Naked Hearts

JENNA

I heard the noise before I saw them.

The unmistakable sound of sex echoing through Keith’s supposedly soundproofed office.

I knew at once whose male grunts I was hearing—it was impossible not to recognize the voice of my own boyfriend, the timbre of his moans when he was aroused.

We hadn’t had sex yet, but in the three months we’d been together, we’d made out almost consistently. It was my condition, my careful boundary. Keith felt like he could be the one I’d finally marry, but I needed a few more weeks to be absolutely sure before taking that final step.

Today was supposed to be that day. But I’d be damn…

So Keith was fucking somebody else on the very day I’d decided I was ready to give him everything.

And it wasn’t me.

This was completely unexpected. Standing there frozen in shock, a separate part of my mind noted that nothing in his behavior had indicated he was a cheater. He’d been thoughtful and understanding about my hesitations. Patient with my past trauma that made intimacy difficult. I’d had bastard exes before—it had taken three years for me to even try dating any guy, much less believe I could fall in love again.

I thought he was different. I really believed I’d finally found someone I could settle down with.

Instead, this proved—again—what an idiot I was when it came to men.

Tears slid down my hot cheeks. How could this happen again?

I didn’t know why I still stepped closer to his office entrance. Did I really need to see the evidence of his betrayal? But my feet moved like they belonged to someone else, carrying me forward despite the horror waiting inside.

I was here to surprise him with a pre-Christmas lunch break. Food, wine, sexy lingerie hidden beneath my clothes—the works. I’d wanted to set the mood for what I hoped would happen between us. He’d proposed last night and I’d accepted, planning to announce our engagement at my uncle’s post-Christmas party.

I’d been so excited that I decided to surprise him—something I’d never done in our four months together. I worked in a different building of The Windham Towers complex. Keith was in Legal; I was in Marketing and PR.

All morning we’d exchanged sweet, flirtatious messages. He’d been attentive, saying all the right words. I’d been imagining in detail what we could do to each other, trying to prepare myself mentally, determined not to let my usual anxieties ruin this moment, while being very careful not to give him a clue so I wouldn’t ruin my surprise..

My first sexual experience had been traumatic, leaving me struggling with intimacy ever since. He tried to be careful because he knew I was a virgin, but he lost it and it had been quite painful. His coaxing for me to relax only had me seizing up and when I asked him to stop—he was too deep into it to even listen to me.

I tried to understand… I’d been told it was different with men. They could get… beastly when quite aroused. In fact, I should be proud when this happened since it meant I was irresistible.

But despite my confident, assertive personality at work, I wasn’t nearly as brave when it came to exposing my body or being vulnerable with someone since then. Every time things progressed, I found myself withdrawing. When it came time to get naked, I simply couldn’t go through with it.

Those repeated failures had made me quieter, more introverted.

I’d learned to be careful about giving false hope after one particular, difficult, break up. How easy was it to tell someone that, no, going out on a date twice or trice to be sure I wanted to commit did not mean I was committed. That was truly disturbing.

It took a while for me to understand that not because I could have chemistry talking with a guy, it didn’t mean it would be like that in bed.

Until Keith.

He’d been different—patient when I warned him about my issues, never pushing, always letting me make the first move. I’d thought he was kind, that he’d take care of my heart.

Even when I noticed I wasn’t as physically excited as I thought I should be, I’d told myself we were both busy professionals.

Once we were committed, that would change. We’d have time to work on deepening our connection.

Fuck that. Fuck all of that.

As I rounded the elegant glass panel that gave privacy to his office from any eyes when his door was opened, I was still remembering this morning when he’d told me he could barely wait for the “whole world” to know we were getting married. God, such a liar!

I’d gotten a copy of his office key from maintenance when I’d arrived to find his door locked. His secretary had left early—it was a half-day for many departments with Christmas Eve approaching. She’d mentioned that Keith sometimes locked his door for privacy when working out on his treadmill or taking power naps.

