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same
smiling, happy-go-lucky man that had gone upstairs to dress for the reception,
but it wasn ’ t his place
to pry; if his friend wanted to confide in him, he knew where to find him.
Jason just hoped Steve wasn ’ t making a
huge mistake in marrying Hope. There was something about her that didn ’ t sit right with him. She was an
extremely confident woman which was to be expected by virtue of what she did
for a living. She was smart, a good conversationalist, funny and very
beautiful. She was also one of the most narcissistic and conniving women Jason
had ever met.
    The first
time he had been introduced to Hope he felt as though every comment she
directed at him was done in an attempt to gauge his reaction, to size him up
for something she had planned for later. Her interactions with him in the first
instance reminded him of a documentary he had seen as a child of a lioness
stalking its prey, waiting for the right moment to pounce, to devour.
    He hadn ’ t had to wait too long for her to make
her move. His mind ran back over the weekend all three of them had spent
together months ago. He recalled that a friend of Hope ’ s should have been joining them but had unexpectedly canceled at
the last moment. Jason wondered if the friend had been Aviva. If it was, he
fantasized that by now their relationship would have been well established.
    Returning
to his original line of thought, himself, Steve and Hope were to spend the
weekend at his house in Newport Harbor. The house was by no means the most
expensive held in his portfolio but it was his favorite. The Mediterranean
style architecture and views of the coastline relaxed him, soothed him. When he
stayed at that particular house, all the hustle and bustle that were normally
associated with his life were left behind. He could relax and be himself, the
fa ç ade of contentment of
all that he had accomplished in his thirty-four years could be left behind,
once again being just plain Jason King, the boy who grew up without a family
and who spent a lot of time being taken care of by the state. Who would have
thought that from such humble beginnings where he had so little, he would own
million dollar homes throughout the country.
    Steve
wanted to expand their company to take on world-wide projects. After a business
trip to Italy two and a half years ago he had returned bursting with enthusiasm
about the opportunities the country had to offer, sure in the knowledge that
their property development business was strong enough to take on the world-wide
market. Jason wasn ’ t so sure,
nor was he ready for the commitment such a venture would necessitate. Something
other than the development market, currently in a state of flux all over the
world, was holding him back from taking the next and obvious step in the growth
of their business. The world-wide recession in some cases was the perfect
opportunity to make a financial killing, yet Jason still had reservations. He
had unfinished business to take care of, business he kept very close to his
chest – Steve had no part in this portion of his affairs and he intended to keep it that way.
    Steve had
not only returned with big ideas of venturing into the Italian property market
but with tales of the beautiful model he met in Milan. Jason had heard of her,
after all he was a connoisseur of dating models, he liked models; but they were
only around as long as they didn ’ t make
demands he was unwilling to fulfill. This was the case with any woman he dated.
    He
consciously kept up a sort of rotation, illustrating that he was not about to
settle down. A few of the women had made overtures of wanting something more
permanent. He went into every new affair with honesty. He was not the marrying
kind, he didn ’ t do
relationships, if they wanted more, they would have to look elsewhere for that
particular need to be met. What he could do however, was show them a good time,
he had enough money for most of the women he propositioned to take him