Page 81 of High Stakes

“Yeah, Oh,” says Cal giving Bella a pointed look.

“I am so sorry, Cal,” she says, “Go and take Ellie home, I’ll sort this.” Bella kisses them both on the cheek and then turns to me, looking sheepish. “Can we talk?” she asks.

“I think we need to,” I growl, and I storm off towards my office.

I sit at the desk and Bella stands awkwardly in front of it. “So?” I prompt.

“Me and Cal, we aren’t together.” I’m confused. She’s just lost his baby, this makes no sense. When she sees my confusion, she continues. “We never were. You saw us and assumed, and we just never corrected you.”

“I didn’t assume anything, Bella. He was all over you at the hospital that time, he made it perfectly clear,” I snap, “So what, you just slept together and got pregnant?”

Bella doesn’t speak for a minute as if she is thinking about her answer. “Something like that. Anyway, all you really need to know is we aren’t a thing.”

“To be honest, Bella, I’m a little annoyed that you lied to me. I look like a dick.”

She has the decency to look guilty. “It wasn’t intentional, it just snow balled. I’m sorry.”

“You need to apologise to Cal and Ellie,” she says.

I raise my eyebrows, “No fucking chance. It’s been a long time coming. I thought he was cheating on you,” I argue.

“Cal’s been great to me, Aiden. If we’re going to be friends, you need to make peace with him. For me.”

I smile a little. “Maybe I can stretch to a free VIP pass for a weekend.”

She rolls her eyes. “One weekend?”

“Fine, six months,” I say with a huff.

She smiles, “Thank you.”

“I’m not doing it for him. I’m doing it for you and only because I love you,” I blurt out. I freeze, and she stares wide eyed.

“I didn’t mean…erm I meant…” and then I give up because the words won’t come. “Shall we go and get a drink?” I ask, standing abruptly and feeling flustered.

I sit her in my booth and take her a glass of non-alcoholic wine. Aria is dancing with a rugby player and JP doesn’t look very happy.

“So,” I say, sitting opposite her, “No more lies.”

She tenses up, but I don’t get chance to pull her up on it because Aria joins us. JP is hot on her heels, but he doesn’tsay anything as he sits down, looking moody. The tension between them is obvious.

Bella sighs, “What’s wrong with you two now, I thought you were getting along?”

“Tell me, how many people do you need for an orgy?” asks Aria, glancing between me and JP. JP shifts uncomfortably.

“Be quiet Aria,” he warns.

“I’m really interested,” she carries on, not heeding his warning, “I mean, I know three is clearly a threesome but what if there’s four or maybe five, let’s say…” and she taps her chin like she’s thinking “Two men and three women?”

A silence falls over the table and JP looks at me with guilt written all over his face. It’s clear she knows everything.

I grin, “I’d say that’s a bloody good time, Ari. Are you and Bella wanting to ask us something?”

Before she can come back with a smart answer, which I know is on the tip of her tongue, JP stands. “Let’s go,” he orders, and she looks at him in shock. “Now.”

When she still doesn’t move, I watch in amusement as he swoops down and lifts her over his shoulder like she’s nothing more than a doll. “Gonna use your office, Boss,” he says, and heads off with Aria screaming and making threats to murder.

Bella gives a laugh. “About time.”

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