Her Secret Addiction

01- Deception.

NaTHaLie

🌹🌹🌹

"Martini," I tell the bartender as I twirl the locks of my hair around my index finger subconsciously.

I roll my eyes at my bodyguards who are scowling at anyone who as much as glances in my direction. Gosh, this is so suffocating, I mean must they follow me everywhere I go? Even to the club? I understand my parents for wanting to protect me though, me being kidnapped by my father's enemies for revenge purposes or for ransom is as scary as it is. It's just that they get overprotective sometimes, my dad especially.

My mom has more than ten five-star hotels and suites in different places all over the country while my dad is a successful CEO, he has a construction company and food manufacturing company with their branches scattered in almost every state, so my parents are stinking rich, they are billionaires and I'm their only child, heiress to their fortune.

I drop some cash for the bartender as I take a look around the ocean of people in the dimly lit club while taking a sip of my drink. And where the hell is Betsy when we were supposed to meet here about twenty minutes ago?

Betsy is my best friend, we've been friends since we bumped into each other in our freshman year three years ago. We were both running late for class then but we couldn't get the building right, I helped with her building and she helped with mine. We stumbled into each other again the following week and gradually we became friends. She comes from an average family and that's not an issue, I am not the kind of person that chooses her friends based on their social status. She is studying biochemistry while I'm studying art, it has always been my dream to become an artist. Most people think I'm taking over the family business once my parents retire but that's not it. I'm not interested in the family business, mom and dad know this but they don't mind, they still support my dream and for that I'm grateful.

Betsy and I have identical honey-brown hair and height, looking at our backside sometimes you can mistake one of us for the other. She became my roommate last year after mom and dad finally allowed me to move out to my own place but with the condition that my bodyguards also live with me in the same apartment. She agreed to live with me only if I let her pay a monthly rent. Typically Betsy.

My phone starts to vibrate in my hand, I take a quick glance at the screen and a wide smile makes its way to my lips when I see that it's an incoming call from my boyfriend, Ethan. Even though my parents do not approve of our relationship, Ethan and I have been dating for about six months now. I thought he was rejected because he is not from a rich and influential family but it turns out that they were already planning to have me engaged to someone I don't even know about.

I made it clear to my parents-my father especially-that I'm not breaking up with Ethan but they were quite persistent, so I had to lie that I'm no longer seeing him so that they can stop breathing down my neck about him.

"Hey, baby," I say with a wide smile.

"Babe." He breathes into the phone. "I miss you."

His admission brings a wider smile to my face. "I know and I miss you too but..."

"How about we meet at my place tonight? There is something I need to tell you." He asks, his voice almost sounding...nervous? Ethan is nervous? Now that's interesting.

"Well..."

"I will prepare something nice for dinner." He cuts in quickly.

I bite my lip, sighing in frustration as I glance at the guards behind me, they will surely inform my parents of my whereabouts. "Ethan..."

"I know what you're going to say but please. This is important." He pleads.

"You know what baby? Let's meet for a dinner date tomorrow. Then you can tell me everything you want to." My heart drops when I hear him sigh in disappointment. "I promise I'll be there."

"We have been at it for months now. Keeping our relationship a secret."

"Ethan just give me some time to sort this out with my parents." I am met with silence. "Please."

"Okay." He finally replies.

"Okay baby. You know I love you?" I ask with a smile.

"Yea. Me too. Bye." He replies and hangs up.

My smile drops and I am filled with an overwhelming guilt, I have to make it up to him.

I'm about to drop my phone into my bag when my wandering gaze suddenly lands on him. A small gasp makes its way out of my lips as his eyes lock on mine and his eyes roam over me intently, it was almost as if he's analyzing everything about me from where he is seated across the room. He is dressed in a white dress shirt with its first three-button undone and the sleeves rolled up a bit. Even under the dim light, I can see that his hair is a deep brown combed to the front neatly. He licks his lower lip briefly before lifting his drink to his lips. He doesn't break eye contact but instead he keeps on staring at me over the rim of the glass. Holy moly, he's handsome, a perfect model for the male specimen with a chiseled body and irresistible eyes, eyes that have me spellbound. He winks at me while licking his lower lip and I almost fainted, damn. I can't help but flash him a flirty smirk, his gaze hardens suddenly and his face becomes blank, it is like I'm staring at a different person all of a sudden. He looks away from me muttering under his breath.

