She was trading jokes with Thomas in the kitchen when Jax walked in, dressed in one of his most conservative pin-stripe business suits. "Good morning," she said, failing to hide the surprise in her voice. "You look……nice."

"Thanks." He allowed himself a shy smile at her compliment, but then he turned to Thomas. "I won’t be able to stick around for breakfast, Thomas. Can I just get some strong black coffee in a travel mug?"

Brenda finally noticed his briefcase and overnight bag on the floor next to the kitchen door. "You’re leaving?"

Jax nodded, inhaling the scent of the coffee like it was ambrosia. "I got a phone call while you were taking care of Jon this morning. Things are falling into place fast with our project, and I need to go to Washington to make sure all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed with the bureaucrats." He took a sip of coffee from a cup as Thomas poured more into a lidded mug.

"So….you’ll be back tonight?"

He blew on the coffee in the cup and shook his head. "Nope. I’ve got to attend some kind of legal circus called Hart-Scott-Rodino hearings, and then I’ve got to put on a dog-and-pony show at the SEC to convince them they don’t need to stick their noses in it." He glanced up at her as he took another sip of coffee. "No stock involved – no SEC."

Brenda tried to sound blasé. "And you’re going…..alone?"

She was surprised when Jax took a disgusted breath and ran a hand through his hair. "This isn’t a pleasure trip, Brenda. I’ll be on the go to meetings constantly, conferring with Thao on the phone at all hours of the day and night, catching a meal where I can – not a single five-star restaurants on my itinerary……."

"OK, OK!" She held up both hands and walked around to the other side of the kitchen counter. Brenda stared at a cuticle on her left hand and shifted nervously from one foot to the other. "……I was just curious…..I mean, I didn’t know if …… well, if you were the only one going or if ……well, if Miranda was……"

She heard Jax’s sigh of embarrassment and when she looked up, he was leaning against the counter at the hip and shaking his head. "I’m sorry, Brenda. I shouldn’t have blown up at you. It’s just that you always used to….." His face got even redder when Thomas gave him a stern look that reminded him of the way his mother looked at him when he flushed her favorite gloves down the toilet as a child. "…..I mean, you used to get really angry when……" Brenda heard Thomas’s in-drawn breath behind her, and when she turned to look at him, she thought she was seeing the volcano god in her own kitchen. But before she could question it, Jax’s touch on her hand brought her back to their conversation. "To answer your question properly – yes, I’ll be going alone."

"And you’ll be coming back here – we won’t be going back to LA yet?"

Jax laughed out loud. "I only *wish* this project was that close to being a wrap." He sighed and went to pick up his briefcase, grabbing the travel-mug of coffee along the way. "Hopefully I can wrap this up in two day’ time – three max."

Brenda followed him as he juggled the coffee and briefcase while trying to pick up his overnight bag. "Here," she offered, "I can at least help carry something to the car for you."

But just as she made the offer, one of the house-boys showed up and raised an eyebrow at Jax. He nodded quickly and the boy grabbed the overnight bag and headed towards the front door. Jax turned back to her with a soft smile. "Thanks for the offer, Brenda, but I wouldn’t let you carry anything that heavy anyway."

She nodded and scuffed her foot against the floor. As if they were cued in a movie, both Brenda and Jax turned self-conscious eyes towards Thomas. But the swarthy man just gave them a smug smile and turned back to the stove with a "I’m-not-goin’-anywhere" look. Jax placed his finger on Brenda’s cheek to turn her face back to him. "I really should go," he whispered. "Plane’s waitin’."

She swallowed hard and nodded. "I’ll miss you." Jax could swear he saw tears in her eyes again.

Jax took a deep breath and then leaned down to brush his lips next to her ear. "I’ll miss you, too," he whispered in a husky voice. She felt his lips graze the side of her neck and trembled a little when his tongue soothed the spot afterward. When he pulled back, she saw her desire reflected in his eyes. "I’ll call you every night." Then he smiled sheepishly. "And sometimes during the day."

She cupped the side of his face, allowing her thumb to trace the cleft in his chin. "And I’ll be waiting." She raised on tiptoes towards his lips but the loud blaring of a car horn caused her to startle. She sank back down with a half-grimace. "You should go." She patted his arm. "I’ll kiss Jon goodbye for you."

