Hot in the City Book 1: Send Me Crazy

Quinn

“What the hell was that!?” Karli grabbed my arm, pulling me back down to sit. “You asked Mack out?”

“Sure, I said I wanted to make friends didn’t I? Unless I totally misread it and you were interested.” I tried not to laugh, pretending to look suitably sorry. “The idea was to get you laid so if you want me to step aside, I will totally do that.”

Karli rolled her eyes, her finger poking me hard in the ribs. “You know full well that I’m holding out for Brad. Although, maybe if he saw me with someone else, it might give him a shove that I’m not going to wait around forever.”

“There’s the spirit, maybe Mack has a friend,” I suggested, positive that Karli wasn’t serious.

She pursed her lips, shaking her head. “Yeah, we’ve already met his friend. And let me tell you, I’m not dumb enough to get between the two of you. Maybe Mack couldn’t feel the zap in the air, but I sure as hell could.”

“What zap, there was no zap,” I tried to argue, refusing to acknowledge out loud what I knew to be true. There was definitely something between us. A charge. A connection. And enough sexual tension to make a prostitute blush.

It had to be because he was hot, that body of sin working up suggestive thoughts that I had no hope of controlling. Or perhaps it was his job, his courageous, honorable and heroic pursuits enhancing the fantasy on an emotional level. Who didn’t love a guy who looked danger in the face and put himself on the line for the betterment of all mankind? No one. It was like female catnip, hitting right between your thighs and making your ovaries clench. I bet he was a demon in bed. A man built like that had to know what to do with it surely.

Plus he was hot, not sure if I mentioned that.

“Let me ask you something, Quinn.” She turned, ignoring my bullshit denial. “What exactly are you hoping to achieve by dating Mack? Because I know you aren’t the kind of woman who’s gonna mess with that man’s feelings.”

She had a point there.

I was fierce and strong and didn’t allow myself to be a doormat. But being vindictive or cruel in relationships weren’t my thing.

“No, I’m not going to mess with his feelings. And I’m sure Mack knows a little more than you think.” He wasn’t a moron. And I doubted he harbored delusions of us building a lasting relationship.

Karli let the silence settle between us, giving me a look that was too introspective for that time of the morning on a Saturday. “Quinn, just don’t do something you’ll regret later.”

“Come on, Karli. You know I don’t do regrets.” And that wasn’t just rhetoric, I meant every word of it. Not to say I hadn’t made some bad decisions. But there was always a reason, a purpose, a lesson. Everything I’d done had shaped me into the person I was, living the life I had, and trust me when I say I had a really good life.

My parents had been cookie cutter awesome, supportive and loving in every way. Sadly, my dad had been taken from us a few years before I moved from Jersey to New York. But I’d have rather spent those twenty amazing years with him, than a lifetime with a dad who didn’t care. And my mom, well she still checked in with me every Sunday morning regardless of where I was in the world. Didn’t care I was twenty-eight and old enough to know better. Every Sunday without fail, I got that call. We didn’t see each other as much as we should, but I was grateful my sister, brother-in-law and three nieces kept her busy enough she didn’t miss me too much.

Karli arched her brow but saved me the sermon, mostly because she knew it wouldn’t do much good.

We’d been friends for over five years. She’d moved into the apartment right next to mine, living there with the boyfriend she’d had since college. Not Brad, of course, he was some other guy who was hot as hell but not all that bright. He was a man-child, who paid too much attention to my boobs and they’d only been in the city a few months when he cheated on her. So she kicked his ass to the curb and took over the lease. BOOM! One minute she was coupon cutting in their kitchen and the next she was threatening to castrate him with a pair of blunt scissors. And she had grown up on a farm so I didn’t doubt she was capable.

After the showy break up in the hall, I invited her in to my place for celebratory cocktails and we became instant friends. Her younger sister moved in about a month or two later and we’ve shared a wall ever since.

But while Karli has a tendency to have a crazy moment or two, her general default was sweet. She overlooked my shenanigans, even if she found herself in the middle of them like the current one. But she didn’t try to change me, even if it would probably make her life a little easier.

“You want to head back to the apartment?” I offered, thinking after our eventful morning, I should probably do some work. It was early, our seven a.m. rendezvous catering to Brad’s tendency to run in the mornings. “I have some photos that need editing but if I get them done, I’ll have my whole evening free. We can sit and watch trashy television. There’s a new vegan place we could try.”

