Fire We Make (Jackson and Liane Book 1) (2 page)

Three

Caliente never understood Jackson. She was convinced she never would.

Not that she wanted to understand the enigma. He was friendly to all and open to a fault. He would let someone ‘in’ as much as he wanted them to, and that was that. Ever since he opened the Honey Ranch on the outskirts of Las Vegas, he went to extra lengths to keep his business and personal lives as separate as possible. He divided his time between his three brothels and prospering online business, while entertaining clients from all backgrounds.

Of course, Jackson was never lonely.

There were fifty girls between the three brothels and it wasn’t a question if Jackson had sampled all of them. Caliente snickered as she thought about some of the girls. Some swore up and down that they were going to be Jackson’s new girlfriend because of how he’d treated them. Others bided their time until it was ‘their turn.’

Caliente knew better. Jackson may have fucked them but he wasn’t going to be committed to any of them. He might buy them gifts and treat them on their birthdays, but he wasn’t going to meet the parents. He was content running the show and the girls being the main stars. He had no desire to do anything more. At least not with them.

She knew where his heart was and most importantly, where his dick wanted to be. Liane. The woman that brought him down and the one he desired more than anything. Caliente was so sure that Jackson wanted Liane to know what he was doing, she wouldn’t be surprised she was the real reason behind the reality show series and website.

Not that Jackson hid Liane. Whenever someone asked him about his personal life, Jackson simply replied with, ‘there’s someone’ and left it at that. He never divulged too much, nor did he let on to anyone that Liane was in law enforcement. It wouldn’t have mattered since the girls catered to many of Las Vegas’ finest.

No, Liane was different. Her look, her personality, her…
aura
, oh yes. Her
aura
is what got Jackson going and kept him running like a steady stream. His face remained stoic whenever he talked about her but Caliente knew better. Jackson’s face lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning.

Liane’s visit was the first in years, and Jackson went out of his way to make all of the brothels were spotlessly clean. For the first time as far as Caliente could remember, there wasn’t going to be any filming done while Liane was there. Jackson hired a cleaning service to do a thorough job of all of the brothels. That was when Caliente knew how sprung Jackson was; the ranches weren’t even that clean for the random “inspections” from law enforcement checking to see if laws were being obeyed.

Caliente rolled her eyes at Jackson’s “generosity.” Liane wouldn’t step foot inside any of the brothels during her visit and Jackson went out of his way to make sure there wouldn’t be any cameras on her at any time. Jackson didn’t even think of his own mother in this high regard, yet Liane was given the royal visit treatment.

Better Liane than that bitch Angela,
Caliente smirked. She was a big Hollywood star now and any history of her prostitution past was fully erased. Even if Caliente wanted to sell her story to the tabloids, it was a guarantee Jackson would find her and commit horrific acts that would make her wish he killed her instead. But Caliente would never betray Jackson that way, not because of some loyalty owed to him, but rather, she didn’t want to give up her income and freedom at the ranch. She was pulling in close to six figures
after
she paid Jackson and that money was hers to keep. She would be a bonafide idiot to give that money.

Besides Caliente had more pressing matters; she had to put on a nice act for Queen Liane and be on her best behavior for the weekend visit. Then once Liane left, it would be back to normal as if nothing ever happened. Good. Liane being there had the potential to mess up her money and she was not going to stop just because Jackson wanted to please his little girlfriend.

They both would have to deal.

“Are you ready for the weekend?” Jackson stopped by Caliente’s room. He rested an arm on the doorway and peeped inside.

Caliente finished applying a deep maroon color to her lips and smacked them together. She turned around and smiled at Jackson. “How do I look?”

She looked like a goddess. A wonderful, exquisite vixen.  The amber in her brown eyes sparkled against the sunlight, creating dangerous warmth to them. Her pouty, full lips beckoned him to come closer if he dared. Her almond skin glowed, smoothed over with oil and smelled like sandalwood and musk.

“You look amazing, Layla.” Jackson walked inside the bedroom and sat behind her on the bed. “Are you ready for the weekend?”

“Yeah,” Caliente smiled, revealing a radiant smile. “It’s always fun when the NBA comes to town.”

“Lots and lots of money to be made. Everyone wins in this.” Jackson paused before he spoke again. “Liane is coming to town so I’ll be entertaining her while you girls are busy.”

Caliente felt she had to strain her eyes from rolling so hard. She could not possibly fathom why Jackson still pined for a woman that effectively destroyed his business in Los Angeles. He wasn’t quite banned from starting up another – and legit – business in L.A. but Jackson knew better. Cops would’ve had daily surveillance on him and whatever he did. The risk just was not worth it.

