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Thirty Sixth Secret
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Darien was too surprised by the declaration to reply immediately. They had just decided they were friends after three weeks and now after another week, Zach thought they were best friends.
Was this what being stuck in the friendzone was?
He had heard the phrase before and had never thought he could ever apply to him given his lack of interest in romantic relationships. Now he knew what it felt like.
It was flattering to know that Zach really had warmed up to him which was a miracle given what had happened when they first met, but he wanted to be more than his best friend.
He became aware that Zach was looking at him with his big eyes. The intern clearly wanted a response to his declaration.
“I thought we were just friends last week,” he said casually and licked his ice cream before it could drip on his hand.
“I know I know I said that, I just feel like we’re closer than that. You just served me ice cream and you’re letting me use your
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The CEO's Little Secret Thirty Seventh Secret
Zach opened the door of his apartment and encountered Emilia in the hallway. She took one sniff of the air and busted him.“You smell like chlorine,” she said. “Where did you go?”He wasn’t in the position where he could say that he had a best friend with an indoor pool. He had no choice but dodge the truth again. If he was lucky, Emilia wouldn’t ask him any other questions.“To a swimming pool.”Emilia nodded. “I sometimes want to have a swim. Work is a bitch for now. My sleeping schedule is messed up from all the late nights.”She walked into the kitchen and Zach breathed a silent sigh of relief. He had escaped an interrogation.He hung his wet clothes up on the drying rack to put in the washing machine later. He needed a shower as well to get the chlorine out of his hair. Then he could relax for a few hours before preparing dinner.Darien’s cooking skills were slowly
The CEO's Little Secret Thirty Eighth Secret
The billionaire led him inside the patisserie. Zach looked around in wonderment. He didn’t know what it looked like on a normal day but tonight it looked impressively horror themed. The walls were covered in black drapes and the only lighting was provided by artificial candles lit up in varying shades of red. The staff were also dressed up for the occasion and Zach felt at home already. He hadn’t even eaten anything chocolate yet. “I’ll find a table before it gets too busy,” Darien said. “I think we know each other well enough for you to pick something on my behalf.” The queue for the counter was already growing at a rapid pace so Zach hurriedly joined it. He looked at the special menu on the wall so he would save time when it was his turn to be served. The menu was full of themed cakes, chocolates and light refreshments. He chose for himself quickly and took more time with Darien’s potential order. Darien was much more open to sweet treats now, but h
The CEO's Little Secret Thirty Ninth Secret
Zach didn’t know what to say to that. She had caught him in the act and judging from the camera in her hands, she had photographic evidence. As he expected she turned her camera around and showed him a photo that was of Darien holding his arm in a way that looked more romantic than it really had been. He recognised that it was taken when he tripped up and Darien had caught him. Even with make-up and different hair, it was still unmistakably Darien to someone who knew what he looked like. “It isn’t what it looks like,” was all he could say. “He was the man I found on your lap that night,” she said. “After having to see photos of him at work I realised he looked a lot like that mysterious man…” There was no denying that one. In retrospect his secret relationship with Darien had been a ticking time bomb. He had messed up too many times in Emilia’s presence and she was exceedingly sharp and observant which was why she wanted to be a reporter. Was
The CEO's Little Secret Fortieth Secret
Darien didn’t sleep well either, but for a very different reason. Dressing up for a special event had brought back memories of the masked ball again and he was being bothered by something.Zach looked very alluring in his outfit with his make-up. Darien had stared at his lips a lot and the more he had stared, the more familiar they looked.He had quickly brushed off the resemblance between his dancing partner at the masked ball and Zach before as the intern hadn’t shown any signs of recognition and he wasn’t the type of person to break off communication over a rushed exit. Zach had forgiven him almost immediately over his taunts about Austin which suggested he didn’t hold grudges against people.It couldn’t really be him, it didn’t match psychologically. There was just a strong resemblance between him and the masked person. He was overthinking everything.He frowned. He had remembered something important. Zach had gone
The CEO's Little Secret Forty First Secret
Darien was lost for words. It really had been Zach all along. The intern pulled off the mask and held it up to take a closer look at it. Darien waited for him to speak.“I’ve worn a mask exactly like this one before,” he said.That admission added more to Darien’s ironclad certainty that his masked dancing partner was Zach. He just didn’t know how to ask why Zach had never contacted him again two years ago.“I wore it to a masked ball two years ago,” Zach continued. “I never went to the masked ball ever again after that.”“Why is that?” Darien asked softly.Zach kept his gaze on the mask in his hands. Darien impatiently waited for him to answer.“It’s hard to admit this. I met another man there and I might just have snogged him. I wasn’t drunk, I was just feeling weirdly brave,” Zach explained. “We got along very well and we were going to meet again. He left in a hurry and gave me his number.”Everything had fallen into place. He had heard it from Zach himself, it wasn’t just his own s
The CEO's Little Secret Forty Second Secret
