Chapter Twenty-Five: Secret

Lincoln

Sienna spent the night with me.

A woman spent the night with me.

Sleeping over at Sienna's house was different. She was emotional and in need of someone, and that's why it didn't seem so serious. It could have been anyone with her that night to calm her down, right? But after we woke up the next morning in my condo, wrapped up with one another on the couch, it felt...different. It was like we'd been doing that forever, her sleeping with me, and it didn't freak me out. I basked in that moment with her, pulling her closer, inhaling the scent of honey from her shampoo.

I'm down so bad it's comical at this point.

Yet still, Margo's warnings surround my head. Sienna is a business partner. I need her company to save mine, and if we continue down this road where things continue to become more solidified, I'm worried that one of us will run. One of us will break the other's heart, and although I don't think Sienna is the type to do this, my biggest fear is that she'll drop my company and end the contract, and then my brother will finally have his clutch on what my father worked so tirelessly to build.

It's been two days since she slept over at my house and I hate the fact that waking up hasn't felt the same without her. I've been wrapped up in meetings back to back all day long, and yet still, she's the only thing on my mind.

SiennaSiennaSienna.

Distracting me from thoughts of her, Margo knocks on my office door and pokes her head in. The walls of my office are made of glass, so it doesn't take me long to figure out what she wants. Reed is standing at her desk with a folder tucked underneath his arm staring directly at me. "Reed from Stone Media is here to give you the blueprints."

I arch a brow. "And he couldn't have faxed them?"

"I already asked that. He said he wanted to speak with you in person."

Fucking great.

I hate looking at this prick. I hate that Sienna has a past with him. I hate that she has a past with anyone. I still don't know if Reed is the guy she's afraid of, although I don't think that's the case. She doesn't seem terrified of him like she was with that stranger at the club. All I know about Reed is that he cheated on her, and just that fact alone makes me want to kick him out of this building.

He works for Sienna, though, and unfortunately, he's running the campaign. I need to stay on his good side, so I tell Margo to let him in. He strides into the office with confidence, his suit without a crease in sight and tailored to fit his tall, lanky body just right.

If you were to put the both of us side by side, we're the complete opposite of each other. Reed looks like a string bean, while I lift weights and am all muscle, and while I'm covered in tattoos and look like I'm part of a biker gang, Reed wears glasses and is free of any noticeable ink. Sometimes I wonder why Sienna is into me, but, then again, maybe she's attracted to me because I'm the exact opposite of her ex.

Reed lays the manilla envelope on my desk, sending me a tight smile before he sits down in the leather chair in front of me. "Once we go over the revisions I'll send them over to the design team to get started."

"You couldn't have emailed that?" I scoff.

He glances over his shoulder to make sure the door is closed before leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I came here to speak about more than just the blueprints, Mr. Nash," he says. "I'm here to speak about Sienna."

Ah, I could have seen this one coming. I lean back in my chair and nod before I motion for him to get on with it. I knew we'd have this conversation eventually, I just didn't expect it to be so soon.

"As you know, Sienna is an incredible woman, and although both of you deny a relationship, quite frankly, it's more than obvious. You do a terrible job at hiding it."

"Is this going anywhere?" I interrupt. "Because I could have your ass fired for making such allegations."

"I know, but what I have to say is important. The point I'm trying to make, or rather the truth I'm trying to tell is that Sienna comes with a lot of baggage. One you might not be prepared for. One not even I was prepared for."

It's hard not to roll my eyes, but I refrain from doing so. If he's trying to scare me so that I'll stop seeing Sienna then he's lost his mind. He obviously doesn't understand how deep I am with her at this point.

"Why do you care, Reed? To my knowledge, you chose someone else over her, so why does it matter?"

"I made it look like I chose someone else," he sneers and inches closer until both hands of his are on my desk. "I was head over heels in love with Sienna, but there are things about her past you don't know. Her ex was obsessed with her. He's still obsessed with her. When he found out she was dating someone new, he didn't like it, and a few months back, when I went to Los Angeles for one of our clients, he found me and threatened me with a knife to my throat. Kind of hard to stay with someone after their psychotic ex almost kills you."

I blink a few times as I process this information, but it's still not making any sense. "So, Sienna knows he's watching her?"

"No, she has a restraining order against him, but he doesn't give two shits. I didn't want to tell her because I knew she'd be terrified, but I'm warning you now, Lincoln, if you continue this with Sienna, he's going to come after you too."

What kind of fucked up shit is this? Her ex tried to threaten him, and yet he never went to the police. He didn't think of her safety? He's kept this from her for months, and he was too much of a pussy to report it, or at least tell her for crying out loud! Sienna is walking around carefree with no security whatsoever to keep her safe. He could be watching her right now. Who knows if he would fly all the way out here to keep tabs on her? He was crazy enough to threaten Reed physically, so I wouldn't put it past him to come all the way here.

