The Secret

by Maggie Cole

  “Really?” I didn’t believe him. All I saw on the newsstand was myself.

  “Turn on the TV. I need to get into practice or I’ll get fined. I’ll call you later.”

  I hung up. “Collin, Keri said to turn on the TV; it’s not all bad.”

  Collin grabbed the remote and turned on the television. Every news channel was about Keri, Sam, and Tom.

  I started to feel better, but then Collin flipped the channel. “Who exactly is Meg Grail?”

  A full story about me popped up.

  “Before Meg Grail came to New York and became the right hand of Olivia White, she lived in New Jersey. We did some digging into her background and found that her father, Daniel Grail, is serving life for the first-degree murder of her mother,” the female anchor reported.

  The male news reporter chimed in, “It’s amazing what Ms. Grail has accomplished when you consider that she has a high school diploma and a background of crime in her family.”

  Collin turned the screen off. Horror filled me. The entire world now knew my past. It had caught up to me, and no matter how much I wanted to pretend it didn’t exist, I could no longer hide from it.

  Tears of shame fell silently down my cheeks, and Collin held me tight and stroked my hair.

  I don’t know how long Collin held me, but the doorbell rang. He threw a blanket over me and walked to the front door and hit the intercom. It was Liv. He buzzed her in, and she was soon knocking on the door. Collin opened it.

  Liv rushed over, put her arms around me and I once again sobbed. “Shhh, it’s okay, it’s all going to be all right.”

  “Everyone knows,” I whispered to her.

  She hugged me again. “Meg, who cares? It doesn’t change who you are or what you’ve accomplished.”

  I shook my head and closed my eyes.

  Collin came over and set down a cup of tea for me and coffee for Liv as my phone rang.

  Collin picked it up. “Hey, Sam.”

  “She’s right here, hold on.” He handed me the phone.

  I shook my head again, but like before Collin made me take it.

  “Meg, you okay?”

  “Not the best day of my life.”

  “I’m used to this crap, but you don’t deserve this. I’m so sorry. This is Keri’s and my fault.”

  Well, at least they were on the same ‘falling on the sword’ page.

  “It’s not your fault or Keri’s.”

  “Look, I know this feels terrible right now, but eventually, this will blow over. Try to focus on the positive; that’s how I get through it.”

  Wow. Sam gave me good advice. I smiled for the first time since I woke up. “Thanks, Sam.”

  “I have video recaps, but I’ll call you later to check on you. Head up, girl.”

  “Thanks, Sam.” I hung up.

  Liv sat down in the armchair across from me. Collin picked up my feet and sat down with them in his lap to give me a foot massage.

  Another call came in on Collin’s phone.

  “It’s Turbo. I have to take this.”

  Liv and I nodded.

  “Stephen,” Collin answered.

  Liv and I both sat up straighter.

  “Correct.” The negotiator was back.

  Liv took her finger and pointed at Collin and then made a circular motion around her face. I smiled and quietly laughed.

  Collin shot us a quick ‘be quiet’ face. “It’s only the beginning of what they want to do. Marko is getting his foundation involved to help as well.”

  I gave Liv a ‘what’s this about’ stare.

  Liv gave me her ‘I don’t know’ look.

  “Yeah, well, you know how the paparazzi like to make shit up out of thin air.” The negotiator was calm like it was no big deal.

  Damn, how did he stay so calm all the time?

  He gave a short laugh. “None of our lives are that interesting.”

  I thought our negotiations last night were pretty interesting.

  “You’re gonna have to go up for both of them; you know that. You can’t offer the same for more.” Collin told Stephen in his non-negotiable tone.

  Collin started to pace. “Five times.”

  I jerked my head in shock at Liv. Five times was unheard of.

  Collin laughed sarcastically. “You heard me right. Five times.”

  Liv held up her hand to me. “Five times,” she mouthed.

  The negotiator walked over to the window. “You heard me correctly. Five times.”