She tapped her lips, stalling like she wasn’t going to agree. “Well, I suppose I don’t have anything planned and Josie is going out.”

Going out was a euphemism for going to her boyfriend’s place and having sex. Karli knew it, and I knew it, but for some reason we kept up the pretense that her little sister wasn’t getting screwed seven ways to Sunday. At least one of the Kelly girls was getting some.

“Sounds like it’s settled. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

We left the coffee shop with me pretending like my mind wasn’t on the hot fireman who we’d met not an hour before. No, not the guy I was apparently going to go out with, but his uber-hot friend. Images of his gorgeous smile and sexy-as-sin body had taken up residence in my temporal lobe on a permanent loop. And most of those thoughts weren’t fit for company.

Karli chatted as we walked back to our apartment, the sun of the late spring warming me from the outside in. Of course there was another reason I was feeling heat and it had nothing to do with the calendar.

“Are you listening to me?” Karli tapped her foot impatiently when we reached our respective doors. While walking and talking, I’d been participating with appropriate nods and well-placed responses, keeping my flirty thoughts to myself. But clearly my half-hearted effort hadn’t been enough.

I didn’t even try to lie, sighing as I grinned. “Sorry, no. I wasn’t listening.”

“I said, when are you going to call Mack?” She was wearing a grin of her own and had probably guessed why I wasn’t paying attention.

My shoulder lifted, giving her a hint of a shrug as I attempted to be nonchalant. “A few days, we’ll see.”

“Yeah, like I believe that,” she laughed, opening her front door. “Buzz me when you’re done. And don’t think for a second I’m not going to want to hear all about your plans for poor Mack tonight.”

She didn’t close her door till I agreed, my plans for Mack not even really formed in my head yet. What I did know was that letting Riley disappear out of my life wasn’t going to happen.

Maybe it was some weird fantasy, an infatuation where the attraction only lasted until I’d had him in some way. I’d had those before, the thrill of the chase more interesting than the man himself and probably the reason why I hadn’t had a steady boyfriend in the last seven months. And unlike Karli, I wasn’t holding out for some cute but mostly clueless guy who made my heart flutter.

Determined to keep my mind off Riley and all things tall, dark and handsome, I sat at my desk and turned on my computer. My suitcase was on the floor where I’d left it when I had gotten back from my trip, still mostly packed save for a few necessities.

Honestly, the travel wasn’t as glamorous as it sounded. Sure, it was exciting and I’d seen a lot of cool places, but lately I’d been looking forward to coming back home. Maybe I was finally growing up, or maybe I was just getting weary. Either way, I was glad I didn’t have to leave anytime soon and was seriously considering sticking to local work for a little while. Who knows, I might stay home long enough to finally get a dog. I’d wanted one for so long but it hadn’t seemed practical.

No, when I finally gave my heart—to a dog or a man—it would be with the promise that I’d stick around. Which was probably the reason why I didn’t have either.

Throwing myself into work, I sat at my computer for hours while I edited photos. It wasn’t my favorite thing to do, but was required to turn out the product everyone wanted. It didn’t matter if the image’s integrity was lost, or that it had been filtered so much that it no longer looked real. Perfection is what was wanted, even if I had to wave a magic wand—or in my case Photoshop—to get it.

I was glad when I was finally done, mailing off proofs to some clients before heading into my bedroom to change. Take out and trashy television with Karli called for yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt, and I didn’t want to let the team down by turning up in the jeans and cute top I’d worn to the coffee shop. Not that it had done me any good, because as much as I felt there was a mutual attraction between me and Riley, he hadn’t acted on it.

Not sure if it was some game—which secretly excited me—or I’d been reading it wrong, he’d happily let me walk out the door with his buddy’s number in my pocket. It was strange, and yet tantalizing, the riddle still playing out in my head as I walked over to my neighbor’s apartment and knocked on her door.

“I thought you were going to buzz me?” Karli peered into the hall, her hair twisted into a messy knot on her head while her face was covered in a paper beauty mask. “I need to leave this on for another five minutes.”

I chuckled, making my way inside without waiting for the invitation. “So leave it on and I’ll start flicking through the menu. Though I have to tell you, our Saturday nights are getting kind of tragic.”

