Page 98 of Nothing to Deny

Now offence became affront. “Don’t turn this around on her. She’s done nothing wrong.”

“Oh, and I have?” When he stomped closer, Kelly got between them and planted a hand on his chest. “Ignore her, baby. She’s a troublemaker.”

A troublemaker? And there was Roxie in her head again. Plenty may accuse her friend of that, but if Roxie heard it laidat her door… The Crimson Empress would take matters into her own hands. Roxie wouldn’t see honesty as a weakness.

Nickson gathered Kelly’s hand from his chest and curled her fingers into his while kissing her knuckles. “We love each other. That’s enough. Haven’t we always said that’s enough?”

“It is enough. But you’re asking me to trust you without trusting me. You have to trust me to hear this and still love you, that I’ll still want to be with you regardless of this secret.” Yes, exactly. Good. “What is Squires? Just tell me what Squires is.”

The door moved again, she saw it first, the other eyes in the room weren’t far behind. Internally, she cringed when Baer’s scowl darkened the room. Whoops, boy, now it was a party.

“This is staying out of it?”

Some of that cringe seeped onto her expression in a wince. “It got away from me.”

“Mm hmm.” So he was unimpressed, he didn’t look mad… Not too mad. “An escort agency.” His honesty opened her mouth in disbelief; his cool gaze slunk to Kelly. “Squires is an escort agency.”

“An—”

“What the fuck?” Nickson hollered and turned on Baer.

Her guy wasn’t concerned. “You want to start something with me, Nick, I’ll put you in a box anytime.”

“What fucking right do you have to talk about my life, to my fiancé? Want me to start spouting your secrets?”

“Go ahead. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“An escort agency?” Kelly’s confusion was forgiven, there’s no way the woman anticipated this. Of all the things in the world… “It’s an escort agency? I don’t understand. Nick, you use this… escort agency? You use an escort agency? Why would you pay to…?” Kelly backed away. “You’re sleeping with other women?”

“No! Not anymore.” Wow, Nickson flipped his mood quick. “And it’s not like that—”

“What is it like? What is it—do you have an addiction? Is that what it is? Is that what you didn’t want to tell me?” And suddenly there was hope and Kelly’s voice. “Is that how Freya knows? She’s helped you. Through her foundation? One of her charities? She has contacts in the medical world—”

“It’s a male escort agency,” Baer clarified. “He’s not paying to sleep with women, they paid to sleep with him.”

Kelly’s expression didn’t change. She wasn’t sure either of them breathed, that news required a little mental alone time. The poor woman hadn’t wrapped her head around the first revelation, this clarity was another gut punch. Her hand moved to Kelly’s loose one to lace their fingers together, hoping to give the woman some comfort and support. Not that it would mean much. Holly should be there. Ultimately to know that the news was out, yes, and she would be a better sounding post for Kelly in her time of need.

“Honey—”

“Don’t you talk to her!” Nickson rounded and shoved Baer hard. She gasped though Baer hadn’t so much as rocked on the spot. Hadn’t she earlier anticipated a brawl, and been thankful Baer would be around to defuse it? Please say she was right about his restraint. “Who the fuck do you think you are? Who gave you the fucking right—”

“Grow a set. You make your choices, and you live with them. You choose this woman? You give her the truth. There’s no other way.”

“You’re as bad as that bitch!”

Before Nickson could get so far as to gesture at her, Baer’s form was already growing. Oops, not the right thing to say. She quickly weaved her way over there, hoping to keep her guy calm.

“Let’s accept he’s having a bad day and didn’t mean that,” she said in a singsong voice. “We’re not getting involved.”

In fairness, he’d been the one to say that. A little reminder wouldn’t go astray. In the end, he’d been the one to tell the truth. Go figure. So who really was more involved? He’d cut to the chase. No patience for it? Boy, was that the truth. He’d cut through the bullshit so they could get to more important things. That depended, of course, on how the rest of the conversation played out.

“An escort agency…” Kelly murmured. “A male…” Her attention flew to her fiancé. “You’re a gigolo?”

“Was.” When Nickson tried to take Kelly’s hand again, she tugged it away. “It was a long time ago.” Hmm, a little lie there. “I was stupid, it was easy money and—”

“When?” Kelly demanded. “When did you do this? When were you a gigolo?”

“You said it didn’t matter. That you loved me no matter what and I should trust you to still want to be with me.”

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