I wrinkled my nose. Tripp was short for triplet—not that Margot’s boyfriend was a multiple. But he was the third Percival Dodge Jewett in his family, so they went with Tripp for a nickname, since his grandfather had claimed Percy, and his father was called (not kidding) Deuce. Personally, I thought he looked more like a Percival than a Tripp, and Claire and I sometimes snickered about it. Not that he wasn’t attractive in a clean-cut, Ivy League sort of way. But he wore boat shoes and pants with little whales on them, referred to his mother as Mummy, and used “summer” as a verb without a hint of irony. I wasn’t sure Tripp’s presence would help me tonight, although it might make me laugh.
“No, that’s OK. At least we don’t have to change the reservation if Lindsay isn’t coming. Quinn can just take her place.”
“Right. OK, see you there.”
I ended the call and went back to work, where I was so busy that I lost track of time and was late getting home. Quinn’s car was on the street when I pulled in the driveway, and I half expected him to accost me in the hallway with a corsage or something, but I didn’t see him on my way up.
In my bedroom, I took off my work pants and blouse, quickly swapped my basic beige undergarments for something sexier, and changed into a short gray sweater dress and black knee-high boots. I didn’t have much time left over for hair or makeup, but I plugged in my curling iron anyway, and while that heated up, I added more color to my cheeks, eyes, and lips. When the curling iron was hot, I curled a few random chunks of hair and pinned back the sides.
I was just adding earrings when Quinn knocked on my door. “Coming!” I yelled. After throwing my lipstick, phone, and wallet in a smaller purse, I went to let him in.
“Hi.” He looked me over from head to toe. “Wow. You look gorgeous. Love the boots.”
“Hi.” It was all I could manage, my pulse had started racing so fast. He looked way too good, and he smelled fucking incredible. Did I really have to wait until after dinner to get my hands on him? I cleared my throat. “And thank you. You look nice, too.” He wore dark jeans in a slim cut, a camel coat, and a blue scarf that matched his eyes. His scruff was trimmed, and his hair was parted on the side and combed back off his face.
“Thanks. You ready?”
“Give me one second.” I went back to my bathroom and gave myself a quick spritz of perfume. When I came out, Quinn was holding my coat, and I slipped my arms into it. “Thanks.”
While I was buttoning it, he put his face in the crook of my neck and inhaled. “Mmm, you smell good.”
The feel of his lips on my throat sent a tingle down my spine, and I wriggled away from him. “I’m trying to button my coat.”
“A thousand apologies. Is there a rule about sniffing you?”
I glared at him over my shoulder, and he held his gloved palms up. “Hey. I don’t want to screw up our first date.”
“You know, it wouldn’t be our first date if you’d have asked me to your prom like I wanted you to.” Oh, shit. I hadn’t meant to say that.
It took him a moment—a terribly awkward moment—to respond. “I almost asked you, I swear to God.”
“Oh, right.” I rolled my eyes and pulled on my gloves before grabbing the bag with Claire’s gift in it off the coffee table. “Let’s go. You want to drive?”
“Yes. And I was serious,” he said, following me out the door. “I did think about it.”
“Who’d you take, anyway?” I asked as we walked down the stairs.
“Danica Newman.”
“And was it fun?”
He shrugged, moving ahead of me to open the front door. “She gave an OK blowjob, I guess.”
“God, you’re a pig.” I tossed my hair as I went by him, slipping into the cold dark. “Well, maybe later I’ll show you the spectacular one you missed out on.”
“Are you trying to make me hard already?” He adjusted himself before shutting the door. “Hey wait!”
He rushed past me as I was moving down the walk—which he’d also shoveled. “Let me pull in front of the driveway so you don’t have to walk through the snow.”
He jumped behind the wheel of his SUV and moved it forward a few feet, then left it running as he got out again.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he came around to the passenger side.
“I’m opening the door for you.”
“Oh, Jesus. This isn’t the prom, Quinn. All the chivalry really isn’t necessary. I promise I’ll let you take my dress off at midnight if you want to. In fact, we can skip the dance entirely.”
“Stop taking the fun out of this,” he said before shutting the passenger door. I buckled up as he moved around the car and got back in. “Now try to look happy.” He leaned toward me and held up his phone in front of us.
“What the hell?” Before I knew it, he’d snapped the pic and was tucking his phone out of sight, inside his coat. “Gimme that.”
Unbuckling my seat belt, I tried to get the phone but he fought me off.
“Feisty tonight, I like it,” he said, laughing as he got me by the forearms. “But save some of that energy for later.”
“If you post that picture, I’m never speaking to you again, let alone fucking you.” I straightened up, smoothed my hair, and buckled in again.
“Right, because that always works for you. Now where am I going?”