"Oh, it’s no problem – really." Princess Brenda Anastasia Veronique Eunice Maria Christina of Baeristonburgh tried to put on her most gracious expression and returned the secretary’s smile. "I’m sure that an important man like Mr. Jacks can’t just put everything else on hold in order to keep his appointment with me….."

"Oh, but he *is* most anxious to see you, dear" the secretary replied in a honeyed voice. She cast an almost guilty glance around her before giving Brenda another confidential rise of her eyebrows. "He *has* to do something soon about the matter, you know."

"I’m certain that he does….." Brenda deliberately let the statement dangle. {Are we still talking about the same thing? I mean, Jasper Jacks *did* finally agreed to see me because I’ve been calling nonstop to get an appointment with him for two weeks, didn’t he?}

Princess Brenda of Baeristonburgh had been camped out in Los Angeles, California for the past two weeks on a quest. The youngest child of King Harlan and Queen Veronica, Brenda had been known since birth to be a single-minded child. So when her elder sister, Princess Julia, agreed to conspire with her, Brenda had welcomed her assistance.

There were three offspring altogether in the royal family of the tiny country of Baeristonburgh. Princess Brenda was the youngest – a strikingly beautiful petite woman with coal black hair and dark brown eyes that danced with mischief most of her waking hours. Princess Julia was the middle child. She was totally opposite to Brenda in looks and disposition. Julia was fair skinned, blonde, tall, and quiet. She preferred spending long hours doing research at her computer, where Brenda delighted in talking to people and checking out locations in order to get at the truth.

"The truth" that they were so desperately seeking had to do with their brother – the oldest child of King Harlan and Queen Veronica. Crown Prince Albert of Baeristonburgh. Three years older than Princess Julia. A full six years older than Princess Brenda. In fact, neither of the princesses had yet been born when the unthinkable happened. Crown Prince Albert, the heir to the throne of Baeristonburgh, had been kidnapped from his stroller when he was only one month old.

Brenda and Julia had practically been raised in bubbles, so tight was the security when they were children. King Harlan held himself personally responsible for the horrible event. Although he had hired investigators from every corner of the globe and offered obscenely large rewards, Prince Albert had never been returned to his family. In fact, King Harlan and Queen Veronica had never even received a ransom request from the kidnappers. It was as though he had never existed – as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.

When Brenda turned 21, she decided that it was time once again to take up the search for her missing brother. Together with Princess Julia, they used the latest computer technology to try to find the boy. Both Brenda and Julia had the sibling instinctual feeling that he was still alive somewhere. It took six long years and the latest technology before they finally hit the jackpot in the search for their brother, who would now be over 30 years old. Using the Internet as a resource, they were elated when an infant matching Albert’s description turned up in the records of an organization called the Children’s Home Society.

Brenda and Julia immediately traveled to New York City to meet with representatives of the Society. They were dismayed to learn that nearly a dozen dark-haired infant boys were placed for adoption the year in question. Brenda and Julia pored over the pictures of the infants, but none of them seemed to match the one grainy photograph they had of their brother. It didn’t come as a shock when the lead private investigator suggested that perhaps the baby’s physical features had been altered in order to make him less recognizable. His hair could have been dyed, or even shaved off. And photographic equipment in Baeristonburgh at the time of Albert’s birth was antiquated at best.

Brenda had suggested the only possible way to solve the dilemma. She and Julia split the list of adoptive families, each one taking six infants. Armed with their case histories and files, Brenda and Julia had been scouring the United States, trying to find the young men these infants had grown to be. They were sure that one of them had to be Albert.

And that was what had led Brenda to Jasper Jacks of Los Angeles, California. Actually, she could have cared less about the elusive billionaire. It was his business partner she wanted to meet – Mr. Roy DeLucca. Or, as she hoped to think of him – the long-lost Prince Albert of Baeristonburgh.

Brenda had taken a room at the Ritz Carlton after her investigation led her to seriously believe that Roy DeLucca could really be Prince Albert. Every avenue she explored brought her to the same disappointing end – Roy DeLucca was about as traceable as thin air. The only real paper trail that existed joined Roy and Jasper Jacks at the hip. So after a few days of beating her head against the wall, Brenda conceded and tried to arrange a meeting with Jasper Jacks.

