Fourteen
~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~
Sierra was happy to be home. Four days in Vegas was more than she could handle and considering the circumstances, she thought she had managed to hold herself together pretty well. When she and Cole had woken up Saturday morning, he’d excused himself to his room to shower before returning to walk with her to the conference. It wasn’t until then that he told her Luke had flown back to Texas, although she was pretty sure he had known it when he had come to her during the night. She had been glad he waited to tell her because the news broke her heart all over again.
Granted, the edges of her heart were still cased in anger and fury at the man, but the net of it was that he’d hurt her. Badly. The things Luke made her feel, both with the way he buried himself deep inside of her body, and eased his way into her heart weren’t normal for her. And because the man was just as out of control as she was when they were together, made it nearly impossible to think that he could have walked away so easily. Although that was awfully pretentious – or maybe just naïve – considering they hadn’t been in any sort of committed relationship before they had finally done the deed.
But now…
Now they definitely weren’t, and it hurt to even think about it. Despite her failed efforts to convince herself that casual sex with Luke and Cole was better than no sex, Sierra knew she wasn’t programmed that way.
Somehow, probably thanks more to Cole than anyone, Sierra managed to hold herself together for the rest of the weekend. He made going through the motions bearable. And when he stayed the last night with her, Cole managed to take her mind off of Luke completely. After hanging out at the Blackjack table for a couple of hours, then catching a late dinner, the two of them had retired to her room where they ended up ravishing one another numerous times on Saturday night, both of them realizing it could very well be the last time.
Her biggest fear? That her heart was already as attached to Cole as it was to Luke. On the other hand, no matter how amazing sex with Cole was, Sierra suspected they were both trying to find comfort in one another, a desperate attempt to compensate for the devastation that was Luke McCoy.
Her mother had realized something was wrong right away, but Sierra brushed her off when they came face to face at the convention center. She couldn’t talk about it, mainly because she didn’t know what had happened herself. The facts were clear, but Luke’s reason for running wasn’t. Unless it was because he was scared of what was happening between them.
Although she wasn’t the type to use sex as consolation, Sierra wasn’t so sure Cole didn’t see her as a stand in for Luke. He hadn’t given her any impressions that he was using her, but neither of them had spoken about Luke or of what had happened. Instead, they had consumed one another. Yet afterward, hidden by the dark shadows of night, Sierra’s mind had drifted to Luke numerous times.
The situation was unfamiliar. She had never been with another man other than her husband, yet she had been with two different ones in the span of just a few days. Initially, being with both of them seemed almost normal. But when Luke walked away, leaving her and Cole alone, she couldn’t help but feel as though a part of her was missing. Though she doubted he had even cared.
The one thing she refused to do was to settle. Not that she considered Cole a consolation prize by any means. He was so much more than that. She had begun to care about him, but she knew in her heart of hearts, things weren’t going to get any easier between them. The best thing for her to do would be to back off of both of them, no matter how much it hurt. In the end, the pain would be less than the total agony she would feel if she allowed something to develop that wasn’t based on true feelings.
Now the only thing left to do was to get back in the swing of things.
Her first networking gig was behind her, and she had a business to get up and running. In addition, her little rental house needed a little TLC. She hadn’t been able to part with her house in Nashville, the one she inherited from her grandmother, partly because she wasn’t particularly versed in dealing with ambiguity. Moving to Dallas was probably the biggest decision of her life, so not selling allowed her to keep the comfort of home within arm’s reach.
So instead of selling, she rented her Nashville house out, knowing that if it came down to it, she had a place to go back to. At this point, she wasn’t quite ready to put down permanent roots in Texas, which left her with a rental that she needed to make as comfortable as possible for as long as necessary.
Until she was ready to commit to staying in Dallas, she would give it her all. There were so many things that needed to fall into place before she would concede to staying – getting her business up and running, getting a feel for the lay of the land, and above all else, convincing herself that Dallas was home.