Now the very woman who made all of them uproot and move to Nevada is coming for a visit? “I don’t understand,” she answered, “why do you still see her?”

“I haven’t,” Jackson honestly answered, “this is the first time since everything happened.”

“She could’ve put you away for a long time, Daddy.” Caliente spoke to him through the mirror. “She’s the reason why we’re here to begin with.”

“You’re making more money now than you ever have been and you’re complaining?” Jackson smiled.

“You know what I meant,” Caliente’s eyes hardened, “she could’ve destroyed you. She still can if she wanted to.”

“She could, but she didn’t, and she won’t.” He met Caliente’s hard gaze with one of his own. “Why are you concerned about her visit all of a sudden? You’ve known about it for weeks now.”

“I don’t want another sting operation in case you forgot what happened last time.” Caliente forced a grin. “I don’t want to be anywhere around her or this place when it happens.”

“It’s not going to happen,” Jackson declared, annoyed he had to explain Liane’s visit. If it weren’t for the fact that Caliente had every reason to be suspicious, he would’ve walked out of the room already. Jackson had to silently admit the thought of Liane setting him up again did run across his mind more often than not. He never tried to convince Liane to come see him but when he presented the offer to her, she accepted without hesitation.

Jackson successfully silenced the would-be alarms going off in his head. “It’ll be fine.”

“What’s so special about her?” Layla asked. “I don’t remember you being all hot and bothered with that bitch Angel?”

“She’s special to me and that’s all you need to know,” Jackson sharply replied.

Layla got up and shook her head. “Whatever, Daddy.”

“Layla?”

She turned around and faced him. “Yeah?”

“That’ll be the last time you’re going to refer to Angel as a bitch again,” his gaze turned icy, “you hear me?”

Layla quickly retreated. “Yes, Daddy.” She left.

Jackson calmly stared out the window. It had been too long since he’d seen Liane and wondered if the visit from her was even a good idea on both of their parts.

He would find out in a few hours.

Four

She knew it was a special occasion when Jackson chartered a private jet for her.

She wasn’t a fan of small planes. Too small and the thought of being in a crash clouded her reasonable judgment. However, the Gulfstream was very nice. She didn’t know if Jackson owned it and wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that he did. The thought that he went beyond to cater to her made Liane feel like she was the queen of the world.

She’d already gotten accustomed to it.

The flight from L.A. to Vegas was relatively uneventful. Just when Liane was getting ready to stretch her legs and relax, the light came on indicating they were about to land. She was so relaxed, sipping out of a small flute of champagne and had personal service with her only flight attendant. The crew referred to her as Ms. Chang and never once addressed her by her first name. Liane would like to think it was out of respect and they all do that. It then occurred to her they were under instruction from Jackson. It was treatment she’d already gotten used to.

When she arrived at the airport, she didn’t have to walk too far when she saw him. Her breath became lodged in her throat and her heart slammed against her chest.

Jackson
.

His name came out like a harsh breath, as if she’d been holding it for a while and waited for the right time to finally release it. He stood in front of her, his physique fully filling out an open collar black dress shirt and matching slacks. Aviator sunglasses covered his intense blue eyes and his blond hair had the just right amount of bedhead to it.

It was then Liane knew she didn’t just like Jackson. Her body craved him, her heart desired him, and her soul needed him. Her mind that told her he was no good and Liane didn’t have to count the many ways that he wasn’t. They both knew. That’s what made it the love between them so good.

It was what made the love between them so forbidden.

“There’s my girl,” he purred as she walked up to him. He opened his arms and Liane practically leapt to him. “How was your flight, baby?”

Liane briefly closed her eyes and relished the feel of him. He felt like an unexpected and perfect, sunny day in the middle of winter. His cologne tickled her nose with its notes of musk, wood, and sandalwood. His embrace made her feel at home.

She was home.

“My flight was good,” she finally answered and looked up at him. “How are you?”

Jackson pushed the sunglasses off his face. His cobalt blue eyes sparkled down at Liane. “I’m doing much better now.” He picked up her bag and interlocked fingers with her as they walked out to the parking lot. “Are you hungry?”
She loved the feeling of his fingers interlaced with hers. It seemed her brain went on vacation as her heart gladly took over the reins. “Famished.”

