"No," Jasmine said, touching Ian's arm to calm his anger. "Don't let them get to you. The explosion is their way of letting you know they mean business and want you to begin seeing things their way. It's my guess that they'll sit still for a while and give you time to absorb what they've done so the next time they approach you, you'll agree to do business with them."
"When hell freezes over," Ian snarled.
Jasmine smiled. Ian's anger reminded her so much of Wesley's. It was uncanny how the five men in the room had varied similarities. "Well, at least with that report you know what you're up against."
"Jasmine's right," Marcus decided to add. "Legally, our hands are tied unless we have concrete proof that Hernandez is responsible."
When the meeting ended, Wesley and Jasmine were walking back toward his car. He gently snagged her arm, pulled her in a darkened area of the parking lot and covered her mouth in a deep, drugging kiss.
"Thank you," he said, ending the kiss moments later. His warm breath whispered across her face like a sensual caress.
She smiled. "You are very welcome." She then leaned up on tiptoes and covered his mouth with hers, needing to taste him again.
* * *
Nine
« ^ »
Jasmine released a nervous sigh when she walked into the grand ballroom of the Savannah Hyatt Regency Riverfront Hotel alone. Drawing in a calming breath, she smiled when she remembered the valet attendant's compliment on how she looked. The young man had blushed profusely and told her she looked like a princess before he'd taken her car keys.
She had gotten a call from Wesley yesterday. He had left Savannah for a business trip to Dallas three days ago and was supposed to have returned yesterday, but a snag in a business deal had kept him in Dallas another day. He wouldn't arrive back in Savannah until tomorrow morning. She had decided to come to the ball without a date which she would have done anyway had Wesley not insisted on coming with her.
Jasmine glanced around the room, taking in the well-dressed, affluent people in their expensive suits and gowns. She didn't see Evelyn and her stepsisters anywhere, but she did see her father standing with a group of men. He saw her the same moment she saw him and his face split into a huge smile. She walked over to him and gave him a huge hug.
"Jasmine, I'm so glad you came, sweetheart," her father said, smiling brightly.
"I would not have missed it, Dad," she said truthfully.
She then turned as he introduced her to the other men standing with him. "This beautiful, young lady here is my daughter Jasmine."
One of the men, who looked to be about thirty-five and whom her father had introduced as Dr. Simon Duncan, smiled appreciatively at her. "I watched her enter, Dr. Carmody, and wondered who she was. I wasn't aware you had a third daughter."
Dr. James Carmody beamed. "Yes, Jasmine is my daughter from my first marriage. Alyssa and Mallory are my stepdaughters."
The man nodded and met Jasmine's gaze. "I hope you'll save a dance for me later, Ms. Carmody."
Jasmine smiled. "I'll most definitely do that, Dr. Duncan."
Moments later Jasmine left her father's side to go to the buffet table to get something to eat. "I see that you're here without a date, which doesn't surprise me. Maybe you should talk to Mallory and Alyssa about the proper techniques in getting a man," a voice sneered in her ear.
Without turning around she knew whom the voice belonged to. "Thanks for the advice but I like doing things my way, Evelyn."
The smile that touched her stepmother's lips didn't reflect in her eyes. "Yes, but your way isn't producing results." After taking a sip of wine, Evelyn continued by saying, "I happened to notice you were talking to Dr. Duncan a few moments ago. Don't get any ideas about him because Mallory already has him pegged."
Evelyn then glanced around. "Alyssa as you know is here with Paul, although her true interest lies elsewhere. She's smitten with someone who hasn't made an appearance yet." A smile then touched her lips. "I spoke too soon. It seems he has arrived."
Jasmine glanced over her shoulder and a lump formed in her throat when she saw Wesley enter the room. She shook her head in shock. First at seeing him and then at what Evelyn had said. Had she heard her stepmother correctly? Did Alyssa have designs on Wes? This was news to her and evidently it wasn't something Wesley was aware of, either.
Jasmine, like most of every other female in the room, watched as he snagged a glass of wine from the tray of a passing waiter and took a sip. He looked like he was born to wear a tuxedo. He had the ability to take your breath away just looking at him. He'd obviously been able to shorten his meeting and return home for tonight's function after all.
