Chasing Beautiful (Chasing Series #1) (4 page)

Most men I know have a hard time resisting Jen when she’s on
the prowl—there is no chance in hell her chosen man can escape. Who would really want to resist someone who resembles Heidi Klum in the looks department? Apart from Jen having killer looks, she has a sharp mind and she’s currently studying at USC to be a lawyer. She’d make a killing out of that one.

“
Jen! Sienna! Good of you beautiful ladies to grace us with your presence tonight!”

“
Mickey! I’ve missed you!” I laughed and gave him a huge hug and a peck on the cheek.

Mickey’s the kind of guy
who is always nice and respectful. He’s second generation Samoan and has the size of one too. He played defense on our football team at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks. You’ll never catch him talk crap about other people. Jen and I adore Mickey, everyone does.

“
Nice to see you again, Jen!” Mick gave her a quick bear hug and released her with a grin.

“
You too, Mick.” She jokingly punched his arm before she headed towards some other people we used to hang out with. I casually waved at the group and continued to stick with Mick. I didn’t want to go there and hangout. It would just invite questions and gossip about Kyle and I’m not ready to discuss it.  

I scanned the area for any sightings of Kyle but it seem
ed he had yet to arrive. I looked back at Mickey who seemed to be studying me with a twinkle in his eye.

“Lookin
g for someone in
particular
, Sienna?”
Fishing, I see.

“Huh?
Oh, no. Just taking on the scene and seeing who else I know here. It feels good to be back home again Mickey! I forgot how beautiful it is out here during summer time.”

Indeed, it was
a magnificent night.

The full moon was up high and bright amidst the darkened sky. It was illuminating the ocean
and making it look breathtakingly ethereal, serene and peaceful. The waves lapped softly on the shore and I felt calm inside, wishing Blake was here with me. He would have liked it.

My trio of friends
offered to come, but I refused them. I needed to do this one on my own.

“
How are you?” I said as I sat on the wooden lounger glancing back to Mickey and enjoying my cold alcoholic beverage.

“
Actually, a lot has been going on, man. I’m leaving for Alaska next week to help out my dad. He’s been feeling exhausted from running the business. So, it’s my turn to step-up and help the family,” he said solemnly.

“
I’m sorry to hear that, Mick. I recall you weren’t really fond of that place,” empathizing with his situation.

“
Damn right, but I got to help the family out, so there’s no other option,” he took a chug of his Corona, studying the sand on his feet.

There was some hollering
from behind me so I twisted my head and glimpsed to see who the culprit was.

Kyle was hugging and high-fiving people along the way. His other right hand was atta
ched to a very attractive blonde who was gazing and smiling lovingly at him.

Per
fect. Just bloody, fucking perfect.

I felt awkward and anxious.
Fuck. Should I go over and say hi? Maybe I should play indifferent?
I castigated myself for being idiotic.
Come on Sienna
, I scolded myself. 

Crap-fuckity-crap.

Deep breaths and think of something relaxing.

“
’Kay there doll?” Jen sat next to me with her arm loosely on my shoulder.

“
’Course! Should we get more drinks?” Might as well get some encouragement from my old pal, The Don, Patron.

“
Ooooh! Shots?! That should get us going!”

“Hell
, yeah!”

“
Bring on the happy face, doll. Don’t let him see anything else.”

I nodded
, not wanting to say anything else. She was right, of course.

We got up and
headed back to the house. I knew we would be passing Kyle at any moment, so I willed myself to play it cool and not take it too seriously.
Who cares if we dated two gloriously fun-filled years? Really, who cares?
Uh! I was getting idiotic already with one drink.

“
Hey, Jen!
Sienna
…
You’re back
,” greeted a merry-looking Kyle.

“
Heeey, there! Congratulations on your internship! I’m hearing that they’ll hire you before you even finish school?” Jen playfully said to Kyle. They got on so well back in the day, it was no wonder they fell back into an easy banter.

Kyle’s working with his father now. He
loves music. He grew up with it and learned everything and anything music from his father. His dad owns a major record label company here in LA so it was a no brainer that he’d be following in his dad’s footsteps. Most importantly, he loves to scour for musicians that have depth and soul in them and help them be successful in the music industry. He’s quite passionate with his work and I remember how he used to light up and get all excited when talking about it.

“
Ha ha! How I’ve missed your craziness!” Kyle said this in his deep playful laugh.

God! I’ve missed that laugh.
Here goes my stupid brain.

I look
ed like a complete idiot standing there next to Jen while they were catching up. His girlfriend, whom he hadn’t introduced yet, was curiously eyeing Jen and me.
Did Kyle talk about me? Is that why she’s eyeing me up and down now?
Hah. Bitch.

Kyle turned his attention
to me. His laughter died the minute our eyes met. His hazel eyes looked intense and fiery. His face looked calm, but I knew deep down, he was mad.

Damn,
he looked gorgeous.

A deep ache settled in my heart.

I miss him.

His white v-neck shirt outlined his define
d torso and arms.
My word, is he more buff and defined, or what?
My eyes roved all over him.
Yes, he’s been working out
. His body’s a lean, muscular type, different from Blake’s physique, but still downright sexy.

“
How long are you here for? Didn’t expect you to be back for your break—would’ve thought you’d be traveling all over Europe or somewhere much more exotic, rather than coming back here to
plain
old Los Angeles,” he said cuttingly. Hidden bitterness laced his words.

