As Brenda felt him gently caress her derriere, she caught her breath, never breaking the kiss. She was no prude, but it had been so long since she actually "made out" on a date that a man’s touch was a little foreign to her. She tried to fight the thoughts, but like persistent burglars, they crept into her mind.

{Would Wulfgar do something like this? Definitely. Flynt? Maybe. But never Derek. Derek would never grope me on the first date. Should I be letting him do this? After all, it’s not the 1800’s anymore.} But then as Jax’s hands began to lazily caress her and press her to the obvious evidence of his arousal, all thoughts of other men left her mind. {Forget about those paperback heroes, Bren. Just think about this very real man who is obviously very turned on.}

Jax’s lips left hers and began to leave a trail of warmth down the side of her neck, causing Brenda to arch her back and press her breasts even closer to Jax’s chest. As he felt the full softness of her breasts against him, Jax groaned and worked his way back up to lightly flick the shell of her ear. "It must be true what they say in that song," he murmured, right before he took the lobe of her ear into his mouth and sucked gently.

Brenda could barely get coherent words out. "What song?"

Jax’s teeth made clicking sounds against the gold stud earring Brenda wore. "That song," he breathed, pushing her ear aside with his nose and trailing his lips into her hair, "about how the best girls are the California girls."

Jax felt her body suddenly tense. {What gives? Am I moving too fast? But she sure didn’t seem to mind doing a little petting a few minutes ago.} As he pulled back to gaze into her eyes, he saw a spark there, but it wasn’t lust. It was pure, unadulterated outrage.

"Excuse me?" Brenda said on a shallow breath. She put her hands flat against his chest and pushed him away a little. "Did you say, "GIRLS"?"

"It’s the name of the song, California Girls," Jax said by way of explanation. "The Beach Boys sang it, I think. What’s the matter?"

Brenda completely pulled out of his embrace now and stood with her hands on her hips. "GIRLS??!! Blonde, bosomy beach bunnies are all you can think of while you’re groping my behind?"

Jax was speechless. He threw his hands up in desperation and put one hand on his hip. "OK, I give up. Make her come back." Brenda frowned in confusion. "You know," Jax said, pointing at her feet. "Click your heels or whatever you have to do to make Dorothy come back from Oz and make the Wicked Witch of Feminism go back there permanently."

Brenda’s mouth dropped open. "Are you insinuating that I’m some kind of psycho with split personalities in need of a shrink?"

Jax came to stand very close to her. "If the red glitter pumps fit, love, wear ‘em!" he said, making her hair move slightly with the force of his breath. As he saw her gather steam for another outburst, he held up a hand. "All I know is that after you had a talk with Lois, a totally different Brenda Barrett came down those stairs at the Ashton house tonight. And I would very much like to get to know that Brenda Barrett a lot better."

Brenda pushed past him to get to her front door. "Well, you were the lucky one, Mr. Chief-ER-Surgeon-hot-shot-doctor-Jasper Jacks!" she spit back at him, "because obviously you are still a dyed-in-the-wool, stick-in-the-mud, deadly dull, conservative chauvinist!"

Brenda’s hand was shaking so badly that she could barely put the key in the lock to open her door, but just as Jax’s good up-bringing forced him to come forward to try to help her, she pushed it home and the door opened. She spun around with a shocked look. "What, you didn’t get the picture? You are most definitely NOT invited in for a nightcap, Dr. Jacks!"

"Bloody hell, do you EVER cut a man some slack and think he might only be trying to help you, MS. Barrett?" Jax returned. Then he put both hands up in surrender. "Oh, excuse me, I probably said the wrong thing again. You probably NEVER need a man to help you with anything!"

Brenda suddenly grew very quiet. "Actually," she said, coming to him and touching the tip of her finger to his chest, "there IS something you can do for me, if you don’t mind?"

Jax looked at her through eyes narrow with skepticism. "And that would be?"

"STAY THE H*LL OUT OF THE REST OF MY LIFE!" Brenda turned on a dime and went inside the door, slamming it so hard that the breeze gently ruffled Jax’s blonde locks.

"GLADLY!!!" Jax shouted in reply, turning and storming his way down Brenda’s front steps.

