Lilac Temptress

Chapter 6

"Understand this, Mr. McCalister. I am no w***e!" Sierra shut her door, fuming as she assessed the larger than life man sitting in the wooden rocking chair at her bookshelf. He had placed his coat and holster neatly out of the way.

He looked bemused by her outrage as he thumbed through the book that he'd plucked from her bookshelf. He was delusional if he believed that he could buy her at any price.

She grabbed a small strawberry-haired porcelain doll off her dresser and sat on her bed with tousled sheets.?

Drake didn't say a word. He watched her, which heightened her discomfort.

Sierra looked away from him, only to find herself assessing the mess that was her bedroom. Costumes were scattered all over the floor. Jars of perfume cluttered the dresser and bedside table. Her many pairs of button-up boots didn't fit inside her overstuffed closet.?

She imagined how he must have stepped over undergarments and bypassed her imitation jewels to make it to the other side of the room where he sat.

"I didn't say you were a - lady of the night. You know, you were much friendlier when I was escorting you home," Drake pointed out.

"Escorting me home and inviting yourself into my bedroom are two different things, Mr. McCalister."

"Agreed." Drake let out a long, low sigh. He wouldn't provoke her further. He had no interest in bedding a stiff woman. "Have you read this?" He lifted the book from his lap to reveal the cover of Gulliver's Travels.

"Would you think me a simpleton if I told you that I only stare at the pretty pictures?" Sierra huffed.

"No - I think you are the most exhilarating woman I've ever met. In all truth, it was difficult to part with your company so shortly after meeting you." Drake's eyes twinkled.

"Is that so? Adrienne thinks you're obsessed with me."

"What if I am?" he teased.

"You're overconfident, Mr. McCalister," Sierra chided. "How gullible do you think I am? How many women have thrown themselves at your feet because you showed them a bit of interest? You came up here to have your way with me. Why are you wasting your time on flattery?" she demanded.

"I want your consent to touch you, kiss you, undress you - but if you'd rather not let me, I'll settle for hearing the sound of your voice."?

Drake removed his hat, placing it on the floor, then raked his fingers through thick, wavy strands of his hair.?

Sierra's heart quickened, her mouth opened and closed. She hadn't expected to hear his honest words. Drake indeed seemed to have a particular skill with people, at least with women. His easygoing manner and openness were seductive.

Being at a loss for words, she studied him. She could see his face more clearly now. He was beautiful in the most masculine way. He needed a shave, but nothing distracted from his rugged good looks. When he smiled at her with those perfectly shaped lips, she didn't have to think twice about wanting to kiss them. However, it didn't mean that she should kiss them.

"It wouldn't be fair of me to take all of your money in exchange for the sound of my voice, given what you've paid Adrienne down there - I won't sleep with you at any price. You have the right to demand your money back. But if you like hearing my voice, the least I can do is speak with you a while longer." She acquiesced, tensing slightly.

Drake stood up and placed the work of fiction back on the shelf, then watched her silently. She was determined. Everything about her told him not to provoke her or else she'd be rid of him.

"To answer your question, yes, I've read Gulliver's Travels. If you find that surprising, you might think it more astonishing to know that I find reading a delightful pastime," Sierra prattled, trying to ease the tension between them. "If you had glanced at the back cover, you might have found my notes. I've also underlined some of my favorite passages."

He grinned at her, which caused her to chatter even more.?

"Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about money as well. I help Wil with his record-keeping and Adrienne with her ledgers. I am somewhat educated, Mr. McCalister. A girl learns a lot growing up in Adrienne's care. She'd have no woman be a simple vassal of a man."

Sierra wasn't at all what Drake had expected. She wasn't eager for his company, like many women often were. She was demanding his respect through making her accomplishments known.

Unsettling silence fell upon the room as she quieted. Drake leaned back against the bookshelf.?

"Do you mean to yank her hair out?" he asked.

"What? Oh - " Sierra looked down at her hands, realizing that she'd been tugging at her doll's cardinal locks. She bit her lower lip. She didn't know what to do with herself.

The scene of Sierra fumbling with the doll struck Drake as odd. Gone was the confident, brazen beauty he'd met hours earlier. Now she'd transformed into this still lovely, yet somehow timid creature before him - he struggled with the contradiction.?

He looked her over from head to toe, her robe doing little to conceal her curves.?

He let his gaze linger on her long legs, vividly recalling how they were spread over him earlier that night. The vision of her now made him eager to touch her, even if she appeared jittery.

He laughed at himself for not knowing the best way to charm her.

"You find me amusing, Mr. McCalister?" Sierra tried to sound like her usual self. Drake's presence made her feel insecure and oversensitive, and his occasional soft laughter was riveting, adding to her uneasiness.

"I didn't mean to offend you. I'd do anything but belittle you," Drake apologized. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to tell me more about yourself."

"What about the story of my life, Mr. McCalister?" She tossed her hair behind her shoulders. Lifting her hair with her hands, she twirled it expertly above her head into a bun, hoping the style would make her look less attractive, then she slid to the farthest corner of her bed and motioned for Drake to sit.