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Keeping Secrets

Author: Ali Parker
last update Last Updated: 2024-02-14 04:24:46

Ben

“So, what are you doing to do, then?” Jerrod asked, leaning on the bar with his elbow. He had a beer in his hand, and his words were already starting to slur a bit. We’d been drinking a while.

“I don’t know, yet,” I said.

“But you can’t just hang around here and do nothing. Didn’t you leave and quit everything to run that company of yours? And now you’re not there, but you’re not doing the firefighter thing here, either.”

I shrugged and took a sip of my beer. I wasn’t going to tell Jerrod that I was headed back soon. I was merely spending as much time here as I could before I had to leave. I suddenly had so much to lose, and I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I was lying to my best friend and my girlfriend. Calling Mila my girlfriend had a beautiful ring to it.

“It’s just a lot for me to deal with,” I said. “Besides, I have a ton of cash, and I own a million-dollar company. I can do whatever the fuck I like.”

Jerrod shrugged. “This isn’t the Ben I know. We had all these plans, re
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  • Billion Dollar Man   Thrilled

    BenMila nodded and grinned. We stood together as we shuffled toward the bar. I held Mila’s hand, and we let the crowds push us together. Instead of getting upset about being shuffled around, I embraced the situation. A few times, I brushed my hand over her ass or her breasts, touching her as much as I could without being too obvious.Mila giggled when I did. “You’re impossible.”I grinned. “You’re irresistible.”We got to the bar and ordered our drinks.“Let’s have shots,” I suggested.Mila agreed, and we ordered Tequila. It was my weakness. As soon as I started, I knew I wouldn’t stop, but I was already tipsy, and I wanted to get drunk with Mila.After we took our first shot, I pressed my lips against Mila’s ear.“This makes me so horny for you,” I whispered.Mila giggled and leaned against me. I put my arm around her. We weren’t being very careful, but I was sure with the crowds Jerrod wouldn’t be able to see us.“When can we do it again?” I asked.“Right now, we should just get th

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  • Billion Dollar Man   Confrontation

    MilaI had to work on Sunday. After the number of shots Ben and I had done at the bar and all the alcohol I had put away with Skylar last night, I had a hell of a headache, and I felt like shit. I shouldn’t have had so much to drink when I knew that I was going to work again the next day.It wasn’t that I wasn’t able to do my duties or take care of my patients, but still, feeling like death-warmed-over wasn’t great when I needed to be sharp and ready to save lives.I had to stop drinking so much. It wasn’t that I had a reason to drown myself in alcohol – every time I had gotten so drunk it was because I was out with Ben and having a good time. It was more like I was relaxed and able to let go of all the pressure at work completely when I was around Ben. I had never been able to do that before, which was saying something. When I was with Ben, I felt like I could just be calm.Now, all I had to do was be relaxed and let go without so much alcohol in my system. The only time I had done t

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  • Billion Dollar Man   Jerrod Loses It

    Mila“Stop saying ‘we’ like you’re one entity,” he spat. “Yeah, I’m pissed off. And I have every right to be. This is fucking ridiculous. I can’t believe you would fuck me over like that.”He was starting to swear. It was an indication of how angry my brother was. The more he swore, the angrier he was.“I thought we were close,” Jerrod said.“We are.”“No, we’re not. If we were, you would have talked to me about what was going on. Instead, you snuck around behind my back, and you’re dating my best friend. It’s disgusting.”We had been wrong, and Jerrod had every right to be upset. But he had come to me without warning, and he was challenging me in my own home. Naturally, my temper was going to rise to match his, and there was no way we were going to be able to talk about this like adults.Jerrod walked to the couch opposite me and sank down into the cushions. Finally, I sat down, too. It was as if the anger had left Jerrod and now he was deflated.“This is so fucked up,” Jerrod said,

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  • Billion Dollar Man   Jerrod's Rage

