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CHAPTER 109
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Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 110
“Really, Aiden, you could get original with your dates.”“I took her for dinner already. I’m no fuckin’ Romeo,” I retorted.“Pretty good Casanova, though,” Elena admitted. “At least when you stop talking.”“Hey!” I tickled her sides and she giggled, slapping at my hands.“Lay off,” she managed through her laughter. “Can you pay yet? I’m led to believe I’ll get sex on the beach, dear boyfriend, and I don’t want to be disappointed.”“Boyfriend?” Tina sputtered, looking between us.I swiped my card and grinned.“Apparently class comes into play.” Elena shrugged, grabbed the grocery bags, and placed them in the cart. “It was nice meeting you . . .” She looked pointedly at Tina’s name tag. “Tina.”“Pleasure,” she snarled back.I buried my face in Elena’s hair, fighting my laughter. Shit. She’s got an attitude worse than I thought. Fuck. This chick can shoot any bitch down without even thinking about it.She shrugged me off her, grabbed the bags, then looked at the back gate expectantly. I
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 111
ELENAThe bed was cold when I rolled over. And empty. So empty, so cold. My hand patted the mattress for a ridiculous amount of time looking for Aiden. It took a minute, but I finally woke up enough to realize he just wasn’t in bed with me.I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Yawning, I rolled out of bed, grabbed my bag, and removed every inch of yesterday’s makeup from my face. I snag gedsome underwear, denim shorts, and a tank top from my bag, too, and get dressed. The house seemed quiet until I opened the bedroom door. A low murmur of voices traveled up the stairs, and I peeked into Conor’s open door to see if Chloe was inside. When I saw she wasn’t, I made my way down the curving stairs slowly.“I can’t fuckin’ believe it,” Titus growled.“Dollar!” Milka shouted.“Milka, why don’t you go play in the playhouse, baby?” Chloe asked. “Ask Pops for a cookie.”“Pops! Cookie!”“Cookies and house? Okay, Milka,” Diana said. “Pops is still out. Nana give you cookies.”A few moments of silence pass
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 112
Thank God I kept them all.I sat on the steps in front of the station and stared at the open driveway. Hopefully Chloe got my text and knew to pick me up. When it was obvious the interview was going to last longer than two hours, I told her to go home with Bray and told everyone what was happening. Besides, she had a little girl who picked up on things she couldn’t understand, and Milka needed her mama more than I did.A silver Ford pulled into the lot and parks. I watched as a dark-haired girl with legs up to her armpits climbed out and headed toward me.Leah.“Shit,” she said simply. “Is it me or is your ex a serious fuckin’ asswipe?”“It isn’t you.”“Thank fuck.” Leah sat next to me. “Aiden’s never been arrested before.”“I finally gave him a first.”“Whoa.” Leah leaned back. “Finally? He called me two hours ago flippin’ his fuckin’ head because what the hell was his girl doin’ in the station?” She raised her eyebrows. “So before he gets out and busts my ass, how about you get in m
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 113
AIDENAIDENI wished she’d let me go with her. She shouldn’t be going back to Los Angeles alone, especially not when I knew that motherfucker was there.She shouldn’t be fucking leaving me here while she goes to deal with this shit herself. That ain’t how it works. It was painfully damn obvious when her mom called that she didn’t give a shit about Elena—she was too caught up in believing that Martin was some perfect husband-to-be when in reality he wasn’t worth the bird shit on the roof of my dad’s car.And now my girl’s gotta go up there, listen to that crap, and try to walk away without being hit once again.Letting her do it alone was going against every goddamn instinct I possessed. She should be here with me, safe, or I should be there with her, making sure she’s safe. But, damn. The fact she was making me let her go was amazing and showed me who Elena Gilbert really was. Once upon a time, she could barely say boo to a goose without barricading herself into a barbed-wire cage for
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 114
