Sweet Little Secrets

by Travis Szablewski

  “Forever?”

  “Forever,” Lillian nodded as Gordon threw his arms forward, wrapping them around Lillian’s neck softly. Lillian wrapped her arms around Gordon, holding him tightly…as the tears escaped her eyes. She didn’t want to let him go. She didn’t want to say goodbye.

  Not now and not ever.

  Victoria

  Victoria sat down onto the barstool at the center island of her kitchen as she looked at Harlan next to her. It had been three minutes since she told him about his father; about…his secret. He hadn’t moved. He hadn’t said a word. He was just…frozen. Victoria cleared her throat as she slowly placed her hand onto Harlan’s muscular back, patting it gently.

  “Are you alright?”

  “I’m just…shocked,” Harlan said, smirking softly as he shook his head. “I never thought…I mean, I never noticed anything.”

  “Well, he was really careful about it. I mean, God damn, I know everything, and he knew how to keep it from me,” Victoria smirked, struggling to lighten the mood.

  “So…are you guys getting a divorce?” Harlan asked as his eyes glanced to Victoria beside him.

  “No, no, no,” Victoria said, shaking her head. “We worked it all out. It’s all good.”

  “It just makes me wonder,” Harlan said, staring down at the countertop.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If he ever really loved my mom,” Harlan said softly.

  “Harlan, of course he did. He gave her two beautiful children. This isn’t about your mother and this isn’t about you…or Elle. This is…this is who your father is. We don’t have to understand it. But we do have to love him. At the end of the day, he is still your father.”

  “I don’t…I don’t care if he’s…bi. I just wish…I wish he would have told me.”

  “It’s easier said than done for a lot of people. That’s…exposing the most sensitive piece of you…and praying that people don’t break it; praying that people don’t hate you for it,” Victoria nodded. “He is the same person he was before you knew. He still loves you just as much as he did before all of this.”

  “So…Elle died for nothing,” Harlan said sternly as he darted up from the barstool and walked towards the refrigerator.

  “What?” Victoria asked, confused.

  “The whole reason we made that stupid plan was to keep our affair a secret! We did it to keep it from dad!” Harlan snapped as he yanked the door open and grabbed a beer from inside. “He wouldn’t have even cared if he found out! Our secret is nothing compared to his!” Harlan growled as he popped the cap off of the beer and took a sip.

  “I know you probably won’t ever hear these words come out of my mouth ever again…but I regret it,” Victoria nodded. God, she couldn’t believe she was saying those vile words.

  “I’m sorry? Did…did Victoria Hampton just display an emotion other than bitchiness?” Harlan gasped as he walked towards the island.

  “Don’t ruin this moment!” Victoria smirked. “But in all seriousness, I do regret it. I was just so scared of…of losing you,” Victoria said softly as she stood up and inched around the island, making her way towards Harlan. “I was so scared of having my life…torn apart. It was selfish of me. I should have never asked anything of you. I should have never even got you involved. I feel horrible…for everything. Did I like Elle? No, I didn’t. Do I regret accidentally killing her? It depends on the day,” Victoria nodded.

  “Really?” Harlan snapped, glaring down at Victoria as she placed her hand onto his shoulder.

  “I’m kidding!” Victoria giggled, smiling up at Harlan. “I do. It was all just too much. I reacted in the worst way that I knew how. I almost lost Derek…and you. And if that happened, I could never forgive myself. I couldn’t bare not having you.”

  “Sounds like you’re falling in love with me again,” Harlan smirked as two dimples formed on his cheeks.

  “I never stopped falling,” Victoria said softly…as she tilted her head up and pressed her lips against Harlan’s. Victoria leaned forward, her breasts pressed tightly against Harlan’s muscular chest as he placed his beer down onto the island countertop; his hands slowly running down her sides and onto her hips. Victoria raised her arms and draped them onto Harlan’s shoulders as his hands wrapped around her buttocks, cupping her cheeks…squeezing them in his strong hands. Victoria’s tongue danced in the air with Harlan’s as they kissed, hard and passionate…their hands clawing at each other’s backs.

