Red, White and Sensual (19 page)

“You don’t want to leave her, do you?”

His eyes widen. “What? Yeah I…”

“No,” I whisper. “You don’t. I can see it in your eyes.”

“I don’t want to hurt her, Sierra. She hurt me but I’m not the sort of person who wants to hurt her and take everything from her. I don’t love her, that’s the truth, but she is important to me. Once, she was everything. I can’t just walk away and crush her into the ground to get my own way. I will find another way to do this, but I can’t just crush her.”

I stand, my hands tremble with rage and hurt. “I need to go.”

“Sierra, don’t,” he whispers.

I spin around and gather m
y purse and my things. “I don’t think I should be working here, this…it’s all too dangerous to me. It could go so wrong. You need to figure out what you want and I can’t just stay here and continue to be a play thing.”

“Is that what you think you are?” he whispers, hurt.
“A play thing?”

“Aren’t I?” I cry, feeling a heated tear stream down my cheek.
“Because it seems to me you’re finding anything you can to stop yourself from leaving Chayne and if that’s what you want, I’m ok with that. I just want you to be honest because you’re breaking me, Marcus. I’m…I’m…falling in love with you.”

His eyes widen and his mouth opens and closes a few times. “Sierra, I want to leave her. I just…”

I look over at him and cut him off. “I don’t doubt that you care about me, Marcus, but it’s obviously not enough. You’re not going to leave her right now because part of you doesn’t want to and until that part of you is ready to see what she’s doing to you, then nothing I say will change it.”

His eyes fill with pain. “It’s not th
at easy. The situation I’m in, she could destroy me. I need to be as careful about this as I can…if I leave right now, on a whim…”

“You lose everything, or at least your dignity and you hurt her. I get i
t, ok? But you can’t ask me to wait around.”

“Sierra
, please, you promised…”

I glare at him. “Don’t you
dare! I’m not staying here for you to fuck for a few more months until you’re bored with me. How dare you, Marcus!”

“I didn’t mean it like
that, Sierra baby, come on, just listen...”

His brown eyes are pained and they’re scanning my face frantically.
So much he wants to say, but he won’t, so much he wants to do, but he can’t. I don’t blame him for it, I know his situation and I understand it but I have to do what’s right for me and my heart.

“I just, please, just let me go...
.” I whisper.

“I just need more time, please, don’t go.”

“I have to,” I say in a small voice, feeling tears tumble down my cheeks.

“Sierra,” he whispers, “please.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry Marcus.”

He rubs his hands over his face
and his eyes seem to glass over. “Sierra, please, don’t do this to me.”

“I don’t see that I have any other choice, until you’re ready to stop protecting her
, Marcus, then you can’t move on. You can’t have us both, you’ve known that from the start. I was naive enough to think that I could compete with a woman who has been in your life for nearly ten years. I’ve been with you a few…pitiful weeks. I can’t compare and I don’t expect to.”

“Sierra, what I feel for you in this short time, it scares me. I didn’t come into this thinking that it would change everything.”

“Yeah, well, life is like that sometimes.”

“Sierra, just give me time.”

My phone rings then, stopping me from answering him. I pick it up angrily and snarl a “Hello?”

“Sierra,
it’s Ben.”

Jesus.
What perfect bloody timing.

“What the hell do you want
, Ben? I don’t want to talk to you.”

“It’s important, please, just listen to me.”

“How did you even get my number?”

Marcus is staring at me with an expression so full of rage I have to turn away.
Yet it causes my curiosity to burn, why would he look so angry about me talking to Ben?

“It doesn’t matter,” Ben
says, bringing me back to the phone call. “I need you to hear this.”

“Hurry it up
, Ben, I’m listening.”

“Did you ever ask Marcus why you got picked for the position?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know he did a background check on you, right?”

“Yes, it’s part of the process. I already know that.”

“Do you know what he would have found when he did that check?”

“Get on with it, Ben,” I whisper, feeling my chest seize.

“On your report, it had that you were found tied up and whipped. You didn’t report me, but you gave a statement saying the person who did it was a dominant. He saw that. He knew before he employed you, that you were a submissive and that you had a hard time with it. He employed you, because he wanted to change you. H
e wanted you as his submissive.”

My heart breaks. I suck in a ragged breath, though it doesn’t feel like it reaches my lungs. I snap the phone closed, not needing to hear anymore.
I rush out into the main office, determined to find out the truth. When we get out, I spin around to Marcus and in a voice so hoarse I say, “Show me my file.”

“What?” he
says, confused.

“Show me my file!” I scream.

“Sierra…”

“Show me
, Marcus, or so help me god…”

“I don’t hav
e it, I don’t keep it here…”

“Is it true?” I scream. “You employed me because you saw my history? You knew I was a submissive and things went wrong. Did you just employ me to make me your little project
, Marcus?”

“No…it wasn’t…”

“Did you know about my past?” I scream.

“Yes.”

“Did it factor into why I was chosen?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck you, you bastard!” I scream, my hands tremble.

“Sierra, let me just explain, it wasn’t just…”

I slap him so hard his head turns to the side. He winces and my hands tremble.

“I trusted
you, I let you into my heart. I thought you were better than Ben, but you’re not, are you? At least he was upfront about what he was. You…you lied…you have been lying to me just to get your own satisfaction. Tell me, Marcus, did it feel good to fix me? Is it everything you ever dreamed?”

His face is pained and he’s gripping his cheek. “Sierra, no…it’s not like that.
It was never like that.”

