Secret Words (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 1)

by Charles, Miranda P.

  "They're mainly short messages about how they enjoyed my books."

  "Do you get any weird, super fanatical ones?"

  "No," she snorted. "My readers are mainly very nice. A couple of them have even become my pen friends."

  "Really? Why?"

  She shrugged. "Something just connected I guess."

  Kane kissed her hair before straightening up. "I almost forgot to tell you I'll be coming home late tomorrow night. I'm having dinner with my fellow directors for some serious pow-wow. Two of the properties I designed have just been nominated for international awards and we want to maximise whatever exposure we can get out of that."

  She jumped up and threw her arms around him. "Really? Wow? Congratulations, honey! Which ones?"

  "An executive retreat in Singapore and a country estate in Kangaroo Valley."

  "I'm so proud of you, baby."

  "Thank you," Kane beamed at her.

  "What do you think your chances are of winning?"

  "Don't know," he answered with a shrug. "The other properties nominated have their own strengths. The main thing would be managing the press this would generate. There was a firm that won a prestigious award a couple of years ago but instead of getting good publicity, some nosy tabloid journalist aired the architect's dirty laundry instead."

  "What kind of dirty laundry?"

  "Something about his predilection to call girls. I think that shouldn't have been anyone else's business. But somehow, these things do get out and get magnified at inopportune times. Anyway, their firm lost out on a couple of big contracts because of that. The clients preferred not to get attached to any negative publicity so they chose not to go with them even though they were originally the front runners. I know this because we picked up those clients."

  "Wow. That was tough for your competitor. Why were the clients so strict? Why should the exposé on the architect affect them?" she asked.

  "The clients were big multi-nationals. When those types of corporations build new developments they themselves seek, even drive, good PR for themselves. They don't want any news about their big projects muddled with undesirable associations."

  "I see."

  "So I'm sorry I can't have dinner with you tomorrow night, but I should be home before eleven."

  She sighed, a bittersweet feeling engulfing her.

  "I'm really sorry, sweetheart," Kane murmured as he pulled her to him and nuzzled her neck.

  "It's okay," she assured him. "I wasn't sighing because you have to work tomorrow night."

  "Then what's the sigh for?" he asked, tilting her chin with a finger.

  "I was just thinking how very soon, we'll be spending more time apart than together for two whole months. The past month has got me used to having you around every night."

  "I know. Me too," he said, sighing deeply himself. "And unfortunately I will have to do some travelling for work in the near future. Do you think you could take some time off to travel with me?"

  She played with his shirt collar as she thought about his question. She didn't think her boss would allow her to take more time off so soon after being away for five weeks. Oh, but his offer was so tempting. And she could already see herself missing him like crazy.

  "I'll see what I can do," she said eventually.

  "Please try hard."

  "I will," she promised, although she didn't really know how she'd manage it.

  "In the meantime, let's make the most of the next few days," Kane said, hoisting her up and tossing her on the bed.

  She giggled, resolutely pushing away a deep sense of foreboding that arose out of the blue.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  "I'm back!" Jasmine cried as she hugged Kristen McCann, who opened the door for her.

  "I missed you!" Kris responded, hugging her back tightly. "Sam's trying out a new recipe," Kris whispered, shaking her head in mock exasperation.

  Jasmine laughed, already thinking of the cleaning up they would have to do after dinner as she walked into the large open plan living room/dining room/kitchen of the apartment shared by the cousins Samantha and Kristen. After dropping her bag on a chair, she went up to Sam, who was frowning as she tasted the food she was whipping up.

  Sam loved being adventurous with her cooking and judging from the number of used bowls and cups on the counter top and her friend's scowl, this was another one of those times when she pushed her creativity too far.

  "What are we having tonight?" she asked as she gave Sam a quick peck on the cheek. She knew not to distract her too much when she had that intense look on her face.

  "Hi Jaz. Just give me a minute to fix the flavour in this dish. I think I might have added too much of something."