At twenty-eight, I’d had my share of going out on the town and partying until morning. There were more than a few Saturday nights where I didn’t even make it home, crawling back to my apartment sometime after breakfast. It had been fun, and reckless, and I couldn’t remember when it had all stopped. But lately my crazy nights out had consisted of sitting on my couch—or Karli’s—eating junk food and watching questionable television.

Jesus.

I used to be the person everyone turned to for adventure, the one who not only found the trouble but jumped headfirst into it. And my latest escapade had been what? To send a lacy thong to my bestie’s crush and then turn up to a coffee shop for some pseudo blind date?

Oh.

Hell.

No.

“Hey!” My ass had barely hit the couch when I leapt back up. “Change of plans, we’re going out.”

Karli hadn’t even made it to the bathroom yet, her mask still requiring a few more minutes before she could peel it off. “What are you talking about? I’m already in my comfy clothes and took off my makeup. Hello, can you not see I’m cleansing?”

“So? We’re twenty-eight, not eighty-eight, and we’ll have plenty of time to sit inside under crocheted blankets, judging people’s silly life choices when we’re older. Until then, we should be making some questionable ones of our own.”

It was a fine speech, and if I hadn’t already been convinced, that would have definitely done it. But since Karli was looking at me like a deer in headlights, I could tell I was going to have to go the extra mile for her. “We are young, successful, talented, and beautiful. We have our whole lives ahead of us. We need to be out there,” I pointed to the door with a dramatic flourish, “not cloistered like medieval virgins.”

Karli opened her mouth ready to protest, but my arched brow hinted it wouldn’t be a good idea. I wasn’t easily swayed when I made up my mind, and it was locked in. “We’re going out. Go back into your room, put on some clothes that do not have an elastic waist and I’ll be back ready for action.”

“Fine, but only because I love you.” Karli disappeared into her room under protest while I slipped back into the hall and into my apartment.

It was the first Saturday in a long time where I was actually excited to go out. Not because I wanted to go sit in some random bar so some random men could leer at me like a slab of meat, but because I knew exactly where we were heading.

Like my apartment was on fire, I dressed in a sexy black dress that left little to the imagination. Makeup and hair were also achieved in record time, my transformation from homely to ~happening~ in less than forty-five minutes flat.

Then I was back in Karli’s apartment, waiting while she deliberated which shoes to wear and how much she was willing to punish her feet for the evening.

“Come on, I’ll pay for a cab. Just put any on,” I moaned as I shimmied impatiently by her bedroom doorway.

Her look was murderous as she pulled on a pair of heels that matched with her cute skirt and top. Clearly we hadn’t coordinated our outfits, with her looking a little good-girl-on-the-town while I was flying the flag for naughty-to-the-core. The irony wasn’t lost on me, our wardrobe choices in perfect harmony with our personas.

Grumbling that we still hadn’t eaten dinner, she locked her door behind us and we took the elevator down to the street. It was still early evening, which made me look slightly ridiculous in my sexy dress. Not that I cared, strutting to the curb and hailing a cab like it was my life’s mission.

“Hell’s Kitchen please,” I said, as I shuffled into the backseat, Karli right behind me.

“Somewhere in particular in Midtown?” the driver asked, looking annoyed and probably hoping I’d narrow it down. “You want me to drop you off at Forty Second and you take it from there?”

“Hell’s Kitchen?” Karli’s eyes flared, the location more than a little coincidental. “Quinn, please tell me we’re not going to go look for firehouses?”

“Please, what are we sixteen? We are absolutely not going to cruise firehouses like we’re stalking an ex boyfriend.” I dismissed her concerns with a wave of my hand before I turned my attention to the driver. “Just take us to Gino’s on Tenth.”

Gino’s was a pizza/Italian place that had been serving Manhattan-ites since the Rat Pack was running through town. Complete with its kitschy red and white checked tablecloths, straw-wrapped Chianti bottles and Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra playlist, it attracted a local crowd of regulars and tourists looking for a cheap and easy place to eat. Not the kind of establishment that was fitting of our fancy threads.

Karli looked horrified, probably regretting getting out of her sweats and leaving her apartment. “Gino’s? Quinn, can’t we go somewhere else? Why don’t we go to ~Nude~ in Chelsea, you know I’ve always wanted to go there.”

Mention of Nude got the driver’s attention with the smirk over his shoulder hinting he didn’t know it was a restaurant.

