Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
GRAY
Cain, Erik and I have a standing business lunch, catered in our boardroom, every Friday, where the three of us come together - unofficially - to have a relaxed, informal chat about our working week and the things that have gone right or wrong.
Stuff we’re pleased with or concerned about.
We’ve done it ever since we sat together, just like this, in a coffee shop just off campus, discussing what we wanted to do with our lives after we graduated.
It was the time all our daydreams and fantasies coalesced into something tangible, and the same is as true now as it was then.
Today though, all of us are uncharacteristically quiet.
I know why. We’re all thinking about Sierra. We have been since the long drive home when we discussed the weekend and everything about it.
“So, what’s the verdict?” Cain, impatient as usual, demands. “Are we going to get in touch with Primal Fantasies and ask them to forward our details to Sierra?”
Cain had wanted to do it immediately, but since it concerned the three of us, we’d decided to wait a few days and make sure it was definitely something all of us were on board with. It’s a pivotal decision, not something we can afford to get wrong. Too many people are involved for that.
“I want to go ahead and contact her,” Erik said, giving his head a decisive nod. Which means it’s down to me. My two closest friends look at me, expectantly, but I know they’ll either back down, or approach Sierra without me, no questions asked, if I say no.
And it’s not that I don’t want to, I do. But it’s a big decision. We’re a Fortune 500 business, and we get a lot of scrutiny. The three of us sharing a woman isn’t something we can keep secret for long, so we need to be sure we’re doing the right thing. For us, for our business, and for Sierra.
If she even agrees. There’s no guarantee she will.
Before I can respond, our receptionist knocks on the door and pokes her head around. “Sorry to disturb you, Sirs, but I took a call earlier.”
She frowns and shakes her head. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should even bother you with this…” The way she pauses highlights her uncertainty, but then she shrugs. “But you can decide for yourselves.”
“You made the right call, Tina. What is it?”
“A woman rang. She wanted to speak to either one of you. The way she spoke… well, it seemed like it was important, but when I told her you were all in a meeting, she rang off. So, like I said, not a lot to tell, really.”
“Did she leave a name and number, Tina?” Cain asks, his brow raised.
“She didn’t leave a number, but she told me her name was Sierra. Does that mean anything to you?”
All three of us whip around to stare at Tina, and whatever expression each of us sports has her raising her eyebrows. “Well, ah, I’ll just leave that with you then,” she says, backing out of the door when none of us answer immediately.
“Wait! Won’t her number be stored on the switchboard?” Erik demands, getting himself together faster than me and Cain.
Tina worries her lip with her teeth, probably because the atmosphere in the room has just turned electric. “I’m sorry, Sir,” she addresses him. “It may be possible if I can pinpoint the time and filter out any other numbers, but I can’t promise.”
“Thank you, Tina. We’d appreciate it if you could check into that for us, but don’t worry if it looks too difficult.” I tell her with a conciliatory smile, knowing it’ll be a ball ache she’d probably rather avoid.
As soon as she leaves the room, I fish my phone out of my pocket, pull up the number for Primal Fantasies and put the call on speakerphone. It’s time to pin down our quarry and see what the future holds with the delightful Sierra.
“Ah, Gretchen, this is Gray Carter. I’m ringing about our fantasy scenario last weekend,” I say, as soon as I’m put through to our personal liaison who set everything up for us.
“M-Mr. Carter. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened, but you can rest assured we’re actively dealing with it,” she stammers, her voice thready. I throw a look at Cain and Erik, who look equally baffled. Did Sierra make a complaint or something? Is that why she called?
“Gretchen…”
She cuts me off, rushing her words, but also far more composed, like she’s already in troubleshooting mode. “We’ll give you a full refund, of course. And I can absolutely guarantee the young lady who was supposed to meet you has already been struck off of our books.”
“What?”
“We don’t tolerate no-shows like this, Mr. Carter.
It’s unprofessional and puts the entire company in a bad light.
I can only apologize that we didn’t know sooner and couldn’t contact you before you left for the cabin.
I know you must be disappointed, and so are we, but if you’d be prepared to give Primal Fantasies another chance, the executive manager has authorized me to offer you another fantasy pairing free of charge, for your trouble. ”
For a moment, I can’t fully comprehend what Gretchen is saying, and there is a long, uncomfortable silence as Cain, Erik and I stare dumbly at each other while the words sink in. One our liaison incorrectly interprets as annoyance, rather than shock.
“I have Mr. Smith and Mr. Evans with me,” I finally tell her when I find my voice. “You’re on speaker, so perhaps you could explain exactly what happened.”
Cos I’m not gonna lie, I really need this woman to tell us why she’s talking like the weekend we just experienced was a bust after the three of us just lived it.
“Juliet, the woman involved, got cold feet,” Gretchen explains as my heart begins to beat faster and faster.
“I’d like to reassure you that it most certainly wasn’t a scam.
Juliet didn’t take the money and run. In fact, she turned up at the camp site, signed in, and started the initial part of her chase fantasy.
Unfortunately, despite our very thorough vetting, that served to freak her out and she withdrew, but as you know, the cell service is non-existent up there, so it was a while before the information filtered back to us, and then we weren’t able to establish a connection to let you know what was happening. ”
I stare, dumbstruck, at my two closest friends. Their faces are as pale as I expect mine is, since it feels like all the blood has drained from it.
Because if Juliet was our rendezvous, then who the hell is Sierra and where had she come from?