Page 7 of Dark Secret

Sure, I could let someone else do all of that, but I’d wanted this to be perfect. I had learned not to get too excited, Trent Thompson had a knack for jerking deals right out of my hands, but I had a feeling about this one. The owner hadn’t listed the property yet when my real estate agent contacted them, and I was almost certain this was the one.

Even more frustrated now, I got up and left the room. There was nothing for me here, not without Stephanie. I headed out of the club, went home, and filled up a glass with scotch. I needed relief, but I hadn’t found it at Elmo’s. I had found Stephanie, however, and she was part of the problem. She was in my dreams, and in my thoughts, and it didn’t matter how many times I took matters into my own hand, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.

Even when I’d tried to work, she was in my head. I’d wanted to take her to the other hotels we had, show her what it was I’d worked so hard for. I’d wanted to take her up in the mountains in California and show her the sights, and to take her to the ski slopes in Colorado. I’d hated going home to Kansas, but I’d also wanted to take her there and show her where I’d grew up.

I’d wanted her by my side as I got this new resort off the ground. This was a test for my family and me, in many ways. We had a lot of hotels, that was for sure, but this would be my contribution to the chain. To our family’s legacy. Although, that wasn’t something I’d really thought about. A legacy.

As I’d settled into a chair at the kitchen table, my work spread out all around me, I’d thought about it. I had no children, and the couple who adopted me had no other children. Who would this empire I was trying to add to go to if something happened to me? When something happened to me?

I wasn’t sure, and that bothered me. I’d never really wanted children before, not after my childhood, but the thought hit me and weighed on me heavily. Why was I was working so hard if there was nobody to leave all of this to? Even Trent Thompson had children, as did his brothers. There was a whole slew of inheritors there, but my family? There’d only been me.

Then my brain decided to really fuck me over and put the image of Stephanie with a baby in her arms into my mind. Something in my lower abdomen clutched, and my heart pounded. Fuck, what the hell was wrong with me?

I got up from the table and slugged down the scotch. I’d had plenty of years to worry about that, and if it came down to it, I could hire a surrogate, if need be. Marriage, romantic relationships, none of that was in my future. I’d laughed at myself for being so stupid. Hadn’t my mother taught me anything?

Love made you crazy, and it made you do stupid shit, like murder the only man who had ever stuck by you. It made you stick by the woman who did nothing but hurt you and your child, over and over again, long after you should have had her put into care for her own safety. For your safety. If Dad had put mom in the hospital, he might still be alive, and that thought had burned through my soul for a long time now. He hadn’t because he’d loved her. He thought he could love her back to sanity, but he hadn’t been able to.

No amount of love would have done that, except that love that would have let her go to get help. Dad hadn’t seen it that way, and he’d paid the ultimate price. I’d promised myself, all those years ago, that I would never fall victim to that kind of nonsense. The kind that could get you killed.

Maybe I should just walk away from all of this, I’d thought for the first time. Leave the idea of a resort on the east coast behind, or move to a different state and start my search over again. Find someone new to play with, someone who understood the game and treated it as such.

Someone who didn’t have Stephanie’s eyes that saw right through me. Or the mouth that I’d loved to kiss, the mouth that could bring so much pleasure. Fuck, I was hard again now.

I went into the shower and tried not to think about her. I’d tried to convince myself to just pack my shit up and go. Even when I’d got out and had dressed again, I still couldn’t convince myself that it was a good idea. I’d spent a lot of resources here already, and it would be stupid to just throw all of that away.

That felt better than admitting that I couldn’t give up on Stephanie, not yet. Blaming my reluctance on that meant I didn’t have to admit that I’d wanted to drive to her house, walk through her front door, carry her to the bed, and make her scream my name as she’d raked my back for more.

I’d grabbed the keys to a new toy I’d bought and headed down to the parking garage. I’d seen the shop when I’d turned around from one of my many abandoned trips to Stephanie’s place. A brand new motorcycle, with an amazing paint job and an engine loud enough to drown out my very thoughts. Painted in black and blue metallic fleck paint, the monster of a bike was slung low and had a v-twin engine that didn’t want to stop.

