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“Let us help you purge the place,” Beth said. “We can have a ‘get rid of everything’ party. I know there are still a couple more spaces that need work.”

I hesitated. It was one thing to hold band practice in the garage. Jack, Tyler, and Eric liked the space, and it made our lives easier. But they were just co-workers.

I wasn’t sure I even wanted people I loved to step foot in there. It was a house of broken bones and pain.Mybroken bones and pain.

“Just think on it,” Nancy said lightly.

“Okay,” I agreed. “I will.”

ELEVEN

PEPPER

I spentthe entire weekend reading about BDSM.

Bondage and discipline. Domination and submission. Sadism and masochism.

By the time Monday morning rolled around, I was torturing myself over texting Salt. I knew I shouldn’t. I’d spent all of Sunday reading about Doms, subs, and kinks—and thinking he’d awakened something in me that I couldn’t explore by myself.

But texting him would be wrong. Tommy told me he set up a meeting, which meant from here on out, I had to be a professional. I couldn’t risk a repeat of Friday night with Salt. If I did, it would be my responsibility to inform members of our board that I was engaging in a relationship with him. And that would jeopardize so much.

I want him.

It was such a pesky thought. It didn’t help that I’d even dreamed about him.

Once I discovered something I enjoyed, I threw myself at it entirely. I’d spent my entire marriage thinking I hated sex, but that wasn’t true at all.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel a single shred of sadness, guilt, or jealousy when Jeff walked into my office.

“Morning,” he chirped.

I offered him a bland smile, angling my computer screen out of his view before he could see I was reading an article about the best sex toys for women—my online cart was already up to five hundred dollars.

“What do you need?” I asked.

Jeff blew out a breath and dragged a chair against the wall over to my desk. “Well, you never answered me about Ally attending the awards show.”

“Yes, I did,” I said. “I told you no.”

His posture adjusted slightly. I knew that motion all too well. The way he stiffened when he wasn’t getting his way.

“It’s just… I think it would be really good for us.”

“Jeff, I do not care. The only suggestion I have is that if you’d like her to go, find a babysitter for her during the awards show. We’re not asking them to make room for someone who’s not in the industry. That’s the most I’m compromising on this.”

His eyes widened. He started to say something, but for once words seemed to fail him.

I held his gaze, unwavering. We could have heard a pin drop in the silence between us.

“Are you feeling jealous or something?” he blurted out.

I blinked. Slowly. Was this gonna be the day I killed my ex-husband? Was this going to be it? “Jeff,” I said, leaning forward. “I have a confession.”

He leaned forward slightly in anticipation.

“I have nothing to be jealous of.”

Jeff sat back as if I’d slapped him. “Oh.”

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