  "Okay. You want us to leave you alone?"

  "Yes, please. We should be ready in a few minutes, once I'm happy with it."

  Jasmine smiled and followed Kris to the sofa. As she looked around, melancholy hit her. This had been her second home for so long. She and her two best friends had shared some of their innermost secrets and biggest dreams in the very room she was standing in. But soon, she'd be too far away from them to simply get in her car and drive the ten minutes it took to get from her current apartment to this place.

  "What's wrong, Jaz?" Kris asked, hands on hips. "Don't tell me that Kane guy has hurt you already?"

  She chuckled at her friend's stance. Kristen was a highly emotive person who would defend the people she loved with everything she had. Sometimes she went overboard with her expressiveness and rubbed people the wrong way, but those who understood her knew she had a massive heart of gold.

  "No. I was just thinking how there's not long to go until I'll only see you guys occasionally instead of a couple of times a week."

  "Oh, I know, hon," Kris cried, her arms dropping to her side. "We hate the thought too, but we know you have to take bigger opportunities for yourself."

  "Yeah," she said as she slumped down on the sofa.

  "So, have you told your boss you're taking the Sydney role?"

  "No. I have until Monday to tell him my final decision. I'm still moving to Sydney, but there's another option that's been playing in my mind. I want to talk to you and Sam about it."

  "Okay. We can discuss it over dinner. But first, I have something to show you." Kris picked up an open laptop and placed it on her lap. "What do you think of this?"

  She gasped in delight. It was the book cover for her fourth novel and she loved it. Kris had done another marvellous job with her cover design.

  "Thank you so much," she gushed, placing an arm around her friend's shoulders and squeezing her tightly. "This is perfect, Kris. You really should start marketing yourself for this. You're so good at it."

  Kris snorted. "You know I do it when I'm in bed and can't sleep. I'm happy to do it for you, Jaz, but if I make it a business, that would eat up my dancing time."

  She laughed out loud. Dancing was Kris's passion. If she could find a way to make a reasonable living out of dancing, Kris would give up her job as the executive assistant of a big shot CEO in a flash.

  "Eating time," Sam called, carrying her unnamed dish to the dining table.

  "It looks delish, Sam," Jasmine said sincerely as she inspected the concoction.

  "I hope you guys like it," Sam responded. "It's not as bad as the casserole I cooked before you left for Sydney."

  Jasmine shook her head at her friend, who absolutely loved cooking but had a bad habit of minimising her skills in the kitchen. "Sam, that casserole was good. It wasn't your best but it was darn good."

  "Okay, thanks," Sam said, sounding unconvinced. "Anyway, I heard you say you wanted to discuss something with me and Kris."

  "Yes," she responded as she tried her first mouthful of Sam's new creation. "Hmm, this is really yummy, Sammy!"

  "Hmm! Really good, Sam," Kris agreed.

  Sam beamed at them. "Thanks, girls. I know I can always count on you to praise me. Now, Jaz, you were saying —?"

  Jasmine nodded her head.
"Well, I'm moving to Sydney."

  "Yes, we know that. It seems that having a new boyfriend there was the push you needed to make a definitive decision."

  A hankering for Kane hit Jasmine. It had only been three days since they were last together but she was already missing him so. He said he'd visit again in two weeks, but that just seemed so far away.

  "Gosh," Kris said. "You've really fallen hard for this guy, haven't you, Jaz? Look at your face—all wistful and horny."

  She blushed. "He's really hot," she responded honestly.

  The cousins spluttered in laughter. "Finally, someone has captured Jasmine Allen's heart," Sam declared. "I can't wait to meet him. I can't believe you didn't introduce him to us last weekend when he was in town."

  "Come on, Sam," Kris said, "if the guy is as hot as Jaz says he is, I'd lock him in the room for the whole weekend, too."

  Jasmine pouted dramatically. "I won't see him again for another two weeks."

