Page 28 of Love In The Shadows

My cheeks warmed. Paige and Reed were my bosses, but due to the nature of the job, they were incredibly open people and made no secrets about their nontraditional sex life.

“Oh, Avery!” Paige flapped a hand at me, her smile wide and cat-like. “You work in a sex club. You can’t get so flustered.”

I gave a nervous laugh. “I’m not!”

“Uh-huh. Besides, you can’t act like you don’t have fun around here too from time to time…” Paige’s eyes glittered with amusement.

Did she know? But how?

Paige giggled at my panicked expression. “I saw you sneaking off with that hot new bodyguard Richie’s been bringing around. At least, I think he’s a bodyguard. That’s what Reed said. Security consultant or something. It’s all the same to me. A hottie is a hottie! So, tell me what happened. Did you two enjoy one of the private rooms?”

My eyes went even wider. “I’m so sorry, Paige. I won’t let it happen again. I know I was on the clock. You can dock my pay if you want?—”

“Avery, stop. It’s fine!” She laughed again, slightly shaking her head at me. “Girl, you worry too much.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Hell no! I’m happy for you. If I wasn’t with Reed…shit…I’d be jumping his bones, too.” She smirked. “So, tell me, who is he? What’s he like? Did he rock your world?”

I felt my cheeks flush again. I wasn’t a prude, far from it. I was a burlesque dancer in Vegas when I was Tori and had never even heard of the Sanderson crime family. But Paige was my boss, and I’d only known her for a handful of months. It seemed odd to discuss something so intimate. Besides, I couldn’t tell her who Bennett really was. As far as she—or anyone else in the club—knew, he was Eric Starr.

Paige pounced as I scrambled through my answer. Her eyes went wide and bright. “He did! I can tell! Are you going to see him again? Or was it a one-time thing?”

I laughed nervously. I hated to lie. “I don’t know! It was probably just a one-time thing. He’s only in town for a little while.”

At least, I thought so. Yet, the reminder made my heart sink. How were we going to say goodbye again?

Snap out of it, Avery. He’s not yours, remember?

“I served him drinks the first night he was here, and we were flirting. I guess it was bound to happen eventually.” I shrugged, trying to play it off. “You’re sure you’re not mad? I mean…that wasn’t exactly the most professional move on my part.”

Paige grinned. “I’m not mad. I mean, if you turn into a jackrabbit, and I can’t find you and the bar isn’t stocked, we might have to have a different kind of talk. But I don’t think you’re that kind of girl.”

I nodded. Paige was right. I wasn’t that kind of girl. Bennett was the first man I’d been with since I’d fled Kentucky and my carefully crafted life—or, more accurately—carefully crafted lies.

Paige looked like she was about to ask for more details on the encounter, but the door flew open before she could, and Reed came storming inside. He cut a sharp glance over at me, and I recoiled. I’d never seen Reed angry before, but there was no doubt that something—or someone—had pissed him off.

“Hey, baby, what’s wrong?” Paige asked, shifting in her seat.

Reed raked a hand through his thick hair. “We need to talk. Avery, would you mind?”

I jumped from my seat, flicked off the computer monitor, and hurried to the door. “Not a problem. I need to check in with the girls at the bar.”

“Check-in and then take off for the night, Avery,” Paige instructed, her tone cool and calm, despite her husband’s intense presence.

“Okay. Thanks, Paige. Reed.” I nodded at both of them and slipped through the door. I’d barely taken three steps before it shut with a solid click.

What the hell was that about? Whatever it was, it had to be pretty serious to get Reed so pissed off. Was it related to Richie and the business deal Paige had mentioned?

I shook it off and went to the bar, casually scanning the room for any sign of Bennett. Hopefully, he’d already left for the night. I couldn’t face him right now. I still needed to figure things out. I had a feeling that the next time we saw one another, he’d want to have a serious conversation, and I needed to decide what I wanted before then.

“Hey, Syd. How’s it going out here?” I asked, rounding the bar.

Sydney, the best bartender on staff, flashed me an easygoing smile. “Everything’s great. Tips are off the fuckin’ chart tonight. Richie’s guys sure know how to live it up.”

I smiled but couldn’t fight the pit-in-my-stomach feeling at the mention of Richie. I knew I didn’t know everything, but there was a sense of danger surrounding him.

“You heading out?” Sydney asked after glancing at the small clock we kept tucked under the bar. Parkston’s On the Hill was like a Vegas casino. The atmosphere had to be strictly maintained to encourage certain…behaviors.

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