Jax never saw Brenda pull back the lace curtains on her door, sadly watching him drive away from her house at a furious break-neck speed. And Brenda never knew that when he was about two blocks from Brenda’s condo, Jax pulled the SUV over to the side of the road, slammed his hands against the steering wheel, and looked back in the direction of Brenda’s condo with a grimace of regret. After counting to 100, he had enough control to pull away from the curb and make his way towards his own bachelor apartment.

"He’s a nerd, Lois – a boring, chauvinistic, opinionated nerd!" Brenda exclaimed, sitting on the Ashton front porch the following Sunday evening. While Brenda was nursing a glass of her usual white wine, Lois sipped thoughtfully on iced tea.

"I don’t know, Bren," she said cautiously. "He seemed all right to me. He’s sure handsome."

Brenda grimaced. "Since when did you judge a guy by how he looks? You know that a man has to be something besides a pretty face to keep my interest. He has to have some depth – feelings – opinions ….."

"….that are exactly the same as yours, right Brenda?" Lois interrupted sarcastically.

"No," Brenda said in a quieter voice. "I don’t expect a man to just echo anything I say. I don’t want a parrot – a man who just agrees with everything I say in order to get me into bed!"

Lois threw up her hands. "Well, geeez, Brenda – no wonder the man thought you were schizoid! First you say he’s pig-headed, and then in the next breath you say you wouldn’t want a man who would abandon his principles just to get you in the sack!" She shook her head. "Sounds like you’re ready for Prozac to me."

Brenda played with the buttons on the lace blouse she wore over a tank top. "He accused me of being two-faced and confusing him," she said in a guilty voice.

"Why…..just because you practically burned him at the stake at dinner and then nearly crawled into his pants while we were playin’ Trivial Pursuit?"

"I DID NOT ALMOST…." Brenda tried to object.

"Oh, come on, Brenda," Lois replied. "What about all the dewey-eyed "Oooh, I’d LOVE to go sailing with you, Jax!" stuff I heard? And the way you snuggled down into his arm when he rested it on the back of the couch behind you?" Lois leaned forward. "Did he kiss you goodnight?"

Brenda’s mouth made a thin line. "Yeah."

"Is he a good kisser?" Lois was grinning in anticipation of some good dish. When Brenda blushed, Lois clapped her hands in glee. "Aha, he WAS! And from the look on your face, he probably was tryin’ to go past kissin’ when the big blow-up happened!"

Brenda got up to fill her glass with wine again. "I know. I shouldn’t have gone off at him like that. It’s just that I think sometimes my mouth gets into high gear before my brain has a chance to start its engines." She looked sadly at Lois. "So what do I do about it?"

"Come to dinner again this Friday night. Give him another chance," she said happily.

"You think?"

"I know. And just try to keep an open mind – and keep your mouth the way it works best – SHUT!!!"

Brenda nodded slowly. "OK, I’ll come. But I don’t really think I’ll have to worry about keeping my mouth shut." She looked sadly out at the street. "From the way we left things, I don’t think Dr. Jasper Jacks will ever want to see me again in this lifetime."

Jax sat down at the cafeteria table Monday morning next to Ned. "She’s a flake, Ned. A grade-A, certifiable, bra-burning flake." He looked around the cafeteria. "If Gail Baldwin were around, I would tell you to give her Brenda’s number. Gail could write a paper using Brenda as the subject that the psychiatric journals would be clamoring to publish!"

Ned opened his own container of juice while Jax spooned up some yogurt. "Aw, Jax, come on….don’t beat around the bush! Why don’t you tell me how you REALLY feel about her?"

Jax shook his head and furiously stabbed his spoon into his yogurt. "You saw her, Ned. After she and Lois came downstairs it was like she was a different woman." He looked around cautiously and then pulled his chair closer to Ned’s. "And when I kissed her goodnight, I got the impression that she enjoyed it."

"So?"

"So….I happened to say something that got her feminist knickers all in a twist and she went ballistic on me," Jax sighed. "If she just wasn’t so d*mn stubborn, I think maybe this could develop into something." He grinned lewdly. "She has got one awesome rear view, if you know what I mean!"

Ned nodded and returned the grin. "Yeah, I know." Then his face went white. "I mean….I know in a brotherly sort of way, that is." Jax gave him an "Oh, sure" look. Ned took a sip of juice. "Well," he continued, "it’s really understandable that she was a little spacey the other night, though – Lois told me she had the flu or something and she was taking some cold medicine." {Lois, if you were stretching the truth again, I swear I’ll hide the Ben Gay.}

Jax choked on his yogurt. "Over-the-counter or prescription?"