Jax nodded and turned towards the front door. He almost knocked Brenda off her feet when he suddenly spun back, snaked an arm around her waist to pull her against him, and gave her a kiss that made her heart stop and start at least five times. His tongue sank deeply into her open mouth, the tang of the coffee still strong enough to tease at Brenda’s taste buds. The kiss was over before it began, but it still left Brenda flushed. She opened her eyes just in time to see Jax disappear down the hallway to close the front door with a soft click.

She turned back to see Thomas smiling as he stirred something on the stove. "Sooooo……I guess it’s just you and me for a few days, huh Thomas?"

He put down his spoon and turned deliberately to face Brenda, drying his hands on a nearby towel. "Don’t worry, Mrs. Brenda." He winked in the direction of the door. "He’s coming around." When Brenda sighed and looked down despondently at her feet, Thomas came over to her. He lifted her chin with his knuckle. "My grandmother used to say that a large boulder may take a little longer, but it will still yield to the persistent stream."

Brenda gave Thomas a dejected smile. "Yeah, well did your grandmother have any sayings about how to make the stream flow a little faster?"

Thomas tapped her lightly on the nose and leaned in close. "Actually, she did." He put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "You just let Thomas help you and we’ll have that boulder tumblin’ in the water in no time at all!"

*********************

Jax came through the front door of the house three days later just in time to hear the front clock chime 7 o’clock. He frowned as the house seemed darker than normal, particularly so close to the supper hour. "Thomas?" Dropping his overnight bag near the door, Jax walked to a small table in the foyer that held the mail that had accumulated over the past three days.

He was loosening the knot of his tie and leafing through the mail when he suddenly stopped. Turning around, Jax sniffed at the air. "Thomas?" he repeated in a louder voice. "Where are you and what have you been up to in the kit……" He never finished the sentence as Brenda appeared in the hallway.

Brenda walked towards him slowly and watched as his eyes lit with hunger – not only for the source of the delicious smells that wafted out of the kitchen. She had talked Lois into going shopping with her and found the perfect outfit for Jax’s homecoming – a silver charmeuse crop top and matching trousers. The demure front of the top gave no hint of the narrow strips of material that criss-crossed across the back to hold the sides together. They crossed at her shoulder blades, leaving her middle and lower back bare. The low-slung trousers left her navel exposed and flattered her now-flat tummy. Matching high-heeled sandals completed the outfit. She had pulled her hair back on both sides with barrettes that sparkled with marcasites.

Jax swallowed hard as Brenda finally stood before him. "Hi," she said softly. "Welcome home."

Jax looked around tentatively. "Hi yourself." He bent to the side, trying to see around her. "Where’s Thomas?"

She smiled seductively. "I gave him the evening off."

Jax frowned in confusion. "But that smells like……"

"Chicken cordon bleu – your favorite," Brenda replied as she walked around to Jax’s back. She grasped the collar of his suit coat and slipped it slowly down his arms.

"But if Thomas isn’t here…." Jax tried to look at her over his shoulder.

Brenda walked back around to the front, sliding her hand gently over his left shoulder as she did and trailing it down his arm. "He gave me the recipe."

Jax pointed towards the kitchen, to Brenda, and then back to the kitchen again. "You…….he’s not…….you mean that *you*……"

Jax swallowed hard again. "I believe it." He took a shaky breath as she didn’t make a move to pull away from him and the warmth of her breasts seeped through the cotton of his shirt. "You know, after that long trip, I think I’m *really* ready to………eat."

Brenda ran her hand back up his arm and across his shoulder until her fingers just barely brushed the hair at the nape of his neck. But then, she surprised him when she slipped her hand down to unbutton the first button of his shirt and tug at his tie. "Then I think we should do that – as soon as possible," she murmured.

Just as Jax was wondering if the marble floor in the hallway would *really* be that uncomfortable for making love, Brenda surprised him. She started walking away from him, all business and no longer seductive. "In fact," she continued, glancing back at him over her shoulder as she led him towards the kitchen, "that chicken is just about ready to burn if we wait much longer."

{So am I!!} Jax followed her to the kitchen in a daze. "So…..what about Jon?"

