Author's note: Once again, thank you so much for all the reviews and follows of my story, I'm glad you're all enjoying it! All feedback is gratefully received! Anyways, here's chapter 7 and I'll probably get chapter 8 up a little later tonight. Enjoy!
Chapter Seven: Best Laid Plans
Quinn's mood was definitely much improved over the next couple of days. Blaine was still keeping a close eye on her though, and Kurt's curiosity was definitely piqued. She knew Blaine must have kept his promise not to divulge her secrets to Kurt, and for that she was unfailingly grateful.
She was suddenly invited to hang out with them pretty much everywhere they went, and they fussed over her like she was a china doll. For Quinn, the ego boost was gratifying and she began to feel flickers of that same confidence she'd had when she'd walked the halls of William McKinley High School as head Cheerio.
On the morning of her first day at work both boys got up early to make her breakfast and help her get ready – the pancakes she appreciated, the fashion advice not so much.
More than anything, she was relieved to finally have something to do that didn't involve being a third-wheel on Blaine and Kurt's dates. The work was interesting and her new colleagues were friendly, but by far the biggest perk was the access to the well-stocked stacks of books. She brought home new volumes every day, to much mocking and teasing from her roommates.
She was sitting curled up in bed one night towards the end of her first week at work, reading a philosophy textbook when Santana arrived home from work and threw herself down on the bed fully-dressed with a dramatic sigh.
Quinn wrinkled her nose.
"Ew, Santana! You smell like a brewery!" She gave her a gentle shove but the brunette refused to move.
"I'm exhausted," she grumbled. "Katy called in sick tonight so I had to dance for three straight hours, and then this drunken idiot spills his drink all over my shirt."
"Hmm, I can tell," Quinn said distastefully.
Santana sighed again and sat up with an exaggerated groan. She reached for the hem of the offending item of clothing, pulled it over her head in a single, swift movement, then tossed it carelessly on to the floor. Then she flung herself back down and lay with her head practically in Quinn's lap.
"Better?" she asked, a slight glint in her eyes. Quinn tried desperately to keep her eyes from wandering down to Santana's scantily clad figure, her tanned skin only shielded by a pair of black hot pants and a lacy black bra.
Quinn ignored her friend and returned her attention to her book, although it may as well have been written in Russian for all the sense it suddenly made. She read the same sentence five times as Santana lay half-dressed in her lap, examining her hair for any evidence of split ends.
Suddenly, Santana flipped over onto her stomach and grabbed the book out of Quinn's hands.
"What on earth are you reading, Q?" she asked with a derisive snort. "Honestly girl, it's Friday night in the middle of summer and you're in bed with a textbook. I'm sure that there's a certain geek-boy demographic that would be thrilled with this picture but you seriously need to get a life!" She chuckled to herself and bounced up onto her knees, holding the book out of Quinn's reach when she tried to snatch it back.
"Santana!" she whined, lunging for and missing the book for a second time.
"Next thing you'll be telling me you're into sci-fi," Santana grinned, and then laughed out loud when Quinn turned beet-red. "You're kidding!"
"Well, Sam was really into it and I was trying to be a good girlfriend, so…" Quinn told her defensively. "Santana!" she aimed a pillow at her friend's head when the brunette continued to laugh. "It's not funny!"
"Yes it is," Santana choked out, wiping away tears from her eyes. "I can just picture you in some cute little outfit at a comic convention – you'd cause a riot – I doubt many of those poor boys have gotten that close to a hot girl in the flesh before."
"Santana!" Quinn pleaded again. "Please, don't tease me."
Something in her tone calmed Santana's giggles, and she reached out to push Quinn's glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
"You know, you really do look cute in these," she said thoughtfully.
Quinn pouted, unsure whether she was still being teased.
"I'm tired," she said huffily. "Get back on your own side of the bed." She gave Santana another small push but to no avail. Santana simply stretched out beside her in the middle of the bed and kicked the blankets up over her long legs.
"Aren't you going to change?" Quinn asked her, raising an eyebrow.
"Nope." Santana closed her eyes and raised her arms behind her head to demonstrate that she was quite happy with her current position.
