Page 40 of His Little Secret in Discretion
She got over it soon enough, after being kicked out of my penthouse the morning after without so much as breakfast. Lesson learned.
There was only one woman I’d ever let close. Maia Dalton. She came to me desperate—eyes rimmed red, voice small as she begged for a break at the bar. I should’ve walked away. Instead, I bought her a drink, told her I’d help if she let me. That was how it started. Promises. A bed. A little attention. Tiny favors that bought me leverage.
She clung to me like I was her savior. But underneath it all, she was still using me. Taking my money, my time. And I let her. That mistake? I wasn’t about to make it twice.
Settling at my desk, I skimmed through emails and the day’s agenda. Uninspiring. A slow month ahead. No one was looking to borrow, no one eager to finance. My e-commerce departmentwas holding steady, but the rest of the day promised nothing but tedious paperwork.
I flipped through the documents Nikki had left for review, but my brows pulled together when I saw a loan receipt with a familiar name.
Jaw tightening, I picked it up. Nikki had mentioned she’d stopped by weeks ago, and apparently again a few days back. Nothing unusual—she’d done that often enough before, begging for extensions, pleading for time. But this?
Two payments. Fifty grand each. One hundred grand total toward her uncle’s gambling debt.
I stabbed the intercom. “Nikki. In here. Now.”
She slipped inside quickly.
“What the hell is this?” I held up the paper, fighting to keep my temper measured.
Her lip caught between her teeth. “Sir, I—I informed you earlier this week that Maia—” she corrected herself under my stare “—Ms. Dalton stopped by to pay a substantial amount toward her uncle’s loan.”
“Obviously, this is more than substantial, Nikki. In her case, a substantial payment would be one grand at the most…” I muttered, leaning back in my chair and rubbing my face.Where the hell did she come up with this kind of money?
She sure as hell didn’t have a better job in this city… I made sure of that. And yet the receipts were real.
She came to me begging, and I let her in. Not because I cared but because I liked the way she needed me. The way she looked at me like I was the only thing keeping her world from collapsing. I was her problem and her solution.
I kept her dependent when she tried to pull away, quiet when I reminded her who held the leash.
And now she was clawing her way out with money I knew she didn’t have.
Glancing at Nikki, I sighed, “Let her make the payments. Soon enough, she’ll run out of money from wherever the hell she’s getting it, and it won’t be a problem.”
Nikki nodded and left.
I stared at the receipt a beat longer, rage simmering inside me. Not being able to control the little bitch got under my skin.
But don’t worry, Ms. Dalton. I had your family, your future, and you in my hands before. It won’t be hard to do it again.
Maia
“What do you want?”I heard Killian’s sharp voice through Blaine’s phone, and I had to stifle a giggle as he pressed a kiss to my neck while we lay tangled in bed.
“Something came up. I won’t make it to the airport in time,” Blaine muttered, casual as ever.
“How is it that you’re the one who told me this meeting in London couldn’t wait and your ass is not even close to the airport?”
I barely heard the rest, drowning in the heat of Blaine’s mouth trailing love bites down my chest. My laugh finally slipped free as he tossed the phone to the corner and leaned in to claim my lips.
“You’re so bad…” I whispered.
“And how’s that, Sunshine?” he murmured, hovering over me with that dangerous smile.
“Killian, Brielle, and Delilah are waiting for you at the airport, and you’re here in bed with me.”
“And I truly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, Sunshine,” he muttered, pressing deeper until my soft moan filled the room. My core pulsing around him, my arms wound around his neck, my eyes fluttering shut as my head tipped back.
It was still early morning, and his excuse for denying me sleep was that there’d be plenty of time once we were on the plane—minus his promise of introducing me to the mile-high club.
