Chapter 2

"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

~Marie Joseph Eugène Sue~

**Tyson's POV**

I jerked upwards in my rocking chair, nearly hitting a lamp. The sun was setting, judging from the muted light coming through the window. When had I fallen asleep?

An impatient banging on the door reminded me of what had woken me up in the first place. With a heavy grunt, I stood up and slowly made my way to the door.

"Who is it?" I asked gruffly, unreasonably annoyed at whoever woke me up.

"The police. Open up or we'll have to use force."

I rolled my eyes, recognizing the voice-even in my dazed state. I flipped the deadbolt and pulled the door open. "Hey" I yawned.

Chris raised an eyebrow. "What? Did I wake you up?" He asked sarcastically.

"It doesn't matter-how'd it go?" I asked, suddenly urgent.

"The plan's in motion. I added a bit to the story, just to be on the safe side."

"So he bought it?"

"I'm pretty sure SHE did. I told her that you raped my sisters, though. I wanted to make sure you were a priority."

"It's a girl?" I asked quietly. I'd always had a picture of the Sherpa in my head. A really toned, scary-looking guy who didn't take any crap. An evil genius. The fact that it wasn't even a guy really surprised me. I'd been way off.

"Yeah, she's really something" Chris mused, heat touching his eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked coolly, sincerely hoping that I'd just hallucinated.

"Ah, you'll see. All in good time" Chris closed his eyes. The Sherpa was already working her magic on Chris. This wasn't good.

"Don't be losing focus, Chris. Remember who she is, for god's sake."

Chris opened his eyes and gave me a hard look. "I know, Tyson. Don't try to reprimand me, though. You'd understand if you saw her... besides, it's not like I'm going to do anything."

My lips pressed into a hard line, but I said nothing more about the Sherpa. I'd be damned if Chris's cock got in the way of this. He was my best friend, but I had to get revenge on the Sherpa-and no one would get in the way of that.

I supposed, in a way, the Sherpa's being a girl had its advantages. I had wondered how I going to outsmart her-back when I thought she was a he-but hadn't had anything to go on, until now. The obvious thing to do would be to seduce her. The more I thought about it, the more perfect it sounded. She had broken my brother's heart, granted it hadn't been through sexual means. In fact, he'd never met her. If he had, we would've known that she was really a she.

I didn't voice my ideas to Chris, knowing he'd have plenty of smart comments about me doing it for personal reasons. For carnal reasons. Sex was the furthest thing on my mind. I knew for a fact that Chris drooled over anything that had long legs and a pretty smile. The Sherpa would have no effect over me. I'd need to be sure that she found me attractive, however, if I wanted to have a chance of pulling this off.

"What are you planning?" Chris asked as I sat back down on my favorite rocking chair.

"What do you mean?"

"I know that look-you're planning something. Don't start keeping secrets from me, Tyson."

I stared up at the ceiling, ignoring his accusation. I'd go see the Sherpa tomorrow. I'd woo her, which would be very difficult to do since I already loathed the girl, and gain her trust. I'd abuse her, though I didn't have the heart to physically hurt her-I just wasn't raised that way. I'd insult her until she thought she really was as horrible as I said she was. Then I'd break up with her, leaving her broken and hurt. She'd be getting off easy.

"Ralph would be proud of you right now" Chris said, breaking me out of my reverie. I closed my eyes, filling my vision with black.

"That's the only thing driving me" I said in response. We sat there in silence, our words looming over us-reminding us of why we were here.

I rubbed my hands together in an attempt to abate the numbness seeping through my body. It was freezing, and I had only brought along a light jacket. I had dragged Chris along with me so he'd identify the Sherpa when she came; at the moment, he was at a nearby Starbucks grabbing two hot chocolates so we wouldn't die of permafrost.

It had taken quite a bit of begging, but Chris had reluctantly agreed to come. He had pointed out that I couldn't do or say anything to her until she chose to introduce herself to me. I had insisted. I wasn't sure why I was so determined to see her. Maybe it had something to do with not wanting to be completely in the dark. Not that seeing her would put me a step ahead of her. I supposed it was just for my own sanity.