  "Oh my God! You have got it bad, girl."

  "Well, you'll be working in Sydney in a couple of months, anyway. You won't have to suffer the distance for too long."

  "Oh, that's what I've been wanting to talk to you about," Jasmine said. "I'm thinking of not taking the Sydney role my boss offered."

  "What?!"

  "That doesn't make sense!"

  "Okay, hear me out," she said to her shocked friends. "Kane's firm has clients all over the world. He has to travel overseas often, sometimes for months at a time when he works on big projects. Even if I take a week off work here and there, it would still mean a lot of time apart. So I've been thinking, what if I leave my job and concentrate on my writing? Then I could travel with Kane wherever he goes. That also means I could produce books at a faster rate and have more time with marketing activities."

  She stopped speaking to catch her breath.

  "I think that's a brilliant plan, Jaz. It would be a dream come true for you," Kris said.

  "Yeah," Sam agreed. "Besides, Kane sounds like he could afford to support you if finances become dire."

  Jasmine scrunched her face, knowing her royalties could dry up at any time. "That's what I want to avoid. I don't want Kane to think he has to support me just so I can indulge myself with my writing 'hobby'. Ugh, this is a bad idea; forget I even brought it up. It was just a fantasy I had."

  "Hey, before you discard it altogether, why don't you see how he would feel about it? If the two of you are serious about each other—and from what you've told us, you are—then maybe he'd love this idea."

  She chewed her lip. The vision of being with Kane as he travelled and her writing books from different corners of the globe excited her. "You're right, Sam. I should talk to him about this."

  "Great. So what does this have to do with you not taking the job in Sydney? Surely you'd still want financial security while you talk things through with Kane?"

  "If I accept, the company will pay for my move. I don't want them to invest more money in me when I'm likely to resign within a few months of getting to Sydney."

  "I see your point. So what are you going to do?"

  "I have until Monday to decide. I will have spoken to Kane by then."

  *******

  Jasmine felt the room spin as her heart beat erratically. She gripped the edge of her study table, squeezing her eyes shut and taking deep breaths to ward away the panic attack that threatened to overcome her.

  This couldn't be happening.

  Slowly, she opened her eyes, hoping that the email she just read was but a figment of her tired, overactive mind.

  Unfortunately, it wasn't. It glared at her from her computer screen. How the hell did Hannah find out about her?

  She composed herself, knowing she needed to read the email again to be sure of what it contained.

  Jasmine,

  Yes, I know about you. You're the woman who dates engaged men and breaks up relationships. I don't know how Kane could be so blind about your true colours, but I suppose men will be men.

  In case you don't know who I am, I'm Hannah, his ex-fiancée. As you can imagine, I've slept with him countless times so I know how much he loves sex. Unfortunately, when I lost Kane's baby (yes, I was pregnant with his child), I hadn't been in the right frame of mind to give him what he needed in the bedroom. I guess that was why he turned to someone like you. Understandable, and I could forgive him for that.

  But hear this, Missy. I'm not going to let you ruin what Kane and I have built together. And Kane is a wonderful man who doesn't deserve to be conned by a slut like you. If you have any heart at all you will understand what I'm about to say to you in the rest of this email.

  Kane and his architectural firm have recently been nominated for two international awards. If you don't know what this means to him then I'll tell you. IT MEANS THE WORLD TO HIM. Whether he will win would be up to the judges. But having two properties nominated in the same year is enough to shoot his profile up in the international scene. Some publications would no doubt want to dig up some dirt on him to sell their wares.

  What does this mean? Well, you're probably clapping your hands in glee at the thought of Kane showering you with gifts because of his heightened success. But he's not yours. You stealing him from me doesn't rate because you're not serious about relationships. I am.

  And here's another problem that I have with you. You're a threat to his success. A big one. Why? Because of who you are and what you do.

