Hidden Read online

  HIDDEN

  LOVE DESIRED SERIES

  CASSIE VERANO

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  THIS EBOOK IS A WORK of fiction. Names, characters, places, and situations are complete creative works of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

  Resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental.

  Any unauthorized reprint or use of this book or any portion thereof is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.

  Copyright © 2020 Cassie Verano

  All Rights Reserved

  Contact Me:

  [email protected]

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 2 - KOLE

  CHAPTER 3 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 4 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 5 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 6 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 7 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 8 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 9 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 10 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 11 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 12 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 13 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 14 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 15 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 16 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 17 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 18 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 19 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 20 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 21 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 22 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 23 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 24 – SILVER (1 Month Later)

  CHAPTER 25 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 26 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 27 – KOLE

  CHAPTER 28 – SILVER

  CHAPTER 29 – KOLE (6 Months Later)

  EPILOGUE – CHAPTER 30 – KOLE & SILVER (1 YEAR LATER)

  KOREAN GLOSSARY OF TERMS

  SNEAK PEEK AT HARMONY

  JOIN MY MAILING LIST

  CHAPTER 1 – SILVER

  One more mile to go, and I could skip over to French Toast for my morning coffee. The coffee shop had the greatest coffee on the east coast. It was my one bad addiction that I couldn’t purge. There was something about the smell of those freshly-brewed java beans that stirred up my eneoji and kept me going.

  EXO’s Power blared through my earbuds, drowning out the sound of the soles of my gym shoes slapping against the pavement. The fast-paced beat allowed me to keep a steady, but rapid pace as I wound my way up the curving hill, accelerating my heart rate.

  The crisp morning breeze flowed over me as I checked off my mental to-do list for the day before I showed up at my job at K-One-Oh-Two, a struggling hip-hop station here in Summer Cove, North Carolina. Sales had slumped, and our marketing team had an early morning meeting to address the concerns of upper management.

  To me, it was a no-brainer, but the powers that be didn’t think it was so simple. Everyone was going to the Internet for music. We needed to offer more digital services and stop focusing on selling radio spots, with digital as little more than a sideline. Integrating digital into our business in a way that addressed the need to target a different customer set and generate revenue from there would stabilize sales.

  With the ability for customers to access their music online via other media forums without the advertisements and other distractions the station provided, it’s no wonder they were turning away from us. If we could implement podcasts and other services that targeted a younger audience, we could turn around our revenues, and we would see growth. Right now, management focused on trying to hold on to an older generation that did nothing for us.

  I pushed through as I controlled my breathing. This last hill was always the hardest, but if I could make it through this hill, I was home-free once I jogged down the other side. It was the final leg of my journey.

  I always timed my runs perfectly. On a day that wasn’t overcast, I could see the sunrise as I neared the top of the hill. I glanced at my watch. Seven-thirty-six! Right on time, I thought as I reached the top of the hill and saw the first brilliant rays of the sun’s eggy yellows, bright oranges, and dusky reds intermingled to make the glorious vision before me.

  Just as I rounded the corner, only steps away from French Toast, I felt Bear’s excited jerk on his chain. He loved French Toast as much as I did. My baby wasn’t allowed inside of the coffee shop, although the owner Tiffani Cuttage loved him almost as much as I did. After all, Bear was a puppy I had claimed from her when her dog, Bella had her first litter.

  So, Bear knew that our daily visit to French Toast would yield him an apple streusel. He always got excited, and I always had to gather his leash around my wrist to maintain control over him. At five-feet, three-inches and ninety-nine pounds, I’m not a big woman. But my two-year-old, one-hundred-eleven-pound Rottweiler outweighed me by twelve pounds.

  I know people worried that I couldn’t control him when they saw me with Bear, but they were wrong. He was a sweet puppy that obeyed my every command. Gentle and docile was his nature when he came into contact with others, even when he was highly excitable. At least, that sentiment held on most occasions, except this one.

  I watched in horror as I jerked on Bear’s leash, and he refused to calm down.

  A well-built African American male had just walked out of French Toast with a couple of bulky white bags in one hand, and the blue signature Styrofoam cup with beans pouring into a coffee mug embossed on the front.

  Bear barked excitedly, jumping up on the male, who caught off guard stumbled backward slightly. Fortunately, for us, he didn’t lose his footing, but he did drop his white bags and the coffee that spilled on his navy-blue suit.

  “I’m so sorry,” I apologized as I tried to jerk Bear back once more. I was a bit too late for that, as he dived in and began eating the man’s apple streusels. Bear was demolishing the streusels in one bag, and selfishly pawing the streusels of the other bag.

  While the man rubbed furiously at his shirt, trying to blot out the spreading coffee stain, I tried to get my sweet baby under control.

  “Here, let me help,” I said after I had jerked Bear to the side and tied his leash tightly around a nearby pole.