If Roy DeLucca was difficult, Jasper Jacks was impossible. His home was a veritable fortress with iron gates and a private security force. His phone calls were screened by the female watchdog who had just been smiling warmly at Brenda only minutes earlier. Every time Brenda tried to get an appointment, the secretary had hung up on her. But then, just that morning, when Brenda tried for the thirteenth time to get past the Dragon Lady, something was different.

Brenda couldn’t believe it when the woman actually seemed eager for her to meet with Mr. Jacks. She barely hung up the phone before jumping up and doing an impromptu "happy dance" in the middle of her hotel suite. She had hopped in the shower and then dressed in a conservative maroon business suit with a pale pink chiffon blouse for her three o’clock appointment.

The security guard at the gate hadn’t even allowed her to finish speaking when she pulled up at 2:54PM. He waved her through with a smile and Brenda found herself parking the rented compact car in the circular driveway of a huge brick home. It reminded her of some of the ancient castles in Baeristonburgh – she wasn’t aware that anyone in a country as advanced as America would still live in a structure like this.

But if Brenda’s progress had been remarkable to that point, it had come to a grinding halt once she finally was within 50 feet of the man himself. She had been sitting in an uncomfortable wing chair for almost 30 minutes, watching the woman who had hung up on her 12 times type furiously. Obviously Jasper Jacks could afford to hire the best, and Brenda had to admit his secretary appeared to be very competent. She alternately typed, answered the telephone, and kept almost everyone away from her boss without raising her voice once.

The soft sound of a buzzer brought Brenda out of her reverie. The secretary looked down at the intercom and then smiled up at Brenda again. "Mr. Jacks will see you now, dear……" She frowned, turned and hit a button on her computer, then smiled at the screen. "I always forget to hit that bloody "save" button……" She turned back to Brenda. "I’ll take you back to Mr. Jacks’ office now…….."

"Wonderful!" Brenda rose from her seat. She automatically smoothed her skirt with one hand and her sleek French twist with the other.

The secretary came around her desk and smiled slyly at Brenda. "You know, you’re a lot classier than most of the other applicants we’ve had lately." She pointed down the hallway and spun around so fast to lead the way that she completely missed the look of confusion on Brenda’s face. "If Mr. Jacks doesn’t hire you on the spot, he’s not as smart as I thought he was."

"Hire…..applicants……." Brenda barely managed to sputter the words while keeping up with the pace the secretary set.

"Well yes, dear." She finally stopped in front of an oak door at the end of a long hallway. The secretary’s face paled a little and she looked down at the small purse that Brenda was clutching to her chest. "Oh my – I’m *so* sorry. I completely forgot to ask for your references earlier." She leaned forward confidentially. "Mr. Jacks usually likes me to check them out while he conducts the interview."

Brenda stifled her gasp of shock. "Interview?"

"Well, of course, dear…….for the nanny position."

In researching Roy DeLucca, Brenda had inadvertently come across more information than she needed on one Jasper Jacks. Now that the secretary brought it up, Brenda recalled reading that Mr. Jacks’ young, beautiful wife had died some three years earlier, leaving him with several children to raise alone. The ages of the children escaped her for the moment. It hadn’t really clicked with Brenda since she was more intent on finding out about Mr. Jacks’ partner than the grieving billionaire.

Before Brenda could say a word, the secretary opened the large oak door. It led to another long corridor and a series of more oak doors. Their heels clicked on the tiled floor as they walked swiftly down the hall. "I’ve been praying that Mr. Jacks would be able to find someone soon, you know," the secretary snipped.

"Really?" Brenda rose her eyebrows innocently. {I’ve gotten this far because she thinks I’m a potential nanny. Why burst her bubble now? I’ll just play along until I get inside the inner sanctum with the man himself……} "Is it that bad?"

The secretary shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Well, I suppose the situation with the younger one can’t be helped, but the eldest……." She leaned closer to Brenda. "*Someone* needs to take a firm hand with that child, and fast!"

Brenda’s eyes widened and she nodded sympathetically. "I see……."

Suddenly, the secretary paled a little. "Oh, dear…….I probably shouldn’t have gone on like that! After all, it’s really not my place to judge Mr. Jacks on how he’s raising his children……"

Brenda put her hand on the secretary’s arm to reassure her. "I promise this will just stay between us, Miss……."

