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He appreciated the offer. More than she could ever know. He’d had to pull over twice over the last two days to wet his face and wake himself up before attempting the treacherous climb over the mountain. But he had to be careful with his money. He was already eating into his savings while he still had his apartment in Sydney. He needed to get down there and move out before he completely emptied his bank account. “How much rent do you normally ask for?”
She shook her head gently. “For you, nothing. We can’t find a tenant we’re happy with, so it’s just sitting empty. You can use it whenever you want. When we find someone, we’ll let you know.”
He nodded, a weight lifting off his shoulders. He rested their foreheads together, his eyes sliding closed in relief. “Thank you. Maybe just for tonight. I don’t know if I can make it home without falling asleep at the wheel.”
“We’ll pick you up then.” She leaned in to kiss him, brushing her lips against his before she stepped back. With his eyes still closed, Phoenix held onto the ghost of her touch for as long as he could. “Go.” She laughed. “Eat something. You’re dead on your feet.”
He smiled, his heart flip-flopping in his chest. Watching her walk backwards while not breaking her gaze was sexy, but so like Cassie too—fun and flirty. She tilted her head, motioning to the door he’d come from, and Phoenix grinned, stepping behind the pass and closing it.
He popped his dinner in the microwave to warm when he heard movement in the kitchen behind him. “Nearly ready for the demonstration?” he asked Adelaide. She was standing there, looking effortlessly beautiful in a little black jacket and blouse with pink pants and heels. The latter two matched her hair precisely. The whole look was banging, but it was the shoes he loved best. He had a thing for those pencil-thin stilettos. “You look great tonight,” he added.
She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Phoenix narrowed his and asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She nodded but quickly looked down, concentrating on peeling the label off the glass bottle of soda she held. “Just a little nervous about this demonstration. It’s a big deal, and I’m second-guessing the wisdom of it. My… ah… volunteers have a lot to lose if things go pear-shaped.”
“What are you doing with them? I didn’t think this place was a BDSM club.” The shock in his voice had Adelaide huffing out a laugh. It was exactly what he’d hoped would happen.
“No, it’s not that kind of scene.” She furrowed her brow, concern lacing the frown on her lips. “One of the guys who will be on stage is a bit of a celebrity and the other works with kids. If either was recognized or word got out—”
“Then the club would rely on its confidentiality agreements and sue the pants off whoever is responsible.” Adelaide looked at him wide-eyed, and Phoenix was glad this was something he could genuinely help her with. If his legal background had taught him anything, it was that the law—the whole system—was a tool for businesspeople to deploy. As long as they could pay for the best representation, the people who knew the ins and outs of every requirement, they could make it work for them. “It’s not foolproof—nothing ever is—but the clients here are used to seeing celebrities. They’re familiar with theFight Clubrules around this place, and the club’s got plenty of legal avenues to prevent anything getting out or getting it taken down if it does get out.”
“What about rumours?”
“Slander and libel—defamation laws. Again, not always ideal. But if your guys—”
“My volunteers.”
Phoenix raised his hands apologetically and continued. “Sorry, your volunteers. If they’ve decided that it’s okay to get up on stage, shouldn’t that be enough?”
“They’ve never done anything like this. I’m just worried. Protective of them, you know?”
“Yeah.” The microwave beeped, and he took the food out. Adelaide breathed deep, a blissful expression on her face.
“That smells so good. Mum’s recipe?”
He smiled, his cheeks hurting from how wide he was grinning. “No, a friend’s.” He realized she knew who, and he added, “Cassie’s.”
“What’s the story with you three? Did you know them in Sydney?” She sat down at the table and crossed her legs, waiting for him to speak.
“I did. It’s been a few years since I saw them. We… ah… got together back then and… um… it didn’t work. Not because of any of us, though. Just intervening circumstances. We lost contact. They were the ones who got away for me.” He smiled again, thinking about how they’d found their way back to each other, his cheeks heating as he did. He couldn’t believe he was having this kind of conversation with a co-worker—he never would have dared tell anyone he’d ever worked with before anything like this—but it felt right. He’d clicked with Adelaide. She was a good listener and had made it clear that he could always talk to her. He was glad they could speak too. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to until he was opening up to her. Phoenix couldn’t bring himself to confide to Pete yet, and his parents would flip their shit. They’d tell him to stay away without even listening to him. But what did he have to lose now, except a chance to be happy? Jake’s dad couldn’t do any more damage; Phoenix was the one who detonated his career this time.
Adelaide’s smile was secretive. “I’m happy for you, and I’m glad they feel the same.” He laughed, happiness bubbling inside of him. But then it occurred to him, he hadn’t told Jake and Cassie that he wanted to try again. Why? What was holding him back?
Phoenix sighed and shook his head, the disappointment in himself shocking him. “We’re not together.”
Her eyes widened and brows lifted momentarily until she schooled her features. She was clearly surprised. “You don’t sound happy about that. Are they holding back?”
“No. It’s me. I asked for time and they’re giving it to me.” He sighed. It made sense when he’d said the words. He’d wanted to settle in on the Gold Coast before jumping into what he knew would be a whirlwind relationship. “I’ve had a rough time these last few months—burnout and anxiety—and I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision, you know? They’ve been great. They told me that I have friends here and they’ve made it clear that they’ll still be there if that’s all I can give them.”
“You were a lawyer.” When he nodded, sliding into the chair so he could eat, she continued. “Cassie, Jake, and I have some mutual friends. One is a doctor who walked away from his career on a cruise ship, partly because of burnout and partly because he fell for a passenger, which is totally against the rules. The other is a lawyer who worked in Perth. They both ended up here on the Coast. Robyn was with Mike—the passenger Ezio fell for—for a few months when Ezio came back into the picture. They’re a triad now. Robyn, the lawyer, would understand your job issues, for sure. She had an awful case, and she came close to having a breakdown because of it. Ezio would understand your concerns about getting involved with a couple, too, just like our other friend Connor would. Con is former army. He joined because he’d fallen for his best friend’s girl and had to get away from them. When he was honourably discharged a few years later, he realized it wasn’t just Katy he wanted, but Levi too. The three of them have been going strong for probably a year now. Ménage relationships aren’t as rare as you might think, and our friends are pretty au fait with them.”
Phoenix held the fork suspended in mid-air. He opened his mouth and closed it again. “Um, okay. They weren’t kidding?”
“No.” She smiled at him. “But them saying you have friends here clearly isn’t the only reason you’re holding back.”
“I’m wondering if my reasons are stupid, to be honest.” He shrugged, trying to downplay his fear, then changed his mind. He needed to talk this out. “I think it’s just the amount of upheaval I’ve had lately; it scared me. I didn’t want to commit to them before I’ve had a chance to work on me first.”
“That seems like a pretty good reason to me.” She smiled and patted his forearm. “Just don’t let fear hold you back. When you find your person or people, fight for them.”
