Then You Happened (8 page)

Chapter 13

Sierra

“Holy shit!” I yelled as I rolled over and curled up into a ball. Cramps. Fucking holy hell of all cramps. I picked up my phone from the nightstand and called Rosa. She should be here by now. She was always here at six a.m.

“Why are you calling me from your phone,
senorita
?”

“Pills, Rosa. I need cramp pills. I can’t move.”

“I’ll be right up.”

These damn cramps had been getting worse by the month. Every time Kirsty made me a doctor’s appointment, I canceled. Why? Because they started to feel better and then I was over it. But today; today was the worst yet. I sent Kirsty a text message.

“Call Dr. Hollis and get me in today. I’m dying.”

“You’re not dying and if you would have kept your previous doctor appointments, you wouldn’t be in so much pain.”

“I swear I’m firing you.”

“See you soon,”
she replied.

Rosa walked in the room and handed me two ibuprofen pills and a glass of water. I smelled it first just to make sure she wasn’t trying to be funny. I popped the pills in my mouth, washed them down with water, and then curled back up in a ball.

“Thanks, Rosa,” I said as I put the pillow over my head.

“You get up now and get ready for work. I’ll make you a bagel.”

I pulled my hand out from under the covers and motioned at her to go away. She didn’t shut the door and, a few moments later, I heard footsteps in the room.

“Rosa, I told you to go away.”

“Umm. Good morning,” Cameron said.

Shit.

“Are you not going in to work again?” he asked.

“I’m going.”

“Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay. What’s with the thousand questions?” I snapped as I threw the pillow across the room and looked at him in my morning mess. “I have cramps. Really, really bad cramps. Cramps so debilitating that I can’t move.”

“Oh. Sorry about that. Do you have any chamomile tea?”

I looked at him in irritation. “I don’t think so. Who the hell drinks chamomile tea?”

“My sisters used to get horrible cramps and they would drink a cup of tea and they said it really helped.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.” he smiled.

I picked up my phone and dialed Kirsty.

“I’m almost there,” she answered.

“I need you to stop and get me chamomile tea.”

“For what?”

“Don’t question. Just pick some up, please, and hurry!”

“Okay. Okay. I’ll be there soon.”
Click
.

I pulled the covers over my head. “Okay, you can go now. I don’t need you seeing me like this.”

Next thing I knew, he pulled the covers down and, when I looked at him, he had a wide smile across his face.

“I don’t mind seeing you like this. I think you’re kind of cute.” He winked and then got up from the bed.

I watched him walk out of the room and I lay there as my panties became moist. Shit. The ibuprofen started to take the edge off the pain, so I crawled out of bed. I walked down the hall to my bedroom. I stepped inside my closet and screamed when I saw Cameron standing there.

“Jesus Christ, you scared me,” I squawked.

“You knew I was finishing your closet today.”

“I didn’t expect you to be creeping out in here.”

“Creeping out? What the hell does that mean?”

“Listen, I have to get my clothes. Can you please leave until I shower and get dressed?”

“Yes, boss,” he said with an attitude as he walked away.

I rolled my eyes and stepped into the shower. As the hot water streamed down my body, I thought about Cameron and how sweet he was when he was telling me about the tea. But then his attitude when he scared the shit out of me. Like it was my fault. Fuck him. I was in no mood. I got out of the shower and got dressed. I threw some mousse in my hair and let it air dry into waves while I applied my makeup. After putting on my Chanel suit and jewelry, I walked downstairs, only to find James, Cameron, and Kirsty sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

“I made your tea,” Rosa said as she handed me the cup.

“Good morning, Sierra,” James said.

“Morning.”

I took my cup and sat down at the table next to James. Kirsty pulled out her iPad and began to rattle off the events of the day.

“You have back-to-back meetings all day. How the hell am I going to squeeze in a doctor’s appointment?” she said as she looked up from her iPad.

“I don’t know. Just do it.”

“Are you feeling better?” James asked.

“Yeah, I am. Thanks to Cameron for suggesting this tea.”

He glanced up from his plate and gave me a small smile. He finished the last of his eggs, took his plate to the sink, and walked upstairs without saying a word.

“What did you do to him?” Kirsty said through gritted teeth.

“I didn’t do anything to him!”

“The
senorita
yelled at him,” Rosa said.

“I did not.”

“You did. I heard you. I was coming up the stairs and I heard you yell at him.”

James looked at me and grabbed my hand. “Go apologize, Sierra.”

I sighed and left the kitchen. I went to my room and pushed the door open. “Hey, Cameron.”

“Yeah,” he said without even turning around.

I walked over to where he was standing by the wall. “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to give you an attitude. I’m on edge, you know, with the cramps and hormones out of whack. I’m a terrible PMS’er.”