Sighing, Quinn placed her glasses on the nightstand and turned off the light. She burrowed down under the blankets, and tried hard to ignore the fact that Santana had left her about eighteen inches of space on the mattress. The night was warm and Quinn was wearing shorts and a camisole. She could feel the hot soft skin of Santana's side against her back, and her whole body was thrumming appreciatively.
With no warning, Santana suddenly turned over and draped her arm over Quinn's waist. Her bra-covered breasts rubbed against Quinn's back and Quinn had to bite her lip to stifle a moan.
"I'm sorry for teasing you," Santana whispered in her ear. Feeling a little braver in the darkness, Quinn intertwined her fingers with Santana's and gave them a gentle squeeze by means of a reply.
When Quinn woke up early on Saturday morning, she found herself laying half on her stomach with one of Santana's legs between hers, and Santana's left arm curled over her back and side. Quinn's camisole had ridden up and Santana's hand was dangerously close to her breast.
Instead of panicking and freaking out, she decided to take Blaine's advice and let the universe choose her path. She snuggled down lower and Santana's fingers brushed the soft underside of her breast, shooting a wonderful shiver down her spine. Santana did not stir and, after revelling in the sensation for a few moments, Quinn closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
The next time she awoke, she was lying on her back with the sheet twisted around her legs and her camisole had ridden up, baring much of her stomach.
Santana was gone, but there was a note on the pillow next to her, written in Santana's large, sloppy handwriting.
Good morning, Sleeping Beauty – and you say I sleep late! You still owe me a visit to the bar, and since you get off work at nine tonight, why don't you stop by? No excuses this time. x
Quinn felt a shiver of anticipation run through her. This was a sign, right? This was the universe giving her an opportunity, wasn't it?
Feeling a sudden rush of energy, she practically skipped out of bed, bumping into a surprised Kurt and giving him a big hug on her way to the bathroom. She spent twice as long as usual showering and washing her hair, exfoliating and moisturizing her skin, and checking her face for any tiny blemishes; only emerging when an agonized Rachel threatened to break the door down because Quinn was making her late for rehearsal.
Quinn dressed carefully in an outfit that was suitable for work but also wouldn't look out of place in a bar. The olive green dress brought out the color of her eyes and the soft material hugged her body in all the right places, yet swished gracefully around her legs. It fell a few inches above the knee, a little shorter than she would usually wear, especially to work, and she covered the spaghetti straps and cut-out back with a white cardigan that she could remove later. She teamed the outfit with gold ballet pumps and blended shades of green and gold eye shadow carefully to make her eyes seem bigger and brighter.
She brushed and straightened her hair until it shone like pure honey, and dug out her expensive perfume that she usually saved for special occasions. The last time she'd worn it was at Mr Schuester's wedding and the scent brought memories of that night flooding back.
Santana's lips and tongue had continued their exploration of Quinn's torso, leaving cool wet trails on her flushed skin. Her hands had continued to caress Quinn's thighs and she shuddered at the sensations. Her knees trembled and she clung on to Santana's shoulders as if she were a life-raft and Quinn were drowning.
Santana had seemed to recognise Quinn was on the verge of falling and she paused in her ministrations to lay them both back the bed, the soft satin comforter felt nice against Quinn's sensitized skin as Santana caught her lips in another blistering kiss.
Barely conscious of her actions, Quinn's hands had reached up to cup Santana's breasts through the fabric of her dress and Santana growled appreciatively into her mouth as her own fingers trailed up the inside of Quinn's thigh, drawing tiny circles against her tender flesh, moving higher and higher…
Quinn forced herself to snap out of her daydream, catching sight of her flushed face in the vanity mirror. She'd been biting her lower lip and it was pink and swollen. Leaning forward, elbows resting on the dresser, she touched her fingers to her mouth with a slow smile. Her body coursed within adrenalin and she shivered in anticipation of the night ahead.
Her shift at work was from three until nine p.m. She'd initially signed up for a Saturday night session because she was sick of being a third wheel on Kurt and Blaine's dates and sitting home alone would only remind her of her pathetic social life.
