Temptation Haven: Dirty Little Secrets

Handled

Lily had told the taxi driver her own address, but halfway there she changed her mind. Her hands were still shaking from everything that had happened at Damien’s villa. Without giving herself time to overthink it, she leaned forward.

“Actually… can you take me to Ashford Tower instead?”

The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror but only nodded and turned the car around. Lily sat back, arms wrapped around herself, staring out the window until the familiar high-rise came into view.

When she reached the top floor and rang the doorbell, it took a few seconds before Vance opened it. He was in a black T-shirt and dark sweatpants, hair slightly messy. The moment he saw her face, his expression shifted.

“Lily? What are you doing here?”

She tried to answer, but her voice broke. Tears spilled over before she could stop them. Vance stepped forward immediately and pulled her inside, closing the door behind them. His arms wrapped around her.

“Hey… talk to me. What happened?”

Lily pressed her face into his chest. For a long moment she couldn’t speak. She just cried while he held her, one hand slowly moving up and down her back.

When she finally found her voice, it came out small and uneven.

“Damien has photos of me. Of us. Of the three of us together. He said if I don’t do what he wants, he’ll put them online. He told me I have to be his personal call girl. Whenever he calls, I have to show up or he’ll ruin me.”

Vance went completely still.

He guided her over to the couch and sat her down, then crouched in front of her so they were at eye level. His hands rested lightly on her knees.

“I need to calm down.” he said quietly. “Tell me everything.”

Lily wiped at her cheeks and took a shaky breath.

“I went to his villa because I was angry with you. After what you said about Vanessa, I wanted to hurt you the way I was hurting. We had dinner. We talked. Then he took me out to the balcony. He tried to kiss me and I pulled away. When I told him I wasn’t interested anymore, he got angry. He grabbed me and said I couldn’t just leave after eating his food and drinking his wine. He tried to force a kiss on me, so I kicked him. I tried to leave, but then he told me about the photos. He showed me one. It’s clear, Vance. If those get out, my reputation will be ruined everywhere.”

Vance’s jaw tightened. He stayed quiet for a few seconds, then spoke in a low, controlled voice.

“You’re staying here tonight. You’re not going back to your apartment alone, and you’re not answering his calls. Do you understand me?”

Lily nodded, still sniffling. “I know things between us are complicated. After everything you said the other day, I shouldn’t even be here. But I didn’t know where else to go. I didn’t trust anyone else.”

Vance looked at her for a long moment. Something softer moved across his face.

“I shouldn’t have said those things the way I did,” he said. “About Vanessa. About you and me. I was trying to push you away because I didn’t know what to do with how I was starting to feel. That was unfair.”

Lily stared at him, her voice barely above a whisper. “You felt something?”

“Yes.” He didn’t look away. “More than I planned to. More than I wanted to admit at the time. Watching you leave with Damien made that very clear to me.”

Silence settled between them for a few seconds.

Lily’s voice was quiet when she spoke again. “I thought I was just convenient for you. Someone you could sleep with until your real life called you back. I kept telling myself not to expect more, but I still ended up falling for you.”

Vance exhaled slowly and reached up, gently brushing a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

“You were never just convenient. I tried to treat you like you were, because it felt safer. But it stopped being simple a long time ago, Lily. I need you to know that.”

She searched his face, still uncertain, but some of the tightness in her chest eased.

“I’m going to deal with Damien,” Vance said. “You won’t hear from him again about those photos or anything else. I don’t want you carrying that fear.”

“How are you going to handle it?” she asked.

“You don’t need the details. Just trust that it will be taken care of. Can you do that?”

Lily hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. I trust you.”

Vance stood and held out his hand. “Come on. You need rest. You can take the guest room if you want space… or you can stay with me. Nothing has to happen tonight. I just don’t want you alone.”

Lily looked at his hand for a moment before taking it. “I’ll stay with you.”

He led her down the hall to his bedroom. The city lights filtered softly through the wide windows. Vance pulled back the covers and let her climb in. He lay down beside her, leaving a little space at first.

After a few minutes of quiet, Lily shifted closer and rested her head against his chest. Vance’s arm slowly came around her shoulders. Neither of them spoke for a while.

Lily closed her eyes, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

“Thank you for letting me stay,” she whispered.

“You’re safe here,” he answered simply.

******

The next afternoon, Lily sat on the couch with a cup of coffee when her phone rang. Damien’s name flashed on the screen. Her stomach tightened. She looked over at Vance, who gave her a small nod from the armchair across the room.

She answered.

“Lily.” Damien’s voice sounded different, stiffer and more careful than usual. “I wanted to apologize for last night. I overstepped. The photos won’t be a problem. I won’t contact you again about any of that. You have my word.”

Lily was silent for a second, surprised by the sudden change in his tone.

“I understand,” she replied.

“Take care of yourself.” Damien ended the call after saying that.

Lily lowered the phone and looked at Vance. He simply stared her with a calm expression, but there was something protective in his eyes.

"Did you do this?" Lily asked, still school that Damien was backing off so easily.

Vance shrugged, as though he had hardly done anything.