t plan on keeping my newest proposition to Corinne a secret, but now didn’t feel like the right time to get Quinn up to speed on my plan. “Still, I was thinking I’d like to take a look at her file, just to be sure she’s the right fit.”

Quinn eyed me for a moment, trying to size up my emotions, but quickly gave up and pulled Corinne’s file out of the stack of papers in front of him. “I figured you’d need confirmation,” he said, tossing the file in front of me.

I opened the manila folder and scanned the first few pages, which contained her standard cover letter and résumé. Flipping further into the stack, I frowned at its contents. As I’d expected, Quinn had done a full background check on her, just like we did with all new employees. And Corinne’s past was even worse than I thought.

She grew up in an orphanage outside the city, and started working the second anyone would hire her. Her file didn’t suggest she’d had to resort to anything illegal or unsavory, but it was clear that her life had never been glamorous or easy.

What I read in her file, along with the history of abuse she’d hinted at, made it clear just how broken this woman really was. The realization made me feel even worse about how forceful and aggressive my initial come-on was toward her. Sure, we had plenty of girls come through here with rough and troubled pasts, but something made Corinne different. I thought I felt it when she burst into my office that morning, and after reading her file, it was clear to me what it was-Corinne and I were both lost and broken souls in need of someone to help us find our way.

“So, what do you think?” Quinn asked, his low voice interrupting my thoughts.

I cleared my throat and rolled my shoulders, pushing aside the deep thoughts still swimming through my head. “She’ll do just fine,” I muttered as I snapped her file closed and placed it back on Quinn’s desk.

I pressed my lips together in a hard, thin line, determined not to let my feelings show. If I gave Quinn an inch, he’d take a mile-and would demand to know what my plans with her entailed exactly. Since I was still figuring that out myself, I wasn’t ready to discuss it.

Quinn studied me for a moment, squinting as he leaned back in his chair. “Something’s different with you,” he said, pursing his lips. I didn’t respond, instead shooting him a somewhat annoyed look. “I mean, besides the whole fleeing-the-city-due-to-a-broken-heart thing. Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight after work?” he offered, his tone equal parts friendly and serious. “I think you and I have some catching up to do.”

After some continued light teasing, I agreed to join Quinn for dinner, if for no other reason than to appease his nosiness. I still hadn’t decided whether to tell him about the proposal I’d made to Corinne. Part of me longed for the guidance of a wise older brother, while another part of me knew that Quinn was just as clueless about love and acceptance as I was.

But it was clear that he already knew something was up, so maybe dinner was as good a time as any to get him up to speed. After he’d had a couple of cocktails, preferably.

The day passed by quickly, and as I finished up the last of my work and made my way to the parking lot, my stomach grumbled as I climbed into my car. If nothing else, I was looking forward to Quinn’s cooking.

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