Nicole Edwards - Temptation

“Well, just let me know what the next steps are, and I’m game. I don’t have much going on right now, so I just need a week or so to tie up some loose ends.”

Alex downed the rest of his drink in one quick swallow. “I’ll set up a meeting for you, me, Dylan and Sam so we can discuss what our strategy is. Big things are coming for CISS, and if I don’t get ahead of this now, we might have some big problems on our hands.”

The two men shook hands, both standing from their seats. Cole had a couple of things he needed to get done before he stopped by Lucie’s. Once Alex disappeared out the back doors, Cole stopped by the bar, acknowledging Luke as he passed him.

“I’ll see you tonight.” Cole said to Lucie before turning to leave.

“Alright.” She whispered, obviously aware of her audience. With both Luke and Kane looking on, she had every right to be nervous.

When Susan opened the front door, looking both elegant and highly pissed off, Sierra knew she was not going to enjoy this meeting. Not that she had enjoyed any of their meetings, especially the last one Susan had insisted on. Sierra had to walk away from Luke and Cole that day just so her work could be questioned yet again. Although that day something seemed off about Susan, and if Sierra wasn’t mistaken, the woman was trying to ask about her personal life.

However, being the professional that she was, she’d agreed to meet Susan when she had called that morning. Her inner bitch hadn’t been so excited about the deal, but Sierra had repressed that part of her, gotten ready and high tailed it over to Susan’s house.

“It’s about time.”

Well, how the fuck are you too? Sierra had grown accustomed to Susan’s bitchiness, but she had to bite her tongue repeatedly to keep from telling the woman exactly what she thought of her. Knowing this woman had been with both Luke and Cole had set off something dark and possessive inside of her, making each and every meeting they had nearly unbearable.

Following Susan into the kitchen, not her office like she expected, Sierra began to get a little nervous. Had something gone wrong? Did one of the contractors screw something up?

“Can I get you something to drink?” Susan was ever the hostess, never missing a beat, but Sierra wasn’t going to drag this out any longer than she had to.

“No, I’m good, thank you.” When Susan took a seat at the kitchen table, Sierra stopped abruptly.

“Sit.” Susan stated firmly, followed by a reluctant, “Please.”

Sierra sat.

“We need to talk.”

That’s the one thing, and probably the only thing, they both agreed on. Getting up each morning was beginning to be a difficult chore just knowing she might have to face Susan again. Although they had agreed on a design, and Sierra had subcontracted out the work, Susan still nitpicked over every little detail, often causing the contractor to insist Sierra come over to smooth the waters so to speak. Not that it had ever done any good.

“There’s a rumor going around that has me concerned.” Susan started, glancing down at her hands and then back up at Sierra.

Unsure of where this was going, Sierra remained silent.

“It’s been brought to my attention that you are in a relationship with two men.”

Susan was doing her best to sound disgusted with the notion, but Sierra’s hackles immediately rose. Susan was a member of the club. She had been a willing participant in some sexual exploits that would likely blow Sierra’s mind, and here she was trying to pretend that the idea of being with two men disgusted her. Did Susan not realize Sierra knew who she was? Or at least who Susie Mackendrick was. They apparently were two very different people, housed in the same body.

Deciding that this might just be the blessing she had been hoping for, Sierra opted for the truth. “I am.”

“And you don’t see the problem with that?” Susan asked, clearly startled by Sierra’s honesty.

“I don’t.” Keeping her answers simple was the only way Sierra was going to manage to get through this awkward conversation. She only hoped Susan would fire her and get it over with. Never in her life had she wanted to take the easy way out, but that was before she met this overbearing, impossible to please woman.

For a lawyer, used to arguing her case, Susan faltered more than Sierra expected. Or maybe Sierra’s answers hadn’t been simple enough for her to understand.

“Well.” Exasperation tinged the word, and Susan locked her eyes with Sierra’s. “I’ve had to come to a hard decision after learning this information. I wanted to talk to you first, make sure the rumor was actually true. Now that I know it is, I need to tell you I’m concerned about your employment.”

Thank goodness. Sierra didn’t speak out loud, although she wouldn’t have been more surprised if the words had burst from her chest with pride. “Ok.”

“I think it is in your best interest for you to quit.”

Ok. There was the more surprise.

Being fired was one thing. Quitting was something entirely different. She couldn’t control the actions of others, and if Susan wanted to fire her because she wanted to feign concern over Sierra’s personal life, that was her prerogative. But quitting. That wasn’t in Sierra’s nature.

“I’m not the one with the problem.” Sierra said, shocking herself with the anger seeping into her blood.

“You’re in a relationship with two men, and I can’t subject myself to that sort of association. You should be ashamed of yourself first of all.”

O – K. Now the anger was coursing fast and hot. Did the woman really have the audacity to project her own personal opinion on Sierra’s personal life when it in no way affected her ability to do her job? “Well, I assure you that I am not ashamed.”

“I thought you might say that which is why I had to come up with a second option if you chose to be bullheaded.”

Bullheaded? What the fuck?

“I insist that you quit, or I am going to have to proceed with a civil suit against you for misrepresentation.”

“Excuse me, what ?” Sierra was dumbfounded. This woman was actually blackmailing her.

“You heard me. You clearly misrepresented yourself, and in order to protect myself, I am going to file a civil suit. I will make sure you never work in Dallas or any of its surrounding areas ever again.” The full bitch was back, a sneer on Susan’s face told Sierra she wasn’t kidding.

Pushing back her chair, Sierra stood abruptly. She’d heard enough of this. Her anger had reached maximum capacity, and if she wasn’t careful she was going to make this bad situation even worse.

She didn’t speak as she exited the kitchen, walking as calmly as she could manage down the long hallway to the front door. She heard the click of Susan’s heels behind her, and she prayed she could reach the door before the other woman said another word.

“You’re slutty behavior has no place in a professional environment. You should seriously consider making adjustments before you even think about working for anyone else. I’ll make sure this rumor circulates.”

Her blood pressure spiked and a red haze clouded Sierra’s vision. For the last couple of months she had put up with more abuse from this one woman than she had anyone else in her entire life. Turning abruptly, she came face to face, although Susan was quite a bit taller, with the woman. Keeping her hands at her side, not wrapped around Susan’s neck like she wanted, was harder than she imagined.

“I don’t have many regrets in my life, Ms. Toulmin. Or is it Ms. Mackendrick ?” Keeping her voice level, Sierra stared back at the woman noting the flash of fear in her eyes. “I definitely don’t regret the actions I take in my personal life. If I want to be in a relationship, that is my choice. Not yours. Who I do that with is also my choice. Not yours. And if I choose to live my life out in the open, instead of hiding behind another name, or the closed doors of a sex club, that’s my choice as well.”