One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson
CHAPTER TWELVE
“WHATDOYOUmean you passed out?”
Rain had kept Sierra from walking Teryn to school and she’d driven her instead. Now, as Sierra drove back home, the rain was coming down harder and she had her sister on speakerphone.
“I really don’t want to talk about it since it’s so embarrassing, Dani.”
“Yes, you want to talk about it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have mentioned it to me.”
Sierra knew Dani was probably right. “I meant what I said, Dani. I passed out. I woke up during the night in my bed with my clothes on. I figure Vaughn carried me up the stairs and put me on the bed.”
“I think you need to start from the beginning.”
Sierra would rather not, but knowing her sister’s penchant for details, she had no choice. When she returned home, instead of getting out in the pouring rain, she decided to sit in the car to tell Dani what she wanted to know.
“Vaughn was the last customer at the restaurant and he and I talked well beyond closing time. Probably until ten,” she said. “I walked him to the door, and he kissed me good-night, like the last time. But this time something happened, something that’s never happened to me before, and I still find it hard to believe that it did.”
“What?”
“My body suddenly had a mind of its own and became feverish. I increased the kiss, needing more, but it wasn’t enough. Some sort of an intense ache came over me. And then I needed... I needed...” She couldn’t make herself say it.
“You needed what?” Dani asked, her interest definitely sparked.
Sierra closed her eyes and rested her head against the steering wheel, remembering. “I needed him. It was as if Vaughn was the only one who could take the ache away.”
When she didn’t say anything for a moment, Dani prompted, “And?”
Sierra whipped her eyes open. And? “For heaven’s sake, Dani, isn’t that enough?”
“No.”
Her sister’s simple reply had her groaning in frustration. Then she remembered this was Dani, the sister who had more passionate bones in her body than she knew what to do with.
“I kissed him, stuck my tongue as far into his mouth as I could, might have even tickled his throat. I was like a woman gone mad. My flesh felt sensitized. I was consumed with an agony I’ve never encountered before. The need was killing me, a sexual torment I couldn’t control.” She released a deep breath. “Has anything like that ever happened to you, Dani?”
“Of course not. I’m married and very much sexually active. In other words, I get it whenever and how many times I want. What happened to you was the result of years of neglect, Sierra. You denied your body what it needs. And please don’t think your battery-operated boyfriend can work as well as the real thing, because it can’t. I’m glad Vaughn Miller recognized the signs and gave you the release you needed.”
Sierra covered her face with her hands. “And that’s what’s so embarrassing. How can I ever look into his eyes again?”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Sierra. I’m glad he wasn’t a man who took advantage of the situation. A lot of men would have. He’s moved up a few notches in my book.”
“I just don’t understand it. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. Why now and why with him?”
“Only you can answer that. Just be forewarned this is probably just the beginning. Things might happen this way every time the two of you kiss.”
Sierra frowned, not liking the sound of that. “Then we won’t kiss.”
Dani laughed. “Kind of drastic don’t you think? There’s nothing wrong with kissing him. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with sleeping with him either, if you decide you want to. Sounds like you need to get laid in a bad way, and he only scratched your itch.”
“Then I’ll become just another meaningless affair to him.”
“What are you talking about?”
She’d rather not go into that part with her sister, but she would tell her this, “I was approached by a woman yesterday who evidently feels Vaughn and I are getting too friendly.”
“And her point?”
Sierra could hear the anger in her sister’s voice. During Dani’s dating stage with Emory, she’d had to put more than one woman in her place. Those women discovered Dani was not one to mess with.
“Her point was to warn me that she had Vaughn on her radar.”
“I hope you told her that she could stick that radar right up her ass. The nerve of her. Did you tell Vaughn about it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because the last thing I want is drama, and I refuse to give her a platform. Vaughn and I aren’t dating, and this is a free country. I don’t have dibs on him, and he doesn’t have any on me.”
“Umm, I don’t know about that. After last night your body knows him. He’s going to be the man it hungers for.”
“I don’t believe that nonsense.”
“Okay. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Just then, Sierra noticed another call coming in, and when she saw who the caller was, she drew in a deep breath. It was Vaughn. She could answer or ignore it. The one thing she wasn’t, was a coward. However, at the moment she was filled with enough embarrassment to last a lifetime. “I got another call coming in, Dani. We’ll talk again later.”
She clicked over to the other line. “Hello?”
“How do you feel this morning, cherie?”
Why did he have to sound so good this morning with his deep voice? And why the term of endearment? Cherie was a Louisiana-French term for dear or darling, and he made it sound so sexy and intimate. She rested her forehead on the steering wheel again, remembering he’d also called her that last night. “I feel fine. Thanks for asking.”
“I’m calling from the airport. I’ve been called away on business for a couple of days, but I’ll be back by Sunday.”
