Filthy Secret

BY HIS HANDS

OLIVE

We were on the road again.

I’d lost count of the amount of times we’d piled all of our belongings in the trunk of the car and driven to our next

destination.

We never stayed there long enough for me to fit it or to make friends.

You see, my mom was a serial dater. Or as she liked to say: “I fall in love easily.”

It suited her, until she fell out of love just as quickly.

To me, that wasn’t love. It was lust-infatuation. She was living day-today, just trying to make it to the next morning. I hadn’t really cared growing up, but now that I was seventeen and in my final year of high school, I wanted more. I wanted one place to call home. I wanted to stay somewhere longer than two months.

“You’re going to love it here,” Mom said, shuffling in her seat as she pulled up at a stop sign. “The houses are,” she sighed, a huge grin on her beautiful face, “they’re so amazing.”

I stared at her, seeing the complete opposite to me in every way. Where she was tall with blond hair and dark-blue eyes, I was short, my hair a midbrown color, and my eyes closer to brown than green. That wasn’t the only thing we didn’t have in common though.

Mom was an open book, friendly and approachable, but I’d learned to protect myself, to only let in those who actually cared. Which right now, felt like nobody. Mom was all the family I’d ever known, and she’d made sure to keep it that way.

“What about school?” I asked, turning my attention back to the windscreen. That was all I cared about-all I wanted. I had just under four months left until I turned eighteen and graduated. Once I’d done that, I could go and start my own life, one where I created roots and made real friends.

“It’s only a twenty-minute car ride away.” She lifted her hand, pushing some hair out of her face as she took a right turn then stopped at an entrance. Gates forbade us to go past, but a man in a small building stepped out, took one look at Mom, then waved her forward. “That’s Reg,” Mom commented, smiling at him as she moved forward. “He makes sure we’re all safe here.” She was talking like she’d live here for years.

The gates swung open, letting us into the community. I wasn’t sure what Mom wanted me to say, because both she and I knew we wouldn’t be here long enough for Reg to even remember my name.

We drove for a few more minutes, the houses getting bigger and bigger, until finally she pulled into a huge driveway.

“We’re home,” Mom shouted, her tone clearly happy. “I can’t wait until you see inside.” She was pushing open her door before I’d even had the chance to undo my seatbelt. “Come on, Olive!”

She waved at me, silently telling me to hurry. But all of this didn’t matter to me. All I wanted was somewhere I could sleep so that I could get to school the next day. It was the simple things that mattered the most to me. Again, yet another thing we didn’t have in common. Sometimes I wondered whether we were even related.

Huffing out a breath, I pushed open my door, preparing myself to meet yet another one of Mom’s “loves of her life.” He had no idea what would transpire. I gave it nine weeks, tops, and the only reason I gave it nine was because of how damn big this house was. It was more like a mansion or a palace than a house.

I stepped forward, quickly glancing back at all of my belongings in the trunk, then walked up the driveway and toward the black double doors. One was ajar so I slipped through the gap and immediately froze to the spot. But it wasn’t because of the pristine wooden floors and the grand double staircase.

No.

It was because of the man standing in the middle of the entryway, his feet hip width apart as he stared down at Mom. He looked…indifferent to her. So unlike all of the other men before him. They were normally infatuated with her, not able to keep their hands off her. And she loved every second of it.

His navy suit fit him like a glove, a telltale sign that it was tailored and expensive.

“You’re early,” the man said to Mom, pushing his hand into his slacks pocket. He didn’t look away from her.

“Am I?” Mom laughed, the sound echoing in the vast space. She glanced down at her wrist. I didn’t know why because she wasn’t even wearing a watch. “Oh, I am.” She shook her head as if she was admonishing herself, but we both knew it was an act-an act that I’d seen over and over again.

“We can leave and come back,” I said, making myself known. My tone was sarcastic, and if the way Mom gasped was anything to go by, they’d both heard it.

“Olive!” She shouted, as if me talking directly to the new man in her life was a crime.

“What?” I shrugged. “We’re here now, so what’s the problem?” It took everything in me not to roll my eyes at him.