  My head moved quickly back and forth between Collin and Liv.

  Collin looked out over the skyline. “What I know is that Turbo’s return is going to be a thousand times plus. So five times, or we walk over to your competitor.”

  Liv raised her eyebrows at me.

  “That’s a good point because I sat down with every single one of your competitors last week.” Collin put his hand through his hair.

  My pulse quickened just watching him. I wondered again how he managed to stay so calm.

  Collin turned and stared at me. “Forty-eight hours.”

  My body pulsed. Damn he’s hot.

  “No, I think that is totally fair.” Collin paced again, licked his lips, and paused to listen.

  Liv and I shot each other nervous glances.

  “Enough is enough. We’ve proven it. You got what you wanted. It’s time for Turbo to pony up. Forty-eight hours. All in or all out. Decide, or we move on.” Collin hung up and took a deep breath.

  Liv and I exchanged more glances, then stared at Collin.

  Collin paused a moment. “It worked. They love the marketability. They want full lines of apparel in addition to the shoe for both Keri and Sam. They also want to do cross-marketing since they work so well together.”

  “Five times?” Liv asked.

  “Yes.” Collin nodded.

  Liv’s phone rang. She walked to the door and released the buzzer.

  Soon, Tom came in and handed me a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. “I thought you might want this for breakfast since we’re together now.”

  I laughed. “Go get me a spoon.”

  He handed Liv a pint. “You get one since I’ve dumped you.”

  She pulled him down for a kiss.

  “So, what did I miss?” Tom asked.

  Liv jumped in. “Collin told Turbo forty-eight hours, for five times, for Keri and Sam.”

  Tom whistled.

  “Why five times, Collin?” I asked him.

  “Three reasons. I’m tired of their charades, they can afford it, and my guys deserve it. Grab me a spoon too, Tom.” Collin grabbed my feet, sat back down, and rubbed them.

  I licked my lips at him.

  “What?”

  “You’re pretty sexy when you negotiate and get all fired up like that.” I licked my lips again and winked.

  Collin gave me a smoldering look.

  Tom came over with four spoons. “So, what now?”

  Collin took a deep breath. “We wait.”

  19

  Meg

  It was early evening when I showered and fixed myself up; that included half a bottle of eye drops to get rid of my red eyes. Collin had gone to a meeting he couldn’t reschedule and it had been a few hours.

  Standing in the closet, I looked at my small pile of clothes. I realized that I hadn’t been to my apartment in a few days.

  The thought entered my head that Collin and I hadn’t discussed moving in together again. We were supposed to talk the night before, but the car ride wasn’t any cooler than the previous two. After dinner at La Tease, we hadn’t made it past the family room before all our clothes were off, and we were fucking again.

  Deep in thought, I replayed our sexual escapades in my head and didn’t hear Collin come in.

  I stood in the closet, in a towel, and stared at the dresser drawer which contained a few of my bras and panties. Collin snuck up and grabbed me from behind, which made me jump.

  “Well, that’s a site I’m going to keep in my mind
,” he teased.

  “Ha, ha.”

  “I brought some things back for you, from your apartment.”

  I reached up and kissed him, “Thanks, babe.”

  He held up a bag and shook it. “This is for you.” Mischief filled his eyes.

  “What is it?”

  He put on his negotiator's face. “Open it.”

  I grabbed the bag and pulled out a very expensive, very delicate Carine Gilson, copper bra and underwear set, along with a matching kimono.

  Collin had a mischievous look on his face. “Put it on. I want to have the visual all night in my head.”

  “Well, aren’t you naughty?” I laughed.

  He stepped to the side and pointed to a Neiman Marcus garment bag I hadn’t noticed. “Got you that too, for tonight.”

  “Tonight?”

  He grinned. “I made reservations at Zizi’s.”

  Panic surged through me. “Collin, I can’t go outside. The paparazzi…”

  He stepped forward and put his finger on top of my lip. “Shh…”

  I stopped. My heartbeat started to go up.

