What the Lightning Sees: Part One (15 page)

“I wasn’t talking about her.” She grinned, and it was infectious.

I typed out a text.

Harry: We’re missing you down here, beautiful girl. Paris isn’t the same without you.

“Oh, you’re good,” Haven said when I showed her what I’d written.

“You know I don’t mean it, though.”

“Get a grip and press send.”

I wasn’t sure if it was my text, but eventually Sandy made an appearance after lunch as if nothing had happened.

“Harry,” she squealed at me and ran over, throwing her arms around my neck. “It’s nice to know you missed me.”

“We all did,” I said, trying not to encourage her attentions any more than I already had.

“And you’re coming to the party tonight?”

“Sure, we both are. Right Haven?”

Haven nodded.

“I can’t wait. I’ve got something very short and very sexy to show you.” She winked at me, spun around and headed off.

“Now look what you’ve got me into,” I said to Haven.

“I think you can handle it. Anyway, I’m sure that not even you get movie stars offering themselves up to you every day of the week. Perhaps you should take her up on it.”

“I’m going to fuck
you
in Paris. I’m not interested in her,” I replied, enjoying the blush that spread across her throat as I did.

“Maybe I got off and that’s it for me. Had my fun.”

I reached across and stroked that beautiful face of hers. “You know that’s not even close to being true. There’s plenty of fun left to be had.”

The end of filming party was being held at Buddha Bar. Haven refused to let me in her room while she was getting ready, saying I was a distraction so I had a restless forty-five minute wait for her in the hotel bar.

When she walked in, I had to work hard to keep my cool. She looked incredible. Her hair was tumbling across her shoulders in waves and her eyes were sparkling. I couldn’t stop staring her.

“You’re amazing. Sandy won’t be happy.”

“What?”

“You know how she likes the spotlight. Everyone is going to be looking at you tonight, you’re so beautiful.”

I tilted her chin toward me and kissed her lightly on the lips.

“What do you want to drink?”

“Shouldn’t we get going?”

“I think we have time for a drink. I need to have you to myself for a little while.” If it had been up to me we wouldn’t be going to the party. I didn’t want to share her.

She grinned and took a seat. A waiter came and got our drinks order.

“Harry?” I heard a familiar voice behind me.

I turned around. “Hal,” I said surprised. I stood up and shook his hand. “Good to see you.”

“I would ask what you’re doing here, but given your company, I don’t need to.” He was staring at Haven and my temperature began to rise. He needed to keep his eyes off my girl.

“Hal, this is my friend Haven. Haven, this is Hal.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” Hal leaned over, took Haven’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’m Harry’s soon-to-be business partner.”

“Soon to be?” I asked.

“I was just talking about you with my corporate finance guy. He said your numbers were solid. I think you’re going to make me a rich man. Again.”

“Well, that’s great news. We should talk. I’d like to get my guy from Palo Alto like yesterday. And if you and I can finalise things, I’ll need to stand down the other potential investors.”

“Yeah, about that. If you didn’t want to put the whole fifteen mil in, I’m sure we could come to some arrangement and I could take a bigger slice of the equity.”

I laughed. His corporate finance guy must have really liked my numbers. “I’m comfortable with the fifteen mil, but thanks for the offer.”

“It was worth a try. Let’s talk on Monday. I’ll leave you to your beautiful girl. Have a good night.”

“What was that?” Haven asked as I sat down.

“That was the beginning of Elemental Energy. Fuck, this is brilliant. Now we’ve got even more to celebrate.”

“Elemental Energy?”

“The business I’ve been working to get funding for,” I replied. This trip to Paris had exceeded my expectations in so many ways.

“Oh, exciting. What was the fifteen million about?”

“My investment. I think he wants a bigger slice of the pie.” I was a little distracted, my mind ticking over next steps with Hal.

“And you’re putting in fifteen million?”

I nodded. We needed things on paper before I turned down the other investors. Hal didn’t do anything on a handshake.

“Fifteen million?” Haven asked.

I nodded again and tried to push everything but her out of my head.

“What, your father is putting in fifteen million pounds?”

“Jesus, Haven. My dad is a cop in Chicago. I’m not sure he has a spare fifteen million anything. Where do these assumptions about me come from?” I’d never denied I had money, I had the car to prove it, but I didn’t understand why she thought I couldn’t have made it myself. She was so ready to think the worst of me.

“So your father isn’t rich?” she asked.

“No. He lives on a cop’s salary. Won’t take a dime from me.”

“But what about the Aston Martin?” Did she think I robbed banks? Was it so difficult to believe that I might have made it myself?

“It’s my money, Haven. I started up an energy trading business. Hal put in most of the cash. It did very well. We sold it to Shell.”

“It did fifteen million well?” She asked.

“It did a hundred and eighty million well.” I wasn’t trying to show off. I wanted this discussion finished for once and for all.

“Holy crap.”

“Yeah, it did better than we expected.”

I watched her process the information, and it cooled my irritation. “You have a hundred and eighty million? You’re like rich with your own money rich,” she said.

“No, we sold the company for a hundred and eighty million. I only got about seventy.”