  The world does not need to know that Kane was an unfaithful man who cheated on me. The world does not need to know that he left me while I was still grieving over the loss of our child and the death of my mother for some woman who has a history of being a relationship wrecker. If this gets out, you can just imagine what it would do to his reputation.

  As long as you're with Kane, he is in danger of losing what he has worked so hard for.

  You probably don't care about that but I do and I'm not beyond a little blackmail if it's for a good cause. What blackmail, you ask? Well, have a look at the attached documents and you'll know what I mean. I must admit I don't know where you publish your stories, but I wouldn't be surprised if you sell them to those pornographic magazines.

  So this is the deal, Jasmine Allen. If you leave Kane alone now, the chances of someone finding out about you will be slim. That will be good for Kane and I won't have to resort to actions that would be bad for you. But if you don't leave Kane alone, I will send these documents to the company you work for and your family and friends. And if a negative article about you and Kane appears in the press, I will post these documents on the Internet.

  If you think you could find a way to shut me up, think again. I have friends who also hold these documents. You won't be able to shut them up.

  Be clear about this. I will do everything to get Kane back. We belong together so LEAVE HIM ALONE. If you do then I give you my word that your secret will be safe with me.

  All you need to do now is break up with Kane. I'll be generous and give you five days to do it. If you don't, you know what will happen.

  Hannah

  With shaky hands, Jasmine opened the documents Hannah attached to her email. There were two of them.

  She burned with anger as she read the first one. Someone had written a smutty short story about two men being 'serviced' at the same time by one woman. And whoever put together the crass, poorly written story included the name of the author. Jasmine Allen.

  When she opened the next one, all she could do was gape in shock. A pornographic picture with about ten naked people in various positions jumped out of her screen. She didn't have to read the story, for it was clear it was about an orgy. She stared at the words just below the title. It said by Jasmine Allen.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Jasmine's hand shook with nerves and anger as she dialled George's number. She hadn't planned what she was going to say to him. All she knew was she needed this whole thing sorted out immediately.

  Distress swamped her when a recorded voice said
that the number she had called was not connected.

  "Damn it!"

  She dropped the phone on her desk and buried her face in her hands. How could she fix this? By the looks of it, Hannah had been contacted by George, who told her lies. George must have played on Hannah's feelings for Kane and convinced her that she needed to do all she could to save Kane from the evil clutches of Jasmine Allen, the witch-whore.

  But how did George know about Hannah? Or even Kane, for that matter?

  She gasped as the answer came to her.

  Tim.

  How could she get in touch with that man? She didn't have his number. His caller ID was blocked on her mobile phone.

  She went back to her computer and Googled his name. There were too many entries for Tim Smith or Timothy Smith. And she had been too uninterested in him to bother knowing where he worked.

  There was no other choice. She had to find his number from her dad without him knowing the true reason why she wanted it. She couldn't afford to have her father reacting adversely until she had got to the bottom of things. She didn't trust Tim to hold back on doing something that might damage Kane's reputation.

  ~~~~~~~

  "Hello, Tim," she said coldly.

  "Jasmine?" an incredulous voice answered.

  "Yes," she said flatly, trying to calm her outrage so she could have a rational discussion with the man who was endangering Kane's career.

  "Wow," he said. "I'm glad you rang. I've been meaning to call you for so long but I'm just too gutless."

  She frowned. Tim sounded apologetic. Not what she was expecting at all.

  "Well, here I am, Tim. Fire away," she said in a still-icy manner.

  "I'm really sorry, Jasmine," Tim said. "I believed it when I heard you were …"

  "What, Tim?" she asked quietly when his pause became too long.

  She heard him sigh heavily. "I was told that the reason you wouldn't go out with me was because I was a goody-two-shoes looking for a relationship when you weren't. When you broke up with George, he told certain people you were ready for your next casual relationship. He also said you preferred aggressive men who did a lot of chasing—that you like writing about it in your … porno stories."