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perfume cluttered the dresser and
bedside stand. Ankle length button-up boots spewed from her
overfilled closet, and were scattered about the room.
    She imagined how he must have had to
step over her undergarments and bypass her costume jewels just to
make it to the other side of the room where he now sat in her
chair.
    “ I didn’t say you were a
whore, Sierra, and you were much friendlier when I escorted you
home,” Drake said in a reproving tone.
    “ Escorting me home and
inviting yourself into my bedroom are two entirely different
things, sir,” she snapped.
    “ Agreed,” Drake
voiced, carefully considering his next words. He didn’t want to
further upset her. He had no interest in making love to a
displeased, unresponsive woman. “Have you read this?” he asked,
lifting 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 stared at the pretty pictures?”
Sierra retorted sardonically.
    “ Simpleton? Personally I
think you are the most exhilarating woman I have ever met. In
truth, I am held captive by your beauty,” Drake said, his bright
eyes gleaming.
    “ Is that so? Adrienne
called you obsessed,” Sierra smirked.
    “ What if I am?” he teased
with a wide grin on his face, wanting to lighten the
mood.
    Sierra might have taken his words as a
compliment if she hadn’t seen the overconfident gleam in his eyes.
“Stop your rambling, Mr. McCalister,” she retaliated. “How gullible
do you think I am? How many women have thrown themselves at your
feet because you told them that they were beautiful?” Her emerald
eyes blazed. “You came up here to sleep with me, so why are you
wasting your time with flattery?”
    “ Sleeping with you is the
point of my visit, Sierra. But I won’t take advantage of you if
you’d rather not, talking will do just fine.” Drake removed his
hat, placing it on the floor and raked his fingers through his
thick, wavy hair.
    Sierra could see his face more clearly
now. He was quite handsome, indeed. He needed a shave, but it
didn’t distract from his rugged good looks. And when he smiled at
her with those perfectly shaped lips, she didn’t have to think
twice about wanting to kiss them. But it did not mean that she
would.
    “ Mr. McCalister, if you
want to sleep with me then go and get a refund, because I promise
you that will never happen. But given what you paid Adrienne down
there, and if you mean what you say, the least I can do is talk to
you for a little while,” she said.
    Drake stood up and placed the work of
fiction back on the shelf without ever taking his eyes off her. She
was determined, everything about her demeanor told him not to
provoke her or else she would throw him out. He wished that he
could read her thoughts.
    “ To answer your
question, yes, I’ve read Gulliver’s
Travels ,” she said, breaking the silence.
“And if you find it at all surprising, know that I find reading a
delightful pastime. If you had glanced at the back cover, you might
have found my notes. I’ve also underlined some of my favorite
passages,” Sierra stated coolly.
    She didn’t like the way he appeared
tall and strong standing there. He smirked at her as if he didn’t
believe her, which caused her to babble. “And believe it or not, I
know a thing or two about money as well. I help Wil sometimes with
his record keeping and Adrienne with her ledgers. I am somewhat
educated, Mr. McCalister. A girl learns a lot growing up in the
care of Adrienne. She would have no woman be the simple vassal of a
man.”
    Sierra wasn’t at all what he’d
expected. She wasn’t eager for his company like many women were.
And he didn’t understand her desire to make her accomplishments
known.
    Unsettling silence fell upon the room
as Drake rocked back on his heels, observing Sierra. “Do you mean
to yank her hair out?” he asked.
    “ What? Oh...” Sierra said,
looking down at her hands and realizing that she’d