The ringing of her cell phone jarred her from her thoughts as she walked from room to room wondering how she could make the place feel just a little homier. Furniture would likely help.
“Hi Mom.” Sierra cheerfully greeted her mother. They hadn’t shared the same flight out because Veronica opted to go back on Saturday morning with Xavier while Sierra stayed until the end of the conference.
“You make it back alright?” Veronica asked, sounding a little worried.
“I did. I just got home a few minutes ago.”
“What happened to Luke? Xavier said he had an emergency and had to get back home before the conference was over.”
Emergency? She doubted that being a coward would constitute an emergency, but if it made Luke feel better, who was she to say anything different.
Nonetheless, Sierra felt the all too familiar ache at the mention of Luke’s name, but she did her best to hide it. “I’m not sure. Cole said he had something to take care of.” That wasn’t exactly a lie, but Sierra definitely wasn’t going into further detail. Not with her mother anyway.
“Is there something going on between you and Cole?” Veronica asked, always right to the point.
“Why do you ask that?” Although Sierra and her mother were close, she’d always found it difficult to talk to Veronica about matters of the heart. When it came to the fact that Sierra found herself in the middle of some sort of convoluted love triangle, she didn’t have the slightest idea what she would even say.
“I don’t know. The two of you seemed rather close on Saturday. I got the impression he was worried about you.”
“Cole’s a good man, Mom. And I’m sure he was just worried about making sure I was taken care of since my date had to leave so suddenly.” There, that was the truth. Cole had been worried about her, the same as she had been worried about him.
There was a moment of silence on the phone line before Veronica picked right back up, side stepping the personal issues as she always did. “Did you strum up any contacts at the conference?”
That question was so much easier to answer, so Sierra proceeded to tell her mother about the appointments she’d made with a few business owners in the Dallas area, including one personal consultation with a prominent Dallas lawyer looking to make some significant changes to her house. In the end, when it came down to how her business faired over the weekend, Sierra was satisfied.
If only she could say the same for her personal life.
After a few more minutes of mundane conversation, Sierra let her mother go.
With nothing else to focus on, Sierra’s attention was once again on the sparsely furnished rental she inhabited. Part of her wanted to run out and drop a chunk of change on making the house a home, maybe some furniture, some art work, whatever it took to focus on something other than Luke and Cole.
Instead, she gave in to her exhaustion, both mental and physical. Thanks to the time difference between Vegas and Dallas, it was already closing in on dinnertime, and Sierra hadn’t eaten since early that morning. A quick perusal of the refrigerator told her she would have to go to the grocery store if she wanted to eat. Since she was too tired to even do that, she opted for a slice of bread before heading to her room for a quick shower and then off to bed she would go.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Two weeks later, Sierra found herself riding on a high thanks to having landed a promising job with one of the two appointments she had gone on. She had also been hired by the Dallas lawyer, Susan, for a job that she anticipated would take at least three months.
The Monday after she came back from Vegas, she had immediately gotten on the phone with those potential clients and confirmed the meeting times. Her persistence had paid off, and she landed her first clients.
Immersing herself into work was the only thing that remotely kept her mind off of Luke and Cole. Not that she had heard from either of them since she got back from Vegas. Not hearing from Luke wasn’t surprising, but not hearing from Cole… she was almost speechless. Not that she would know what to say to them anyway. Especially Luke. And now, the distance she and Cole put between them would only make a reunion awkward.
Initially hope bloomed, but that was doused rather quickly after the first day when she never heard from him. She’d secretly willed her phone to ring, only to be disappointed time after time until finally she gave up completely. Sierra never was the type to pine after a man. Or two.
Once again her cell phone rang, interrupting her from her thoughts. She lurched for the phone, half hoping that fate, or karma, had heard her silent pleas and her random thoughts hadn’t been for nothing. Glancing at the phone, she didn’t recognize the number, and doubt settled in. Figuring it wasn’t Luke or Cole, she realized it could be one of her potential clients.
