“Bennett.”

My name on her tongue is a plea, a whisper that scorches my soul. I look into her beautiful green eyes but then quickly flick mine away. All I can see when I look at her is everything we lost.

I walk past her without saying anything. In my peripheral vision, I see her shoulders slump, and then her whole body lean against the wall. I feel badly for her, but I feel badly for myself too. For all of us.

We could have been amazing together. I don’t doubt that Lila’s feelings for us were real … but knowing how vulnerable Sam and I allowed ourselves to be with her makes me furious. I don’t let my guard down often — ever, really — and to realize I’d been taken advantage of that way was something I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive.

I force myself not to look back as I head down the hallway and swipe my access card at the interior door. Despite everything, despite all my anger and hurt, there’s still a part of me that wants to go to her. To make her feel better. To make myself feel better.

I don’t though. I keep walking. All through the empty club and down to Ava’s office.

I’m relieved to find her at her desk, although she doesn’t look nearly as happy to see me.

“What now?” she says as she tosses her pen on the table.

“Long day?” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

Ava rubs her temples. “Every day is a long day,” she mutters.

I chuckle ruefully. I hear that.

“Well, I hate to make it even worse, but I need to get out of my contract with Lila Emery and Sam Baines.”

Ava holds up a hand. “Bennett, look —“

I interrupt her. “I know the consequences already, but at this point I’m willing to take the loss. I’ll pay the money as agreed. And if you need to kick me out of Orchid — well, maybe that’s for the best too.”

Ava sits back in her seat with a sigh. “You don’t owe any money, Bennett. And I won’t be kicking you out of Orchid.”

“What do you mean?” Of all the many, extremely colorful things I expected Ava to say to me today, that was not one of them.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” she says, twisting the pen around her fingers. “Lila beat you to the punch.”

I shake my head. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. You’re going to have to spell it out for me.”

Ava drops the pen down on the desk again.

“She came in here just now and confessed to everything. I’m surprised you didn’t bump into her on the way in.”

“I did, actually,” I trail off. So that’s why Lila was here. “I just assumed she was coming to give you some sob story.”

Ava chuckles, her expression soft. “Far from it. She confessed to everything, wanted to take full responsibility. She even wanted to warn me to increase my background checks for awhile in case the magazine tries to send someone else.” She pauses, shaking her head gently. “To be honest, Bennett, I think Lila is the real deal. I think she’s genuine and I don’t think she actually started this whole process with the intent to hurt anyone.”

I consider this but have nothing to offer in response. The burn from what Lila did is still fresh in my mind, and I expect Ava to be equally pissed. Instead her expression is patient and kind. Not her default setting by any means.

“I know you’re pissed,” Ava begins and I can’t help but nod in agreement. “But just hear me out. No matter how captivated you may have been by her, Lila is young and naïve. That’s just a fact. But she’s also ambitious — she wants something better for herself. You don’t go undercover at a sex club and participate in an auction on your first time out if you aren’t trying to prove something. I’m sure you and Sam have both been in that position yourselves — wanting to prove something to a world that felt like it was conspiring against you?”

I nod, chagrined. Of course, Ava knows all about my history. And she’s right — I’ve been where Lila is. Willing to do whatever it took to get ahead. And unlike Lila, who pulled the plug when things got out of her control, I had never been so thoughtful. I steamrolled my way to the top, refusing to let anything stand in my way.

“I guess I never thought about it that way,” I admit.

“Of course you didn’t,” she says. She smiles benevolently, but there’s a hint of amusement in her voice. “You know, to be honest, Lila reminds me a little of me.”

I raise my eyebrows, and Ava pauses for a second, as if trying to think of the right words.

“Do you know how old I was when I opened my first club?” she asks.

I shake my head. Actually, I don’t know much about Ava at all, except that she runs a tight ship here. I guess it makes sense that she would have had experience somewhere else before she opened Orchid.

“I was twenty-four,” she admits. “And I was married at the time. To an asshole who ended up taking everything right out from under me. It took a long time for me to get back on my feet, and to get my confidence back. You know what saved me?”

I shake my head. Her admission is already taking me aback.

Instead of answering, Ava reaches behind her, to the row of built-ins that line the wall behind her desk. She grabs a framed photograph off the shelf and hands it to me.

“Them,” she says simply.

The photo is of Ava, laughing, her face more carefree than I’ve ever seen it. On either side of her is an attractive man. One with dark hair, one blonde. The dark haired one is kissing her neck, while the blonde gazes adoringly at her.

I hand the photo back, looking at her questioningly.

“My husbands,” she says. “Well, partners. Soul mates.”

“Huh.” I honestly have no idea what else to say, but Ava just smiles slyly.

“You see, Bennett, when I said Lila reminded me a little of me, I meant it in more ways than one. Naive and determined at once. Ambitious, yet sheltered. Beaten down but always ready to get back up again. The perfect girl to tame two men who can’t seem to tame themselves.”

Her eyelid flicks closed quickly, and I have to wonder if she just winked at me.

I replay her words in my head.

“Are you saying … you matched us with her intentionally?” The suggestion seems absurd — yet Ava has always seemed to have an uncanny understanding of her clientele.

“Not initially,” she admits with a shrug. “But after you and Sam nearly came to blows over her, I saw a way to shine some new light on your little feud. I asked Lila if she trusted me, and she said she did. So I made you and Sam an offer you couldn’t refuse.”

Ava is smiling smugly now, and I shake my head incredulously.

“What am I supposed to do with that information?” I ask finally.

She shrugs. “Nothing. Just maybe think about the fact that someone else saw something in the three of you that worked. That what the three of you have built this month isn’t crazy, and it isn’t fake. And that coming down on Lila for something both you and Sam wouldn’t have hesitated to do is more than a tad hypocritical.”

She turns back to her computer, effectively dismissing me, and I leave her office, chagrined and deep in thought.

As soon as I get outside, back in the bright light of day, I fish my phone out of the pocket of my suit jacket and find Sam’s contact info.

He picks up on the first ring. “Hey Sam, its Bennett. I have an idea. Can you meet up in half an hour?”

“Sure — what’s up? You sound … weird.”

“Shut up.” Despite our chemistry in the bedroom, and the fact that he’s grown on me in ways I never expected, Sam can still drive me fucking nuts. “Just meet me, okay? We have something to discuss.”