  Harlan then wrapped his hands around Victoria’s waist and lifted her up, setting her onto the edge of the countertop as Victoria giggled. Victoria’s bottom slammed onto the counter as Victoria grabbed his green shirt, pulling it off over his head as his long blonde hair fell…draping his muscular, chiseled shoulders. Victoria pulled Harlan closer, his waist between her legs as she clawed at his back…his lips kissing down her neck and towards the low neckline of her dress. Harlan then climbed up onto the countertop of the island, moving on top of Victoria as she laid back…her back flat against the top. Harlan smiled as he slowly inched down her body…and pushed the end of her dress up, revealing her white thong. Harlan pushed Victoria’s legs open as she stared down at him, feeling his hot breath on her inner thighs. Harlan leaned his head forward…and wrapped his teeth around the right hip strap of her thong…and tugged on it…the thin fabric between his white teeth.

  “They’re not edible,” Victoria smirked.

  “They’re tearable,” Harlan smiled, the strap still in his teeth, as he released it. The strap snapped back into place against Victoria’s waist as she tilted her head back, her eyes shut tightly. Harlan leaned forward, grabbing the top of her thong with his teeth and tugged…the fabric ripping slowly as his jaw tightened around the thin fabric. Harlan tugged harder with his teeth as the entire front of her thong ripped open, splitting in two. Victoria smiled as she felt Harlan move back, pulling the shredded thong off of her body with his teeth.

  Harlan sat up on the countertop and pushed his basketball shorts down…revealing his hard, throbbing cock. Harlan leaned forward, moving on top of Victoria. Harlan reached up…and grabbed Victoria’s wrists…pinning them above her head.

  “Look at you being dominant,” Victoria giggled as Harlan wrapped his mouth around the side of her neck and sucked on her tender flesh.

  “You have no idea how dominant I can be,” Harlan purred into her ear as Victoria felt her vagina growing wetter and wetter. Victoria lifted her legs, wrapping them around Harlan as he laid onto her. Victoria tilted her head back…as she felt Harlan’s thick cock slide into her…entering her wet fortress slowly.

  “Oh, fuck,” Victoria moaned as she felt his member fill her…every inch more satisfying than the last.

  “I never stopped falling either,” Harlan whispered into Victoria’s ear as he slowly sat up on the countertop, releasing her hands, and lifted Victoria’s legs in the air…resting them on both sides of shoulders. Harlan thrusted forward softly…moving his cock in and out of Victoria…nice and slow.

  “Oh…oh,” Victoria moaned as Harlan wrapped his hands around her waist, thrusting into her harder.

  “Fuck yeah! Oh, fuck!” Harlan moaned as he thrusted, staring down at his cock as it slammed into Victoria; sliding in and out of her vigorously.

  “Fuck me, Harlan! Give me that cock! Oh, fuck! Fuck me!” Victoria moaned as she grabbed her breasts beneath her dress. Victoria’s eyes then widened…as she heard the soft footsteps approaching the kitchen.

  “Victoria? Victoria, are you here?” a soft voice rang out.

  Victoria and Harlan froze in terror…as they both looked to their right…staring at the kitchen doorway; Harlan’s cock, still inside of her.

  “Victoria, I tried knocking and I…” Lillian said as she walked into the kitchen…and gasped.

  Connelly

  Connelly glanced over her shoulder as she walked down the hallway of the Harmony Oaks Apartment complex. Ever since last night…after Silas attacked her, she fel
t like he was always behind her; waiting…and watching. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this uncomfortable…this violated and disgusted. Her own husband…attempted to rape her. How did they get to this point? How could she be so stupid to dismiss Fiona’s horrific claims against Silas? Now, she knew…that Fiona was always telling the truth; from the very beginning.