    BenI had expected to hear from Jerrod the moment Mila had let me know he’d been to her place to confront her about our relationship. I couldn’t believe it had come to this. I had been an idiot to think that our being together wouldn’t come out somehow.I had no doubt that it was our stupidity at the bar. We had been flaunting it, all over each other. And Jerrod had been so different when Mila and I had come back from the bar. I had thought it was because he was drunk, but I knew Jerrod almost as well as I knew myself. I knew what he was like when he was drunk, and that hadn’t been it.The only reason I hadn’t realized something was up right away was because I had been arrogant enough to think that just because we wanted it to be a secret, no one would find out, no matter what we did.We had been fools.Jerrod had already confronted Mila, and I was upset that I hadn’t been there to protect her. No doubt, Jerrod had not been pleasant with her. Jerrod had a short temper on a good day, a

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  • Billion Dollar Man   Have To Choose

    BenI shook my head. “You’re not letting me do anything. And you’re not going to let her do anything, either. We’re both adults, and we can make our own decisions. She’s your little sister, but she’s far from being a baby. She’s twenty-five. Or did you forget she’s not in high school anymore?”“Would it have made a difference to you?” Jerrod asked.“Fuck you, man,” I said. “You know this has nothing to do with her age. I know you’re pissed off, but you don’t have to be such a dick about.”Jerrod’s arm shot out, closing the gap between us as he grabbed me by the shirt. He pulled me closer. If it weren’t for the space between us, he would have been right in my face.“It’s my sister, Ben.”“I know,” I said. I wasn’t going to lose my shit. I didn’t want us to come to blows. We had fought before, but it had never been a full-on fight. This time, we wouldn’t stop. If it came to blows now, we would fight until one of us put the other down. I didn’t want to do that to my best friend.When I d

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  • Billion Dollar Man   She's Awake

    MilaOn Thursday, I finally had a day off again. Even though my days off were still as often as they used to be, it felt a lot longer between them with all the double shifts I was working. At least, the ward was calming down. Most of the accident patients could be moved to regular recovery rooms and beds were emptying in the ICU. It was always good news when we had less work because it meant that people were getting better.Or passing away, but that wasn’t the case, here.My phone rang. It was Danielle. I smiled and answered.“Are you off today?” Danielle asked.“Yes. I really need this break.”“I hear you,” Danielle said. “It’s dull without you, though,” she said.I told her I would be back tomorrow, and we ended the call. Danielle and I had been getting closer over the past week. She was a sweet girl, eager to learn, and her compassion was staggering. But she was young, and she struggled under the pressure sometimes. She was a little squeamish when it came to blood and puss, which

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  • Billion Dollar Man   Is He Leaving Again

    Mila“I guess I can’t blame him. If you were my sister, I would have wanted to protect you from the world, too.”I shook my head. “He can protect me without stopping me from living my life. So, was he pissed off?”“Yeah, he was. He has this ‘I-don’t-care’ attitude that scares me.”I sighed. “He had the same with me. What if he’s done with us?”“I don’t know,” Ben said, and he looked as depressed about it as I felt. Jerrod had been like a brother to him, too. I knew that it was as much of a loss to Ben as it was to me. I thought about something and frowned.“When was this?” I asked. “When did he talk to you?”“On Monday.”“That was three days ago. Why didn’t you tell me about this?” I had called Ben the moment Jerrod had left my apartment. Why was he keeping it from me?“I didn’t know how to tell you. It wasn’t a good conversation at all, and after how upset you were about your conversation with him, I didn’t know how to talk to you about it. I should have, but I’ve been sitting on thi

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  • Billion Dollar Man   Finding The Killers

    BenDid I feel like shit for what I did to Mila? Yes, I did. When I had said to her that I was trying to figure out if I belonged in this life, I meant it. Not because I had wanted her to think that she wasn’t important to me, but that was how it had come across.I had had so much on my mind when I had met her for coffee. And I guess that was my fault. I should have pushed it away. But I had been having a bad day. My father and Uncle Dean had died, and it turned out it might have been for a reason, and not just an accident. I had no idea where I was going with the company that had been left to me. Twice. I had no idea who I was supposed to be. Was I going to be the man my dad and Uncle Dean wanted me to be? Or the man that turned them down, even after everything that had happened?And what about Jerrod? If I stayed with Mila, I was sure I would lose him. But if I said goodbye to Mila to keep Jerrod in my life, I felt like I would lose a piece of myself. So, maybe going back to New Yor