"Over-the-counter."

"And you let her guzzle that white wine like she did?! Ned, what kind of friend are you, anyway? Didn’t you pay attention the day they talked about drug interactions in medical school?" Ned noted the serious concern in Jax’s voice. {Oh, yeah…..he’s gone. I just have to get him to realize it.}

"Well, Lois WAS right about Brenda’s tolerance level. She can drink me under the table most nights." Ned saw Jax’s continued frustration at his seeming lack of concern for his friend. "Anyway," Ned hedged, "I think she’s much better now and she’s coming over for dinner again this Friday night. Why don’t you join us again and give her a second chance?"

"Aww….I don’t know, Ned," Jax hesitated, putting his spoon in his yogurt and picking up his juice. "I got the feeling that she really didn’t want to see me again….ever." He looked down at his tray sheepishly. "We didn’t part on the best of terms."

Just then, Jax’s beeper went off. He pulled it from his belt clip and read the number. "Will you excuse me?" Jax called, as he was already rising from the table and heading for the phone on the wall behind them. Ned waited nervously as Jax dialed the numbers and answered the page. He knew that Lois was determined to get Brenda and Jax together, and if he came home with the news that Jax had turned down the invitation, he might as well forget about having sex in this lifetime again.

Jax came back to the table and grabbed his juice. "Sorry, Ned, but I’ve gotta go. Big multi-car pile-up at the junction of the 405 and the 10. You’d better get back and alert your crew too, since I have a feeling we’ll need your department’s services stat." Ned was already downing the rest of his juice as Jax spoke. Both men took their trays to the conveyor and headed out the doors, their white lab coats fluttering in the breeze behind them. The two handsome department heads turned the heads of an entire squad of candy-stripers as they made their way to the elevators.

As they parted ways at the elevator, Ned called after Jax, "What about dinner Friday? Won’t you reconsider?"

Trying to keep his cool to face the incoming trauma patients, Jax decided surrender was the better option in this case. "All right, we’ll give it another try," he sighed, just as the elevator doors opened.

"Friday at seven!" Ned called, and the last thing Ned saw was Jax’s thumbs-up as the doors closed. Ned pumped his fist in victory, and then ran for the stairs to rattle some cages in Radiology.

Brenda paced the Ashton living room nervously. "I don’t know why I ever agreed to do this again, Lo," she said anxiously. She caught sight of herself in a wall mirror and stopped to check her reflection. Brenda had conceded to wear a dress this time at Lois’s insistence. Her white sundress showed off her glorious tanned skin to perfection. She wore her hair long in the back, curling down to a point halfway between her shoulders and her waist. The sides were pulled back into a small ponytail high on her head.

"You look fine, Bren, now stop fidgeting," Lois scolded, shifting slightly in the chair. {This backache is really a killer today. The weather’s probably gonna change soon.}

Brenda put one more stray hair back in place and then came to sit by Lois. "Yeah, I guess you’re right. Besides, I’ll never look as perfect as Mr. Brown Linen Suit with blue and white striped shirt and tie in exactly matching shades."

Lois smiled slyly. "For a woman who couldn’t stand the sight of him, you certainly remember every detail of what he wore, Brenda," she drawled. As Brenda playfully slapped her on the arm, the front doorbell rang.

Brenda rose from the chair but Ned beat her to the punch. "I’ll get it this time," he said, racing through the hallway, towel slung over his shoulder. "Maybe it’ll be an omen." He let Jax in, and Brenda could hear the low rumble of his voice as she took a deep breath.

As Jax came into the living room, he had to remind himself to breathe when he saw Brenda. {Geez…..not only does she have a delectable behind, but those legs are awesome!} He tried to give her his most dazzling smile, and extended the bouquet of flowers he was holding to her. "Good evening, Brenda. These are for you."

Brenda shrugged in glee and gave Lois a backward glance as she went to take the fragrant bundle of flowers into her arms. "Thanks, Jax." She buried her face in the flowers and inhaled, looking up at him with eyes that he was pleased to see were soft. "You look nice tonight."

Jax was inwardly pleased, not only at her non-combative attitude, but at his success in being more casual in his dress code. He had studied some of the surgical med students secretly during the week, making note of the types of casual shirts they wore. He had picked a pair of dark navy linen trousers and a striped cotton short-sleeved shirt that picked up the same navy. A tan blazer picked up the tan stripes in the shirt. And although it went against his better judgment, he had not worn a tie.