Brenda went to the stove and slipped her hand into a protective mitt. "Oh, Jax…..I took him out on the beach today for the first time and he loved it!" She turned to see Jax’s confused look and then went back to removing a large casserole from the oven. "Not in the water or anything, but I just took one of his receiving blankets and spread it on the sand early in the morning before the sun got too bright. Anyway," she went on, taking out some baked potatoes, "he *loved* it!" She shrugged her shoulders in pure delight as she went to the refrigerator and retrieved two bowls of salad. "You should have seen the way he was waving his little arms and legs around!"

"I’m sorry I missed it." Jax had taken a seat on one side of the kitchen table.

Brenda carried two steaming plates to the table. "Anyway, I think all that fresh air and the cereal I added to his bottle got to him." Brenda sat in the chair on the side adjacent to Jax’s. "He fell asleep about an hour ago and I think it’ll take an *earthquake* to wake him!"

Jax looked up with mock panic. "Brenda – you’re a born and bred Californian. You should *know* that we don’t say that word around here – ever!!"

{No, *she* was a born and bred Californian. *I’m* a born and bred East Coast earthquake-virgin who would probably lose her lunch if the earth ever started moving.} "So," she said brightly, changing the subject, "how does it look?"

"Chicken cordon bleu, baked potato, tossed green salad….." Jax reached out to take her hand. "…..I’m just……stunned!" He eagerly picked up a knife and fork to cut his chicken and after tasting some, he shook his head in amazement. "This is terrific!!"

Brenda shrugged shyly. "Thanks." She took a forkful of her own. "So, did sh…….I used to cook much…..before?"

Jax put his fork down deliberately. "You *hated* to cook, Brenda." He leaned forward confidentially. "In fact, you were bloody *awful* at it."

She swallowed her chicken and smiled. "Well, I’m just glad you like it." They continued to enjoy Brenda’s cooking as Jax filled her in on the hearings and meetings in Washington. He couldn’t ever remember having such an enjoyable dinner with Brenda before …..except maybe for the one on their last official *date*. She seemed genuinely interested in his business dealings.

When it came time to clear the dishes, Jax insisted on helping. "I hope you don’t mind that we ate in here instead of the dining room." She looked towards a doorway. "It’s just that the table in there is so big, and I wanted us to be…….closer. For dessert."

Jax arched an eyebrow as he placed the plates in the sink. "Dessert?"

Brenda nodded. She went to the refrigerator and took out a huge bowl, removing the cover dramatically. "Strawberries." She placed the bowl on the table and clasped her hands behind her proudly. "Fresh picked this afternoon."

Jax walked slowly to the table and picked up one of them. "Really?" He held it up to her lips, but when she bit off the end, juice ran down her chin. "Looks like they’re really juicy," Jax murmured, taking a napkin to wipe her chin gently.

Brenda nodded, her eyes locked with Jax’s. "They are. Thomas showed me how you have to really push the leaves aside to find the best ones…."

"Wait a minute…..you *picked* these? Yourself?"

You couldn’t have slipped a piece of tissue paper between the two of them as she nodded. Brenda picked up a strawberry and rubbed it back and forth on Jax’s lips. "Yep. Picked them with my own two hands." Her eyes glittered with naughty inspiration. "After all, feeling and touching them..…..you know that’s the only way to find the really firm, sweet, juicy ones….."

Jax’s breathing escalated with every word she spoke. He took a small bite out of the strawberry but then slipped his hand around Brenda’s waist to pull her to him. She slid her hands up his firm chest to wrap around his neck as he lowered his lips to hers. He tasted tart and tangy and…….wonderful. Jax’s hand tunneled under the thin straps of fabric that crossed her back to explore the satin of her bare skin. When she felt his fingers dancing along her spine, edging dangerously closer to the sides and then the swell of her breasts, she moaned softly into his mouth.

They were so busy kissing that they almost didn’t hear the phone ring. Jax raised his head a fraction of an inch, only to angle his lips in the opposite direction. "Thomas can get it. Don’t move."

He lowered his head to kiss her again but Brenda pulled away. "Thomas isn’t here, remember?" She held up a finger as she moved towards the phone. "And it might be important to your business deal." Jax frowned but Brenda insisted on reaching for the phone. He continued to trace his lips up and down her neck as she spoke into the receiver. "Hello?" She paused a few seconds to moan softly as Jax took a bite of her shoulder. "Hello?" Jax felt her body stiffen and he raised his head. "Is somebody there?"

He reached for the phone. "Persistent telemarketer?"

