Chasing Paradise (Chasing 3)

I was set to start my first day at my new internship for a PR firm that had barely started about six months ago. The owners were two socialites and I wanted to see if this was a part of the marketing world I wanted to delve into. While Fashion Marketing had a lot to offer, I wanted to make sure that, when I did choose which sector I wanted to work in, I wouldn’t change my mind.

Stella von Berg and Lucia Pisano were an interesting duo that owned and had founded the firm, S&L PR, which hosted after parties for movies or award shows as well as doing club promotions and launch parties. Stella was around my age while Lucia was only a year older. Both women were always chicly dressed and shared great enthusiasm concerning their new endeavor. I was more than grateful that they had decided to take me onboard without any specific experience within this particular field.

I would only work three times a week after classes and occasionally on a Saturday when there was an event that we were hosting, though it looked like we were pretty much booked for quite some time. Nevertheless, I was psyched and couldn’t wait to start this new venture.

Pulling my phone out, I texted Chad and Lucy about how my day of classes had gone. Just when I was about to put it back in my purse, though, it started to ring.

Kyle.

Smiling, I answered the phone. “Hey, you!”

Life was starting to finally look up.

~S~

Hurrying, I was busy with getting ready for work when I heard a knock on my door. “Yes?”

“Miss Sienna, you have—eh, um… delivery.” Freya looked discomfited, not quite so sure.

Giving her a quick smile, I thanked her. “Great. Thanks, Freya! I’ll be right out.”

I was still distracted when I came out of the room, however I immediately halted my stride when I saw what was before me.

I was confused at first then what I was staring at finally clicked into recognition. “Holy Mary, Mother of God! What the f**k!” I swore harshly as rage sprouted out of every pore.

It was a standing funeral wreath shaped like a cross. The white lilies and roses were dyed black, adding a more eerie effect.

For the dearly departed whore,

Sienna Richards.

May you rest in peace.

“Mother. Fucking. Bitch!” I screeched, shaken as I searched for the sender’s address, but there was none to be found. The wreath only came with that empty white card with those selective chosen words to drive home their message loud and clear that someone wanted me dead. This, coupled with the incident of being pushed down the stairs, was a warning or a sign that my days were numbered.

Did they truly expect me to run like a scared little bunny? For me to cower and hide for the rest of my life? Well, too bad. They’d chosen the wrong woman to frighten and mess with because I was far from scared. That feeling had become so much a part of me that I felt at home with it.

Blake Knightly; the man that this woman wanted. Well, let me show you just how much Blake loves me, I thought wickedly, wanting to provoke whoever was threating me with death. I caught sight myself in the mirror on the wall, and without preamble, I surrendered to my fate.

“Go to hell, bitch! He’s mine,” I angrily said to my reflection before yanking my necklace out from where the token that would drive this person mental had been hiding; if the person in question was, of course, in love with Blake. What other great way was there to tell this bitch to go f**k herself and her tactics than wearing Blake’s ring?

Blake is mine.

I was going to make that shit known.

Fuck preservation.

~S~

Almost eight hours later, a hand grabbed me from behind and kissed the curve of my neck.

Blake. I spun around and found him grinning down at me.

“Blake! You crazy man! What are you doing here? Weren’t you in New York when I spoke to you this morning?”

“I was… but I had to come and see you for a few hours. I needed to see you…. because…” He cleared his throat, strangely serious all of a sudden. “Sienna? Did you happen to accept my proposal without telling me?”

I blinked a few more times as we gazed at each other. His question threw me off. I was a little dumbfounded. “Erm, where did you hear this information?”

Blake looked sheepish a moment before he answered my question, “I saw you wearing my ring… through a video surveillance.”

Huh?

Flabbergasted, I croaked out, “What video?”

He studied me for a few seconds, gauging my reaction before responding in a calm voice. “I hired a security team to shadow you around. I call them once a day through Facetime so I can see what you’re doing. I’m sorry I haven’t mentioned it, but it was the only solution I know of that would allow me to sleep at night.”

Heck, this man was driving me insane. “I thought we had this discussion already, Blake!”

Blake’s magnetic eyes flickered back and forth, pleading with mine. “I’m truly sorry. Being sneaky about it made me feel wretched, though you must understand, I did all this for you, Sienna. Everything I do is for you. Do you not see that?”

Son of a gun, now what? Sighing, I lightly punched his chest. “Well, at least you had the decency to have them as far away from me as possible.” With a pounding beat of my heart, I took hold of his hand, kissing the inside before cradling it against my cheek. “Your love for me is very overwhelming, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because I wouldn’t want to be engaged to a man who isn’t obsessed with me.” I looked at him, baring my soul. “I know being with me is tough. I’m crazy. I don’t think before I speak sometimes. I’m insecure and in dire need of attention from you constantly. My past hounds me and, to this day, I’m still recovering from the effects of my abuse. So yeah, I’m pretty messed up.” I tried to give him a smile, yet it ended up being more than a little shaky. “Through my insufferable deficiencies and betrayal, you’re still here, never letting up about marriage.” Letting out a huff, I continued, “I want to wear your ring, but I still stand behind my reason about holding off the wedding until I’ve finished what I set out as my goals. If you’re not—”

“Shut the hell up, woman, and come here!” Blake yanked me so hard that I pounded against his chest before he kissed me thoroughly; his love, his reason and his purpose were captured with each kiss. Each stroke of his hot, relentless tongue against mine ignited my body, consuming it with fired passion. “I don’t care if I have to wait a century to see you walk down the aisle coming towards me. All I care about is that it will happen someday. Knowing that your heart, body and soul are mine and only mine is proof enough.” He swiftly lifted me up and we kissed like maniacs before we fell on the bed, ripping each other’s clothes off. “Hell, I intended to take this slow, but the second you tore my dress shirt, cara, you unleashed something in me,” Blake gritted out, the animalistic way he bit my pu**y before he tore the lace off, got me beyond wet.