Red, White and Beautiful (2 page)

I give Quinn the eye. “Why all the questions?”

“I’m trying to figure out what you can do.”

“I don’t know what to do, Quinn. I just have to leave it and let it go.”

“Is that what you want?”

I throw my hands up and snap, “Of course it’s not, Quinn, but what else can I do?”

“Talk to him?” he says, rolling his eyes as if that answer was so horribly obvious.

“I can’t talk to him,” I say, crossing my arms and rubbing my hands together anxiously.

Quinn sighs loudly. “Sometimes woman, I’m sure you’re more immature than a fifteen year old girl.”

“Good lord,” I say, then burst out into a fit of giggles.

Quinn follows, unable to contain his amusement. When the waiter stops by the table, I smother my giggles and turn to him. God it feels good to laugh. It feels good to do anything else but mope and cry.

“What can I get you both?” he asks, letting his eyes travel between the two of us with confusion and a little amusement.

“I’ll have the eggs benedict and a coffee please,” I smile, handing him the menu.

“Same here.”

The waiter smiles at us and then walks off. Quinn turns back to me, his face is a little more serious this time.

“I know where you can see him, to talk.”

I feel my eyes widen. “I have a phone if I feel the need to have my heart ripped out again.”

“That’s not the way to go about this, you need to see him.”

“What for Quinn? He doesn’t want me. He made that clear by choosing her.”

“He didn’t really choose her,” Quinn says softly, daring to meet my eyes with his.

“I know, but, I should have never gone there in the first place. This is for the best.”

“Do you love him, Sierra?”

I feel my eyes well with tears and I struggle to swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes, I do.”

“Then you owe it to yourself to either end it properly or work it out.”

I close my eyes a moment, I know he’s right. I know I need to talk with Marcus, at least to finish this for good, but the idea of seeing him again burns me. The idea of looking into those deep brown eyes and seeing the conflict in them, has me wound up inside. What if Marcus has already moved on with Chayne? Can I deal with that? Can I deal with knowing for sure that he chose her? Or what if he wants me back? Can I deal with going back and feeling like I always come second to a woman who doesn’t even care about him? The answers are blurry and the questions are harsh, I don’t know if I can deal with either of them, but I know I have to.

“Ok Quinn,” I say in a small voice. “I’ll talk to him and figure this out.”

“Tonight there’s a dinner for the sponsors of the university. He’s one of them, so he’ll be there. All students in the student council are able to come, that includes me and you. So we’re going.”

I nod, swallowing. The idea of seeing Marcus again is testing every strength inside me, but I’m not going to spend the rest of the year wallowing because I lost an opportunity and fell in love. When the waiter brings our food, Quinn and I eat in silence, both of us are contemplating how the evening will go. Will Marcus even speak to me? Will he order me to leave or rub Chayne in my face? I really don’t know, and the idea of not knowing bothers me. What if the entire student body figures out what happened between us? What if he makes a scene? God, so many things could go wrong.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I say to Quinn.

His eyes scan my face. “I think so. You need to fix this or end it, Sierra. Either way, it has to be done or you’re going to fail all your exams and lose something you’ve worked hard for. You’re letting him get to you, and I understand why, but you have to let it go. Maybe he’ll take you back, and you’ll be happy again. Either way, it has to be done for your sake, not his. You can do this, you’re so much stronger than this. I will be there with you, ok? I promise.”

I nod, swallowing. “Thank you, Quinn.”

“Any time. Now, let’s go shopping and get you something dead sexy to wear.”

I smile, I can’t help it. Quinn loves shopping and it will be good to do something different. “Ok.”

He reaches across the table and takes my hand, rubbing his finger over my palms. “You’re a brave girl. I know I’ve pushed you and made you face this but I am really proud of you, Sierra. You haven’t broken down or acted crazy. You’re an amazing girl and I think you’re doing the right thing.”

I nod, swallowing and biting my lower lip. Quinn smiles and squeezes my hand.

“Thank you,” I whisper, meeting his gaze.

“Anytime, honey, anytime.”

“Well,” I say, digging into my breakfast. “Let’s finish eating so we can go shopping.”

Quinn’s beaming smile lightens my mood. Like it always does.

“That’s my girl.”

