" Put her in someone else's office then," Quinn bit out through clenched teeth.
Peter's eyes widened and his mouth worked as if he was trying to figure out what to say. Then he shook his head as if to clear it. " No, Quinn. You're working on the same project. She needs to stay with you," he said, using his boss voice.
" Peter..." Quinn started, but Peter cut him off.
" I'm sorry, Quinn. I'm not taking her out of your office. You need to figure out how to deal with her," Peter said firmly, letting Quinn know that he wasn't going to change his mind.
Quinn shoved away from Peter's desk, completely disgusted and pissed off. " You know...of all people I thought you would have understood. You know me, Peter. You know how I am."
Peter frowned. " Listen, Quinn...it's not that I don't understand cause I do. But I'm not going to move her to someone else's office. You guys are working on the same project."
Quinn raked a frustrated hand through his hair as he paced away from the desk. His other hand on his hip. He spun back around when he had an idea. " Can you put her in a conference room?"
" What?! No! I won't do that," Peter said, shaking his head.
" Dammit, Peter! This isn't fair!" Quinn yelled, stomping his foot like a little kid having a temper tantrum. His hands were fisted at his sides and he was positively fuming. Who was this person he was turning into?
Peter's jaw set and Quinn could tell that he was getting pissed too. " You need to go get some air before you say something you don't mean. I know we're friends and all but I'm still your boss and I won't tolerate your insubordination," he said coolly.
Quinn's eyes flared and his blood boiled. He'd never been so livid in his life. He turned on his heel and stormed out of Peter's office. Slamming the door behind him. What an asshole! Quinn wasn't asking for special treatment because they were friends. He was asking because Peter was understanding and fair. In no way was this situation fair. Quinn just wanted his space back. Why couldn't she work in the conference room. It was barely used.
Quinn took the elevator down to the lobby. He then stomped out the double glass doors and onto the busy city sidewalk. Son of a bitch! What the hell was he going to do?! He needed to calm down. He needed to talk to someone who would understand. Henry! Henry's office was only a few blocks away. Quinn started towards Henry's office building.
Once in the reception area, the pretty receptionist at the desk called Claire - who was still working as Henry's assistant. A minute later, he turned and spotted Claire walking towards him. She had a big grin on her gorgeous face. Quinn couldn't help but smile at his sister-in-law. She was the greatest and he was so glad that Henry had found happiness with her. Quinn was super jealous. Even though he loved them both dearly.
" Quinn! Hi!" Claire beamed, grabbing his face and kissing his cheek before pulling him into a hug.
Quinn was in no way an affectionate person. He didn't really like to be touched except for when he was being sexually intimate with a woman. And even then, he tried to keep touching to a minimum. He didn't like people in his personal space. His aversion to touch started at a young age, maybe 10 or so. Something happened to him that, no one - not even his parents - knew about. He knew that’s where most of his problems stemmed from. He wasn’t always an introvert. He used to be an outgoing kid. Up until he had someone he trusted and thought he knew change him forever.
Claire would never let him get away with not giving her a kiss and hug though. And he knew she meant well and was an overly affectionate person. It really didn't feel so bad coming from her actually, so he didn't mind that much.
" Hey, Claire," he murmured softly.
" What are you doing here?" Claire asked, giving him a quizzical look.
" Can I talk to Henry for a minute?" he asked hopefully.
" Yeah, sure," Claire said, motioning for him to follow her. " Is everything okay?" she asked, glancing back at him with a concerned frown.
" Yeah...I just need some advice," he replied with a tight smile.
Claire smiled softly. " Gotcha."
Claire led Quinn down the main isle, which was lined with cubicles. Everyone seemed to stop working to stare at him as he passed. Quinn ignored it. Claire stopped in front of what Quinn guessed was Henry's office and knocked softly before peeking her head in.
" You have a visitor, love," Claire said.