"Shhhh……." Jerry Jacks held a finger to his lips to silence his younger brother and leaned backwards into the hallway. He looked off towards the right, then straightened and arched an eyebrow meaningfully at Jax as he opened the door wide. "So just where would you like me to set up this table, sir?"

Jax quickly shoved his weapon back into its place at the small of his back when an elderly couple in the hallway strolled past his open door. "You……uh……you can set that up right here in the center of the room, steward….." he instructed in a loud, clear voice. Jerry rolled a large serving cart covered by a white linen tablecloth inside Jax’s stateroom. Fine china and crystal rattled as it clattered over the doorjamb. "Let me just get this door behind you."

"Very good, sir," Jerry replied politely. He gave Jax a quick nod when his younger brother slid behind him and closed the door to the stateroom, effectively giving them some privacy. They both waited at least thirty seconds after Jax had thrown the deadbolt before speaking again.

"It’s good to see you again, little brother!" Jerry came to give Jax a firm bear hug, then stepped back and propped his hands on his hips. "So – how long have you been onboard this floating geriatric convention?"

"Almost six hours." Jax glanced downwards at the high-tech underwater time instrument strapped to his wrist. "One minute, I was digging in on some beach in the South Pacific with the rest of my mates for a training mission. Next thing I knew, I was being choppered out of there with no explanation." He ran his fingers through his short blonde spikes and sighed. "They gave me a wardrobe that made me look like I stepped off the cover of GQ , airlifted me to the Sapphire Princess, and said I’d receive my orders onboard."

Jerry nodded and pointed towards the large round table near the couch. "And I take it you got one of Rear Admiral Donnelly’s little automated greeting cards?"

"Um-hmm." Jax smirked and pointed at Jerry’s attire. "I guess you must have really p*ssed Donnelly off. How have the tips been, big brother?"

Jerry snorted and grimaced. "Let’s just say that after this assignment, I’ll never take room service for granted again."

Jax nodded and the smiled disappeared from his face. "So what’s the deal, Jer? Donnelly didn’t give me any details on the tape – just that I’d find out what was involved through the usual channels."

"Which in this case happens to be *me*, little brother!" Jerry replied. He began to re-arrange the dishes on top of the service cart as a smile spread over Jax’s face.

"You mean we finally get a chance to work together?"

"Looks like it." Jerry took the long white taper out of a highly-polished silver candlestick and suddenly pointed it menacingly at Jax. "But now don’t you go thinking that just because you outrank me I’ll be saluting you on this one, Jax!" He picked up the candlestick and then selected something gingerly from the sugar bowl. "You want to get the lights for me, mate?" he asked, never looking back up at his brother.

Jax frowned but went to the control panel next to his front door. "What are you going to do – set the room on fire to create some kind of diversion?"

"Nope." Jerry inserted a small microchip from the sugar bowl into a hidden compartment on the candlestick. Then he grinned and looked up after setting the candlestick on its side on the table, pointed towards a large blank wall in the suite. "I’m going to give you the details on OUR current mission." At his hand signal, Jax turned out the lights and end of the candlestick began to glow.

"So……." Jax came to stand next to Jerry as a beam of light shot out of the candlestick and created a small white rectangle on the wall. "What’s the deal?"

Jerry pressed a button on the candlestick’s ornate base and a small image appeared on the wall. "Does the name Scorpio ring any bells with you, Jax?"

"Scorpio……." Jax’s eyebrows drew together and he stared intently at the slide. "Isn’t that an old friend of Sean’s? From the "good old days" that he loves to talk about so much?"

"You’re on the right track." Jerry pressed the button again and the image changed to show another view of the sandy-haired, wiry man. "Robert Scorpio and Sean Donnelly go way back. They used to work together in Naval Intelligence."

Jax shook his head. "Those must have been the days."