  “I’m not the one that needs help. You need to get control of that beast. And if you can’t handle him, you shouldn’t be walking around with him!” he grumbled, a scowl masking what I suspected were normally attractive features.

  “He’s not a beast, and again I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into him. He’s typically an angel and easy to handle. But...those are his favorite treats,” I said, pointing to the pastries Bear had just about polished off.

  Nothing more than a grumble deep in his throat did he offer up.

  “I’ll go and buy you more to replace those and a new coffee,” I offered.

  “Can you buy me more time? Huh? Because that’s about the only thing that I need this morning!” His deep voice thundered in the early morning.

  I allowed a brief smile to pass over my lips. “Sorry, but that’s one thing I can’t do.”

  “Then, it’s whatever.”

  “I can get your dry cleaning bill,” I suggested.

  He stopped dabbing at his suit and threw me a ridiculous look.

  “Look, lady. Your dog cost me a damn hour out of my morning. I’m about to be late for a meeting. So, if you can’t fix that, there’s nothing else you can do. But get that beast under control.”

  “I apologized,” I said with a slight bow of my head. “I’ve tried to replace the pastries and coffee. You’ve turned down all my suggestions, I’m not sure what more I can do,” I said
.

  It was my fault, but the guy didn’t have to be a jerk about it.

  He shook his head furiously. “There’s nothing you can do but control that beast. I don’t have time for this,” he muttered as he brushed past me, heading down the hill.

  I spared a glance at Bear and shook my head. I made my way to where he sat, happily licking his chops. “That was not good, Bear. You can’t attack strangers and steal their breakfast,” I chastised.

  My sweet baby looked at me with a beatific look on his face, as though all were right in the world. I guess for him it was.

  I sighed and pushed up from my kneeling position and headed into the coffee shop.

  “Silver!” Tiffani called out from behind the counter, where she was sliding the card of a current customer.

  Tiffani Cuttage, the owner of French Toast, had jet black hair cut into a bob with bright red bangs. She sparkled with jewelry; her left ear covered in piercings, and one in her lip, and two in her nose. Tattoos covered her right arm in a sleeve, and she had one of a beautiful purple dove on the right side of her neck. Although eccentric, Tiffani was a sweetheart, and everyone loved her.

  “Hi, Tiff,” I greeted with a wan smile.

  “I saw that. I’m sorry, are you okay?”

  I glanced over my shoulder worriedly at Bear. “I’m fine, but I don’t know what got into Bear.”

  She chuckled as I stepped to the counter. I didn’t have to give her my order; it was the same every morning. I watched as she poured my coffee and called out my request for an egg white sandwich to Jeffrey, her assistant, who was prepping food in the back.

  “You know how he loves those apple streusels. The funny thing is, when the man ordered them, I thought about Bear. And I knew it was time for you to make an appearance. I can almost set my clock by you,” she said, with a smile and a glance at the clock.

  “Yeah, well, you have customers walking out of here with those treats all the time, and he doesn’t attack them. It’s not good for business, Tiff. I’m sorry,” I said as I shook my head again and glanced out the large glass window at Bear once more.

  Tiffani waved a hand at me. “Girl, please. The way that man got bent out of shape, he’s probably an ass anyway. If he had just come back in here, I would’ve replaced them free of charge. He deserved somebody to shake up his day,” she said with a twinkle in her eye and a hint of a smile on her lips as she handed my cup of coffee to me.

  I pulled my credit card from my fanny pack, but she waved it off as I extended my hand towards her.

  “No. This morning, you need a good deed. This morning’s meal is on me,” Tiffani said with a wink as she headed to the rear to pick up my order.

  I glanced around the coffee shop. There was always a slight lull in business around this time of the morning. Tiffani’s shop was extremely busy from five to shortly after seven. Then patrons slowed up until eight when business picked up again.

  I took note of a businessman who glanced away as soon as I looked at him. I was sure he saw what happened to me, and probably heard, too, because the man’s deep voice was loud. There was a small group of teens sitting near the rear who appeared preoccupied with their phones. Close to the window was a young couple, appearing to study. But unless the subject was anatomy, I wasn’t sure how much studying they were accomplishing. Books wide open on their table, they were attached at the lips.

  “Here ya, go,” Tiffani said as she handed me two separate bags. One held my sandwich and the other Bear’s usual morning treat.

  “Tiff, he’s already had like four. He doesn’t need another one,” I said as I shoved the bag back in her direction.

  “Silver, give this to that baby. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He can’t help if he loves my treats. All the boys do,” she said with a naughty wink as I shook my head and laughed.

  “But, he can’t—”

  “Just give it to him later,” she said with a wave of her hand. Her attention had already turned from me as she greeted the next patron walking in the store.

  “Thanks,” I called over my shoulder as I headed for the door.

  I quickly left the coffee shop, knowing I had to shower, shampoo, dress, eat, and get Bear to daycare before my day could properly begin. Lucky for me, the daycare was across the street from my office building, which was a three-minute drive or fifteen-minute walk. My meeting was at nine-thirty, and I had less than two hours to get there.

