She let out an exasperated sigh. “To get them back together. Are you listening?”
Pierce’s head turned toward her. “Sorry, I’m a bit pre-occupied. I had to up and cancel my date—and it was with Ashley. She would’ve definitely made it worth my while.”
“Oh, so sorry that’s one less time you’ll get your pipe cleaned this week.”
“I’m glad you’re so concerned about my lack-of-sex life.”
“Will you please get your head in the game and start thinking of more scenarios.”
He was deep in thought. Suddenly he glanced over at her. “Did you say a covert maneuver?
“Yeah. Why?”
“Just curious. I was wondering if we’re trying to get two people back together, or infiltrate the enemy’s stronghold in a neighboring village.”
“Despite herself, Sasha’s lips curved into a smirk. “Oh, shut up.”
Chapter Thirty-one
Darkest before the Dawn
The five conspirators were sitting around the Lambert’s kitchen table. Cassandra sat a plate of oatmeal raisin cookies in the middle of the table. Pierce immediately grabbed one as did Vivian. “Cassie, your desserts are always delicious.”
Cassandra beamed at the praise. “Thank you, Vivian. I’ve made coffee, or would you care for some tea or milk?”
“Coffee would be fine,” she murmured stuffing another cookie into her mouth. She got up out of her seat and headed for the refrigerator. “Don’t bother, I’ll get it.”
“I’ll take milk, please.”
Sasha gawked at Pierce. “Milk?”
He tilted his head to the side. “What’s the matter with that? I always drink it with cookies or cake.”
“Nothing. Just unexpected that’s all,” her body shook with mirth.
His eyes narrowed. “I suppose in your travels you’ve never come across a man who drank milk?”
“Only in tea.” she informed him, sweetly.
“Now that figures,” Pierce laughed between mouthfuls.
“Will you two stand down? We’ve got more important things to discuss then each of your conquests.”
“Gordon,” Cassandra admonished.
Vivian cracked up laughing. Sasha and Pierce were dutifully silent.
“Now, our common dilemma is how to get Sienna and Vaughn back together. Sasha came up with waylaying them at a family function, but that would be too obvious.”
“What about something work related?” Cassandra piped up. “Considering that’s how they met in the first place, we’d come full circle. That would be so romantic.”
“I don’t think that will work, mom. She’s done with Best Kept Secrets,” Sasha added.
“Yeah and Vaughn’s on another assignment,” Pierce told them.
Vivian tensed. “We know, with his Barracuda.”
“She’s only a client. Nothing is going on between them. There’s no way my brother would cheat on his girlfriend.”
“That was obvious to me too,” Gordon agreed. He turned to his wife. “Darling, when’s the next recital?”
“Not for another three months. We can’t wait that long, dear.”
“I think we can all agree on that. Hey, what about Angella? Both of them are crazy about her. Maybe we could enlist Carlton and Angella to help us devise an opportunity for the two of them to run into each other?”
Everyone glanced around the table. One by one they nodded in agreement. Cassandra turned to Pierce. “Can you call Carlton and set it up?”
“Consider it done. I’ll let him and Angie come up with the venue.”
“Wait, when’s Sienna due back? You two said she was in New York, right?”
Vivian nodded. “Yep. She’ll be there a few days at least.”
“Great. We’re all set.” Gordon looked relieved. “We’ll execute our plan when she returns. I’ve got a good feeling about this. My instincts tell me they’ll be back together in no time. And you know my instincts are never wrong.”
“We know,” everyone but Pierce chimed in.
Since Sienna knew in advance she would be in New York she treated herself to a Broadway show. Considering the current turmoil in her life she picked an upbeat musical. She purchased a ticket for a seven o’clock performance of Hair. Having wrapped up her focus group for the afternoon, Sienna treated herself to Sushi at Haru on Broadway. Seated at her table, she scanned the large room before she had even picked up her menu. Not recognizing a single soul, she relaxed and perused her dinner options.
