Before leaving, she turned back around. “Umm … about my brother.”
“Yes?”
“He can be…” She drew a breath and paused, as if hesitating about what to say. Finally she settled on a word. “Abrasive on a good day.” She winced at her own choice. “I mean–”
“Don’t worry. Ian Dare is my half brother. I know how to deal with gruff, uptight men.”
“I hope you do,” Sierra said before shooting Sienna a hopeful smile and walking out, shutting the door behind her.
* * *
Sienna had a fantastic afternoon getting herself made up for the night’s event. Not only did she splurge, purchasing a ton of makeup and skin-care products after having her face done up at Saks Fifth Avenue, she left the salon with her newly dyed hair now blow-dried and curled.
She called Jason and talked him into meeting her for coffee because she was in town and when else could she see him? He seemed subdued, which was par for the course with her sibling, his life having taken an unexpected turn back in his college days. One event had changed and marked him forever. But she’d made him smile and she called that a win.
Then she took the limo back to the apartment and headed upstairs with a bounce in her step.
Excited, she decided to call Avery and show her the end results of her day. After dumping all the bags on the bed, she pulled out her phone and Facetimed her half sister, who had, over the years, become one of her closest friends. Maybe all the Dares weren’t BFFs, but the girls had definitely bridged the gap their father had created.
After the call rang a few times, Avery’s face appeared on the screen. “Hi! How’s New York?” she asked.
“Amazing. I pampered myself. Look.” Sienna grinned into the camera phone and blew her a kiss, showing off her red lipstick.
“Oh, gorgeous!” Avery, a video blogger and married to one of the biggest rock stars in the world, Grey Kingston, lead guitarist and songwriter for the band Tangled Royal, knew a good makeover when she saw one. “And I really love your hair so dark. It makes your eyes pop!”
Sienna rolled her eyes. “I don’t have those violet eyes of yours. Mine are crappy brown.”
“Hot chocolate colored,” Avery argued. “Now let me see your dress for tonight.”
Sienna had hung up the outfit before she’d gone out earlier and she’d brought a travel steamer with her just in case the garment wrinkled. From the closet, she pulled out the little black dress that flared out at the waist and held it up in front of her, showing it off for Avery.
“Ooh, the white piping makes the dress,” Avery said, whistling her approval. “Shoes?”
“Mom lent me her black Louboutins.” Sienna was more of a down-to-earth girl, but once in a while, dressing up was nice, and her mother’s closet was full of fun, luxurious things. She held up the red-soled shoes.
“Nice!” Avery exclaimed.
Sienna and Avery didn’t discuss their moms much, that being the one conversation that remained awkward. No matter how she looked at it, Sienna’s mom, Savannah, had been Robert Dare’s mistress/other woman with another family, while Avery’s mom, Emma, had been in the dark. The good news was that Emma had remarried a nice man the family approved of, and that helped everyone get over the past.
“Do you know who you’re meeting tonight?” Avery asked.
Sienna placed the dress and shoes on the bed and faced the phone again. “Ethan Knight, CEO of Knight Time Technology. The company is doing the tech and security for Ian’s new stadium.
“Have you Googled him?” Avery met her gaze, then disappeared from the screen, leaving it blank, and Sienna knew her sister was already busy on the browser. “Holy shit, he’s hot!” she said, her voice coming through the phone.
“Show me. I need to know who to look for tonight.”
Avery screenshotted a photo and sent it over Messenger. As soon as Sienna received the picture, she pulled up the photo and sucked in a startled breath.
Sienna had expected a stuffy older man who it would be difficult to spend the weekend with and pay attention to, not a sexy, gorgeous guy. Ethan Knight had dark short hair, with a handsome, freshly shaven face. In his suit and tie, he was the epitome of a CEO in charge of everything and everyone around him.
If not for the fact that she found him hot, she would have said his steely-eyed stare reminded her of Ian’s. Although he was obviously older than her, he was by no means old, and he stirred something very primal in Sienna, something she’d never experienced before.
“Well?” Avery demanded.
“He’s so good-looking,” she whispered, unable to tear her gaze from the picture, those blue eyes startling and seemingly focused on her.
Avery laughed. “Someone is going to have a very good weekend.”