The Secret

by Maggie Cole

  Tom grinned, “Happy to help. It was a good deal for everyone, including Lemara.”

  I beamed at Liv. “Perfect press releases, girl!”

  “Hey, I learned from the best!” She hugged me.

  “Sorry for snapping at you the other day.”

  She waved her hand, “Already forgotten.”

  Tom glanced at me. I hadn’t spoken to him since the incident at the hospital. I mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

  He mouthed it back to me and winked.

  “Collin, did you have Lemara lined up, or were you bluffing?” I asked him.

  Collin paused and glanced at us all. “Lemara would have gone to three times.”

  “Collin, you’re officially crazy!” Keri grinned at him.

  Collin gave me a wink. “Hey, if you don’t try, you can’t win!”

  The next few weeks were chaotic. Collin and I healed up well. My bruises were gone, and Collin’s wounds no longer needed bandages. Neither of us were in pain anymore. I went back to the office. Liv and I started working hard to create the new brand campaigns for Keri and Sam. Turbo sent out press releases about their new partnerships, and we were ready to piggyback off it.

  Collin’s services were more in demand than ever. Athletes flocked to him, and they all wanted to fire their current agents.

  The paparazzi was still in full effect. Bodyguards became our new way of life. Sam and Keri received extra attention from the Turbo deal, and when word got out that Collin was the negotiator, it fueled their fire even more.

  They were camped outside everywhere. New articles continued to show up in the media. Story after story was spun, with daily pictures of us posted on the internet and in print.

  A few weeks after the negotiation, I was in my office when Tom gave me a surprise visit.

  “Hey!” I waved.

  “You busy?”

  I motioned for him to sit down and wondered why he was there.

  He shut the door, sat across the desk from me, and smiled. “You seem to be feeling a lot better.”

  “I feel normal again.” I meant it too.

  “Good.”

  I sat and waited; I knew he wasn’t visiting to check on me, and I could see his brain trying to figure out where to start. His leg started to twitch.

  “Tom, what do you want to tell me? Out with it.”

  His smile turned serious. “You and Collin need a press conference. They won’t move past this until you do.”

  I took a deep breath, staying silent.

  “You won’t be free until you do.”

  I sighed. I knew he was right, but I still didn’t want to face it.

  Tom put a card on my desk. “I saw Sarah this past year. I think it would be good for you. She’s expecting your call.”

  I looked down at the card: Sarah Shepard, Domestic Violence Counselor.

  My head snapped up, “You saw a Domestic Violence Counselor?”

  “Kip did too.”

  I blinked, surprised by his admission, once again.

  He found his words carefully and hesitated briefly. “The weaknesses and guilt I’m assuming you feel when you think of your past needs to be dealt with.”

  “What made you decide to go see her?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “I knew I couldn’t be the best man I could be for Liv if I didn’t face it and learn how to move past it.”

  I gaped at him. Tom Marko had always been nothing but an amazing man with Liv.

  “It’s going to bite you in the ass with Collin someday if you don’t deal with it.”

  I gazed at the ceiling, mostly in fear. “I don’t know if I can go down that road, Tom.”

  “Call her. And think about that press conference.” He patted my hand and stood up.

  "I’ll think about it.”

  He nodded, turned, and left the room.

  I sat back. A million thoughts ran through my head. I stared at the card he had given me.

  Slowly, I picked up the phone and dialed the number to set up an appointment.

  A few months passed. I regularly saw Sarah but hadn’t told Collin. I don’t know why I kept it from him, but I did.

  We still hadn't done a press conference, and the paparazzi wouldn’t let up. Both Collin and I got daily requests from different media outlets. Even Radio Host Zaxby Zane called me and reminded me of when I begged him at the Volts game to be on his show. But I declined his invitation. The more time that passed, the more I realized it wasn’t going to go away.

  It was a Monday morning, and Collin and I were on our way to work when a thought occurred to me.

  I turned to Collin, pushed his jacket off, and started to loosen his tie.

