One Tiny Secret

Chapter Ten

Sitting at my desk in the newspaper office, I begin looking over the mock-up for Friday’s issue. Like usual, I’m the first one at the after-school meeting, but I don’t mind because I can usually get some work done before the others show up. Being the editor-in-chief for the paper has its definite ups and downs, but thankfully there are more ups.

“Dani, you’re here early, as usual,” I hear Mr. Whitman say as he enters the office.

“Am I really that predictable?” I ask with a laugh.

He smiles. “I wouldn’t call it predictable. More like dedicated or dependable.” He takes the mock-up from my hands and begins flipping through it. “Looks good.”

“I agree, though the margins are a little off on the sports column. I’ll try and fix it before everyone shows up,” I reply, taking it back from his hands.

“Oh, I completely forgot to tell you all during today’s meeting that I have a surprise for you. We’re going to have a new addition to the newspaper since I can’t be here to help out as often as I’d like to,” he says as he takes a seat behind his desk.

“An addition? Who is it?”

Just as he’s about to respond, a couple of newspaper staff members walk into the room.

“You’ll find out soon,” he answers and turns his attention back to the door as more students enter.

I reach for the mock-up that I placed at the edge of the desk and knock over my pen cup, spilling the contents onto the floor. Damn.

As I begin picking up the pens and pencils, I hear the door to the office open again, and then a familiar male’s voice fills the room. Peeking over the desk, I see Parker shaking hands with Mr. Whitman. I cower behind the desk once I realize he must be who Mr. Whitman was talking about. Succumbing to the fact that I can’t hide behind my desk for the rest of the meeting, I rise up, slowly and inconspicuously, while putting the writing utensils back into the cup and taking a seat.

My eyes slam into Parker’s and we experience an “oh crap” moment. He sends me a quick wave to say hello and I flash him a forced smile.

The nerve of him. Seriously? You know, I could easily write him off—if only he wasn’t so freakin’ drop-dead gorgeous and didn’t completely ensnare all my senses in one fell swoop. Oh, and I guess he can be an all-right guy at times too.

Once everyone is settled at their desks, Mr. Whitman calls the staff’s attention to him and Parker. I notice a few of the girls in the room are already completely smitten with Parker.

“Poor bastards,” I say under my breath.

“I’d like to introduce my new assistant on the newspaper, Parker Reed. He was my star pupil when he attended Brookmoor High. He actually sat in your desk, Dani,” Mr. Whitman says, motioning over to me.

“Yeah, don’t remind me,” I mumble.

A memory of me and Parker sitting alone in this office sweeps into my mind. This was where we first kissed, right here at this very desk. Not only our first kiss, but mine. I remember it like it was yesterday. The butterflies return in the pit of my stomach, as I think about the anticipation of his lips against mine. He was a seasoned pro and I was this little meek flower just ready to be plucked. He was the reason I joined the paper in the first place.

Mr. Whitman’s voice floats into my head, taking me away from my daydream. “Parker’s going to be filling in for me when I can’t be here to assist you with the paper. He’s a journalism major at Blackburn University, and is very experienced in this field. Any questions that you have for me can easily be answered by him, as well.”

Parker just stands there, all smiles, but I notice him glancing over at me every once in a while. I can’t deny that I still have feelings for him, but can I trust him? That is the question of the century.

“Dani,” Mr. Whitman says, startling me out of my thoughts. “I want you to bring Mr. Reed here up to speed on how we run the paper now. Things have changed a little since he was the editor-in-chief, and I think it’s only fitting that the current one does the honor.”

Shit, really? Well, there goes that idea of trying to avoid him.

“Sure, sounds great,” I reply, trying to suppress the angst bubbling up inside me.

“Why don’t you start by showing him around campus? I’m sure he’ll want to see how the old school has been spruced up a bit,” Mr. Whitman says.

“But what about the mock-up?” I ask, holding it up.

“I’ll walk everyone through it, don’t worry. You should get used to working with Parker one-on-one, anyway, since I want you to be his go-to person on the staff,” he replies with a smile.

Oh, joy of joys. Mr. Whitman is lucky I like him, because right now it’s taking every muscle in my body not to just smack him upside the head and yell out no. And Parker’s comment of, “I look forward to it,” doesn’t help matters much, either.

When I approach the door to leave the office, Parker grabs the handle and opens it before I can. He can be a gentleman sometimes, I guess. I hear the door close behind me and turn to face Parker to give him a piece of my mind away from prying ears.

I collide with his highly-toned chest, and he grabs hold of me. My face floats mere inches from his. His cologne is so enticing. Consider that three senses completely ensnared right there.

“If you wanted to make out, all you had to do was ask,” he jokes, talking closely to my mouth, teasing my lips.

I push away from him and he lets out a chuckle.

“Thanks for abandoning me Sunday,” I say resentfully.

“Oh…sorry about that. When I saw the deputy’s car, I split to avoid confrontation,” he replies. “I wanted to stay and wait for you—”

“But you didn’t,” I interrupt.