Zach arranged his hair in the mirror. His hair was getting long now, he really needed to get it cut. He frowned when he saw a sign of a pimple on his chin. He never normally cared much about his appearance once he had gone through his first meeting with Darien.Now he was in a state that meant he had gone through three outfits. They weren’t even going anywhere fancy this time. Darien had suggested it was best to avoid higher class restaurants for the time being.Zach had found a place in London that apparently had great food and was never busy due to the poor location and very limited menu. That was perfect for their needs.Emilia was out for work and he was glad. She would take one look at him and know who he was going to meet. She hadn’t mentioned Darien again since showing him the photo and Zach knew the subject of him wasn’t quite closed yet.She had believed he only liked Darien as a best friend because that was what he had felt whe
The CEO's Little Secret Forty Third Secret
Zach realised too late that he was outmatched by a group of women. In his confusion he ran down a street with a dead end and when he turned to find another route, they were already blocking it. He felt the blood dripping down his face and realised that his face had sustained a cut when he had been slapped.The purple haired woman approached him and he ducked past her. This was one of the only times his short height was an advantage.Another of the women in the group caught his wrist which he managed to shake free. He ran back the way he had come, his breath coming in short panicked bursts. This time there was another person walking on the pavement a short distance away which was a relieving sight. There was no way they would attack him with someone else present.Then someone grabbed his arm and he saw the purple headed woman had caught up to him. He cried out in pain from her tight grip.She was intent on not letting him escape.A boot came flying
The CEO's Little Secret Forty Fourth Secret
Darien couldn’t hide his shocked reaction. His mouth dropped open and he gave her his full attention. He had never expected to be recognised by Zach’s flatmate of all people. “Please don’t tell Zach,” he said quickly. “He will feel very guilty about forgetting my face.” Emilia looked him in the eyes. He was getting the feeling that she was a very straightforward person that didn’t take any nonsense. “I’m not going to tell him. I don’t want to upset him either,” she replied. “I always thought Darien Harper looked like the man I saw snogging Zach. I was put off the trail by your straight playboy persona. That wasn’t what I came to say by the way.” Darien blinked in surprise. She was certainly unique and was definitely going to be difficult to handle. She knew he was gay and she was very protective of Zach and knew him as the man who had made out with him. He crossed his arms and tried to look more intimidating. It likely wasn’t going to work, bu
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The CEO's Little Secret Author's Note
Hello, This story has come to an end now. I just wanted to thank every reader who has supported this story over the past few months. My intention with this story was to create a CEO story that BxB story readers can enjoy as the genre is normally dominated with straight stories. I will miss writing this story as I had fun creating all the different characters. I am planning to enter the 'A Touch of Rainbow' contest at some point so you will all see me sometime soon. I am very excited for the contest. Thank you again for all the support. Cassandra Kim
The CEO's Little Secret Final Secret
1 year later:“What did you think of my latest chapter?” Darien asked. “From an editor's perspective, not as my boyfriend.”Zach glanced at his boyfriend with a critical eye. He still couldn’t quite believe that his first client as a freelance editor was Damien Black.“I had to make a lot of edits, you changed character perspectives too frequently. It wasn’t a consistently written chapter.”Darien listened to his criticism with a pout and then his pout became a cheeky smirk. His boyfriend was always keen to flirt with him no matter how formal the setting was.“What did you think as my boyfriend?”“I have the same opinion,” Zach replied with the same stern tone.His boyfriend looked disappointed and Zach didn’t bother trying to placate him. Darien always bounced back from criticism about his writing. Zach checked his watch. He had an appointm
The CEO's Little Secret Fifty Ninth Secret
The weekend went too fast for Zach’s liking. It felt like two days with Darien to himself had flashed by at an impossibly fast speed.He rolled over in bed and turned off his phone alarm. He was still at Darien’s house and they were getting up early so they could get to the office without being seen together by anyone.Darien groaned next to him.“Is it time to go to work already?” he asked sleepily.Zach pulled back the bedcovers with a yawn. He had his work clothes on hand, but he did need a shower before going to work.“It is time to get up for work,” he corrected. “You’re making breakfast, I’m going in the shower.”“That’s fair,” Darien agreed and got out of bed. “I’ll see you downstairs.”Zach had a quick shower and dried his hair using the hairdryer in Darien’s personal bathroom. He hadn’t used the spare room since the nig
The CEO's Little Secret Fifty Eighth Secret
“I am ready for our date,” Zach said. “Did you give the reporters the slip?”He got into the passenger seat as he spoke and Darien did his seatbelt for him.“I got my PA to drive the car here and came down here a few minutes before you,” Darien explained. “I sent all the reporters away earlier. Anyone still here is just very persistent.”Zach took a careful look at him. Darien didn’t look tense at all. In fact he looked quite happy and free. It was good to see the change. It had occurred to him that Darien might have second thoughts about coming out publicly after the press attention.“Has all the coverage from the media been positive?” Zach asked.Darien grinned at him.“Only one tabloid used homophobic slurs- there’s already some legal action going there. The reaction has been good overall. I think I might have broken a lot of hearts in the process though.”