“
Umm, I’ve missed Jen and needed to tie up some loose ends with the conservatorship (outright lie)—so, I decided to come back during break. It’s only two weeks anyway, so I won’t be staying long.”

Shit. I sound so lame. Couldn’t I come up with som
ething better to say? Sigh.

W
hy is he being all cold, anyway?
He was the one who broke-up with me.

“
Right, anyway ladies—I want you to meet my amazing girlfriend, Brooke,” he announced as he hooked his left arm around his
amazing
girlfriend. She had a huge cat-like, fake smile and a massive rack.

GAG.

She looked fake, a
B
londe
B
imbo.

She was clingy,
giggly, and used a whiney voice like a little girl—it made me want to scratch the wall with my nails. I hated her already and from the look she was giving me, with pure disdain, the feeling was mutual.

Since when was Kyle attracted to
BB
’s anyways? He always made fun of
them
.

“
Hey! Pleasure to meet you people—but we must go and mingle with others, Kyle? I see some of your friends are already in the tub. Let’s go! I can’t wait to get you wet baby!” she said coaxingly as she grabbed his hand and left for the tub at lightning speed.

Nice, she
was amazing indeed.

Not.

“
Nice
girlfriend there.”

“
Don’t mention it. I know you’re dying with questions, but let’s skip it tonight, okay?”  I pleaded.

The house was in full-on
grinding, party mode as the speakers pounded, blaring
Birthday Cake
by
Rihanna
and everyone was dancing and grinding with the beat.

“
Hey! Why don’t you stay put and mingle with the eager men out here, hmm? I’ll go get us our drinks, lemon drop or a shot?” Jen suggested.

I looked at Jen with a raised eyebrow.

I knew she was going to go check out the hot-tender and have her wicked way with him, so I wasn’t going to trouble myself by getting in line for drinks.

“
How about both, please? I’m in dire need of them,” I winked at her as I fished out my phone from my purse and checked for messages.

I got
three emails from friends back home—Chad, Blake and from Lucy/Toby.

Lucy Connelly:

Be strong and don’t forget to enjoy! In case you forgot… you’re on vaca too!

See you when you get back!

WE love you,

Lucy and Toby xxxxx

Lucy’s message made me smile. She likes to smother people with as much xxx’s as she can in her messages and I love her for it.

From: Chad Wilson

Baby girl! You would never guess! I just got a spot on a show! I’m so psyched! Couple of months away though, but shit! This is crazy! How’s vacation? Call me the moment you land on Heathrow!

I miss you lover!

Your ever sexy java-mamba friend,

C xxx

Oh, Chad! I’m so happy for you!
I can’t help getting excited for him. He’s an artist—a photographer to be precise and he’s quite gifted. Finally! After a few months of being depressed, this was a very good opportunity for him. It’s a competitive field out there. This show’s going to be his big break!

Opening my message from Blake,
I suddenly felt warm knowing my friends were supporting me even if they weren’t physically here.

From: Blake Knightly

Hanging in there, poppet? Make it short and quick. No need to linger with the bloody tosser! We still have a few episodes to catch up with Game of Thrones, so you better bring your cute butt back home immediately! Or better yet—want me to come get you, Sienna? I’ll book the next flight out or I could use one of the company jets to fetch your tenacious self.  Don’t doubt me because I bloody will drag you back to England, if I must. Two weeks without you or Toby (since he decided to permanently attach himself to Lucy’s side) it has been uneventful to say the least. The break-up with Camille didn’t help much. The woman was painstakingly relentless wanting to move in with me. Got to dash, but don’t forget about my offer about coming back early! I’m only a text or phone call away. I miss you.

P.S. MAKE YOUR TRIP SHORT!     

BK

Cute?

My butt was anything but cute! I got
the junk
to back it up. How could he say it’s just cute?

Because he thinks you’re just cute—you’re just you, DUH?

I should’ve been used to it with Blake—I mean—we’re friends—but as good-looking as he is, I wanted him to see the other side of me. Not the reliable, good friend side—but the attractive, sexy side of me—at least just once.

But no, he’s been impervious and treats me
like his buddy from his boarding school days.

He and Camille broke-up? She wanted to move in with him after barely two months of dating?
I could picture Blake’s reaction perfectly: mortified, racing to the hills. He abhors it when he feels like he’s being trapped. He confessed as much before when I first met him; he was in a similar predicament.

Blake’s message
—was just
so Blake
. It was bossy and demanding with a tad of adorableness on the side. If it were from another guy, I’d think that he couldn’t wait to have me back home and he was going ballistic from missing me. But sadly, it was from Blake. There’s no hidden agenda there, plain and simple. I put my phone back in my clutch purse and swayed with the music, weaving my way to the dance floor.

One thing
’s for sure, you can always count me in for dancing. I love to immerse myself in the music and just make my body speak and move to the beat. I dance when I’m stressed out. I go to hip-hop classes or
Zumba
a few times a week in Hampstead. Chad manages the dance studio and after closing time we have our own little dance-off. It’s our ritual and the bond that brought us together.

Closing my eyes,
I was swaying my hips slowly to match the rhythm of the music—when I felt someone grab my hand. I opened them slowly, disappointed that it wasn’t Kyle standing in front of me.