Page 132 of The Blame Game

“But I only see one way out of this that protects you, Audra, and the team.”

Shea nodded.

“And that’s telling the world we’re in a relationship. But if we go this route,” Dom said softly. “You’ll have to stop working as an escort. I don’t want to demand that of you. If we were really dating, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t ask you to give it up if you wanted to keep doing it. I’m not saying I wouldn’t get jealous but I would never ask you for that, you understand?”

Head spinning, Shea nodded. “No. I—I understand.”

“But if you kept seeing other clients, it would be too easy for someone else to out you. One of your current clients or, hell, someone hiring you just to entrap you. All it would take was a discreet video camera and they’d have proof.”

He must have seen something on Shea’s face because he said, “Maybe I’m being too paranoid here but …”

“No. I wish you were but that’s all too plausible.”

Fuck! He couldn’t put this off any longer.

Shea sucked in a deep breath and pulled away, licking his lips. “There’s, uh, something you need to know, Dom. Something I need to tell you.”

He frowned. “What is it?”

“I’m not an escort anymore,” Shea confessed, pacing, because he felt like he was going to combust if he didn’t move. “I haven’t been for years.”

Dom wet his lips. “But you—but I’ve been paying you …”

“Yeah.” Shea winced. “You’re my only client. After graduation, I ended it with everyone else.”

“What?” Dom stared, so still it seemed like he’d been turned into a statue.

“I didn’t keep the money,” Shea blurted out. “Maybe I should have? I could have given it back to you when this ended. I donated it though. To charity.”

“Christ, Shea, I don’t care about the money,” Dom scoffed. “I just want to understand. Why? Why would you do that? Why keep seeing me?”

Shea hesitated, the words, ‘I love you’ stuck on his tongue.

“Because I wasn’t ready to let you go,” is what he said instead. As much of the truth as he felt ready to share. “Because I didn’t want to stop seeing you. And you were the only one I felt that way about.”

“Fuck.” Dom let out a shaky breath. “I—I don’t know what to say to that.”

Shea smiled, though it was weak. “You don’t have to say anything. It changes nothing. Only, if you’re sure you want to pretend to be in a relationship, you won’t have to worry about me seeing any other clients.”

Dom’s heart twisted as he followed Shea out of the bedroom, the words, “you’re my only client” echoing in his ears.

How could he be so blind? How had he not realized what was going on?

In the past few years, Shea had always been available whenever Dom wanted. He’d hardly ever had a scheduling conflict, and when he did, it was never because of another client.

Dom could see now that there was a difference between how they’d interacted before and after Shea’s graduation.

But Dom had just … ignored it.

Was it willful ignorance? Something else?

Did it mean something when Shea said, “you were the only one I felt that way about?”

But Dom had no time to dwell on it now, not when Kate and Audra sat at the table, looking at them expectantly.

Dom cleared his throat. “Shea and I agree. We’ll sell the relationship to the public. I need to speak to my agent, of course, but I think he’ll agree that’s our best option.”

Shea nodded. “And I’ll speak to someone at the image consulting agency about it too. Kate, you should know that I’m not seeing any other clients right now. I haven’t since my graduation.”

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