Dirty

Dirty

By

Eve Vaughn

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All trademarks, service marks, registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Dirty

Copyright ©
June
2015 Eve Vaughn

Electronic book publication
June
2015

With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means without permission from the author, Eve Vaughn.

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means electronic or print, without the author’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement without monetary gain is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in Federal Prison and a fine of $250,000. For more information regarding the government’s stance on copyright infringement visit: http://www.fbi.gov/ipr.

Dedication

To my readers, thank you so much for supporting me, and keeping me going. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this book as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

Chapter One

“I don’t know what it is, but something’s going on with Paul and I’m really worried about him,” Noelle mused over her coffee mug before taking a sip.

Simone, who had been in the process of biting into her double chocolate chip muffin Noelle had made, choked. She coughed as a chunk of the sweet treat lodged in her throat. Noelle placed her cup on the table and jumped out of her seat. She rushed to her cousin’s side to administer several swats on her back. “Are you okay?”

Coughing and sputtering, it took Simone a few moments to regain her bearings. “I’m fine now. My food went down the wrong pipe.”

Noelle groaned. “I hate when that happens. Let me get you a glass of water.”

“Don’t trouble yourself, hon.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I’ll be right back.” Noelle disappeared into her house, leaving Simone alone on the patio.

Simone was surprised at the startling effect the mere mention of Paul Winters’ name had on her. Simone had spent months avoiding him, mainly by staying away from the bakery Noelle and Paul co-owned. It wasn’t a difficult feat to accomplish since she had so little time to socialize with her own budding fashion career. In the last two years, when Simone wasn’t working in her boutique, or designing outfits, she went on buying trips. It was only recently that she’d hired staff to do the traveling for her, which freed up her hectic schedule a bit.

Noelle, who juggled a thriving business of her own as well as a husband, was the one who insisted they make time for each other. Simone couldn’t deny her cousin such a small request, not when they’d been through so much together. Noelle wasn’t just her cousin, but a best friend and sister. Besides, Simone enjoyed Noelle’s company.

Hanging out with her cousin meant inevitably Simone would run into Paul and that was a problem. Simone did the best she could to minimize the chances of any such meetings from occurring.

There were a few times when Simone had been extended an invitation to attend a gathering at Noelle and James’s house, but she’d declined for fear of bumping into Paul. Using her job as an excuse, Simone had managed to avoid raising any suspicion thus far but her cousin was no dummy. Her excuses wouldn’t hold up much longer.

The very idea of facing him again sent a wave of panic coursing through her body. In the past couple years, however, there had been unavoidable instances where she’d run into him either at the bakery or Noelle’s house. Each time Simone made up a reason to leave. She had to get away from his sagacious blue stare. For his part, Paul had been polite on each of those occasions, saying nothing beyond a greeting. Though his expression might have been hard to read by someone who wasn’t paying attention, Simone noticed the discerning looks he threw her way.

He’d seen her, saw the dirty little secret she’d been hiding since she was a teenager. Paul had caught a glimpse of the real Simone Carter and it was a secret she wanted kept under wraps. Simone wrapped her arms around herself to hold back the shivers as she remembered that momentous encounter.

“It really means a lot to me to have you here tonight.” Noelle squeezed Simone’s hand. “These functions are usually so boring but I at least have someone to talk to.”

“Hey! I heard that.” Paul approached the two ladies, a half-smile tilting his lips.

“Paul!” Noelle greeted, giving him an effusive hug. “When did you get here?”

“Just a few minutes ago. I ran into some old contacts who would be very interested in using us for to cater a party for them.”

Noelle rolled her eyes. “This is a charity event for Children’s Hospital. You promised no working tonight. It’s bad enough James is being hit up every few minutes by people looking for his company to invest in their projects, I don’t need you to start wheeling and dealing as well.”

Paul chuckled. “You’re right. I just can’t help myself. I just want our bakery to be a success.”

“We already are. We’re doing so well we’re expanding. So no more work tonight, okay?”

Paul saluted. “Aye Aye Captain.”

Noelle giggled and hit Paul on the chest playfully. Paul then turned to Simone. “Simone.” He nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Decked out in a tuxedo and sans glasses, Paul looked quite different from how Simone was used to seeing him. The handful of times she’d encountered him, he wore business casual attire, with either a pair of khakis and a polo shirt and sometimes a suit without a tie. Simone had always found Paul attractive, but tonight it was like she was looking at him for the first time and it made her heart beat faster. She couldn’t help but notice how well he filled out his tux with broad shoulders and a taut frame. Roughly a head taller than her own five-foot six stature, she figured he was a couple inches over six feet. His eyes, which were usually behind a pair of wire-framed glasses, were aquamarine, which reminded her of the ocean on a tropical island.

For the first time Simone noticed nuances about him that she never had before, like the mole resting on the right side of his mouth just above the lips, accentuating their fullness. His nose was long but slightly off center, as if it had been broken a couple of times but hadn’t been set quite right. There was a faint scar that slashed into his brows that gave him an almost sinister look. These perfect imperfections made him easily one of the best looking men she’d ever seen and for the life of Simone she couldn’t figure out why she hadn’t noticed this before.

Not that it made a difference, she told herself. There was no chance of anything happening between the two of them, despite Paul making his interest in her clear. When he’d asked her out, a part of her wanted to say yes, but then came the painful reminder of why the two of them could never work. Simone had of course turned him down as gently as she could, not wanting to be the cause of tension between him and Noelle. Not surprisingly, Paul had been a gentleman and had accepted her rejection gracefully, although it was clear it had upset him. Turning him down, however, didn’t mean she couldn’t feel his gaze whenever they were within close proximity to each other or that it didn’t affect her.

