Page 25 of Dirty Little Secret, Baby
"You're impossible," I say, having to laugh, and I give her a playful slap on the butt, pushing her a little away from me.
"Seriously, Beth. Remember back in high school? You longed for the boys to stop being mean to you and to see you as a girl. And now? Now pretty much the hottest, and richest, guy to walk into your shop wants to take you out, even after you bluntly rejected him the first time. Okay, he deserved it after how he ghosted you back then, but his explanation could also just be true, right?"
"Mm-hm," I murmur, looking Veronica right in the eyes. She could be right. She's actually right about this kind of thing pretty often.
"But you have the night shift tonight and I can't let you..."
"Shhh," Veronica says, placing her index finger on my lips. "A colleague owes me one. I'm sure she'll take my shift. I'll text her, and then I'll put sweet Ben in his little bed while you pump some milk and get ready to make that Alex's eyes pop out of his head when he picks you up."
"Thank you," I murmur, touched, feeling my eyes get watery with emotion because Veronica is simply the best friend ever.
"Don't cry, sweetie. I'm here for you. I promised you that, and I'll keep that promise," Veronica whispers, putting an arm around me and giving first me and then Ben a kiss on the cheek. "For both of you."
"You're the best," I say, returning the kiss.
"Now let's take a look in your closet. Do you have a classic black or maybe a red dress with a plunging neckline?"
"I do. But from before the birth, no idea if they still fit. But do I really want him to think I'm an easy target?"
"On the contrary, Beth. He should be kicking himself for how he treated you back then. Whether it was intentional or not. You're amazing, and he should be allowed to see that."
I smile and hug her again after carefully placing Ben in the bassinet. Sometimes, I would give anything to be able to see the world through Veronica's eyes. But having her with me is already a great help. Without her... my life wouldn't be the same. Especially since Ben came into the world and she's helped me like no one else.
"Then I'll text him now," I say, feeling how nervous I sound as I grab the small piece of paper from the dresser and take my smartphone in my other hand.
"It'll all be fine," Veronica says, giving me a friendly wink.
"Sent," I reply, and I see right away that he's online and typing a response, which comes through instantly.
"He's picking me up at seven o'clock at the shop," I read aloud, feeling my knees go weak.
"Then let's take a look in the closet and..."
"Pump milk first," I reply, walking into the kitchen and quickly texting back "OK" so Alex knows I agree. As I do, the thoughtruns through my head again whether I should tell him about Ben or not. Maybe I should just wait and see how things develop.
But what then? Just decide spontaneously? Is it right to go to dinner with the father of my child, when he wants to apologize, while keeping such a huge secret from him?
Chapter 10
Alex
The afternoon at the office seemed to drag on forever. The business reports on my screen and the decisions that needed to be made in the meetings didn't interest me in the slightest. I nodded at the right moments whenever someone looked at me for too long, just to seem like I was deep in thought.
But instead, my thoughts were on my encounter with Beth, who seemed to shine from within even in her comfy clothes. And I don't just mean because of the nipples visible through her shirt. But I knew that very aspect was what would make this whole thing so difficult. Because I didn't just want her. I also wanted her shop, and most of all, I wanted to win against Jake. That was going to be tough, and I still had no plan for how to break it to her as gently as possible. Maybe I should just leave it out during our first dinner?
Assuming there would even be a dinner, since Beth hadn't contacted me yet.
So it was that I practically lunged for my smartphone every time it made a sound, whether in a meeting or a moment later in my office.
But the first two times, it had been Jake, who just wrote:
Well, have you laid her yet? Or did she slap you one?
I chose not to reply, because it wouldn't be the first time my messages, threatening the beating he definitely deserved for that text, had landed in the hands of the press. It took a lot of self-control not to write back, but at least I was learning something.
The second message was from an unknown number. I could already feel the excitement rising inside me. Beth?
But it was just one of my many acquaintances, hoping for a repeat of our sexual adventure because, as she wrote, her husband had just left her and she was in desperate need of some love. The nude photo below the message impressively underscored her need.
