The CEO's Dirty Little Secret

"You look hot, Eve."

She laughed at Brendan's comment as they walked down the road, sharing a box of greasy chicken and chips that had already started getting cold.

Roman would never say she looked hot. He'd say exquisite or some other posh word.

That thought made the laughter die on her lips as she put a chip in her mouth.

"You've been like this all day. Are you going to tell me what's wrong or not?

She pushed thoughts of Roman aside and concentrated on what was real.

"Nothing's wrong. But I still don't get what we're doing here. This isn't where we usually party."

"It's a shortcut," Brendan laughed.

They had started so early that they were already on the greasy food craving part of their night out and the sun had only just gone down. But they still had to go and meet their other friends. Brendan thought walking there would clear their heads a little so they could at least enjoy part of the night before they went back to his to crash. She wasn't going to touch any more alcohol tonight.

This was what people her age did, wasn't it? They unwound with friends after a long hard week of work and or school. They dressed up in sexy clothes and went dancing. They didn't sit around waiting for a booty call.

Thanks to the half-decent make-up skills she had learned in the past thirteen months and a slinky dress she had found in her wardrobe, she knew she looked good. The silky black material skimmed her curves and teased people with her figure. It was backless, flirty and fun. She hadn't realised just how damaged her self esteem had become until the compliments she had received had boosted it a little. She supposed being treated like a whore would do that.

"If we're lost, get your phone out and get the directions," she laughed. "This does not look like the right neighbourhood."

It looked like they had come into a residential area instead of sticking to town. Miranda and Josie wouldn't be partying anywhere here. It was way too quiet to be interesting to them.

"I know where I'm going. Don't worry," Brendan insisted.

They came to a road that seemed busier than most. Something was happening, a party of sorts but not her kind of party. Fancy cars were stopping to drop their passengers and there was an insane amount of camera flashes.

"I think someone famous lives there," she said.

"Maybe. I think you're right, we've come the wrong way," Brendan said.

In her tipsy state, it was funnier than it should have been. At least the walk had done what Brendan had intended. She felt a lot more clear-headed than when they had stumbled out of the last club. "Call a taxi," she suggested. "And I'll sit on this wall to wait, or these shoes will have to come off."

Brendan pulled his phone out to do as she suggested while she sat down and watched the cars arriving at the house across from her. She thought she recognised one or two of the guests as they posed for pictures before they went into the huge house.

Just how far had they walked? She didn't even know what part of the city this was.

"The reception is sketchy here. I'm going up the road," Brendan said before he walked back where they had come from.

She continued to watch the people arriving to pass the time. The type of people Roman rubbed shoulders with, no doubt. How much did someone have to be worth to be invited to one of those? She would never be one of them, and that was okay, but even if she had money she didn't think she would ever throw anything this lavish. There was a red carpet to the door and everything.

Another car stopped, and the valet opened the door. Who would it be this time? Another actor? A politician?

But when the next guest came out of the car and he straightened his tall frame, she knew who it was before he turned around. Those blue eyes speared her to the spot, and they were so cold she had to suck in a shaky breath.

What had she done wrong now? It was Saturday, she was free to go where she wanted.

Then he looked away from her as if he didn't know her. She'd never met Roman outside of his visits, so she'd never known how being ignored by him would feel. It hurt. She couldn't lie.

This was what it felt like to be his secret. She was nothing to him in his real world.

Roman then stepped away from the car, and a blonde head appeared.

It wasn't... It couldn't be his date. Roman didn't date. It was the whole reason he kept her hidden away.

But as his car drove off, she got the full view of the couple. The woman was hot. No, she was exquisite. She was flawless in a long, body-hugging dark blue dress that perfectly matched Roman's suit. Matching clothes. She didn't know much but only couples made such a statement with matching clothes.

She felt her chest cave in as she

watched them pose for photos and

the beautiful woman held onto

Roman's arm. She had a beautiful

smile, perfect skin, and she didn't look like she spent hours trying to get her make-up right. If she was to stand next to that beauty even in the dress she had picked for tonight, there wouldn't even be a comparison. Her self-esteem plummeted.

Then the truth hit her like a sledgehammer and smashed her heart to pieces in the process. Roman did date. He just didn't want to date her.

She was the biggest idiot in the world for falling for that crap in the first place. She should have known better. Why would a man like Roman want to be seen with her in the first place? "There's a taxi around the corner, it's coming," Brendan said as he came back to her.

She dragged her eyes from the couple and got to her feet.

"There you go again. What's wrong, Eve? Maybe I can help."

She shook her head and smiled at him.

"Nothing. Let's go and have some fun," she said.

She could tell her smile was a little too bright. Brendan could probably see how fake it was. But how was she supposed to explain that her heart was broken when she couldn't talk about Roman at all? She just wanted to get out of here and forget what she had seen. And then the moment she got home, she was writing that notice and posting it.

Roman had made a fool of her for the last time. She couldn't take this heartache any longer.

A taxi stopped just in front of them, and Brendan opened the door. Before she got in, she couldn't help a last look at the couple.

Her gaze clashed with Roman's. He had been angry before but he looked livid now.

But she didn't care anymore. She was done.

She got into the taxi and listened to Brendan's chatter as they started heading in the right direction. All she wanted to do was go home and deal with her pain, but at the same time, she knew that if she was left alone she would break.

So she blinked her tears back and

forced herself to pay attention to her friend. She was still trying to stop them from falling when they finally walked into the club and met

ver

Miranda and Josie with a few other people she did not know.

"Do you want a drink?" Brendan asked.

"Yes."

Why not? They called it drowning sorrows for a reason. And if she was lucky, she wouldn't remember any of this in the morning.00000