Zuri Day - Diamond Dreams

“I see you’ve pulled off yet another top-notch event,” Jackson finally said, waving his hand in acknowledgment of the well-heeled crowd.

“It’s easy to do when you have friends in high places,” Erin responded. “Besides, this cause really feels good. With the fundraisers planned, we’ll be able to send at least twenty-five students to highly accredited colleges and, after graduation, through our partnerships with local businesses such as yours, help some of them get started in their professional careers. Oh, speaking of local businesses, someone has just come in that I want you to meet.”

Jackson turned to see to whom Erin referred and saw a vision that took his breath away. Diamond Drake lived up to her name, lighting up the courtyard as she waltzed in, the epitome of grace and beauty. Her dress was a simple one-shoulder design, the deep-red iridescent fabric perfectly complementing her sun-kissed sienna skin. Jackson’s eyes continued to travel upward, taking in a long neck and what? She cut her hair! The short hairdo fit her spunky personality, he immediately decided, noting that it emphasized her high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes. Her makeup was simple, as was her jewelry. When you are a diamond, you don’t need to overaccessorize. His gait was strong and purposeful, his thoughts predatory, as he walked toward her.

* * *

Later, Diamond would pride herself on not having tripped in her four-inch heels as shock consumed her. What is he doing here? This was a five-thousand-dollar-per-person gathering of the county’s most elite players. How did a construction worker, even a foreman, wrangle an invite and then afford such an expensive one? And how did one transform from looking perfectly at home on a construction site, complete with sweaty T-shirt and dusty jeans, to looking as if he owned the world in a tux that emphasized his broad shoulders, narrow waist and long legs, and a stark white shirt that highlighted caramel skin? Diamond’s eyes narrowed as they finally settled on the woman walking beside Jackson, La Jolla’s premiere socialite, Erin Bridges. She felt as if she were looking at the answer to how Jackson got invited to the event and didn’t try and ignore the stab of jealousy that arose at the prospect that the construction site might not be the only place Jackson was making use of his skilled hands.

“Diamond, you look lovely!” Erin reached Diamond with arms outstretched and gave air kisses to both cheeks. “You cut your hair. I love it!”

“Decided it was time for a change,” Diamond said, running a hand through the shortened crop she was still getting used to, and feeling suddenly shy under Jackson’s intense gaze. With effort, she kept her eyes on Erin. “You look amazing. That dress is stunning.”

“Oh, just a little something I picked up last week in Italy. It’s a Roberto Cavalli original.”

“Roberto…of course.” Diamond’s statement was to Erin, but she’d lost the fight to keep her eyes off Jackson. Or was his name Magnet? By the way she was drawn to him, she couldn’t tell.

“Diamond, I’d like you to meet Jackson Wright, the ‘Boss’ of Boss Construction and philanthropist to a variety of worthwhile causes.”

Diamond’s eyes narrowed as realization dawned. Her father and brothers had always referred to the owner of the construction company as Boss, not Jackson. Diamond had assumed they were simply referring to him by his title and had never considered that the name of the company actually referred to a person. It had never mattered to her one way or the other—until now. “So…is your name Jackson or Boss?”

“Jackson, but most of my friends call me Boss.”

“Making sure that everyone knows you’re the head honcho?”

“That’s what my mom called me. She said that even in diapers I was pretty headstrong and was barking orders by the time I was crawling. The nickname stuck.” It was one of the few things from his childhood that Jackson had kept.

Diamond felt enough sparks were flying to send a shuttle to the moon. She stared at Jackson and barely noticed when a guest came over to steal Erin away. For a moment, she lost herself in the heat emanating from Jackson’s gaze and wondered how hot his kiss would feel. Diamond let the fire in her core rise to her brain. Earlier, Jackson had duped her. He hadn’t come clean about who he was at the job.

“Boss Wright?” she murmured, her face fixed in a look of subtle chagrin. “Owner of Boss Construction?” She realized that Jackson was still holding her hand and deftly pulled it away from him.

“At your service,” Jackson replied, nonplussed, reaching to grab her hand again.

“Stop it!” Diamond spat between clenched teeth, even as she worked to maintain a neutral expression for anyone watching. “You’ve got a lot of nerve standing here all nonchalant after lying to me this afternoon.”

“Lying? How so?”

“By not telling me who you were when showing me around the construction site.”

“Oh, you mean back at the vineyard where you were acting like a spoiled BAP, the Black American princess threatening to have me fired because I came on to you? I didn’t lie to you. There were simply some things that I didn’t reveal.”

Diamond cursed her body for reacting to this silkily drawled truth. “I specifically spoke about discussing you with the owner.”

“Which you may have known were one and the same had you not interrupted my introduction. Assuming that I was the supervisor is on you.”

“I’d say you were being uncooperative at best and deceptive at worst.”

“Well, baby,” Jackson said, the single glass of bubbly obscuring his common sense, the intense desire for her usurping the lack of confidence left over from his early years and pride developed in his later ones, “you’re getting ready to have a cause for rank insubordination because I’ve got to be honest. Before this night is over, I’d like to get real acquainted with those soft, luscious-looking lips of yours and find out if the rest of your body is as soft as your arm. How’s that sound?”

“It sounds like a man who’d like to get slapped,” Diamond retorted, even as the image she’d fought all afternoon—the one that had them skin to skin from head to toe—flashed in her mind. “It sounds like a cocky, arrogant jerk who has obviously gotten women to drop their panties way too easily.”

“Well, there is some truth to that.”

“I think I’ve heard enough.”

She got ready to walk away, but Jackson’s words stopped her. “Ask yourself why I’m so getting on your nerves, why you’ve been snapping at me since we’ve met. And don’t feed yourself the lame excuse that it’s because of not knowing who I was at the site.”

“Well, you should know about lame.”

“Wow, spoken like a princess reprimanding the help.” He continued despite her huff. “Maybe I should have come clean and told you I owned the company, but I’m glad I didn’t. My anonymity gave me the opportunity to see firsthand how you treat my men. And like I said this afternoon, you don’t have the right to talk down to them or anyone else.”

Did this fool just check me on how I handle my business on my property? “I’ll admit that your men have always been respectful, an area in which you could learn a thing or two. Like now, telling me how to act and what to say. Just who do you think you are?”

“A man who’s not afraid of your last name, that’s who,” Jackson replied. Mr. Bravado was obviously still riding shotgun. “And one who sees what he wants and goes after it.” Diamond got ready to interrupt him, but Jackson held up his hand and continued. “You’ve got quite the reputation among the men—powerful, no nonsense, untouchable. They say you don’t come to the site much, and when you do, you keep your distance. But I detect a fire underneath that cool exterior. We’re grown folk, Diamond, and I have no need to beat around the bush. I find you attractive as hell, and I want to get to know you better…a lot better. I think you want to get to know me, too. Am I right?”