I threw a leg over the bike, started her up, and headed out to the highway. A long ride had been the only thing that could soothe me lately. It had been a whim to buy the bike, I hadn’t ridden one since I was in my early twenties, but I’d kept my license valid, and hadn’t forgotten how to ride one. With the engine vibrating my lower extremities, I flew into the night, the helmet on my head protecting me from the wind. I was glad I’d put a leather jacket on before I left, but my legs were a little cold in jeans.

None of it had mattered, not when I was on that bike. I drove for an hour, until my hands were tired of gripping the accelerator, and stopped at a twenty-four-hour diner to grab a cup of coffee. Stephanie was still in my head, but I didn’t feel quite as frustrated now.

I’d give her a few more days, I’d decided on the way back home, and if she hadn’t come to me by then, I’d go somewhere else. I’d go back to Kansas, or maybe out to California. There were quite a few nice stretches of road out there to take the bike on. I could drive out to Las Vegas from there, check on the resort in the city that was never fully dark, and then head to Kansas.

I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten how awesome it was to be on the back of motorcycle. I’d grown into the corporate life like I’d been born to it and had left the rebellion of my youth behind. Now, a little older and a little wiser, I knew this would be part of my life, and that I’d probably go back on my decision to give Stephanie a few more days.

She had infected me, somehow, the little witch. I couldn’t get her out of my system, and even though her leaving me had angered me, deep down it was the fact that it had hurt that she’d left that really bothered me. I could accept that anger, but not the hurt. I could accept that I’d wanted her so that I could fuck her and spend time with her as a friend, but I could not, would not, accept that I wanted her for far more than that. Even if my brain and my heart constantly reminded me that I did.

I drove the bike hard, reached speeds that would probably earn me a speeding ticket if there were speed cameras on the highway, or if a cop clocked me. I didn’t care at the moment. I’d pay to get out of the ticket because I’d felt as if I was being chased, hounded by my own thoughts. When I broke 100 mph, my concentration was on keeping the bike off the ground and my head on my shoulders. I couldn’t think about Stephanie anymore because I was concentrating on my preventing my own death.

I slowed as I came to the exit that would lead me to my home, my heart racing and blood pounding in my veins. I felt each beat of my heart as a pulse as my blood shot through my body. Yes, I needed a lot more of this and less time sitting at home, mooning over a woman. My thoughts were clear by the time I pulled up into the parking garage.

I’d stopped the bike, locked it up for the night, and just sat there on it. My blood still raced through my veins, but I’d felt calmer, my brain was quiet for once. For the first time in a week, I’d smiled. That had been fun.

I’d scoffed at my own stupidity, but had to admit, the race against myself had done me some good. I’d locked my helmet up in one of the saddlebags and headed for the elevator. Maybe I could get some sleep now.

I’d leaned back against the wall of the elevator and breathed in deep. Peace was a good thing, and I’d thought about having a swim too, before I headed to bed. I’d neglected my workout sessions over the last few days, and a swim would get me back in the game. I had made up my mind to do just that when the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened wide.

Stephanie was there, without her mask, her hands wrung together as those beautiful eyes stared up at me with uncertainty. I stared at her for only a second before I had her against my door, our lips locked together in a frantic reunion.

Emily

After I saw Dylan walk out of the bar, I’d made my excuses to Roxie, and left. The place felt stifling, and I couldn’t sit there. I didn’t know if he was still in the place, or if he’d left; all I knew was I couldn’t sit there if he was.

When I’d first seen him, my impulse was to run away. Then, I’d wanted to go up and whack him one for not calling me. Then I’d wanted to cave in to his demands. I’d gone home and stared at the empty rooms. Frustration made me jittery, and that put me on edge. I went to my laptop and decided to play a game on Facebook, maybe find a new one to play.

I went up to the search bar within the application and was about to type in free games when my fingers found the D key instead. I went to erase the letters and typed Dylan’s name in. Of course, he didn’t have a Facebook, not that I could see. Oh, there were plenty of people with his name, but he didn’t have a profile. That’s when I got the bright idea to open a new page on my browser and type in his name, along with the state he was from. Kansas.