Deciding to go with the Philadelphia roll and the Crunch Spicy Salmon roll, Sienna ordered and then handed her menu to the waiter. While she sipped ice water, she took an opportunity to observe the patrons. Time and again her eye wandered to the bamboo wall dividing the dining room from the Sushi bar. She found its beauty a true work of art.
When dinner was over, Sienna glanced at her watch. She still had time to kill before the show. The restaurant was only a block from 42nd street. She decided to walk to Times Square to check out the mega billboards. Immersing herself in the bustle around her was oddly just what she needed to unwind. By the time she got to the theater, she was at ease and looking forward to an evening filled with laughter and gaiety.
There was a fifteen minute intermission in the middle of the show. She took the opportunity to go to the bathroom. She’d just gotten situated in her stall when she heard two women talking.
“I’m telling you it was her. I heard it from my manicurist who got it on good authority from her personal trainer. Natalia Simone has a new sex toy. She’s almost half her age.”
Sienna’s ears perked up at hearing the name of Vaughn’s redhead. She had no doubt they were talking about the same woman. How many Natalia Simones could there be in New York City?
“So who is this mystery girl?” the other woman prodded. “Model?”
“Of course.”
“American?”
“European,” the first woman snorted. “Where have you been, in rehab? It’s just hit the newsstands. They’ve been out everywhere together. Parties, charity functions, fashion shows. I’m sure I can’t wait to see her. I hear she’s stunning.”
Their conversation was cut short by another lady coming through the door. Sienna waited until it was completely silent before she flushed the toilet and came out.
She walked over to the sink to wash her hands. While she dried them she willed her stomach to cease twisting itself into knots. What should I do?
Leaving the bathroom, Sienna noted that there were still people milling around. “Great, I’ve got a few minutes,” With a plan of action in mind Sienna walked quickly toward the exit. As soon as she was on the sidewalk, she retrieved her cell phone and dialed Vivian. When she didn’t get an answer she tried Sasha. Darn. She said to herself. Vaughn’s girlfriend is cheating on him—with a woman—and there’s nobody to tell about this? Immediately, she set about trying to locate a magazine stand.
Luckily, she found one close by. She flipped rapidly through every fashion magazine they had.
“Hey, this isn’t the library. You’d better be paying for one of those,” a surly man complained as he peered down at her.
“Of course,” Sienna told him while checking the latest rag in her hand. She waved it in front of him triumphantly. “Here it is.”
The man rolled his eyes. “How thrilling for you…cash or charge?”
There in all her boyfriend-stealing glory was Natalia Simone. She had the same impatient expression she had the day they met. She scanned over the article with avid interest. The article mentioned that Ms. Simone had definitely been seen around town with her latest girlfriend. Sienna retrieved cash out of her wallet and paid for the magazine.
She hightailed it back to the theatre. While en route, Sienna retrieved her cell phone. She decided it was best to call Vaughn and tell him about it. A few seconds later she hung up. Rule number twenty-four: When your ex-boyfriend has an affair with a gay woman, wait until you’re in person to burst his bubble.
With that Sienna placed the magazine in her bag, turned her phone off and dropped it in.
Vaughn was on the telephone leaned all the way back in his chair. “Yes, Natalia, I’m one-hundred percent certain I sent those changes to you.”
“Darling, I’m sure you didn’t. I have looked and they aren’t here. Maybe you haven’t sent them yet?”
“I don’t see how that could’ve happened. I sent them via e-mail, and we faxed them to you.”
There was a large commotion on the phone. Vaughn pressed his receiver closer to his ear. “Natalia, can you speak up? I can’t hear you too well. Are you at a party?”
“No, I’m at a charity auction. Darling, I trust that my staff knows what they are talking about. If they say we don’t have it that’s the way it is. Are you calling my staff incompetent?”
“No, I am in no way suggesting that your office is incompetent. I’m merely asking you to have them look again.”
“Fine,” she said, impatiently. “I’ll call them now.”
“Thank you, I’ll hold.” Vaughn unbuttoned the first two buttons on his shirt.
