Just what the hell was Quinn doing? What in the world had he agreed to?
He was thinking that as he came back from his sti screening and found out that he was clean. No thanks to Michel, but at least that was one less worry for him.
He had agreed to the sex party with Noah.
Noah had been cautious, telling him he didn't have to, over and over, until Quinn had snapped at him and told him that if he didn't want him to go, he shouldn't have brought it up in the first place. That had calmed Noah down.
It was the next day that Noah had reached out and asked if he could share Quinn's number with the organiser. It was the friend who had given Noah some advice and who had overheard what his father had been talking about.
Quinn didn't exactly trust this man, but if he was at least attempting to help Noah out of getting married, he'd give him the benefit of the doubt for Noah's sake.
The man had seemed normal and he'd introduced himself as Leo, at least over text. Quinn wasn't sure if that was a fake name or a real name, it didn't really matter to Quinn either way. What did matter was that he wanted to meet Quinn in person, just to put a face to the name and answer any questions that he may have.
Quinn appreciated that they were being so thorough, even if it made Quinn a little nervous. If it was the kind of party that Noah said it was, he didn't understand why they were being so cautious, but if it was a bunch of rich and famous dominant alphas…yeah. They were protective of those kinds of things.
That was why Quinn had finished getting an sti panel. Leo had asked for him to bring a copy of the results dated the week of their meeting. Quinn was a little annoyed, but he was a last minute addition to this little thing. He had to do that at least.
He'd also given Quinn a time, a date, and a location for the meeting so getting the sti panel done on time wasn't difficult. At the very least, he was considerate of others time. Noah wouldn't hang out with others if they weren't decent people, but that didn't mean that Quinn wasn't on edge.
In the time between his conversation with Noah and now Quinn being on his way to meet this mysterious Leo at their cafe meeting, Michel had been making Quinn's life at work a living hell. Quinn knew part of it was his responsibility. He was the one who had let him cross the line and had let him get away with it all. That didn't mean that it was easier on Quinn.
Michel wasn't coming into Quinn's workplace anymore, but he was spreading rumours. How did Quinn know?
Well, it wasn't like it was often people spread rumours about others spreading their legs for anyone and everyone, especially when you were over 6 feet tall. It was annoying, but the people he cared about at work didn't care and he could still get work done. He didn't work in a position where he often needed to speak to clients so he didn't care.
Did it mean that things could get messy and quickly? Yes. Had Quinn told Noah? No. Noah had enough on his plate and they were working on sorting out Noah's issue first. Quinn was able to handle everything on his own right now. Plus, his grandma was doing much better, his family was happier, and the snow was still pretty on the ground.
Quinn could handle this much.
If things fell through…he'd just move to another company. It wouldn't be that hard.
The only hardship Quinn was having were strange aches and headaches that kept coming on. Taking basic pain medication was working, but he assumed it was just from the stress he was accumulating. It was frustrating, but the expiry date on the pain meds he'd bought was getting closer anyways. This way he didn't feel guilty using them.
~
Quinn had gone to get the results from his panel at lunch, which meant he had to eat his lunch while he finished his afternoon work. He didn't really have an appetite at the moment but he forced himself to have a few bites while he finished up his work. His workload was a little insane lately and Quinn had no one to blame but himself.
He could tell that Mr. Harrison was pissed, but there was nothing he could do. Quinn told him not to interfere, just track everything. Mr. Harrison was doing just that, but Quinn could tell he hated it. Quinn did let Mr. Harrison know that today he had to leave early for an important meeting and Mr. Harrison didn't even blink when he gave Quinn the green light to leave. Quinn had been working late the last two weeks so he was absolutely afforded a few days where he left work on time.
That was how he barely made it in time for the meeting with Leo. He was huffing as he opened the door to the cafe. Finding parking had been a nightmare, and with all of the snow getting here without slipping had made it worse. Quinn hated being late for anything, and yet here he was, doing that when it came to a meeting that was very important to Noah.
It was important to Quinn because it was important to Noah. Quinn was still on the fence about this whole thing.
He was kicking himself as his bag swung, hitting his side, his gloved hand gripping onto the thick, wooden handle of the coffee shop and he swung it open. The telltale bell rang, announcing he was here as Quinn scanned the space, his chest heaving.
On a quick examination of the space, there were several nice-looking tables, a few lower ones with couches, and the coffee shop was exactly like it seemed from the outside. It felt more like a cigar room than a coffee shop with all of the dark wood, deep rich colours and leather, but it was nice. It definitely felt like a place a dominant alpha would ask to meet someone else. It screamed masculine energy.
