Jasper smiled. “It’s personal.”
“A lady friend? Perhaps?” Abigail inquired, staring into his midnight eyes. She sure hoped so. She’d been concerned that Jasper had become so focused on his career to the exclusion of everything else. She did want to be a grandma one day, but Jasper didn’t seem interested in long-term relationships. If a woman had managed to turn his head, then she must be pretty incredible because Jasper wouldn’t settle for mediocre.
“Yes, but she doesn’t know who I am,” Jasper answered honestly. He’d always been able to speak honestly with his mother, and he wasn’t about to stop now. It probably came from the fact that they’d had so much to catch up on since he’d grown up without her. They’d been apart for almost a decade, thanks to Andrew, and Jasper didn’t care to waste time.
“That you’re Andrew Jackson’s son?” Abigail knew instantly what he’d meant. From the moment he’d left her ex-husband’s house, Jasper had been determined to distance himself as far as he could from Andrew. Why else would he have left the States to build hotels in the Caribbean?
Jasper nodded, rose from the bed and turned to face the window. “You know how I feel about that man.” His eyes became dark and remote.
“He’s still your father.”
“That man doesn’t know what it takes to be a father,” Jasper replied, turning back around. “Or a human being for that matter. Look at his callous treatment of you. He used you as a human incubator so he could have an heir.”
“And look where that got him,” Abigail said. “A son who hates him and wants nothing to do with him or his shady business. But you can’t change your DNA.”
“If only I could.”
“Is this woman somehow connected to Andrew?” Abigail asked intuitively. She could see that Jasper was deeply troubled. “Is that why you’re concerned about her reaction to his being your father?”
Jasper didn’t know why he cared about Courtney’s reaction to his being Andrew Jackson’s son, given the way she’d left him, but he did. Once he made his presence known and swept her back in his arms he would show the princess that she couldn’t treat him so cruelly.
“She is,” Jasper replied. Seeing the look in his mother’s eyes pleading for more information, he returned to the bed. “She is Byron Adams’s daughter.”
“Oh my God!” Abigail clutched her chest. This had disaster written all over it.
“I know, I know.” Jasper nodded gloomily.
“How in heaven’s name did you meet her?”
“In Punta Cana,” Jasper responded. “She was stranded along the road. Her rental car broke down and the rest, as they say, is history.”
“And she has no idea who you are?”
Jasper shook his head. “She thinks I’m a construction worker.”
“And I take it you didn’t disabuse her of that notion?” She arched an eyebrow questioningly.
His mouth curved into a smile. His mother was silent for several long moments and Jasper wondered what she thought of his duplicity.
“You’ve weaved a dangerous web, son,” Abigail said finally. “I just hope it doesn’t backfire on you.”
Jasper didn’t intend it to. He wouldn’t allow Courtney Adams to get close enough again for that to happen. This time, he would fire the first shot.
* * *
“You didn’t have to come with me,” Courtney told Gabby as they drove in her Porsche Boxster on the way to the Premiere Atlanta Beauty Show. “You should be in the lab with Shane.”
“As much as I love your brother, we don’t need to be joined together at the hip every second,” Gabrielle said. She was looking forward to her upcoming nuptials, but they already worked in the lab every day and were together at night.
Courtney laughed. “This is true.”
When they arrived, the conference center was buzzing. After passing through security and showing their access passes, they were allowed entry. They made their way through the thousands of people from manufacturers to distributors, salon owners to spa professionals, importers to retail buyers to the Adams Cosmetics booth. Several people from their marketing department had already set up the booth and displays, and now it was up to Courtney to draw the crowd over. Once she drew them over, Gabby would explain some of the qualities and effects of their cosmetics and fragrances. The entire family would eventually make their customary appearance, but this was Courtney’s baby.
She did notice that Jax Cosmetics was in their same aisle, but farther down. Thank God. Courtney was in no mood for the Jacksons’ antics today. She was about business.
“I’m going to go change,” Courtney told Gabby, who was speaking with a marketing representative. If she knew anything about trade shows and conferences, it was that you had to make a splash. She’d brought in her wardrobe bag a black bustier with a jeweled center and a full-length black-and-white polka-dot evening skirt. It would certainly attract attention.
“I’ll be here.”
Courtney left the trade-show area and was making her way to the restrooms when she ran into Monica Jackson, Andrew Jackson’s stepdaughter. Courtney only knew her in passing, and what she knew she didn’t like. The petite brunette was always dressed in a pantsuit, and today was no exception. Did she even have an ounce of femininity in her? Her hair was in her usual ponytail, but her makeup was expertly done.
“Well, if isn’t little Miss Sunshine,” Monica cracked, stepping into Courtney’s way.
“Excuse me, Monica,” Courtney replied.
“I’m surprised you still bother to come to these events when everyone knows you’re washed up,” Monica said. “I would think you would be brave enough to allow a young girl to take over. You really are a narcissist. Or maybe you haven’t stepped down because your family doesn’t trust you to do anything else other than show off your pretty face.”
Courtney’s eyes flashed with anger. “You don’t know the first thing about me.”
