Who don’t believe in sensible rules,

And won’t believe what sensible people say,

And because these daft and dewey-eyed dopes keep building up impossible hopes,

Impossible things are happening every day."

"I’m sorry," Robin frowned as she entered the back office of Scents of Angels. "I didn’t know anybody else was back here with you."

Brenda placed herself directly in front of Jax, facing Robin. "I’m sorry, Robin. This is….Jax," she stumbled. "He’s ….umm……"

Jax gave Robin a devastating smile and put his hands proprietarily on Brenda’s shoulders. "Yes, I’m Jax," he supplied. He squeezed Brenda’s shoulders for emphasis. "Brenda is my new mistress." He put out a hand as he had seen so many other humans do when meeting for the first time. "And you are…..?"

Robin’s eyes grew as large as saucers. "Excuse me?"

Brenda jammed her elbow into Jax’s ribs, trying to stop him before he said something that would make Robin want to call the little men in the white coats to take him away. She smiled serenely while her insides were doing somersaults. "Actually, Robin, this is all really very simple…"

At that point, the bell on the door of the shop tinkled, announcing a customer. "You two stay right there," Robin said warily, holding up a finger. "I’ll be right back."

Brenda gave Robin a weak smile and waved at her as she turned and went back into the shop. As soon as Robin was out of the room, Brenda spun around to face Jax. "Just what the bloody heck do you think you’re doing? Popping in and out like that? Telling Robin that I’m your MISTRESS!"

Jax just smiled benevolently at Brenda. "You know, you really shouldn’t upset yourself so. The vein on the side of your neck is standing out and I can see its rhythm as your heart beats." He traced said vein with a finger and Brenda shivered a little at the electric sparks that went down her spine.

{Put some space between you and him, Brenda. Keep a level head.} Trying to follow her own advice, Brenda moved back a little and put up both hands. "Stop avoiding my questions, Jax." She put the flat of her hand to her forehead as he still gave her a puzzled look. "Don’t you realize that you took a *huge* chance, just popping in here like that? What if Robin had been back here with me? How did you plan on explaining how you just materialized out of thin air?"

"Your words are very true, angel," Jax replied, folding his arms and nodding seriously. "But you failed to inform me that you had an associate here at your business establishment. How was I to know that you weren’t alone since you hadn’t informed me of her existence?"

Brenda squinted her eyes shut and growled in frustration, making fists of both hands and pounding them in the air. Then, she took a deep breath and put her hands out flat to the sides, trying to calm herself. "OK, this is getting us nowhere fast. Let’s just forget about it for now." She paused, but then put her hands on her hips. "But in the future, Jax, you’re going to have to be more careful to blend in. I’m not exactly sure how most people would react to the news that you’re a djinni."

"Precisely why I visited my brother and his family before I came here!" Jax returned triumphantly. Brenda’s face still drew a blank, and Jax put his arms out to his sides in disbelief. "Have you not noticed my attire? You see, I *have* been trying to make myself less conspicuous in your life, angel."

"Oh, yeah – right – your clothes," Brenda admitted. "Yeah, you’ve got a point there, Jax. The blue jeans certainly do make you less noticeable than that robe you were wearing before." Jax gave Brenda a charming smile, and then he turned completely around so that she could see the entire package.

{Oh, my, yes – it *is* a shame that they don’t wear blue jeans in your world, Jax. That butt of yours was just *made* to wear blue denim.} Brenda shook her head to rid it of the intrusive lusty thoughts, but when he turned back to face her, she caught her breath. "Oh, my gosh…." She put her hand to her mouth as she got a full frontal view. "Umm….Jax, there *is* still a problem with your…..outfit."

Jax frowned. "A problem? Why? Everyone who lives near the Creek of Dawson wears clothing like this!"

Brenda tried to stifle her smirk with her hand. "Uh, no….I didn’t mean the *kind* of clothing you’re wearing. Did….uh….your brother and his family see your outfit before you came here?"

