Dirty Secret

by Elizabeth Lynx

  Chapter 5

  Heidi

  "IT'S SO HOT," I SAID as a lone drop of sweat trickled down the back of my neck.

  Despite the heat and my weak attempts at flirting, I kept climbing the stairs to the top floor of my home.

  "Uh, yeah. It was nice in the basement. Much cooler," Max said with robotic undertones.

  The stiffness and discomfort were like a chainsaw, hacking away at his tolerance.

  Twisting my head, I couldn't help but notice Max quickly turned to study the lavender paint on the wall. That had been our day—I initiated conversation and he gave back plain, short answers.

  But his answers were nuggets of gold compared to his body language. The uncomfortable fidgets or how my words seemed to create an itch that, no matter how much he rubbed his neck, wouldn't go away. And when I took the most minuscule step near him, he stiffened like an animal in the wild who knew danger was near.

  The man clearly hated me.

  "Which room do you want to inspect first?" I pointed around the hall as we arrived at the top of the stairs. My smile wavered as I attempted to stay upbeat.

  His head swiveled to either side of me as if I was a big boulder blocking his line of sight. "Let's start in the master bathroom."

  He followed me through my room, and I was thankful he was behind me and couldn't see my frown. I kicked the cardboard box with the word "Winter" on the side out of the way to the bathroom. My bathroom was small, but we managed to both fit inside.

  While staring at the sink, Max said, "I can do this part alone."

  "Yeah, of course. You don't need me for everything. Probably annoying having to deal with someone that doesn't know what they're doing." I tried to laugh but it turned into a snort.

  "No, you aren't annoying."

  Instead of accepting the best compliment I could get from a man, I had to embarrass myself even more.

  "Thanks, uh . . . I'll let you get back to wielding your superpower with your mighty hands. Able to jump under sinks in a flash, and fit pipes with perfection." I pointed into the air and watched as Max's faced wrinkled in confusion.

  "Uh . . . I guess I'll head back down to the kitchen." I threw my thumb over my shoulder as I backed away, each step short in hopes of being halted by a word from his mouth. "Maybe have some more cookies. Then do some stuff on the Internet."

  His lovely blue eyes widened.

  "I don't mean porn or anything. It's not like that's the only thing on the Internet, you know. Or even that I would know how to look that stuff up. I meant like social media. But I guess porn is social in a way. Unless it's anime porn . . . that's just cartoons." Each word from my lips intensified my frown.

  Was it weird that he wasn't laughing at me? Or that I would be happier if he did show some sort of amusement from my speech?

  Instead, he stiffened. Standing tall, his muscles hardened from the embarrassing nothings that slipped past my lips.

  Part of me was afraid he would run out of the bedroom screaming. Wanting to flee the mad, sex-crazed female he made the mistake of working for. He probably preferred an old-fashioned sort of woman. The kind who enjoyed discussing the weather or her research into correct uses for liquid measuring cups. And that perfectly proper woman wouldn't even know there was such a thing as anime porn.

  I bet Max would take his time with that type of woman, romance her. I bet he would not be satisfied until she was happy before, with aching leisure, he freed each button on the old-maid dress she would wear. I could see his calloused fingers push away the frilly lace trim that climbed up her delicate neck.

  Only then would he climb on top of her and have restrained, missionary style sex.

  I tugged at the front of my shirt to release the heat that was building up. Even imagining that boring scenario was hot because it involved Max.

  "I'll just go." I turned to leave with the speed of a gazelle but with the agility of a rhino.

  My idea wasn't working, though I was grateful I didn't fall as I raced down the stairs and into the kitchen. When I got to my bar stool, I deflated like an old balloon.

  "Heidi, why can't you be suave and sophisticated like Felipe?" I asked myself just before shoving a snickerdoodle into my mouth.

  And another. And, finally, another cookie was consumed.

  Just as I was about to eat my feelings one more time, the doorbell rang.

  Dusting the crumbs off my shirt, hoping I didn't look as pathetic as I felt, I made my way to the front door. Through the peephole I saw the man himself. He had to have an extra sense to know when people were talking about him.