I relaxed and grinned at her. I’d never talked specifics before. Only with Beth. Which was probably why Beth moaned about still being in my old student flat.

“Only? You poor thing. How are you managing to get by with just seventy?”

I liked that nothing stopped her giving me shit. Having money had changed the way people were around me. Somehow my opinions seemed to count for a bit more. It had affected even some of my longest friendships and made me question people’s motives a lot more. I hated it.

“When did you sell?” she asked.

“Almost two years ago now. I need to get moving with Elemental Energy. It’s taken so long to get it to this stage.”

“So you’re setting up another business? Why aren’t you on some Caribbean island somewhere bathing in asses milk, eating truffles with diamond encrusted cutlery.”

I laughed. “It’s not really me, is it? And anyway, you said I was a walking cliché having an Aston Martin. How come you’re encouraging me to be more extravagant?”

“I’m not encouraging you. I just . . . It’s a shock.”

“And you don’t hate me for it?” I wondered if it would change how she saw me.

“Why would I hate you?” she asked.

“You don’t like people with money.”

“I don’t like lazy, spoiled, entitled people that live off other people’s money. You’ve proven you’re not any of those things.”

I found her knowing about my situation was a relief, and it pulled me closer toward her.

“That almost sounded like a compliment. Careful, I might get complacent.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you on your toes.”

I stood up and held out my hand. “I have no doubt. Let’s go. I want to dance with you.”

Haven

As we entered Buddha Bar, it was like stepping into a womb. The dim lighting made everything that wasn’t red glow, and the loud bass of the music sounded like an unrelenting heartbeat. It was sexual and provocative, as if we’d stepped into a different world where new rules applied. We started up the stairs to an area that was cordoned off as private. Jake held out his hand as I reached for the balustrade. I willingly accepted it. Ash had talked me into these shoes and they were fine for standing or sitting. But they were not made for walking.

“These shoes are ridiculous,” I said.

“They’re perfect. I’m going to fuck you in them.”

My stomach lilted and I had to pause for a second. I took a deep breath and continued the climb.

How long would we have to stay? An hour?

We rounded the corner, went through some red velvet curtains into a seating area where there were various faces I recognized. We found ourselves a seat with some of the cast who Jake seemed to know. Jake pulled my knees toward him, resting his hand on my outer thigh, inching me closer. Any doubt that we were together had just been erased. It felt good. I couldn’t hear their conversation and I didn’t try to join in. I let myself soak in the atmosphere. I didn’t know if it was the beat of the music that seemed to thrum against my heart, or Jake’s fingers stroking the stocking-covered skin of my thighs, or just the anticipation of what was next with him, but I felt like I was going to explode. I wanted to be alone with him. I wanted to be touching him. I wanted his warmth pressed against me.

Breaking into my thoughts, Sandy arrived with the director. They seemed to have got over their creative differences and were smiling and laughing. I wasn’t sure if Sandy had realised Jake and I were together, but either way as soon as she saw him she ran over and put herself on his lap, her arms round his neck.

“I’m going to miss not having you around, Harry. Say you’ll take me out when we get back to London,” she said, pouting.

“I’m sure we’ll arrange something. I told Dave I’d take him to dinner to thank him for the showing, so we should all get together.”

“Don’t you miss our one-on-one time, Harry?”

I didn’t like her so close to him. His touch felt like a finite resource that I didn’t want him using up on her. His hand didn’t move from my leg and I swept my fingers across his, wanting to deepen our connection. He glanced at me and stood, sliding her off his knee, excusing himself and heading to the restroom.

“I really appreciate the time you’ve spent with me,” I said to Sandy as she scowled in Jake’s direction. “I really hope you’ll like the article when it’s finished.”

As she turned toward me her smile reappeared. “It’s been my pleasure, Haven. If you need anything else, let me know.” She wandered back into a crowd of people, leaving me to my cocktail.

With the distraction of Sandy gone, I sank back into the dark, heavy beat of the music, the dim lighting, and my memories of the previous evening. The way Jake had made me feel under his tongue had been shocking and renewing.

Jake appeared next to me and he bent and whispered in my ear, “Come with me. I want to show you something.” He held his hand out and I slid my palm against his.

He led me through some velvet curtains at the other end of the room. On the other side was a dark, empty corridor. It was open to the restaurant below on one side, as if it was a large balcony. Jake kept walking.

“Where are we going?” I asked him.

He just cocked his head and continued our journey across the balcony corridor. At the other end was another curtain, black this time, and Jake led me inside another dark room and through to another corridor. Where was he taking me?

“Here,” he said.

We went up some steps and found ourselves in a small, unlit room with a small Juliet balcony overlooking the whole restaurant from front to back. The chatter of the diners was drowned out by the sexual hum of the music. We were on our own, but surrounded by people.

Jake slid his hands around my waist and I turned to meet his eyes.

“I’ve been wanting to get you alone all night,” he whispered.

“We’re not alone, Jake.” My nipples tightened against the lace of my bra and my resolve to wait wavered.

He bent forward and scraped his lips against mine, then dropped small kisses at the corner of my lips. My skin started vibrating from the warmth of him so close, combined with the bass of the music pumping through the speakers.