“Sierra Sellers.” She answered, trying her best to sound cheerful and professional.
“We’re having a little get together at the house and wanted you to come.” The female voice on the other end of the line stated. “Sorry, this is Sam, in case you didn’t recognize my voice.”
Sierra was a little taken aback by the sudden request, but she laughed despite herself at Sam’s quick talking. “Wow, that’s one way to say hello.”
Sam laughed. “Sorry, I’ve been so busy today and then I realized I hadn’t actually invited anyone yet. Work has been a little hectic, with Dylan officially onboard and Alex being all wrapped up in Dylan’s sister.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Sierra remembered their last conversation when Sam had given some rather interesting bits of gossip. “Didn’t you say Ashleigh, I think that’s her name, was moving back to Dallas?”
“Yes. She came back for the XTX Christmas party, and from what Logan told me, she is officially supposed to move back in the next week.”
“I’m guessing Alex is a nervous wreck.” Sierra hadn’t actually met the man, but based on her conversations with Sam, she felt as though she knew him.
“Like you wouldn’t believe. He’s grumpy. Well, I should say grumpier.” Sam laughed.
“Well, that should be interesting.” The details had been all based on pure gossip rather than any fact, but Sam was convinced Ashleigh and Alex were going to go up in flames in the very near future.
“It is. I’ve invited them all to the house tomorrow night, so you have to be here. There’ll definitely be fireworks.”
“Fireworks in February. Count me in.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” Sierra heard the relief in Sam’s voice. “So, tomorrow night, eight o’clock. Our house. I’ll text you the directions.”
“Is there anything I need to bring?”
“Just your bright smiling face.”
Sierra smiled at her friend’s excitement. “Alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow at eight.”
Disconnecting the call, Sierra stared down at the phone.
She and Sam were quickly developing a close friendship, spending quite a bit of time together. They’d ventured out on a couple of shopping excursions, along with several lunch dates, and they had recently taken to talking on the phone. Being that Sierra was still new in town, she hadn’t made many friends, so developing friendships like those she left behind in Nashville was making the transition a little easier.
At first she was surprised by all of the attention she received from Sam, and Sierra had an idea that part of it was because Sam felt guilty. Sierra advised the other woman that she wasn’t responsible for what happened between her and Luke. Of course, she hadn’t gone into detail, not wanting to share that belittling piece of information, but Sam was worried all the same.
No matter what brought the two women together, they found they had enough in common to keep them talking for hours. Sam openly admitted she wasn’t the type to make many friends but that she felt comfortable with Sierra. The heartfelt comment struck something deep inside and Sierra found herself looking forward to spending time with Sam.
Surprisingly, they didn’t spend much time talking about Logan and thankfully, Sam didn’t bring up Luke or Cole at all. In the back of her mind, Sierra wondered if Sam was once again engaging in threesomes with Luke, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask. She honestly didn’t want to know.
The pain of knowing would have been detrimental to her fragile peace of mind.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“Kane, where’s the invoice from this morning’s delivery?” Luke asked as he neared the bar where Kane was stocking inventory. Thursday nights were busy for Club Destiny, an apparent time to celebrate the coming of the weekend, so Luke knew his bar manager was frantically trying to get everything ready for when the doors would open in just three hours.
“I asked Jacob to bring it to you.” Kane said, making reference to one of their nightly bartenders.
Club Destiny was open to the public on weekday evenings starting at six and Friday and Saturday starting at three, closed on Sunday. Due to the large volumes of people they saw coming through their doors, they employed three full time weekend bartenders and two more alternated shifts during the week, plus a handful of waitresses and kitchen staff. Kane was the only bar manager and he worked roughly six days a week, by his choice. Since their deliveries had been coming up short, Kane was coming in early and staying until well after closing to ensure he kept tabs on everyone and everything that was going on.