  Connelly rushed up to Fiona’s apartment door and pounded her hand against the wooden surface. She had to tell Fiona what happened. She had no one else to turn to that she trusted with something this damaging. Fiona knew Silas…better than she did. She had to know what he was going to do next. She had to protect herself…and if that meant getting close to the one woman she once hated…then so be it. Connelly paced slowly in the hallway, waiting for Fiona to answer. She hadn’t seen Silas since last night. She woke up to twelve text messages; every single one of them…from him. She didn’t even bother reading them; she just scrolled through every apology; every text littered with “I’m sorry” and “please forgive me”. How could he expect her to just move on from that? She was terrified…for her life. Connelly quickly turned towards Fiona’s apartment door as she heard the deadbolt turn on the other side.

  “Fiona, you were right,” Connelly said as the door opened in front of her. Connelly’s eyes then widened…as she stared back at Silas…standing inside the doorway of Fiona’s apartment.

  “Connelly,” Silas said softly, his bottom lip quivering.

  “What…what are you doing here?” Connelly asked, backing away from the open door as Silas stepped into the hallway.

  “Please, can we just talk? Please?” Silas begged as he stepped towards her, holding his hands out.

  “Silas!” Fiona yelled as she stepped out into the hallway. “Go back inside…now.”

  “But I need to talk to her!” Silas snapped, glancing back at Fiona behind him.

  “Not right now. Not after what you did,” Fiona snarled as Silas slowly looked back to Connelly in front of him. Silas slowly turned and walked back into the apartment as Fiona pulled the door shut, slamming it tightly.

  “Are you serious right now?” Connelly snapped as tears filled her eyes.

  “Connelly, it isn’t what it looks like,” Fiona sighed, moving towards her.

  “What the fuck is he doing here? Did he…did he stay here last night?” Connelly asked, shaking her head in shock.

  “Yes, he did,” Fiona said softly, crossing her arms over her chest. “He showed up drunk as hell and begged me to let him stay. I couldn’t say no. The both of you…invited me into your house with open arms. I couldn’t turn him away.”

  “He would have! I was the one who let you stay with us! I was the one who begged him to give you the benefit of the doubt!” Connelly cried out.

  “Nothing happened between us! I swear! He slept on the couch all night. He came in…and passed out. He just woke up about an hour ago. He remembers bits and pieces but…he said he hurt you. Are you alright?” Fiona asked.

  “And to think I was starting to trust you. And to think I was going to forget everything that happened between us in the past. Is this just a game to you?” Connelly cried.

  “What are you talking about? I tried to help you!”

  “And this is helping me? Taking Silas in? This isn’t helping me, Fiona! This is enabling him…and his behavior! This is enabling what he did to me…and what he did to you!” Connelly snarled. “This was just a big fat lie, wasn’t it? You fed me all that bullshit so you could get Silas back.”

  “Are you kidding me right now? I would never lie about something like that! EVER! I may be a twisted bitch…but not that twisted. I lived through the same nightmare that you did! I know those feelings you felt last night; terror…helplessness…naïve. I know what every single one of those emotions feels like. He broke you just like he broke me. But I can’t sit there and let him sleep in the streets! No matter what he has done, he is still a human. He was still…my husband at one point; and he is still your husband now.”

  “The both of you were in this together, weren’t you? Was this the big master plan? Was this all just a big show?” Connelly cried as she backed away, moving down the hallway.

  “Connelly, no! Please!” Fiona begged, placing her hands together.

  “He’s your fucking problem now,” Connelly snapped as she spun around and charged down the hallway. She had to get out of here…before she did something she’d regret.

  She already buried one bitch.

  She could bury another.

  Lillian

  Lillian swallowed hard as she stared back at Victoria across the dining table. She was still trying to process what she had just walked in on five minutes ago. She still had so many questions.

  “Derek doesn’t know,” Victoria said, breaking the silence.

  “I’d hope not,” Lillian nodded. “Victoria, if he found out about this…”

  “I know, Lillian; I know. Harlan and I would be out on the streets,” Victoria sighed.

  “I just can’t believe you never told me. I mean, I tell you everything, Victoria,” Lillian sighed.

  “Not everything,” Victoria smiled as she pointed to Lillian’s stomach.

  Shit.

  How? How did she know?

  “What?” Lillian asked, playing dumb.

