His friend would do exactly as promised and not spare a thought.

“You fucked up once, give yourself a break,” Leo added. “But if you fuck up twice, I won’t save you from Shay. I promise she’ll be more of a threat than Brute.”

“I’ll never hurt her again,” he promised. He’d die before he caused her more tears.

“No.” Brute raised his voice. “Hurting her is inevitable. It’s how relationships work. Don’t even think you can go back to her and treat her like glass. If you do go crawling back, do right by her. Treat her exactly the way she wants to be treated, not the way you think she deserves. Her fragility is your issue, asshole, not hers.”

Asshole. That was as close to an endearment as T.J. would get from Brute.

“You both know I love her more than life,” he murmured.

Brute smiled, all teeth, no charm. “And you know I’ll gladly take her off your hands the next time you mess up.”

T.J. rolled his eyes and focused on Leo. “Any more words of wisdom from you?”

“Yeah, you’re running out of time.”

“Don’t you think I know that? Tomorrow’s the last day before the divorce is finalized.”

Leo winced. “Yeah, tomorrow’s also the day Shay takes your wife out for a night in the city to help her move on.”

Goddamn it. That kick-started his heart into next Tuesday. “Are you serious?”

Leo inclined his head. “Deadly serious. And from the look of the outfit Shay picked out for Cass, she won’t be going home alone.”

Chapter Eighteen

“You look edible.”

Cassie blushed at Shay’s compliment and gave a halfhearted smile in thanks. The Bodycon dress was too tight, the material barely coming to her knees, accentuating every curve…and she had many.

“It isn’t too much?” She pulled at the hem in a vain attempt to hide more skin. “Don’t be silly. The aim of the game is to regain your confidence and put a smile back on your face. Now get in the damn car.”

This wasn’t a game, it was torture. Shay had spent days consoling her through grief and guilt. Along with Jan and a newly found counselor. Sleep was still illusive, and the pain wouldn’t ebb, but for tonight, Cassie wanted to paste on a smile and pretend like her life wasn’t going to be irrevocably changed tomorrow.

“Come on. Come on. Come on.” Shay strutted toward her car parked in Cassie’s driveway, swaying her perfect ass. “I’m dying for a drink.”

It was already approaching nine o’clock when they slid into the small hatchback.

“So where are we going?” Shay hadn’t given specifics. A club in St. Kilda had been mentioned once or twice. A club that was currently in the opposite direction to where they were headed.

“I made an executive decision and changed our plans.”

Cassie sighed, now all too familiar with Shay’s chipper tone that announced she was up to something. “You know what? Don’t tell me, just turn the car around and drive me home. I always seem to get myself in trouble when I’m with you.”

Shay snorted, ignoring her request. “And that’s my fault?”

“Ah, yeah. I was trouble-free before we met.”

“Sounds kinda boring,” Shay said around a chuckle.

Boring but safe. There was no more desire for fun or depravity. Without T.J., none of it really mattered. Yeah, she planned on having a fling or two in the future…maybe…if she gained the courage to go home with a stranger. But that would take time, and determination she currently didn’t have. “Why don’t we go to my place and have a few drinks instead?”

Shay shook her head. “I know what you’re doing, and I’m not going to let you. The first step is the hardest. Once tonight is over, you’ll find it easier to go out next time. And then the time after that, and so on and so forth. The longer you put it off the harder it will be.”

“Fine.” Cassie sighed. “So where are we going? And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you distracted me for long enough to take me out of walking distance from my house.”

“I can’t slip anything by you, can I?” Shay shot her a grin.

“So?”

“So…we’re going to the Vault.”

Oh, no. Hell, no. “Forget it. Stop the car. Right now. I’m not going anywhere near there.”

Shay waved away her protest. “Calm down. T.J. won’t find out. And besides, you can’t back out now. I arranged the whole night for you. Vault of Sin doesn’t usually open on Thursday nights, so I’ve invited a few regulars. I picked them out specifically to ensure you have a great time.”

The innuendo in Shay’s tone turned Cassie’s cheeks to flame, the heat expanding all the way to her chest. “I don’t want to sleep with anyone—”

“You don’t have to.”

“I don’t want to cause trouble the night before the divor—”

“You’re not going to. T.J. doesn’t work tonight. He won’t even be there.”

Damn it. This woman couldn’t take no for an answer. “Leo and Brute wouldn’t approve either.”

“Actually,” Shay drew out the word, giving her a pointed look. “Leo’s the one who suggested it.”

“Bullshit.”

Shay turned her focus back to the road and nodded. “I’m not lying. He’s worried about you. If you’re going to get laid, he’d prefer you do it at the club, with someone who has gone through the vetting process. It’s a safe environment. You won’t have to contemplate taking strangers back to your house, or be enticed to go home with someone.”

“I’ve already said I don’t want to get laid,” Cassie grated. This was ridiculous.

“Believe me, I’ve heard you. But it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. It’s just an option. If you want to sit at the bar and talk all night, we can. There won’t be loud music or sleazy guys annoying us. And if you start having fun and don’t want to stop, I’m sure being in the Vault will be of some comfort to you.”

Cassie kept her mouth shut, not willing to admit going to a quieter, more familiar club was reassuring. It was still the Vault—a place she’d been to twice, yet it held palpable memories she wasn’t sure she wanted to be reminded of.

As they turned into Shot of Sin’s street, her heart pounded. “If I want to leave, are you going to try and convince me to stay?”

Shay shrugged. “That depends.”

“On?”

“If you want to leave as soon as we walk in the door. You need to give it time. At least three drinks minimum.”

“Three drinks?” Cassie gaped. She hadn’t had more than a drink or two in a damn long time. Shay knew it too. Three would have her dancing on the bar. “How about two?”

Shay smirked and flicked her indicator to enter the club parking lot. “Four.”

Damn her. “Three it is. But I won’t promise to enjoy myself.”

“Doesn’t bother me, honey.” Shay pulled into one of the few remaining parking spots and cut the ignition. “As long as I stay out long enough to work Leo into a jealous frenzy, I’ll be happy.”

* * * * *

“Stop pacing.” T.J. wasn’t comfortable telling someone else to stop doing what he’d been doing all week, but the way Leo huffed back and forth was filling the now empty Taste of Sin restaurant with cloying apprehension. “Why the hell are you pacing, anyway?”

“Just anxious.” Leo checked a text message on his phone. “That’s all.”

“With good reason.” Brute smirked.

“Do you mind filling me in on what’s going on?” They’d been seated at the bar for an hour, yet T.J. felt like his friends had spent the whole time having a secret conversation without him.

Brute reached over the bar and poured himself another beer. “It’s nothing.”

Leo groaned and flung back the remaining bourbon in his glass. “Can’t we just go? Shay and Cassie will be out by now.”

“No.” T.J. was adamant. He wanted Cassie to have a few hours to herself. Besides, alcohol would calm her nerves and make it easier for him to approach her later. He’d get her brutal honesty after she’d had a few drinks, and he didn’t want to risk arriving early. Timing was everything. “We’ll leave soon enough.”