Jerry nodded. "They raised quite a bit of h*ll together, I’m told." He clicked the button again and an image of Scorpio and a beautiful, dark-haired woman appeared on the wall. "They parted ways over 20 years ago – shortly after Scorpio married one Anna Devane." He tipped his head towards the image. "Sean worked his way up through the ranks of the Navy, while Scorpio and his wife retired to their own little slice of Heaven in the Caribbean – a small island called Torrega. At the time, it was still under the protection of the English government."

Jax folded his arms across his chest. "And they lived happily ever after?"

"Pretty much so." Jerry clicked the button and an image appeared of Robert and Anna, together with a dark-haired toddler. "They had a daughter a few years before they left the States – Sean’s her godfather."

Jax looked towards Jerry, one eye narrowed. "And?"

"And…….things went well for the Scorpio family on Torrega. In fact, Robert became such a prominent local figure that when the British government decided to cut the island loose from their control, he was named Governor General."

Jax arched an eyebrow inquiringly at Jerry. "But now there’s trouble in paradise, I take it?"

Jerry clicked the button again and a miniature map of the Caribbean appeared on the wall. "Torrega has flourished under Governor Scorpio’s control. It’s grown into quite a mercantile crossroads." He pointed to the small dot at one far end of a larger group. "As you can see, it’s right in the middle of some of the main shipping lanes between here and our important South American ports."

"Which means it’s also in just the right spot for a lot of the bad nasties who like to move substances that are slightly illegal."

"Right again. And Robert Scorpio plays by the book – completely on the straight and narrow, that one." Jerry changed the image again to show the Scorpio’s, along with a fourth figure who was partially hidden in the shadows. "Then, about a month ago, he started getting death threats."

Jax settled his hip onto the arm of a large overstuffed chair across from Jerry. "From anyone we know?"

"Can’t tell yet. The man’s made any number of enemies on the island, both political and personal. And now with him giving some powerful people the cold shoulder, the playing field is even wider open."

"Great." Jax grimaced. "It would help a lot if we could narrow it down to just a half dozen or so wackos."

"It would – but finding out who’s been making the threats and why is only *part* of our job here, Jax." Jerry clicked the candlestick again and the room plunged into semi-darkness momentarily. A few seconds later, he turned the lights back on at the main control next to the door. "Eight days ago, Scorpio started getting threats directed against members of his family."

Jax drew a breath through his teeth. "Uh-oh – getting down and dirty, huh?"

"Apparently so. The old man didn’t sweat it as much when they threatened him, but when the wife and kiddies were put in the crosshairs, he got in touch with Sean and called in some old favors."

Jax peered out the porthole at the endless expanse of blue Caribbean. "So we’re on our way to Torrega to protect the family?"

"Not quite." Jerry removed the microchip from the candlestick and placed it in the pocket of his white jacket. "Scorpio took the precaution of tightening down security on his family as soon as he got the death threats, but his daughter managed to slip through daddy’s fingers." He smirked slightly at her deviousness. "Turns out she’s on board the Sapphire Princess."

Jax rose, his face wrinkled with thought. "So I have to figure out who she is and how to work my way into her good graces so we can keep an eye on her." Then he frowned. "But you said, "kiddies," Jer, and I thought Scorpio only has one daughter."

"He does. Or should I say, only one *natural* daughter." Jerry reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a small wallet, from which he produced a grainy photo. "This is Robin Scorpio – all grown up. While she was attending NYU, she met another woman who became her best friend for life – one Brenda Barrett. Ms. Barrett used to come down to Torrega with Robin during the summers and got very close to the whole family, daddy included." Jerry’s face grew somber. "When Ms. Barrett’s parents died in a tragic accident, Scorpio and his wife all but legally adopted Brenda as their own."

"So now this Brenda woman is being threatened, too?"

Jerry pointed a finger at Jax. "Ding, ding, ding – give the man a prize. I know I’ve got a picture of her in here somewhere." He started flipping through the pictures in the wallet again, frowning. "Brenda Barrett is the reason Robin Scorpio is on this cruise. They work together for some kind of advertising agency. Barrett is a hotshot photographer and Robin is her assistant. She told Scorpio that Brenda couldn’t finish the publicity shots without her, much to daddy’s consternation."

