Page 27 of Love In The Shadows

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Tori

Space. That’s what I needed. Fresh air and a minute to breathe.

It was impossible to think with Bennett’s hands on my skin. With the smell of his cologne and sweat surrounding me. Or under the trance crafted by his wicked smile.

What in the hell do you think you’re doing, Tori?

I raked my hands through my hair after letting it loose for the second time. I pulled and tugged at it, trying to twist it back into the sleek chignon I’d had at the start of my shift. The way it was before going into the private room with Bennett. That had been a mistake.

The large bathroom mirror in front of me revealed everything. The truth. My flushed skin. Swollen lips. Tangled hair. Wrinkled clothes.

“Damn it!” I shook my head, sending my long auburn waves back down again. “This is fucking hopeless.”

I wasn’t sure if I was talking about redoing my hair or forcing Bennett from my thoughts.

I slammed my hands onto the cool granite counter and leaned forward, dragging in long, slow breaths. I pinched my eyes closed, no longer willing to stare at my reflection. I didn’t recognize the woman staring back at me. That girl was weak, impulsive, and out of control. That was Tori. I couldn’t be Tori anymore. I was Avery now. I had to be. Avery was the girl that would keep me from getting killed.

I groaned under my breath and then pushed off the counter. I tossed my hair back up, dug the pins in place, and smoothed my hands over my clothes. I had only an hour left before my shift ended, and I could go home again. I could get out of the clothes that smelled like Bennett and sex and scrub the night from my skin.

It was time to be smart. Playing the damsel in distress wouldn’t work. This was real life, not some damn princess movie.

“Get it together, Avery.”

God, am I going insane?

I didn’t linger over the question. Afraid of the answer, I’d come up with in the end. Instead, I pushed out of the bathroom and stalked back through the dimly lit club to the office. Two girls were covering the bar, so I knew I had time to get my head screwed back on straight.

“Avery? That you?”

I went ramrod straight at Paige’s voice, wincing before pushing fully into the room. She was seated behind the desk in the office that she and Reed shared. She was wearing her chic pair of reading glasses and studying the computer screen in front of her. Her eyes drifted from whatever was on the screen to me, and she smiled.

“Hey! Where did you disappear to?”

Shit. What was I supposed to say? I was off fucking one of the clients? On the clock? Yeah…that’s just what I needed. To get myself fired.

I slapped on a casual smile and went to the desk I always used to review the supply list or other tedious paperwork.

“Richie has some people in his private room. I was making sure they were all happy.”

Paige nodded. “Aha. He sure is here a lot, isn’t he?”

I shrugged. “I guess so. That’s good, though, right?”

Paige hitched one of her slim shoulders. “Sure.”

With a sigh, I lowered myself into the cushy chair at the desk. My whole body ached from being with Bennett. The things he did, the way he made me feel. The way his warm hands caressed my body. The hot kisses. The man was sex on a stick—and I had to stop thinking about him.

I flicked on the small silver lamp and wiggled the mouse to wake the computer up. It chimed as it came alive. “Like you said, if Reed trusts him, then he’s gotta be all right.”

“Those two have been talking quite a bit. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Richie’s pitching Reed some new business venture. I know we have the hottest club in Hollywood, but it seems a little intense that he’s here every night.”

I glanced over my shoulder as I waited for the email program to appear on the screen. Paige had removed her glasses and was absently twirling them in one hand as she stared blankly at the wall opposite her place at the large desk.

“Are you guys looking for another business opportunity? It seems like the club keeps you both insanely busy as it is.”

Paige smiled. “Reed always likes to try new things. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with him in the first place.”

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