Page 10 of Lies You Told
He lifts my chin with his fingers.
“Why did you not reach out? It’s not like you.”
I want my eyes to fill up with tears, but I know that won’t happen. Not until I get broken down first. I need this lifestyle. This is the only safe way I know how to let myself go.
“We might have to wait for a private room…”
“It doesn’t need to be private,” I say, looking up at him. I give him a weak smile.
“Chloe, I’m not sure you’re…”
“It’s what I need. Please.” I look him in the eyes for the first time since I arrived. He’s not my Dom, but he is my friend. “We’ve used the public space before. Hell, six months ago, you used it in one of your training sessions.”
He runs his hand down his face, rubbing his hand over the stubble on his chin. He knows I’m right. He must be worried if he thinks I’m going to freak out in a public session.
“Okay, let me get something set up. How much have you had to drink?”
“A glass of wine with dinner, then water when I got here. If you don’t believe me, ask Jacob. He’s been watching me like a hawk since I got here.”
7
JAX
It’s been too long since Bryan has given me that look. His disappointed look. He’s the only person who’s ever pulled me up on my jackass-ness. My phone buzzes on the table between us, and I check it. I always check my phone. You never know when a client is going to need you.
HS: Your membership at Hidden Secrets New York has been accepted.
HS: Please read your email to confirm our terms and conditions.
I open the email app on my phone. I’ve been waiting for this since the move. After attending the opening of Hidden Secrets Los Angeles a couple of months ago, I knew I’d want to extend my membership. The owners had the great idea of giving people on both coasts access to both clubs.
“Are you even listening to me?” he asks, sipping his whiskey.
“I heard you. Doesn’t mean I agree with you.”
I look over at their table, and Chloe looks pissed off. If I didn’t know her better, I’d think she was ready to cry, but the Ice Princess never cries. Not once have I seen her shed a single tear.
“Jax,” he says, and I hear the frustration in his voice. “You're better than this. I thought you grew out of this.”
I give him my full attention now that Chloe has left, and Franchesca looks pissed off at their table. “She brings out the worst in me. I shouldn’t be surprised by the reputation she has.”
“Jax, stop being a dick, okay? She’s obviously good at her job, or she wouldn’t have Greyson Media Corp as a client. You’re not the same guy you were in college, and maybe she isn’t either.”
It annoys me when Bryan brings logic to the equation.
“Where did all this animosity start, anyway?”
I debated giving him the whole run-down, but I didn’t do anything wrong. “I had two roommates in college, Franchesca Huntington’s future husband and Chloe Lawson’s ex or whatever they were. Whatever it was, it was over before Christmas, our first year there. Chloe and I, though, were the smartest in our friend group and our year, too. At least that’s what I thought.”
Bryan looks at me thoughtfully. He listens to me like he always does. I tell him about how she slept with more than one professor and about all the hassle we gave her over the years.
“Anyway, he’s the one who told me. That's why they split.”
Bryan takes another sip of his drink. I hate it when he does this. He’s not always a big talker, and he makes me think about stuff. He puts his empty glass on the table.
“How did she react to that?” He asks.
“How do you think? She denied it.”