ELENAI stared at my childhood home like it was a foreign country.I had no idea what I was going to find behind the front door. I had no idea if I’ll be welcome or not. Martin had always been a hero in my parents’ eyes. Hell, it was bad enough when they called and refused to believe anything I said.Now I knew it was because Martin went to them before the police. He could speak to them, charm them, and convince them that his words were the undisputable truth. He would have played up the poor-me card, just like he used to whenever he made an excuse up for hitting me.“But, babe, I’ve had a stressful day and I was expecting dinner when I walked in . . . You’re a woman. You should be able to boil potatoes right. It makes me angry when you make careless mistakes, you know that . . . You know we have company tonight. If you’d just cleaned the house, then I wouldn’t have gotten so mad . . .”I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he said to my parents.I swallowed hard, still staring at the
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 115
I wished more than anything that someone was sitting next to me. That that someone was Chloe. That we were laughing at Joey, drinking wine, eating nachos.Instead I was doing all these things. But I was alone.And it sucked. Big time.I was in a hotel in the middle of the city I called home for twenty-two years, and I had no one here. By now, it would be common knowledge within my parents’ circle that I was fighting Martin on this abuse thing. That I was going against him.Yet my so-called friends hadn’t once tried to contact me.I changed my number, sure, but my Facebook didn’t change, neither did my Twitter, and neither did my email. I haven’t had a single message, which further proved to me that the people I had spent the last few years with are 100 percent superficial.I placed a chili-and-guacamole-loaded nacho into my mouth and grabbed my phone from the nightstand.Where are you? I texted Chloe.On the road to Philadelphia. How are you?Desperate to know when you’ll get there so
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 116
AIDENHearing her voice was like a big-ass kick to the gut.Hearing her broken, hurting voice was a big-ass kick to the balls and the gut.I wished she wasn’t hurting. I wished I wasn’t so damn far from her. I wished it wasn’t several hours on a bus then a plane ride until I could be beside her. I wished I wasn’t so damn willing to fuck the show in Philly to get her. To feel her. To touch her.Truth was, I’d give fucking anything for her.I berated Conor so much for how he treated Chloe when she came back. I laughed at him and I abused him, but it was easy because I didn’t get it. I wouldn’t pretend I love Elena the way he loved Chloe, because we had different stories, but that didn’t mean I didn’t regret how I acted.Right now, if I had to, I’d give up everything for her. The lights, the charts, the fame. . . . Every single fucking second would become irrelevant if that was what she needed. Because sometimes you meet the dream you never even dreamed of, and it was more important than
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 117
“And there’s someone here that can prove it,” I whispered.“What?” she asked.I released her and opened her hotel room door. “Elena, meet Mr. David luke, the lawyer that’s gonna win your case against that motherfucker you call an ex.”Elena brought her hand to her mouth again. “Are you for real?” she whispered, gasping, inhaling intensely. “You got me a freakin’ lawyer?”“Mr. Luke, why don’t you head down to the café and get yourself a coffee? I need a minute with my girlfriend.” My suggestion came out as more of an order, but my lawyer nodded and disappeared.Elena gaped at me and sighed. “Aiden, I can’t,” she argued quietly. “I can’t take your lawyer.”“He ain’t my lawyer,” I corrected her. “He’s yours, darlin’. He’s gonna fight your case. He thinks Martin should eat shit, and so do I. Baby, he’s gonna send that motherfucker down for what he did to you.”Elena gripped my polo shirt. “I can’t afford him. My parents . . . I kind of walked out on them, and they kind of disowned me.”I
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Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 130