Moments later, she returned to the line. “Vaughn, I’m so sorry, darling. The young assistant that screwed up is so sorry for his mistake. It turns out they did have those changes.”
“They did? Great, I’m glad they found them.”
“So am I. I should fire him for making me look bad.”
Vaughn could not tell if she were kidding or serious. “I’m sure that isn’t necessary, Natalia. Accidents happen all the time. Besides, I don’t think anyone could make you look bad even if they tried.”
She paused for a second and then laughed into the phone. Her voice held a hint of amusement. “Flattery will get you everywhere with me, darling.”
A member of Vaughn’s team came into his office. Vaughn sat up in his chair. “Natalia, I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to call you back. My boss, Linda just came in and—”
“Well, did you tell her that I am on the phone?”
“Actually she is holding up the approved storyboard for your next commercial so yes, it is still all about you.”
“Oh, well that’s different. You can go then. I will expect to be apprised of the outcome tomorrow morning.”
He motioned the man further into his office. “Of course I will.” Finally, he hung up the phone. He leaned back in his chair and expelled a loud breath. “That woman is going to be the death of me.”
“Won’t be the first poor unfortunate soul that’s had to deal with her royal highness.”
“Nor the last,” Vaughn countered.
“By the way, why’d you have to make me a woman?”
“Because nobody lower on the totem pole than Linda would’ve been good enough for Natalia to let me get off the phone.”
“Point taken. Man, I don’t know how you deal with it on a daily basis.”
“I’ve got millions of reasons, and they’re all in Natalia’s bank,” he joked.
“Yeah, but who knows if you have enough stamina to go the distance with the Dragon Queen to get them. Besides, what’s the point of being partner when you’re in a psyche ward?”
Vaughn laughed heartily. “Touché.”
“Anyway, I just came in to tell you goodnight. We’ll have the copy for Inner Beauty to you in the morning by ten.”
“Great. She loved the end concept for Inner Beauty. I’m just hoping she’ll go with my suggestions for the other line.”
“One could only hope. We’ve been going non-stop since she awarded Chase & Burroughs those two lines. Personally, I should’ve taken you up on your advice to take a day or two off before we got going. There’s no telling when that’ll be now,” the man grumbled.
“Hate to say I warned you, buddy.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m gone. Good night.”
“See you tomorrow,” Vaughn called out. Once he was alone, Vaughn turned his attention back to the neatly arranged piles on his desk.
There was a tap on his door. Vaughn shook his head. “What did you leave this time? I tell you that memory of yours is the pits.”
“Actually, it’s quite good.”
Vaughn’s head snapped up. His gaze zeroed in on his office door. “Sienna. What are you doing here?”
She walked further into the room. “Am I disturbing you?”
Vaughn stood. “Not from anything I wouldn’t mind being pulled away from. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Soda? Wine?”
Sienna looked surprised. “You have wine in your office?”
He walked around to the front of his desk. “Actually, we do. One of our latest clients owns a vineyard. Thankfully it’s pretty good. Makes my job a lot easier,” he said, with relief.
“That’s convenient. There are a lot of perks to your job aren’t there?”
Vaughn didn’t answer right away. He was curious if there was some double entendre intended in that phrase. “Uh, I guess there are. He leaned against his desk for support. “It’s been a while hasn’t it? I’ll be honest, Sienna you are just about the last person I expected to see.”
“That last person being your sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Whittier?”
He couldn’t help the smile that lit up his face. “Yeah, with her being dead and all.” His shook his head in surprise. “I can’t believe you remembered that.”
She shrugged.
It was suddenly silent. Eventually, Vaughn recovered himself. “Forgive me, my manners are horrible. Please sit down, Do…Sienna.” He corrected before calling her his pet name for her.
“Thank you,” she said, lowering herself onto his couch. “I don’t mean to intrude.”
“When have you ever? Well, except that first time when you came in to read me the riot act during the Best Kept Secrets campaign. “Wait.” He turned wary. “Is this one of those times?”