“Don’t worry about it. I get it.”

I turned around, and as I started to walk out of the room, I heard him say, “Have a good day, Sierra.”

“You too,” I replied.

****

“How long have you been having cramps like that?” Dr. Hollis asked as I lay on the table against the scratchy paper wrap with my feet in the stirrups.

“For a couple of years, but they seem to be getting worse.”

“Have you ever been on the pill?” he asked as his face stared up my vagina.

“No.”

“What do you use for contraception?”

“The sponge and condoms.”

He pulled the speculum out of me and I let out a deep breath. I was all for having something up there, but not that thing. This was one doctor’s appointment I always tried to avoid. He removed his rubber gloves and washed his hands.

“I’m going to write you a prescription for birth control pills. They’ll help the cramps. But if you continue to have them this bad while on the pill, you are to make another appointment. There could be something else going on.”

“Like what?”

“You could have some endometriosis, ovarian cysts. The list could go on and on. But, let’s try this first. I know how busy you are and you’re not exactly good about coming in for regular visits.” He smiled as he handed me the script.

“Thank you, Dr. Hollis. I’ll give these a try and if things don’t get better, I’ll come back.”

“Sounds good. Take care, Sierra.”

He left the room and I got dressed. James was waiting for me out in the waiting room. Yeah, I made my driver come into the office with me.

“Well, what did he say?” James asked as we walked out of the office.

“He put me on the pill. He said it should help. Now, how fast can you get me to the office? Kirsty has been blowing up my phone. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes.”

“I’ll do my best, but traffic sucks this time of the day,” he said.

****
Cameron

Paolo and I stood back and looked at the wall. We had just put the last coat of paint on it and I was getting hungry.

“As soon as it dries, I’ll put up the shelves.”

“Do you need me to help you?” Paolo asked.

“Nah. I need you to get to the Ross job and help Malcolm put down the tile on her bathroom floor. I can put up the shelves myself. But first, let’s go grab some lunch. I’m starving.”

We walked downstairs and Rosa was in the kitchen.

“Where are you two going?” she asked.

“We’ll be back. We’re going to grab some lunch.”

“Oh no,” she said. “I’ll make you lunch right now.”

“No, Rosa. I don’t want you to go to any trouble.”

She stood there with her hand on her hip. “Are you refusing my food again?”

“No. I know you’re busy.” I smiled.

“The two of you sit down right now,” she said as she pushed us over to the table. “I’ll make you some sandwiches. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

Paolo looked at me and smiled. “Shit, man. I could get so used to this,” he whispered.

After we ate the nice lunch Rosa made, Paolo left and I went to clean up Sierra’s bedroom. I picked up the picture she had sitting on her nightstand of her and who I assumed was her father. As I looked closer, I noticed it was taken right outside the café that was in the painting she just bought. She looked beautiful. There was a happiness about her in that picture that I had yet to see.

I was going over a few things in the guest house when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and Rosa stood there with a dish in her hand.

“Here’s dinner for you. I’m leaving to go home now.”

“Rosa, you’re too kind. You really are.” I smiled.

“It’s no trouble. You’re a part of this household now and I’m here to make sure you’re taken care of, just like Sierra. So, eat up and enjoy. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“She’s not home yet from the office?” I asked.

“No, not yet. Have a good night, Cameron.” She smiled.

“Thank you for dinner, Rosa.”

She put up her hand and waved at me as she walked back into the house. I set the dish on the table and took off the foil that was covering the top. It looked delicious and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

After I ate, I put on my pajama bottoms and sat down on the couch to relax and watch some TV before going to bed. I had put up the shelves in Sierra’s closet and, now that one project was done, tomorrow I would start on one of the bathrooms. I saw the light go on in the backyard, so I got up and walked over to the window. I looked at my watch. It was midnight. What the hell was Sierra doing?  I watched her as she took off the little sundress she was wearing. I gasped when she stood there, naked, and jumped into the pool. Instantly, I became hard. I sometimes pictured what she would look like completely naked and now I saw. She was even more perfect than I had imagined. Her curves were amazing, as were her perfectly round, large breasts. I felt like a fucking stalker for staring at her in the pool. But I couldn’t help it. As hard as I tried not to think about her, I couldn’t stop. Sierra Adams was way out of my league, but maybe, just maybe, I could show her that there was more to life than money and Los Angeles. After she swam for a while and I stood there and watched her, I noticed her looking around.

“Shit,” I heard her say.

I didn’t see her bring out a towel, so I decided to yell from the window.

“Do you need a towel?” I smiled.

She jumped and ducked down so the water came up to her neck.