“Good,” Jackson walked them to his car – a money-green Mercedes-Benz AMG – and unlocked the trunk for Liane. He placed her luggage in there before he opened the passenger door for her. He got into the driver’s seat and buckled up. “Before we leave…” He reached over and kissed her. His lips softly enveloped hers while their tongues danced. He finally pulled back and started the car. “Now we’re ready.”

****

She was breathtakingly beautiful. It had been a couple of years since he’d last seen her in person but it didn’t make a difference. She was just as gorgeous sitting in front of him like she was years ago.

He took her to a popular steakhouse and reserved a private room for them. He ordered their meals and went into great detail over the wine selection, though he could tell some of it went over Liane’s head. It didn’t matter. He just wanted to enjoy her.

Over dinner, they caught up with each other’s private lives. Liane was still doing undercover sting work. Jackson opened his third brothel. They both had dated but found nothing serious in their exploits.

It wasn’t that Jackson waited for Liane. He knew his role in her life and respected it, though he could admit, he wasn’t sure how big his part really was. It was true he wasn’t in the starring role, but he definitely wasn’t a background player.

Liane, however, was always the star in his show. “Why did you come to visit me?” He asked as they awaited dessert.

Liane rested her neck in her palm. The million-dollar question and she was currently speechless. It was a question she’d asked herself as she packed, as she boarded, and even as she landed. She knew what the answer was but she also knew Jackson wasn’t ready to hear it. “To end things,” she said softly.

Jackson grinned and took a sip of his craft beer. To end things, she said, though it wasn’t quite what he’d believed. If Liane wanted to end things, she sure wouldn’t be at dinner with him and she could’ve easily told him over a video chat if she really wanted face-to-face.

Regardless if she was lying or not, the admission stung more than it should, though he wasn’t sure why. “We need to have something first before we end anything, you think?”

“Don’t play games, J.” She quietly responded. “You know what we have and you know what this is.”

“What is it?” He challenged her.

A mix of emotions took over Liane’s spirit, creating a category-five storm within her. Anger. Sadness. Elation. Arousal. Confusion. All at the same time and all with the same intensity. She took a sip of wine in hopes to quiet her emotions. “I’m not your girlfriend.”

“I’m fully aware of that.” He responded.

“We’re not dating.”

“You’re preaching to the choir.”

Liane knew what Jackson was doing and didn’t care for it at all. She didn’t know if it was reverse psychology, another form of manipulation, or maybe, just maybe, Jackson’s feelings towards her were not that serious. Maybe she looked too deep into the kiss. Maybe the private jet ride and being catered to was just typical Jackson behavior and she shouldn’t consider herself the lucky one. “We’re not good for each other.” She stated. She read his eyes and her stomach did a backflip when she saw a twinkle within them.

“Lee, I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. You can leave now if you want. I won’t ever speak of this trip and I will completely wash my hands of you after you leave.” He replied.

“So why don’t I believe you?” She questioned.

“Because it’s not what you want,” he reached over and grabbed her hand. She didn’t fight back. “And it’s not what I want, neither.”

She didn’t let go of his hand. Her head told her it was because of defiance but her heart argued otherwise. “What do you want out of this?”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly, “I know I don’t want to lose you but I don’t know anything more than that.”

Liane grinned. Jackson promised her everything and guaranteed her absolutely nothing at the same time. It was the best he could do and all she could expect. “And what do you expect me to do with that information?”

“You can do whatever you want with it.” Jackson smiled. He stood up and offered his hand. “Come with me.”

Liane took Jackson’s hand and followed him to the balcony. They stepped outside into the brisk December night and Liane immediately felt the goose bumps rose on her arms. Jackson led her to the balcony wall and stood behind her, wrapping his muscular arms around her. She immediately felt safe, warm, and comforted within his embrace.

“When I was a kid, I used to spend hours looking up at the stars. I would spend countless hours trying to figure out the constellations and maybe create my own if I didn’t like what I saw. Then I would make my own Star Wars with these stars on the left, battling these stars on the right. Whenever a plane flew, I would pretend that was a missile launch to attack the enemy.” He chuckled and Liane smiled. “I still do that from time to time, though privately. I can’t let the girls know how much of a nerd I am.”

Liane slowly turned around and looked into the depths of Jackson’s blue eyes. They softened to sky blue and she saw the warmth within them. “Each time I have you figured out, you surprise me.”

Jackson leaned in and kissed her, his lips sweeping over hers over and over. He slipped his tongue inside and once again, they danced until he reluctantly pulled away. “Stop trying to figure me out.”