How to Catch Butterflies (35 page)

They had walked to the lifts, she pressed the button, she could feel Jackson close, which was confirmed with his lips as he bent down, caressing her shoulder again with his lips. She swore if she had turned around he would have full on kissed him and they would never have left the building, thankfully the lift arrived and they stepped in, he held her hand, looking at her as the lift descended to the ground floor.

They lift pinged as the doors opened to the foyer, and they walked out past the porter at the reception desk who tipped his hat at them as they passed him by, out to Jackson’s car, which was parked up outside the building.

Jackson opened the door and held out his hand, so she could slide into the racing bucket seat with ease, closing the door behind him once she was seated and made his way to the driver’s side. He got in and started up the engine with a quick touch of the dashboard button, they were gone into the night.

Rebecca hadn’t a clue where they were going for the evening
;
she turned to Jackson as he drove.

“So where are we going?” she asked smiling at him, “you have me all dressed up and I haven’t a clue where we’re actually going?” he turned the music down.

“We’re going to a benefit thingy at the ‘Dorchester’, it’s a work event, lots of networking,” he smiled at her “and with the way you look tonight, you will be center of attention, you look simply beautiful”.

They had pulled up outside the valet parking. Jackson stepped from the vehicle, and walked to her side opening the door and outstretched his hand so she could step out demurely from her seated position, which she did with grace.

Jackson took her hand and placed it on his arm, as they walked into the foyer of the hotel, passing various tuxedoed gentlemen on the way into the main ballroom. Their heads turned at the handsome couple who passed them.

Jackson walked them to the bar where his partner was standing surrounded by a bevy of women.

Jackson leaned into her.

“Sorry about this, he’s a bit of a cad”.

No sooner had he said it, she could feel Jackson’s partner leering at her, and she really didn’t like him if first impressions counted for anything,

“Jackson are you not going to introduce us”

He stepped forward to Rebecca, both hands out as if he was going to embrace her. She stuck her hand out to him, she was all to use to, handsie people, standing firm she moved her hand to his leaving him no choice but to take it as she shook his hand firmly.

“I’m Rebecca Keane, please to me you” she smiled at him.

He released her hand leaning into Jackson saying, and not very discreetly,

“Clever one, this girl you have here Jackson, did you know that, seems she has brains as well as beauty” leaving Jackson to introduce him.

“Rebecca, this is my arsehole of a partner ‘Thomas Peak “.

“Oh I’m not that bad, but when you’re as good as me” he stopped mid conversation.

“Did you say Rebecca Keane, as in Rebecca Keane who we offered a position to?”

Jackson was just about to answer; he was already getting sick and tired of Tom’s rude behavior, when Rebecca spoke up.

“Yes, the very same.” Thomas straightened himself up as if embarrassed by his behavior.

“Well I’m very pleased to finally meet you, I must apologize for my behavior”, he looked sheepishly at Jackson, who had now turned to the bar tender
.

“Champagne and a glass of coke please no ice please.”

Jackson looked at where Thomas had been standing with the ladies, he could already see three bottles in their ice buckets, and two already neck down in the ice,

“You’re okay Tom yes?” he asked leaving Tom with no option of answering “
yes he was okay
”. Jackson thanked the bar tender and passed Rebecca her glass.

“Tom we’re off, people to see, places to go” and he took Rebecca’s elbow, guiding her away from the bar to an area near one of the pillars away from the leering Thomas.

She looked around the busy room adorned with black tie attired guests. Jackson was quite he was taken off guard by Tom’s rudeness, Tom wasn’t the most eloquent of people when it came to his people skills, but he was a straight faced poker player when it came to business, and he made a ton of money on the deals he had brokered for their company.

Jackson looked at Rebecca, she was beautiful, her dress looked like it had been made for her; she looked like she should have been on the red carpet at an Oscar ceremony, the lighting in the room, showed her stunning features.

She stood there sipping slowly on her champagne flute, as she surveyed the room. He switched his glass to his other hand and reached down talking her hand in his, he looked at her, she was amazing, not only did she have an acute business mind, she was stunningly beautiful, and she worked for his competitors ‘Natural Logistics’’. And he was dating her, he was pretty happy with himself, he knew he was the envy of every man in that huge room that night.

Rebecca hadn’t expected to feel Jackson’s hand in hers; she was smiling taking in the number of people: the who’s-who’s
,
and that’s when she spotted him.

