Thank all that was holy that Quinn showed up when he did because there was no way she was going to get away from those two men. She for sure would have been raped, if not worse. Margot shivered, she could not even think about it. Quinn returned a moment later looking more sullen than normal.
“Did you talk to Peter?” she asked.
“I did, he is getting tickets for us as we speak,” he murmured.
Margot sighed in relief. “Good.”
Quinn nodded and checked the ice on her ankle, before he climbed onto the bed next to her and settled against the headboard. After watching a few shows, and half of a movie, Quinn decided he was going to go to sleep. First, he removed the ice and put it in the bathroom sink, and then he grabbed the extra blanket from the closet and lay on the floor again. She didn’t even bother arguing with him because she knew there was no point; he would not listen to her.
Margot turned the light out, settled down, and tried to fall asleep. It was not easy, but eventually exhaustion took over and pulled her under. She had no idea how long she had been asleep before she started having a horrible nightmare, and she just could not seem to wake up. She was back in the alley with the two men, they tore all of her clothes off, she was screaming and fighting, but her arms and legs were so heavy that she could barely move them.
“Margot!” Quinn’s voice came from somewhere, but she could not see him. “Margot, sweetheart, wake up.”
Margot’s eyes flew open but it was dark in the room and she could not see who was hovering over her. She screamed and tried to fight off whoever it was. Strong hands clasp the sides of her head.
“Margot, calm down, it’s me,” Quinn said sharply.
Margot panted as she forced herself to relax. She grabbed onto Quinn’s wrists to make sure that he was real and she was not still dreaming. His concerned gaze raked over her face.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Oui, sorry, I was having a nightmare,” she whispered in return.
He nodded. “I know, you were screaming and thrashing in your sleep.”
Quinn released her head and laid his body out next to hers.
“I am sorry for waking you,” Margot said. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
“It’s okay,” he murmured. He wrapped his arm around her waist, snuggling his face into the pillow he laid down.
“What are you doing?” asked Margot curiously.
“Going back to sleep?”
“You do not have to stay here with me if you do not want to.”
“Shh, go back to sleep,” was his reply.
Margot shrugged to herself then turned so that she could press her back against his front. Quinn tugged her closer and nuzzled his face into the back of her neck. She sighed and relaxed even further. It felt so good to be in Quinn’s arms again; hopefully, having him close would help her sleep better and ward off further nightmares.
~~~~~
Christian and Shea were sitting at the bar in their favorite hangout spot, Mac’s Tavern. It was pretty dead in there since it was a Wednesday night. They liked it that way, though. Shea came right from work and looked like it. His clothes were dusty and stained, but at least he washed his hands and face in the bathroom. Christian wanted so badly to shove his nose against his neck and take a big whiff. He loved how Shea smelled after a day of hard work.
They were talking quietly about their day when someone bumped into Christian’s side. He glanced over to see who it was, and man sat down on his other side. The man was cute and obviously gay. Christian could tell right away just by the way the guy sat and carried himself. He would be what some people would call flamboyant. The guy smiled seductively at Christian.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you, handsome,” the guy said with an effeminate lisp.
Christian smirked and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay.”
“I’m Blake,” the guy said and held out his hand.
“Christian,” he replied and shook Blake’s hand.
“Can I buy you a drink, Christian?” Blake asked, his eyelids lowering as his voice dropped to a sultry purr.
Blake made no attempt to hide his reasons for why he came over. Christian looked him over. Blake was attractive with reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes. He had a very slight build and was somewhat short. He was definitely not the kind of guy Christian went after. He wanted a guy who could actually manhandle him a bit, and that guy was not Blake. That guy is Shea.
“No thanks,” Christian murmured, giving Blake an apologetic look.
Blake pouted. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
Blake sighed. “Alright. I’ll be hanging around for a little while in case you change your mind.”