Tied to His Betrayal (Dirty Little Secrets 2)

I hear the awe in her voice, and I restrain my sigh. This girl clearly doesn’t care that Bennett, Inc. will fulfill her career goals. She’s here for relationship goals with the guy I’m sleeping with. I’m holding back my glare when I open the file folder and smile tightly at her. “Today, we’re here to discuss a secretary position—”

“Amazing, right?” she asks. “I bet he spoiled you rotten.”

I’m beginning to frown at Sally. “Why don’t you tell me—”

“You know, it’s really terrible what he did to you,” she’s saying, clearly not catching on that I’m doing my best to avoid this conversation, and looking at her long red fingernails. “Being with that other girl.” She lifts her head then, swirling her chair from side to side. “You know, with all that happened to you.”

A chilly shiver run downs my spine, the hairs on the back of my neck rising. I don’t know why I’m taking the bait, but I can’t stop myself from asking, “What do you mean, with all that happened to me?”

“You know”—she leans forward a little, her big fake breasts nearly falling out of her blouse—“being beaten up and all.”

That shiver now turns ice-cold, my hands gripping the armrests tight. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, is that not true or something?” She leans back in her chair, as if she hasn’t dropped a bombshell on me. “I’ve heard that you shouldn’t always believe what they print in the tabloids.”

I can barely breathe, my heart hammering in my chest. “What are you talking about?” I ask, firmer now.

“Damn,” she drawls, slapping a hand over her mouth. “Girl, have you not seen today’s magazine?” She reaches down into her big flashy purse and pulls out Gotcha!, flipping through the pages. “They’ve written a story about how your ex-boyfriend hit you.” She lowers the magazine, her eyes scanning my face. “But there’re no bruises on your face.”

Only because I have makeup on to ensure no one sees them. “Can I see that magazine, please?” I keep my voice as calm as possible and flex my muscles so my hand doesn’t shake.

“Oh, yeah, sure.” She hands me her copy of Gotcha!

I glance at the cover first, seeing another photo of Darius and me sitting outside of Allie’s condo. Of course they had to reuse the photo. Darius and I had been careful not to give them another story. But then I flip the page and read the article: Did Darius Bennett become a superhero and save his new girl from years of abuse? Our sources say, YES!

There’re more words written on the page but I can’t see them. Black noise sounds in my ears and the walls are closing in on me. Questions begin racing through my mind: How do they know about this…and so fast? Yes, I knew they might find this information out. But to dig into my life that quick seems not only very unlikely, but also impossible. Why didn’t they print the story with Alex? It seemed like the logical choice. My boring story? Or Darius’s interesting love life? Why are they still going after me?

I slowly feel my world spiraling out of control, as the weight of all this slams into me, when an annoying voice says, “I guess the tabloids got it wrong, huh?”

I glance up, tightening my fingers around the magazine, hoping that stops the shaking of my fingers. The world knows…my parents will know…“Pardon?”

“The tabloids”—Sally gestures at the magazine with a flick of her hand—“they obviously got your story wrong. You should sue them. I’ve heard people are getting a lot of money from them.”

That’s the last thing I’m thinking of doing. Crawling into a hole and hiding sounds more appropriate. “Maybe I should,” is my reply as I hand her the magazine.

I want to run. I want to get out of here and go home where I know I’m safe. But not only do I have a job to d

o, but I refuse to give the tabloids another story. I can only imagine that Sally will run, telling them how I reacted, if I melt down now.

I shut my eyes and draw in a deep breath, regaining my composure. Then I look at the file folder in front of me. “All right,” I say, pretending to be interested in what this girl has to say. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?”

Sally grins, flashing me sparkling white teeth. “I’ll be the best secretary you’ve ever seen….”

After that, I don’t hear a single word, but nod and smile absentmindedly. My mind is fixated on the repercussions from this story being unleashed onto the world and the shitstorm I’ll be facing.

I had told Darius, There are some things even you can’t protect me from. And I realize that I’d never hated, more than this moment right now, to have been right.

Darius

I enter my condo after my workday, not wanting to be here and wanting to support Taylor after the tabloid article came out earlier today, but knowing I have no choice. My home is the only place I know is safe, and I need privacy for the conversation ahead of me tonight.

The elevator doors shut behind me as I step into the grand living room of the waterfront condo that I purchased after Allie moved out. We had lived in the suburbs because that’s how she’d been raised, and it felt right to keep her in that environment. But this condo, with its curved glass walls and the 360-degree view of the bay, including the Golden Gate Bridge, is more my style.

When I enter the chef’s kitchen, gazing over the Carrara countertops and charcoal-hued cabinetry, my heavily accented Polish housekeeper says, “Dinner is in the oven and ready in five minutes, Mr. Bennett.”

“Thank you, Barbara,” I say, not having the heart to tell her I already ate. She’s worked for me for the last five years, ever since I bought this place, and she’s as close to a mother figure as I’ve ever had. She even bakes cookies for me every so often. “It smells delicious.”

She gives me her big warm smile, her pale blue eyes sparkling, before she grabs her coat off the back of the chair. “Have a good evening, sir.”