The sound of crunching snow announced Chris's arrival as he waved two Starbucks cups in triumph. I gratefully took mine and lost myself in the sensation of warmth seeping into every crevasse of my body.

"Are you sure she's coming?" I asked after I finished my drink.

"I called her this morning to try to set up an appointment, but she said she already had plans. I guess she needed to do some shopping or something. Besides, I see her car over there."

I was about to say a clever little remark when I saw her. My heart beat sporadically, though she didn't even look in my direction. She was the epitome of beauty. Never had I seen a girl that looked so sensual. Her long blonde hair stuck out from under her wool hat, looking as though she'd come off of a runway. Her jacket was tight, and effectively displayed all her curves. Even from where I stood, her pink cheeks were visible-although I was sure it was caused by the cold weather. She swung her shopping bags carelessly, as if she were listening to a song that only she could hear.

I immediately felt my body respond as I studied her. It was a crime to look as beautiful as she did. She looked around her, as if to be sure that she was alone, before throwing her head back to feel the snow on her face. The movement was so innocent-so intriguing. I couldn't help the smile that crept up my face.

I would have her, I swore to myself. I'd go over to her right now and ask for her phone number. I could go over and pretend that I'd mistaken her with someone else, and then strike up a conversation. We'd talk and realize how much we had in common, and then I'd ask if she wanted to go to the movies with me. I'd make love to her.

Screw the Sherpa. There were other means to destroy her. At that moment, I was blinded by lust. It only took three words to bring me back down to Earth. Hard.

"There she is..." Chris whispered, although we were too far away for her to hear us.

"Who?" I asked quickly. Harshly. How did Chris know that beautiful girl?

"The Sherpa, of course. Look, she's getting into her red BMW right now. Let's get out of here before she sees me with you. That'd totally screw up our plans."

My mouth was dry. Sure enough the girl reached her red car and began throwing her bags in the backseat. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pink phone. She held it up to her ear and a few seconds later Chris's phone began vibrating. He hesitated a moment before answering.

"Yes?"

I watched her lips move as she spoke into her phone. Her lips. I couldn't see anything but her lips. I suddenly yearned for those lips, wanting to possess them and do wicked things. I was disgusted with myself. Now that I knew better, now that I knew that she was the Sherpa, I needed to smother my attraction to her. I'd become a liability to the entire operation if I wasn't careful. Hadn't it been just yesterday that I was giving Chris a hard time about saying that she was "something"?

I couldn't help the pang of jealousy as I watched her laugh into her phone. Chris made plans for them to meet in an hour before hanging up.

I watched as she climbed into her car and sped away. I glared at Chris. "You'd better not be fraternizing with the enemy."

Chris opened his mouth in protest, but I quickly waved my hand in dismissal.

"Never mind, I'm just freezing and tired. Let's get out of here."

Seeing the Sherpa had done things to me-things I hadn't planned on. Sherpa. It was such a foreign word. I wondered what her real name was. It wouldn't be a surprise if Chris knew her real name. An irrational rage towards Chris overwhelmed me, but then it passed. I needed to get control of myself, I realized.

Even I couldn't deny my physical attraction to the Sherpa, but I wouldn't allow myself to act on those impulses. I was sure that after I met her and spent time with her I'd be repulsed by the thought of being anywhere near her. At present, I could only feel happiness at the thought of me meeting her and spending time with her. There was something seriously wrong with me.

"Have you decided how we're going to get revenge?" Chris asked as we trekked through the snow in search of my car.

"Yes. I'm going to seduce her and then break her heart"

Chris was quiet for a heartbeat, but then he laughed darkly. "Well, that would work-but I think it'd work best if I seduced her. No offense but the girl hates you. She's not about to fall in love with some guy she's convinced raped my eight year-old sister."

"That's disgusting." I growled under my breath.

"Well, it worked. She wants to meet you the first chance she gets. She's been asking if I know where you are."

"I'm going to be the one to seduce her." I left no room for argument. Chris didn't try to argue. Smart kid. As I looked ahead at the vast landscape of snow, I could only see her. Her face. Her lips.