Temptation (Club X #1)(51)
Author: K.M. Scott

Olivia fought back the tears, but it was no use. They flowed down onto her cheeks as she sobbed, “There’s no us, Cassian. There’s you and her together and stupid me over here who was dumb enough to believe someone like you. How could I have been so blind?”

“You weren’t blind. She means nothing to me. Olivia, I don’t want to lose you. For the first time in a long time, I want more and that’s because of you.”

She hung her head and quietly said, “I don’t ever want to see you again. I won’t be coming back to work either.”

Her words hit me like a fist to the face. Scrambling to find some way to change her mind, I held her close. “You can’t afford that. Come back to work, at least. I don’t want to lose you there.” She shook her head again and I knew I wasn’t getting through. Feeling her slip away, I begged, “Jesus, Olivia. Don’t do this.”

She yanked her arm from my hold and pounded her fists on my chest as the tears rolled down her face. “Don’t do what, Cash? Make you fucking pay for lying to someone who foolishly cared about you? Do you feel bad, Cassian March? Do you?”

God, the way she looked up at me with all that pain in her eyes killed me. “Olivia, I’m sorry. Please, I—”

Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed, “Just go. Go back to your life and all the women you can fuck and just leave me alone.”

I wanted to take her into my arms and make it all better, but I couldn’t. I’d fucked this up. What I’d always feared would happen had, and I had nobody to blame but myself.

“I’m sorry, Olivia. I’m sorry.”

I didn’t want to walk away and leave her there. If I did, I might never see her again, but she wouldn’t listen to me now. All I could do was give her some time and hope if I didn’t give up, she wouldn’t either.

My phone vibrated in my pocket as I walked back to my car. Checking it, I saw Stefan’s name flash across the screen. He was the last person I wanted to talk to. I silenced it and turned my phone off. The only person I wanted to hear from refused to talk to me, so there was no point in keeping it on.

Heading back to my condo, I thought of hundreds of ways to show Olivia I was sorry, but the reality was as long as I stayed married to Rachel, Olivia and I would never have a chance at anything. Even if I convinced her of how much I cared, I wasn’t able to offer her anything more than the present.

She deserved more than that.

I crawled into bed and smelled her perfume all over my sheets. Soft and flowery, it was warm and gentle and so her. Closing my eyes, I replayed our time together there as an ache settled into my chest. This was all I had left of her now.

Someone banging on my front door roused me from my misery, and I answered it hoping that the impossible had happened and Olivia had decided to give us another chance. Instead, I saw Stefan and Kane standing in the hallway looking like they had bad news to deliver.

“What? Whatever it is, I’m sure it could have waited until I get to the office tomorrow.”

Stefan forced his way into my home and Kane followed, leaving me to close the door and deal with them. Taking a seat on the couch, Kane opened up the laptop he carried and turned it around for me to see.

“This can’t wait.”

“That gorgeous piece of ass from that website who came to interview you published an expose about the club. Ciara whatever the fuck her name is has all sorts of details in this article of hers,” Stefan ranted. “You said you had Olivia talk to her and she took care of it.”

I thought back to that day and nodded as I replayed what I’d heard the two of them talk about. “I did. She got nothing from Olivia.”

“Then where the fuck did this Ciara person get all this info about the fantasy rooms, Cash?”

“I don’t know, Stefan.”

“Where has Olivia been anyway? I didn’t see her in her office Monday or Tuesday.”

I didn’t want to explain to my brother the whole mess I’d made of my relationship with her, so I simply shrugged as if I didn’t know what was going on with Olivia. Kane sat silently watching me, and I was sure he already had a sense that something had happened between us.

“I thought you two were together now, Cash. What’s going on?” Stefan pushed further. “You don’t think she’d ever do anything to hurt us or the club, do you?”

There was no way I could believe that. Olivia may have hated me now, but she wasn’t vindictive. No way.

Kane finally spoke and everything I believed was thrown into doubt. “This is what that Ciara girl wrote. ‘A playground for Tampa’s big spenders, Club X is secretly an illegal sex club frequented by wealthy playboys and some of the most powerful men in our area.’”

I avoided my brothers’ stares, but Kane knew what I’d been up to with Olivia in the fantasy rooms. Was it possible she’d told Ciara that? But members of the club would know those things too.

“For what it’s worth, Cash, I don’t think Olivia would ever do that. She’s not that type of person.”

I looked at Kane and wanted to believe he was right. The problem was after what had happened between Olivia and me, maybe she felt I deserved something like this. What was the old saying? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?

Inhaling, I let the air out of my lungs slowly and sat back against the couch. “Olivia found out about Rachel before I could tell her. We’re finished, at least for now.”

My brothers looked at me like I’d just admitted to committing murder. Their expressions were a mix of shock and confusion. I guessed since neither one of them had seen me with any woman for more than a few hours since Rachel, they’d gotten used to me being a man whore.

“I thought you were going to tell her Friday night when you were in the fantasy room,” Kane said.

“I tried, but somehow I just never found the right words.”

Stefan looked confused. “Then how did she find out?”

“Rachel came by Saturday night when Olivia and I were here. She told her she was my wife, and Olivia ran out of here before I could explain exactly what Rachel was.”

“Then that’s it. She’s pissed at you and took it out on all of us.”

Kane shook his head, still not believing Olivia would do it. “I don’t think so, Stefan. Olivia isn’t vicious or mean. She’s been around all of us for a while now, and even if things didn’t work out with Cash, I still don’t think she’d betray us. There’s got to be another answer.”