Jax looked down at his body again. "No. I just conjured this while transporting here. Is there a problem?"

Brenda licked her lips delicately and tipped her head to the side, crossing her arms. "Well, uh……you just……I mean, you don’t……"

Jax walked closer to her until he was so close that she could smell the sandalwood again. "Yes?"

Brenda began to feel a flush work its way up her neck in the face of such blatant masculinity in close proximity. "You ….uh…."

"Yes?" A curl fell across his forehead as he came even closer.

{Can he hear my heart pounding? It feels like it’s going to explode right out of my chest! What is the *matter* with me?} "You …." Brenda took a deep breath for courage. "Your fly is open."

Jax raised his eyebrows in confusion. "My……fly?"

Brenda gestured towards the social blunder. "Your…..zipper. The closing on your jeans."

Jax glanced down and the dawn finally broke. "Ahh…..so *that’s* what it’s called!" He sighed dramatically. ". We don’t have zippers on Astarra, you see. Can you help me with it? I cannot seem to make it…..work."

{Deep breaths, Brenda. In and out. In and out. You can do this.} "Well, you just….." Brenda tentatively reached out in the direction of Jax’s open zipper, but she still hesitated at touching him. "You…uh….put the sides together and then ….." {This should *not* be this difficult. Kindergarten teachers do this all the time. Of course, kindergarten teachers don’t have to do the zippers for 6 foot, blue-eyed, blonde gods either.}

Jax gave her a smile that was a combination of slyness and innocence. "I am afraid the two sides just won’t cooperate for me. Could you…..?"

Brenda narrowed one eye as she suspected that he hadn’t tried all *that* much to get the zipper to work. She reached tentative hands down and tried not to look at what she was doing, keeping her eyes on Jax’s face instead. "Well, you just….." As she grabbed the two sides of his jeans and put her hand to the zipper pull, Brenda dropped her glance momentarily and then turned completely white. She let go immediately and spun around to face in the opposite direction. "Oh, God……"

"What’s the matter?"

She couldn’t look at him. Not yet. "Ummm, Jax……you’re not wearing anything…..I mean….." Finally, she spun back to him and put her hand to her eyes to hide them from viewing him. "…..you don’t have any underwear on!!"

"Underwear? What’s that?" Jax’s voice did sound sincerely ingenuous this time.

Brenda took a breath, but then brightened and went to a couch in the office. Grabbing a fashion magazine, she came back to him, rapidly paging through it. Finally she stopped and turned the magazine to him, pointing to the picture. "Underwear. There – *that’s* underwear."

Jax looked at the picture askance. "Seems redundant to me. You humans do have some rather odd customs."

"Yeah, well, it’s one we’re rather fond of," Brenda sighed. She pulled the magazine back from him and began paging through it again. "I know…..why don’t you conjure yourself some of that underwear and then….." She stopped on a page and turned it back to him, showing him another picture. "…..you can just switch the jeans for a pair like this….with buttons! You *do* understand the concept of buttons, don’t you?"

"Yes, I do," Jax admitted, but then he gave her a devilish smile. "But I have a feeling that they won’t be nearly as much *fun* as zippers!" Brenda inhaled to argue with him but before she could squeak out a word, Jax snapped his fingers. Brenda had to close her eyes as a wind seemed to come out of nowhere in the small office, and when she opened them again, Jax was standing there, smiling at her benignly. He waved a hand down at his pants, and Brenda sighed in relief when she saw button front, hip-hugging blue jeans.

"Much better," Brenda admitted. "Now – just why exactly are you here at the office, anyway? I didn’t expect to see you until my mother’s party tomorrow night."

Jax began to walk around the office, noting the pictures on the wall and gesturing as he walked. "I just thought it might be nice to get to know you better, angel." He turned back to her, looking totally innocent. "You know – get to know you by getting to know your surroundings."

Brenda narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh." She shook her head and continued so softly that Jax couldn’t possibly hear her. "And I’ll just bet you’ve got some nice mountain property in Florida you’d like to sell me, too." She walked towards the computer and the checkbook mess, sighing aloud as she sat down in the chair. "Well, I guess you can hang around – as long as you promise to keep quiet and not mess anything up."