Brenda frowned as she hung up the receiver. "No –- but that’s the second time today I’ve gotten dead air when I answered the phone." She sighed and waved off his worried look. "It’s probably just kids – I wouldn’t worry about it." She moved back towards him. "Now, where were we……."

But just as their lips almost met in another kiss, Jon’s crying could be heard on the baby monitor. "I guess the phone woke him," Brenda sighed in disappointment. "I should go to him."

Jax nodded. "I should really call Thao and let him know how the meetings went anyway." Brenda was about to leave the kitchen when Jax called after her. "But thanks – for dinner. And …… almost dessert."

******************

"That’s it, baby! You’ve almost got it now!" Brenda cooed at Jon as she sat next to him on the beach. He had been so fussy after being awakened by the phone that by the time Brenda joined Jax in bed, her husband was as soundly asleep as her son.

But after eight solid hours of sleep, Jonathan Jasper Jacks was once again a happy camper. Brenda had brought him out onto the beach in hopes of seeing Jax, but Thomas informed her that he and Thao were having breakfast in the dining room with some bankers and probably wouldn’t be available until late that day. She had stuck to her plan and as she watched her son try to roll over on his tiny blue blanket, she wished with all of her heart that Jon actually wouldn’t reach that milestone until his father could see him do it.

Jon’s squeal brought Brenda out of her reverie. "Goooood boy, Jon!" She stroked his legs lovingly. "You’re gonna roll over any day now and make your daddy and mommy soooooooo proud!"

"Welllll, now I know what I’ve been missing all my life." Miranda’s saccharine whine caused Brenda to freeze in place. "I know they say that being a mother is fulfilling, but somehow I just can’t imagine myself getting that excited about something so small doing something so …… simple."

Brenda squinted and shaded her eyes against the morning sun as she looked up towards the sound of Miranda’s voice. "Good morning, Miranda. I’d say I was glad to see you…..but I’m not."

"Well, that’s a relief," Miranda countered. "At least your "amnesia" hasn’t deluded you into thinking that you and I were somehow friends before."

"I’ve got amnesia, Miranda, not temporary insanity. Why would I ever think that a woman who’s trying to steal my husband would be my friend?" Brenda scooped Jon up into her arms as he started to fuss in the morning heat and tried to get back up on her feet.

"I didn’t have to *steal* him, Brenda. Jax was more than ready to be with a woman who puts him first. You know," she added, "instead of acting the way you do……panting after anything that has a p*nis." Miranda’s smile dripped acid.

"Be with?" Brenda refused to lose her cool. "Would you define that one for me?" Her eyes narrowed. "Because I happen to know that you and Jax have never slept together, and if you think he loves you, *you’re* the one who’s insane!"

"Jax may not have said those three little words to me yet," Miranda countered. She maintained her confident arrogance as Brenda turned back towards the house. "But that’s only because he still feels guilty about that little dying melodrama you pulled on the delivery table." Jon started whimpering as he sensed Brenda’s turmoil. Miranda narrowed her eyes as she went in for the kill. "If it hadn’t been for that, he would have given you the divorce you asked for and he and I would be together now."

Brenda started to walk back towards the house with Jon but Miranda followed, still talking. "So why don’t you just face the facts, Brenda – you’ll lose him." Brenda stopped cold but didn’t turn to face Miranda. "It might not be today, or even this week or this month. But eventually – you’ll get your memory back, and he’ll realize that his little fairy tale has come to an end. And he’ll come running to me."

Jon’s whimpers were turning into full-fledged wails. "It’s OK, baby. Mommy’s gonna take you inside and let you cool off." She finally turned to face Miranda and gave her a dirty look. "If you’re looking for Jax, I understand he and Thao are going to be meeting with bankers all day today."

"I already know that, Brenda. *I’m* the one who set up the meeting." Miranda smiled again as Brenda rocked back and forth, trying to stop Jon’s crying. "Just more proof of why Jax and I belong together." She leaned towards Brenda, malicious victory written all over her face. "The truth is that Jax is better off with me, Brenda. I’ll never hurt him. You’ve already done it countless times, and despite the way you feel now, you’ll do it again. So why don’t you just admit that you’ve lost him, and move on? Divorce him before he divorces you and your dignity is non-existent."

Brenda just shook her head and started trudging up the beach again towards the house. Miranda laughed loudly as she followed in her wake. "Poor Brenda. She just doesn’t get it."