“Cameron, what the hell!” she yelled.

“Do you need a towel?” I asked again.

“YES!”

I laughed as I grabbed a beach towel from the closet and walked over to the pool.

“This is not funny!” she exclaimed.

“Do you always go skinny dipping at midnight?”

“TURN AROUND!” she said as she grabbed the towel from my hand.

I smiled at her and turned around so she could get out of the pool and cover herself up. “Well? Answer the question.”

“Sometimes I do. I thought you were asleep. I didn’t see any lights on.”

“I was watching TV and I saw the light go on out here, so I peeked out my window and saw you in the pool.”

“Did you see anything?” she asked.

“No,” I lied.

I didn’t want to embarrass her. I could tell she was embarrassed enough.

“Are you sure?” she asked with narrow eyes.

“I swear, Sierra. I saw nothing. I just saw you in the pool and noticed you didn’t have a towel. Did you just get home from the office?”

“Yeah. I had a lot of work to do and a lot of problems to deal with. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed.”

“Me too.” I smiled with the thought of her naked body in my head. “Night, Sierra.”

“Night, Cameron. Thank you for the towel.”

Chapter 14

Sierra

I got out of bed extra early so I could arrange all my pretty shoes on my shelves. Ah, hell, I was up all night, anyway, thinking about Cameron and the pool incident. I texted Kirsty when I woke up and told her about what happened. She didn’t text me back, which I thought was odd.

“Hello? Are you in that monstrosity of a closet?” Kirsty yelled.

“Yes,” I yelled back.

“Oh wow, look at all those pretty shoes. Cameron did a great job with the wall,” she said as she handed me a coffee from Tim Hortons.

“Yeah, he did. My shoes are really happy now that they aren’t shoved in those little boxes anymore. Thank you for the coffee.”

“Speaking of Cameron, what was up with that text message?”

“I took a little dip in the pool last night around midnight and I forgot to bring out a towel and he asked me through the window of the guest house if I needed one.”

“So? That was nice of him.”

“My point is, Kirsty, that I think he saw me naked.”

“And?”

“What do you mean ‘and’?”

“You let your suits see you naked all the time. Why is Cameron different?”

My shoulders dropped and I just stood there and stared at her.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. You don’t have an answer. You should be happy if he
did
see you naked. With that body of yours, you probably got him all hot and bothered enough to where he went and jacked off.”

“OH MY GOD! I can’t believe you just said that.”

“Relax, Sierra. I’m hungry. Do you think Rosa fixed breakfast yet?” she asked as she left me standing in my closet.

I shook my head and walked downstairs. Before I entered the kitchen, I peeked around the corner to make sure Cameron wasn’t in there. I didn’t want to see him after last night. The more I thought about it, I knew he saw me naked. I quietly opened the front door and climbed into the limo.

“Where are you? I’m ready to leave,”
I texted James.

“On my way, but you never leave this early. What’s going on?”

“Just hurry up and get here!”

I sent a text message to Kirsty.

“Get your ass in the limo NOW!”

“But Rosa is making me breakfast.”

“We’ll stop at a drive thru. GET OUT HERE!”

The door opened and Kirsty climbed inside. James pulled up and opened the door.

“What the hell is going on, Sierra?” he asked as he got behind the wheel.

“I don’t want to see Cameron. Let’s go!”

“Sierra thinks Cameron saw her naked last night because she went skinny dipping and he brought her out a towel.”

“So. You don’t seem to care if guys see you naked.”

“Right? That’s exactly what I said,” Kirsty replied.

“I hate you both. Now drive.”

****

Later that day, I received a call from Delia.

“Hello,” I answered hesitantly.

“Sierra, have you talked to Ava yet?”

Shit. “No, I was going to have James pick her up later and bring her over to my house. I’ll talk to her over dinner.”

“Very well.”
Click
.

I rolled my eyes and sighed as I sent a message to James.

“I need you to pick up Ava before picking me up at the office.”

“All right. Does she know I’m coming?”

“Yes.”

Actually, she didn’t know, but I was going to tell her now and I dialed her number.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Hey, Ava. James is going to pick you up in a while and then we’re going to hang out at my house, have some dinner, and talk.”

“Let me guess. Delia?”

“Yeah, but we haven’t really had a chance to talk in a while, so I think it’ll be good for us. I’ll tell Rosa to order us pizza and salad.”

“Okay!” she said with excitement.

****

We could smell the pizza from the driveway. As I said goodbye to James and Kirsty, Ava and I walked into the house and followed the smell to the kitchen.

“Hey,” Cameron said.

“Ava, this is Cameron. Cameron, this is my sister, Ava.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ava.” Cameron smiled as he held out his hand.

“Is this the escort?” she asked.

