Craving The Player (Amateurs In Love Book 1)(70)
The woman working the desk gets more familiar the closer I get before I realize that she was here yesterday. Her hair is almost so platinum blonde that it looks white, greyish even, and her otherwise pretty blue eyes are incredibly dull as they stay strained on the thin computer screen.
Clearing my throat, she looks over at me, blinking slowly while assessing me like a judge at a beauty pageant. "How can I help you?" she asks once my patience begins to thin, her voice monotone as hell.
"I'm looking for Sierra."
The woman blinks slowly again and raises her hand to point to the hallway to the left of her. "Third door on the left."
"Thanks." Desperate to get out of this chick's depressing aura, I head down the hallway at a quick pace before stopping in front of Sierra's closed office door, my fingers twitching restlessly at my side. I swallow the ball in my throat before rapping three times.
It takes a few seconds before I hear her soft voice. "Come in!"
Turning the doorknob, I push open the door and grin. Even hunched over and frustrated, she looks gorgeous. Her tired eyes fall on me when she lifts her head and quickly brushes a few stray curls out of her face. With her lips slightly parted in surprise, she blows out a harsh breath. "What are you doing here?"
Okay, not the welcome I was hoping for. "Hello to you too, fighter."
"I'm serious. Why are you here? I don't have time for your games today," she snaps at me, and I know that I deserve it. The purple bags under her eyes make me wince. Did she sleep as badly as I did last night?
"Look, I'm sorry for being a total ass last night. You just took me by surprise." I force my words to come out as strong as possible even though the thought of her leaving reignites the burning sensation in my chest. "What am I supposed to do without my favourite fuckbuddy?" I wince again.
Her eyebrows scrunch before she stares at the pile of papers on her desk. "I haven't even made my decision yet."
"I know. Which is why I owe you an apology." I clear my throat. "I also came by to ask you something. It’s the worst possible time to ask you this, but just know that there's no pressure or anything." It's now, or never I guess. I can always find somebody else to go with me if she says no. Or better yet, maybe I just won’t go at all. That idea seems like the most plausible one.
"Okay." She says it without sparing me a glance.
"My dad's getting married this weekend, and he won't stop bugging me about asking you to come. Something about him not wanting his son to show up alone and all that. I don't know. It doesn’t have to be a date or anything. You could come as a friend or somethin—" I ramble before Sierra cuts me off with an adorable giggle that sends snaring heat straight to my cock. I feel that giggle from my toes to my Goddamn ears.
"What day is the wedding?"
"Saturday. You wouldn't need to be there until after the ceremony. Dad and his fiancée are keeping the ceremony really small. Just them, her parents, Tyler and me. I could pick you up as soon as it’s over if you want." I scratch the back of my head nervously and fight off the urge to kick myself in the ass. I feel like I’m back in middle school asking a girl to sneak away at recess and share a yogurt with me.
"You can pick me up after the ceremony is done. Just let me know what time I should be ready by.” She’s finally looking at me again, her beautiful face beaming with mischief. "But you have to promise me something."
"Anything."
"You have to dance with me."
I throw my head back and laugh. "It's funny that you think I'll be doing anything but."
Sierra
"So it's a date," Sophie states as casually as ever while continuing her aggressive search through the endless racks of clothes in the third boutique we've stumbled into. We have yet to find a store that has the “perfect” dress, and my feet are beginning to throb.
"It's not a date. Braden just needed someone to go with him." At this point, I don't know who I'm trying to convince more—her or myself. Braden never said it was a date, he actually was pretty adamant on it not having to be one. But I want it to be. I don’t particularly like being introduced to a casual fling’s family and friends. Why bring other people into a relationship that isn’t going anywhere? I don’t see the point.
The entire situation with Cole and Toronto has created a crack in our relationship, one that I don’t think can be fixed simply with apologies and hot make-up sex. Braden is hard to understand at most times, but now more than ever. I’m terrified to tell him that I’ve made the decision to go to Toronto. He won’t give me a chance to explain myself before he runs.
"You're ridiculous," Sophie scoffs. Wrapping her fingers around the metal rack she was just sorting through, she turns to me with a heavy scowl. "Clearly, you're into him. And boy, does he do an awful job of hiding his feelings for you. He never takes his damn eyes off of you, always watching like if he looks away for a second somebody else might snatch you up and steal you away."
I stare at my bare toes as they stick out of my strappy sandals and shake my head, flushing. "It doesn't matter, Soph. I'm leaving, in case you forgot. I told Clark this morning after I got off the phone with you. I shouldn't even be going to this wedding. It’s going to make telling him that much harder."