Brenda had reached the gate to the lanai when Miranda caught up to her. She turned back to her rival with a self-assured smile. "Do you remember that old commercial, Miranda? The one about the soft drink without the caffeine?"

Miranda frowned. "What could that *possibly* have to do with me?"

"Because, *sweetie*," Brenda purred, "they could have just as easily been talking about you. Never had it, never will." She bounced Jon as a black cloud seemed to gather over Miranda’s head. "Now I, my dear, have *had* it…….and I will again!"

Miranda had just inhaled to make some kind of comeback when Brenda turned to go through the gate. She felt Jon’s body lurch a little and then heard Miranda’s squeal of horror behind her. When Brenda turned around, she saw that Jon had apparently spit up all over the front of Miranda.

"YOU……YOU…….!!!" Miranda was livid as she tried to brush some of the awful smelling spit-up off her blouse. "You made that baby do that to me on purpose! You squeezed him or something so he would puke all over me!"

Brenda laughed a little. "He’s a baby, not a fireplace bellows, Miranda," she crowed. Then she rubbed Jon’s back. "Are you OK, baby? All those nasty things the mean lady was saying just gave you a case of indigestion didn’t they?"

Miranda continued to fume as Brenda opened the gate. Brenda gave her one last smile. "Oh, and Miranda…..I’d try to wash that out as soon as possible if I were you. The smell is almost impossible to get rid of if you don’t." Miranda stomped her foot in anger as Brenda closed the gate behind her, crooning at Jon, "Come on, Jon. Let’s go up to the house and tell your Uncle Thomas what a goooooood boy you were this morning!!"

*****************

Thao sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap stubbornly. "Six per cent is just not acceptable, my friend. We’ll go broke in five years’ time."

Jax flipped some pages in a file, squinted at one of the pages, and then ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "But it’s the best offer we’ve got from any of the bidding providers, Thao. We have no choice but to accept it and try to recoup the cost somewhere else."

"You know the rest of the numbers were carved down as low as we could get them," Thao argued. Jax sighed and rose from his desk to walk to a window overlooking the beach. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the waves breaking on the sand. "Are you sure that we’ve approached every possible provider? That nobody was overlooked in the bidding?"

Jax didn’t answer. It had been four days since he returned from Washington, and he had been tied up almost fourteen hours every day with meetings about the business alliance. He was frustrated beyond belief, particularly after dinner the night he returned home from DC had been so ….. promising. There was nothing he wanted to do more than tell Thao that the whole deal was off and spend several days alone with Brenda and Jon. But he knew that too much groundwork had already been laid for the deal, and he couldn’t back out on Thao now.

"Jax?" Thao called his name softly, bringing Jax out of his trance. "Did you hear what I just said?"

Jax shook his head, sighed, and walked back from the window to the desk. "I’m sorry, my friend. I just don’t seem to be able to concentrate much on business today."

Thao sat back in his chair, propped his elbows on the arm-rests, and rested the steeple his fingers made against his lips. "It’s Brenda again, isn’t it?"

"She’s just…….I just never know what to expect from her, you know?" Jax snorted softly.

"Ahhhh……" Thao shook his head sadly. "I’m sorry, Jax. I was afraid she would go back to her old ways soon enough."

"NO!" Jax raised his eyebrows as he defended Brenda loudly. "She hasn’t gone back to her old ways AT ALL!" He shrugged his shoulders, his voice quieter. "I mean, in the old days, she was a b*tch, but at least she was a *predictable* b*tch. But now ……" He sat forward and leaned on the desk towards Thao. "Did you know she actually cooked dinner for me the other night?"

Thao’s face paled. "You mean that she ordered *takeout* all by herself, do you not?"

"No," Jax replied slowly, "I mean that she *cooked* -- chicken cordon bleu, no less. AND she went to the market to buy the ingredients herself."

Thao frowned and shook his head in disbelief. "That is……..no way, as the kids say! This is a woman who thinks that the market is a place where securities and stock certificates are bought and sold."

Jax nodded but then help up a finger. "And that’s not all – she even picked strawberries for dessert."

A coughing fit seized Thao. "Brenda? Your Brenda? Got down on her hands and knees and picked strawberries?" He shook his head but then eyed Jax warily. "How ….uh……how has she been *otherwise* during the past few days?"