As Jax’s eyes traveled up and down Brenda’s form, she got a warm, tingly feeling down to her toes. "You look nice tonight, too." He relaxed a little. Obviously Ned was right. She had been smiling and cordial from the moment he entered the door. Her dual personalities the week before must have been a side effect of the cold medicine. "Are you feeling better?"

Brenda’s head shot up out of the flowers. "I’m feeling fine, thanks." She turned around to Lois, who started to suspiciously turn red. Thankfully, Ned appeared in the doorway with snacks.

As they all settled down with – what else? – white wine and Ned’s special cheese fondue and breadsticks, Lois grimaced once. "Lois – are you OK?" Jax asked with concern. "You look a little pale."

"I’m fine, Jax," she scoffed. "Remember – tonight you’re here as a friend – not as a doctor. All stethoscopes are to be checked at the door." Jax nodded and helped himself to another breadstick. "So…..Brenda was just about to tell us about her latest best-seller when you arrived, Jax." At Jax’s look of surprise, Lois went on. "Didn’t Ned tell you that Brenda was a writer?"

Jax finally looked impressed. "No, he didn’t. What do you write – fiction or non-fiction?"

"Definitely non-fiction," Brenda smiled. "But it’s not like I’m going to win the Pulitzer Prize for it or anything…."

"Well, you never know," Jax replied. "Do you write hardback novels?"

"No, I was lucky enough to work out a deal with a paperback house," Brenda said self-consciously. "But I think two hundred thousand readers at 5 bucks a book beats five thousand readers at 20 bucks a book anyday."

Jax swallowed hard. "Two hundred thousand? You sell that many books?" He whistled softly. "I think maybe I chose the wrong career after all. What are the names of some of your books? Maybe I’ve read some and didn’t realize it! Do you write under a pseudonym?"

Brenda blushed. "No, I use my own name." Jax frowned in confusion. She crossed her legs, and Jax had to concentrate to remember what they were talking about. "Well, let’s see, "Destiny’s Fierce Desire" came out last August and it’s in its third printing…." Brenda stopped abruptly when Jax coughed and burst out laughing.

Lois saw the seeds of disaster being planted. "NED! Isn’t that pasta ready soon?" she implored, flashing him a dirty look.

Ned shrugged. "Sorry, honey. I got a late start this evening." But the hole in the dam had already been poked.

"Destiny’s Fierce Desire? THAT’S the book you wrote? A *romance* novel?" Jax was incredulous.

"Yes, a romance novel," Brenda said, rising in her chair defensively. "Why do you say it like some kind of disease?"

Jax put his hand over his mouth to hide his continued snickering. "I’m sorry, but I just thought when you said you were a writer that you were serious about it."

"I AM serious about it! I am VERY serious about this – just as serious as you are about cutting people open and taking out various body parts!" Brenda’s eyes were beginning to flare again, but Jax didn’t notice.

"Brenda, you can hardly compare writing salacious bodice-rippers to saving people’s lives!" He looked to Ned for support, but Ned just stared at the floor as soon as he caught Jax’s gaze. "I mean, don’t you come up with literary masterpieces like "He thrust his rigid rod of reality into her overflowing funnel of love"?"

"I do NOT write purple prose like that!" Brenda fumed. "For your information, I gave up alliteration a LONG time ago…."

"Thank heavens for small mercies," Jax quipped cynically.

"….AND," Brenda continued, giving Jax a look that was as sharp as one of his scalpels, "my books are not just about romance. They have complex historical plots, intriguing, multi-faceted characters, and…."

"….plenty of steamy sex!" Lois interrupted. She tried to reach out a hand to pull Brenda by the arm and give her a warning look, but when she shifted in the chair she got an uncomfortable pain in her lower abdomen. "So, Ned, what’s on the menu tonight?" she said brightly, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

As Ned opened his mouth to speak, the transmission in Brenda’s brain turned the ignition as her mouth shifted into second gear. "So, Dr. Jacks, what is YOUR favorite kind of book to read – assuming that you have TIME to read books." She got a snide look on her face. "I mean, being the greatest surgeon that ever drew breath has got to put a dent in your free time!"

Jax tried to ignore the barb. "Actually, I prefer to relax with a Ned Kelly book, if you must know."

