Page 42 of Scandalous Secrets

I seemed to have struck a nerve.

“I just mean…won’t it raise some questions?” I said, touching his arm.

“No one will know,” he said. “I have a private house on a private beach. We can do as we please.”

I could think of a hundred different things we could do as we pleased. The idea was becoming more appealing by the second.

“We will take my private jet. You say the word, I’ll have it ready at the airport. We can leave your name off the itinerary. No one will know you were ever on board.”

Private jet? This felt like a dream.

He leaned in closer and I shivered slightly under his gaze and the feeling of his breath against me.

“Come on,” he said. “I can’t think of anything I would rather do than be on the beach with you in a bikini.”

I felt my cheeks flush.

“Or nothing at all.”

I felt a warmth between my legs as his growl of a whisper traveled through me. Suddenly, I didn’t have any more questions.

“Okay,” I said, unable to fight the smile that spread across my lips.

He knocked his knuckles against the desk and stood up suddenly. I could see his excitement bouncing off him. It was contagious.

“You go home and pack. Leave the rest to me,” he said, walking into his office.

I watched him go, the moment still feeling completely surreal. I wondered how this could possibly be my life. Despite the lingering questions in my head, about his ex-wife, about what this thing was between us, about the risks, I let myself feel excited. I let myself be the main character in one of my novels, and it felt so damn good.

I logged off my computer and gathered my purse, heading toward the elevators and praying I wouldn’t see Kathy along the way. While it wasn’t out of the norm for me to be running errands during the day, I didn’t know if I could pull off the lie. As I slipped by her office undetected and into the elevator, I breathed a sigh of relief as the doors closed.

Back at my apartment, I rummaged through the top shelf of my closet for a weekend bag. I hadn’t used one in a while. Not since my last book signing on the West Coast. I pulled the black quilted duffel down and tossed it on the bed, ready to be filled. I pulled open my dresser drawers and began pulling out bikinis I hadn’t worn in ages. New York wasn’t exactly the place to wear swimsuits.

I selected three, each with Troy in mind. A hot pink strappy bikini. A black one-piece with a plunging neckline, and a white two-piece halter. Each one I could imagine him easily taking off me and the thought was thrilling. I smiled as I folded them carefully and placed them in the duffel bag. Next, I selected the new lingerie I had picked up at Bloomingdale’s last week. A crimson, silk slip and a lacy, pale yellow set.

I doubted I needed much else, since the house was private, along with the beach. Still, I threw in a few flowy dresses that were perfect for warm weather and sandy beaches. Once I was all packed, I plopped down on my bed next to the duffel bag and looked up at the ceiling. In a few hours, I would be in a different country with the man I was seeing. I took a deep breath, as if I were about to lunge myself off of that cliff.

My phone pinged next to me on the bed. I quickly picked it up and saw Troy’s name on the screen. I opened his text.

Troy:The jet is being fueled up right now. I’ll be by to get you in twenty.

Me:I’m all packed and ready.

Troy:Can’t wait to see what I’ll be taking off you.

I smiled and placed my phone on my chest, my heart beating quickly against it. As much time as we had spent alone together in our evenings at his place or in the privacy of cabs or fitting rooms, this would be the first time we had uninterrupted alone time. The thought was exciting and nerve-wracking all at once. It felt like we were taking a step toward something more, but I wasn’t sure if he felt that way. I tried to remind myself this was just for fun. To not get too wrapped up.

But how could I not? He was whisking me away on a romantic vacation just us two.

Twenty minutes later, my apartment bell buzzed, alerting me that someone was downstairs. I quickly looked out the window and down to the street to see a shiny black town car waiting. We usually took cabs, so this was a surprise. I pressed the intercom button and said I would be right down. I grabbed my duffel bag from the bed and locked up my apartment before taking the stairs down, two at a time.

Outside my apartment building, I found Troy leaning against the brick wall in that effortlessly confident way that made him look like aGQmodel. He still wore the same navy suit from this morning that fit him as if it were sewn onto him. I was still in the same black dress he had bought for me. I thought it better to look the part of his assistant, at least while we traveled.

I greeted him with a nervous hello as he reached for my duffel bag. I sucked in a slight breath as his fingers grazed against mine. He gave me a look that melted me into a puddle before leading the way to the car that waited.

“This is…different,” I said as the driver opened the door and I slid inside, Troy following in behind me.

“I wanted to make it special,” he said as the door closed behind him, leaving us in the privacy of the dimly lit backseat.

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