Jax sighed and pushed his chair back to prop his feet on the desk. "Who knows? We’ve been so busy with meetings that I haven’t had that much time alone with her." Then he looked again at Thao and frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"She didn’t mention anything that…….anyone…..had said to her? Anyone she had talked to recently?"

Jax lifted his feet off the desk and sat up straight. "Spit it out, Thao. What aren’t you telling me?" Then his eyes widened. "Did Miranda say something to her?"

Thao grimaced. "Now, Jax……you know that Miranda cares about you deeply, and she was just trying……"

"D*mnit, what did she say to Brenda?" Jax raised his voice and Thao held up his hands to try to get Jax to lower the volume.

"Miranda told me yesterday that she ran into Brenda on the beach. The meeting was less than cordial, shall we say." Jax motioned for Thao to go on. "At any rate, Miranda told Brenda that you……that she cared for you and that you……" Jax looked like he was about to strangle Thao. "….that you cared about her also. That you and Miranda were bound to end up together since you are more well-matched." Jax rose from his desk to pace the floor in the study. "Apparently she strongly suggested that Brenda return to Los Angeles since she’s fighting a losing campaign here."

"Great! That’s just great!" Jax’s face was flushed with barely-controlled anger, his words laced with sarcasm. "And Miranda actually had the nerve to admit to this to you? That she told Brenda that she and I…….that I care for *her* and not my wife?……"

"You know how Miranda is, Jax," Thao crooned. He rose and came over to Jax, trying to put a hand on his arm. "She just loves you so much, and she was so happy that she seemed to have Brenda at a disadvantage….."

Jax’s eyes widened even further. "And Brenda *believed* her?"

Thao looked down at the floor as guilt caused him to blush a little. "Well…..it wasn’t the first time she had heard it." Jax raised an eyebrow as he waited for Thao to continue. "The day after she arrived, I told her nearly the same thing when you and Miranda went inside to check for that fax from Cedge."

Jax pulled away from Thao as he walked slowly back to the desk. "Well, I never realized I had so many so-called *friends* looking out for my welfare."

Thao came back to the chair in front of Jax’s desk. "Jax, I never meant to hurt either one of you. I was only trying to think of your future – so that Brenda would not break your heart again……"

"And all of you are so d*mn sure that she will." Jax sat back in his chair, looking daggers at Thao. "You’re all so worried about Brenda hurting me, yet none of you gave a rat’s glass about whether or not Brenda got hurt."

"Jax, despite what you think, we only……" Thao stopped suddenly and frowned. "Gave a what?"

A smile spread slowly across Jax’s face as his eyes started to sparkle. "A rat’s glass……." He paused, then laughed out loud. "A rat’s glass, dummit!" Thao continued to stare at Jax in confusion as he sat up straight and picked up the phone. He punched a few numbers, and then waited while it rang. "Thomas? Can you come into the study?" He gave Thao a naughty wink. "Yes. Right now. I’ve got a little project I want you to work on for me."

****************

The nightmare started shortly after Brenda went to bed. She had become accustomed to going to bed alone the past four nights with Jax tied up in business meetings until after midnight. That particular day, he had only managed to break free once. He left the house shortly before dinner, telling Brenda that he had to handle a delicate situation in town and wouldn’t be back until after she was in bed. She had asked Thomas about it, but he just gave her a strange smile and said that Mr. Jax was working on a special project.

Brenda moaned a little in her sleep as Harlan and Julia appeared again. Julia was accusing her of losing one of her favorite Nancy Drew books. Harlan was making fun of her below-average grades in school and asking why she couldn’t be more like her straight-A stepsister. Brenda’s head rolled back and forth on the pillow as she tried to convince them she wasn’t bad. She wasn’t stupid. She deserved their love. But they only laughed louder in her dream. As their faces started to go round her in a garish circle, Brenda reached down to feel the one creature who *did* love her. The one…..

Brenda sat straight up in bed, panting in fear. "Oh, my God!" she yelped. The words were no sooner out of her mouth than Jax sat down next to her in the dark room on the bed. "Jax!" she cried, grabbing his arm, "there’s something……I was having a nightmare, and when I reached down for Princess like I always do, I ……..I felt …..something……"

When Jax reached behind her to turn on the bedside lamp, Brenda saw his calm smile. "What did it feel like, love?"