“Not…exactly. Look, there is something you need to know so I’m just going to come right out and say it. Lord knows the rehearsing I did on the plane ride home didn’t help, and who knows where Sasha and Vivian are or why they aren’t answering their phones but—”
“Sienna?”
She looked up. “Yes?”
“You’re rambling.”
“Well it’s not my fault,” she snapped. “This isn’t exactly something I feel comfortable discussing with you—considering the way things are.”
The color drained from his face. “Oh my God. Sienna…is it…”
She frowned. “What?”
“What you came to tell me.” He strode over and sat next to her on the couch. He picked up her hand in his. “Is it that…are we? I’m sorry I mean are you…pregnant?”
Sienna snatched her hand away like the skin had been burned. She bolted off the couch. “No,” she practically shrieked. “I’m not pregnant. I…I came to tell you that your girlfriend is cheating on you.”
Vaughn sat perfectly still. “What?”
“With another woman,” she blurted out. “I’m sure you must be shocked.”
He stared at her. “Another woman?”
Sienna nodded. “I didn’t believe it at first either, but I have proof.”
He perused her from head to toe. “You…have proof?”
“Yes.”
Vaughn ran a hand over his face. “Why are you just now telling me? I assume you’ve known about this for some time?”
“No, I haven’t. I just found out two days ago…in New York. I was at a musical, Hair to be exact and—”
“So it was a spur of the moment thing?” Vaughn stood up and began pacing. “You’re telling me you met a woman at a musical in New York days ago, you two hit it off immediately, and now you’re…gay?”
“What?” Sienna shook her head in confusion. “No, Vaughn. I’m not gay.”
His patience was thinning. “If you’re not pregnant, and you’re not attracted to women. Then what the hell are you saying?”
Sienna looked at him in bewilderment. “I’m not talking about me. I said you’re girlfriend, n
ot your ex-girlfriend.”
“Dammit Sienna, they are one and the same. Now quit playing games with me and tell me what the heck you’re talking about.”
Her anger rose to the surface in reaction to his. “I’m talking about your redhead, Vaughn. I overheard these two women at the theater in New York. They said that she’s dating some European model. Can’t you see? She’s playing you for a fool. Actually I find it ironic. You cheated on me, and now she’s cheating on you except she’s not into men it seems—at least maybe not one hundred percent.”
His expression was incredulous. “Sienna, for the last time, I am not cheating on you. Not with Natalia—or anyone else.”
“You expect me to believe you—”
“Yes,” he roared from across the room. “That’s exactly what I expect you to do. You know for some bizarre reason I thought you’d give the man you were in a relationship with, the actual benefit of the doubt. Instead you latch on to the first stranger you find and believe her like she’s the patron Saint of Miracles.”
“It’s Saint Anthony,” she said, automatically.
“What?”
“The patron Saint of miracles is Saint Anthony.”
Vaughn threw up his hands. I can’t believe you. Here I am telling you that I’m not cheating on you. I am open and honest, not that you deserve it in the least, and all you can do is correct me about some Saint. You aren’t even Catholic.”
“Well what do you want me to do?”
“To believe in what we had together. What we still have.”
“It’s over, Vaughn,” she said, tearfully. “Once it’s gone you can’t get it back.”
She turned to leave. Before her hand had touched the knob Vaughn had crossed the room. He hauled her up against him. Leaning down Vaughn kissed Sienna passionately. He stopped a few seconds later. “Tell me it’s gone.”
“Vaughn, I—”
He kissed her again. He trailed kisses down her neck while running his hand up and down her back. This time when their lips met Sienna’s mouth opened. His tongue played with hers before he moved to nibble her ear. “Tell me, Sienna,” he whispered. “Tell me there’s nothing here.”
When she remained silent his hands unbuttoned her blouse. His fingers slid inside the silk top and flicked over her bra to tease her mercilessly. His name escaped her lips as a half-moan, half-plea.
Interview with Love Page 25