"What's his name?" I reply bitterly.

Reed shrugs as if it's not a big deal. "I don't know. He never said. The report that was filed years ago was sealed when I tried to look into it. She was a minor at the time whatever happened between them."

Jesus.

I gulp loudly and then stand up from my chair, placing both hands on the desk to tower over him. Reed cowers slightly in his seat, peering up at me with terrified eyes. "I think you're the biggest piece of shit I've ever come into contact with. If you loved her that much, how could you let her walk around all this time without warning her? She should be aware that he's still trying to control her life."

"And die because of it? As much as I love her, and as much as she means to me, I'm not willing to risk my life for her."

I scoff. "Yet you proposed to her."

"Look, I may not have had the balls to tell her, but I'm having enough of them now to warn you. Get out while you still can. I don't want to see her hurt more than she already is, and the longer you both continue this, the more she'll become invested."

Margo's eyes are fixated on me from her desk, and although she can't hear anything, my body language is speaking for itself. She's trying to see whether or not she needs to come up with an excuse to get me out of here, but I shake my head before returning my focus back to Reed. I can handle him. "The difference between you and me, Reed, is that I'm willing to fight for her. I'm not going to let this dickwad that's already controlled so much of her life take away good things that come to her. You're a pussy for staying silent about it for this long, for hiding this from her, but I have no intention of stopping anything that may or may not occur between Sienna and me. Now leave the blueprints and get out of my office. You've done enough."

"Lincoln, you don't understand. This guy is fucking psychotic, and I'm just trying to—"

"It's Mr. Nash," I seethe, "and I've heard all I've needed to. Get the fuck out of my office before I beat your ass into next week."

Reed nods his head immediately and scurries out of the room without another word. When Margo tries to stand up, I shake my head again and sit back down in my chair, breathing heavily as I take my cell phone out of my suit pocket and pull up Sienna's contact. My fingers hover over it as I try to think about the best way to tell her this news. I shouldn't tell her while she's working. That's a bad idea. Maybe I'll invite her over again tonight and tell her then.

What if Reed is lying though? What if he just made all of that up so that I'd end things with her? Even if that were the case, it's worth investigating. It's worth making her aware of it. And when I tell her the truth, when I tell her that Reed didn't actually cheat on her, that all these women he's been seen with have all been a lie, will she still want to continue things with me, or will she run back to Reed? The thought is terrifying.

I have to get more information before I bring this to her. I have to know what the fuck happened in her past between her and this ex, and I know this is violating so many boundaries, but this is for her safety, and I don't want to freak her out if there isn't anything to be concerned about.

Letting out another frustrated sigh, I end up calling my security team and give them instructions to watch Sienna from a distance so that she won't notice just in case this is a real threat, and to also keep an eye out for any other suspicious prospects before I call Archer. He answers on the second ring.

"A sealed file?" He asks and then groans. "Nash, this could get me into some serious shit. Is it really that important?"

"I went to college for the same thing," I snap tersely, then sigh when I realize how much of a dick I'm sounding like. "I'm sorry, but I know you normally would need a court order. I know you're not supposed to look into it, but I need to figure out who this guy is. I think Sienna could be in some serious danger here."

After a few moments, he clears his throat and says, "Fine, but I'm not saying it will be quick. It may take me a week or two to find the right time to do it. Alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks," I say and end the call to dial Sienna. I'm not sure why since I'm not planning on telling her anything just yet, but relief swarms through my chest when I hear her voice. She's annoyed that I interrupted one of her meetings, but honestly, being annoyed sounds good right now. I'm glad she's safe.

"Can you come over tonight?" I ask. I need to hold her. I need to know that she's safe with me and free from harm.

"Again? I was just over there two days ago, Lincoln."

"And? Maybe I'm in need of a fix."

She laughs, and I find myself smiling at the sound. "Maybe you're hooked on more than just The Bachelor. I can come over, but it'll have to be later tonight. I have to pack."

"Pack for what? My house?"

"No, you idiot. I'm not stupid enough to leave things at your house. For my trip to Europe tomorrow night. Remember? I have a client there who wants to meet with me."

Ah, fuck. How long is she going to be gone again? And why am I irritated that she didn't bother to remind me? She was going to leave without saying goodbye? Not that she has to. We aren't together. I have to keep reminding myself of that.

"Right," I mutter. Later tonight is fine. I'll see you then."

"Alright, grumpy gills. See ya."

The line goes dead, and I let out a frustrated sigh, hanging my head in my hands. I'm trying to put the feelings that I have to the side because with the potential news I just found out from Reed, she can't handle it. Not yet. If I tell her how I feel, that I might want more than just fucking, she'll run and end the contract.

I have to keep this secret to myself no matter how hard it might be.