Chasing Paradise (Chasing 3)
Page 23If I thought that was wretched, I should think again because that was when the love of my life pulled back and kissed him on the cheek, before his lips and lingered there. If she was about to open her mouth and shoved her tongue into his, I wouldn’t have known because I couldn’t take it. I marched towards the exit staircase that led to the other side of the building, before hailing a cab, got into it and wished my life away.
I spent my weekend in stupor with my phone off. I managed to check into a hotel suite before I drowned myself into oblivion. I didn’t want to talk to anyone else. Being along was all I needed.
Monday, I finally was out of my haze and decided to go home. Mind you, a hysterical woman greeted me. Quite brilliant, really.
“Where in God’s name have you been? I’ve searched high and low for you!” Sienna screeched at me, eyes cracking with fire.
Halting my steps, I gave her a cutting glance. “Busy. Why, did you need me for something?”
“Yes—I needed to know if you were okay! Damn you, Blake!” She was about to keep going but Gareth brought in a box.
A delivery for Sienna. I’m sure it was from Matthews, I thought with pure disdain and loathing, before I grabbed it out of Gareth’s hands and opened it myself.
What contained it was really quite out of the ordinary. Was this a sick joke? It was a certificate of a purchased funeral lot with her name on it. “What in the bloody f**king God’s name is going the f**k on?” I eyed Sienna before I slashed Gareth another glance.
“What the hell are these, Sienna?” I asked her, needing answers this instant.
Gareth shook his head, pondering hell. “I have no clue, Mr. Knightly.”
My blood turned cold. “This is not the first time, is it?” I bellowed, losing all of my composure, my temper reared with blasted hell.
“No.” she breathed. “This is the second.”
Merda! “And you kept it from me? How could you?” I thundered out, feeling bothered and betrayed that she would keep something this significant to the investigation, but more importantly she didn’t deem me worthy to know.
“I wanted to just ignore it. I didn’t want to deal with it. These could be just idle threats to make me leave you. Who the f**k knows?” She countered, standing her ground.
Was Sienna this dense really? “Someone. Tried. To. Kill. You! That doesn’t sound like an idle threat to me!” I screeched. “How difficult is that to grasp woman? But you don’t care do you? Yeah, go on as you are, I’m sure they’d be hounding your heels much more because you do not give a flying arse if you die today!”
“I truly don’t.”
“Well, good for you. Truly. Maybe I should learn to be just a f**king cold-hearted bitch and not care about anyone else other than myself!” I fumed, glancing at her infuriated face, before I glanced at Gareth. “From now on, Sienna’s in charge with you. If she decides to fire you this instant, that’s up to her. She knows what she’s doing apparently, so I’ll hand it all over to her. Good day.” I strode towards the lift, wanting to leave this forsaken place.
Sienna was charging towards me, spitfire. “Where are you going? I’m not with you yet!”
Yeah, everything had to be about what she wanted for f**k’s sake! “Too bad, cara. I don’t want to be here, let alone face you.”
If she wanted to be in-charge about her future then so be it. What was the use to trying to protect her if she didn’t want it? What was the point of trying to push myself with her if she wasn’t interested?
I was grasping on straws.
I was fighting a battle that wasn’t truly there because Sienna made it difficult for me to see—she was confusing the hell out of me. She was grieving Kyle, but was in love with me. How did that even make sense? If I had loved another woman, would she be this patient? Would she have done the same things I’d done for her?
Somehow I doubted it.
But whatever was going on anymore, I wasn’t going to be a beggar and keep the scraps she keeps throwing at me once in awhile.
I was one desperate, besotted fool, but even fools in love have limits too. I think I might’ve reached mine.
Seventeen
Sienna
“Hello?” I answered Lucy’s call.
Hell, she was going? What? “Lucy, are you sure this is even wise for you to be there? I mean…you know, this is not going to be easy, babe.”
She sighed, melancholy. “I think I have to see it with my very eyes. Then I wouldn’t be thinking if that ever happened or if it was all my imagination kind of thing.”
Lucy was an enigma to me sometimes. The things she did, I wouldn’t have the guts to do. “Are you sure? That sounds a little crazy to me.”
“It is. Anyhow, are you about to join us?” Lucy directed me the question I didn’t have an answer to.
I didn’t even know if Blake wanted to see me, especially after what happened earlier this morning. Was he washing himself off me? I didn’t know. Toby’s wedding was going to happen tomorrow afternoon and we all needed to be there tonight for festivities.
Clearing my throat, I tried to sound calm and under control. “You guys go ahead, I will go with Blake. I’m sure he’d appreciate that.” Well, I hoped he did anyway.
“Alright then, I will see you lovelies tonight.” Lucy said her goodbyes then, before hanging up on me.
After a quick call to Luke to get Blake’s schedule for the rest of the afternoon, I darted towards the bedroom and packed hastily before I had Robert, the chauffer, drive me to Blake’s office.
I knew he’d be in a meeting when I arrived, so I took my time and looked around his office, stopping by his desk, as my forefinger traced the outline as I walked around it. Memories of how he took me on this table sent stirrings into my womanhood. That was the last time he took me. Blake had an insatiable appetite, but it seemed he wasn’t interested in touching me. Now that I think about it, he never even hinted into wanting to have sex with me since that time he took me on this desk.