Jax’s one eyebrow rose. "Let me get this straight, Jer – Sean wants us to find out who’s behind the threats to Scorpio and his family AND protect both his daughter and this Barrett woman? With just the two of us?"

"Well, you have to remember it IS the Jacks brothers we’re talking about here," Jerry grinned proudly. "But the answer is no. Scorpio has his own chief of security handling arrangements for Robin and his wife – I think the guy’s name is Luke Spencer. Spencer’s got Anna Scorpio under wraps and is circulating the story that Robin is holed up on the island making wedding plans. In the meantime, Sean says Spencer will be joining the cruise shortly to keep tabs on her." He swore softly at the stack of photos. "*We* just have to worry about keeping Miss Brenda Barrett safe and sound for the next few days until she’s back on Torrega again."

Jax nodded thoughtfully and strolled away from Jerry. "Well, this *is* a romantic Caribbean cruise. I guess I could use the old shipboard romance excuse to make contact and keep tabs on her."

"Ahhhhh…….what sacrifices you make for the cause," Jerry shot back drolly. Then a large smile lit his face. "Here it is! I knew I had a picture of the Barrett woman!" He strode jauntily towards Jax and happily held the photo up for Jax’s scrutiny. "Now you just have to fin……"

"Ohhhhh, noooooo…….." Jerry’s eyes widened in surprise when the color drained from Jax’s face and he muttered a variety of expletives under his breath.

"What’s the matter, little brother?" Jerry held the picture up and looked at it more closely. "You think you’ll have trouble finding a beautiful woman like this among the bingo-playin’ grandma’s on deck?"

Jax sank onto the arm of the overstuffed chair with a grimace. "Oh, I won’t have any problems finding her, Jer – she already found ME."

"You’re KIDDING!!" Jerry let out a short snort of disbelief. "You sure it was her?"

"Positive." Jax didn’t say it aloud, but there was no *way* he could be mistaken about this particular woman. How could he forget skin that looked like warm satin, eyes so dark brown they reminded him of a newborn fawn, and hair the color of midnight? "I was down on the Lido deck at the pool minding my own business when she came up and propositioned me."

Jerry swallowed hard and then turned away from his brother, muttering a string of curse words. "I’ve *got* to get back in Donnelly’s good graces! YOU get all the good jobs while I’m stuck wearin’ monkey suits and polishing the silver!!" Then he frowned and turned back to Jax, one eye narrowed. "Wait a minute……..exactly WHAT did Miss Barrett say to you?"

"I don’t know……" Jax rubbed his face briskly with his hands, then propped them on his hips. "Something about needing my body and being willing to pay for it……" He lifted one hand to point a finger at Jerry’s chest. "Oh, and that it wouldn’t just be her – it would be for her AND her friends!"

To Jax’s surprise, Jerry’s face dissolved into a broad smile. "I…..uh……." He barely managed to stifle giggles. "I hate to break it to you, Jax, but she wasn’t propositioning you."

Blonde eyebrows drew together in a frown. "She wasn’t?"

"I know this will be a blow for your poor, fragile male ego, Jax, but the woman was making you a business offer!" Jerry held up a hand when Jax tried to object. "Barrett and Scorpio work for an advertising agency, remember? According to the information Sean sent me, they’re on board in order to shoot some new commercials for the cruise line. The model they had intended to use got sidelined by some skin rash, and they’re looking for a replacement." He grinned brightly and punched Jax in the arm. "Guess that’s you, little brother!"

"Me? A model??!!" Jax pointed to his chest and then shook his head vehemently. "Ohhhhh, nooooooo……."

"Oh, I think it’s a bloody *genius* idea, Jax!" Jerry chortled. "Just think how *proud* mum will be when she can point to your picture in some glossy fashion magazine back home!" He held up his hands in a framing position around Jax’s face. "I can hear her now, telling her bridge partners that her bouncing baby boy is gonna be the next Christie Brinkley!"