  I unraveled Bear’s leash, and when his head bobbed up as he sniffed his bag, I gave him a firm “No.”

  He hung his head slightly, and I felt somewhat bad for fussing at him, but I had to discipline him.

  We jogged the last several hundred feet to my apartment building at the foot of the hill. All thoughts of Bear’s poor victim had flown from my mind as I began to ponder again on what techniques the marketing team could employ to help boost sagging sales.

  CHAPTER 2 - KOLE

  I stepped off the elevator, trying to reel in my bad mood. I’d been an hour later than I originally planned to be. Returning home to shower again and change clothes hadn’t been on the agenda. And the time I planned to take settling into my office and familiarizing myself with a few things had been eaten up by a beast.

  I hadn’t had my morning coffee, and I needed that shit like a vampire required blood to survive. I don’t recall when I first became addicted to coffee; I guess it was somewhere in my early college years as I struggled to stay up to study for test after test. But it was a habit for me now.

  I pushed that thought from my head as I stepped to the reception desk. I’d been prepared to come bearing goods this morning for my new team. Thanks to an unexpected attack, that idea had been tossed out the window.

  What the hell was wrong with people anyway? I couldn’t understand why in the hell everyone wanted these big ass dogs they couldn’t control.

  “Good morning,” I greeted the receptionist.

  “Good morning, Mr. Smith, and welcome back,” she said as she stood with a brief nod and a wide smile.

  I tried to recall her name since she didn’t wear a name tag.

  “Latosha, right?” I asked as she led the way down the hallway.

  The woman made major work of twisting her hips in that tight orange skirt she wore. I think women referred to it as sienna, but hell orange was orange to me. Especially when an ass like that was covered in the material, a man really didn’t give a shit what color it was.

  “Yes, sir. You’re pretty good with names,” she said as she tossed a knowing glance over her shoulder.

  The sister was not only gorgeous, but she had a sexy body. But she worked for me, which meant she was damned sure off-limits. Or at least for the length of this contract.

  “Well, I try to be.”

  “Your laptop is ready, as well as your cell phone and your office. We’ve got everything set up for you already, and here are your keys to your office door and desk,” she said as she placed a set of keys in my hand, slowing dragging her fingers across my palm before I had a chance to close it.

  “Thanks, Latosha,” I said, accepting them from her as I stepped inside of my office. Everything smelled new, from the carpet to the furniture.

  “You’re welcome. But please, call me Tosha,” she said.

  I turned around, and she was right up on me wearing a smile that looked as if she wanted to devour me.

  I was used to women flirting with me, even in the workplace. But that wasn’t a road I was about to go down. This contract wasn’t one that I could afford to play with, or I might find myself the subject of a sexual harassment suit. But Latosha didn’t seem to care about that, as she pulled one of my desk drawers open.

  Her tight skirt grew tighter around a plump ass as she wiggled it just before she stood. “And here’s your phone. The passcode is your birth year, but you can change it once you get it unlocked. Are you familiar with iPhones?” she asked with a tone that told me she hoped that I wasn’t.

  I had a feeling if I said “no” she w
ould spend as much time as possible teaching me everything I wanted or needed to know about it and then some.

  “Uh, yeah. I carry one, so I’m good. Thanks,” I said as I walked to the door, indicating Latosha should leave.

  “Mr. Smith, if you need anything, at all, don’t hesitate to call me. I mean anything. I’ve saved my extension under number one on your desk phone.”

  “Thanks, Tosha. I’m certain it will come in handy,” I said with another smile as I held the doorknob in one hand.

  She scooted to the other side of the door and made another major show of twisting down the hallway. I hurried up and stuck my head back inside the door before I got caught. Not caught watching her but caught up in some shit I didn’t need.

  I sat down in my chair and sighed. I had a hectic day ahead of me, and I needed that morning coffee. I reached out to the phone and prepared to call Latosha but thought better of it as my finger hovered over the number one button.

  I pushed back out of my seat, determined to get my coffee. I had already had a tour of the office suite, so I was familiar with the location of the breakroom, and the coffee wasn’t too bad if I recalled from my last visit.

  “Good morning, Mr. Smith,” a brunette greeted, as she exited the office a couple of doors down from mine.

  “Good morning, Claire.”

  “I’ll see you in the meeting later,” she said as she headed off in the opposite direction.

  I maneuvered my way around the corner and into the breakroom. A few people were standing around the coffee pot, chatting. All talk ceased when I walked into the room, and a few throats cleared. I sensed I was the subject of their conversation.

  “Good morning, everyone,” I greeted.

  There were a few stiff nods and mumbled good mornings. I didn’t give a shit. I was here to do a job just like everyone else. They’d better be thankful that I was here. Because, based on the reports I received before my arrival, all of them would be out of a job soon. My presence meant that hopefully, their asses wouldn’t be out of a job and handed to them on a silver platter.