“It’s a raw food place, dude. Just drive to Gino’s.” I rolled my eyes, pointing to the road.

He shrugged, no longer interested since finding out Nude wasn’t a strip club or something equally as salacious. Can’t say that I blamed him, a raw food place didn’t enthuse me either. Karli grumbled under her breath as we traveled through traffic. She was too polite to flat out complain, but she was less than impressed with my choice. Not that I blamed her, the menu wasn’t going to win any Zagat awards but there was a method to my madness.

“We should invite Brad,” I half joked, wondering how interesting I could make the evening. “The man has to eat.”

“Yeah, not sure it’s a good idea when you’re being so unpredictable. You still haven’t told me why we’re going to eat in a mediocre Italian place when the city is literally brimming with amazing restaurants,” Karli chuckled.

“Just trust me, okay.”

She shook her head as she relaxed against the seat. “Famous last words.”

We arrived at Gino’s without any more protests or eye rolls, stepping out of the cab and onto the sidewalk. It didn’t matter what day of the week or time it was, Manhattan was always bustling and tonight was no exception.

After paying the driver, we made our way into the noise. Like we expected, Gino’s was filled with families and tourists. Everyone was happily chatting, enjoying their baked ziti while “That’s Amore” piped through the speakers.

“Two?” The hostess wearing a Vera nametag didn’t bother with the greeting, eyeing us up with suspicion.

“Yes, please.” I smiled brightly, hoping my sunny disposition would improve our chances of avoiding the table right by the kitchen. It was bad enough I’d take Karli to somewhere she was going to have limited food choices, if she was pushed up against a wall and a swinging door, she might rethink her trust in me.

Vera grabbed a couple of laminated menus and shoved them under her arm. “Follow me, I’ll show you to your table.”

We followed her into the fray, avoiding a screaming five-year-old who didn’t want his Bolognese and two older guys who were complaining the servings were getting smaller. And like my yet-to-be-displayed good intentions were being rewarded, she led us to a small table right in the center of the room.

Perfect.

Not like anyone could miss us there.

We both took a seat, Vera handing us our menus and letting us know someone would be around soon to take our order. Then with no interest in waiting to see if we’d actually heard her, she disappeared back to the front where there was a group of five waiting to be seated.

“Okay, now are you going to tell me why we’re here?” Karli perused the offerings, pulling a face as she turned it over to see if she had any better luck on the back. “Because it hasn’t escaped my attention that we’re right in the area of Mack and Riley’s firehouse.”

“Ahhh, but which one?” I tapped my finger against my lip playfully, pretending I hadn’t Google searched it while I was working.

My investigations had revealed there were three in the immediate area. But that didn’t account for the half dozen or more if you pushed that boundary out a little. Did they mean Hell’s Kitchen proper, or around Hell’s Kitchen? They mightn’t even be firefighters, they could be sanitation workers with mob ties, they sure as hell had the physical attributes to be enforcers.

Karli looked around, her eyes scanning the room like it might yield answers. “Please tell me you’re not going to pull the fire alarm and hope he turns up.”

I laughed.

Actually giggled because the thought had crossed my mind. But apart from being a chargeable offense and an extremely reckless waste of resources—not to mention attract bad juju—it was sloppy. First, how would I know which of the three would respond? It wasn’t like I could pull the alarm three times and hope at least one of those times he showed up. And how many trucks were there? Did everyone respond or did they just send one? I had no idea of the operational requirements of the NYFD, nor did I have the time to find out. So instead of being a menace, I decided I’d try a novel approach. Throw out a net, and hope I caught something.

“Hi, I’m Gino, you guys ready?”

The short, pimply waiter was maybe—and that was being generous—twenty-one. Both of us blinking back in surprise as he placed two red plastic tumblers full of ice water on the table.

“Wow, as in the Gino? I thought you’d be older, and not as handsome.” I smiled at the kid, unable to help myself.

I wasn’t flirting, or at least I wasn’t trying to. But like earlier with Vera, I was going to need the good people of Gino’s assistance, and trying to be charming never hurt anyone’s cause.

Pink traveled up his neck and spilled across his cheeks. “Yeah, yeah. He was my great grandpa, but there’s been a few Ginos since. Every one of the kids, grandkids, and great grandkids has to put in time. It’s the way it works in a family-run business. A blessing and a curse, really,” he sighed wistfully. “So, if you ladies are ready, I’ll take your order.”