But what Monica had said had been on the mark. She’d always wondered that herself. Did her family not think her capable of anything else? Sure, they’d listened to her promotional suggestions, but just how open were they to her moving up in AC?
“What I know is you’re a self-entitled princess who’s had everything handed to her on a silver platter.”
“Like you haven’t,” Courtney responded. She knew that Monica and her mother had done quite well since her mother had married Andrew.
“Maybe now, but my mother and I had to work hard to get what we have.”
“Oh yeah? I guess it’s hard work trying to snag a millionaire.”
Monica took a dangerous step toward her and it was then that Andrew Jackson came forward between them. “Ladies, ladies,” he said with a thick country accent. “No reason to allow tempers to flare. We’re all here to sell cosmetics and fragrances.”
Courtney looked up at Andrew, who towered over her at well over six feet. He was taller than Jasper, Shane and Ethan, but she wasn’t intimidated. He was wearing jeans, a suede blazer and a cowboy hat, probably to cover up his slicked-back hair, straight out of the ’70s. “Yes, we are,” Courtney said, “because some of us can actually create them and not have to steal them. Good day.” Courtney turned on her heel and walked quickly away to the restroom.
She hung the garment bag on a partition and paced the restroom floor. She was shaking with rage at Monica’s comments and knew she would have to calm down and get in control of her emotions. She shouldn’t allow the likes of Monica to get under her skin. Courtney took a few calming breaths through her nose and out of her mouth. After several minutes, she moved inside the stall and opened the wardrobe bag.
When she exited, Courtney was happy with the reflection staring back at her. Her short, honey-blond hair was slicked back so that buyers could focus on her face, which Viola would be making up later durin
g one of the sessions. She added some chandelier earrings, and black studded sandals adorned her feet. She was ready to go and show the Atlanta market once again that Adams Cosmetics was the first choice in cosmetics and fragrances.
* * *
Jasper walked through the halls of the convention center in a gray Italian suit. It had a modern fit with notched lapels and a two-button jacket accompanied by matching pants that were comfortable and easy to walk in. He despised wearing suits and was much more comfortable in a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt, but he had to make an impression on Courtney.
He was anxious to see the siren that had walked out on him a week ago without as much as a phone call. He’d shared more with her than he had any other woman, and they were more than compatible in the bedroom. She’d evoked the kind of passion in him that he didn’t know he had. He’d thought she’d felt the same as he did, but apparently he was the only one and he felt foolish.
He told himself that seeing her today was just about making her pay for making a fool out of him. He would make her putty in his hands until she was begging him to take her and then walk away, leaving her crushed. But was there more? Was all this just an elaborate ruse so he could see her once more? His mother had warned him that he was playing with fire. But he had to know. He had to know if she would still moan as loud for him as she did in Punta Cana.
He grabbed a layout of the exhibitors and scoured the pages for Adams Cosmetics. He was so determined to find Courtney that he didn’t see the man standing in front of him until his name was said aloud.
“Jasper,” Andrew Jackson said, “is that really you, son?”
Chapter 9
Jasper sighed wearily. He’d hoped to avoid having a run-in with his father so soon, but luck was not on his side. He glanced up at the old man and saw recognition shine in his eyes.
“Son!” Andrew bent down and wrapped his arms around Jasper’s shoulders, which remained still. Andrew stepped back slightly to regard Jasper. His large hands grabbed both sides of his face. “It is you. You look good, boy.”
Jasper couldn’t say the same for him. He hadn’t wanted to lay eyes on his father ever again. He could thank Courtney for this unwelcome reunion. Chasing her had brought him back into Andrew’s orbit.
“I’m so happy to see you.” Andrew reached for him again to hug him, but Jasper stepped back.
“Don’t touch me,” Jasper hissed. Andrew had gotten the first hug in because he’d caught him unaware, but he wasn’t about to make the same mistake. This was no happy reunion.
“I see you’re still angry with me for how I treated your mother,” Andrew said, staring down at his son. He could see the hatred shining back in Jasper’s eyes.
“You mean the way you bullied her and kept her from her own child?” Jasper said. “Then yes, I still remember. I haven’t lost my memory. Or perhaps you have? Are you getting senile in your old age?”
“Now, you listen to me, boy.” Andrew’s voice rose several pitches, and several people turned around to stare. “I will not have you speak to me that way. I’m still your father. You hear me?”
“Father!” a feminine voice shrieked from behind them.
Jasper stepped away from Andrew and saw Courtney standing behind Andrew. She must have just emerged from the restroom behind them. How long had she been standing there? Had she heard everything?
“This man—” she pointed to Andrew “—is your father?” She blinked with bafflement. She was experiencing a gamut of perplexing emotions as her mind struggled to comprehend all that she’d heard and reconcile it with what she knew. “You’re not a construction worker?” She looked at him, disoriented. “You...you’re Andrew’s long-lost son?”
“Courtney.” Jasper went to a make a move toward her, but she held up her hands to ward him off.
“You lied to me!” Her eyes were like polished jade ringed with fire.
Andrew looked at Courtney, then at Jasper. “You know her?”
