Sierra
I opened the papers that Cameron left me. I looked at the designs and then the total price. I honestly thought it would have been more than what he charged me. I felt like a whore who just got caught by her mommy.
“Sasha, send Kirsty in here, please.”
“Sure thing, Sierra.”
“What can I do you for, ma’am?” she said as she walked in.
“First off, you can stop calling me ‘ma’am.’ Second, I feel like a whore.”
“Why? Because you fucked Royce but have a thing for Cameron?”
“I don’t have a thing for Cameron. How did you know I fucked Royce?”
She rolled her eyes. “Please. You always fuck Royce when he comes to the office.”
“That’s not entirely true,” I said. “Anyway, Royce came out of the bathroom, buttoning his shirt, and Cameron walked into the office.”
“So? You just said you don’t have a thing for him, so who cares?”
I rolled my eyes at her and put my hand on my head. “I care because he’s a nice guy and he shouldn’t have seen that. I don’t need the guy who’s doing work on my house thinking I’m a slut.”
“Then stop fucking guys in your office. It’s simple. Now come on. We have to go.”
“Go where?” I asked.
“Your mother’s dinner party.”
“No,” I whined. “I don’t want to deal with her. Especially not tonight.”
“You don’t have a choice, Sierra.”
“Tell her I’m sick.”
She walked over and grabbed me by the arm, pulling me up from my chair. She grabbed my phone, my briefcase, and my purse, and pushed me out of the office.
“You’re a bitch,” I said.
“Yeah, your bitch.” She smiled.
We walked out of the building and before I climbed into the limo, I looked across the street and saw Cameron’s truck.
“Get in the car, Sierra,” Kirsty said as she looked up at me from inside the limo.
I climbed in and James shut the door. “What was all that about?” he asked.
“Sierra fucked Royce in her office and Builder Boy walked in while Royce was buttoning his shirt. Now she thinks Builder Boy thinks she’s a slut.”
“I see,” James said. “He shouldn’t think anything, actually. The two of you have a business relationship. It’s none of his business who you’re fucking and not fucking.”
I didn’t say a word the rest of the ride home. The only thought going through my head was how drunk I was getting tonight.
****
Kirsty and I stepped into the foyer of Delia’s house and were immediately greeted by a hot waiter carrying a silver tray filled with glasses of wine. I politely smiled as I grabbed one from the tray and sipped my way through the house and to the living room where the party was taking place.
“Tell me exactly why she’s having this party,” I said to Kirsty.
“It’s an art auction to raise money for women of domestic violence. The money raised will go to Haven Hills.”
“Oh.”
We entered the living room and, immediately, Ava ran over to me.
“Thank God you’re here.”
“Hey, sis. What’s wrong?”
“Delia. That’s what’s wrong. She’s been driving me nuts all day. You know how she gets when she decides to host a party.”
Delia glanced my way and slithered her way over to me. “Sierra, darling. Thank you for coming. Hello, Kirsty.”
“Hello, Mother,” I replied. “Nice turn out.”
“Yes, it is. I sure hope you’re going to buy some art, since you can certainly afford it. It’s for a good cause.”
I looked at her and put on my fake smile. “I don’t understand why you even have these things. You can certainly afford just to hand over a huge donation to the shelter. Why go through all this?” I deserved an Oscar for my performance.
“It’s to make people aware, darling. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think we’re about to start.”
“To make people aware, my ass. It’s to make her look good,” I said as I polished off my wine. I looked over at Ava, who was laughing at me. “Where does she keep the tequila? The really good, expensive kind?”
“Downstairs, locked in a cabinet. I don’t know where Clive hides the key.”
I motioned for Kirsty and Ava to follow me downstairs. I looked around the room to see if I could figure out where Clive was dumb enough to hide the key. My eyes darted to the corner where a tall, fake tree sat. I walked over to it and lifted the bottom. Hot damn, there was the key.
“How did you know that was under there?” Ava asked. “I never would have thought of that.”
“I remember growing up that Delia would always hide shit under plants.”
I took the key and inserted it into the cabinet. I took out the bottle of Rey Sol Anejo Tequila. It cost a mere four hundred dollars a bottle. I pulled off the cap and inhaled its sweet, savory scent. Now, if Royce was wearing this when I saw him, George might never have to come to mind. I grabbed a wine glass and poured some tequila in it.