“Um . . .” Karli frowned, no longer interested in Gino as she stared at her menu. “I guess I’ll have the roasted vegetables and the garden salad. The vinaigrette dressing on the side.”

He scribbled down her order and asked if she wanted something else to drink. She ordered a wine—probably needing a little extra help to get through dinner—before he smiled down at me. “And for you?”

“I’ll take twelve large pizzas but I’m going to need them delivered.” I sat down the menu and batted my eyelashes.

“You want twelve pies to go?” he questioned, a confused look on his face.

He wasn’t the only one bewildered, Karli shooting me a look like I was crazy.

“No, not to go. Delivered. You guys do that, right?” My eyes dropped back down to my menu. “And I’ll take the mushroom risotto as well.”

“Quinn?” Karli asked, kicking me under the table. “What the hell are you going to do with twelve pizzas?”

“Me? Nothing.” I handed my menu back to Gino. “But I do feel that buying some firemen their dinner would be the charitable thing to do. After all, they’re out there working on a Saturday evening, away from their friends and family. They do so much for the city. It’s the least we can do. Oh, and I’m going to need to split them up between three firehouses, if that’s okay, I’ll scribble down their addresses if you like.”

Gino looked up at the kitchen and then back to me. “Yeah, we can do that, but I’m going to need you to pay up front. If you take off without settling your check for twelve pizzas, my dad will kill me.”

“No problem at all, Gino.” I fished out my credit card and waved it at him. “Make sure you take an extra fifty for being so helpful. Also, if it’s not too much trouble, can I include a note?”

He scratched his neck, nervously. “Um, we don’t really have stationery laying around.”

“Your order pad will do. It won’t be long, I promise.” I pointed to the notepad he’d been using to take our orders and the stubby pencil still between his fingers.

Like he’d forgotten he was holding them, he smiled down at his hands. “Sure, here you go. Write down the addresses and the notes, and I’ll go put in the order with the kitchen. Any preference as to what toppings?”

“Surprise them, Gino.” I waved my hand like I was declaring it a national holiday. “Whatever your crowd favorites are. Who’s going to complain about free pizza?”

“True. Okay, I’ll go ring this up and be back.” He dutifully jogged to the kitchen, leaving his order pad and pencil for me.

Karli had the decency to wait until he’d left, grabbing me by the arm and keeping her voice low as not to make a scene. “What are you doing, Quinn?”

“Isn’t it, obvious? My good deed for the day.” I grinned, shaking off her hand, reaching into my handbag and pulling out my phone. Then neatly, I wrote down the address of the three closest firehouses. Lord, I hoped he belonged to one of them. If not, I prayed that my efforts would at least be appreciated and it earned me some credit for the afterlife.

“Please, this has nothing to do with good deeds and everything to do with the tall, good-looking guy who happens to be called Riley.” She laughed to herself as she glanced down at my note. “You’re certifiable, you know that?”

“Awww, you trying to sweet talk me? I already bought your dinner.” I tore off three separate pages, repeating the note two more times.

Thought I’d send you something other than underwear.

Enjoy dinner on me,

Quinn x

In truth, even if my pizzas and note did find their mark, there was no guaranteeing it would elicit a response. They could take my charitable donation, enjoy their dinner and go about their business. And wasn’t that what I was telling them to do anyway? But something told me Riley wouldn’t be able to help himself, not sure if he had a sick need to get involved or if he was looking for a little adventure himself.

Gino returned with a big smile on his face and my abused credit card in his hand. Not that I cared, the larger-than-average check worth every single penny considering the excitement I’d felt.

Real excitement.~

My excitement.

Just for me.

I couldn’t remember the last time I did something totally frivolous just to make myself happy. It had been too long.

So with the multiple pizzas cooking, soon to make their journey, Karli and I relaxed in our seats. We sipped wine, made small talk, pretending like we weren’t watching the door to see when my packages would depart. It was a charade for everyone else’s benefit, the two of us trading stupid smirks while we waited for our probably ordinary dinner. I’d called Gino back and ordered a few extra sides for us, I figured it would add a little more time so we could sit inside without arousing suspicion.

“You look mighty pleased with yourself.” Karli bit her lip as she twirled the stem of the wineglass between her fingers.

“Yes,” I smiled back, “I’m very pleased.”