Tiger in Her Bed

Quinn threw his head back, laughing.

They entered Aspen city limits. As Quinn pulled the rental car into the driveway, he saw his mom’s Jaguar and his brother John’s Mercedes already parked in the open garage. He also saw Trent’s Harley Davidson. His middle brother, Trent, was having R & R from his current deployment in Kuwait.

As soon as he killed the engine, John ran onto the porch and waved his hand back and forth like an overexcited golden retriever. “Yo, Quinn. What’s up? About time; we’re about to fire up the grill.” John must have been very loud because Quinn could hear his voice through the closed window.

“Is that your brother?” Vanessa watched John with appreciation. “He looks very nice. And approachable.”

“And I’m not?” Irritation crept into his tone.

“Not in the slightest,” she said, deadpan.

“If you’ll get to know me, Vanessa, I’m actually a nice guy.”

“Right. And the Pope is actually a Buddhist.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“You do know your nickname in the office, don’t you?”

“I’ve heard plenty. Which one are you referring to?”

“Lord Demon.”

“I heard that. Am I really that bad?”

She wagged a finger. “I plead the fifth. For the sake of my job. After all, you blackmailed me into playing your girlfriend.”

He gave a non-committal shrug. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“That’s funny, especially coming from you. Just how desperate are you?”

“Vanessa, you have no idea.”

* * *

Quinn’s mom was a beautiful, slender woman around fifty-years-old, with short silver hair, and she wore her Chanel suit like she was born for it. Vanessa could see where Quinn and his brothers inherited their good genes. She was warm and friendly, totally defying Vanessa’s expectation.

“So you’re Vanessa.” Quinn’s mom hugged her. “My son has told me a lot about you. You’re the genius in the company. I’m Savannah. I believe you’ve met John, right?”

“Ah, yes.” Vanessa fidgeted. “Hello, again.”

“And this is Trent. He just got home today from Kuwait. He’s in the Air Force. He has two weeks off from his deployment.” Savannah introduced her to a slightly younger version of Quinn. While John sported longish hair, Trent had his hair shorn close to his skull like Quinn. He also looked intense and serious, unlike John, who brimmed with an aura of debonair confidence.

Trent shook her hand. His grip was firm. “Hello. So you’re the girl who made us ridiculously wealthy. Have you asked my brother for a raise, yet?”

“Should I?” Vanessa looked at Quinn innocently.

“Definitely. I’m surprised you haven’t been poached by other studios. I bet you received plenty of offers,” said John. “If you ever want to expand your horizons, I know some people in MGM and Paramount.”

Quinn cleared his throat. “Vanessa,” he cut in unhappily, “is happy with Animatrica. Aren’t you?” He placed his hand on her shoulder possessively.

Vanessa was intrigued with what John said. “MGM, you said?”

“Vanessa,” Quinn warned her.

“I’m happy with Animatrica, and Quinn is a great boss.” Vanessa gave two thumbs up.

John and Trent cracked up.

“She’s a riot,” said John.

“I like her,” said Trent.

“Why don’t you show Vanessa your room upstairs and wash up, Quinn? Then we all can have dinner together,” said Savannah.

“Good idea, mom.” Quinn herded Vanessa toward the stairs. “Come with me, babe.”

That was a cringe-worthy moment for Vanessa. Having Quinn call her “babe” was freaking weird. She’d never fantasized about him in a romantic way before that New Year’s Eve party. To her, Quinn was associated with sarcastic remarks, plenty of glaring, and all-out overtime bonanzas. Did he even date?

She shut herself off from the incorrigible speculation of the girls in the office whenever they gossiped about Quinn’s private life: what kind of girl he liked, who he was dating, what was his hobby? On and on… She had better things to do and there was not much time in a day to get stuff done.