A/N: Hello guys!
Woah, after this super intense finale of the RJ saga, I think some of you could use a little distraction in form of fanfiction. Luckily I was able to finish the new chapter here yesterday!
I really, really hope you like it, we're getting more and more into the story hehe.
I want to thank totorsg for betaing the plot and give a huge thank you to (isn't she just super awesome?!) for betaing my crappy grammar and punctuation for this chapter.

Okay guys, I'm looking for a new beta for this story and wanted to ask you, if you could recommend someone to me who is not just a native speaker but also a good writer him/herself and able to find my mistakes. Furthermore, this shouldn't be your first beta job. Maybe you're interested in doing it yourself, but please only if you really want to do this and if you think you can manage it. Please let me know via pm if you're interested and I'll let you know ;)

Now please enjoy the new chapter!

(7)

Jane was totally on time when he casually jogged up the few stairs towards the front entrance of the hotel. He was glad Mashburn had given in to his request to have Cho as his chauffeur for the rest of his stay, this time only with a long, black limousine that really showed off.

To his own surprise, the Korean had actually smiled when Jane came back down and hopped into the waiting vehicle. Maybe the man wasn't as emotionless as an ice-berg after all. Well, that was one more challenge Jane could add to his list. The biggest of all though was waiting for him in the foyer of the hotel, hopefully wearing a pretty dress.

Jane straightened his dark blue suit and combed his fingers through his hair, feeling actually kind of nervous, although there was no reason to be. This was no date. He paid Teresa for accompanying him to this completely mundane dinner he had to attend. Now, he would pay her, if she actually got her cute little butt down here…

The businessman looked around feeling a little annoyed but also reminded of every woman he ever went out with. Women were always late no matter if you gave them thirty minutes to get ready or three hours. Perhaps he should go upstairs and get her; he didn't want to be late.

Just then the manager of the hotel appeared next to him, smiling mysteriously. "Mr. Jane? Miss Teresa is awaiting you at the bar. This way please."

Jane followed him wordlessly, curious, why she decided to meet him there and not in the lobby just like he'd told her.

When they entered the bar area, which was not as crowded as he thought it would be, the blond haired man was curiously looking around, his eyes searching for the one woman he wanted to see. A small woman right in front of him, sitting with her back towards him caught his attention. She was wearing a black dress and dark red heels, her hair was carefully put up with little glittery clips on one side while a part of it was resting in perfect locks on her right shoulder.

She was alone, just as if she was waiting for someone.

"Miss Teresa?" Bosco said, his voice only a little raised. The woman at the bar flinched and seemed to take a deep breath before she finally turned around, a nervous smile on her face.

It was Teresa indeed, Jane realized. She looked beautiful, no, breathtaking. As she came closer, he was surprised how long her legs actually were in this little piece of fabric and how smooth her movements seemed. Now he could see that the dress wasn't just plain dark as he first thought, but was actually a shade of a very dark green that looked lovely with her eyes.

Teresa wasn't wearing a lot of jewellery, just earrings with a little white glass stone in it and the cross she never seemed to go without. A little nervously, she stopped in front of them, her eyes looking shortly over toBosco, who nodded approvingly.

It seemed like she had made a new friend during his absence, Jane smirked. To be honest, he first thought the manager would make some kind of trouble, but apparently, the little lady here had warmed the stone cold heart of the man. She really was something special.

"You look beautiful", the businessman said honestly, stepping forward to take her hand and kiss it. Her slightly blushing cheeks and the nervous fumbling with her clutch were reward enough for him.

"Thank you," she breathed, relieved, "I wasn't sure you would like it."

"Oh, I love it, my dear. I fear I will get some very jealous looks in my direction tonight, because I'm the one who gets to accompany such a lovely lady like you." Jane offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

The brunette nodded with a smile that almost made his legs weaken. He gave Bosco a polite smile before he guided Teresa out of the bar towards the exit.

"I'm really glad you found something. Did you have fun?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, the woman, Miss Madeleine, who sold me the dress, was very nice to me. She even helped me with the right shoes and my hair."

Although Jane was surprised she hadn't bought the dress on Rodeo Drive like he'd suggested, he was glad she had a good time. Bosco must have given her the address. He knew Miss Madeleine Hightower's boutique since he ordered one of his best suits there, but there was more behind the story. Anyway, now wasn't the right time to talk about things that might upset his little beauty.

They walked down the stairs and towards the limousine where Cho was waiting for them, holding up the door.

"Oh, Mr. Cho," Teresa exclaimed happily, giving him a wide smile, "I didn't know you would be our driver for the whole week!"

