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“Tell us what’s going on, Mia.” Coen’s voice is hard and unwavering.
I nod my head ever so slightly in gratitude before mouthing, “Thank you.”
With shaky hands, I try and fail to open the water Alec gave to me, and in the end, it’s Kas that does it for me. He takes it from my grasp and doesn’t hand the bottle back until the lid is off, and I gulp the water down with gusto. My body relaxes more and more with each swig, so I don’t let up until it’s empty.
Lifting my hand, I wipe any excess water from my lips and chin before sitting up straight. “I-I…” Blowing out a breath, I try to work out what to say. “I cheated on you,” I simply say when I can’t think of a more eloquent way to tell them.
The silence that follows my revelation is worrisome. I expected anger and all the bells and whistles that come with that. But there’s no shouting or insults being hurled my way. When I finally gather enough courage to look at each of them, I’m surprised all three of them look at me with nothing but sadness, concern, and love in their eyes.
“I’m… I cheated on you. All of you.” I say.
Alec moves his hand to my thigh and squeezes. “You didn’t cheat on us, Baby.”
I’m momentarily rendered speechless by that statement. Why is he disagreeing with me?
Coen kneels in front of me and takes my face in both his hands. “Let’s forget the fact that you broke up with all of us and, therefore, couldn’t cheat. No one is holding what Mr. Riley forced you to do against you. It doesn’t count.”
Oh shit, they think that Mr… That he… That he…
My stomach churns and I can taste bile at the back of my throat like I’m about to throw up at the mere thought. “It wasn’t him, I-I.” My voice wavers, but I dig my fingernails into the soft skin on the palms of my hands. “It was with Luis,” I gasp.
Around me, the atmosphere changes just as quickly as the guys do. Gone are their gentle expressions, and in their place are matching scowls. Well, aside from Kas, who looks more confused than anything.
“When?” Coen asks, still holding my face in his hands.
“So you’re leaving,” Alec says.
“Sweets, you need to explain it to us. What happened between you and Luis? And when was this?”
Even though I hear all their questions, only one of them seeps beneath my skin. The dejected tone with which Alec spoke says it all. Unlike Coen, he didn’t ask me anything. It was a statement—and to Alec, my leaving is inevitable.
I open my mouth to assure him I’m not going anywhere, but thankfully Coen beats me to it. “Answer the questions, Mia. When did you cheat on us with one of your regulars?”
“Back off, CJ. Give her more than two seconds before you make orders,” Kas barks. Standing up, he crosses his arms over his chest while staring his brother down.
Shaking my head back and forth, I close my eyes. This isn’t right. I won’t let them fight because of me.
“The night of… I mean, it was…” I try to blow a few strands of hair out of my face, but with my clammy forehead, they’re sticking. “The same night Lila took me to Mark’s.” I let out a sad whimper as I mention Mark’s name.
“That’s—”
Coen holds up a finger before interrupting Kas. “And how exactly did you cheat on us? What did you guys do?”
“Did you fuck him?” Alec asks, and his voice is colder than ice.
“No,” I rush out. “No, I didn’t have sex with him. I… Umm…” I look down at the floor, but of course, that doesn’t help.
This is what I wanted, wasn’t it? I made Coen ask me instead of shying away from telling them. Now that I’ve dropped half the bomb, I need to be courageous enough to tell them the rest.
“I gave him a lap dance, and I kept going until he…” I make a circular motion with one hand in front of me, not wanting to speak the words that I know will make them look at me in a different light.
“Did you enjoy it?” Coen asks as he tightens his hold on me, not giving me any corner.
I try to shake my head, but the movement isn’t as vehement as I want it to be, thanks to Coen’s hands.
“Were you naked? Are you planning on doing it with him again? Fucking give us something to work with here, Mia. Why are you saying you cheated if you only did what many people see as part of your job?” Although Coen’s tone is calm, each question feels like a whiplash.
I know it’s my own fault that he is asking. I’m the one who brought it up and worded it like cheating, but that’s what it is in my mind. Only now do I wonder if that counts? I didn’t do it to get something from anyone else… Well, that’s not exactly true. I was chasing something—both from Luis and the faceless VIPs. When they warned me, I didn't ease up. I wanted them to come. That it didn’t feel like it was me doing it is a lousy excuse, but that, and the high it provided me, is all I have.