Jax stiffened with a solemn face. "I promise I shall merely hang and not mess," he said seriously. Brenda smiled indulgently and turned back to the computer, staring at the screen intently. She vaguely heard Jax walking slowly around the office, stopping for a moment to look through more magazines.

Brenda had just about figured out the checkbook discrepancy when she felt Jax’s fingers at the nape of her neck. "Jax --- you swore you wouldn’t mess." Her voice had the same tone her mother had used with her when she was six years old. "What are you doing back there?"

"Close your eyes, angel," he purred smoothly. She could still feel tiny electric sparks on her neck where his fingers had touched.

"I think that falls in the category of messing, Jax," she said adamantly.

"I promise I won’t misbehave, Brenda. Please close your eyes. I want to give you a gift."

"A gift?" Brenda had to control her urge to squeal in happiness. She had always loved gifts – but in this case, she wasn’t so sure. She closed her eyes grudgingly. "All right – but when I open them, an elephant better not be standing in the middle of this office."

Brenda squinted her closed eyes but she didn’t smell anything even remotely resembling a circus parade. Instead, she felt something cool and heavy slip around her neck and then slide down towards the crevice between her breasts. She heard Jax mumbling some lyrical-sounding words as he apparently fastened the clasp of the piece of jewelry. Brenda tried not to jump as Jax’s voice sounded next to her ear. "All right – you can open them now."

When she opened them, she could see Jax’s reflection in the screen of the PC monitor. Then, her gaze traveled down to her chest and she gasped aloud. "Jax! What is this?" She jumped up from the chair and turned around to face him. "It looks ….. antique or something." Brenda stopped short and then looked up into his smiling face. "Wait a minute – this one is just like that pendant you were wearing the other night!"

Jax pulled his amulet from beneath his shirt. "It is almost identical to mine, angel. Only the inscription is different – and the powers it carries."

Brenda stared down at it again and then looked warily into his eyes. "But why…..why are you giving me this?" She then frowned a little and put her hands on her hips. "And just what did you mean when you mentioned powers?"

"Can I not give you a simple gift?" Jax turned to walk away from her but Brenda caught his arm.

"I have a feeling that *nothing* is ever simple with you around, Jax," she replied. Brenda fingered the amulet. "Why did you *really* want me to have this?"

Jax sighed. "I see that I won’t be able to hide much from you, Brenda. You are more astute than most humans." He gently pushed her fingers aside and took the amulet into his hand. "The wearer of this pendant is placed under my protection. I have endowed the rune with special powers that will keep the wearer from any kind of harm."

Brenda lifted one eyebrow. "And just why would I need that?" The backs of Jax’s fingers brushed gently across the first swell of her breast and Brenda felt the electric tingle again. Pushing his hand away, she took the amulet into her own fingers. "Am I in some kind of danger now that I know you?"

{How I wish that the only danger I brought to you was from my unquenchable desire to be one with you!} Jax gave Brenda a wicked smile but at her look of disgust, he gave her a straight answer. "Brenda, I am a very powerful djinni in my own world. I have made enemies in the past, and once they discover our ….. relationship….."

"…You mean, that you’re granting me some wishes."

"….I mean, that we have made bargains with each other," Jax replied, "they might assume that they could hurt me by hurting you." He gently caressed the side of her face with his hand. "I would never see you hurt on my account, sweet angel." He was gratified to hear her shaky breathing as his fingers continued to trace small designs on the side of her neck. "So…..will you wear the amulet? To assure my peace of mind?"

Brenda had to blink her eyes once to break the sensual spell that Jax seemed to be weaving around her with his soft words. "Yes, I’ll wear it." She turned back to the computer and sighed. "Now, if it only had the power to figure out the mess in this checkbook, I would truly be a happy camper."

"A camper?" Jax frowned. "You neglected to tell me that you were going on an expedition. Will it be soon?"