"Good evening, Miss Teresa. Now, it seems like Mr. Jane talked to my boss and seemed to have good reasons to make him keep me," the Korean answered emotionlessly, but when Teresa hugged him quickly, his eyes flickered with emotion.

"I love that you are staying with us."

"She is right," Jane added, "But I'm afraid we have to continue out chit-chat inside the car, otherwise we're going to be late. Get in, Teresa, I'll explain everything to you once we are on our way."

The more Teresa tried not to act nervous, the more she actually did. Jane watched the young woman out of the corner of his eye, while his hand made calming movements on her back. Maybe he should have left her a little bit more time to prepare for this after all.

"Breathe", he mumbled, "In… and out… It's going to be fine, Teresa. I know you can do it." He stopped in front of the entrance of the restaurant, to give her the chance to take a few more breaths, until she finally nodded and waited for him to open the door.

The restaurant beamed with a modern, but friendly elegance, not as bad as she first thought it would be. The furniture was a perfect balance of red and white with a few golden elements. All waitresses were dressed up in the same uniform, wearing a big smile on their faces.

Teresa needed a second to take everything in and was grateful Jane let her, before he gave a waitress the sign to approach them and lead them to their table in a corner of the room, where three guests were already waiting for them. The two men and the woman raised the moment Jane and his accompany arrived at the table.

"Enchantée, Miss Van Pelt, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you." Jane greeted the tall red headed young lady in the black dress with a kiss on the hand, giving her his most charming smile. She blushed furiously, an action that made the tall dark haired man tense up immediately.

Teresa supposed this was her fiancé Mr. Rigsby. The greeting went on, this time with two firm handshakes between the blond, Rigsby and an older man, who had to be Mr. Minelli.

"Mr. Minelli, Mr. Rigsby, please meet my lovely company Miss Teresa. Teresa, these are Mr. Rigsby and Mr. Minelli from Minelli and Son, and this is the soon-to-be Mrs. Rigsby, Miss Grace Van Pelt. Would you like to sit beside her, my dear? I'm sure you ladies have other things to talk about than boring business stuff."

He pointed towards the free seat next to Grace, encouraging her with a light nod. "Uhm, sure…" The redhead smiled at her, seeming to be a little relieved about something. She just couldn't tell about what yet.

"Oh Mr. Jane, I'm sure you will excuse this question, but last I'd heard from Mr. Mashburn you were going to bring Mrs. Flynn to our dinner." The tall man flinched immediately, just like someone just kicked him under the table. A look to the side showed Grace giving him a meaningful look.

Teresa tensed up by the mention of Jane's… what – girlfriend? Wasn't he single? She shot him a questioning look, but Jane waved Rigsby's question aside with one of his cheerful smiles: "I am very sorry to disappoint you, but Mrs. Flynn was not available. But I'm sure lovely Miss Teresa will make up for every expectation you might have had."

Right then the waitress arrived with the menu cards, so everyone had an excuse to stop talking and pretending to be busy with reading. And some reading they had to do. Teresa felt a little desperate, because all the items on the card were given without a translation, so she really had no idea what to pick.

"Oh, I really like their selection", Grace mumbled, giving her a shy look.

"Yeah…" the brunette answered, suppressing a desperate laugh. Perhaps she should just go for it and randomly pick numbers from the appetizer, entree and dessert category. Too bad when she'd asked Bosco for some advice on rules for etiquette, she forgot to ask him for a crash-course in French or whatever the language in the menu was in.

When the waitress approached again, Jane leaned over to her: "Would you like me to order for you?"

This was her chance to show him she was fine with her situation and could deal with it perfectly well. "No, thank you, I know what I want."

He raised a sceptical eyebrow but shrugged and gave the waitress his order in perfect accent-free French. Teresa was next, so she ordered number 6, 54 and 102, along with a glass of Chardonnay, gathering surprised looks from the other members at the table. Perhaps she should have just taken Jane upon his offer to order for her, but it was too late now.

While the men engaged into a conversation with lots of words Teresa didn't understand, she pointed her attention towards the only other woman on the table. Miss Grace Van Pelt seemed to be a little shy, so the brunette gave an opener to the conversation: "So I heard you are Mr. Rigsby's fiancée? When is the big day?"

The redhead looked up, a little sad expression in her eyes: "We… haven't set a date yet. With all the stuff going on at the company, I'm not sure it's going to be any time soon. Everyone is really tense these days, so there's no time for being cheerful at a wedding." She played with the engagement ring on her finger. "But that is not your problem. Tell me, how do you know Mr. Jane?"