  “We aren’t going to hide. We’ve done enough of that. Tom is sending over two of his bodyguards. I’m taking you out.” He stepped back, unzipped the garment bag, and pulled out a gold cocktail dress, and slung it over his shoulder. He pointed to the lingerie. “Put it on, then come out and get your dress.”

  I took a deep breath. “Collin—”

  “We’re going out, Meg.” He turned and left.

  I sighed and started to put everything on, including my kimono.

  I had to hand it to Collin—he made a good choice. The colors were perfect with my red hair and green eyes.

  When I walked out, Collin gave me a low, sexy whistle. I blushed.

  He sat on the bed, and I stood between his thighs. He wrapped his mouth around mine, and his hands grabbed my ass through the kimono.

  Slowly, he untied my kimono and removed it, then pushed me back so he could check me out. “Turn around,” he commanded in a sultry voice.

  “What are you going to give me?”

  He raised his eyebrow at me and put his negotiator face on.

  “What do you want, Meg?”

  I paused, took a step forward, and put my arms around his neck. “A real estate agent. We need our own closets.”

  His face did a double-take. I had caught him off guard. As he started to realize what I meant, his negotiator face changed into a schoolboy grin. “Done.”

  I crushed my mouth into his and he hardened.

  He pushed me away. “Turn around,” he growled.

  I turned. Then, to be a tease, I slowly extended my arms into the air and then bent down and stretched my fingers to my toes, tossing my hair as I came back up.

  I turned back to Collin and licked my lips. “Unzip my dress,” I instructed him.

  He unzipped my dress and held it open as I stepped in it. Then he moved my hair to one side, zipped me up, and kissed my neck.

  Maybe we can skip dinner and go directly to dessert? I pushed my ass into him and felt his erection. Well, at least I’m not the only one getting turned on, I thought.

  “Put these on,” he mumbled. I opened my eyes. A pair of Gucci stilettos dangled from his fingers.

  I turned around. “Nice touch, Mr. Corwin.”

  He laughed, slapped my ass, and looked at his watch. “We need to get moving. Get your shoes on.”

  “You put my shoes on.”

  Collin gave me a cocky grin and bent down. He reached up to grab one of the shoes, pulled my dress up, and exposed my thigh, then kissed from my inner thigh down to my foot as he put on my shoe.

  It's official. I'm going to be super wet all night.

  I handed him the other shoe.

  “What are you going to give me?” he asked.

  I didn’t have to think about that one. “Dessert,” I said in a naughty voice.

  Collin licked his lips. “Done.” He grabbed my shoe, then repeated the same move.

  After my shoes were on, he led me to the door and put on my coat.

  We stood together in the elevator, his arm around me, his hand on my hip, and my head on his chest.

  It was crazy how much we had been through, and this was our first real date in public.

  We walked outside, and the bodyguards quickly led us to the car. The paparazzi were in a frenzy as they shot photos and shouted.

  I had briefly forgotten about the paparazzi who no doubt would also be outside of Zizi's.

  He opened the door for me to get in. I climbed in, and he quickly followed me. I took a deep breath. Collin put his arm around me. “Don’t think about it. Think about my dessert,” he said naughtily.

  I slowly ran my tongue across my lips. “It’s about time you finally took me on a proper date,” I teased.

  Collin smiled, then turned serious. “I’ve always wanted to take you on a proper date.”

  A thought hit me. “I forgot, I’m not supposed to wear panties in here,” and started to pull my dress up.

  Collin stopped me. “Not tonight, Meg.”

  I looked at him, surprised. Was Collin nervous?

  He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss.

  I suddenly had butterflies. Collin was taking this first date thing seriously.

  “You want to stay on our side of town or find a place closer to Liv and Tom’s?” he asked me.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Don’t care, as long as you come with the place.”

  “Done.” He grinned.

  “Hey, Collin?”

