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“Hey, Sabrina.”
I twist my head in her direction, somewhat surprised to see her there. She looks at me inquisitively, not saying anything else for a moment. I’m stuck wondering just how long she’s been in my presence, and whether she heard me nearly telling the lady that Jackson and I aren’t together.
“Hi, Aliza. I didn’t see you there,” I say awkwardly.
“I didn’t scare you, did I?”
“Uh, no. I just didn’t see you is all.”
“Oh, that’s okay. You were talking to that woman, so I decided to wait till you were done.”
“For what?” I tilt my head out of curiosity.
“I was hoping to talk to you about last—”
“Sabrina, come over here,” Jackson yells across the deck, stopping Aliza mid-sentence.
Grateful for his timing, I say goodbye and scurry over to where he still stands with the gang from earlier. There’s one person, though, who wasn’t here when I left.
Jackson opens his arm, pulling me close. I hand him the beer, and he plants a kiss to my forehead. Taking the drink in his free hand, he says, “Listen, I want you to meet this guy right here. He just launched this cool new video editing software, and I think you two could connect. Adam, this is Sabrina Rogers, she’s the CEO—”
“Of Dymanix PR. The true queen of digital and visual marketing,” Adam finishes his sentence, with a bit more embellishment.
“That’s her,” Jackson boasts while giving me another peck to my forehead.
“You know who I am?” I quiz, shaking his hand.
“Yes, I do. You just won the AVA Award. It’s a pretty small world, because I was just telling my partners that we should reach out to you. I was highly impressed with your portfolio and your work on that Cola campaign. We need your talents.”
“Well, we’re here now. I have a few minutes to chat about your vision. If you’re willing?”
“That would be great,” he says eagerly.
Adam and I spend the next several minutes engrossed in talk of his business. He shares his goals and vision for his company without giving too much away. I share how I’d love the chance to set a meeting when we all arrive home and present him with a mock-up marketing plan and to submit an official pitch. Adam agrees, and we both review our calendars to mutually select a date. Always prepared, I reach into my wristlet and retrieve a business card. He does the same, and we wrap things up and head back over to the group.
When I turn, I make eye contact with Jackson, his lustful gaze stirring the heat inside me. I smile, trying desperately not to give away how incredibly turned on I am by the sight of him. Last night’s kiss left me craving a lot more than a few wet pecks to my forehead. Jackson leaves his friends, meeting me halfway and bidding a goodbye to Adam.
“Walk, shall we?” he says once we’re just inches from each other.
I follow his lead past the buffet and out around the pool as we stroll the length of the deck.
“How did the talk with Adam go?”
“Pretty good! We’ve set a date for me to submit a pitch for my plans for his software. Thanks for the introduction.”
“Oh, no problem at all. I know you can do wonderful things for him.”
“I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome. I know we’ve kind of been hanging out, but… I’d love to potentially discuss my partner and I investing in you.”
“In me? Or my brand?”
“I’d love to invest in you, but your brand would be a great start.” He smiles slyly, gently bumping against me.
I smirk. “You don’t think that would be a conflict of interest?”
“Why would it be?”