"Ned Kelly? NED KELLY!!??" Brenda hooted. She slapped her hands against her thighs. "Oh, now THOSE are fine examples of literary magnificence."

"Who’s Ned Kelly?" Ned asked innocently, drawing an extremely dirty look from Lois.

"Ned Kelly," Brenda fumed, "is an Australian bush ranger who rides around like Billy the Kid. Oh – and most importantly – he always manages to have a buxom blonde waving good-bye to him with a tear in her eye."

"Ahhh, so you’ve read some of the books," Jax said victoriously. "Obviously you were also impressed with their quality."

"No," Brenda said, trying to control the pressure cooker in her brain, "I was just trying to be open-minded and give other genres a chance. Can you say the same?"

"BOY, NED, THESE BREADSTICKS ARE REALLY YUMMY, AREN’T THEY??!" Lois reached to grab one and stick it in Brenda’s mouth, but she got the same pain again and had to cancel that strategy.

But Jax was still engaged in eye-contact-fireworks with Brenda. "What do you mean, Can I say the same?"

"I mean – have you ever read a romance novel?" Brenda leaned towards Lois a little. "Notice I didn’t go for the brass ring and ask if he had read one of mine."

"No, I can’t say that I have," Jax said defensively. Then his bluster seemed to fade a little. "But with the grueling schedule I keep, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism in reading materials."

Finally, Lois’s silent prayers were answered when a timer sounded in the kitchen and Ned jumped up. "THERE’S THE PASTA!" He pulled Brenda to her feet, and Jax moved to help Lois out of her chair. As they made their way to the dining room, Lois pulled Ned aside. "I know, I know," he whispered to Lois. "I’ll try to steer the conversation to something neutral during dinner."

At the doorway to the dining room, Jax caught Brenda by the arm. "Look, Brenda," he began, "I apologize if I insulted your writing talents. Everyone needs a little escape from reality sometime, and I’m sure you’re a wonderful writer, even if you only crank out that cr*p that women love to read."

Brenda narrowed her eyes. {OK. Now what do I do? He apologized to me personally, but just continued to insult the genre. Do I level him on principle or not?} But before she could say anything, he leaned down to whisper into her ear, "And you really shouldn’t have such an inferiority complex. One of Ned Kelly’s buxom blondes couldn’t hold a candle to you tonight."

Brenda looked into his eyes in shock and her knees grew watery. {How can you stay mad at the man when he looks you in the eye like that?} To Brenda’s surprise, he put his hand at the small of her back and escorted her into the dining room. She was about to explode when he held her chair out for her, but when she glanced over at Lois and got a look that would normally put her six feet under, she smiled sweetly at Jax and allowed the courtesy.

Dinner was pleasant. Ned’s spaghetti was tangy and delicious. Jax made Ned promise to bring some of his homemade garlic bread to the next hospital pot luck dinner. Then Jax turned to Lois. "So, Lois – are you going back to modeling after the baby is born?"

Lois finished chewing. "Only on a limited basis, Jax." She smiled at Ned. "It’ll take me a while to get my shape back after this little adventure, and I have a feeling after I spend some time with Ned and the baby, I won’t be so happy about spending weeks away from home at a time."

"So, Jax," Brenda began, and Lois held her breath, recognizing the acid tone in her voice, "if you got married, would you ALLOW the little woman to work outside the home?"

Jax’s face suddenly grew pale and Brenda was surprised when he turned to her seriously. "I already tried being married to a full-time wife, Brenda, and it was a disaster." He glanced at Ned when Brenda’s mouth dropped open. "I take it Ned hasn’t told you that I’m divorced." He stared down into his plate. "Anyway, I think that one thing I’ve learned is to let my next wife decide what SHE wants to do with her life."

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the head of the table when Lois dropped her fork. "Ned, we’re gonna have a baby!" she said with a smile.

"I know, honey," Ned said, laughing at his wife’s gift of understatement.

Lois gripped the side of the table. "No, Ned – I mean tonight!" Ned gave Lois a look of disbelief, and Jax put down his fork calmly.

"Are you having contractions, Lois?" He moved quickly from his chair to crouch beside her.

"Well, about 45 minutes ago it felt like someone tightened a vise grip around my insides, and it just felt that way again." She looked at Jax a little fearfully.

Jax patted her on the hand and rose to his feet. "Ned, old man – I do believe you’re gonna be a daddy tonight!"

To be continued……