Page 66 of His Little Secret in Discretion
Every muscle in my body went rigid. I dragged a hand over my jaw, forcing myself to breathe past the urge to start breaking things.
I could handle drunk investors, billion-dollar contracts from spoiled nepo babies hanging onto Daddy’s money, and men who’d sell their own wives for a fucking merger.
But this?
This was different.
This washer.
I couldn’t use jokes, boyish smiles, or my God-given charm to handle this…
This wasn’t a deal I could negotiate or a headline I could spin.
This was entirely fucked.
In other words…I was fucked.
Maia
I’d gotten the message from Felix only a few hours ago, and I was already panicking. This was supposed to be time for me and Blaine together.
For me to forget, live a little, feel better about the last few shitty weeks. It always worked when I was with him. He always made me feel better somehow.
Unknown
See me tonight.
I shouldn’t. God, I knew I shouldn’t. I knew what he’d do to me, what he’dsayto me. And still, the thought of ignoring him made my stomach knot in a way that felt too much like fear.
I knew it was less of a question, more of a threat.
Felix didn’t ask. He never asked. He told, and you showed up or you paid for it in ways you couldn’t afford. I’d learned that the hard way.
I shoved my phone face down on the counter and focused on the skillet in front of me. Garlic and butter hissed in the pan, rich and warm, but I’d lost my appetite hours ago.
By the time Blaine walked through the door, loosening his tie and shrugging off his jacket, I’d almost convinced myself I could act normal. He kissed the top of my head in passing, murmured something about traffic, and washed his hands. No teasing, no sly brush of his hand at my waist.
Maybe he had a long day? I wasn’t used to not hearing his bad jokes off the rip. I didn’t even get a chance to act like I hated his excessive touches, which consequently made my decision for tonight much easier.
When we’d finished dinner, I found myself lying beside Blaine in bed, staring at the ceiling while his slow, steady breathing brushed over my shoulder.
The message was still burned into the back of my eyelids. Short. Commanding. Like no time had passed, like every step I took to get away from him was absolutely meaningless.
I lay there for what felt like hours, Blaine’s arm heavy around my waist, his breathing slow and even. My chest ached. I wanted to sink into him, let his warmth pull me under, let myself forget. But I couldn’t stop hearing Felix’s inevitable voice in my head.
Careful not to wake him, I eased out from under Blaine’s arm and sat at the edge of the bed, holding my breath. His breathing didn’t change.
I stood, moving quietly to the closet. The sound of the zipper on my bag felt deafening in the dark. My heart pounded in my ears, my hands shaking as I shoved in my wallet and keys.
Tears pooled in my eyes as I stepped out, walking towards the door, each passing second my feet dragging even harder, my heart constricting as I weighed whether or not this was a mistake. It’s not like it mattered anyway.
“Where are you going, baby?”
I flinched at hearing his voice behind me. Looking over my shoulder, my hand clutching the strap of my bag in a death grip, my heart raced as he watched me from across the room. The look in his eyes seemed all-knowing.
“It’s… It’s getting late; I should get home.”
“We were just fine lying down…” He approached me slowly. “Come back to bed with me.”
