Filthy Beautiful Lies(#1#2)

“So sorry about the mess,” Kylie says, ushering me inside her cute beach bungalow. “Thank God you’re back though.” She pulls me in for a one-armed hug.

She’s frazzled – I can tell. If it wasn’t for the crying baby she’s bouncing on her hip, or the messy knot she’s sporting on top of her head, the file folder she’s holding in her teeth is a dead giveaway.

I pull the folder free. “Of course. What do you need me to help with first?” I ask.

It’s clear she’s overwhelmed, or maybe I just showed up at a bad time.All rights © NôvelDrama.Org.

“Can you take Max?” she asks, handing me the crying baby.

“Sure.” I grit my teeth. I’m no good with babies. Or animals. Or plants for that matter. I blame it on lack of experience. His screams quiet as he gazes at me thoughtfully, but it takes him all of three seconds to decide that he’s not a fan. His cries rise to epic levels that leave my poor eardrums ringing. But Kylie has already disappeared into the kitchen, shouting something about needing to grab him a bottle.

Okay then.

As I peer down at the little guy in my arms, it occurs to me that I’ve never seen him aside from the numerous photographs Kylie has framed in her office. He’s usually napping when I’m here, or with his nanny.

He’s a chubby little thing with messy brown hair and giant bright blue eyes. And I would say he’s adorable, but the ear-splitting howls he’s letting out make it hard to judge accurately. I’m sure he’d be much cuter cooing at me and making sweet babbling noises.

I bounce him against my hip just as I saw Kylie doing, but it’s no help.

Thankfully, she returns with his bottle and takes him from me. When the nipple reaches his mouth, he instantly quiets and the relief in Kylie is visible. Her posture relaxing and a slow smile uncurling on her lips as she gazes down at him.

“Okay, shall we go up to the office and I can tell you where I left off? I can finish feeding this monster and then get him down for his morning nap.”

“Absolutely.”

We head up the stairs to the office space above her garage that Colton so graciously had built for her so that she could work from home with her baby. I still don’t know the story behind their relationship, and I make a mental note to ask him about it tonight.

Work keeps me busy all throughout the day and being back in Kylie’s fiery presence – listening as she makes tough sales calls, doubling her efforts to secure more donations – makes me feel even better about my decision to return to LA. She cold calls potential investors and sells them on the project with ease. I’m sure she’s heard about Colton’s divorce settlement and the reduced funds he has to contribute.

Our work is occasionally interrupted by bouts of screaming that we can hear crackling on the baby monitor. Kylie works in fits and starts – darting from the room to retrieve a stranded pacifier, returning to the office to type a rushed email on her laptop, and later playing an intense game of peek-a-boo while fielding questions from an investor with her cell phone cradled between her shoulder and ear. She’s truly a super woman. I never realized just how difficult it would be being a single mother until I see her in action. I’m exhausted just watching her.

When I arrive home from work, I know the motorcycle parked at the side of the house means Colton’s beat me home. Home. I sigh, happily. Kicking off my shoes in the mudroom, I go off in search of him. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how big this house is. Maybe someday I’ll talk him into moving us into a cozy one-bedroom apartment. Though I’d miss the ocean views way too much.

I find Colton in his office, his tie loosened around his neck, white shirt sleeves pushed up his forearms and a crystal tumbler filled with bourbon. Hard liquor as soon as he’s home from work? This is new.

“Everything okay?” I ask, sinking down into his lap and bringing my arms around his neck.

He sets down his glass and rests his chin on my shoulder. “Just work.” He releases a heavy sigh. “Things are fucked up at the moment.”

He doesn’t normally talk about his work much, and I realize that I want to be let in to this facet of his life. He’s the CEO of a company that I know very little about.

“What’s going on with work?” I ask.

He lifts his head and meets my eyes. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, sweetness.”

I might not have an Ivy League education like him, but I was pretty sure I could understand whatever was troubling him. Maybe I could even help make it a little better. Isn’t that what girlfriends do?

I rise from his lap and stand before him with my hands on my hips. “I don’t think I have to remind you that withholding information got you into trouble before. You never talk about your work. Let me in. Let me be a true companion, Colton.”

The frown line running across his forehead deepens as he watches me. “That’s not…I’m not trying to keep anything from you.”

“How do you know Kylie?” I blurt.

“Let’s go have dinner and we’ll talk about everything.”

Oh, fuck. He has that look on his face like he has to tell me something unpleasant. Has everyone seen my boyfriend’s cock? Work tomorrow with Kylie is going be extremely difficult if so. As much as I like and respect her, I will not be able to keep my cool if they shared some illicit past.