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Latest chapter

  • Billion Dollar Man   Epilogue Part 2

    BenI had sold the company as Jerrod had suggested. I had thought about it long and hard and decided it was what I wanted. I hadn’t wanted to be the CEO of the company in the first place. Not when my father had left it to me and not when Uncle Dean had, either. I had put in the work and found someone worthy of the company. I heard it was thriving, now.The money received for the company sale had been enough to pay Brantley, and I still had enough left to give Penny an amount. I felt Uncle Dean’s widow had deserved a bit of an allowance after everything she had been through because of my father.After Brantley and Penny, I had bought a large house in Portland for me, Mila and Landon, and I had put the rest away as an investment for the future. We had so much money we would never struggle, even if we both stopped working.Mila and I were both working because we loved what we did. Mila didn’t want to stop nursing after she had Landon, and I understood. She asked for fewer shifts so that

  • Billion Dollar Man   Epilogue Part 1

    BenSeven Months LaterWhen I unlocked the door to the house I had bought six months ago, I was stepping over the threshold as a father. It was the first time, and I was very aware of it. A lump rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down.“Ready?” I asked Mila. She nodded and climbed out of the car. She moved comfortably. It was amazing how women bounced back from giving birth in no more than a day or two. It would have been different if she had had a C-section or something, but Mila had given birth naturally.She opened the car door and lifted the carrier out of its brace.“I’m coming,” I said, running to her. I took the carrier from her so she didn’t have to strain herself and put my arm around her as I carried little Landon in the other hand.Mila had given birth to a beautiful baby boy twenty-four hours ago. It had been a beautiful surprise. I would have been just as proud if it was a girl, but I was so happy it was a boy. Landon Atwood had a great ring to it.We walked together t

  • Billion Dollar Man   Aching For Him

    MilaAgain, he didn’t touch my pussy even though he came so close. Instead, he moved up my hip bones and kissed my stomach, my ribs, moving past my breasts to my shoulders and working his way down one arm. When he reached my fingers, he sucked them into his mouth and played with his tongue around them. It was a strange feeling, ticklish and such a turn on.Ben let go of my hand and moved across my chest, avoiding my breasts, moving over my shoulder and down my other arm. When he reached my fingers, I was just about losing my mind with lust. I wanted him inside me so badly, and he’d been teasing me by not touching any of the areas I so desperately wanted him to touch.When Ben pressed his fingers against my pussy, I jumped. I had wanted it so badly, now that I had it, it was like a jolt of electricity shooting into my body. Ben pressed his thumb against my clit and pushed two fingers into me. He moved his thumb while curling his fingers over my G-spot, and it didn’t take long at all be

  • Billion Dollar Man   All Figured Out

    MilaLate on Friday night, my phone rang. I was already sleeping, and it took me a while to find my phone on my nightstand.“Are you awake?” Ben asked.I smiled. “I am, now.”“Can I come over? I have great news.”I looked at the alarm clock next to my lamp. The red numbers said it was well after midnight.“Of course,” I said.Half an hour later, a cab pulled up and dropped Ben off in front of my apartment building. I had been looking out for him. I buzzed him up before he rang my apartment, and I smiled when he stumbled up the step to the front door. He had been drinking.When I opened the front door to him, he stepped forward and folded me against his body.“I missed you,” he said.I laughed. “It’s been two days.”“Two days too many,” Ben said. He smelled like beer and cigarette smoke.“Where were you?” I asked.“I was at the bar, having drinks with Jerrod.”I raised my eyebrows. It was good news. Unexpected, and good. I led Ben into my apartment and closed the door.“Get back in bed

