Page 30 of Dirty Secret

CHAPTER 11

Heidi

This was awkward.

Not the sex. No, the sex with Max was phenomenal. He made a vow, and the man totally delivered on his promise. He gave me the best orgasm of my life. Actually, orgasms. Plural. That man was a sex god.

But right now, I was in an emotional, hormonal conundrum. Max's father was kind enough to take Marco to the ice cream shop, and I repaid him by defiling his son. So, why was I smiling?

Because Max was the most passionate man I had ever been with. Felipe was right. Guys were good for eating sloppy food and watching sports, but men were good at everything else, especially sex. My man was so good at it that I knew I should be ashamed of taking advantage of his father's kindness by boinking his son, but I wasn't.

Did that make me a terrible person? Who cares, I had orgasms!

"You aren't your father, Heidi. You don't take advantage of other's kindness," I admonished myself, trying to bring myself back to reality.

Flinging back the covers, I scooted out of Max's bed and began to hunt down my clothes. I made my way into Max's bathroom once I was dressed. It was small and a bit outdated, but clean.

Staring in the mirror, I frowned. My hair seemed to have enjoyed sex with Max, too. I found a comb and winced as I worked out the tangles.

"There. Now it won't look like his son felt the urgent need to butter my biscuit to Mr. Brighton."

I made my way to Mr. Brighton's bedroom and took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Here goes nothing," I mumbled a bit of encouragement to myself.

I had only eased the door open an inch before I heard something that caused me to still.

"Even if what you say is true, Max, and Heidi is sweet and kind, what happens when Senator White finds out you tried to overcharge his daughter by twenty thousand dollars? Bigger, much bigger businesses than yours have vanished due to the senator's wishes." Mr. Brighton's crystal-clear voice cut into my heart.

With a heavy sigh, I leaned against the wall. My father soured anything and anyone who got close, even when he wasn't around.

"I don't think Heidi would say anything—"

I pushed through the door, cutting Max off. "Hi." I gave a meager wave and my eye darted about the room. "I don't think I mentioned it earlier, but I like your place."

"Heidi, we were just discussing, uh, lunch. Isn't that right, Dad?" Max narrowed his eyes at his father.

"That's, um, that's right. I have some chicken salad I made yesterday that should be enough to—"

"Save it." I waved my hand in the air, shaking my head. "I heard you two. I believe you were discussing my father . . . Senator John White."

Both men scratched the back of their necks, and I couldn't help but smirk at how alike they were.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

Another wave of my hand stopped Max. "No need to apologize. And here I was coming to say sorry to you, Mr. Brighton. You watched Marco for me while your son and I, well, uh . . . that doesn't matter." My cheeks warmed, and as I gazed up, I found Max smirking. "What matters is, you two are right."

The surprise on their faces was expected, but the hurt in Max's eyes wasn't.

"What?" Max said.

"My father. He's not a good guy. If he can find a way to control you, he will. I understand if you don't wish to see me anymore, Max, but I want you to know something before I go."

"I'll let you two have some privacy." His father moved closer to the door, but I reached out to place a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"No, I want you to hear this too, Mr. Brighton." The room grew more stifling as I took a deep breath and forced myself to continue, "My parents have used me since the day I was born."

A bitter smirk curled my lips as I remembered the newspaper clipping, framed and hung over my bed growing up that read: Youngest Female Senator in History Gives Birth To A Girl.

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