Conflict of Interest

Chapter 4

"No, I think it looks perfect." Luke replied. He had a dreamy look to his eyes and Jackie suddenly remembered her conversation with Rose.

"I just need to put on my shoes and then I'll be ready to go. Come on in." Jackie showed Luke through to her living room, then, hastily walked to her room to get her shoes.

She had rented a small, one bedroom apartment out in the suburbs. It was a simple design with the living room just off the entry. The kitchen and dining room were incorporated into one space just beyond the living area. The master bedroom and small bathroom lead off the small hallway that ran from the entrance. The interior was decorated in simple tones of whites and greys. Jackie only had a few simple ornaments scattered around that reminded her of home. A small statue of a Jack Russell dog was standing guard by the doorway.

"Cute dog." Luke mentioned as he walked past.

"Thanks. It kind of looks like my dog, Jazz from back home." Jackie reminisced as she walked back into the room. Jazz had been her companion and best friend growing up. She spent a lot of time on her own as a child.

"When was the last time you visited your mum, Jackie?" Luke asked politely.

"Last month, when I went on holiday. Mum was so excited. She didn't know I was coming." Jackie laughed.

"I bet she was. You're close to your mum?"

"Yeah it has been just us pretty much all my life. She had the odd boyfriend, and I do mean odd, but they never stuck around. She was a hopeless romantic and seemed to attract all the strays."

"And yourself? Are you a hopeless romantic?"

"Not at all." Jackie responded briskly. She wasn't sure she liked where this inquisition was heading. Or was she just reading too much into it after Rose's comments? "I have seen too much heart ache to believe in all that garbage." Slipping the final strap around her heel she stood up and grabbed her clutch purse. "Right let's get this over and done with shall we?"

She was staring out the car window all the way into the city, her mind far from where it should be. She still felt a little weak from Dom's touch. The way his hands felt so strong around her waist. She could still see the dimples in his cheeks when he smiled at her, the sparkle in his eyes when he handed her his handkerchief to wipe her face. She felt a shiver travel all the way down her spine.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Luke asked.

"Sorry did you say something?" Jackie replied, falling back down to earth.

"I'm just wondering which planet you're on. You have been staring out into space since we left your driveway. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Sorry I was just thinking about joining the roadside assistance program."

"Eh?" Luke sounded amused.

"Yeah I got a flat tyre on the way home tonight and I realized that I have never had to change one before. I didn't have a clue what to do."

"That's unlike you to be so unprepared. How did you manage?"

"Someone stopped to help me. I thought I was doing okay. I guess I looked like I needed more help than I was prepared to admit."

"That was nice of them. See humanity still has it's good qualities."

"Yeah, but I am wondering if he had an ulterior motive?"

"His? It sounds like someone you know and didn't want to accept help from."

"Let's just say it was the last person I expected to see." Jackie flashed a look at Luke that told him to change the subject. Jackie wasn't sure that she wanted to tell Luke that it was Dom. Luke would want all the details of what happened, and she wasn't sure she could say anything without giving the impression that she may have feelings for Dom. Luke was her boss and is very firm on keeping client relationships strictly business. Dom created feelings in her that she couldn't explain, even to herself, and she knew that if she didn't control these feelings quickly she could lose her job. She had worked too hard to let a small infatuation ruin everything.

"So I thought I would just run through what's going to happen tonight." Luke took the hint. "First there is the cocktail meet and greet. We should keep an eye out for Philip Tyrell and his CFO Gavin. I'll introduce you to them and we should spend the rest of the evening keeping them entertained. Hopefully we will get to mingle with a few other clients before they arrive."

"So, I should be on my best behavior then." Jackie chided.

"Yes Jackie, please keep your wine consumption to a minimum shall we." Luke was teasing again. "I don't want to have to drag you off the tables again."

"What? You make me sound like an alcoholic. And besides that was all Roses fault. She dragged me onto the coffee table in the first place."

"You're lucky it was at Sam's house and not in a public bar or you could have got into some serious trouble."

"I felt like I was in serious trouble the next day," Jackie replied as they pulled up outside the town hall.