The CEO's Little Secret Fifty Seventh Secret
Darien was caught off guard by the question. Since Zach had admitted to being in love with him, his desire to come out as a gay man had been forgotten.As it stood, he wouldn’t be able to take Zach to many places on a date out of fear of being recognised. That wasn’t fair to Zach and he didn’t want to be like that either.He wanted to come out.He waited for the feelings of panic and fear over admitting to being gay to appear and they didn’t.Darien realised he had completely changed now.Since meeting Zach and falling in love with him, he had lost his fear of public opinion. He was content to come out and be honest.“I feel like I can,” Darien told him.Zach’s face lit up with excitement and he pulled him into a hug.“That’s really good, Darien,” he said. “I fulfilled my end of the contract without knowing it.”Knowing that people were going to judg
The CEO's Little Secret Fifty Sixth Secret
Zach was very reluctant to leave Darien in the evening, but he knew he couldn’t call in sick for another day. Darien dropped him off outside his building after a long kiss. Zach entered his apartment building and hesitated at the stairs. He did like to stay fit by taking the stairs, he had just done too much physical exertion to manage all those stairs. He elected to take the lift up to his floor instead. Emilia was sitting at the kitchen table when he walked in and he tried not to act like his whole body was sore from having sex with Darien. “Did you call in sick to work?” she asked suspiciously. “We did,” he admitted. He had already eaten dinner with Darien. The billionaire had surprised him by ordering a Chinese takeaway and they had eaten it in the dining room, the plastic containers and cheap disposable chopsticks contrasting with the fancy table and chandelier. Emilia snorted and took a sip of her coffee. “I’m glad that t
The CEO's Little Secret Fifty Fifth Secret
Zach was very quick to agree to the date request.“Of course I’ll go on a date with you. Isn’t that what we've been doing unofficially anyway?”“I want to go on a date with you as your boyfriend,” Darien pointed out. “That’s different.”Zach realised he was correct. They had gone to places first as two people in a business relationship, then as friends and best friends. Going somewhere as boyfriends was going to be different.“When did you want to go on a date?” he asked.Darien looked over at the clock on the wall and turned back to smile at him.“There’s no time like the present. Let’s make use of our ‘sick’ day. I don’t think I can wait until the weekend and I’ll need to send you home at some point today so you can get to work tomorrow.”Zach didn’t have any reason to disagree with that idea. He didn’t want
The CEO's Little Secret Fifty Fourth Secret
It had certainly been a rollercoaster of a day. Zach had thought Adam’s date request had been the peak and then he had thought that confessing his love to Darien would be the peak. Instead the peak was an attempted acid attack from Darien’s most psychotic ex-girlfriend. Darien drove the car at a steady speed and kept glancing at him. Zach still didn’t feel like speaking. Giving his statement to the police officers at the scene had taken most of his energy. He was probably in some state of shock as well. One moment he had been on his way to confess his love to Darien, the next he was being shoved to the ground by Darien to avoid an acid attack. He had a lot of questions for the billionaire, but he was too tired to start that conversation. His eyes closed and the next thing he knew he was being shaken awake by Darien. “Come on, Zach,” Darien said softly. “I don’t have the strength to carry you up the steps so you are going to have to walk yourse
The CEO's Little Secret Fifty Third Secret
Zach stared at Adam in surprise. Despite Meghan’s regular teasing comments, he had never expected to receive a confession from Adam.Another part of his mind noted that he had received two confessions in the past three days. He was becoming popular.How should he respond to this one?Unlike Darien, Adam was just asking him on a date. He wasn’t confessing his love. Zach made up his mind very quickly.“I only see you as a friend,” he said gently. “I don’t think it would work out between us.”He felt no feelings of love towards Adam. The editor was just a very friendly co-worker who was very attentive to him.Adam looked away for a moment and Zach didn’t know what to do. He didn’t like to hurt anyone’s feelings, but it wouldn’t be fair to get Adam’s hopes up by going on a date with him. He would only be leading him on.“I accept your answer,” Adam replied