  I swung the door wide. "Felipe, how nice of you to drop by."

  "I figured you were in dire need of help." He pushed past, making his way to the kitchen.

  I hadn't completely closed the door before I heard him yell back, "My God, Heidi, snickerdoodles! I figured it was bad, but not snickerdoodle bad."

  I shuffled toward the kitchen, unsure of what "cure" Felipe would offer to help what ails me. His arms wrapped around me before I made it back to my cookie stool. He was warm, and it was comforting that he always knew what I needed.

  "There, there, little-one-with-no-game." He rocked me back and forth like a baby.

  His not-so-subtle comment irritated me. I pushed away from him and sat my sorry ass on the stool. My fingers reached for a cookie. The cookie wouldn't snark me. I heaved it into my mouth and savored the sweetness before denying Felipe's saltiness. "I've got game."

  Felipe reached over the counter to pick up a napkin, handing it to me. "Your face is covered in crumbs."

  I snatched it out of his hand, wiping away my remorse. He arched one eyebrow and pointed to my forehead. I scowled but rubbed there too.

  Staring at the paper napkin, speckled with sugar and cinnamon, it was time to admit defeat. "How did you know?"

  "Heidi, I've seen you around men you were interested in since James Nelson's party in tenth grade. Your flirting technique has barely improved since. Heck, ripping your jeans sneaking out probably improved your chances, but then you had to bring the cookies."

  "One," I held up a finger, "everyone ate them, and two, I'm the one who got invited to James' party, so it's not like he didn't like me."

  I had to defend my teenage honor. Flirting may not be my strong suit, but at least some guys found me attractive.

  "But what teenager shows up to an underage drinking party with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies?"

  "The plate was empty within minutes of our arrival."

  "Everyone thought you baked pot into them, Heidi! They were pissed when they found out the cookies were just cookies," he said before reaching for one of my snickerdoodles.

  I raised my eyebrow at him.

  "What?" He shrugged. "I never said your cookies weren't good. They just aren't seductive. This isn't the eighteen hundreds." Felipe nibbled the cookie.

  "Fine. Maybe I do need help. But I think he likes that sort of thing."

  "What sort of thing?"

  "A woman with a nineteenth-century frame of mind." I sighed remembering my boring yet surprisingly hot fantasy about Max. "You know what happens when I get nervous . . ."

  Felipe grabbed my upper arms after he raced to my side, tilting his hip onto the stool. "Heidi, no. How bad did your ramblings get? Please tell me you didn't discuss child labor laws of the early twentieth-century again."

  Nibbling on my bottom lip, I stared at his pale blue polo shirt, refusing to gaze up into a face of pity. "I think it would have been better if that subject had come up. Like I said, I believe he likes a woman with the personality of a robot. He didn't find any of my jokes funny."

  "Because they aren't."

  My head shot up to find concern etched in his features. "Anyway, he asked me to leave when we went up to my bedroom to work on the master bathroom. I could tell he was growing tired of me helping."

  "And that tool set we picked out, did it come in handy?"

  I heard the hope woven into his words and knew
he wouldn't like what I had to say. "Yes, but he didn't like it when I tried to have a conversation with him. He gave me a lot of short answers. Like he wanted to be polite because I was paying him, but he didn't want to talk with me."

  "And?" He knew I was holding back the worst part.

  "And . . . when I brought up porn, he stared at me like I was a space alien about to melt his brain."

  The silence from Felipe was too much. I broke the cookie in front of me until it was pile of tiny pieces. Why was my friend, who's never at a loss for words, not saying anything?

  I rolled my eyes but kept attacking the cookie. "It's not like I talked to him about some weird porn that involved dildos shaped like Santa Claus and people wearing reindeer masks."

  "My God, what things do you watch?" Frowning, Felipe shook his head.

  "Nothing! I don't watch porn. The anime porn thing just fell out of my mouth," I said hoping to sound more respectable but realized too late, that it made me sound worse.

  He stood pulling me with him. "Maybe we can fix this."

