Page 12 of The Mistaken Bet

I knew Claire would be a voice of reason, even if I had kept her in the dark for so long. My fingers hovered over her name before I took a deep breath, unsure of the reaction I would get from her.I pressed the call button and she answered on the first ring, cutting in before I had a chance to utter a word.

“Oh Kara, it took you long enough. No explanations needed: I know.”

“What do you know, Claire?” I felt the air knocked from my chest and pain twisting within.

“Everything: that night, today all of it,” she said as tears I knew I couldn’t keep bottled any longer finally escaped.

“Daniel told you?” My voice shook at the sudden realisation.

“Yeah, and there’s so much you need to know. That night…” Claire winced.

“Daniel had set a bet to get Logan out for the night; you had overheard the tail end of how he had wished he had used your chemistry as the bet instead. He was a stupid fool and nearly lost his friendship and everything over what he did. Logan has pined for you ever since.”

My heart screamed at the revelation at how I had treated him and not listened. “Why didn’t you tell me,” I spluttered, venom evident in my tone, even though I should’ve been directing it at myself for not having listened originally.

“It wasn’t my place or the right time. Now you’re ready.”

My head struggled to comprehend the words and my hands shook with nerves. I slammed the phone down, unable to spend any more valuable time on her betrayal. I just required the space to process the information she had just thrown at me before my tempered rage settled to the point where I could discuss it all rationally with her. It was just an instinctive reaction—just like that night. I ran my hands across my face with an urge to scream becoming a bubbling desire.

I had to focus on the unravelled truth and the part I played in sabotaging what could’ve been so much more if I had just opened my ears and listened instead of having used my own judgement.

My self-wallowing wasn’t possible to run from. There was no way I could show my face in front of Logan now I knew the truth about that night. Self-loathing took over, and I grabbed a bottle of chilled wine from the fridge, deciding that drowning my sorrows and crying over what could’ve been was probably the best plan for the night.

Chapter11

Logan

My brain was lost in a foggy illusion. Kara hadn’t shown any interest in listening to my reasons originally and then had thrown the same apparent ‘bet’ that had haunted me for two years, back in my face. We had succumbed to our desires finally, but it seemed we had both been as overwhelmed as each other by the sensations we’d experienced. She’d shot out of the room like a lightning bolt, and I had crumbled after managing my way to the men’s bathroom next door with no idea what I’d say if I bumped into her around the corner. My heart had been in my mouth knowing she was battling with her emotions, too.

After Daniel appeared and cornered me into revealing the full story, a slight weight lifted. That was until he disclosed that he had told Kara to take the rest of the day off. I continued through the day in a blurred state. I struggled to focus on any of the remaining tasks until Daniel finally got sick of my mistakes and sent me home. I just hoped that tomorrow, after we both had correlated our thoughts and emotions, we would be able to finally reconcile and discuss the past.

After a fitful, restless sleep, my mind hadn’t rested anywhere near the level required, but I wasn’t able to stop my thoughts as they kept drifting off to having my hands all over her again. My morning wood didn’t help the process. I gazed at the photocopied photo of her arse and ran my fingers along the delicate black lace thong still in my possession. Kara Penner was mine, and this time I just had to prove it to the woman that mattered.

I was on the later shift the next day, and after checking Kara’s schedule the day before like the crazed man I was, I knew she was in for the earlier one. Perfection, I thought. I strolled into the office, and I was able to read Daniel's face like a book. I knew in my gut that whatever had happened centered around the one person I needed.

Neither one of us dared to make a sound as our heavy breathing filled the corridor. I knew the strangulated words needed to leave my mouth otherwise neither of us would have spoken.

“Where is she, Daniel?”

Daniel wasn’t one normally to be so quiet. I waited, but my patience waned quickly, my foot tapping on the floor as I awaited an answer.

“She said she’s not coming back,” he replied, keeping his eyes on mine.

I wasn’t going to wait around. Every moment wasted was a second without her. She needed everything, and I had to declare every bottled emotion I felt—declare without her, without breathing the same air as her, my heart was broken into pieces.I hadn’t an inkling of doubt that Kara would be experiencing the same turmoil. Avoidance wouldn’t dampen that connection we shared, no matter how much she fought the attraction.

I barraged past Daniel back towards the entrance and the reception desk. I knew what I was looking for as I scrolled through Andrea’s computer and the agency employment files. An encrypted password request jumped onto the screen when I clicked the button.

“Logan are you sure about this?” Daniel’s voice was weak as if he were fighting two people placed on his shoulder.

“I need to tell her,” I gulped, struggling with the words, “about everything.”

“Logan, listen to me,” he said as he started to access the system. “I owe you after causing you to lose her the first time; I won’t be the reason for the second time…” He pushed an address into my hand.

I turned around and made my way quickly towards the exit.

“Logan…”

I spun on my heel facing him before he sheepishly admitted, “She already knows everything.”

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