Dom walked straight into his fathers study when he got home. Philip Tyrell looked every bit the intimidating tycoon. Piercing Blue eyes that could send chills through your veins when he looked at you a certain way, with dark wavy hair that was combed back from his forehead. Dom had his chiseled facial features. Every Friday afternoon Philip Tyrell made a point of working from his house. He felt this would be more productive than spending hours on the motorway driving home from his office in the city centre.
"Ah Dom, you're back from Sydney already? I thought you were going to stay over the week-end." Philip looked up from behind his desk, over his wire rimmed reading glasses Dom felt like he was in trouble once again.
"The meeting went well and we managed to come to an agreement quickly." Dom replied. "I felt I didn't need to hang around so caught the next available flight home."
"Good, good," Philip responded. His head now back looking at the papers in front of him.
"So, you ready to accept your award tonight?" Dom asked while slipping into the round tub chair in front of his fathers desk. He was trying to think of a way to get invited along to the meeting. "Which award is it that you have been nominated for?"
"The Historical Enhancement Award. It's for that development we did over on Queen Street. I guess they liked the fact that we tried to make it look old."
"It's a shame I couldn't be there now that I am back from Sydney." Dom slouched in the chair in front of his father's desk. "I think it would be an honour to see you up on the stage."
"What do you want Dom?" Philip asked skeptically. "Last time I spoke to you there was nothing more boring than to sit at a table of old codgers, listening to them stroke each others ego's. I think those were the words you used."
"That's not exactly what I said, I think it was a bunch of old buggers actually." Dom sat up in the chair with a smirk, and leaned towards the desk. "I guess being involved in this last acquisition has made me realize the amount of work that goes into making a deal happen, and that Queen Street deal certainly had its' challenges. What with all that protesting that went on, anyone would have thought there was nothing wrong with the original derelict building."
"I'm glad you are starting to see how much work it takes. But that still doesn't tell me why you're groveling."
"I just think that this nomination feels a bit more special and that the family should be there to support you.'
"Well it just so happens that I do have a spare ticket. Gavin couldn't make it in to work today due to illness. His wife said he has his head stuck in a bucket. It would be nice to have you sitting next to me tonight."
Dom felt like he had just won the lottery. His face lit up like the star on top of a Christmas tree, taking his father by surprise.
"Thanks Dad. Don't you think we should be getting ready then?" Dom leapt out of his chair and raced towards the grand mahogany staircase that lead up to the bedrooms. "You don't want to be late."
Philip got the impression it was Dom that didn't want to be late, But he knew it wasn't for the dinner. Philip's mouth curled into a loving smirk as he reminded himself just how confusing his son could be. Philip struggled to understand his son most of the time, and this moment was no exception.
Luke was impeccably on time. Jackie had just finished applying the finishing touches to her hair when she heard the doorbell ring.
"That was perfect timing," Jackie stated as she answered the door.
"Wow. Jackie, you look amazing." Luke replied with an astounding look.
"Thanks. It's not too overdone?" Jackie asked. She had settled on the ankle length halter-neck gown. Delicate burgundy chiffon fell from the diamante-adorned circular neckline. A belt of gathered velvet pulled in her waist, showing off her perfect hour glass figure. A waterfall of chiffon cascaded from under the belt and floated down to her ankles. Jackie didn't want her dress to go to the floor as she had a fear of tripping on her skirt. Her strappy stiletto shoes were silver to match the sparkles around her neck, and her cubic zirconia and sterling silver tennis bracelet. She hoped that one day she would be able to afford a real diamond bracelet. She had matching studs in her ears. She liked the simple look and the silver and white gleam from her jewelry contrasted against her bronzed skin beautifully. She had pulled her hair up into a classic French twist held with diamante hair pins.
"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.