Brenda shook her head and smiled but then Robin appeared in the doorway again. "Sorry about that." She walked over to where Jax and Brenda stood and extended her hand. "Now…..why don’t we try that again. I’m Robin Scorpio and you’re …. Did you say your name was Jax?"

Jax gave Robin a dazzling smile and reached out to shake her hand. "Yes. Jax."

Robin still held his hand and tipped her head to the side, giving him a curious half-smile. "Just……Jax? No last name?"

Brenda quickly stepped between them and Robin finally dropped Jax’s hand. "Yes…..believe me, his whole name is a real mouthful. He prefers the nickname, don’t you, Jax?"

"Yes." Jax was hesitant at first but then saw the look in Brenda’s eye and picked up her message. "Yes! I do! Definitely……what she said!"

Robin still narrowed one eye and looked at him strangely. "You’re not from around here, are you?" Brenda had a sudden coughing fit and Jax patted her on the back to try to ease it. "I mean," Robin persisted, after Brenda was breathing again, "that accent sounds a lot like you’re from the Land Down Under."

"Under?" Brenda held her breath as Jax gave Robin a quizzical look. "Under what?"

"Jaaaaxxx," Brenda teased, "Robin means Australia…..the Land Down Under the Equator!" She elbowed him in the ribs but gave him a pointed look. "You remember your geography, don’t you?"

"Ahhh, yes! Australia! Yes!" He smiled broadly as Brenda relaxed and then put his hands on his hips with bravado. "Good day, mate!"

Robin’s smile began to fade a little. "Uh-huh." She suddenly turned to Brenda and slapped her hand against her forehead. "Oh, Brenda. I’m so sorry. Jax here distracted me so much I almost forgot to tell you that Mrs. Winters is out front asking for you."

Brenda immediately went towards the door. "Thanks, Robin. She must be here for another week’s supply of those aromatic candles. Let’s hope they brought her some relief." She was about to go into the store when she remembered her djinni visitor. "Jax – why don’t you come into the store with me? Robin’s got a lot of paperwork to do back here and you might …..distract her." {And say a lot of things I’ll have to lie about later to explain.}

Jax followed Brenda after smiling again at Robin but as soon as they were through the door, Jax caught Brenda by the arm. "Who is this Mrs. Winters and why does she need so many candles?"

"Sssshhhh," Brenda said, putting her finger to her lips. She took Jax by the arm and led him towards the front of the shop. "I sell perfumes and scented candles in the shop but I also like to dabble in aromatherapy – you know, the healing power of scents?"

Jax nodded. "The djinn have recognized the magnificent powers of various aromas for centuries."

"Well, we humans are just beginning to get the hang of it." Brenda pulled Jax closer to her and pointed towards a short, older woman who was browsing through an array of colored bottles. "That’s Mrs. Winters." She whispered so that only Jax could hear her. "She’s been a customer for several months now." Brenda’s face grew grim. "She was diagnosed recently with inoperable liver cancer. She’s taking chemotherapy for it and the side-effects were making her really sick." Brenda sighed. "But last month when she came in, I recommended she try some of our scented candles to burn while she gets her chemo treatment, and she says it seems to be helping a little."

Mrs. Winters looked up and spied Brenda and her face broke into a beautiful smile. "Brenda, darling!" She came over to where Brenda stood. "I just came in to get more of those wonderful candles of yours."

"No problems, Mrs. Winters." Brenda saw the old woman giving Jax a curious look. "Mrs. Winters, this is a new friend of mine – Jax."

Jax bowed formally at the waist, causing Mrs. Winters to giggle like a schoolgirl. "I am pleased to make the acquaintance of such an enchanting young woman."

As Brenda reached for more of the fat peach candles that Mrs. Winters had pointed to, she noticed that Jax took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. Mrs. Winters blushed at the attention, but then Brenda was amazed when she noticed that Jax’s lips lingered a little longer near Mrs. Winters’ hand and he murmured some strange-sounding words.