  “Hmmm?”

  I took a deep breath. “Do you want kids?”

  His face turned serious. “If you want kids, then yes. If you don’t, then no. I never really thought about it, to be honest, because I have never had anyone that I would want them with before.”

  Collin’s fingers stroked my arm. “Do you want kids?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know.” I honestly didn’t know. But now that we were free to be together and this was real, I thought I should ask in case he adamantly wanted them.

  We pulled up to Zizi’s. As I assumed, the paparazzi were in full force.

  One of the bodyguards came and opened our door; the other one stood next to him.

  “We just have to get inside,” Collin whispered. “Stay close to me.”

  You don’t have to worry about that.

  He stepped out and reached in to grab me. Our bodyguards cleared the way and shooed the paparazzi back.

  As soon as I stepped out, I heard them screaming my name.

  I clenched my hand in Collin’s as he pulled me up to him. Swiftly, he moved me through the crowd of flashing lights.

  Once inside, the hostess quickly led us to our private booth. Collin motioned to the bodyguards, and they left. He helped me get my coat off, and I sat down.

  Collin took a seat across from me, and the waiter came up, introduced himself, and asked if we wanted sake.

  “Meg?”

  “Sure.”

  Collin held up two fingers to the waiter.

  “How did your meeting go?” I inquired realizing I hadn’t asked him earlier.

  Collin gave me a dirty smile. “I didn’t have a meeting. I went shopping.”

  I blushed and remembered the sexy lingerie underneath my dress that he was imagining.

  “You’ve gone to a lot of effort to take me to dinner,” I took my foot out of my shoe, put it on his ankle, and scandalously moved it up his leg.

  A smile crept onto Collin’s face. “I did owe you a new pair of panties.”

  I licked my lips, bit my lip slightly, then moved my foot until it was almost to his crotch, then down again.

  The waiter came back with the sake and started discussing the specials.

  As Collin tried to concentrate on the waiter, I smirked at him and continued to move my foot back up and grazed his dick. His erection hardened as I squeezed him with my toes.

  He inhaled sharply
, with his negotiator face on, while I continued massaging him with my toes. I felt him respond and saw his jaw tightening. The waiter kept talking.

  Collin asked the waiter if we could have a few minutes.

  I took my foot and moved it back down his leg but stayed between his ankle and mid-calf.

  “Did you catch any of that?” I smirked at him.

  Collin burst out laughing. “Not a word.”

  “Maybe we should order from the menu?” I suggested and moved my foot slightly higher onto his thigh and back into his groin.

  Quickly, he grabbed my foot and firmly rubbed the ball of it before interlocking his fingers between my toes. I let out a gasp as a bolt shot through my leg and straight into my vagina.

  Cocky Collin gave me a look of satisfaction.

  I tried to pull my foot away, but he had me on lockdown. He continued the motion, and I inhaled sharply.

  “So what should we order?” His cockiness was still all over his face as I continued to breathe heavily.

  I bit my lip, sucked on my index finger for a minute, and pushed my heel into his dick. “You decide.”

  The waiter magically appeared. “Ready to order?”

  Quickly, he let go of my foot with one of his hands and pulled it from under the table. “Bring us the special, please,” he requested, while he still gripped between my toes.

  I took the opportunity to pull my foot away. I needed to cool down.

  The waiter left, and Collin took a sip of his sake. He stared at me.

  “What?”

  “You’re really beautiful, Meg.”

  I blushed for the second time that day and got butterflies in my stomach. How was this possible when we already knew each other so intimately?

  Collin’s negotiations with Turbo, earlier that day, came into my mind. “Question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “How did you learn to negotiate? Was it in college?” I genuinely wanted to know.

  Collin seemed surprised. “You don’t study that in college, Meg. The firm I wanted to work with had a Bachelors requirement. I knew I couldn’t open my agency without learning the ropes first, and I wanted to learn from the best. That’s why I went back.”