"I am NOT a model, Jer!" Jax growled through gritted teeth. "I am a commander in the United States Navy. I am a SEAL officer. I protect our country. I hit the beaches. I fight the bad guys." He jabbed his finger against Jerry’s chest with each sentence. "I do NOT wear pansy pink shirts and let people spritz me with water to make me *look* like I’m sweating! I DO sweat!!!!!"

Jerry shook his head, then pointed his own finger at Jax’s chest. "And I’ve got a news flash for YOU, Jax. If Donnelly wants you to protect Miss Barrett, you’ll wear chartreuse bloomers and smile till your face breaks!"

Jax frowned, paused for a minute, and then lifted an eyebrow at Jerry. "But then how can I continue to function as a SEAL commander? If the entire *world* has seen my mug plastered God knows where on ads for the cruise line?"

"That’s a fair question." Jerry chewed on his lower lip, then turned back towards the serving cart. "I’ll double-check with Sean and let you know." He started to wheel it back towards the door of the luxurious stateroom. "In the meantime, if the Barrett woman approaches you again, don’t give her the brushoff." He opened the door and turned to point an accusing finger at Jax. "Play nice – for now."

Jax waited until Jerry had pushed the cart into the hall and closed the door behind him. "For now," he muttered, shaking his head. "ONLY until I can escort Brenda Barrett’s pretty little backside back to Torrega." He snorted in disgust. "And then *I* can get back to the REAL world."

*~*~*~*~*

Brenda walked slowly over to the large table in the center of the stateroom she shared with Robin. She flipped through the stack of photos in her hands and then tossed them onto the table in front of her partner with a sigh. "We’re scr*wed."

Robin looked up at Brenda in surprise. The petite brunette pointed wordlessly to the top photo and when Robin looked at it, she muttered a soft expletive. "Geeeeeezzzzzz………what is this……..this THING above his lip??!!"

"I know." Brenda grimaced and pushed a few of the top photos aside so Robin could see the ones beneath. "When I started developing them, I thought maybe something was wrong with the film."

Robin moved the pictures around, glancing from one to the other in comparison. "It doesn’t show up so much in these shots taken from the left side……." She picked up another large glossy color print. "But from the right side………..hooooooooly cow…….."

"I think the words I used were a little stronger than that." Brenda snorted in disgust. "I called Elizabeth Webber ten minutes ago. She said she’d be down here to take a look at the pictures." As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door to their stateroom and Brenda smiled brightly. "Well, at least she’s prompt!"

"I can’t *wait* to hear this one!" Robin groaned as Brenda went to the door. "Brenda – if we can’t use shots of Lucky’s face, we’re totally ……totally……."

"Like I said before……." Brenda gripped the doorknob with a grimace. "…….totally scr*wed." She flung the door open to reveal a petite, dark-haired, frowning woman.

"This had better be good, Brenda!" Elizabeth growled as she entered the modest suite. She strode past Brenda so briskly that the photographer’s raven curls ruffled in the breeze. "Lucky and I are scheduled to take a yoga class on the Calypso deck in ten minutes."

"You know, Elizabeth, maybe yoga is a good idea!" Brenda shot back acidly. She closed the door and marched over to the table to take the photos from Robin. "Maybe some meditation would help Lucky get over whatever the H*LL is causing this big old ZIT above his lip!"

"What do you mean??!!" Elizabeth snatched the picture from Brenda. Her eyes flared momentarily in guilt, then narrowed again. "I don’t see anything wrong with this."

"Then you must be BLIND, Elizabeth!" Robin rose to point to a spot just above Lucky’s lip. "You mean you don’t see that dark red spot?"

Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose slightly. "Alright. I *do* see *something* there." She glanced towards the photos on the table and picked up another one with a smile. "But there’s *nothing* in *this* photo!"

"There’s nothing in *any* of the photos taken from the left side!" Brenda snapped, grabbing more of the pictures. "But it stands out like a big ol’ sore thumb on the ones taken from the right!" She plucked the photo from Elizabeth’s hands and looked her in the eye. "What is it, Elizabeth? A stray chicken pox scar you conveniently forgot to tell us about?"

