PerspectivesII: Chapter 10
Perspectives II
MarshAngel

Chapter 10




Raye walked into the room with a regal air befitting any princess. As usual her father's dinner parties were rather large. She looked around wondering just what to do at that moment when she noticed her father heading directly for her. Her father was just below average height, stocky but handsome and sported a mustache, with him were three men two of whom she recognized as Congressman Bill Roberts and Senator Janet Daley.

The one she didn't know was considerably younger and much taller than the other two and had all the arrogance of one who had been born into wealth. His golden blonde hair and bright green eyes gave him the appearance of an all American boy, but he was old enough to be considered a man, just a few years older than her she assumed.

The group made their way over to her. "Representative, Roberts, Senator Daley, I'm sure you remember my daughter Raye."

Both parties nodded and Raye shook both their hands.

"Yes of course, I remember this beautiful girl of yours. I hear you've been doing well at Georgetown," Senator Daley said.

Raye didn't doubt the source of that information. He would have said the same even if she had been on the verge of flunking out.

"I see my father's been boasting again," she said smiling.

"He has every right," Roberts added.

"Raye, darling," her father began, "I would like you to meet Jason Scott, my new financial adviser."

Raye shook his hand and was annoyed by his bright smile and twinkling eyes that hinted mischief. Somehow he seemed familiar to her.

"Mr. Scott is from San Francisco, he is here for a short time, reviewing my accounts and giving me some advice; excellent advice may I add."

"I do my best," Jay added."

There was absolutely no reason why this man should annoy her, he just did. He wasn't like any of her father's other business associates. To start, he was much younger, significantly more good looking and he didn't seem as anal retentive as the others, and he wasn't going bald any time soon. He was too perfect. She was very wary of perfection.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Hino." His voice was smooth and light.

She nodded and returned his greeting without a touch of emotion. Raye the Woman of Ice had returned in full force.

Jay greeted his new protégé's daughter, his brilliant smile had everything to do with the fact that she was even more gorgeous then he'd remembered her being so long ago in the moon kingdom. This sophisticated beauty before him was his soul mate. He was definitely going to enjoy this, he suspected it would be as it had been before, she would hate everything about him before she gave up partially out of exasperation at having met her match and partially out of the fact that even she couldn't deny love.

He had sought out Mr. Hino when Serena had informed him, he was Raye's, Sailor Mars' father. He had offered his financial advice so he would have an opportunity to meet and get close to his daughter Raye, the princess of Mars. He had spent plenty of time considering just what he would say to her when he saw her, how he'd woo her, everything he'd do to win her over.

He suspected it would be a battle, one that he'd enjoy every moment of. If he remembered correctly, she disliked not being in control. When she felt out of control the fiery anger inside her blazed and flared like a raging volcano or the surface of a star. He remembered enjoying every moment he had managed to drive her to the limit, and the beauty of her face as she had yelled and screamed her anger at him. He almost never heard what she had to say at those times and it absolutely infuriated her.

For the rest of the evening Jay spent a good deal of time staring at her. Even when she wasn't looking she could feel his eyes on her, and it was extremely unnerving. It would be just like her father to choose a psychotic stalker as his financial advisor. He wasn't a particularly good judge of character.

Raye considered herself extremely lucky not to have been left alone with this strange, though handsome, man. If she had, she would have told him just what she thought of his staring. Even as she was thinking this, her luck ran out and it seemed everyone she had been talking to just moments before had simply disappeared leaving her with this strange man.

He father had excused himself to speak with the caterer who was just about ready to serve dinner and Senator Daley and Mr. Roberts had moved on to speak to their fellow politicians. That left her with the handsome Mr. Scott from San Francisco.

Jay was surprised when Raye calmly turned and spoke to him. It was very unlike what he'd remembered of her. His staring should have sufficiently annoyed her, so much so that she should have turned around and snapped at him by now. Instead she spoke in a smooth emotionless tone and stated:

"I really don't appreciate your staring Mr. Scott. Is there something the matter? If you find something about me that's faulty, I'd be pleased if you'd let me know."

"Beauty is never a fault, Sailor Mars," he said smiling at her, his voice barely above a whisper.

Her eyes widened in equivalence to his grin. Good, he thought, I've managed to shock the icy mask of her face. Raye was stunned, shocked, and scared. She couldn't find anything to say. She hadn't been Sailor Mars for years, but it was too late to deny any knowledge of her alternate identity, as the shock on her face betrayed her. Jay stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear, his breath warm on her skin.

"Don't worry, it will be our little secret, princess."

He began to walk away, from her leaving her to ponder the puzzle of this strange man who seemed to know everything about her. She wasn't about to just let him walk away however. She regained her composure and before he could walk away from her, she grabbed his arm and held him tight.

"Who are you?"

Jay hadn't expected her to be so composed so soon and was surprised when she felt him grab his arm rather tightly, her grip barely allowing him circulation; she was stronger than she looked.

"How do you know who I am? What do you want from me?"

"So many questions, my dear and…" a glass clinked loudly as her father called attention to his guest by tapping a champagne flute with a small fork. "…It seems dinner is served," he said smiling one of his brilliant shiny white grins at her. He was as relieved at the interruption as she was annoyed by it. He just wasn't ready to tell her everything just yet, not when she would be so much more annoyed if she had to wait or figure it out on her own.

Raye let him go, unwillingly as all the guests proceeded to the dining room. There were many thoughts running through her head at the moment. After all these years could he be a new enemy? Could she handle him on her own if she had to? How did he know who she was? Why did he seem so familiar?

All through dinner she pondered the answers to these questions without arriving at an answer. She was so deep in thought she hardly noticed Jay's glances, smiles or the fact that despite being hungry, she'd barley touched her dinner.

Much to her annoyance, she didn't get an opportunity to speak to him again for the rest of the night. Even when she went home and prepared for bed her mind was still on him and for the first time in a long while her dreams had nothing to do with her guilty feelings about the past. Instead, they seemed to center around Jay, his face whirling around in her mind. The thoughts grew darker and her dreams had a certain desperation to them. Eventually she found herself sitting up in bed in the early morning hours, his name on her lips, "Jadeite."
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