  He gave me a cocky grin. “Didn’t get enough this morning?”

  “I think you forgot about our terms.”

  “Our terms?” He looked at me in question, as I continued to unbutton his shirt.

  I smirked at him. “Don’t think that just because you were shot, our negotiated terms don’t stick.”

  His face registered that he remembered.

  I removed his shirt, left his tie on, and sat back on the seat across from him. I licked my lips at him. “That’s more like it, Mr. Corwin.”

  He gave me a sultry look. “Take off your panties.”

  I turned, faced the window between the driver and us, and knelt on the seat. I inched up my dress and revealed my thigh-highs and garter. Skillfully, I unbuckled my garter and slowly slipped my panties down over my legs before I reattached my garter and moved my dress back into place.

  I spun back around, sat across from Collin, and bit down on my bottom lip. I took my foot and slid it up to his leg.

  Near his inner thigh, he grabbed my leg, knelt on the floor, and threw his tie over his shoulder. Hungrily, he kissed my leg through my hose, got past my thigh-highs, and finally made direct contact with my skin. I took a deep breath as his lips inched their way toward my womanhood, and his hand pushed my dress up.

  So much sex.

  I didn't know how many orgasms Collin and I had given each other, but he still had the same effect on me.

  Butterflies.

  Heat.

  A never-ending supply of wet panties...

  Collin's talented tongue flicked across me, and his flexible fingers moved into my heat.

  Teasing me.

  Taunting me.

  Tasting me.

  He rotated his finger, picked up speed with his tongue, and slid an additional finger in me. I inhaled deeply, and gasped, as he started to gently suck me, with his ego eyes drilled up at me.

  My breath sped up, my hands were already in his hair, and I pushed his head into me more. "Harder," I begged him.

  He appeased me, but only a little, then quickly flicked against me as I moaned and begged on the edge of my climax. A heat intensified through me and teased me in anticipation.

  Collin's fingers pushed inside me further. "Collin," I cried out and pushed his head as hard as I could into me.

  He bent his fingers inside me, swiped my G-spot over and over, and I groaned loudly.

  My cells burst into millions of pieces, as my body shattered into a convulsive state of ecstasy, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head.

  The car stopped as I continued to erupt.

  "That's it baby," he cooed against me, kissed me around my womanhood, and sent fresh tingles to my nerves.

  When I stopped trembling and found my breath, he slowly pulled my dress back over me.

  I grabbed his tie over his shoulder, pulled him closer to me, and dug into his naked back with my other hand. "Told you I didn't need more time." He boasted with a smoldering arrogance in his eyes.

  "I never questioned your talent," I giggled against him, then bit down on his lip as his arousal stiffened. “But I think you need a prize for your exceptional talent," I whispered and nibbled on his ear.

  Before I could give Collin his exceptional talent prize, we were bolted into reality when someone tried to open the locked door. Coll
in and I both jumped as we saw the paparazzi had swarmed our vehicle.

  My eyes widened in fear, and I saw anger in Collin's eyes.

  His phone rang, and he quickly picked it up. "What the hell is happening out there?" He shook his head in frustration.

  They are never going to leave us alone.

  "Okay, we will circle." He hung up and slid the window that separated us from the driver down an inch. "Go up four blocks then circle back to the side entrance. The bodyguards will meet us there." He rolled the window back up.

  I threw his shirt to him, and he quickly buttoned it up. He tightened his tie and put on his blazer, then let out a big sigh.

  At that moment, I knew I couldn't hide anymore. I picked up my phone and stared at Collin.

  "Hey girl, what's up?" Liv answered.

  Collin's gazed at me curiously.

  I let out a big breath. "I'm ready. Can you set it up for today?"

  Liv quieted as she realized what I was asking her.

  Collin froze and watched me intently.

  "Consider it done," Liv confidently told me.

  "Thanks, Liv." I hung up and moved to the seat next to Collin.

  Collin scanned my eyes, waiting for me to speak.

