Page 37 of Dirty Little Secrets
“Are you?”
“No,” I lie, even though everything inside me aches to say yes.
“What made him think that?”
“The blouse.”
His gaze flickers to my shirt.
“What about it?”
“He knows it’s expensive. He assumed you bought it.”
He lifts the glass. “So, pointing out Chloe’s lipstick on his collar was a smart move?”
“It stopped the assumptions. Revealed the truth. The truth everyone’s been hiding from me. I knew he would eventually spread rumors about how I ended up working directly for you.”
He sips. “I’m not going to sit here and act innocent as if I didn’t know about them but it’s none of my business.”
I smile coldly. “So if I see someone you’re dating with another man, I should keep it to myself?”
His eyes narrow, glass hovering at his lips. “What makes you think I’d care?”
I raise my chin and meet his gaze. “I assumed a man like you would care if another man touched what’s his.”
He steps closer. The distance between us vanishes. I can smell the scotch on his breath—it shouldn’t smell good, but onhim, it does. It’s tinged heat and danger wrapped in designer cologne.
“Let me see your arm,” he says softly.
I glance down at my blouse, confused. The only way for him to see the bruised skin is to unbutton the front and slide if over my shoulders. Completely inappropriate, but my fingers move anyway, slow and steady, the fabric resisting as if it knows better.
I slide one arm out, the blouse slipping from my shoulder. The edge of my bra. black mesh and barely modest, comes into view. He can’t see the piercings on my nipples, but something in his eyes begs me to show him more.
His breath hitches as he inspects my inner arm. It’s red, already promising a bruise right below the scab from the vase.
“Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?” he asks, voice low, breath ghosting over my skin like it’s a balm to heal. Our gazes hold. My chest rises, heat coiling low in my belly. The room tilts with the weight of restraint.
“Not really, Mr. Drazen.”
He chuckles, the sound dark and indulgent. “I think it’s best you call me Xaiden.”
“Xaiden,” I whisper, tasting it on my lips making sure I don’t give RED away.
His gaze lingers on my mouth. His eyes burn through me with restrained hunger, and something twists tight in my chest. The air between us vibrates.
“You have my word, Nori. I won’t let him touch you like that again.”
He glances past me, then returns to me, gaze softer now but just as intense. “I think you should get back to work. You wouldn’t want there to be any truth to what he said.”
The words slice deeper than I expect. He’s protecting me but drawing a line too. He turns away, walking off, leaving me with desire still clinging to my skin.
I quickly button my blouse and return to my desk, my breath unsteady. Trying to figure out how I’m supposed to stay loyal to the people who constantly betray me, when all I want is the man I’m betraying.
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XAIDEN
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