  Felipe examined my outfit. That was good. I spent a lot of time this morning making sure I wore the sexiest clothes in my closet. Maybe this time my friend would be proud at my attempt.

  "What happened to the outfit I picked out for you? It said classy but willing to get a little messy."

  I glanced down at my threadbare T-shirt and shorts. "I didn't want to get it grimy. It was too nice."

  He waved his hands. "I'm sure you have no problem getting this one grimy. It screams filthy."

  Tugging at the hem of my shirt with sudden awareness of my exposed skin, I tried my best to explain my logic, "But men like sexy, right? I figured that—"

  "Excuse me. Heidi?" Max's voice came from the entrance way. Felipe and I turned our heads at the same time.

  "Hi, Max. Do you need my help?" A satisfying smirk landed on my face as I slid my eyes toward Felipe.

  Maybe my outfit did work. There was frustration in Max's eyes. Was he upset he didn't have his new assistant? His sexy, dirty new assistant.

  "No, it isn't that." Max's azure eyes bounced between me and Felipe.

  That was when I felt a warm hand on my lower back and I went rigid. My head flipped up to find an expression on Felipe's face that I instantly recognized—his killer-lawyer face, the same look that told anyone near not to fuck with him.

  As I attempted to shift away from Felipe's hand, he pulled me closer.

  "Then what is it?" Felipe asked Max with his sharp lawyer tone.

  Max's jaw tightened as he witnessed Felipe's hand slither from my back and curl around my hip.

  "I have to go. I forgot there was another appointment I promised for today. I can pick this up, uh . . . tomorrow." His eyes remained glued to Felipe's hand.

  "Okay. Thanks for everything. I'll be here tomorrow!" I said with a smile. "Completely ready to help!" I couldn't seem to stop my words when he didn't move or respond.

  Max looked up and what I saw there broke my heart and made me want to strangle Felipe. His eyes held pain.

  "Yup. Tomorrow." His words were abrupt and his escape from my home was even more so. Max was out the door like a gust of wind, taking my breath with him.

  Felipe stumbled back after I shoved him. I didn't have a lawyer face, but I did have a I'm-going-to-kill-you expression.

  "Great, now he thinks we're an item. What was that whole "this is my woman" move that you just pulled, and how was it going to get Max to go out with me?"

  Felipe's shoulders trembled as he failed at holding back his laughter. "Because, Heidi, that man wants you."

  "Even if he does, which he doesn't, he won't anymore."

  I raised my arms, contemplating murder, but waved them around instead. Max didn't come across as the conjugal visit sort of guy.

  "Trust me, Heidi, Max the plumber wants you and all your dirtiness." Felipe's smile grew out of control.

  I didn't know whether to be worried or elated.

  Chapter 6

  Max

  "I'M GOING TO TELL HER the truth."

  My father sat at our round kitchen table while reading the newspaper. The only acknowledgment to what I said was a humph noise as he turned the page.

  "I overpriced the job by twenty thousand dollars. That's a lot of money."

  I started on my short path around our kitchen, not waiting for my father's input. Pacing helped me put things into perspective.

  Each counter and surface held a memento of our family. Kat's drawings fluttered as I walked briskly by on my circular trek. I stopped in front of a shelf that contained my great-great-grandmother's old tea set and a framed watch my great-grandfather got in France during World War II.

  All of it was a reminder of the sharp contrast between me and Heidi. Even if she didn't ruin me after I confessed the truth to her, it's not like I could take her on a date. She's out of my league, and I had the thin layer of dust on a century-old tea set to prove it.

  I folded my arms and leaned against the counter. "I may even go to jail for it. If that happens, please take care of Kat. Don't let Jackie gain full custody."

  My ex-wife was a spoiled daddy's girl that wanted a doll to play with and a wealthy man to support her. When we met, she had no idea my dad's plumbing business made just enough to support his family and nothing more. She thought since he owned his own business that our family had to be made of money.

  She was wrong.

  Jackie was beautiful, with long brown hair and sparkling green eyes. I remember feeling like the luckiest man in the world because she wanted me. But it was all a lie. As was her claim that she was on birth control while when we were dating. I found out too late that she didn't even have a prescription for birth control.

