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"How did we not know this?" Bas asked.
"It doesn't matter. It's not important. It's clearly Friday night that was the problem," Nyla interjected. "So what happened Friday night?"
"We had a nice dinner. I'd promised her a good-girl spanking. Things progressed from there. I spent the night and left the next morning before her kids were dropped off."
"What time?"
"I dunno. Like ten thirty, somewhere around there."
Archer frowned, picked up the phone, hit some buttons, listened for a moment, and set it back down. "She left the message at 10:37 a.m."
"Son of a bitch!" I cried, slamming my open palm against the table when I realized she hadn't even waited until the bed was cold. She probably didn't even wait until I made it out of the driveway.
"I don't know what happened." I hung my head. "I guess… I guess I shouldn't have slept with her with things unresolved between us."
"What things?" Theo spoke up.
"The thing. With the club. She won't tell me what happened that night. I've asked and asked."
"Wait. Hold up." Nyla smacked the table. "She never told you why she freaked out?”
"No." I jerked my head up and stared her dead in the eyes. "Do you know?"
She looked torn, like she really wanted to tell me but wasn't sure she should. "Are you sure you don't know?" she countered.
"I really don't. I apologized up and down, backward and forward, but she swore I did nothing wrong. And I believed her. And now this. I thought…" I sighed. "I don't know what I thought."
Bas cleared his throat. "I know Jasmine's friend-group adjacent and everything, but this is technically just a business deal, and you seem to be taking it awfully hard."
Business deal. Right.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd thought of us that way. It felt so transactional. So cold. It didn't match up with the memories floating through my brain on repeat. "You're right." I waved my hand at Bas. "I just…I don't know man. I feel like I did something wrong. I don't want it to be bad for business, is all."
"Yeah… I call bullshit," Lennon surmised. "You freaked, man. This was not you being worried about the rep of a tiny little side business."
"He's right." Nyla leaned close, staring me down.
I looked away.
Finally Bas jumped in. "Three times, you said? Bain, do you have feelings for Jasmine?"
They were all staring at me. I could feel my skin heating under my suit, and beads of sweat forming on my brow.
"Okay fine. Yes, okay? I guess I do." I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand and looked down at the carpet, feeling defeated. "I tried not to, but every time I get near her… I'll get over it. I'm sorry."
"No!" Nyla's boisterous yell cut through the silent conference room. "No you will not get over it!"
"Nyla…" Bas warned.
"No, screw that." She slammed her hand on the table. "I'm not going to sit by and watch two people I care about be miserable because they are too damn stubborn to communicate with each other! Bain, Jasmine quit because… well, I actually don't know why she quit. But I know she has feelings for you."
"She does?" Four incredulous voices spoke in unison.
"She does?" I added my own to the mix, jerking my head up again to stare at Nyla.
"Dammit! Are we in junior high again? Yes! She does, okay! It's why she panicked that night at the club. So she loves you and you love her, so go do something about it!"
Adrenaline rushed through me. I felt like the underdog about to cross the finish line first in the championship race, and I swore I heard triumphant music playing as I jumped to my feet. "Okay, I will."