I was kind of annoyed at his short response, but I was equally amused at his smugness about it. And his amusement—damn, I wanted to laugh while I slap it off his handsome face.For the first time, it stroke me that this fake relationship could be rather dangerous.I stayed quiet as we drove down the country road that’ll take us to Percival Town, a couple of miles up the coast. I had been before—it was the stereotypical little beach town, more so than Santa Monica, even—but it wasn’t my favorite place. For one, the size of the town and its population made Santa Monica looked like a minuscule village unworthy of a supermarket or school of its own, and almost everyone who lived there acted like they were from a city, when they were not.We also had a high school football rivalry, so that could play in, especially since I was head cheerleader and may or may not have gotten into a catfight with Percival’s head cheerleader in senior year.Who also happened to be Titus’s girlfriend at the tim
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 129
IVANA“You’re going out with Titus James? Like on a date? Or out out? Or just as friends?” Sussy’s eyes bugged out of her head. “And you didn’t invite me?”I paused from applying my mascara and looked at her incredulous expression in the mirror. “Come right on into my room, Sus. It was okay. I only might have been naked, or you know, masturbating or something.”“That’s gross.”“So is your obsession with Dirty J.” I gave her a sarcastic smile and went back to my makeup. “But no, it is not a date.”“Uh-huh . . .” she trailed off, and when I screwed my mascara brush back into the tube, she shoved her phone at me. “Then why does Twitter say you’re his girlfriend?”I shrugged and brushed my bangs out. “I saw this meme on Facebook that said Abraham Lincoln once said you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet.”My sister looked at me like I was dumb. “The Internet was invented after Lincoln died.”“Precisely. It’s called sarcasm.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed my phone from the
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 128
“You really want me to say it again?”She rubbed her hand down her face. “Are you insane? She hates you!”I smirked.“Titus . . .” She rolled her eyes. “Okay, obviously not that much, but a fake relationship? Do you even know what you’ve gotten yourself into?”“Yep,” Aiden replied for me. “Because unlike the rest of us, he’s the only one who’s had a successful relationship.”“As evidenced by the fact I am currently single,” I drawled sarcastically at my big brother. “Get a load of that success!”“Don’t be a little prick.”“Every big prick needs a little one.”“Dollars!” Milka shrieked, stomping across the room with her hand out and her chubby fingers clenching in a “gimme” motion. Dutifully, we both dug dollar bills out of our pockets and handed them over. “Tankoo.” She narrowed her bright blue eyes, then pointed at the space between us. “No fight! Bad Uncy Aid and Uncy Titus!”Chloe smiled behind her glass of juice.“She’s real bossy, you know that, right?” I looked at Chloe. “She’s
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER127
TITUSHoly. Shit.I was never, ever fucking putting this chick on the back of my bike ever again.If her arms around me wasn’t bad enough, it was her tits pressed solidly against my back and the fact I knew her pussy was rubbing my ass. Fuck. And in the tiny shorts she was wearing right now? It was a mega mindfuck.In fact, it was a fuck, fuck, fuck, kinda situation.As in why the fuck did I kiss her this morning? Why the hell did I bring her close just to shut her ex up? I shouldn’t give a shit. I should’ve taken the damn coffees, paid, and gotten the hell outta Dodge. But no. I had to plant some fucking seeds in Dodge, didn’t I? And then I had to water them by telling that douchebag that I’m her boyfriend.I had the funniest feeling that wasn’t gonna go down well.In fact, I was almost certain it was gonna go down like a shit ton of loose bricks in an earthquake.Still, though—I could feel her arms wrapped around me tightly, holding her body flush against mine, and it was different
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 126
“I always wondered what it’d be like to fuck you. Now I know.”“Isn’t this a conversation for your right hand?”“No, but it could be for yours.”“Only if that hand is around your neck.” I snatched said hand out of his and placed it on my hip. “What do you want? Why are you here?”“Come with me,” he said, his shoulders rising and falling. “Please?”“A James boy saying please? Did I die and go to hell? ’Cause y’all sure ain’t goin’ to heaven.”His lips twitched. “Vanny.”I took two steps away from him.“Ivana,” he corrected himself. “Come on. Just for ten minutes.”“Take me home,” I demanded, turning back to him. “Let me get changed, and then I’ll consider it.”He took a deep breath, his eyes intent on me as he obviously considered it. “Fine.” He grabbed my hand once more and tugged me between two buildings and onto Main Street.I shielded my eyes from the sunlight before sliding my sunglasses down as we stepped from the shadows created by the alleyway, almost falling after him. He led
