Bound Beneath His Pain (Dirty Little Secrets 1)

The bedroom door clicks shut and I glance up, seeing the maid’s gone. I shove off the duvet, my skin crawling. I can only imagine some women would love this treatment; new clothes, pampered by the maid, room service. But it’s not what I want. It’s so far from what I want.

I want him.

And he’s gone.

I ignore the pantsuit on the bed and gather my clothes from last night off the floor. My stomach is rolling while I hastily dress. I find my clutch and shawl on the dresser and my shoes by the end of the bed, and I put them on, awkwardly walking toward the door as I do, not looking around to see if any other hotel employees are in the suite.

Every step through the living room, and then down the hallway, and even when I enter the elevator, becomes harder to take. I’m repeating my mother’s mistakes, and that’s something I said I would never do. Dammit, I knew not to let this happen. But Micah had me believing he was someone different.

I can only imagine this is how it all begins. First, an empty bed in the morning. Next, personal presents bought by Neil, instead of Micah. My skin slicks with a cold sweat, knowing this isn’t the life I want.

I want a man to be there when I wake up in the morning, to hold me, hug me, kiss me. I want him to roll over and make me his, ensuring I think about him all day. I want it to be us first, before everyone steals his attention from me.

Anger at myself is making me queasy. How could I let this happen? Stupid, Allie, stupid! Hypersensitive to the loud chatter and people in the lobby, I exit the elevator. The door to the outside seems so far away, while I wrap my arms around myself, hurrying to get there. The bellboy holds the door open for me and then I’m finally outside, gulping the air.

“Allie, are you okay?”

I glance sideways, finding Levi standing by the Bentley. Unable to fill my lungs completely, I nod.

His mouth downturns. “Micah asked me to make sure you got to Holt this morning.” He opens the passenger door. “Please let me drive you home to—” His gaze rakes over me, and I can only imagine my hair is messy and my makeup is running. “Let me take you home first before I deliver you to Holt.”

Coldness is not only touching my skin now; it’s flushing through my entire shaking body and my stomach is churning. “I think I’ll grab a cab. Thank you anyway, Levi.” I want absolutely nothing to do with Micah right now is what I leave unsaid between us.

Before Levi can stop me, I spin on my heels and jog in the opposite direction, stopping at the curb and hailing a cab.

When one squeals to a stop for me, I don’t look back when I get inside. Nor do I look out the window at Levi when the driver speeds off. Instead, I let the tears fall, not caring one bit that the taxi driver watchs me in the rearview mirror.

Micah

Allie refused the drive this morning and took a cab instead. A word of warning: she seemed upset.

I frown at Levi’s text, shutting my eyes at the warning, drawing myself away from my office and into the silence of my mind. There’s this heavy feeling in my chest that I don’t like. A feeling that I don’t understand. I leave women in the morning. It’s what I do. That’s me. I don’t do sweet relationships. I don’t do love. I give what I can, and what I gave to Allie last night is all that I can offer her. My lungs tighten, strangling the air I’m breathing, when someone clearing their throat draws my attention.

“Sorry I’m late,” fellow DC member Darius says, entering my office, a harsh scowl on his unshaven face. “My plane was delayed and I touched down only an hour ago.”

“It’s all right. Thank you for coming to see me on the weekend.” I push all emotion aside and move around my glass desk. Richardson still needs to be dealt with, and while my team wants nothing to do with the project, I need to start moving ahead. I greet Darius with a strong handshake and then tap the back of the leather wingback chair. “Please take a seat.” I return behind my desk, taking a quick look at the glass wall on the left side of my office.

In the meeting room adjacent to my office, Allie sits with her back to me, alongside Isabella, and more than a dozen employees, for what I assume is their weekly town hall meeting. Allie shifts in her seat while taking notes, hinting that she knows I’m watching her now. I notice her slumped shoulders with disapproval before I glance away, dropping down into my chair. “I called you here—”

“What’s this?” The surprise in Darius’s voice has me looking up at him; he’s staring into the meeting room. He finally swings his head toward me, eyes wide. “When did my sister start working for you?”

“Your sister?”

“Allison Parker. She’s the brunette there.” Darius points to my Allie, who’s now angled in her seat, showing off the side of her face while she’s addressing the group.

Ice cuts through my veins, lowering my voice. “Allie is your sister?”

“Well, to be more specific, she’s my half-sister,” Darius says with a small smile. “We share the same mother.”

I slowly lower to my seat. “She never told me that.” And she should have, then I wouldn’t be in the middle of the most epic fuckup ever.

Darius snorts a laugh, taking a seat in front of me. “I’m not surprised that Allison kept that bit of information to herself. She always preferred to stand on her own two feet. The last thing she wants is a handout from me.” He glances at her again through the glass, his eyes softening. “If she didn’t mention it to you, keep this between us. She doesn’t like me interfering in her career. If anything good happens to her here, I don’t want her to feel that I had any part in it.”

“Of course,” I reply, shell-shocked.

A minute ago, Allie had my head spinning.

Now my mind shatters.