Page 42 of Dirty Little Secrets
“Because for the first time since I’ve met you, you seem happy.”
I sigh knowing this feeling won’t last forever. “It’s temporary but I have to you to thank for it all.”
She fans her eyes. “Stop trying to make me cry, Bitch,” she says playfully.
I throw a couch pillow at her but she dodges it just in time. “But for real, Kristina. Thank you. For the app. For giving me a place to stay. For being a friend.”
This is why I could never tell her anything. Not about Brent. My past or about it being Xaiden. It would ruin our friendship. She would think I’m less than. A liar. A thief. A traitor.
And for the first time, I have a friend. A real one.
“You would’ve done it for me,” she says bringing me back to the conversation. “At least you escaped that cheating asshole Landon and found some real dick. One that makes you sore in all the best ways.”
The expression in her eyes tells me she means it. These are times I wish I didn’t have to lie, but some secrets are just too dangerous to tell.
The elevator dings and the doors open. They say being on the top floor is the best but you quickly realize the ride to get there isn’tthe best. It’s the third time the elevator stops to let people on. Sooner or later, it will be too full to let anymore people in.
Two men are behind me when a third walks in to my far left and then, as my if the ride up to Xaiden’s floor couldn’t make me anymore late this morning, Landon walks in making my mouth drop when I get a look at his face. The men behind me must be as surprised as they clear their throats.
I stare straight ahead trying to figure out if Xaiden is responsible for the purple bruising taking residence on the right side of his face or if Landon was involved in some type of accident.
The elevator dings and two men get off. The one to my far left is busy scrolling through his phone. A chill runs down the side of my arm when Landon bends close.
“Aren’t you going to ask what happened?” He whispers.
I continue to stare straight wishing the elevator would just hurry up and get to my floor. The elevator stops four floors below mine. When the man to my left steps off, my stomach drops when the doors close trapping me inside with Landon.
I try to ignore him but the corner of my eye is drawn to the side of his face. There is no way Xaiden did it. Not after the meeting. There is no way he would deliberately seek Landon out in retaliation. Would he?
I’m nothing but his secretary.
“That’s alright,” he says sardonically. “I’ll tell you. Your boss thinks you’re his little fuck toy now.”
“What does that have to do with what happened to your face?”
I want to tell him to go fuck himself but I won’t. Not when I’m trapped in an elevator and there is no way someone would help me if I screamed. I don’t think Landon is that stupid. Capable? Yes.
He cares too much about what people think of him but deep down in the pit of my stomach I know it was Xaiden.
“You should ask your boss?”
He leans close and I flinch.
He chuckles darkly. “You think I’m a monster?”
I turn my face to look at his battered face. The bruise the color of blueberries over his cheek bone. To the corner of his eye where the blood vessels popped because he was hit so hard.
“Take a good look, Nori. This is the type of man you’re spreading your legs for. Don’t let the designer suit, fancy cars, and money fool you. He’s dangerous”––his gaze sweeps down at me in disgust––“Controlling. He uses people. He treats women like a pair of shoes. Then throws themes out when he’s done.”
“Looks like you’re jealous.”
He smiles making his face look lopsided from the swelling. Any lick of remorse for him evaporating by the second. I don’t like people getting hurt but Landon deserved it. If he only knew what real monsters looked like. I was raised, groomed, and broken by them.
I’m not naïve to think there is something special between me and Xaiden. Every night in that room, we’re just two people feeding a need from the other.
He steps closer. My stomach drops when my back hits the wall of the elevator. “Why would I be jealous?”
“Look in the mirror and find out.”