Teresa drew in a sharp breath. What was she supposed to say now? "I actually am a hooker but he brought me here from Vegas to play his escort lady for a few weeks." No, she couldn't say that, although it was the truth. There had to be a way of telling the truth without telling it.

"He uhm… saved me when I was having a really difficult time," she mumbled, giving the man next to her a quick look. Jane was much too busy explaining some kind of plan to Minelli and Rigsby, who listened to him with a bitter expression on their faces.

"I heard Mr. Jane can be a very generous man if he wants to," Grace said. For a second, Teresa expected her to dig a little further into the topic, but it seemed like she was satisfied with her answer – or just had the decency to not ask.

The two women engaged in a little more small-talk while they waited for the appetizers to arrive. To her own surprise, Teresa didn't have as much a problem with it as she first thought. Maybe it was just easy because it was Grace. The redhead seemed to talk willingly about different topics, never trying to ask Jane's company more than she wanted to tell.

When their appetizers arrived, Teresa eyed the plate that was set in front of her suspiciously. On it was a perfectly arranged leaf of salad with five dark brown shimmering balls that looked a little like stones. They smelled a little herbal, so she figured the stones were arranged with herb butter. At the side of the plate was a tool, that looked a little like an eyelash curler. Teresa took it and practiced to open and close it. Darn it, she had no idea what to do with this thing.

Looking up, she could see Minelli smiling at her. Gratefully she realized he'd ordered the same appetizer, so she could just wait and see how the old man ate the stones.

Her insecurity must have been written in her face, because Minelli smiled and held the tongs and picked one of the stones up. Then he put a thin fork into a hole in the stone and pulled our something that looked like a worm.

Just then the brunette realized with wide eyes the stones were actually snail shells. Teresa turned pale, not knowing whether to throw up or close her eyes and get through with it. Jane must have sensed her malaise and leaned over. "Oh, I didn't see they had snails on the menu. Do you mind if I have one? You can have half of my grilled goat cheese."

"Sure," she breathed out, her eyes wandering to Jane's delicious looking grilled goat cheese. She wasn't sure if Jane tried to show her snails weren't as bad as she thought, but he picked one up, just like Minelli had done before and ate it with a neural expression on his face.

"Oh, they are actually quite good. You should try one, Teresa", he encouraged her and gave her back the tools. Teresa took a deep breath and picked up the snail very slowly. She peeked inside the hole with the small fork and pulled at it, but the snail wouldn't come out. After trying two more times, she had enough, flung the fork inside and ripped so hard, the whole snail shell slipped out of the tongs and flew across the table to land in a flowerpot.

Everyone stopped eating to look at Teresa, who blushed furiously and hid her face behind her hands. It was Grace who first started to giggle, making the others go along. "This is nothing to be embarrassed about, Miss Teresa," Minelli laughed, "I remember the same happening to me when I ate my first snails in a restaurant. Mine landed on some lady's plate though. I can tell you, she was very furious." Everyone continued laughing, except for Teresa, who wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled embarrassed and was surprised to feel Jane's warm hand patting her thigh under the table.

"It's fine. Would you like some of my goat cheese now?" She nodded thankfully and waited for Jane to swap their plates. He continued to eat the last three snails, while the little brunette could finally eat something that wasn't as dangerous as these snails.

Patrick Jane continued to be her saviour in more than one ways this evening. When the entree arrived, Teresa remembered a part of the name of her dish, but he nodded towards the waitress to set the weird looking stuff down in front of him, while she got a wonderful looking plate with seafood pasta. It was delicious, whereas the businessman seemed to have a hard time with whatever he was eating.

After they finished, Grace raised and excused herself to the restrooms, Teresa following her, because that was what women did, right?

"I'm really glad Mr. Jane brought you along, Miss Teresa. I don't want to be rude, but the things I've heard of Mrs. Flynn weren't exactly nice, so I feared this evening would be totally boring." The redhead smiled at her through the mirror.

"Why thank you, Miss Grace. I really enjoyed the evening, too… Except for the little mishap with the snails."

"Oh don't worry, this totally made my evening. You know, I wasn't born in this kind of world, I grew up in a little town in Iowa and came here to support my dad's football team at nationals three years ago. That's where I met Wayne. He's a big fan and supporter for young men who want to become professional football players. Minelli and Son gives away three scholarships to the best players they pick from the teams at the High School Nationals each year."

"That sounds really great", Teresa answered. "I'm a fan of the Chicago Bears myself, so I know a little about football."