"I don’t know!" She grabbed Jax’s arms, still shaking. "It was soft, and warm….." Brenda stopped short when she heard a little yip from her side of the bed. She slowly turned back towards it as Jax put his arms around her. She leaned over her side of the bed towards the floor, there was a five-second pause, and then she let out a squeal of pure happiness. "JAX!!!!"

He didn’t have to wait long to see her face. When she turned back to him, he could see the tears of joy running down her cheeks. Of course, they weren’t there long as the wiggling bundle of black puppy in her arms started licking them off. "Jax!!! It’s……." Brenda was breathing so fast Jax was afraid she would hyper-ventilate as she hugged the dog.

Jax stroked Brenda’s hair lovingly. "Do you know how far I had to go to find a pure black cockapoo puppy at this time of night?"

"Ohhhhh, Jaaaaaax……" Brenda cried even harder as she petted her prize. A huge pink bow was tied around the dog’s neck. It was totally black, and its feathered tail wagged briskly as Brenda put her face down so that the dog could lick it. "Jax…." Brenda paused long enough to hold the dog up to the light and check its anatomy. "…….*he’s* gorgeous!"

"Well, I have to admit that I was disappointed I couldn’t get a female, but maybe we can get this little fella a friend in a year or two." Jax shrugged shyly. "And besides, that way we won’t have to worry about having him fixed……" He gave her a naughty wink. "…..so he can’t go out and have irresponsible puppy sex, I mean……"

"Oh, Jax!" Brenda’s exclamation was half sob, half laugh. She hugged the dog one more time and then inhaled deeply as she put it back in the wicker basket that was on the floor next to her bed. Tears still sparkled in her eyes when she turned back to Jax. "I don’t remember much about us…..before…..but that *has* to be the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for me."

"Well, I know how you miss your Princess, and I thought since I had been tied up so much with meetings lately….." Sexual tension flooded the air between them as Jax noticed that Brenda was wearing a filmy mauve baby-doll nightgown. He swallowed hard and then tried to adopt a bright look. "So…..what are you going to name him?"

"I don’t know!" Brenda wiggled almost as much in happiness as the dog did. She looked back towards the basket, turned back to Jax with a frown, and then jumped out of bed on her side. Jax leaned over the bed to see her crouch down and pull the dog from under the bed. He raised one eyebrow as the dog continued to gnaw on one of his slippers even as Brenda held him. "Now, Jax," she argued, "don’t be upset with him. He’s only a puppy. He’s probably teething and wants to chew on things……just like Jon will be doing soon enough."

"Uh-huh." Jax still gave the dog a skeptical look. "Well, when Jon starts chewing on my slippers, I’m taking him to the doctor!" He shook his head as Brenda continued to bubble like a five-year-old at Christmas. "I’m glad you like your present, Brenda, but I don’t know……he still just looks like trouble to me."

She grimaced at Jax, but then broke into a contagious smile. "That’s it!" She held the dog’s face up even with her own. "Trouble Jacks, welcome to the family!!"

"Oh, now I’m not so sure about that," Jax argued with a half-smile. "I think that may already be Jerry’s middle name."

The dog was still wagging his tail and yipping softly when the phone on Brenda’s side of the bed started to ring. "Here," she said to Jax, "you hold Trouble while I get that."

Jax frowned as she dumped the wiggling puppy into Jax’s arms. "Who would be calling on the private line at this time of night?"

Brenda shrugged. "I don’t know…..maybe it’s Lois." She picked up the phone. "Hello?" Jax watched as her face turned pale. "Hello?" she repeated. "Is somebody there?"

Jax took the phone out of her hand as the dog rolled onto the bed, arching his back and wagging his tail, thinking it was all a game. "Hello? Who is this?" Brenda held her breath, but then Jax handed the phone back to her. "They hung up." Brenda snagged Trouble and held him close after she hung up the receiver. "Have you gotten any more of those hang-ups on the main line?"

Brenda nodded and her chin started to quiver a little. "Two, the day before yesterday. But this is the first one on this line." Tears gathered in her eyes. "Jax, this line is unlisted. How would anyone have gotten the number?"

Jax put his arm around Brenda. "I don’t know, love. But I’m calling a private security firm tomorrow. Obviously, somebody wants to scare you."

Brenda nodded but couldn’t stop trembling. "Jax," she whispered. "They’re doing a dumn good job of it."

To be continued……