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Her voice was a whisper. “I’m not agreeing to anything.”
He ran his fingers through her damp hair, relishing the chance to touch her after all those months of dreaming. “It’s okay. No pressure. Let’s just get out of here.”
Joseph turned on the engine and pulled the car back to the road. Eleanor called her editor to give him an update, then she turned off her phone and dropped it into her purse.
“He didn’t sound very happy,” she said.
“Why?”
“He never does.”
Joseph chuckled. “I’m not surprised. He makes a living from dragging other people down to his own special kind of hell.”
She smiled sadly. “You’re right…”
He reached out and rested his hand on her damp thigh. “Hey, babe, when we get near my apartment building, keep your head away from the window, okay? I know the glass is tinted, but until we get into the parking garage, you never know who might be lurking. Some of these tabloid journalists will do anything to get a front-page scoop.”
Chapter Seven
Eleanor’s raw emotions swirled around her body as she followed Joseph through the underground parking garage into his luxury apartment building. She was thrilled that it had been so easy to trick Pierre into confessing his affair. She even had the name of the other woman – and that Hollywood actor was an absolutely golden lead. But she didn’t need to be Mother Teresa to know it was totally immoral.
And on top of that, what the hell was she doing here with Joseph Quinlan? Those promises he’d made about giving her one night of no-strings pleasure had proved too much to resist. One-night-stands weren’t her thing at all. But Joseph had a reputation for being a good lover, and it’d been a long time since she’d had sex with anyone who cared about her pleasure. Didn’t she owe Matthew for cheating on her all those times?
And after the day she’d had… landing her dream job and realising she hated it. She felt as if her dreams had all come crashing down around her ears. And Joseph was offering her a night of comfort. Just one night.
She walked into his hallway and suddenly felt nervous. This apartment was amazing. It was open-plan, meaning that the front door led into the living room – which was surrounded by doors leading off to various other rooms; presumably the bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen.
It was surprisingly clean for a young man living alone, and the cream shelving units, beige carpets, and angular furniture gave it a corporate feel. But Joseph had made his mark on it: above one of the huge couches was a tatty black-and-white poster of the Ramones, which had presumably once adorned his adolescent bedroom. There was a signed photo of Jimi Hendrix hanging pride of place above the expensive sound system, and a priceless Stratocaster guitar leaning against the wall. The coffee table was strewn with music magazines, as well as an empty Jack Daniels bottle and several notebooks, which Joseph probably used to jot down lyrics as they came to him. Somehow he’d managed to make this plush expensive pad seem like a student dorm, which Eleanor thought was charming and cool.
He closed the front door behind her and stepped over to massage her shoulders, which made her automatically tense up.
“Joseph, I–”
“Relax,” he said, dropping his mouth to her ear. “Just enjoy it. Why don’t you take a seat? You want some coffee?”
She composed her thrashing heart. “Tea?”
“Sure.” He stepped in front of her and cupped her chin in a strong hand. “Anything else? You’re still wet, huh?”
Eleanor swallowed the lust in the throat. “Er…?”
He laughed. “No, I mean from the rain. I’ll get you a towel.”
“Oh… thanks.”
He put on some music, then disappeared into the kitchen, so she sat down on one of the squashy couches and tried to relax. It was impossible because she knew what she was here for, so she pulled out her phone and sent Matthew a message saying she was staying with her friend Elizabeth tonight. She then sent Elizabeth a message asking her to cover for her if Matthew made contact. Elizabeth was the friend she always went to whenever she and Matthew argued – she hated Matthew and his cheating arrogance, so Eleanor knew she’d gladly cover for her – especially if it meant they might soon break up.
Joseph ambled back carrying two mugs and a soft white towel.
“Thanks,” she said, taking the towel. She ran it through her hair as he settled himself on the couch opposite. The huge glass coffee table between them created a vast cavern, which crackled with sexual energy. Eleanor was surprised he hadn’t pounced on her yet. But it seemed that now he’d lured her to his lair, he was happy to take his time over the seduction.
He sipped his coffee and threw her a sizzling grin, making her feel as if he was caressing her body all the way from over there. Oh my god! She was alone with Joseph Quinlan and he wanted to make her come hard!
“Better?” he asked.
“Yeah… So, um... Here we are.”
“We sure are.”
