Chapter 11 Gilded Blood

Quinn and I climbed the stairs to the front door. The mansion was quiet and smelled of furniture polish. I could smell cookies too, nice warm chocolate chip cookies. I inhaled deeply and focused on the scent of cookies. I followed my nose around corners and through doors with Quinn right behind me. I passed through a formal dining room with a huge table that could seat twelve people. The scent of cookies was much stronger now. I heard the sounds of a kitchen, spoons clacked on forks, pots and pans banged against each other. A middle aged woman stood in the center of the kitchen and put fresh cookies onto a cooling rack.

She looked up as we entered the kitchen. “Maria, this is Reese,” Quinn introduced me. “She will be staying with me for winter break. Maria is our housekeeper.” Maria smiled at me invitingly, “Welcome! Do you like cookies?” She slid a cooking rack of cookies an inch or two towards us. My stomach growled louder than I was comfortable with. Maria’s smile widened, “Go ahead, grab a couple.” “Thank you,” I replied, “Nice meeting you!” Quinn also thanked Maria and picked up cookies for us. Quinn whisked me away to her room, she knew I was getting overwhelmed.

Quinn’s room was very similar to mine, when I had a room anyway. We had posters of the same bands, our decoration tastes were comparable, almost like we had been made for each other. She had a large bed in the center of her room with dark colored sheets and a canopy. The walls were painted black with dark purple highlights and trim. The floor was a white shag carpet. She had her own bathroom which had a large bathtub that could easily fit two people. There was a large walk-in closet that looked more like a clothing store than a closet.

Quinn had my dream room, it was incredible. I spun in a slow circle and drank it all in. She grinned at me and watched me enjoy her room. “It’s magnificent,” I whispered. Quinn walked up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I’m happy to share it with you.” She kissed my neck gently. Her lips felt so good, I wanted more. “Come on,” she gently pushed me towards the bed. “You’ve had a long day and you need cuddles, and possibly a nap.” She was right. I definitely needed cuddles. We laid down in each other’s arms, it wasn’t long before we fell asleep.

The sweet aroma of food woke me up, a nearby clock showed it was nearly dinner time. Quinn stirred in her sleep. I kissed her awake, “Let’s go find some food!” Her stomach growled as she pulled herself to her feet. “Do you think you can find your way back to the kitchen?” She teased. I narrowed my eyes playfully. I took off ata jog and followed my nose. The doors flew by as I picked up speed and ran full tilt. “Catch me if you can!” I called back to Quinn. I looked over my shoulder at Quinn. Her eyes widened just before impact. I slammed someone a split second later. The mystery person and I fell to the floor hard. “Damn girl, you hit like a linebacker!”

I muttered, “Sorry” and scrambled to get off the guy. I felt Quinn’s hand grasp my wrist and pull me up. “Are you okay, Junior?” She asked the guy on the ground. “Yeah I think so, got the wind knocked out of me.” Junior picked himself up and brushed himself off. He looked me up and down, “Damn you’re hot! Does the carpet match the drapes?” Quick as lightning Quinn’s fist flew from somewhere behind me and smashed hard into Junior’s nose. Blood gushed from his damaged face. “You do NOT talk that way to her!” Quinn growled. “You do NOT talk that way to any woman, you asshole!” Junior clutched his nose, “What the hell, Sis?! That was a compliment!” Quinn’s voice trembled with rage, “Now apologize and get the hell out of here!” Junior muttered a half ass apology and stumbled away. “I’m sorry Reese,” Quinn said. “Normally he is better behaved than that.” My hand drifted up to my hair. It was naturally platinum blonde and I sometimes dyed it dark blue or dark purple. It just happened to be blue at the moment. “Wow Quinn, you have a mean punch,” I murmured. “I told you, I’m very protective of my girl,” Quinn replied. I smiled sheepishly.

We quickly walked the rest of the way to the large dining room. The room was set for six people. Quinn’s parents were already in their seats waiting. Quinn’s sister, Jill, arrived just after us. We took our seats, “Junior will be a little late,” Quinn began. “He uh…ran into something.” She grinned at me and I blushed. Quinn’s father declared in a loud voice, “Welcome. I am Jack. This is my wife Jaime and my daughter Jill. Apparently Jack, Junior for short, will be here presently.” I nodded a polite greeting, “Thank you for having me. You have a beautiful home.” Maria the housekeeper entered the room with a large serving cart. She placed plates of food in front of each of us. Another young woman quickly came behind her and filled our glasses with water. I was a little nervous, I hoped there wouldn’t be any backlash for Quinn demolishing Junior’s nose.

“Speak of the devil,” Jack senior called out upon seeing Junior sulk into the room. He had a large white bandage on his nose. Quinn stifled a giggle. “Cunt,” Junior whispered as he passed us. “Dickface,” Quinn hissed. Junior sat down and picked at his food. “Looks like you had fun,” Jill drawled. Junior glared at her. Jaime, Quinn’s mother, cleared her throat. “Quinn, your friend’s name is Reese, correct?” Quinn turned a shade of red. “Yes Ma’am,” I answered. “Tell us about yourself, Reese,” instructed Jaime. “Uh sure,” I muttered. “I am a student at the college Quinn attends. I’m studying Ecosciences and the effects of certain types of microscopic organisms in the eco systems..”

We spoke briefly about college and careers. The conversation was light, for which I was eternally thankful. Jack senior cracked a few ‘dad jokes’ and we all had a surprisingly good time. The dessert was more chocolate chip cookies, so delicious. After dinner, Quinn and I went back to her room. She motioned for me to wait on the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. I heard her turn on the faucet and water splash in the tub. I grinned, my mind full of mental images of Quinn in a bathtub. “Whenever you’re ready, Reese.” She called. I made my way over to the bathroom, Quinn’s outfit littered the floor. “Come on in, the water is warm.” She cooed.

My clothes were on the floor in a heartbeat. I seductively stepped in the tub, teasing Quinn. She let out a soft moan. I sat in her lap and leaned against her. She wrapped her arms around my waist and stomach. “So, you met my family.” I nodded, “Yep. Quite the bunch.” Quinn’s body shuddered under me, I could feel desire flowing from her. “Your parents and Jill seem nice. Junior is a dickbag.” Quinn’s hands started to rub my stomach and explore my waist line. “Mhmm,” she moaned in my ear. “You protecting me before dinner was kinda hot,” I whispered. “You looking out for me, I like it.” Quinn’s hands slowly worked their way up my chest. I moaned loudly.

We stayed in the tub probably longer than we should but we both felt pretty amazing afterward. Quinn handed me an extraordinarily soft and comfortable bathrobe before she pulled one on herself. Once we were nice and dry, we climbed into bed. I snuggled up to her and she put her arms around me. Being in her arms felt so nice, felt like home. Quinn spoke softly, she made plans for tomorrow. I listened, the shroud of sleep closed in on me. She whispered about malls, shopping, movie theaters, and all kinds of activities. It all sounded great, I looked forward to the day with her. Her voice soothed me and I quickly fell asleep.