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“He didn’t want you to know, Leagh,” Mika replied softly.
“Evidently not.”I forced a weak smile.
“He’d confided in a few of us years ago.He didn’t want his past to influence any part of his relationship with you.He was a prideful man,” Drake explained.
“That’s what kept him from telling you, Leagh,” Nick leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he pinned me with a serious stare.“He made a deal with Sloane that if she kept the affair with Bernard quiet, he’d grant her a divorce.All the other judges were good friends of George’s.If they’d found out what Bernard had done, George knew it would cause a lot of bad blood amongst them all.He didn’t want their sympathy, but most of all, he didn’t want to taint the courts with backbiting or animosity.”
“He was honorable, Leagh, but you already knew that,” Dylan added with a reassuring nod.
“Yes,” I agreed.George was honorable, but he wasn’t honest, at least, not with me.The revelation hurt.Suspicions, like spots of tarnish on silver, plagued me.What other secrets had George kept from me?What other skeletons lingered in his closet that he didn’t want me to see?I felt cheated, but there was nothing I could do with my anger.Sucking in a shaky breath, I turned to look at Mika.“So what did Sloane do?”
“She raped him financially, of course,” he replied in a bleak tone.“But she kept her mouth shut, for once.”
“What about Reed?Does he know?”I asked, casting a glance at all the Doms.
“No clue,” Drake replied with a frown.
“Reed was like a brother to him,” I murmured.
“He’s a judge, pet.I’m not sure if George told him or not,” Mika added.
Maybe I wasn’t the only one George had kept in the dark.It still hurt.
“Don’t go there, Leagh,” Tony scolded from across the room.“He did it to protect himself.”
“I get that,” I replied, trying hard not to sound sarcastic.
The earlier lighthearted mood had shifted to an awkward silence.
“I think it’s time we headed out,” Mika announced as he turned to kiss my cheek.“If you need anything, I expect you to call.I mean,anything.From a toothpick to a Rolls Royce, you got it?”
As Mika rose from the couch, so did my stubborn pride.
His offer was generous, but I had no intention of asking Mika or anyone else for anything.I’d find my way alone.I’d done it before, and I could damn well do it again.
“Yes, Sir, I will,” I lied convincingly.“Thank you both for everything.You’ve kept me sane through these horrible days.”
Minutes lagged before everyone had said their goodbyes and driven away.Tony and I were alone again.Anxiety sprouted like a spring flower in the pit of my belly.It was time for me to leave as well.Get far away from the temptation of him.My self-control around him was shaky at best.
Dashing up the stairs, I retrieved my wet clothes.When I returned, Tony stood in the foyer.He didn’t say a word, just stared at me.
“What?”I asked, unnerved by his silent scrutiny.
“You know they’re going to be pissed, right?”
“Pissed about what?”I asked, anxious and ready to leave.
He grunted.“Pull that innocent act on someone who hasn’t spent the last three years studying you like a damn book.I know every nuance about you, angel, and it won’t fly with me.Don’t think for one minute your friends won’t be ticked off when they find out you needed something and never called.”
“I don’t need any help.There’s nothing I can’t do for myself,” I huffed.
“Stubborn, minx.Come on.Let me take you out to get a phone and some clothes that fit.”Tony extended his hand.I took a step back, adamantly shaking my head.“Oh, I get it.I suppose my offer falls under the category of things you can do for yourself, right, sweetheart?”
His sarcasm felt like a steel brush up my spine.
“Exactly,” I snapped with a tight, irritated smile.
“Fine.”His Dominant tone rolled over me in a hot, silky swell.“Look at me.Look into my eyes.Promisethat you’ll call me if you needanything.”