“Would you like some?” I asked Kirsty.
“No. I’ll stick with the wine.”
I pointed my finger at Ava. “You don’t ever drink this and you forget that key is under there. Understand?”
“Yes,” she sighed.
We walked back upstairs. The auction was just starting. We took our seats in the back and patiently waited for the first painting to be auctioned off. I glanced over and almost had a heart attack when I saw Don walking towards me with a woman on his arm.
“Hello there, Sierra.” He smiled as he sat down next to me.
“Go sit somewhere else,” I whispered with a smile on my face.
“These were the only two seats left. Look around.”
“That better be Milania you’re with.”
“It is.” Don cleared his throat. “Milania, baby, I would like you to meet Sierra Adams. She’s the CEO of Adams Advertising.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She smiled as she held out her hand.
Poor woman. She had no clue what a cheating whore her fiancé really was. Two paintings were auctioned off; the third was one I was very interested in. The bidding started at $1,000. I raised my hand and then Don outbid me. No big deal at first because it was for charity. We were up to $8,000 and he leaned over and whispered to me.
“Fuck me one last time and it’s yours.”
“It’s mine regardless, and when I win it, I am going to shove it up your ass.”
He looked at me and bid one last time. When I bid $10,000, I placed my hand on his and held it down while I dug my fingernails deep into his skin.
“Sold to Sierra Adams.”
I let go of his hand and smiled. “Don’t fuck with me or I’ll spill the beans to your pretty little fiancée.” I finished off the tequila and got up from my seat. I snagged one of the waiters and took a glass of wine from the tray. As I was drinking it, rather quickly, Delia came up to me.
“Thank you for your contribution, darling. It’s a lovely painting.”
“It is. Isn’t it?” I slurred.
She shot me a look and walked away. Five glasses of wine later, and Kirsty had to help me to the limo. James met us halfway down the driveway and picked me up and carried me.
“In you go,” he said as he put me inside. “Too much of a bad day for you, Sierra?”
“It was a bad day, James.”
****
Cameron
I grabbed my bags and looked around the apartment to make sure I didn’t forget anything. All looked good. I spent last evening cleaning up so I could get my deposit back. I also thought about Sierra; one time too many. I walked down to the rental office and handed in my keys. I wasn’t sorry to be leaving because this place wasn’t exactly what I would call home. It was old and not well kept, but it was the cheapest place I could find. I climbed in my truck and headed over to Sierra’s house. Her guest house was bigger than my apartment, so I was looking forward to having more room. Plus, with her house being behind gates, I didn’t have to worry about someone stealing my tools from my truck. I pulled up and rang the bell at the gate. Suddenly, I heard a voice.
“Who are you?” she asked in her accent.
“My name is Cameron and I’m staying in the guest house.”
“Oh, you’re the builder boy. I’ll let you in.”
I chuckled at her response. The gates opened and I pulled in the driveway. As soon as I got out of the truck, a woman came from the house.
“I’m Rosa, Sierra’s maid. I’ll show you to the guest house,” she said as she looked me up and down. “You’re cute. You have great muscles and you’re tall. I like tall men.”
“I’m Cameron Cole. It’s nice to meet you, Rosa.”
A car pulled in the driveway and Kirsty got out. As she stomped up the driveway, she looked at me and Rosa.
“Where’s Sierra, Rosa? She’s not answering her phone.”
“She’s not up yet. I tried to wake her, but she yelled at me to go away.”
Kirsty rolled her eyes. “Oh, hi, Cameron.”
“Hi, Kirsty.” I waved. “Why won’t she get up?” I asked.
“Let’s just say that she drank too much last night at her mother’s dinner party.”
Rosa told Kirsty to go inside while she took me to the guest house. She opened the door and handed me the key.
“I hope you’re not sloppy. I have enough to do around here without having to work extra hard and cleaning up your mess. Bed sheets are changed every Monday morning. I will be in here twice a week to dust, vacuum, clean the bathroom, and mop the floors. So don’t leave anything lying around.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I smiled.
Rosa went back to the main house and I took my bags to the bedroom. So, Sierra drank too much last night. I got the impression she liked to drink. I would bet she was adorable when she was drunk. I shook my head to stop thinking like that and went to the main house. That was when I saw her coming down the stairs in a short, pink satin robe. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were tired. But, damn, if she didn’t look amazing.