"Oh, really? Did you know they play against the Oakland Raiders on Monday evening here in LA? Wayne said something about it this morning… I could ask him, if he could get you a ticket to come and watch."

The brunette was surprised about this offer. Why would a woman she barely knew want to give her tickets for a game of her favourite team? Was she just trying to be nice or was there more behind this story?

Grace must have sensed her hesitance because she turned towards her and took her hand in hers. "Look, this has nothing to do with the business my fiancé and Mr. Jane have going on. I just met so many women and none of them showed interest in simple or normal things. They are usually all about the newest fashion and gossip, but you… are different, I can feel it." She suddenly dropped Teresa's hand like it was a hot potato, pressing her hand against her forehead.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said such things, I'm so rude…"

"No!", Teresa interjected, "No you're not. I would love to come with you to that game, it's been years! I just have to clear things off with Mr. Jane first, because uhm… I don't know what he needs me for, but I will let you know."

Letting out a squeal of pure joy, the tall redhead threw her arms around Teresa's slim body and hugged her tight. "Thank you so much, this is going to be so awesome! It's been a while since I did something like this with a friend."

She didn't correct her about the friend thing, because although they just met, Teresa felt like they were on a good way to becoming friends. "Great, well let's go and tell the men then", she suggested. Grace nodded, squeezing her hand one more time before letting go.

They were in such a good mood they didn't realize the aroused voices coming from the dining area of the restaurant were actually from the three men on their table.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Minelli shouted, "This company has been in the hands of our family for three generations now and you just want to rip us apart and sell the pieces?"

"I'm just laying out your options, Mr. Minelli. You have to agree my offer is not a bad one and I can see your son considering it," Jane answered calmly. Minelli shot Rigsby, who dropped his head, a look.

"You can't be serious about this, son! Your grandfather built this company with all his heart and hard work. Do you just want to throw it all away for a ridiculous amount of money they want to give us for it? Does pride mean nothing to you?"

"Excuse me while I intervene, Mr. Minelli, but I think making this deal about pride is wrong."

"What is going on here?" Grace asked concerned. She and Teresa sat down at the table again, the tension that was lying in the air felt like a huge pressure.

The three men looked at each other, silently debating what to say to the women, but Jane was the one to first come out with it. Rigsby was already considering his offer, so maybe his fiancée would jump on the bandwagon.

"I was just telling your soon-to-be father-in-law and your fiancé about a very generous offer from Mashburn Avionics to buy up Minelli and Son."

"This offer is ridiculous!" Minelli said again, his head as red as a tomato. "They want to buy our company and rip it apart! I will not let that happen, not over my dead body!"

"Well, you have to admit this is the best offer you can get with the promise that we'll keep most of your employees. If this is about your compensation…"

"Shut up, you egoistical, arrogant son-of-a-bitch!" the older man said so loud, people at the other tables stopped eating. He gripped the tie around his throat and opened it up a bit as if he had problems breathing.

"Virgil, please", Grace begged, "You know your blood pressure is too high… Wayne…"

"Father, please think about it, this might be our last chance to save what is left…" Rigsby mumbled silently, but Minelli shook his head and stood up.

"We are leaving now. Miss Teresa", he turned towards the brunette, who'd been a silent witness of the conversation and flinched when the gray haired man addressed her. "It was a pleasure to meet you. You're a wonderful woman, so please don't waste your time with a jackass like Mr. Jane here. You deserve better. You, Mr Jane… go and screw yourself and tell Mr. Mashburn to do the same." With this, he turned around and left, Rigsby following him with his lips pressed into a thin line

"Virgil!" Grace exclaimed, raising herself. "I am really sorry, Mr. Jane… This whole situation gets to him. Teresa… it was nice meeting you, please let me know about Monday, okay?"

The woman in question nodded and watched the redhead follow her fiancé, who was quietly talking to his father outside of the restaurant while waiting for a cab.

Other guests started whispering, but Jane took a sip of wine and began eating the rich mousse au chocolate, Teresa suddenly feeling like she lost all her appetite.

Not much than five minutes later, Jane waved for the waitress to bring the check. They left the restaurant without another word and stepped inside the long black limousine that was already waiting for them in front of the restaurant.

Teresa wasn't sure what the blond businessman was brooding about. His brows were furrowed, his expression more than serious. She was afraid he'd kick her out as soon as they got to the hotel, which made the feeling in her stomach even worse. Darn, she had just become friend with Miss Grace Van Pelt and now this argument was standing between Mr. Jane and her soon-to-be father-in-law. Could they leave those difficulties behind in the end?