Well, fingers crossed this goes well.

“Sir, your suit is ready.”

I look up from my desk and see Rose standing at the door, holding a perfectly pressed suit. I nod at her, and she walks in, hanging it on a coat hook.

“Is there anything else?” she asks.

“No, thanks Rose.”

She nods and leaves the room. I stare at the hanging suit and feel my heart twist. I am going to Sierra’s university tonight. I am going and I know she’ll likely be there. She’s part of the student council and most of them have to attend. I have tried to speak with her for five days now, with no luck. She’s avoiding me. I can’t blame her. Why wouldn’t she? I fucked up. I stand and walk over to the suit, running my fingers over it.

Do I have any chance with her tonight? Any at all? Will she talk to me?

At least give me a chance to explain? The last few days of my life have been hell. I am the meaning of the saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ I’ve never wanted anything in my life as much as I want her, and knowing I could have, quite possibly, lost her forever, does fucked up things to my heart.

“Marcus, there you are.”

I stiffen at the sound of Chayne’s voice coming through my door. I turn and face the woman I once loved, but now despise.

“What the hell are you doing here, Chayne?”

“You know why I’m here. I live here.”

“I told you to stay away from me.”

She smiles and walks in. The woman really doesn’t know when to stop. I put a hand up, stopping her from coming in further.

“I thought you might need a date for tonight?”

“Have you forgotten your meds, Chayne?” I snap.

She frowns and crosses her arms. “I am still your fiancé, Marcus. As far as the world knows, at least. It will look bad for you to go alone.”

“I’ve gone to many things alone, don’t pretend to care now. We both know you want to come because you’re worried I will see Sierra.”

“I couldn’t care less about that little brat, she wouldn’t dare come between my life and me.”

“Is that a threat?” I growl.

“No, it’s a promise. Don’t put her in my way, Marcus. If you leave me for her and I find out about it, you’ll wish to god it never happened.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I grate out, glaring at her.

Even if I got with Sierra, I would never tell her. Not until I got rid of her officially and knew she couldn’t touch anything that is mine. That includes my girl.

“You wouldn’t want to. I can make her life a living hell, Marcus.

You know it.”

“Believe me, woman. I know it.”

“Don’t call me woman, show some respect.”

“Leave my office, Chayne, I’m not in the mood.”

“You are walking a fine line, Marcus Harrison.”

“Yeah, back at you.”

She huffs at me and then turns, heading towards the door. When she reaches it, she turns and growls, “Mark my words, Marcus. I will take her down if she gets in my way.”

Then she’s gone. I growl and slam my fist against my thigh. On most women, that would be no more than a threat, but with Chayne, I know it’s a damn promise. Fuck. What am I going to do about this?

~*~*~*~*

SIERRA

“Oh Sierra, you look stunning,” Raine breathes, pinning the last strand of hair to the top of my head.

I stare at myself in the mirror. I haven’t seen myself look so nice for a little while now. My red dress is tight at the top, with a corset type bodice. It flares out at the hips and stops just above my knees. My silver heels and sparkly silver clutch match it perfectly. Raine did my makeup, making sure to leave me as natural looking as possible. She did an amazing job. Smoky eyes, light red lipstick and mascara. I reach up to finger the silver diamond necklace around my neck.

“Thank you, Raine, I don’t deserve it, but thank you.”

She spins me around and fiddles with my hair at the front. She’s done it in an up style, loosely set atop my head with little diamond clips holding it together. Little bits of hair drop down the sides of my face, giving me a very casual but elegant look.

“I’m sorry, Sierra, for the way I behaved. I didn’t realize how much you cared about Marcus. If I did, I wouldn’t have been so quick to judge.”

I sigh. “It wasn’t your fault, you were right. I was playing with fire.”

“It wasn’t my place, you’re a big girl now.”

I smile and pull her close, wrapping my arms around her. “Thank you, Raine.”

“Ah, don’t mess the makeup,” she giggles, hugging me tightly before letting me go.

“Knock them dead, honey. I know you can.”

I beam at her and hug her once more before clutching my purse to my chest and walking out. The dinner is at the campus function room, so we can walk. Quinn meets me at his door, dressed in a tux. He looks gorgeous. He takes my hand, pressing his lips against my skin. “You look gorgeous.”

