Through it all, Sierra just stared at the photo and tried to breathe. Everything they’d worked for. Everything she’d wanted since she’d escaped to boarding school—security, acceptance, independence—all seemed to be disintegrating under the weight of that picture.
“Ladies, I…” The CEO hesitated, then tapped her finger on their hard-won contract. “I believe you. I honestly do. But this isn’t the kind of thing that Family Publications can find itself connected to.”
Corinne sighed, then flipped the picture over. She grimaced, as if not liking what she was about to say.
“I hate to do it, but I might need to rethink things,” she said, flattening her hand over the contract. “While you girls have the best outline of events, programs and entertainment for our board and sponsors, this kind of thing can’t be tolerated. Family, as you know, would be horrified to find itself associated with anything of this nature.”
“There’s no way they could be,” Sierra said breathlessly. Geez, unless the creep got the board members’ faces and pasted them into the next orgy shot, how could this affect them? She was the one the guy was after. Her past was coming back to haunt her. She was sure of it. That realization froze the rest of her argument in her throat. Her past? Was it possible that her uncle had decided to stop his favorite game of blackmail and turn his dirty hand to photo stalking? No. There was no payoff here that he cared about. It was just the work of some sick pervert.
How pathetic that the idea was a reassurance.
“They don’t even have to know,” Belle interrupted. “The problem is being investigated and will be resolved any day now.”
Sierra had to force her lips together. Who knew Belle could lie to someone’s face like that?
“We’ve not only involved the police, but we’ve hired a private security firm. We’ll be happy to bring them to the events if it would reassure you.”
Another ten minutes of building on that lie and Belle had convinced the woman to leave their contract alone.
Sierra kept her face neutral until Corinne left the boardroom.
“I can’t believe you bullshitted her like that,” she hissed. “How long do you think it’ll take before she notices we don’t have security?”
“We do.” Belle stood and ripped her board from the wall. “Reece can handle the security.”
Ignoring that just the mention of his name turned her on, Sierra sneered. Reece, help her? She started to laugh, then stopped. Maybe that wasn’t a bad idea. Of course, he wouldn’t do it for her, but he would for Belle. He had the credentials. Mr. Security could pretend perfectly.
“Will he agree? Can you call him and ask?” This was doable, she told herself. If they handled it right, she wouldn’t even have to see the cowboy. Belle could ask him, maybe bring him around to meet Corinne and do the whole fake security-assurance thing. All Sierra had to do was smile and keep her mouth shut.
Impossible. She was ruining everything. Now Belle was having to lie for her. And worse, they would have to bring Reece into the whole humiliating mess.
“I should just step aside. I can do the behind-the-scenes work for a while.” Her offer held a hint of desperation. “Work from home, keep a low profile.”
“Don’t let this guy run you off,” Belle said. “Reece will help. That’s all we need. He’s already offered. He told Mitch and I that he’d step in at any time. You just have to ask him.” Sierra opened her mouth to protest, but Belle shook her head before she could say anything. “No. You have to do the asking. It’s only fair.”
“I think it’d come much better from you,” Sierra protested.
After all, the last time she’d talked to him, she’d patted his dick and walked away.
“Look,” Belle said as she shoved the boards into her portfolio case, “we need this account. We’ve invested too much in the job already. I don’t want you to step aside, so we need security. You need security. He’s already agreed. All you have to do is talk to him.”
Sierra sighed at the fond memory of a much less ballsy Belle. The one who’d easily backed off from confrontation and let people live—and screw up—their lives in peace.
Except this wasn’t just Sierra’s life being screwed up. Now it was her—their—business. The one Belle had brought her into. Belle saw them as equals, and it would be because of Sierra if they failed.
“I’ll talk to him,” she agreed reluctantly.
“Now.”
“I have—”
“No excuses. Go see him before he leaves town. He’s working out of Mitch’s downtown office.”
Sierra’s jaw ached as she struggled to hold back an ugly retort. Instead, she dug into her purse for a piece of peppermint candy and, with short, jerky movements, unwrapped it and shoved it into her mouth. Maybe the sugar would sweeten her mood. God knew, she’d need it if she was going to go asking favors of Reece Carter.
REECE HAD TO hand it to the twists of fate. Just when he’d written off any shot with Sierra, she walked through his door asking for a favor. Sure, she looked as if she’d rather be having a root canal and was as edgy as if she’d just killed someone. But she was here. Life was never boring, that was for sure.
“Look, I just need you to come by the client’s office and pretend to be Eventfully Yours’ security.” He noticed she wasn’t calling it her security. That would be admitting too much. “Just fake it so we don’t lose this job.”
Reece shook his head. “Sweetheart, I already offered to do the job. But the deal is, if I’m in, I’m all the way in.”
He let his words lie there between them, enjoying the image. Enjoying even more Sierra’s reaction to it. She turned pale, then blushed. As the rose faded from her cheeks, she just glared at him.
“If you want me, it’s for real. Not some fake bullshit to con your client. You’d need to listen to me, do what I say when it comes to protecting you from this creep.”
The look on her face, pure fury, told him that she didn’t want him at all. He read her body signals, the way her legs tensed, her fingers curling around the handle of her briefcase. She wanted to storm out, probably flipping him off on her way. But she stayed seated.
This must be one hell of an account on the line.
“You’re no better than the pervy jerk with the computer program,” she accused in a tone that barely disguised her underlying frustration. “It’s all about the sex for you guys. He’s trying to humiliate me with sex. You’re just out to get a piece of ass.”
It took every ounce of Reece’s training to keep his expression blank. Anger clawed at his gut, aching to be released in a slew of cutting words.
His army major’s number one dictum rang in his head. It’s nothing personal. He used the phrase to get himself under control.
“Want to let me see the pictures?” he said, shoving aside his fury with an effort. Ripping into her was pointless. She was already being terrorized. Besides, he’d get his way. They both knew it, so there was no point in hammering it home and making her feel any worse.
She stared at him in silence for ten seconds. Then twenty. At thirty, she seemed to crumble. Women’s tears didn’t scare him, but the stoic fear on Sierra’s dry-eyed face ripped at his gut. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and promise to keep her safe, to hide her away until he’d found and dealt with the asshole causing her such misery.
But then she lifted her chin and pulled a thick envelope from her case. It wasn’t until she stood and walked over to hand him the package that he realized she’d kicked off her shoes. She was tiny without them, barely reaching his shoulder.