As I turn to walk down the hall, he takes my arm and drags me gently back to face him. “Hey, I’m not finished with you yet,” he says with a grin. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“We do, do we? I thought we were pretty much caught up the moment you did what you typically do in stressful situations: leave me,” I snap back.

“I told you I was sorry about that. There’s not much more I can say.”

“Oh, really? Well, I guess this tour is over then,” I reply, heading back toward the office door.

I hear Parker say, “We really do need to talk,” but I just ignore him. I wrench open the door, which seems to surprise Mr. Whitman, who’s right in the middle of a discussion.

“Finished so soon?” he asks as I enter the office.

“Turns out not much has changed,” I reply, passing him on the way to my desk.



After the meeting is over, I find myself still fixing the margins on the sports section. It’s only Parker, Mr. Whitman, and me left in the office.

“I’ve got to run, Dani. The Mrs. is making dinner and I get in trouble when I’m late,” Mr. Whitman laughs. “You better get home soon too. Dedication should not always lead to obsession.”

“I’m almost done here. Just want to finish this before I head out.”

“I’ll wait for her,” Parker says and I mock him from behind my computer screen.

“It’s great that you two are getting on so well already,” I hear Mr. Whitman say as he opens the office door to leave. “See you tomorrow, Dani. And don’t forget to work on your essay.”

“I won’t, Mr. Whitman, promise,” I reply with an empty smile.

The instant he steps out, Parker strolls over and circles the desk while watching me like a predator does its prey. I try to ignore him and remain focused on my computer screen, but my eyes dart over at the sound of the pen cup sliding across the desk. Parker takes a seat on the edge of the desk right next to me. I fight back the urge to look over at him.

All I ask is, “Yes?”

He reaches over and hits control S on the keyboard, and in the process gently grazes my hand. A shiver surges through my arm at the softest embrace from his skin. He then proceeds to turn off the computer screen, causing me to turn abruptly and face him.

“What do you think you’re—” I say before I’m silenced with a kiss.

I slap his chest and try to push away, but he cups my face with his hands and pulls me closer, securing his lock on my lips. When he begins to run his fingers through my hair I start to relax, allowing the kiss to deepen. It’s the moment his tongue tries to slip into my mouth that I snap out of it.

“Really?” I ask, pushing him back onto the desk.

“Well, you didn’t want to talk, so I figured this was the next best thing.” The grin that shows up on his face is the very one that won me over years ago. His smile and smirk are nothing to shake a stick at, but his grin is stuff of legend.

“Why do you have to do that?” I ask.

“Do what exactly?” he answers with a confused look and that damn grin still on his mouth.

“Look so damn cute,” I reply.

I stand, positioning myself between his legs. His hands move to rest on the small of my back as he pulls me closer. I brace myself on his broad, muscular shoulders and release a small giggle when I dodge his attempt at kissing me again. His bright blue eyes bore into mine. I’ve lost many hours just staring into those beauties.

A whiff of his cologne fills my nose and flips a switch. I push Parker down onto the desk. I climb up on top of him and place one knee on either side of his body, straddling his hips. I hear the crash of the pen cup on the ground as I begin to slowly trace his abs under his shirt with my fingertips. Touching Parker is intoxicating. I can never get enough of him. Which, if our past is any indication, is a very dangerous thought.

He lets out a moan of anticipation as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me to rest against his chest. His arms feel so right around me, like they were meant to encircle my frame. As our mouths embrace again, I can’t seem to get enough of the sweet taste of his lips.

Parker releases my face, all the while still staring into my eyes. He smiles as he brushes a few rogue strands of hair behind my ear.

“Does this bring back any memories?” he asks.

“Plenty.”

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment. I’ve thought—hell, I’ve dreamed of it ever since the day I left,” he says softly.

“Well, then don’t ruin it.”

I lean down to kiss him again, but I’m interrupted by a sudden banging at the door. Faster than I can say the four-letter word that comes to mind, I shove off the desk and land on my feet. My eyes never leave the office door as I anticipate someone bursting in on us at any moment.

“What the hell was that?” Parker asks, sitting up.

I shrug. “Hello?”

When there’s no reply, Parker pulls me close to him again, clearly wanting to continue where we left off. Unfortunately for him, the mood is wrecked for me now.

“I know this feels right, but we can’t risk getting caught in here,” I say, pumping the brakes on this little fondle session. “I mean, what if a janitor walks in—or worse, Mr. Whitman?”

“We’ll be quiet,” he replies, trying to nibble at my neck, clearly not getting my point.

“Can you please think with your head for a second and forget you have testosterone,” I quip, pulling his face in front of mine.

“I thought that’s what I was doing?” he replies, going in for my neck again. If I had a squirt bottle filled with water right now, I’d spray him in the face and say, “No.”

“Parker, it’s getting late. I need to finish up here and head home.” When he begins to protest, I say, “Do I need to remind you of my dad’s revolver? You know, the one he’s nicknamed ‘Dani’s Chastity Belt’? Yeah, that’s the barrel you’ll be staring down if I don’t get home soon.”

He groans. “Fair enough. I see your point.”

“Thought you would,” I giggle before placing a kiss on his cheek.