Page 6 of The Secrets We Keep

“Thank you, Flo,” Sophie murmurs so softly that I almost don’t hear it.

Flo waves her off. “It’s my pleasure. I’ll see youtomorrow.”

Sophie nods and ushers Asher toward the door, but not before he looks back and waves at me.

Axel’s whistle draws me back to reality. “When did Soph have a kid?”

“We don’t know that he’s hers,” I grumble, even though there’s no denying that he is.

Rowan snorts as he tosses enough money to pay our bill on the table. “He has her eyes, and she literally said he is. I guess Soph has been up to a lot since she left Silver Springs.”

My jaw clenches at the thought of Sophie sleeping with someone else. Having their child.Things that were only supposed to happen with me.

“Sounds like she’s staying in town for a while, now,” Axel says as he pulls out cash to pay for our bill.

My mind wanders back to the little bit of money that Sophie had in her wallet. She must be hurting pretty bad financially if her cash is that low, not to mention she’s getting a job at the diner.

I pull my phone from my pocket and bring up one of our prospect’s numbers.

Grayson: I need you to run a check on someone for me. Sophie Parker; twenty-five years old.

Noah: No problem, pres.

I slip my phone back into my pocket and then climb out of the booth. We wave to Flo as we walk out and then hop on our bikes and head back to the club. I don’t know what is going on in Sophie’s life or why she’s staying in Silver Springs, but I’m going to find out.

5

GRAYSON

That night, I still can’t get Sophie out of my mind. We came back to the clubhouse for church, and we’ve been hanging out in the common area ever since.

There are still a few other charters hanging around, not eager to leave John’s celebration too soon. It’s still a big party around here. Which is how I find myself a little tipsy and with Candy giving me a lap dance.

My cock is rock hard and angry. He’s mad that he can’t fuck the one person he really wants to. Normally, I wouldn’t show any of the club girls this kind of attention, I’ve never been that guy with them. But right now, I need the release that Candy can offer me, no matter how much I don’t want it to be her.

I grab Candy’s hand as I rise from the chair, tugging her after me and toward one of our guest rooms. Some of the members from the other charters cheer me on and I can practically feel Candy preening behind me. I know that this is going to be a mistake, I just don’t really care right now. I need to blow off some steam.

I walk down the hallway in search of an empty room, pushing the door open wide when I find one. I haven’t brought any woman into my space at the club and I’m not going to start with one of the club girls, it will only lead to an issue with her.

“We’re not going to your room?” Candy pouts as she sits back on the bed, spreading her legs and showing me her barely concealed pussy.

“It’s off limits,” I mutter, reaching for my belt and whipping it off.

Candy takes the hint and immediately undresses, licking her lips as she lies back on the bed again before I’ve even got my pants unzipped. I’m not getting naked with this woman.

I walk over to the bedside table and open the drawer, finding a box of condoms inside. We stock them in each of the rooms even though most of the men refuse to wear them.Fucking dumbasses.

I stride back over to the end of the bed, pushing my jeans and briefs down just enough to free my aching cock. Candy’s eyes widen at the size, and I won’t lie and say that doesn’t help boost my ego. I pull the condom to my teeth and tear open the wrapper before pinching the tip and rolling it down my length. I grab Candy’s leg and pull her closer, enough that I can feel the heat of her pussy on the head of my cock. Just before I push inside, someone pounds on the door.

“Gray, I need to talk to you,” Rowan calls through the door.

My head falls back as I groan, pulling the condom from my cock and tucking it back into my pants. I leave Candy on the bed as I open the door and head down the hallway with Rowan.

He gives me a knowing look and shakes his head but doesn’t say anything else until we reach my office.

“Noah was looking for you,” he tells me as he takes a seat on my couch. “He had a report on Sophie. I told him I’d give it to you since you were indisposed,” he adds with annoyance before pulling his phone out and offering it to me.

My eyes scan the document. I read that Sophie has been living in Atlanta since she left Silver Springs and that there is no significant other in her life, there’s not even mention of one from her past. I relax after reading that. The report says that she and her son, Asher, live in a small, furnished apartment in a not-so-great part of town. She worked at a restaurant for the last five years but was fired yesterday. That explains why she’s looking for a job. As I read on, the report has details of where she’s been using her credit cards the last few days and there’s a record of her staying at the shittiest hotel in town. My hackles rise when I realize that she didn’t just stay there last night, she checked in again a few hours ago, too.

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