"Nat!" I jump in surprise at the familiar voice of my friend and I'm forced to break eye contact with the hot guy. "I am so sorry I kept you waiting, there was an accident on the highway and the traffic was damn!" She rambles as she takes her seat on the stool beside me.

She left last week Friday to visit her uncle and his family who live just thirty minutes away from here. We agreed to meet here today by 11.

"Tequila please," she shouts at the bartender. "Christ Nathalie! You look smoking hot!" She exclaims dramatically with her eyes fixed on my knee-length blue gown.

I couldn't have been able to stop the laughter tumbling out of my lips even if I tried. "Calm down girl, gosh!" I shake my head at her in amusement. "Well...you are not looking bad yourself." I motion at her knee-length red gown.

"Of course," she smirks as she takes her drink from the bartender.

"Don't get too cocky." I tease while glancing across the room discreetly to see if the guy is still there but to my disappointment, his seat is now occupied by someone else.

'What is wrong with you Nat? You have a boyfriend.' I bite my lips, reprimanding myself mentally.

"f*****g hell." Betsy almost chokes on her drink as her gaze finally lands on the statues behind me. "What the f**k are they doing here?" Gosh! She cusses a lot.

"Shouldn't you be used to it now? I am supposed to meet Ethan now but because of them, I can't." I sigh, sinking in my seat in resignation.

"Really? How long do you plan to keep this from your parents?" She asks with her eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"I don't know." I shrug. "All I know is that I have to tell them soon."

A comfortable silence falls between us as we both sip our drinks quietly.

"You know what?" She whispers suddenly while eyeing the bodyguards behind me. There is this telltale glint in her eyes that tells me she's up to no good.

"Betsy, no."

"No? No to what?" She asks with a smirk.

"No to whatever plan you're scheming in that head of yours."

"Common now, hear me out first." She pouts. "You have to lose these guys if you really want to have fun tonight."

I hate to admit that but she's right about that. "So...what are you thinking?"

She let out a wide smile as if she had just won the lottery. "Come closer." She urges and I do grudgingly as she whispers her plan in my ear.

✨....~....✨

Betsy is crazy! Why the heck did I let her talk me into this? I wonder with a huge grin while adjusting her short red gown. I'm sure my guards are now following her around thinking I'm her, let's just hope my shade works for her for a long time. I can't hold back my laughter as I try to imagine the look on their faces when they eventually find out that they have been tricked. Oh my...this is so hilarious.

I walk back to the parked club and make my way outside while keeping my head down. I am trying to bring out my car keys from my bag when I bump into someone, the wall of muscle tells me it was a guy. I look up to see a blond guy with a terrifying stance dressed in all black. I mutter an apology quickly and rush into my car. I start the ignition and off I go, on my way to my boyfriend's apartment outside campus. There's no telling how surprised he will be when I suddenly appear at his doorstep

A few minutes later I'm standing in front of his door. I am about to open the door when a thought suddenly occurs to me; 'what if he's not at home?' No, his car is parked outside. The door unlocks after I enter the passcode and walk inside in excitement, gosh! I miss him a lot.

"Ethan?" I call out only to be met with silence.

"Baby?" I hum as I start making my way to his room.

The door is partly open and I'm about to burst inside when a familiar masculine voice had me pausing.

"How long do we have to keep up this act?"

"Just give me a few more days I'll definitely end it with her." I gasp when I hear Ethan's voice.

I take a shaky breath as I peep through the partly opened door just to see Ethan and Justin, the guy he introduced to me as his best friend both naked and cuddled together under the blanket.

"I bet she doesn't even know, does she?"

"That I'm gay?" He chuckles. "Nah, she doesn't."

"Then she's such a fool."

I place my hand on my mouth in shock as tears start rolling down my cheeks.

"I tried to be normal you know? Didn't want to accept the truth about my sexuality, I thought if I stay with her long enough I'll overcome it but I just couldn't. At some point I thought I am bi...but I am not. It was even harder getting intimate with her, I couldn't..."

I can't listen anymore, I can't. They both glance my way in shock when an uncontrollable sob breaks out of my mouth.

"Baby..."