  I grabbed his hand. "I have to tell you something."

  "What is it, Meg?"

  I bit my lip and tried to figure out how to tell him. Please, don't be mad at me, Collin.

  He stroked my head. "Meg, whatever it is, just tell me."

  I blurted out, "I've been seeing a domestic violence counselor for a few months."

  He paused, then rolled the window down an inch, and told the driver to keep going until he told him to circle back.

  Collin rolled the window back up and gently stroked my cheek. "Why didn't you tell me?"

  "I don't know. I think I wasn't sure if I was going to continue to go or not. The only person who knows is Tom."

  "Tom?"

  I nodded. “Both Kip and Tom saw the same counselor. He was the one who encouraged me to go.”

  Collin was quiet; I could see his mind spinning.

  “Are you mad I didn’t tell you?”

  He put his face closer to mine. “No, Meg. I’m glad you are telling me now, but I’m not mad. Is it helping?”

  Relief flew through me. I thought for a minute before responding. "I wasn't sure at first, but yes, I think it is."

  His thumb moved over my lips. "Good, I'm proud of you."

  I leaned in and kissed him. "All right. I have a ton to do at the office this morning." I winked at him.

  He rolled the window down, told the driver to circle back, and put his arm around me.

  I sank back into his chest. More relief that he wasn't mad at me for not telling him and that I wasn't hiding it from him anymore passed through me.

  We didn’t say anything else and soon pulled up to the side entrance of the building. Security quickly was on the door. Collin, like always, stepped out to guide me inside.

  Instead of leaving, he escorted me up to my office. Liv waited for us in the office lobby.

  “Good, you are both here. I scheduled the conference for noon in our press room.”

  “Thanks, Liv.”

  Liv looked at Collin. “You want a conference room to work from?”

  “That would be great, Liv. I’ll have the driver bring my laptop up.”

  “Coffee?” I asked him.

  He nodded, put his phone to his ear, and walked down into my office.

  A few minutes later, I was in my office with two cups of coffee. Collin was on my couch. I set them down on the table.

  “Shut the door,” the negotiator instructed.

  I eyed him curiously, shut the door, then walked over to stand in front of him. “What’s up?”

  He pulled my panties out from his suit jacket. “I want to see you put these back on.”

  I smirked. “Oh yeah? What are you going to give me?”

  “What do you want, Meg?”

  Hmm. We hadn’t ever gone dancing. “A night out at Club D.”

  Collin grinned. “Done. Now get your panties on.”

  I grabbed them and turned around right in front of his legs. I put my arms behind my red hair and flipped it over my head. Next to his knees, I bent down in front of him, stepped into my panties, and inched them up my legs. I unbuckled my hose and idly moved my dress up, then skillfully buckled my hose, before I pulled my dress back down. With a final ass wiggle, I flipped my hair dramatically back.

  I spun around to see an aroused Collin lick his lips as Lilly’s voice came through the intercom. “Mr. Corwin, your laptop is here.”

  Collin stood up, slapped me playfully on the ass, and kissed me. As he walked out the door, he promised, “I’ll call Derek for a VIP room.”

  I sat in my office and thought about what I wanted to say at the press conference. The last few months, I did a lot of work around how I grew up and what happened to me with Matt. I picked up the phone and called Sarah Shepard.

  “Hey Meg, you all right?” Sarah sounded worried.

  I had never called her before. All our work was in our sessions. “I’m having a press conference at noon today.”

  “Meg, that’s good.”

  “Would you speak a bit on domestic violence?”

  “Yes, I can do that.”

  “Thanks, Sarah. Can you get here by eleven-thirty?”

  “No problem. I’ll see you then.”

  I texted Keri and Sam and asked if they would come. They both agreed to be there.

  I sent Tom a text. “I told Collin about Sarah.”

  “That’s good. I heard about the press conference.”

  “It’s time.”

  “I agree. Proud of you.”

  “Thanks. You coming?”

