Page 5 of Dirty Little Secrets

“ I can’t believe it,” Kristina beams as we exit the coffee shop. Steam from our cups curling into the crisp air. “You did it. Did it hurt?”

I nod slowly, the memory of last night blooming across my skin. “It was scary as hell…but also doing it felt… freeing.”

Kristina grins like she won the lottery. “And let’s not forget you left Landon’s sorry ass at dinner in front of the boss. That’s not just freeing…that’s iconic.”

I laugh but sputter mid-sip, coffee misting against the glass wall right before we walk inside. “Oh my God! Look what you made me do, Kristina.”

She laughs through a sip of coffee. “I sure Mr. Perfect upstairs wouldn’t notice. He barely walks around the building. Anyway, you planning to break it off for good?”

“I think so.”

“God, I hope so.” Kristian clutches her coffee like its holy water. “Then you can get a proper, hard––”

“Kristina,” I interrupt, fighting a laugh when the security guard behind the desk raises his brows as we scan out IDs.

She grins. “What? You need a reset. A cleanse.” She grins at the guard. “I got ideas.”

The glass doors of the elevators of Drazen Enterprises gleam ahead of us. We step inside, waiting for the elevator.

“You know your birthday is coming up?” Kristina points out.

She’s probably the only one that remembers. My mother’s memory these days can be found that the bottom of a bottle.

“Beginning of May, in about three weeks.”

“We should do something. And don’t say you can’t afford it.”

I shake my head, smiling. “I won’t.” But we both know I can’t. New York is an expensive city and it’s one of the reasons I’m grateful for Landon letting me move in with him. When I left Seattle, I didn’t have a proper wardrobe for work or going out with his friends. I didn’t have anything.

The elevator doors open and we step inside. Just before the doors close, a large hand stops them causing them to open. The tall manning the door at the restaurant Friday night steps in. Kristina practically undresses him with her eyes.

“Make sure the windows outside get taken care of, Bash,” says a familiar voice.

Xaiden Drazen.

He enters with an air of confidence. His scent clean and expensive scent wraps around me dressed in a dark blue suit that molds to every edge of broad shoulder.

No tie. The collar of his shirt casually unbuttoned.

My freshly pierced nipples from Friday night ache in response.

I try my best not to look up. The gorgeous sharp lines of his jaw call to my eyes for a better look.

But he is so tall, I would have to make it obvious by craning my neck.

So I stare straight ahead letting the silence fill the space between us while he ignores me as if I wasn’t seated at his table Friday night.

Kristina breaks the silence. “Hmm. It smells good in here.”

I swear I see the corner of Drazen’s lips twitch, but he remains expressionless.

She offers her hand. “Kristina Henry from Talent and Acquisitions. And this is Nori Summers. She works with project Emma in the programming division.”

Bash is the first to react and gives a curt nod. Drazen doesn’t even glance my way.

“I believe you met her the other night?” Kristina presses.

“Briefly,” Drazen replies, indifferent.

She barrels on. “But did you know who’s been behind identifying Emma’s glitches before QA? Nori. Emma is insane tech. A complex ai.”

“Emma is,” he agrees, finally acknowledging me with a glance. “I designed it.”

Of course he did. Xaiden Drazen isn’t just dangerously attractive, he’s a certified tech god.

Emma, our flagship Ai, filters job candidates with nearly flawless precision.

It’s schedules, analyzes, and shortlists with zero human error.

It’s brilliant. Revolutionary. And he created it. Trained it himself.

I want the floor to open and swallow me. I know she’s trying to help after the disaster the other night. Coming from a small town and a bad upbringing, I want to make an impression and fit in. Be more than a name and employee number but not here. Not like this.

Kristina. Oblivious to my embarrassment, adds, “Well, Nori’s amazing.”

“Glad to hear it,” he replies, facing forward.

The elevator dings.

I want to die. Why did she say that?

I step out on shaky legs, aware of his gaze on my back.

Kristina looks over and flashes a grin. “Have a nice day, gentlemen.”

“Goodbye, Ms. Henry. Nori,” he says.

I turn, instinctively. He’s still watching. His tongue brushes his lower lip like he’s holding something back. Like his eyes are daring me to follow.

The doors close and it’s like he took a piece of my soul with him to torment me.

“What the fuck was that?” I mutter.

Kristina is already smirking. “He called you by your first name?”

I blink. “So?”

“From what I’ve heard, he never calls employees by their first name. Ever. It’s a thing.”

I wave her off. “He was being polite. I’m sure he wasn’t aware I worked for him.”

She arches a brow. “Keep telling yourself that. I know what I saw.”

Yeah, him acting like I don’t exist.

Back at our desks, she peers over the cubicle wall. “He’s hot though, isn’t he?”

“I wasn’t looking,” I lie. And…I have a boyfriend,” I remind her.

“Not for long,” she says, each word slowly.

I ignore the heat rising in my cheeks thinking how my nipples ached and the way my heart sped up but I push the attraction out of my mind. He’s rich, smart, and good-looking. What woman wouldn’t crush on him.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s our boss,” I whisper. “It’s wrong.”

Kristian shrugs. “Wrong has never looked that good.”

At lunch, I linger in the breakroom, nursing my coffee.

Doubts gnaw at me. Was walking out of dinner the right call?

Should I have stayed and learned what the meeting was about?

Landon doesn’t know where I’ve been since Friday night.

I stayed in a cheap motel not wanting to face him. I’ve ignored his calls.

Even this morning when Kristian brought me a fresh pair of work clothes from her closet, all I could think about was the way I felt walking out of there with my head held high.

After I passed the tattoo shop and saw the sign––FREE PIERCING WITH JEWELRY PURCHASE––something in me snapped. I walked in. I let go.

Kristian interrupts my thoughts. “You free on your birthday?”

“I guess. No plans.”

“Perfect. I’ll plan something. Wear something hot.”

I arch a brow. “Define hot.”

Her grin is pure sin. “Something that would make Landon cry.”

I think of options: leather, silk, sheer fabrics that cling to curves. Something powerful. Something unapologetically feminine.

After lunch, I stare at my monitor, ready to send my weekly report. Drazen’s name glows at the top of the recipient line. Just seeing it sends a shiver down my spine. His voice saying my name replays in my mind like a forbidden melody.

My phone buzzes.

Kristina : Red. Wear red.