“Sunday?” she asked, lifting her head.
“Yes. I’m to dine with you and Teryn on Sunday, remember?”
Of course, she remembered. She was just about to come up with an excuse to cancel when his next words stopped her.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Teryn again. She is such a smart little girl.”
She appreciated his interest in her goddaughter. He had met her just once, but whenever Sierra was with Vaughn, he asked about Teryn. Not once had Nathan inquired about Teryn, her well-being or otherwise.
She grimaced. “Have a safe trip and I’ll see you on Sunday at four, Vaughn.”
“You bet. See you then, Sierra.”
It had stopped raining, and Sierra got out of the car and went inside. She had to come up with a strategy to deal with Vaughn by the time he returned.
NATHAN FLOWERSPRESSEDthe intercom button on his desk. “What is it, Christine?”
“Mr. Charles would like to meet with you.”
A frown settled on Nathan’s face and he felt a bout of nervousness float around in his stomach. He had a feeling what this meeting was about and dreaded it. “Thanks, and I’m on my way.”
Nathan stood and slid into his jacket. Six months ago, the firm had been bought out. For ten years, he’d busted his butt with the goal of being promoted to the executive team. One good thing was that he and a number of others had been able to keep their present positions and maintain their salaries.
The bad thing was that the CEO, Duncan Charles, was a staunch traditionalist, who’d been married close to fifty years. He wanted his executive team to reflect his high family values, meaning, he wanted them married as well. Presently, all the single men were scrambling to find wives. At first, Nathan had found the old-fashioned notion rather amusing, since he considered himself not in that category. After all, he was a divorced man who’d been married. Unfortunately, he soon discovered Charles had grouped the divorced men in a separate category.
The man actually believed the BS that marriage vows were to last forever and once you got married, it was a lifetime commitment—for better or worse. Charles believed whatever problems a couple encountered during their marriage could—and should—be worked out.
Basically, Nathan had been given six months to patch things up with his ex and renew his vows, or his name would be removed from the list of candidates for promotion to the executive team. A list he’d worked his ass off for ten years to get on.
He had sought legal counsel, thinking such a requirement was clearly illegal. However, he’d been told as the owner of the company, Charles could set whatever parameters for employment advancement he chose, and there was nothing that could be done. His attorney had suggested that if he truly wanted to move up in his career that he should try to work things out with his ex-wife.
Twice he had called Sierra and asked her to consider getting back together with him, and both times she had refused. He would admit that the tryst with Andy and Lillie Dennison had been a mistake and he’d told her that. Hell, he’d even let that little girl live with them, just as long as he could ignore her.
He walked down the hall to Mr. Charles’s office. When he reached Christine’s desk, the older woman looked up at him with her usual unreadable expression and said, “You may go on in.”
Taking a deep breath, he slid open the door to find Duncan Charles sitting behind the desk like a king on a throne. “Come in, Nathan. I hope you have good news for me.”
Playing dumb, Nathan said, “Good news?”
“Yes. Have you and your wife worked things out? Are you back together? You are an excellent employee, and I would hate to have to remove your name from consideration for the next senior executive position.”
Nathan steeled himself. He had worked hard for that position and rightly deserved it. “I tried, Mr. Charles, but our situation is rather complicated.”
“Why? Has she remarried?”
He swallowed, thinking he could lie and say that Sierra had. However, if Mr. Charles discovered he’d outright lied then he would definitely lose his job. He decided to come up with something he figured the man couldn’t verify. “No. She was unfaithful. I caught her with another man.”
He inwardly smiled about how easily he could place the blame on Sierra. Served her right for being so difficult. Besides, to tell the man that he was the one who was unfaithful would probably make Charles cut him from the list immediately.
The man shook his head sadly and, privately, Nathan was proud of himself. Now he was off the hook. However, Mr. Charles’s next words threw cold water on that assumption. “That’s where forgiveness comes into play, Nathan. I know it will be hard to do, but I believe a man can forgive his wife for any transgression.”
The CEO leaned back in his chair. “With that said, I stand behind my earlier recommendation. You and your wife should work out your problems and get back together. You need to find it in your heart to forgive her. I expect you to meet with me with an update after the holidays, and I hope it’s a good one.”
A short while later Nathan was back in his office, pacing. The last time he had spoken to Sierra she was totally against the idea of them getting back together. There had to be something that could force the issue. He pulled his phone from his pocket and tried calling her, only to discover his call went straight to her voice mail after a half ring. That was a sure sign she had blocked his number.
He sat down at his desk angry as hell. Sierra was going to regret blocking him. Now he had no other choice but to visit her in Catalina Cove. But first, he had to come up with a plan to assure he got what he wanted from her, and he knew the one thing that meant the world to her now.
That little girl.