  “Duh. Like I would miss it.”

  “I asked Sarah to talk.”

  “I think that is an excellent idea.”

  “Okay.” I paused and deleted it, then wrote, “I haven’t thanked you. So, thank you.”

  Tom didn’t hesitate, “You can bring me some Ben and Jerry’s soon.”

  “Deal!”

  “See you soon.” He added a fist-bump emoji.

  I sent him one back.

  I walked down to Liv’s office and knocked.

  She glanced up from her desk. “Hey.”

  “You have a minute?”

  She pointed to the seat. I sat down across from her. “I don’t know if Tom told you, but I’ve been seeing Sarah Shepard.”

  Her face registered surprise. “He never told me.”

  “I asked him not to tell anyone.”

  She patted my hand. “It’s all right.”

  “I’ve asked her to speak at the press conference about domestic violence.”

  “I think that is a great idea, Meg.” She paused. I waited for her to continue. “I created speeches for you both; not sure if you want them?”

  I nodded in appreciation. “Thank you.”

  She winked, “Got your back, girl.”

  I smiled, “You always have.”

  Noon came quickly. When we walked into the press room, it was stuffed to capacity.

  Liv, being Liv, wrote perfect speeches for us. Collin spoke first, and pretty much stuck to the script.

  Then it was my turn. Liv touched upon my past but was good not to dive into it too deep. I started talking, then stopped.

  I turned to the side to see Liv, Tom, Keri, Sam, and Sarah, who gave me encouraging nods. Then, I focused on Collin. He wore his negotiator face for the public, but I could see concern and nervousness in his eyes, for me.

  I studied the press and recognized lots of familiar faces. Some of the people I respected and some I didn’t. I took a deep breath and threw away the script.

  “The last few months, I’ve been portrayed as a lot of things in the media. A slut...” I paused, and surveyed Keri, Sam, and Tom, “...a victim,” I nodded over at Sarah, “...an uneducated woman,” I looked over at Collin and tho
ught of our first real date when he told me to stop putting my worth on a piece of paper, “...and a successful businesswoman.” I stared at Liv.

  I pointed to the press. “You can all write your stories and make accusations, but this is the real truth.”

  I paused and took a deep breath. “I grew up poor in a violent house. Like many other people out there, I was going down the same path as my mother, because I didn’t know any different or how to get out. The final straw was when he shoved a gun in my mouth and forced me to play Russian Roulette.” I closed my eyes and opened them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Collin gape at me in horror.

  I haven’t told him. I haven’t told him anything really.

  Sarah gave me an encouraging nod, which gave me the courage to continue. “The morning after, when he left, I fled to New York with a backpack of clothes and hardly any money. A few years later, I met Olivia White by accident. She saw my talent and gave me a chance.” I saw Liv with tears in her eyes.

  “To clear up the rumors, I have an amazing friendship with three amazing men. Keri James and I dated for a while and became great friends. Sam Quinto and I developed a professional, and then personal, friendship because, well, we get each other. Tom Marko is like my brother, and is devoted to and in love with Olivia White, and won’t be leaving her anytime soon.”

  The press laughed; all three guys smiled at me.

  I pointed to Collin. “Then there's this guy, who you all know as the negotiator—the man who took three bullets for me, who loved me way before that night, who continues to love me even when I'm difficult. This is the man that I love and who I’m in a relationship with, so get your story straight.” I grabbed Collin’s hand.

  Collin blinked back tears.

  “I may have come from nothing, and I don’t have a college degree, but that doesn’t define me. I represent one of the top PR & Marketing firms in the country...because I’ve earned my spot. I’ve also been a victim and experienced the shame and guilt associated with that. I now stand before you, proud of the fact that I’m a survivor, and I encourage others who are victims, female or male,” Tom gave me a wink, “to flee and seek help. I’ve invited my counselor, Sarah Shephard, here. I want her to talk about how you can leave and what resources are there if you are in a violent situation. Sarah…”