  “Give me a break, Lillian; I’ve noticed the weight gain. Your boobs are swelling. You legit went from a B cup to a D overnight and not even Dr. Taylor downtown can pull that off; Trust me, I know,” Victoria smirked.

  “How long have you known?” Lillian asked softly, picking at the seam of her shirt nervously.

  “For about a week. I noticed you stopped drinking wine, too. It just kind of added up in my head.”

  “Why…why did you not ask? Why did you not say anything?” Lillian asked.

  “Why would I? I didn’t want to force it out of you. I wanted you to come to me…and tell me when you were ready,” Victoria nodded.

  “So, how long have you and Harlan been…” Lillian stopped.

  “About a year. I mean, it’s not like I’m breaking the law; he’s of age,” Victoria said. “I know it’s wrong and I know…I know I shouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. But I can’t just flip a switch and turn it off. Everything about him…just pulls me in.”

  “And I thought me and Robbie hooking up was fucked up,” Lillian smirked.

  “Oh, God! No! The security gate guy?” Victoria groaned in disbelief.

  “I know! Don’t even say anything! I’ve already thrown up twice today just thinking about it,” Lillian sighed, laying her forehead onto the cold glass table. The cold surface penetrated her warm forehead, cooling the tense pain that radiated between her eyes.

  “So, how much does Tatum know?” Victoria asked softly.

  “Every little detail,” Lillian nodded as she rose her head. “She knows about Robbie…and about the baby.”

  “What are you going to do? Are you going to keep it?”

  “I don’t know anymore. I just keep going back and forth and I just can’t figure out what the right thing to do is. I know…if I keep it…there’s no way in hell that Tatum would ever want to stay with me. This child would be…a constant reminder of what I did to her. I know she can’t live like that,” Lillian said, shaking her head. “And I don’t expect her to.”

  “Are you guys going to get a divorce?” Victoria asked as she leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table.

  “She hasn’t said the “D” word yet. I hope not. I know I made mistakes and I know I should have just told her from the beginning. But I love her, Victoria. Every single day…I regret what I did more and more. Every single day…the regret…the shame…grows bigger inside of me. If I lost her…if I lost Gordon…I don’t know what I would do,” Lillian cried into her hands.

  “I know what that’s like,” Victoria said, swallowing hard, as she stared down at the glass table.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, I just…I have regrets, to
o; lots of them. So many that I’ve lost count,” Victoria smirked. Lillian had a feeling she wasn’t talking about Harlan and Derek.

  Ever since that night that Elle died…there was one question that haunted Lillian. Now…there was no better time to ask. Right here…right now.

  “Did…did you have anything to do with Elle’s death?” Lillian asked, nearly whispering.

  “What?” Victoria snapped as her eyes widened.

  “Did you have anything to do with what happened to Elle?” Lillian asked again, clearing her throat.

  “No,” Victoria said, shaking her head. “I could never…do that to her. Sure, we didn’t get along, but she was still my stepdaughter. I could never kill someone.”

  Lillian felt a wave of heat rush over her body as the word “kill” escaped Victoria’s lips. Lillian could…and she did. Robbie wasn’t her only regret. She should have handled things better that night with Kylie. She wouldn’t have had to force her friends to hide her terrible, dark secret.

  “I said that once, too,” Lillian said softly as her teary eyes looked to Victoria across the dining table. Lillian knew she was lying. She knew Victoria had something to do with Elle’s death from the beginning. But Lillian had blood on her own hands.

  And in that moment, Lillian realized that her and Victoria were much more alike than she had ever imagined.

  Victoria

  Victoria leaned back onto a white lounge chair that sat beside the pool of her back lawn as she felt the warm summer sun shine down onto her long, tan legs. After all the chaos that had ensued, she needed a nice day by the pool.

  Just her…and a margarita. Victoria adjusted the pink sunhat on her head as she brought her strawberry margarita to her lips and took a long sip. Just the way she liked it…sweet…and strong. Victoria licked her pink lips, her tongue scooping up the strawberry seeds as she placed her margarita glass onto the table beside her. Victoria pulled her silk robe open, revealing her yellow thong bikini as she felt the warm sunlight soak into her pores.