The library was slow with just a few summer school students left by the time she took her break at six p.m. Quinn paced restlessly, her discarded and unwanted sandwich left on the break room table. She was too hyped up to eat and watching every second go past torturously slowly on the clock above the fridge was driving her insane. She wound up cutting her break short and going back to work just to have something to do.
At nine p.m. she said goodbye to the security guard and practically ran out of the door to catch the subway. She found the bar with no trouble, despite Santana's convoluted directions, but once she was standing outside she had a sudden attack of nerves and considered texting Santana to say that she was going home with a headache.
A group of giggling girls wearing practically no clothing pushed past her and entered the bar. Quinn's mind instantly conjured an image of Santana flirting with them as she poured their drinks, leaning over the bar to joke with them, dancing whilst they watched her attentively. A rush of jealousy flooded through her and with one last deep breath she handed the doorman a twenty dollar bill and headed inside.
The bar was dark and loud but it didn't take her long to spot Santana, dressed in a bright red shirt and black shorts behind the bar. Quinn pushed her way through the crowd and waited for Santana to spot her. It didn't take long. Santana's face lit up with a wide smile and she squeezed Quinn's hands across the bar.
"You made it!" she yelled over the pulsating music. Quinn grinned.
"Well, a friend of mine told me it was about time I got a life," she teased.
"Smart friend," Santana countered. She poured Quinn a drink and refused to take her money when Quinn dug it out of her purse. "I get offered free drinks all the time," she explained, "and we're not supposed to say no so we take the money and put it behind the bar. So your drinks tonight are on me, or more accurately," she gestured to the other patrons, "on them."
Quinn watched Santana flirt with and serve customers for the next hour or so but every chance she got, the brunette headed back over to Quinn for a few snatched moments of conversation. Santana was keeping Quinn's glass topped up, and although she was willing herself to go slow and sip her drinks, her nerves kept taking over, and she'd soon lost track of how many she'd had. Was this her third or her fourth? she wondered as Santana refilled her glass again.
At ten-thirty it was Santana's turn to dance. Quinn was suddenly hyper-aware of every part of her body as Santana climbed onto the bar to rapturous applause. She watched as Santana sashayed along the bar, swaying and twisting her hips to the music, taking care to make eye contact with as many of the cheering patrons as she could.
Quinn suddenly couldn't breathe. She couldn't bear to watch all those captivated people whooping and whistling at Santana for a moment longer. She leapt down from her bar stool and struggled through the crowd until she was standing outside in the cool night air, trying not to throw up. Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them away furiously, fighting to regain her composure.
"Quinn?" The unexpected use of her full name made her spin around, and then she wished she hadn't as the ground seemed to sway slightly beneath her feet and a wave of nausea hit her. Santana looked like she didn't know whether to be angry or worried. "Where are you going?"
"I…" Quinn began, but then she faltered and shook her head. "I don't know," she said honestly. Santana stepped closer and took Quinn's hand, stroking it softly with the pad of her thumb.
"You're shaking," she whispered. Quinn nodded. "Are you cold?" Santana questioned tentatively. Quinn shook her head.
"Not even a little bit," she admitted. Santana was standing very close to her and Quinn could see the moonlight reflected in her eyes. Slowly, carefully, Quinn took a step forward so that her body was just an inch from the other girl's. She raised herself onto her toes slightly so that her height matched Santana's high-heeled frame. She could feel Santana's warm breath so close to her face and her dark eyes were wide and curious. Quinn brushed her lips lightly against Santana's and felt fireworks. Passion and need flooded through her as she pressed her body hard against Santana, tilting her head slightly as the brunette's tongue pressed against her lips, seeking deeper access as her fingers tangled into Quinn's hair.
When they parted, they were both breathing heavily. For once Santana seemed at a loss for words. She simply smiled and smoothed Quinn's mussed-up hair. Then she planted a tiny, chaste kiss on Quinn's swollen lips and smiled enigmatically.
"It's about time you did that," she said, with a self-satisfied smirk. "I thought you were going to make me wait forever."