“When? I haven’t seen it yet.” Luke was a little irritated by the fact that since he had come back from Vegas, they had once again come up short on one of their deliveries, and all fingers were pointing to one of his employees. He just hadn’t figured out who it was yet.
“I gave it to him a little while ago and asked him to drop it on your desk on his way out.”
Luke hadn’t checked his desk thoroughly, but he had given it a quick glance and didn’t see it. Giving Kane and Jacob the benefit of the doubt, he opted to look once more before he lost his temper.
Something he’d been doing more and more in the last week.
Since coming back from Vegas, Luke hadn’t been himself. He’d been distracted and frustrated, and, unfortunately, he wasn’t one who could rein in his temper easily. When it came to his customers, Luke did his best to be pleasant, but those who worked for him knew he could be a world class asshole. Much more so since the incident with Sierra in Vegas.
Just the thought of the black haired vixen with her smooth, creamy skin and sexy legs made Luke’s heart pound. He hadn’t heard from her, or seen her at all since he’d come back and based on the way he had lost his head, he didn’t expect to. Sierra had way too much class for a man like Luke. He’d hurt her, Cole had driven that point home the one and only time he had seen him in the last two weeks. After that clusterfuck of a conversation, Cole hadn’t come back to Club Destiny, and Luke wasn’t sure he’d be back.
Not that he didn’t take full responsibility for his own actions. He did. He’d been so far out of his mind with lust that night that he had taken Sierra without a condom, putting her at risk. Luke had never had sex without a condom, and due to his promiscuous lifestyle, he was checked routinely for disease, so he knew he hadn’t risked her in that sense. But, he could have gotten her pregnant, and where the hell would that leave them? Luke wasn’t ready for a family.
At least he didn’t think he was.
Until that night, he had never given much thought to having a family of his own. A wife. Maybe a couple of kids. Those things were so far out of his reach, he had never considered them. But with Sierra, the dream could have easily become a reality, which would have altered the course of their lives. That wasn’t something Luke could come to terms with.
Did he even want kids?
That was a question that plagued him often since that night. The answer wasn’t an easy one, yet he found himself daydreaming about Sierra carrying his baby and surprisingly the thought didn’t make him cringe the way he expected. He knew that his brother didn’t have any intentions of having kids, making it clear that he and Sam weren’t interested. For Luke, the answer wasn’t that simple. Until Sierra, he had never considered the idea, but something had changed with her.
Hell, everything had changed with her.
He wanted things he never wanted before. He wanted her. He wanted every damn thing she would give him, but his loss of control had proven that he wasn’t capable of handling a woman like her. A woman like Sierra required a man who could take care of her. One who could provide for her and protect her. Apparently Luke wasn’t that man.
Oh, he could give her any material thing she dreamed of. He had money. Lots of it. But she didn’t seem to be one who cared about that. If that was the only thing he had to give her to make her happy, he’d do it freely and without question. Instead, Luke knew Sierra needed love and security. Something he obviously wasn’t capable of giving.
No, when it came to taking care of her, Cole was better suited for that role. Luke’s only option was to back off, thinking if he did, Cole and Sierra might have a chance to find what they were looking for in each other. He’d seen the way Cole looked at her, touched her, made love to her.
Luke was even privy to the fact that Cole hadn’t engaged in any of his normal sexcapades since the Vegas trip. He figured one of these days he’d hear that the two of them were getting married.
Fuck.
Shaking off that derailing train of thought, Luke opened his office door and went in search of the missing invoice. He didn’t have time to think about Sierra or Cole. He was a damn possessive man by nature, and though his heart hurt for them both, Luke knew it was in everyone’s best interest if he moved on to something that would require less of a commitment from him.
Luke was just about to call Jacob to find out where the man put the invoice when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller id and bit back the groan.
Logan.
“Hey, bro. What’s up?” Luke answered reluctantly, half tempted to let the call go straight to voicemail.