“How did you know about that?” I asked with a smile.

“I overheard Mom telling my dad about it.”

“Cameron is my builder/remodeler. He’s redoing some things in the house.”

“I figured.” She smiled.

“Don’t tell Delia, though. Let her think the worst.” I winked.

Rosa put the salad in a bowl and set it on the table. We helped ourselves to the pizza, and when we sat down to eat, I started my talk with Ava.

“So tell me about this boy you like.”

“He’s so amazing, Sierra. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

“How old is he?” I asked.

“Sixteen.”

Cameron sat there, listening as he ate his pizza. I wasn’t sure if he should be present during our talk, but Ava wanted him to stay.

“You’re so young, Ava. It’s okay to like this boy, but just don’t let him deter you from what’s going on in your life. Don’t give up anything for him.”

“I’m not,” she said.

“Delia seems to think you are. She doesn’t think you’re working as hard as you should be.”

She shrugged her shoulders as she took a bite of her pizza. “Boys complicate things. They come into your life, make promises, break your heart, and then leave without giving you or your feelings a second thought. You’re too young to have to go through that and I don’t want to see you get hurt.
Listen; just do me a favor. Focus on your competitions first and then on this boy. Because if you don’t, Delia will never stop. Deal?” I asked as I held out my hand.

“Deal,” she said as we shook hands.

Cameron went back to his house while Ava and I ate some ice cream and continued our girl talk. After James took Ava home, I poured a glass of wine and took it outside on the patio. I curled up on the lounge chair and read a text message I received earlier from Chris. As Kirsty would say, another one of my suits.

“Hey, babe. It’s been a while since we went out for drinks. Why don’t you give me a call and we’ll set something up. I’d like to see y
ou again.”

****

Cameron

It was such a beautiful night out that I decided to go for a swim. I grabbed a towel and when I walked out the door, I saw Sierra sitting in the lounge chair, looking at her phone.

“No tequila tonight?” I smiled.

She looked at her glass and then at me. “No, I decided to be bold and go with the red liquid tonight.”

“Ah, that is very bold of you,” I said. “If you don’t mind, I was going to go for a swim.”

“Sure, go ahead. Swim away.”

I did a few laps and then got out, dried myself off, and sat down in the chair next to Sierra.

“My shoes thank you.” She smiled.

“Well, you can tell them that I said welcome and that I was happy to accommodate them.”

Sierra took a sip of her wine. “I will.”

“Ava seems like a nice girl,” I said.

“She is. She just needs to be a kid and not be pushed into growing up so fast.”

“You know, not all boys are like you described to her,” I said.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. All men are cut from the same cloth. Have you ever broken a girl’s heart?”

“Once. But I didn’t disregard her feelings. I talked to her and explained to her why it wouldn’t work. She eventually understood. Have you ever broken a man’s heart?”

She flashed me her beautiful smile. “No. It was always the other way around. I have a habit of turning men gay.”

“What?” I chuckled.

“You laugh, but it’s true. I caught two of my ex-boyfriends in bed with another man. That was years ago, but I’ll never forget.”

“You do realize that it had nothing to do with you, right?” I asked in all seriousness.

“Yeah, I know. But still it hurt.”

“What about that Ryan guy?” I asked.

She finished off her glass of wine and looked straight ahead at the beautiful view of the hills. “Nah, he just left me for some whore he met on the internet. Told me he was going on a business trip for work, called me a few days later, and told me that he wasn’t coming back. I guess the seven years we spent together didn’t mean a fucking thing.”

The sadness in her voice became more real to me than before.

“That’s the reason I don’t get into relationships. Royce, the guy you saw in my office, he’s casual sex. No strings, no dating, no commitment. Just sex. In fact, all the suits I date are that way. When you’re in the corporate world, you have two types of relationships: the no-strings relationship and the mistress-type of relationship. I prefer the no-strings. I won’t date a guy who’s in a relationship. I wouldn’t do that to another woman. No strings, no hurt.”

I sat there and took in everything she said. Was she saying these things
to let me know that she wasn’t interested? I knew she was interested in me. I could tell by the way she looked at me and I wanted to get to know her better. If she thought she was going to scare me off by saying those things about her suits and relationships, she was wrong; dead wrong. I’d thought about Sierra every day since I first saw her standing in line at Starbucks. She was the last thing on my mind before I fell asleep every night and she was the first thing on my mind when I woke up. I was conflicted because I didn’t know how to approach her and tell her that I wanted to take her out. I didn’t know how to tell her that I was desperate to kiss her beautiful lips and I didn’t know how to tell her that I wanted to hold her hand in mine. But then again, I was also scared because I had no plans of staying in Los Angeles.