“Oh, I shouldn’t. Satin is the reason I asked you to come over. It seems I can’t even behave myself in the private room, never mind the public one.”
Concern settled over Evie’s features. “What…happened?”
“I was there last night. It was a quiet night in terms of those of us attending, but I wasn’t bothered whether someone shared the room with me or not. There were plenty of toys to hand if it ended up being a lonely night.”
“Okay.” Evie frowned as she searched Amelia’s face. “So…”
“Someonedidwant to share the room with me.” Amelia’s throat dried as she carried two coffees to the table. She forced herself to meet Evie’s eyes as she sat down. “You won’t believe who came in.”
“Who?”
“Callum’s ex-girlfriend.”
Evie reacted with a sharp gasp, her hands gripping the edge of the table as her eyes widened with shock. “J-Jo?Thatex?”
“Yes. That ex.” Amelia wished that Evie wouldn’t be so dramatic. Every slight reaction made it harder for her to speak, so the dramatics made her want the floor to open up.
“I bet she was disappointed when you revealed yourself, and you went your separate ways.” Evie sighed. “But I wouldn’t worry. These things happen. Probably more than either of us realise.”
“We…didn’t go our separate ways, Evie. We had mind-blowing sex, cuddled, and I think we agreed to see one another again there.”
Evie’s hand slowly slipped from the table, her face draining of colour. “You’re not serious. You can’t see her again, Amelia.”
“I know.” Amelia’s voice threatened to break when emotion welled in her throat. She pressed it down and continued. “The reason she wants to see me again is that I didn’t tell her it was me in the room. And I know,I knowI should have, but I couldn’t face the rejection.”
“You didn’t tell her?”
“No.” Amelia propped her chin on her fist. “I thought about coming clean once we were laying there, but we’re friends, Evie. She’s coming over this afternoon for coffee, like usual. If I’d told her, I probably wouldn’t see her ever again.”
Evie’s brows drew together, her concern palpable in the air around them. “Surely she knew it was you. Your voice alone would give it away.”
“Not when I used a different voice.” As Amelia said that, tremendous guilt settled deep inside of her. It hadn’t felt like a deception in the moment, but now…now it felt as though that was all it had been. And worse, it had tainted what should have been the most beautiful memory. “Should I tell her, or just never go to Satin again?”
“See how it goes when she comes over today. She could walk in here and tell you she knows it was you and that the sex had been amazing.” Evie drew her coffee closer. “But if she comes here and doesn’t mention the fact that it was you, then yes, I would consider telling her the truth. At least then, if youdoend up in the room together again, it’s because you both want it, and she doesn’t give a fuck that you could have been her mother-in-law.”
“Right.”
“I know you, Amelia. You’re going to beat yourself up about this until you make a decision. I don’t want you to do that. Satin is about letting go and experiencing whatever it is you want to experience. I never want it to become a negative in your life. Not if it brings you joy.” Evie gave her a knowing look. “And I’d also like to remind you that the membership states that you may come across people you know at the club. Jo would also know that. You’ve done nothing wrong here, Amelia.”
Oh, it had brought her so much joy. Last night had been dazzling and unforgettable. But now shame had crept in, threatening to steal the memory away. As for the membership rules, none of that made her feel any better right now.
“Are you going to tell Callum?”
Amelia arched a brow. “I don’t think Callum would like to know that his mother frequents a sex club, do you?”
“Maybe you could mention it in some other way. Just tell him you had a one-night stand with his ex. Blame alcohol or something.”
The sheer horror Amelia felt about that hit her square in the chest. “Absolutely not!”
“Love, you’ll have to come clean about all of this at some point. He was with Jo for three years. The poor thing thought he was going to ask her to marry him.”
Amelia sighed as she stared into her coffee, willing herself not to cry. She’d made such a mess of everything, but shecouldn’tregret last night. No matter how hard she tried. Right now, Callum was the least of her concerns. And even if it was her biggest concern, there wasn’t a single universe where she’devertell him about this. “Don’t remind me. I still hate what he did to her. And Thea…she’snothingcompared to Jo.”
“But look at it this way.” Evie shifted closer, her eyes glistening with a familiar mischief as she leaned in. “If he hadn’t cheated and pissed off travelling, you wouldn’t have been deep inside his ex last night.” Evie winked, but her smile faded when she realised Amelia didn’t share in her enthusiasm. “Oh, come on! You can’t say what happened wasn’t incredibly hot. Knowing it’s forbidden…”
“If I didn’t feel so guilty, then yes, I’d agree with you. But right now, I feel…terrible.”
“If you hadn’t known who was going into that room, you’d be none the wiser. Don’t beat yourself up about this. Just…consider if it’s something you should do again.” Evie’s hand was warm and supportive as it covered Amelia’s. “We meet all kinds of people at the club. It’s not ideal that on this occasion it was Jo, but it’s not the end of the world.”