I slid my gaze to the man, finally seeing his eyes for the first time. The ice blue was verging on gray, the coldness to them making me shiver. His dark-brown hair was longer on top and shorter on the sides, his face covered in that fashionable stubble that women seemed to like. He wasn’t Mom’s usual type, but then, I wasn’t even sure she had a type anymore.

“Olive?” the man asked, his voice deep and gritty. I hated how goosebumps spread across my arms at the sound of it.

“That’s me.” I pushed my shoulders back, standing up straighter as he walked past Mom and toward me. Every fiber in my being wanted to take a step back, but I kept my feet planted firmly on the ground.

“Do you always have an attitude?” His voice was lower now, and I wondered if Mom could hear him from where she was standing.

“Maybe,” I whispered, knowing it wasn’t the truth. It was just the way I coped with new people, but it had gotten me in trouble more times than I could count.

“Hmmm.” He halted less than a foot away. He was so close I could smell his musky cologne. He was tall-taller than any of the other men Mom had been with. “I think I like it.” He winked, the move so out of tune with the steely look on his face.

I opened my mouth, but I didn’t know what to say, so I closed it again, deciding silence right now was probably the better option.

He leaned forward, just enough to look directly in my eyes. “Welcome to my home, Olive.”

APOLLO

I hated when people didn’t follow my orders. I’d built seven figure businesses by telling people what to do and not being crossed, yet this woman had come to my home several hours earlier than she should have. A woman who I knew I shouldn’t have let move into my place, but I figured it’d be a change of pace, at least for a little while.

What I hadn’t bargained for was the small, beautiful woman who came with her.

Jessie had told me she had a daughter, but I’d automatically thought it would be some 10-year-old who liked to play with dolls. That wasn’t what was standing in front of me right now though.

Olive stared up at me, her chest heaving as her breaths quickened. She wasn’t used to being this close to a man, that was clear, but what I hadn’t expected was for my body to react the way it did.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

The subtle flowery scent coming from her was so different to the mounds of perfume her mother wore constantly. And the more I stared at her, the more I realized she was the complete opposite to the woman who had given birth to her.

“How old are you?” I blurted out. I didn’t intend to ask her that, but it was out of my mouth before I could even stop it.

“Seventeen,” she whispered, trailing her tongue over her bottom lip. She wasn’t even aware of what she was doing. It was an innocent move-a move that drew me closer.

I nodded, already doing the math in my head. Jessie was a year older than me, so at thirty-five, that meant she had Olive when she was eighteen.

She’s legal.

My nostrils flared at the thought. It was the truth, but still…

“You still in school?” I asked, taking a step back. I needed to put space between us before I did something. I was always the master of my destiny, in control of everything around me, but a few minutes in Olive’s presence and I was already losing it.

“Yes.” She blinked, her long lashes fanning across the top of her cheeks.

I inhaled a breath, still not looking away from her. Why couldn’t I look away? Why couldn’t I turn around and head out of the door and to my meeting? I was running late now, something that never happened, yet I couldn’t bring myself to move away from her.

“I registered her in the local high school,” Jessie said, her voice closer. The sound of it had my back straightening and all of my thoughts wiping away. Her hand made contact with my bicep, causing me to wince. I never should have let her move in with me, even if it was temporary. But dammit, she’d given me the biggest sob story, and it was right after I’d fucked her, so I was sated and relaxed. I’d figured having someone else around this huge house would make it not feel so empty, but I was already feeling suffocated and it hadn’t been an hour yet.

“I’ve got work to do,” I announced, not acknowledging what she said. I needed to get the hell out of here. “I have meetings all day, so I won’t be home until late.” I finally tore my gaze away from Olive, missing it the moment I turned to look at Jessie. “Melinda will show you where everything is.” At the sound of her name, my housekeeper stepped out of the shadows.

“Hi Melinda,” Olive said. I closed my eyes at her voice, holding in my groan. I’d never had this reaction to a woman before, least of all someone this young. But fuck, I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t gain control of my body. So, I spun around without saying another word and got the hell out of there.