“Not a damn thing. What about you?”
“Same ol’ shit, different day.” Luke admitted, rummaging through a stack of papers on his desk. “You’re not ass deep in some sort of HR violation or something?” Luke provoked his brother.
“Oh, fuck off.” Logan laughed. “I’m calling to invite you to a party tomorrow night at my house.” Amusement laced Logan’s words. Apparently Luke’s irritation was something Logan had gotten used to.
“A party?” He couldn’t hide the skepticism in his tone.
“Not that kind of party, man. Just a get together. We’ve invited several people over, and I expect you to be there.”
“You know I can’t do anything on Friday nights. I’ve got a club to run.”
“And you know as well as I do that Kane can handle anything, and he’s got you on speed dial. I don’t want to hear your excuses. I haven’t seen you but for five minutes in the last two and a half months.”
Luke knew Logan was right. They hadn’t seen much of each other in months, and that was solely Luke’s doing. He’d been hiding out from anyone and everyone, including his twin brother. “Fine. What time?” He was giving in too easily, but Luke had let Logan down enough times lately, he couldn’t bring himself to do it now.
“Eight.”
“I’ll be there. But, I’m warning you. If the club needs me, I’ll have to bail.”
“I hear ya.” Logan sounded content with at least the commitment from Luke. “Did you find anything out about the missing liquor?”
“No. I’m looking for the invoice from this morning’s delivery to verify that, but it seems to have been misplaced.”
Logan was the only person Luke had shared his concerns with, not wanting the person responsible to know Luke was on to them. Since his twin was a silent partner in the club, he figured Logan deserved to know they were losing money.
“The invoice or the delivery?”
“Both.”
“Did you check the cameras Alex installed last week?” Logan asked, referring to the security cameras they hired CISS to install the week before.
After the last delivery came up short, Luke had been at the end of his rope.
“Not yet. I’m doing that now.” Luke confirmed.
“Let me know if you need my help with anything. I’ve got to run to a meeting, but I expect you at the house tomorrow at eight.”
“I’ll be there.”
With that, they ended the call and Luke pulled up the security cameras on his computer, running through the footage from that morning’s delivery. This would’ve been the first delivery since the cameras were installed. Since Luke kept the installation on the down low, not even Kane knew they were being put in.
Five minutes later, Luke was watching with disbelief as Lucie Werner, Club Destiny’s weekday bartender was handing the delivery guy what appeared to be cash as he set aside two cases behind the dumpster near the delivery dock. Sonuvabitch.
Lucie? Seriously?
Luke couldn’t deny the fact she was the one on the screen, but in all of his life, he would have never expected Lucie to steal from him. She’d been employed by Club Destiny for three years and aside from being one of his most loyal employees, she was also a single mother of a four year old. Why in the hell would she be stealing from him?
A knock on his office door had Luke closing the window on his monitor. “Come in.”
Jacob Hayman walked in, holding the missing invoice in his hand. “Sorry, boss. Kane said you were looking for this.” Handing over a slip of paper, Jacob turned to leave.
“Hey, Jacob. Have you seen Lucie today?”
Luke watched the other man intently, noticing the slight wince as he shrugged his shoulders. “Not today.”
Was Jacob helping Lucie?
“If you see her, let her know I’d like to speak with her.” Luke said, and then turned back to his screen as nonchalantly as he could manage. There was no sense letting on that he suspected anything just yet. He’d known Lucie for a long time, and she was the last person Luke would expect to do something like this. If she was stealing from him, she had a damn good reason.
Luke wanted to know what that was.
When Jacob left his office, Luke called downstairs. “Hey, Kane. You see Lucie this morning?”
“I did. She stopped in rambling about leaving something in her locker. She wasn’t here long though. Why?”
“If you see her again, let her know I’m looking for her.” Luke wasn’t going to go into details.
“Will do, boss.”