  • Billion Dollar Man   Lessons Learned

    BenI shook my head. “I won’t. I know I haven’t treated her right, but I thought I was doing the right thing. I’m sticking around, now. I’m not going anywhere. I’m madly in love with her. Mila is one of a kind.”Jerrod nodded. “She is. And I can see how you feel about her. I have no doubt that you care for her. It just pissed me off so much that I was the last to know.”“I get that,” I said. I really did feel bad for what we’d done. But there was only so many times I could say I was sorry. I knew that this time, Jerrod had accepted my apology.Jerrod nodded again. We both drank our beers, listening to the music and watching the crowds shuffle in. As the night dragged on, the bar filled up with patrons who were done with their work week and looking for a way to unwind.“It’s just all so unexpected,” Jerrod said after a while. “Your relationship with her when I still see her as a kid is one thing. But now she’s pregnant. Man.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “I don’t know what to m

  • Billion Dollar Man   Have to Fix It

    BenOn Friday I walked into the bar where Mila and I had gone with Jerrod and Skylar. We hadn’t been careful enough that night, and Jerrod had seen us together. That was when the trouble had all started between me and Jerrod, and I was hoping this was where it would all end.I had texted him, telling him I was going to be at the bar tonight. I wanted to talk to him, but I was tired of running after him when he wasn’t interested. I had asked him to come to meet me. He hadn’t replied. I had told him what time I was going to be there, and now that I was here, time would tell if Jerrod was going to show up to talk to me.My wristwatch told me it was eight o’clock. I would give him half an hour before I left again.Until now, everything had been about Jerrod. He had been the one who had been wronged. Mila and I had kept our relationship secret from him when it was already a no-no that his best friend and younger sister were dating. It had been wrong not to tell him and even worse that he h

  • Billion Dollar Man   There For You

    Mila“I love you, too.”There was nothing else to say. Words couldn’t describe how we both felt at that moment.After I changed back into my clothes, we met Dr. Holt in her office again. She gave me a prescription for prenatal supplements and an eating plan with do’s and don’ts for the next seven months.“I’ll see you back here in about eight weeks,” Dr. Holt said. “Then we’ll find out what you’re having.”When Ben and I walked back to the car, I felt like I was walking on air. Everything felt different, now. I felt more ready to be a mother, to have this baby and to raise it, than I had before. Now that I had seen the baby, I knew that I wanted all of this.Did Ben feel the same?“You know, you still have time to back out of this,” I said to Ben. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me.“What makes you think I would want that?” he asked.I pulled up my shoulder. I couldn’t guarantee that this feeling of amazement was mutual. Ben took a step closer to me and kissed me long and

  • Billion Dollar Man   Seeing The Baby

    MilaOn Wednesday I had the day off again and had scheduled an ultrasound. Now that everyone knew about me being pregnant, it was time to meet the baby.Ben was with me. It made me less nervous, but only a little. It was crazy how tense I was about the appointment, even though everything was out in the open now. The idea that I was pregnant, that we were having a baby, was terrifying.It had all happened so fast. It had been mere weeks since Ben had come back to Portland for the first time and now we were starting a family together. There were nights when I was sleepless and in a fit of panic, wondering how the hell we were going to get through this. We had been a part of each other’s lives for years, but when it came down to knowing each other, we were practically strangers.When I was with Ben, like now, all my worries melted away. We were great together. He was so attentive now that I was pregnant, and since he had told me he was going to stay, our relationship was stronger than ev

  • Billion Dollar Man   Spreading The Word

    BenI let go of Jerrod’s shirt. He stumbled back, his expression surprised. Maybe he had expected me to throw the first punch. He had been ready to fight me. But I wasn’t here for that. I hadn’t come to beat up my best friend. I had only come to set the record straight.“She’s a great person, Jerrod. You know that. She doesn’t deserve this shit.”I turned around and left the office. Jerrod stayed behind, gaping. I had never been one to back down from a fight. There had been enough fights in high school that had shown Jerrod that. But this wasn’t high school, and Jerrod was like a brother to me. If I ended up with Mila, he would be a brother-in-law, in fact.So, I wasn’t going to go there.Instead, I headed back home like a good boy to seethe in private.After I had taken the time to calm down, I phoned Mila.“How are you doing?” I asked.“Better,” she said, and I was relieved. “I came off my shift just now. I’m going to crawl into bed for a few hours.“Have you told your parents yet?”

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