I stood again, everything in me coiled tight, and aimed myself at Liam. “Again, how do you know anything about myw-wife?” My voice broke. I didn’t want to ask the next question, but Ihadto know. “Did you…” Deep breath. “Did you have sex with her?”
Christy yelped and pressed her hand to her mouth.
“No,” Liam said. “I didn’t. I swear.” He looked sincere.
I wish I could say it helped me relax, but I suspected I wouldn’t relax for a very long time after tonight. Possibly for the rest of my life.
He stared at the floor for a moment. “It happened about a year and a half ago. Pike and I had gotten pretty tight, and against my better judgment, he talked me into going to Vegas one weekend to unwind.”
“Liam.” Christy made a disappointed sound.
“Duprees don’t gamble,” Bowen said in a mock-Granny voice, but no one had the heart to laugh.
“I told him gambling wasn’t something I did, even forfun,” Liam said. “But he promised we’d do other things.” Then he looked back at me. “That turned out to mostly be a lie. I spent my time watching him blow thousands of dollars and drink away thousands more.” His hands hung at his sides. “The last night we were there, he told me we’d been invited to a party, and there would be this stunning supermodel there. His exact words were, ‘Her face card is lethal. Top to bottom, bro—she don't miss.’ He said he’d been to one of these parties once before, and it was ‘lit.’ It sounded better than sitting in a casino, so I agreed.” His chest heaved. Then it heaved again. “But when we got there, things felt… off. First, we had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. When I asked Pike what that was about, he said it protected us as much as the people throwing the party. He deflected every other question.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I should’ve left then and there, but I didn’t want Pike to think I was soft… so I signed.”
“Geez, son.” Holden shook his head. “They’ve got you on a list now.”
“I know that, all right?” Liam said, like he’d beat himself up plenty. “It was incredibly foolish, and I learned some hard lessons that night. The first being that if your gut says to leave, you leave. No matter how weak it makes you look.”
“What happened after that?” I asked.
“They took our IDs and told us we weren’t allowed to leave until it was over. Warning bells were going off in my head, but again… pride. Then they checked to make sure we’d sent in our lab results.”
“Lab results?” Christy said, like, what did that have to do with anything.
“Yes,” Liam said. “I thought maybe that would save me—I had no idea what they were talking about, so I couldn’t have sent anything. But they nodded and said we were both approved. Pike admitted that he’d sent them my labs from thelast time they were drawn here for the team, as if he’d done me some kind of favor.”
“That’s a HIPAA violation,” Theo said.
“Thank you for that,” Sophie said dryly.
Liam blew his bangs out of his eyes. “I asked Pike what kind of party it was that they’d need our labs, and he just laughed. Then a door opened and a man in a suit summoned us inside. We followed him down a long hall into the ‘Viewing Room.’” Before any of us could ask, he held up a hand like he wanted to get this over with. “We sat on one of the expensive-looking leather couches. Ahead of us, there was a wall of glass, which Pike told me was actually a two-way mirror. Whoever was on the other side couldn’t see us.” He shoved a hand into his hair. “Then a couple of scantily dressed women entered, offered us hors d’oeuvres, and asked what we’d like to drink. When I asked for a Diet Coke, they laughed. Pike laughed. The whole room laughed. But they brought me a Diet Coke.”
“Wait,” Holden said. “There were other people there?”
“Other men. Yes,” Liam said. “Three or four more filtered in after us. Fifteen total.”
“And they all signed the NDA?” Holden asked.
“I would assume so,” Liam said. He looked directly at me. “I remember demanding again that Pike tell me what this was all about. He laughed and said to relax, and that I wouldn’t regret coming.” But Liam looked like he regretted it. Intensely. “A few minutes later, the lights dimmed. A small door on the other side of the glass opened…” He held my stare for a few seconds, and I knew whatever he said next would be the sucker punch. I also knew that he’d rather be anywhere, doing anything, than be the one to deliver it. “…out walked Juliette in nothing but stilettos, a black lace bra, and a matching thong.”
My stomach seized.
Theo fell back onto a stool.
Holden swore, fingers laced behind his head.
“You should’ve left,” Christy said.
“I couldn’t.” Liam threw his hands up. “There were bodyguards blocking both exits.” He turned to me. “Griff. Please don’t make me tell you the rest.”
“Tell me,” I said, teeth clenched. “I have to know.”
“Fine.” He looked at the floor. “Then the bidding started.”
My heart tried to punch through my rib cage.
“The b-bidding?” Bowen went pale.