Elizabeth’s lower lip came out in a pout. "No. It’s not from the chicken pox." She backed away from Brenda a little, gesturing broadly. "Occasionally, Lucky gets some collagen injections – not that he *needs* them, of course!" she added quickly. "Not with those beautiful full lips of his!" She smiled despite the storm clouds brewing in Brenda and Robin’s faces. "It’s just to ……to……..to *enhance* his perfection!"

"Uh-huh……." Brenda crossed her arms. "And just when did he have the last little injection?"

"Two days before we left on the cruise," Elizabeth grimaced. "Some bruising is normal, but this time the doctor said there was some kind of reaction to the collagen – I guess maybe it had to do with the chicken pox." Her shoulders drooped. "We thought we could mask it with makeup……." Then she seemed to gather steam and came back towards Brenda, pointing a finger at the photos. "…….and as long as you shoot him from the left side, it’s *really* not a problem!"

"Elizabeth, our Princess Fantasy Man has to be seen from ALL sides!" Brenda hissed. She approached Elizabeth slowly, like a predator stalking its prey, as Lucky’s manager shrank back accordingly. "We want to see him diving into the ship’s pool, drinking champagne with a mystery woman in the moonlight, dancing till dawn and then snorkeling in the blue waters off Barbados…….." She took a long breath for emphasis. "And he can’t do all that from only his LEFT SIDE!!!!!"

Elizabeth seemed to wither a little more with Brenda’s every word, but then suddenly she smiled in feline superiority. "Well, you’ll just HAVE TO, Brenda!" she cackled, crossing her arms. "WE have a contract! Lucky is the spokemodel for Princess Cruise Lines – it’s all in black and white!"

Just as she took a breath to hurl another accusation at Elizabeth, Robin placed a restraining hand on Brenda’s arm. She chewed on her upper lip, obviously biting back what she was about to say. "How…….." Brenda cleared her throat and attempted to keep her voice level and cool. "How long will it be until the bruising goes down?"

Elizabeth wilted visibly. "The doctor says at least two weeks."

Brenda’s eyes widened. "Then your precious *contract* isn’t worth DIDDLY SQUAT!" she roared, pulling away from Robin’s grip. "Baldwin-Coe has to make a preliminary presentation to Princess Cruise Lines the day after tomorrow!"

"You know……." Elizabeth strolled casually back towards the door of the stateroom. "I’ve heard some nasty rumors onboard that the two of you had been looking for a body double for Lucky……." She opened the door and gave them another snide smile. "Maybe this is all for the best. I mean, at least this way, we won’t have to file a nasty little ol’ lawsuit for you not making use of Lucky’s *complete* assets."

Robin suddenly approached Elizabeth, who was standing framed in the open doorway. "Well, honey," she drawled, "maybe you can just keep ALL of Lucky’s little ol’ *assets* to yourself, because we’ve already FOUND another model!"

One corner of Elizabeth’s left eye twitched. "You’re lying." She looked from Robin to Brenda and back again. "You can’t POSSIBLY have found another model – not on board THIS ship!!"

Robin took the door and began to close it. "Don’t call us, Elizabeth – we’ll call YOU!!" Just as Elizabeth inhaled to object, Robin slammed the door in her face. She turned back to Brenda with a gleeful grin. "THAT was better than Christmas and my birthday and the fourth of July all rolled into one!!"

Brenda shook her head and went back towards the table to gather up her photos. "Yeah, well enjoy it while you can, my friend – because Lucy Coe is going to have our heads on a platter when we don’t have any film for her to present at that meeting day after tomorrow!"

"Ahhhhhh, but we WILL have film!" Robin crowed, slinking towards Brenda and rubbing her hands. "Because we DO have a model!"

"What model?"

Robin clasped her hands behind her back and grinned like a pixie. "Mr. Perfect."