“Really, what was it like then?” I scream.

“I won’t lie, I saw the report and it sparked my curiosity but it wasn’t the only reason. You are smart, talented, you had good grades…”

“Oh save it!” I cry. “Don’t you dare try to make this
about me being smart and having good grades. We both know that’s a fucking lie.”

“Sierra, just listen to me…”

“Marcus?”

We both turn to see Chayne stand
ing at the door, her eyes bloodshot. I don’t know how much she heard, and right now I don’t care. I swipe angry tears from my cheeks and shake my head, unable to function or think properly.

“You’re leaving me?” she whispers. “Really leaving me? I thought you were…just threatening me.”

“Chayne, don’t pretend you didn’t know this was coming…” Marcus begins.

“
You’re really going to do it? For her? After everything I’ve sacrificed to save this relationship?”

“Sacrificed,” Marcus growls.
“You’ve sacrificed nothing, you’ve cheated on me, broken my heart and ensured that if I leave, you get a massive amount of my fortune. This was never about anything more than money to you. In fact, I believe you never truly loved me.”

“Marcus, how could you think that?”

“Save it,” he growls. “We both know this has been over since the night I walked in on you having one off with a stranger in our bed and how you felt before that, I honestly don’t know what I believe about that anymore.”

“You’ve been cheating too!”

“Only after that,” he snarls. “I never would have laid a hand on another woman before you betrayed me. Never! I loved you and you god damn know it.”

“I love you too Marcus, please,
don’t leave me. You can’t leave me, I have nothing!” She wails.

Now she’s crying
and trembling. Is she truly that hurt over Marcus leaving her? Or is it just the fact she will lose her lifestyle? I don’t understand but I know I can’t stay here and deal with this. I’m done. I walk towards the door.

“Sierra!”
Marcus yells.

“We’re done
, Marcus, if you want to sue me for breaking my contract, go right ahead. I’m leaving.”

Then I step out the door to him calling my name over and over, and then the sound of Chayne cutting him off with her
angry screams. I can hear them arguing the entire way down the hall. Surprisingly, the guards are kind and help me out to a car. Just before I get in Marcus comes running out the front door.

“Sierra, wait!”

I don’t, I slip into the car and close the door, locking it. Marcus slaps his hand on the screen, but I have to turn away, I can’t look at him right now and see that pain on his face. It’s intense, broken and will be my undoing if I look back. I have to do this, we should have never started this to begin with and now I have to be the one to walk away.  Marcus needs to make a choice, and if he never does, then I know I’ll never return.

I peer out the window as the car drives away, not looking back at the man standing helplessly, watching me. I can’t. I can’t look at him. As we pull onto the street, I finally let myself crumble. My head sinks to my hands and my stomach clenches so angrily it hurts. I’ve never felt heart break before, not like this. The idea of walking away is too
much, the idea of never seeing those chocolate brown eyes again is too painful. I let the tears fall heavily down my cheeks, knowing I had to do this.

I look at the White House once m
ore before it disappears into the distance, then I let the body wracking sobs tear from my throat as my heart makes its final break.

CONTINUE MARCUS AND SIERRA’S STORY IN RED, WHITE AND BEAUTIFUL.
RELEASED JUNE/JULY 2013.

Look out for my
other June/July releases. I have three or four books coming out, including the fourth and fifth Dark Brother books that will be Ace and Bull’s story. If you haven’t read my other work, please go and check them out now on amazon.

The Witness Series

Witness Protection & Forsaken.

The Biker Rockstar Series

Phoenix Rockstar, Heart Song & Chief’s Angel

The Dark Brother Series

Dark Poison, Dark Desire & Dark Endings

STAND ALONE
S

Racing for Freedom.

Now here is a snippet of my lovely friends Dawn Martens and Chantal Fernando’s new book
Kade. If you haven’t read their first book Chase, get reading so you can read this one when it comes out.

KADE
- Chantal Fernando and Dawn Martens.

Prologue

I’m at my usual hunting grounds. It’s a typical weekend for me, drinks, dancing- and looking for a little action. People may call me many things, or think certain things about me. Maybe they are right, but I couldn’t care less. Men get to do it, why shouldn’t women? We have our needs too. One day I will settle down, but until then I don’t see why I can’t have some fun. I’m dancing, getting lost in the music when I look over and see someone’s eyes on me. He is just what I’m looking for tonight, just my type. Longish wavy blonde hair, pale blue eyes and tall, maybe 6’2 or so, with a lean, toned build. Fuck he is gorgeous. He looks a little like Jax Teller from Sons of Anarchy.  I know his type, and he is perfect for what I have in mind, which is a one night stand. No commitment, no drama, just a good time. He makes his way through the dancing bodies, his steps sure and purposeful. When he stops in front of me I almost forget to breathe. He really is something. 
Fuck Nikki, don’t start being shy now.
I shake my head, and give him a sultry smile. Time to get down to business.

“Hello there handsome, wanna fuck?” I purr boldly.

His smile is cocky, knowing. “A girl who plays no games, I’m intrigued. Follow me.” He grabs my hand, making our way out of the club. We climb into his Hummer and drive in silence to his house. I notice it’s a very nice house, modern and tasteful.

He jumps out of his car and makes his way over to my side, but I’ve already hopped out of the car. He frowns, his eyebrows furrowed. “I would have opened the door for you.”

“That’s okay handsome, but I’m a big girl, I can open my own door,” I say frankly.

“Before we go any further, I’m
Kade.” He says, and then looks to me expecting me to give him my name.