Free Bound Beneath His Pain: A Dirty Little Secrets Novel by Stacey Kennedy Page B

me. I guess I didn’t expect Micah to be so in tune with his employees. Usually the higher-ups don’t deal with the employees who make all the money for them.
    Another surprise from Micah.
    Another damn check mark unchecked.
    “You two are late. Better get moving.”
    I glance over my shoulder, finding the receptionist Anna standing in the doorway. She frowns at Kevin, her topknot bun pulling her forehead tight. “You know how Mr. Holt feels about anyone working during this time.” Her gaze slides to me, creases on her mouth deepen. “You don’t, so I’ll tell you: Mr. Holt gets really annoyed if he finds anyone working during Holt’s Day. Past employees have been written up.”
    I scrunch my nose. “Holt’s Day?”
    Kevin rises from his desk, moving around the side and heading toward the doorway. “Ah, you haven’t been to a Holt’s Day before. Come on, I’ll take you up.”
    I rise and wait for him to exit his office first, and as I’m following him and Anna to the elevator, I find the other receptionists gone from their desks now. I’m so confused my head is beginning to hurt. “Where is everyone?” I ask.
    Anna glances over her shoulders, rolling her eyes. “They’re at Holt’s Day.”
    Kevin smirks, pressing the top button of the elevator. When Anna looks away to step into the elevator, he mouths,
“Bitch.”
    I smile and nod, following him into the elevator, and stepping in behind Kevin as he uses his keycard to access the top floor. Silence surrounds me until the doors open and then a wave of laughter and chatter wash across me.
    Anna hurries away, quickly leaving us without saying a word.
    Kevin exits the elevator, and when I step out next to him, he turns to me. “I’ll be in touch soon. Okay?”
    “Yes. Okay. Sounds good.” I’m trying to get my bearings. Children are running by me in fast blurs and the screams of joy are deafening. My mind is racing, searching for answers, while I notice a waterfall wall behind the reception desk with
Holt Enterprises
written in silver bold letters across it. There are offices to both the left and right, but the greater difference than the floor below is the laughter flowing throughout the hallway. Clowns, magicians, and other entertainers are in the reception area, bouncy screaming children surrounding them.
    “You’re late.”
    The low voice spiraling down my spine sends a shiver along with it, and I spin around to face smoky eyes, instantly reminded I almost kissed Micah last night in a moment of weakness. “I never got the invitation,” I tell him.
    One brow lifts. “No one told you about Holt’s Day?”
    “No, it wasn’t mentioned.” My stomach clenches, heat instantly pooling low in my body, kicking my nerve endings into overdrive. It’s his eyes; they get me every damn time. They hold secrets and dark promises, and they’re wreaking havoc on my control. “But I’m here now,” I continue. “So, what exactly is Holt’s Day?”
    “It’s my charity.” He smiles.
    “Holt’s Hope?”
    “You’ve heard of it?”
    “Just recently, in fact.” From the softness of his expression, I can tell this charity means something to him. That softness does something so strange to me. It’s like a pull of energy, sucking me right in, making me want to be closer to him. It’s powerful. It’s strange. If I’m being honest, it scares me a little.
    Three screaming children holding balloons run by me, breaking my eye contact with him. I smile at them before turning to Micah again. “How often do you bring the kids here?”
    Micah pauses to examine me, staring at my mouth. I think he likes my smile. His eyes intensify whenever he sees it. “Every month the kids come in for the morning and we bring in entertainers.” He shoves his hands in his pockets, owning the space so naturally as his gaze is scanning the room. “The clowns are the favorites by far.”
    A fluttering feeling swirls in my belly as I listen to him speak. The passion, the