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 125
“A frying pan to the face? Sure. Be my guest.”“Coffee, Ivana. I’d like to keep my job.”“Nah, it’s okay. I’ve gotta face him sometime.”“Ken!” She yelled into the kitchen at the chef. “Keep the fryin’ pans away from Jessie here!”“Yes, ma’am,” he called back, laughing.I might have a temper.“Y’all are like pins and needles in my ass,” I mumbled, finishing my coffee and putting the mug into the empty dishwasher. Adrina’s laugh rung through the café as she danced her way to the front door with the key dangling from her pointer finger.Chelsea was the first person through the door, and I blinked harshly. “Don’t look at me like that,” she hissed, stalking toward me. “You didn’t come home last night, did you?”“Say it a bit louder, Chels. I’m not sure my mom heard you.”She rolled her eyes and, glancing at the people behind her, ordered. “Latte, please, to go.” One more glance as I grabbed the takeout cup and she continued, “Why didn’t you text me? You should have texted me!”“Dude, seri
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 124
IVANAIt shouldn’t bother me.But, really, he must have a serious lack of class to just disappear while I slept.What kind of son of a bitch is Titus James? He’s sure as hell a disrespectful little shit, his sexual promises be damned. The fact he delivered on them can be damned, too.He’s real lucky I’m the kind of girl who sticks to her word. When I said no stories, no second times, no whatever it was I said while under the influence of cosmos, I meant it.As long as we never have to see each other again. That’d be fabulous. So basically, Santa Monica needed to expand by another few thousand people. Several thousand would be great. Like, twenty thousand.The chances of this happening are, I know, slim. But a girl can dream. A girl’s gotta dream if she wants to stay sane.A last-minute tour for Dirty J. would be epic. An impromptu concert on Mars would be even more epic.Jesus, what the heck was I thinking? Sleeping with Titus James? Did I have a temporary lapse in sanity last night?
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 123
Blondie’s smile dropped. “Yeah. Why? She your assistant or somethin’?”I smirked. “No, but I’m hirin’.”“Well, how about this.” She stepped forward and ran her finger down my arm. “I give you my number, and when you’re ready to interview, you can call me.”“Or how about you come back here this time next week and if I’m standing right here, you’ll know you got the job.” My lips tugged up even more.Agreeing to call a girl.Fuck. That.That was an amateur move.“Well played,” she whispered in my ear before stalking past me, making sure her tits brush my arm. Her hard, fake tits.I prefer real.The bathroom door opened and I looked up straight into the eyes of . . . my little sister. Leah took a deep breath and held her hand up at me, touching two fingers to her temples. Her ponytail swung as she shook her head. “Aw, hell no. I am not going to think about the fact that I just helped one of my best friends out of Spanx so she can fuck my brother.”She opened her eyes, and I scratched the
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 122
TITUSIvana Lawson reached back and grasped my forearm firmly, shoving my arm away from her like I was fire and she was gasoline. “I mind you touching me,” she replied. “What’s takin’ so long?” she yelled to the bartender.“Chill out, Ivana,” I murmured, moving closer to her and meeting the bartender’s eyes. “Can you hurry with that, babe?”She nodded and within two seconds, a cocktail glass full of perfectly red-pink liquid was placed in front of us.“That’s—”“And a bottle of Budweiser, thanks,” I demanded before she said the price. “Put it on my tab.”“I can pay for my own drink,” Ivana argued, her eyes sparking with defiance.“Sure you can, but that don’t mean you’re gonna.”“It means I will.” She riffled in her purse and slammed a ten into my chest. “Thank you, Titus, but no thank you.”I took the crisp bill from her hand and crumpled it up, crooking my finger in the collar of her dress. She gaped at me in disbelief as I pulled the fabric from her body and dropped the balled-up n