There were two reasons she’d turned him down. The first was that he was Noelle’s business partner. When things ended between them, and they would, she didn’t want that to affect his and Noelle’s partnership or friendship. The second reason was the fact Paul was too decent a guy for someone like her. She might have appeared normal to the outside world but she had too much baggage and too many neuroses. If Paul knew how dark she was on the inside, he’d probably run the other way. Besides, she simply wasn’t the “settling down” type. Most women dreamed of the big wedding with their knight in shining armor, the white picket fence, two children and a dog. Simone had once wanted those things as well, but certain events in her life made her realize that simply wasn’t possible. So now she had her career to focus on and she was fine with that…most of the time. Like any hot-blooded woman, however, she had needs and when she had an itch, she’d get it scratched. Paul was a forever-kind-of-guy and Simone was a for-right-now-kind-of-girl.

Simone took a sip of her champagne to get her heart rate under control before saying anything. “Hi, Paul.” She plastered a courteous smile on her face.

His startling gaze swept her from head to toe as an easy smile curved his lips. “You look beautiful as always. Is that one of your creations?”

“Huh?”

“The dress you’re wearing. Did you design it yourself?”

Simone had gotten so caught up in his mesmerizing stare that she’d lost her train of thought. “Oh, uh, yes. It’s a one of a kind. I, uh, well…it seems you’re not the only one who was drumming up a little business. There was a woman who asked me who made my dress and I told her about my boutique. She seemed very interested.” Simone could feel her face grow warm when she realized she was babbling. “Uh, you know what I have to run to the restroom but I’ll be back.”’

“I’ll come with you.” Noelle started to walk with her.

Simone shook her head. “No! I mean, you don’t have to. Stay here and keep Paul company. And if you wouldn’t mind, please hold my drink.”

Simone handed her cousin the glass before taking off without waiting for a reply. She didn’t stop until she made it to the restroom. For reasons she couldn’t explain, her heart beat at an erratic pace. It couldn’t have been because of Paul. Could it? She felt that familiar stirring telling her she needed a fix, something to get her head in the right place, to make things clear.

Goosebumps lined her skin and her hands begin to shake. She splashed her face with cool water a few times as she took several calming breaths. Whenever she felt herself spiraling into that dark place she needed something to banish the ache.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” A lady at the neighboring sink inquired.

“Yes. Thanks for asking. Just a bit warm.”

“Yes. I thought so myself as well. Take care.” The woman smiled before leaving Simone on her own again.

After repairing her makeup, Simone headed toward the lobby and then outside to get some air, hoping to get her racing thoughts under control.

“I saw you come outside, and I didn’t want to miss the chance to talk to one of the most beautiful women in the ballroom.”

Simone turned to see a man she’d noticed earlier that night. There had been a woman on his arm. She quickly looked down at his hands. There was no band of his left ring finger
and it was absent of the tell-tale tan line
.
But any man who hit on another
woman when he
already had a date
was still trouble.

She smirked, not buying his bullshit for a second. “I’m sure you say that to all the women.”

He smiled, revealing deep dimples. “Only the pretty ones.”

Simone stared him up and down. He wasn’t bad looking. Not quite as handsome as Paul, though this stranger did have a nice pair of hazel eyes and strong muscular hands. Big hands.

“Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush. I know what you want and I’m going to give it to you. But you it has to happen now.”

“Wait…what?”

Simone shrugged. “If you’re not interested…” She turned to leave but the stranger grabbed her by the arm.

“Wait. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Because I didn’t throw it. It’s better without names anyway.”

“Where?”

“There’s an alley on the other side of the building. We’ll have to be quick.”

“Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack. Do you want this or not? Because if not there are others who won’t turn down my offer.”

“Hold up, are you a pros—”

“No. I’m just a woman who knows what she wants and in a minute I’m going to want something else.”

He took her wrist and led her down the sidewalk. “Then let’s go. My name is—”

“I said no names.”

“This is very unorthodox.”

“Only adds to the thrill.”

The alley, when they finally came to it was abandoned, and thankfully dark enough that no one would notice them unless they turned down it. The chance of discovery was part of the game that served to remind her that this was the best it would ever be for her. In some way it gave her a twisted sense of power when it felt like her world had started to tumble around her. The familiar stirring permeated through her body and all she could think of was the need to feed the monster inside of her, the one that had devoured her soul so long ago.

Her body was on autopilot as she went through the motions, tearing at clothing as an insatiable hunger took over. She vaguely acknowledged being slammed against the rough exterior of the hotel before transcending on a different plane. In that moment her partner didn’t matter, nothing did. She was numb. Simone didn’t feel anything at all but she couldn’t stop had her life depended on it.

“Simone!”

As she slowly floated back to a more conscious state, she felt her feet hit the ground.

“Shit.” The stranger pulled away from her and fumbled with his clothing before dashing off to leave her with the person who had interrupted them.

She recognized that voice and she almost too scared to turn around and see the look of disgust she knew she’d see on his face. When she finally did gather the courage to face Paul, the expression on his face was much worse than she thought it would be. It was a look of disappointment.

Simone’s throat felt dry, making it impossible for her to talk, although she wasn’t sure what she could say. Instead she held up her hand in a silent plea.

He shook his head before turning away.

There were very many times in her life where she literally hated herself. But nothing could compare to the feeling of seeing that look in Paul’s eyes. From then on, she’d stayed out of his way in hope of never seeing that expression again.

“Simone!”

She nearly jumped out of her chair as Noelle’s voice broke into her thoughts.

“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

“I said, here’s your water. I’ve been trying to get your attention for almost a minute. Where were you just now?”

Simone took the offered glass and took a sip to stall as she thought of something to redirect the previous conversation. “Oh, I was thinking about some of the items one of my buyers brought back from Paris. The boutique is doing so well, I think I’ll be expanding much sooner than I thought.”