Jasper didn’t answer him. He just started toward Courtney, but she grabbed her skirt, spun around and ran away. “Courtney!” he yelled, but Andrew grabbed his arm.
“How do you know the Adams girl?” Andrew asked again. “I want an answer.”
Jasper snatched his arm away. “I don’t owe you anything. My life is none of your concern.” Seconds later, he was running through the crowd trying to find Courtney. He saw her skirt just as the women’s restroom door closed behind her.
“Damn!” Jasper bent over to catch his breath. He hadn’t meant for their reunion to be this way. He’d rehearsed it several times in his head, and it certainly shouldn’t have started with her discovering he was Andrew Jackson’s son.
* * *
Courtney paced the restroom floor. Jasper was Andrew’s son? She’d fallen in love with the enemy? Love? As soon as the words were in her head, Courtney knew them to be true. She was in love with Jasper Jackson. In the short time they’d spent together in Punta Cana, Jasper had captured her heart. In the days since, she’d tried not to think about him, but Tea was right. The problem was she’d fallen for a stone-cold liar.
He’d allowed her to believe he was a construction worker working on a hotel site that was being poorly constructed. Had any of that been true? Or had he just concocted the entire story? Was there anything about the Jasper she’d fallen in love with on the island that was true? Because clearly, she didn’t know the real Jasper.
Courtney stayed in the restroom for several minutes hoping that Jasper wasn’t outside those doors. She had to pull herself together and get out there for her family; they were depending on her to draw in the crowd to the booth. A wave of apprehension swept through her as she opened the doors and came face-to-face with Jasper.
He was every bit as sexy and handsome as she remembered, except now he was more sophisticated in what she could only surmise was a designer suit. He wore it well.
She moved to the right, but Jasper followed her. When she moved left, he stepped in front of her. “You need to move,” she stated emphatically.
“Not until you talk to me.”
Courtney looked down at the floor. “I have work to do, now step aside.”
“Not until we speak.” Jasper grasped Courtney by the arm and walked her out of the hall. She didn’t know where he was taking her, but one thing was clear: he wanted the conversation to be private. Eventually, he stopped in front of a set of double doors that led out to a small balcony and guided her through them.
“Don’t you dare manhandle me,” Courtney said sharply, snatching her arm away. “Not after everything you’ve done.” Her eyes conveyed the fury within her.
Jasper met her accusing eyes, but instead of flinching, he swung her back into the circle of his arms. One hand in the small of her back pressed her forward until their lips was inches apart. “You mean this...?” he said. His lips were urgent and searching as they claimed hers. He forced her lips open with his thrusting tongue and fully explored the recesses of Courtney’s mouth. He teased her in ways her body had not forgotten because her breasts began to swell underneath his touch as he caressed them over her bustier. He had said her nipples would remember him, and they did.
Courtney felt her knees weaken and her brain short-circuit. That’s when she succumbed to the masterful domination of his lips. She was transported back to another time and place when it had been just her and Jasper lying in the sand on the beach. She could remember his hands sweeping through her hair, caressing her trembling body, but that image also brought her back to reality. It was as if someone had thrown cold water in her face.
She immediately retreated from Jasper, but not before slapping him across the face. He seemed stunned by the action, but didn’t make another move toward her.
“I suppose I deserve that,” Jasper said.
“You think?” Courtney asked sarcastical
ly.
“But as we both know, you’re no angel either, Courtney,” Jasper said, rubbing his sore jaw. “You walked out on me.”
“That was well after you’d been lying to me for weeks,” she responded in turn.
Jasper didn’t have a quick answer for that.
“You allowed me to believe you were just some lowly construction worker when in actuality you’re Andrew Jackson’s son!”
Jasper nodded. “You’re right. I allowed you to believe I was some poor schmuck, who you obviously felt you could use for kicks. What was your game plan, Courtney? Come down to Punta Cana and have an affair with a local?”
“Don’t you turn this around on me, buddy.” Courtney poked Jasper in the chest. “Your lies far exceed the way I exited our tryst. If you may recall, you offered me a no-strings-attached affair. I lived up to my end of the bargain.”
Jasper was silent. He knew she was right, but clearly somewhere along the line something had changed for the both of them. Neither one of them would be so angry if there were not genuine feelings there.
“But you,” Courtney continued her tirade, “led me to believe you were someone you weren’t. And now? Now I find out you’re the son of my family’s mortal enemy. This is insane.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “What will my family think when they find out?”
“Is that all you care about here? Your family’s feelings?” Jasper asked. “What about mine?”
“Did you do this on purpose, Jasper?” Courtney asked, ignoring his question. Tears sprang to her eyes as crazy thoughts spun through her mind. “Did your sleaze of a father send you down to DR to seduce me? Is this his way of getting back at my father, at my family?” She gulped hard as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. “Omigod! I’m an idiot!” Courtney reached for the door to lead her back to the conference hall, but Jasper’s large masculine hands closed over hers.
“That isn’t what happened, Courtney,” Jasper whispered against her ear. “And you know it.”
Formula for Passion Page 9