"What are you thinking about?" Jane asked.

Shocked she realized he was watching her. The brunette started to play with a strand of her hair nervously, before she met his eyes: "If you want me to leave…"

"What are you talking about?" He seemed confused about her suggestion. "This argument in there had nothing to do with you, my dear, don't worry about that. Stop thinking I don't want you here."

When he took her warm hand in his, she released a relieved breath.

"I'm actually really sorry this dinner went how it went. I had the feeling you were bonding with Miss Grace."

"I am… was… She invited me to watch the Bears' game on Monday evening here in LA… provided, that I'm allowed to go."

Jane watched her surprised: "You're a football fan? I didn't know that. If you'd said so earlier, I'd have asked Mashburn for tickets. He always gets some really good ones in the VIP lounge."

"Well I like to be in the middle of the fans," Teresa smiled. "It's where you feel like a part of the game. So you'd be okay with me going?"

"Of course you can. You're not my prisoner, Teresa, please always remember that."

Cho dropped them off at the hotel, telling them to have a good night and that he'd see them the next day. Jane led Teresa up the stairs, looking rather irritated when the manager, Sam Bosco, came up to them before they stepped into the elevator, asking them if they had a good night. Well, he was more interested in Teresa's answer, but still. It gave Jane a lot to think about during their trip up to the suite.

"Mr. Bosco really seems to like you, my dear. That's something people do not accomplish that often," he grinned once they were safe inside their room.

The brunette just shrugged and kicked her heels off. "He helped me out with the dress, that's all. Listen, Mr Jane… Patrick." She shot him a look, asking for permission to speak. Jane raised an eyebrow to go on. "I know this is none of your business, but why exactly do you want to buy up Mr. Minelli's company?"

"Because they are broke," he answered simply.

"You know, maybe you could help them, instead of buying their company. Grace told me some interesting things, like they provide scholarships for young football players, and she's doing a lot of charity work…"

Jane opened up his vest, watching her standing next to the table. "This is not how business works. It's like in nature… survival of the fittest. In this case Mashburn Avionics has to buy Minelli and Son to make sure our competitors won't get it. I honestly don't care what Mashburn needs this company for, I'm just the adjustor."

"Hmm," Teresa mumbled, picking up her shoes from the floor.

"It's nothing you have to worry about, my dear. Would you like to come and watch some TV in my room, before we go to bed?" She shot him a look that made him throw his hands up in surrender. "I'm not going to seduce you. I just hoped we could spend a little more time together, before I have to leave for an early lunch meeting."

Casually, he dropped his vest on the couch and pointed towards his room. At first, she seemed to hesitate a little, but then she nodded, turning his back to him. "All right, I'll come, could you just…" He couldn't see her blush, but he could feel it. Grinning, he stepped forward, his hand "accidentally" caressing the soft warm skin of her back, before he pulled the zipper down, holding his breath when her small delicate white back appeared in front of him.

"I'll just go and undress," she mumbled a little embarrassed and walked over to her room without looking back.

Xxxxx

Fifteen minutes later, a soft knock on his door brought a grin on his face. "Come in, he called, shifting to the side, so Teresa would have more space to climb into bed with him. She was wearing one of the hotel's red bathrobes, carefully wrapped around her slim body.

Jane always slept with out a shirt, so when her eyes lingered a little too long on his bare chest, he grinned mischievously. "See anything you like?"

Again, she blushed in a deep shade of red, quickly closing the door and crawling in bed next to him, making sure that there was still some space between them.

"Well, what would you like to watch?"

"I don't know, just put on something." He did as she asked, flipped through the channels and stopped at the National Geographic channel that showed a documentary about bears in Russia.

It didn't take long for him to hear a soft snoring coming from the woman next to him. She'd fallen asleep and he couldn't judge her. This day had been exhausting. Maybe he should follow her example and try to get some sleep too, although the insomnia would keep him awake anyways.

Yawning, Jane switched the light out and pulled the blanket tighter around Teresa's body, so she wouldn't freeze. It would be stupid to wake her up now and make her go to her own bed… he liked her company.

"Good night," he mumbled softly, reaching out for her hand that was lying close. Feeling her pulse made him fall asleep almost immediately.

A/N: Whee that was done! I hope you liked it and were at surprised as Jane from Lisbon's stunning attire. Feel free to hit that review button down there and tell me what you think, your reviews always make me write faster ;)
Also, please don't forget that I need a new beta, so let me know if you know someone or if want to do it yourself.