"You probably don't know him but that's Wesley Brooks and he's the biggest catch in the city. Every time he appears at one of these functions, I make sure either Mallory or Alyssa gets in his face," Evelyn whispered to her. "The Danforths consider him a part of their family. He's definitely caught Alyssa's interest and she won't be satisfied until she has him."
Jasmine's cheek twitched in anger and her hold on the plate tightened. She hated to disappoint Alyssa if that's what she thought, and then wondered what Evelyn would say if she knew that Wesley was to have been her date tonight.
She watched as he glanced around. Suddenly, he caught her gaze. He smiled and was about to head over in her direction when Harold and Miranda Danforth stopped him for a conversation.
"I think he was about to come this way," Evelyn whispered. "I wonder if he remembers me from another function and wants to inquire about Alyssa."
Jasmine shook her head. It was sad that her stepmother thought the world revolved around her and her daughters. She would soon find out that wasn't the case.
She inhaled deeply and decided to make herself scarce until she could talk to Wesley alone, to let him know about Alyssa. Her stepsister was like a spoiled brat and could be a real bitch if things didn't go the way she wanted them to.
"Excuse me, Evelyn," she said and made a quick decision to go to the ladies' room.
* * *
When Jasmine walked out of the ladies' room a few minutes later she felt she was caught in a trap. There was no way she would be able to talk to Wesley alone beforehand. He was standing a few feet away in a group with her father, stepmother and stepsisters, Dr. Duncan, Paul Sanders, Harold, Miranda and Abraham Danforth.
She felt an overwhelming desire to bolt and go back to the ladies' room but at that moment, Wesley lifted his gaze to hers. Slowly, everyone else's attention became focused on her.
Wesley had always thought Jasmine was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and tonight he knew without a doubt that she was. The royal blue gown she was wearing looked as if it had been specifically designed just for her body; a body he was getting to know rather well.
"Good evening, everyone," Jasmine said.
As soon as she had spoken, Wesley left the Danforths' side as a smile tilted the corner of his lips. He walked straight over to Jasmine and brushed a kiss on her lips. "Good evening to you, sweetheart. I saw you when I first arrived and wondered where you had gone. I tried calling you earlier today to let you know I was on my way back to Savannah but couldn't reach you."
The entire group got quiet and it was Dr. Carmody who cleared his throat as a lazy smile swept across his face. "I take it that the two of you know each other?" he asked chuckling.
With his hands placed at Jasmine's waist, Wesley turned to her father. "Yes, we do, Dr. Carmody. Jasmine and I have been seeing each other now for a few weeks." He then proceeded to introduce her to the Danforths.
Miranda Danforth smiled. "So this is the woman you told us about?" she asked Wesley beaming brightly.
Wesley smiled. "Yes, she's the one."
"But—but that's impossible," Evelyn Carmody stuttered. She was both surprised and angry and both emotions clearly showed in her features. "Everyone knows that Jasmine is too wrapped up in her job to take time to see anyone."
Wesley chuckled as he brought Jasmine closer to his side. "Then that's all the more reason I should feel special since she's made it a point to take time out of her busy schedule to see me."
"But she's a newspaper reporter," Mallory said with a deliberate sneer, like Jasmine's occupation was the lowest of lows.
Wesley felt Jasmine stiffen beside him and knew she was about to put Mallory in her place but decided he wanted to do the honor. "Yes, she's a reporter and from the articles I've read that she's written, I think that she's a very good one." After taking a sip of his wine he asked, "And what do you do for a living, Ms. Carmody?"
It was evident that Mallory had been put on the spot with his question. "I—I don't work," she said quietly.
Wesley lifted a brow and said coolly. "Oh." He then turned his attention back to Jasmine. "Would you care to dance?" he asked. He wanted to take her away and hold her in his arms. He had missed her like hell over the past few days.
"Have you forgotten, Mr. Brooks, that you promised to dance with me?" Alyssa said silkily, releasing her hand from Paul Sanders's arm and stepping forward. The look she gave Jasmine was cold and calculating and didn't go unnoticed by Wesley.
He smiled. "Did I? I don't remember making such a promise. I do recall you asking me if I would dance with you but I didn't say one way or the other that I would."