He was standing with a very attractive red head in a stunning green evening dress, who flung her hair back laughing every time he made a joke or said something witty, to the small group of men standing in front of the couple.

She recognized him from behind; she would have known him a mile off.

The man turned around, he was laughing as his eyes looked around the room, he stopped abruptly when he caught sight of her. His face was that of shock, his eyes transfixed on Rebecca from across the room.

She leaned into Jackson, whispering in his ear. He kissed her softly on her lips, her eye’s still on the man at the other side of the room, who was now making his way to her.

Jackson took her glass placing it on a table near them and took Rebecca’s arm leading her out of the grand ballroom, past the lobby and out to the valet parking attendant. He gave the valet his ticket then turning to Rebecca helping her with her Suede wrap as the night air hit them.

The parking attendant returned almost instantly with his car. He once again helped Rebecca into his car, before walking to the driver’s side, he jumped in and they drove off, leaving the man who had followed them out, to watch them drive away into the night.

Chapter 23

‘You do something to me’

Jason Hallow had been talking with a group of gentleman whom he done business with. He had brought Morgan Lee with him to most of these networking functions as he called them. Jason had acquired a lot of business this way, and Morgan Lee was always a big hit at these things. Morgan Lee always booked these functions telling him it was good business.

He hadn’t expected to see her again, he was quite taken back, she looked so beautiful, his heart lurched when he saw her standing there.

The band were playing ‘Paul Weller’s - You do something to me’.

It was a cruel gesture from the universe to hear the words to that song with Rebecca standing there and not with him.

When he saw that other man kiss her, he felt nothing but pure anger. He watched as he saw the man slip his tongue in Rebecca’s mouth.

He had started to make his way over to her when he saw them leave. He pushed thru the crowd, trying to follow them. He had been intercepted on route by Morgan Lee who too had followed closely behind him. It was then she realized that he was on a mission and her discrete calling of his name had fallen upon deaf ears in his quest to follow the extremely attractive couple.

He was hampered on the way by business contacts trying to talk to him delaying his pursuit. Jason had reached the foyer after making a barrage of apologies. When he had got to the entrance she was already seated in the vehicle, he could only watch them drive off through the heavy glass doors.

Prompting him to about turn back into the foyer where Morgan Lee had finally caught up with him, she stood there as he stormed past her saying;

“That Morgan Was Rebecca Keane you didn’t bloody do your homework did you?”

He snapped at her as she scurried to keep up with him apologizing as she kept pace

“I’m sorry Jason; I didn’t see her name on the guest list, but what I can tell you …that is/was ‘Jackson Harvey’”.

Jason stopped dead in his tracks….

“That’s Jackson Harvey” he exclaimed looking directly at her.

Morgan Lee could see he was angry and disgusted at the same time,

“Yes Jason, it appears she was Jackson Harvey’s guest”

Jason’s hands were now shoved in the pockets of his tux trousers, Morgan Lee watched Jason closely, she knew him all too well, next would be his right hand at the back of his head, sliding slowly down to the nape of his neck, and there it was, his hand brushing from his right temple thru the side of his hair.

It was the same no matter the length or style of his hair, he was thinking, and there, the fingers to the lips, he had his eureka moment. Then he spoke as he paced slowly in the small area they had stopped in for privacy,

“Rebecca’s is as professional as you can get SO”…. He tapped his finger on his lips. “So she’s not working for him”, he knew
that if she was, she would never let him kiss her especially like that.

Jason’s finger was still tapping on his pursed lips as his pace fluctuated.

Morgan stood there watching him, she wanted to say, but very cleverly choose to keep quiet, was that this was NOT a good situation whatsoever.

She knew all too well of Jackson Harvey’s charm, he could literally charm the knickers off a nun.

NO, this was NOT good at all. It meant only one thing.

If she knew Jackson Harvey, he would be bedding her, and sooner than later, he was an incredibly attractive man. Those come to bed eye’s, you couldn’t resist those eye’s for very long. He was personification of charming in a hunky sex machine body, and he was dynamite in bed, he knew what to do and when to do it, he was the whole package.

The trouble with Jackson Harvey was he was a natural hunter. He very rarely slept with the same woman twice, and he didn’t need to.

There was always an abundance of woman eager to fall into his bed. If that was Rebecca, she didn’t stand a chance.