Even the workers were male and as Quinn scanned the few patrons that were in the coffee ship, a man in a suit stood up. He towered over everyone else, his pristine black suit with a white dress shirt standing out with its quality alone. His tie was a deep charcoal grey. Just off enough from the black to give him some texture. His hair was black, maybe dark brown and smoothed back and out of his face. He had bright grey eyes, almost blue, that should have made him look intimidating if it wasn't for the bright, delighted smile on his face.
He was handsome alright, like most alphas, and Quinn felt his steps stutter for a second before he composed himself. He dusted off his shoes, not wanting to track snow into this space before he shook off his jacket and approached the man.
He hadn't chosen a table with comfy couches and instead had gone for something more practical. A table not too close to others, and not far away either. Just perfectly in the middle but where not many would notice. It would be hard to do since his aura alone made people want to look at him, but Quinn appreciated that he'd tried.
It also wasn't lost on Quinn that this beast of a man only felt like a beast because Noah wasn't here. He was probably the same height as Noah, but Noah was…Noah, so he'd never noticed. Michel was probably a few inches shorter than him.
That made Quinn smile to himself. Michel probably hated that. Most dominant alphas were weird about height.
"Mr. Rivers, I take it?" The man asked as Quinn approached, offering his hand. Quinn only hesitated for a second before he took the other man's hand in his own. His grip was tight, but not cruel. Respectful. Quinn didn't remember telling him his last name, but Quinn was at the disadvantage in this meeting. Leo knew Noah as well, so there was a chance that Noah had spoken about him.
Quinn gave him a smile of his own, probably still looking like a mess since he'd rushed here.
"Yes. Uh, I'm sorry, I don't know your last name." Quinn apologised, giving him a rather meek look. It normally worked on others, even if Quinn was on the taller side. Leo, if that was who Quinn was talking to, narrowed his eyes at Quinn for a moment before his smile grew wider.
"Ah, you're right. We didn't exchange last names. My apologise, Mr. Rivers. Most people do just call me Leo, but my last name is Winters." Quinn blinked, putting that name aside and back into his mind. Leo Winters. Understood.
"Thank you for being so honest, Mr. Winters." Quinn greeted, ignoring his previous comment about most people calling him Leo. That seemed to make Leo smile more. "I also want to apologise for being late. I'm normally much more timely, but with the weather and parking, I just-" Leo waved his hand dismissively, finally letting go of Quinn's. His stance was calm, composed. Relaxed. He carried himself well.
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Rivers. I don't hold it against you. Come, take your jacket off, stay awhile. I waited to order anything until you arrived. Have you eaten dinner?" He asked as Quinn began to do just that. He put his leather bag down on one of the seats at the table before he began undoing the buttons on his jacket. He was pleased to see that he wasn't the only one wearing a thick jacket.
Mr. Winters should be wearing a nice jacket to cover his expensive suit. Quinn had even made sure to wear a nice suit today as well. Not his deep red one, but still a nice one. It was a lighter shade of grey then what Mr. Winters was wearing as a tie, with a white dress shirt and he'd gone for a pop of colour for his own tie. It was a nice, rich bluey-green colour. It actually matched the vibe of the coffee shop quite well. More of an oxidised copper tone, but still quite rich.
Quinn's jacket was a versatile black. He didn't see a need to change it, and as he draped it over the back of his chair, he heard Mr. Winters chuckle. Quinn looked up at him, confused about what he'd done that was worthy of laughing at and instead found the man staring at him with interest.
"Did you know?" He asked and Quinn gave him a rather confused look.
"Did I know what?" Quinn asked, confused. Mr. Winter's eyes warmed.
"That I like the colour grey." He replied and Quinn blinked, then flushed.
"N-No! I had no idea, truly. I just picked out a nicer suit to wear today." Quinn told him, hoping that the other man believed him. Mr. Winters chuckled again, smiling at Quinn.
"Hmm. I'll believe you, for now. Come then, let's get you something warm to drink, Mr. Rivers." Quinn had no idea how to handle this man. He wasn't like most of the dominant alphas he'd met and that was making him nervous. Normally they would be pissed that he'd arrived late, not early, and they wouldn't smile as much as Mr. Winters was.
It was all rather confusing, but Quinn couldn't back down. Not yet, at least. This was for Noah, and so far the man wasn't rude, just strange. Quinn could handle strange.