Ben reached out and shook hands with them. “Of course. If you’re interested, we’d let Camilla hammer out the details with you. You’d pick your paychecks up from us here at The Pony for the time being.”
After they were done with the business part of the conversation, Ben and Quinten excused themselves to return to work, leaving her to speak privately with her friends.
Cody said, “I had no idea, Cami—sorry, Camilla. You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt.”
“Personally, I think it’s overkill to hire bodyguards because I’d rarely be alone, with all the workmen there, but Ben and Quinten insisted. Do you have a better offer from someplace else?” She was curious why they hadn’t jumped right on it because that sort of work was right up their alley.
“Well…” Heath began to say, and Camilla got a funny feeling she’d missed something. It was unusual to see her normally playful, teasing friend acting so uncomfortable. She glanced at the three of them and noticed they all seemed a little discomfited.
Spencer looked into her eyes, and her heart dropped a little. Despite his strength and his sheer size, Spencer’s emotions had always showed in his eyes, at least for her they did. When she’d greeted them the second time they’d come in the club, and had directed them over to the table of single girls, she’d thought that was what they’d been looking for. How could she have so misjudged a situation?
Ever the leader of the three, Cody said, “The job sounds great, but we were hoping for a chance to…talk with you, first.”
She’d viewed them as off-limits for so long, and because she’d seen them never lack for female companionship, it’d never occurred to her that they might’ve carried a torch for her all that time. She was about to be the bad guy, and her heart ached as she tried to formulate the words she needed to say.
“Ben and Quinten have asked me to move in with them permanently…and I agreed.”
All three men smiled, but it didn’t quite reach their eyes. Their disappointment was palpable. Spencer even turned his golden eyes away for a moment. A lump grew in her throat.
Cody’s dark, dark brown eyes were sincere as he said, “Congratulations, sweetie. Your men are very lucky. You can count on us to keep you safe when we’re needed. We also know a few guys who are reputable and skilled if you need extra security at the opening.” Of course, that big, loving bear of a man would try to make it as easy as possible for her.
She needed to make it right somehow, but she felt at a loss.
“Guys…” Her voice caught and a lump formed in her throat.
She looked from one to the other of them, reliving for a split second the night Cody and Spencer had rescued her when she’d been pulled from the stage at the Dollhouse by a drunken customer. They’d been on top of the situation in seconds. All she’d suffered had been the fright of falling from the stage into the drunk’s lap and a slightly strained knee.
She also recalled the seriousness in Cody and Heath’s demeanor when they’d later asked her out for the three of them and she’d had to turn them down because they were coworkers.
The three had always shown her affection, like with the other dancers, but they’d always made her feel a little special, particularly Spencer. Looking into his beautiful, light-colored eyes, she felt heartsick. She couldn’t do anything about the hurt she’d seen there, and she closed hers against the tears that burned behind her eyelids.
One of them made a disgruntled noise, but she couldn’t look up as she sniffled. Her cheeks grew hot, her lips wouldn’t stop trembling, and damn it, her nose was starting to run. A paper napkin from the stack on the bar came into her line of sight, and she took it gratefully. After she wiped the tears and blew her nose, she looked up at them. Her throat ached and trembled. There were not three nicer, sweeter, more protective, or lovable men in the world, and there she was hurting them.
“Cami,” Spencer whispered as he slid his hand over hers, grasping it affectionately. His voice was made even deeper by emotion. “It hurts me more to see you upset than anything else.”
“Me, too, sweetie. Please don’t cry,” Heath whispered as he leaned close.
Cody took her other hand. In his no-nonsense, gritty voice, he said, “I don’t think we ever fully gave up hope that you’d see us as more than friends someday—”
Camilla tasted salt on her lips when she licked them and said, “But all the other dancers. They all loved you and…”
Heath chuckled. “They did, didn’t they?” Leave it to Heath to try to lighten the mood. “But they weren’t special. You were special.”