"What a handsome friend you have, Brenda," Mrs. Winters cooed. "And so charming and well-mannered."

Brenda gave her a half-smile. "Well, he tries," she said indulgently. As she tried to lift down the box of peach candles, its weight shifted and it started to fall. Jax was there in a flash, catching the box before it landed on the floor. Brenda looked up into his sparkling eyes. "Thanks."

"No problem." He set the box down on the counter but then before he took out some of the candles, Brenda noticed that he again passed his hand over them. "How many of these do you need, young lady?"

Mrs. Winters giggled again and Brenda was pleased to see a healthy blush come to her cheeks. "I think that Brenda usually gives me three for a week, don’t you dear?"

Brenda nodded, but not before she gave Jax a curious glance. She returned her attention to being the shopkeeper and took Mrs. Winters’ money, giving her the correct change. She had to stifle a giggle herself as Mrs. Winters gave Jax a furtive wink before she turned to leave the shop.

Brenda waited until the bell over the door had stopped ringing, signaling Mrs. Winters’ exit. "What did you just do?"

Jax lifted his eyebrows angelically. "Do? Why do you think I *did* something?"

Brenda put her hands on her hips and spoke in a low tone so that the other customers wouldn’t hear them. "Don’t give me that innocent look, mister. I saw you wave your hand over those candles and mumble something when you were kissing her hand." Suddenly Brenda’s eyes widened and she grabbed Jax’s arm. "JAX!! DID YOU TAKE AWAY HER CANCER?"

Jax smiled sadly and shook his head. "No, angel. I wish I could do such things, but even the djinn lack powers to work miracles like that. We believe that there is a delicate balance in nature, including the balance between life and death. We never disturb that balance."

"Then what was the deal with the words and the hand-waving?"

"I simply cast a spell to try to ease her pain and discomfort from the chemicals they are pumping into her body." He sighed. "She is a lovely woman with a beautiful soul. And, I cast a similar spell on the candles. I merely hoped to enhance any healing power she might have felt from them before. It is truly a tragedy that such a good woman should have to suffer, particularly at a time of her life when she should be enjoying her grandchildren."

Brenda smiled at him warmly. "You’ve got a good heart, Jax." She tipped her head to the side playfully. "And I guess you’re not to bad to have around for customer relations, either."

Jax grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks!" And with that, he turned to walk away and promptly knocked over a stack of boxes of candles. He turned back to her with a wince. "Sorry?"

She shook her head. "And then sometimes…..you can be a real pain in the butt, you know?"

As Brenda stooped over to try to find out how many candles had broken, Jax gave her a lewd look that she fortunately never saw. {Now, angel, *that* is a pain from which I can definitely provide some relief!}

Brenda was still crouched down on the floor, sorting through the broken candles in the box, when she looked up abruptly. A warm, sensual rush flowed over her, starting at the crown of her hair. She felt the cascade of tingles work their way down her arms, and then she shivered a little as she felt them surround her breasts. They continued to swirl there until Brenda gasped at her body’s physical reaction.

Suddenly, she rose to her feet and whirled around to find Jax standing by the counter staring at her intently. "I think you forgot about the hanging and not messing rule again," Brenda accused breathlessly. "Are you doing something to me with your magic?"

Jax just pushed himself up from where he was leaning on the counter and walked lazily to stand next to her. "No, my angel. When I touch you with my tar’ot – my magic, as you like to call it – you’ll definitely know it." Then, Jax closed his eyes and inhaled.

Brenda closed her eyes too when she felt it. Although he was standing at least 3 feet away from her in a public place, she felt his lips tracing a blazing path down the side of her neck. Her pulse began to race as they moved with agonizing slowness across her collarbone. They tracked lower, and she distinctly felt the rough surface of his tongue moving towards her…..

"STOP THAT!!!" Brenda’s eyes flew open.

Jax smiled smugly. "I *told* you that you would know it."

