Chapter Thirty-Three

Chloe

Sloane:We need to meet.

Me:Oh my god we do! I have so much to tell you. Are you back from your trip yet?

Sloane:Yes. Tonic in an hour? Can you meet me there?

Drinks sounds perfect. I can’t wait to tell Sloane about my Christmas Eve and Christmas with Jack.

Me:See you soon.

I arrive at Tonic a few minutes early, eager to see Sloane and share my news. The bar is quiet for a weeknight, with a few patrons scattered at tables. I spot Sloane in our usual spot at the bar, her copper hair gleaming under the dim lights. As I approach, I notice her brow is furrowed, and she’s fidgeting with her phone.

“Hey, you!” I slide onto the stool next to her. “How was the trip?”

Sloane looks up, her green eyes clouded with worry. “It was... fine. Listen, I need to tell you something important.”

My excitement deflates a bit. “Is everything okay?”

She takes a deep breath. “I just got back from the office.”

My heart skips a beat. This can’t be good. Oh god is she about to tell me my contract isn’t going to get renewed at the beginning of the year? I need this job. I really really need this job. There is no way I can afford to keep my parent’s home and pay my bills for even a month without it. I try to keep my voice steady as I ask, “What’s going on at work?”

Sloane leans in closer, lowering her voice. “I fucked up. I fucked up bad.”

My stomach drops.

“Before I left for my trip, I logged onto Dark Secrets from work. I wasn’t thinking about the ramifications of using a company computer and—” She runs her fingers through her hair. “You told me you had a secret identity on there, and I was curious. I wanted to find you.”

The blood must have drained from my face. My heart races as I process Sloane’s words.

“And,” I ask, my voice raising an octave. “Did you find me?”

She looks away, unable to meet my eyes. “I did. And frankly, you were beautiful and sexy and I didn’t think much of it. But,” she takes a deep breath, “Tyler came into my office today. He was checking in after the holiday and...”

I’m going to be sick. My hands start to shake, and I grip the edge of the bar to steady myself. “And what, Sloane?” I manage to choke out.

“He told me that during the holiday time off, our tech department were running an audit or doing some regular maintenance on our computers. Basically, my search history came into question. And well, Tyler was coming in to tell me that he covered for me. That he has friends with HR and he’s tight with Jasmine so even if she gets wind of it, he can soothe the waters. But...”

“But what?” I whisper, my heart hammering so hard I can barely hear my own voice.

Sloane takes a shaky breath. “But he saw your profile too. And he recognized a piece of Moth to the Flame jewelry—a necklace you were wearing. And he started to put it together and now suspects it’s you in those videos and pics.”

The room starts to spin. I grip the bar even tighter, my knuckles turning white. “Oh God,” I breathe. “Oh God, no.”

Sloane reaches out to touch my arm, but I flinch away. “I’m so sorry,” she says, her voice cracking. “I never meant for this to happen. I was curious, and I didn’t think—”

“You didn’t think?” I repeat, my voice hollow. “You didn’t think about the consequences? About my privacy? About my job? I signed a contract with a morality clause, Sloane! There’s no way I can walk away from this with my job still intact. Dark Secrets is a kinky sex site! I’m fucked!”

Tears well up in Sloane’s eyes. “I know. I know, and I’m so, so sorry. I told Tyler it wasn’t you. I said it was someone else I knew and well... we’ll deny deny, but—”

“But what?” I snap, suddenly angry. “This is Tyler we’re talking about, and there’s no way he’s stupid enough to fall for that. He’ll use this as leverage over me.”

“He doesn’t know. He might suspect—”

“Do you really believe that?”