  Jackie got her doll only to discover it was a living, breathing baby that required consistent attention and work. Jackie didn't like work.

  My father put down the paper, crinkling it in the process. "I would fight that woman until my last breath before I let her have our Kat. And you're not going to jail. You may lose that plumbing job, but you aren't going to jail."

  A year ago, my father retired and handed me his business. It's now Brighton Plumbing, instead of Brighton and Sons.

  My fingers scratched the back of my neck. I wanted to do right by him, but there was something gnawing at me. I need to stick to the truth, no matter the consequences.

  Growing up I was a little wild and rarely listened to what my father told me. He warned me against Jackie, and a part of me wished I had listened. But the other part—the father in me—wouldn't change a thing. As much as I wanted to believe my dad, it was hard to accept the thing with Heidi wouldn't end badly.

  A rumbling on the stairs distracted me from my thoughts. Seconds later, a multi-colored blur came dashing into the room.

  "Whoa, slow down, Kat." I chuckled, widening my arms and was almost blown over as she crashed into me.

  "Morning, Dad. We're going to the zoo today!"

  I bent to her level and her smile widened as she gripped my shoulders. My heart fluttered, just as it did when I first laid eyes on her in that hospital room over eight years ago. Kat's hazel eyes shone. She had the wonderful ability to infect joy into everyone around her. My gaze sliced to my father and even his usual stern veneer melted into happiness.

  "Yes, we are, but I have to take care of something first before we go." I stood and ran my fingers over her long mop of brown hair, mussing it up even more.

  With a frown, her excitement vanished. "We won't have daylight forever, Dad. We have to get to the zoo soon to see the pandas."

  "I promise not to take long. Grandpa will get you breakfast, and I'll run out to do what I have to do. By the time you're done with breakfast, brushed your teeth," I gave her a stern look, "and get dressed, I'll be back and ready to go."

  "Fine. But can I have the Frosted Mini-Wheats this morning?" Her eyes studied the floor. Kat knew I limited her sugar.

  "I think that's a great idea. In fact, I snuck
out this morning before your dad woke and got a little something at the bakery." Dad cupped the side of his mouth as if letting Kat in on a secret, but I could hear every word.

  My dad spoiled my daughter. Any other day I'd give my father grief about indulging her, but guilt of what I had done to Heidi was softening my resolve. I can only hope Kat didn't have too many meltdowns at the zoo from all the sugar.

  "I'll leave you two to your fun." I gave Kat a kiss on the cheek and headed toward the front door.

  Squaring my shoulders and with reluctance in my step, I left the house. Heidi's home was around the corner, but I took my time, drawing out my impending doom.

  With a rapidly beating heart—less from walking and more from fear—I stood staring at her gray front door. I hoped for a moment the teeth from the lion of the brass door knocker would tear me apart and save me from facing Heidi.

  It wasn't my sense of obligation or thoughts of Heidi's sweet smile that finally got me to knock, but the luscious smell of cinnamon that seeped through the cracks of her door.

  Heidi was generous, could bake mouth-watering cookies, and dammit, she was funny, too. She's the best package wrapped with the sexiest bow.

  The door opened. My breath left my lungs, and I feared it was lost, never to return.

  She was sweet, achingly kind, and the more time I'd spent with her, the more I felt my heart being pulled by her sticky fingers.

  Her hair was piled on her head in a sloppy bun and an adorable dot of flour topped her nose. As if on cue, Heidi's inviting grin appeared and this time, it hurt to watch. Was she expecting me? That couldn't be possible.

  "Oh, hi, Max. I didn't think you were coming by today to work." She rubbed her hands together and flour clouded the air.

  Perhaps she had known I was coming to confess. To torture me with freshly baked goods just out of my reach.

  "I'm sorry to interrupt your morning."

  I did my best to maintain eye contact, but she blushed while snorting a laugh and it was difficult to watch without curling my fingers through her careless hair.

  She bit her lip before her hand reached toward me. "No bother at all. I just finished making cinnamon rolls. Why don't you come in, and I'll make you a plate?"