“I’m not going to ask you to quit,” he finally rumbles sharply, clearly unhappy with his decision.
“Are you going to out us?” Maren presses.
“No, but I won’t be in the dark. I want to know where you are, even if I can’t know the details. It’s going to take me some time to wrap my head around this, I may ask questions. And you have to promise me to be careful.”
“Promise.”
“Seriously, there are some sick fucks out there. You don’t know what went through my head when I saw you disappear behind that door. I’d already gotten a tour of the club, so I knew what was happening. But you didn’t. That’s why I followed you.”
“You did?”
“Yes.”
“That’s weird. I wonder why I didn’t know.”
“I didn’t want you to know. Remember, I was undercover tonight.”
“But, usually, I know when you’re near.” I raise my face slowly to his.
“It’s true. Maybe it’s your cologne, but she has a sixth sense when it comes to you.” Maren replays the times I’ve felt him near.
“Well, tonight, you were preoccupied. That much was evident.” He kisses me again, then leans to look over my shoulder at Maren. “You two have to be more aware. If the situation was different, you could have been raped, beaten, forced to do something you didn’t want to—or worse.”
“We’ll be careful,” I repeat more confidently. The knot in my stomach starts to ease.
“Damn, what a night.” Maren stands and pats the top of my head. “I better go.”
“I have a guest room, if you want to stay,” Walker offers.
“Actually, I think you two need some time alone. Besides, I have to finish this up. I’m going to have to break the news to Bailey about Justin and figure out how to describe this. It’s not like I can send any of the video to her.”
“I’ll help you.”
“Actually, I’ll help, too.” Walker’s arms tighten in a squeezing motion.
“You will?” we ask in unison.
“You’re smart not to use the video. Regardless of the situation, there were three other people participating. This is an exclusive club that promises discretion to its members, hence you walking in thinking it was a nightclub. They were in what they consider a safe environment. Set the scene, tell her what you witnessed. He’s obviously into the lifestyle, and that’s what some consider this—a lifestyle. From what I saw, he takes this seriously. It wasn’t about getting laid. He respected the act. Maybe he does love Bailey, but he loves the high of this as well. Seems to me, he wants the best of both worlds.
“Without knowing her, I’d bet this will be a hard blow and she’ll have a lot of questions. These will be questions you can’t answer. Was he cheating? Who can say? On the surface, yes, he spends his time with other women. I’ll suspect she’s going to feel this deeply, knowing her fiancé has sexual proclivities that he hasn’t shared. She’ll have to confront him. But I’d advise you to encourage her to ask him about the woman he was with.”
“What about her?” I hang on his every word. His insight and sensitivity to the situation is astounding.
“What they shared was a lot more intimate than the other couple in the room. The touches, the caresses, the way he took his time and gently brought her pleasure. They were in sync. That comes from trust and a higher level of intimacy. It’s hard not to have an emotional investment in this. If she’s invested in him and knows he’s engaged, she may be the one doing the hang ups and leaving panties in mailboxes out of jealousy.”
Everything he says gives compassion to the situation I wouldn’t think of. We’ve based our jobs on uncovering cheaters, which is our brand, but Justin and Bailey could be different. Walker has humanized Justin in a way that actually makes me feel something for him.
“You’re brilliant,” I gush, cuddling in closer.
“Yes, how’d you do that? You made him seem almost decent, even though he’s sneaking around and lying.” Maren sounds as amazed as I am.
“I’m a cop. It’s my job to look at things from all sides. I’ve been profiling people for a long time.”
“I sincerely hope your kids get your brains and smarts, Walker. You better hope so, too, for both your sakes.”
“Hey! I’m no dummy!” I defend.
“No, you’re not, but you’re a tad bit irrational. It’s a characteristic we share. I’ll own that. He’s more level headed.”