I grin. “You look all right yourself, hot stuff.”

“Ah ah, that name’s reserved. Now, let’s get this over with.”

I hook my arm through Quinn’s and we leave the dorms and walk through the gardens until we reach the large hall. I can hear the music inside, it’s pounding out through the doors and into the garden. I hesitate when we get to the front door, decked out with little fairy lights that make me feel as though I’m back at senior prom. Quinn tugs my arm and pulls me inside. I stare around the large, open room. It has a stage up front, a small space has been left for a dance floor and the rest is taken up with round tables and chairs. Fancy lights hang from the ceilings and people are scattered about everywhere, all dressed to perfection and chatting away happily. My chest clenches, but I turn to Quinn.

“Looks good in here.”

“Heads up, the party is just about to start.”

I turn to Quinn, confused. “Huh?”

“Your man just spotted you.”

I feel my spine stiffen. Marcus is here already? I don’t even get five minutes to prepare myself? I swallow and my gaze darts desperately over Quinn’s face. He reaches out, taking my hand. “It’s ok, you can do this.”

“I can’t, I really can’t,” I panic, heading towards the door.

“You can, and you will. Good news, I can’t see the fiancé. Bad news, he’s coming over.”

“I need the bathroom,” I stammer, feeling my heart take a leap to my throat.

“Sierra,” Quinn says, but I’m off before he can hold me back.

I hurry through the crowd and when I reach the bathroom, I quickly duck inside. I press my back to the cool tiled wall and focus on my breathing. It’s ok, you can do this, you have to do this. Stop worrying about Marcus and just face him, get it over with and move on. I hurry towards the sink and stare at myself in the mirror, I can’t even splash my face without running my makeup. I close my eyes, gathering myself. I hear the door open, and I see a group of girls coming in. Magic. I smile quickly at them, then turn and push my way back out the door. I can’t have a break down in the bathroom, it’s so…typical.

I turn left, instead of going back towards the party. I duck into a nearby storage room, it is full of speakers, cords, and gym equipment that is used when the hall isn’t being decked out for functions. I walk in further and am about to close the door behind me when I hear that silky smooth voice that once got my blood to boil and my body to come alive in ways I didn’t want to admit. The sad thing is, it still does and I hate that. I hate that he still affects me, even though I’m hurting. I don’t want to turn around, so for the moment, I don’t. I just stand there, feeling the skin on my back prickle at the sound of his sexy voice.

“Running from me, Sierra?”

I close my eyes and let out a long, loud sigh. Turn around, Sierra, you chicken. With another deep breath, I turn and see Marcus standing at the door, looking divine as always. His perfectly fitting suit does wonderful things to his large, muscled frame. His dark brown hair is wavy around his face and his brown eyes bore into mine as he lets his gaze slide slowly over my body, before finally reaching my eyes and resting on them. I swallow and press my hand against the wall to steady myself. Marcus walks in and shuts the door behind him, then his hand reaches out to flick the light on. When we’re both in clear view, I can’t help but let my eyes linger. He’s so breathtakingly beautiful. Every god damned part of him is perfect.

“No, I was just…I got lost,” I finally manage, to answer his question.

His lips curl slowly. “You got lost in a school you’ve been in for how long?”

Yeah, all right smart ass.

“Ok, I was running, is that what you want to hear?” I snap, crossing my arms over my chest. I feel so exposed under his gaze.

He steps closer, like a predator stalking his prey. “You know I don’t like it when you run.”

I glare at him, of course he has to bring up his dominant side right now. “Don’t start your dominant bullshit with me, Marcus. I’m not interested in hearing it.”

“Are we really going to do this, Sierra? Yell and scream at each other?”

“What do you want me to do? Just forgive you? Just get over it? You lied to me, Marcus, and you chose your fiancé over me.”

He steps even closer and I back up against the wall. “That’s where you’re wrong, Sierra. You made the choice. You walked out the door. I didn’t choose anyone, I didn’t end things, that was you. So I believe it is you who started this distance between us, not me.”

Damn man has a point. I did tell him it was over and run out, but that’s only because he lied to me and hurt me. I had every right. Didn’t I?