Brenda tried to control her breathing as she pushed past him. "Maybe this "spending time with me" thing isn’t such a good idea after all. Maybe you should just meet me here tomorrow night before my mother’s party."

Jax’s face fell. "You find me irritating?"

"I find you…..distracting," Brenda explained. She took the candles and began placing them on the shelves behind the counter. "What about your brother’s place? Can’t you just "hang" there for a while until tomorrow night?"

{Not if I intend to seduce you properly.} Jax came up behind Brenda and put his hands on her shoulders. "I can see that you are busy with your work. If my being here disturbs you so greatly, I’ll leave."

Brenda chewed her lip in frustration. {I didn’t mean that in a bad way….geez, now I’ve hurt your feelings.} As she spun around to try to explain further to Jax, she was surprised when all that was behind her was the faint scent of sandalwood and musk. She was about to try to figure out a way to bring him back – just to explain, of course – when she heard Robin’s voice.

"Brenda? Are you coming? I think I’ve got these numbers figured out if you’ve got some time."

Brenda groaned. {Even a djinni is a picnic compared to trying to read numbers.} But, her business conscience finally won the battle and Brenda marched back into the office to try to balance her checkbook with Robin’s help.

Brenda’s evening didn’t bring her much better luck than her day. She decided that she would try to reproduce the mysterious scent on her own. After all – she was a master perfumer and had developed new scents on her own in the past. But after an hour of trying, all she had to show for her efforts were several beakers of liquid that came nowhere near the potent allure of the original scent.

Her neck ached from craning it to measure out potions and she felt generally scummy from the heat and humidity, so Brenda relaxed for a while in a tub of water accented with Flowering Sea Grass bath beads. She tried to let the events of the day roll off her, but somehow the vision of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed djinni kept popping up in her subconscious.

She donned a pair of red satin tap pants and a matching red satin camisole to sleep, trying to escape the heat and humidity of New Orleans in the summer. Brenda switched the air conditioner up to "high" and dimmed the lights in her room, but rest still eluded her. She was at the point of actually considering counting sheep when she smelled it.

Sandalwood. And musk. She felt a gentle breeze ruffle the hair that had escaped her ponytail and when she opened her eyes, she saw him.

Jax. He was wearing a pair of white cotton drawstring pants and a pale blue cotton, sleeveless tank top. He sat on the bottom of her bed and gave her his most charming smile. "Good evening, my sweet angel."

"For the *last* time, I’m not *your* anything!" she said, sitting up and slamming her pillow into the bed. "And what are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were staying with your brother!"

"He doesn’t have a …..what did he call it?" Jax frowned but then his face lit up. "A room for guests! Yes – that’s it." He continued to smile but then abruptly his face turned sad and pitiful. "I have nowhere else to go, Brenda. I have no pillows here on your earth where I may sleep."

She got out of bed and then sat down next to him on the bottom of the bed. "’Ya know, Jax, they have these wonderful things here on earth – they’re called motels. They’re made for folks just like you who don’t have…..pillows," she finished lamely.

"I know – they have many pillows. I’ve seen pictures of them on the television at my brother’s house." Jax sighed. "But I don’t have a card of credit, either."

Brenda nodded and crossed her arms, pursing her lips. "Hmmm…..no, I suppose you don’t. But I’ll just bet you’ve got a solution, don’t you?"

Jax turned to look deeply into her eyes. "I was thinking …..this is such a large house and you live here alone…..you have a room for guests, don’t you?" He took her hands in his and traced one finger around her palm. "Could I possibly use some of your pillows?"

Brenda knew it was coming, but that still didn’t prepare her for it. The cannon shot to her heart that his eyes fired. As she sat next to him, she swore they changed from a pale blue to sea green to lapis blue. And she already knew whose pillows he would be using that night.

Every time I fall for your eyes,

Like the raindrops fall from the skies,

Every time I hear your name

In this loving game.

To be continued……..

Music credit: "Every Time I Fall" composed by A. Bagge/M. Beckman/H. Sommerdahl, recorded by Gina G on the CD "Fresh"