Since this was meant as a surprise, I hadn’t wanted to knock. I’d assumed he was catching up on work, trying to finish everything before his Christmas vacation.

What I found was Keith working, all right—screwing his colleague Laurel right there on his desk.

Keith was positioned between Laurel’s widely spread thighs, covering her body with his as he moved inside her. She had her head raised, watching him, her face contorted with pleasure.

I recognized her immediately—another lawyer from his department.

Keith’s shirt was disheveled, his pants and underwear pooled around his feet on the carpeted floor. Laurel’s hands gripped the edge of the desk as his lower body pounded into her roughly and repeatedly.

“Oh God—yes! You feel so good... fuck, Laurel!” Keith groaned loudly.

“Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck!” came Laurel’s breathless chant.

They were so absorbed in each other that they never noticed me standing there.

Fuck you, I thought viciously. Fuck you to hell and back.

So pathetic that I couldn’t even say the words out loud.

The image would be seared into my memory forever.

Somehow I managed to leave without alerting them to my presence. Did I even close the door properly? I couldn’t think straight—I was operating on pure shock and autopilot.

I couldn’t remember seeing anyone on my way to the elevators. When the doors opened on the lobby level, I emerged numbed and dazed.

I’d forgotten about the bag of lunch I’d brought until I realized I was only holding my purse and car keys.

One of the security guards helped me retrieve the food from Keith’s secretary’s desk—I couldn’t bear the thought of Keith finding it and realizing I’d been there. I told the guard they could have the expensive pasta, fruit salad, and wine since no one would be eating it.

The guard knew who I was. I’d been visiting this building since I was a teenager, long before I started working here.

I managed to maintain my smile until I was far from the lobby.

What horrified me most wasn’t just Keith’s betrayal—it was that I’d almost given that bastard my entire life.

I should be grateful I’d discovered his true nature before it was too late.

But it still hurt like hell, because this wasn’t the first time I’d been played like this.

Why wasn’t I learning? What was wrong with me?

How many times would this happen?

My name is Jenna Lee, and my life had been complicated long before Keith’s betrayal.

My parents were comfortably wealthy before my father died in a car accident when I was twelve. After that, my mother and I fell under the guardianship of my Uncle Markus—who wasn’t just wealthy, but filthy rich.

I worked, despite what people assumed. I had a real job and earned my own salary like any normal person. After finishing my Interior Design degree, I consulted with my uncle’s marketing team on commercial ad sets and designed for indie films as an independent contractor. I loved the creative freedom, the ability to travel for projects that inspired me.

But I was also a self-imposed introvert these days. My romantic disasters had changed me from the trusting girl I’d once been. The only social events I attended were my uncle’s parties, and only because I adored him.

To my coworkers, I probably seemed like a snob who didn’t need anyone or anything because I had everything within reach.

But that perception was its own kind of discrimination. There was always a wall between me and my colleagues—most waited for me to reach out first before they’d relax around me.

It was a different kind of loneliness. Not being a real part of any group. Not being able to love freely or express attraction without second-guessing everything.

That’s why when Keith began pursuing me—one of our most successful junior lawyers—I’d been so grateful. Especially after my uncle assured me he had nothing to do with Keith’s interest.

Keith was in the “too-good-to-be-true” category: devastatingly handsome, successful, intelligent, confident. Someone you couldn’t believe would genuinely fall for you.

When he actively pursued me, I’d ignored my usual wariness about seemingly perfect men. I’d trusted that my uncle wouldn’t let anyone harmful get close to me.

Unfortunately, Keith had been skilled enough to fool even Uncle Markus.

Now I sat in my car in the parking garage, eyes closed, head against the headrest. I could feel the warm tracks of tears on my cheeks.

I felt so devastatingly lonely. Again. I’d sworn I wouldn’t let this happen again.

I was such an idiot I wanted to disappear completely.

But I didn’t disappear. Instead, I got drunk. So spectacularly, thoroughly drunk that I passed out completely.

What I couldn’t have known was that it would turn out to be the most fortunate thing to happen to me all year.