"Uhhhh…..Earth to Robin, Earth to Robin……." Brenda raised her eyebrows and waved a hand in front of her friend’s face. "Have you forgotten that Mr. Perfect turned us down this morning? Not that I exactly blame him…….." She grimaced and spoke more to herself than to Robin. "I probably sounded like I was trying to recruit him for a three day orgy than a photo shoot……"

Robin refused to be deterred. "Then you’ll just ask him again! And you’ll be more coherent this time!"

Brenda groaned and muttered a few expletives before turning back to Robin. "But…….."

"No "buts" on this, Brenda." Robin took Brenda’s shoulders in her hands firmly and looked deeply into her eyes. "Mr. Perfect is our only hope of salvaging this assignment and our careers. Not only is he the right body type, he’s got a face that the camera would love – and you know it!"

Brenda pursed her lips in thought for a few moments. "Well, he *does* have really pretty eyes – and he’s got that whole sexy cleft in his chin thing going on……"

"Exactly." Robin was beaming so brightly it almost hurt Brenda’s eyes. "And you and I both *know* that he’s comfortable around the water after that dive he took……"

"So he’d look like a natural in the swimming shots……" There was another long pause, then Brenda grimaced in concession. "I guess I could try asking again if I happened to see him tonight at dinner……"

"Uh-uh. No way." Robin shook her head emphatically and went to get her purse off the couch. "I did some checking around this afternoon after I talked to Jason." She took a small slip of paper from inside the purse and came back to Brenda, holding it out towards her. "The guy in the purser’s office told me that Mr. Perfect just joined the cruise early this morning – that’s why we hadn’t seen him before." She glanced at the paper before handing it to Brenda. "His name is Jasper Jacks and he’s in suite 108 on the Aloha deck."

Brenda squinted one eye at the paper. "Jasper?"

"His *name* doesn’t matter, Brenda!" Robin scolded, pressing the paper into Brenda’s hands. "Besides, if the campaign is a success, Lucy will probably change it anyway." She turned Brenda around by the shoulders and shoved her towards the door. "Now go ask him again."

Brenda dug in her heels. "NOW?"

"NOW, Brenda." Robin put her hands on her hips in a maternal pose. "If you get him nailed down this afternoon, we could be shooting some of the moonlight stuff after dinner tonight."

"Yeah…….." Brenda continued to stare at the paper dumbly. "I guess so……."

Robin suddenly frowned. "What’s the matter, Brenda? Why does talking to this guy turn you into a spineless jellyfish?"

"I don’t know……" She rubbed the paper between her fingers and scuffed her feet self-consciously. "I just……..well, I never feel really comfortable dealing with people – except for you, of course!" Brenda added, smiling at Robin. Then she shrugged her shoulders and winced. "I guess I’m just too much like my mother, you know?"

Robin’s heart ached to hear Brenda say it aloud. Veronica Barrett had been a Pulitzer prize winning photographer during the 1950’s. Her devotion to her art had gained her worldwide recognition, but also was a major factor in her divorce from Brenda’s father. She had been so fanatical about pursuing the perfect sunset that she had gone on a long safari to Africa shortly after the split. Brenda’s father, Harlan, had decided to try for one last reconciliation with Veronica, but was killed in a plane crash en route to the remote location where his wife was shooting. Veronica died only days later in a freak accident on some cliffs near a spectacular waterfall. The loss of both parents devastated Brenda.

Robin pulled Brenda to her for a hug and then patted her on the back. "Go on, chief – I KNOW you can do this!" She winked at her coyly. "And besides – I was watching this afternoon, and I could *swear* that Mr. Jasper Jacks looked rather interested in you!"

Brenda took a deep breath, nodded, and then went to the door. She opened it and looked back at Robin one last time. "But what if he *still* won’t agree to be our model?" She looked down at the piece of paper again. "After all, the suites on the Aloha deck are pretty ritzy, so I’d lay odds that he doesn’t need the money."

"Then remember one thing, Brenda……." Robin advised sagely. "There is NO shame in begging."

To be continued………