The secretary sighed in relief. "Addie." Brenda frowned. "Short for Adele," she went on. "After all, since it appears that we’ll be working together, I think we should be on a first-name basis, don’t you……uh……" She let the statement dangle.

"Brenda!" The secretary smiled at her reply and turned to continue their trek towards Brenda’s Holy Grail – Jasper Jacks’ office. She was so busy noticing the décor and the immensity of the estate that Brenda really didn’t pay attention to Addie again until they reached another large oak door.

"I’m really so glad you’re here, Brenda," Addie whispered as she opened the door. Brenda heard a man’s deep baritone voice in the background but when Addie grabbed her hand, she was forced to look back at the blonde. "And I almost forgot to mention……." She took Brenda’s hand and squeezed it tightly. "Don’t let any of those nasty rumors scare you off……"

"Rumors?" Brenda whispered in reply as Addie shut the door behind them. A large desk dominated the room. Unfortunately, the man seated at the desk was speaking on the telephone and had his desk chair swiveled towards the window. She could hear Mr. Jacks, but still couldn’t see his face.

"Yes, those awful rumors about Mr. Jacks and his late wife." Addie shook her head sadly. "Once you meet Mr. Jacks, you’ll see that it’s completely *ludicrous* to think that he murdered her."

{Murder?} Brenda vaguely heard Mr. Jacks winding up his telephone conversation as her mind whirled, trying to recall what she had read about his dearly departed wife. But before she could make any connections, the suspect-in-question ended the phone call and spun his chair around to face her.

Brenda immediately decided that Addie was probably right. How could a man with a face that angels probably envied ever be involved in something evil? When he raised his eyes to meet hers, Brenda felt like she was staring into the ocean waves back home. His impossibly blue eyes fired the first salvo into her heart, and then, when he smiled, the cleft in his chin and his dimples finished her off.

"I’m sorry to have kept you waiting," Jax said, rising to his feet. He made an unnecessary re-adjustment in the knot of his tie with his left hand while extending his right towards Brenda. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

It was a good thing Adele moved in between them, because Brenda swore all the nerves in her legs had been disconnected. Every time her brain sent the message to "move," her feet seemed to refuse. "Mr. Jacks," Addie intoned smoothly, "this is Brenda……" She turned back to Brenda with a panicked look.

Unfortunately, Brenda’s mouth was temporarily stricken with the same affliction as her feet. The sight of Jasper Jacks’ broad shoulders, trim waistline, and narrow hips – even in a business suit – was wrecking havoc on her salivation glands. She swallowed hard, and then realized that Addie was fumbling for her last name in order to introduce her.

Brenda extended her right hand with a smile. "Brenda of Baer……" {WAIT!!! STOP!!!} Fortunately, her entire body responded to the frantic message from her brain. {You can’t tell him who you are! Not yet. Go along with the job interview cover story until you can get some of the information you came for…..} Brenda blinked once, looked down at her skirt, and then smiled broadly again at Jax. "Brenda Baer-red."

"Bare….." Jax frowned a little. "Did you say Barrett?"

Brenda laughed in relief. "Barrett!! Yes, Brenda Barrett!" She sank into the chair in front of Jax’s desk. {Well, it’s alliterative, if nothing else….}

Jax glanced up at Addie expectantly. "Did Miss Barrett already give you her resume? Or did the Agency send it over this morning?"

Addie’s eyes widened with guilt but Brenda smoothly came to her rescue. "Oh, the Agency didn’t have time to make any extra copies," she lied. {It’s the least I can do for the poor woman. She’s been such a help in getting me where I want to be….} "I’m somewhat new with the Agency and they haven’t gotten all of my paperwork filed yet……"

At that point, references and work experience were the furthest thing from Jasper Jacks’ mind. Miss Brenda Barrett was a walking contradiction. She appeared businesslike and efficient in her tailored suit and conservative upswept hair-do. Yet Jax saw at first glance that her eyes sparkled with the kind of fire that could burn white hot when a man fanned the flames. Her well-proportioned figure couldn’t be hidden even by the dowdiest business suit. The exposed curve of her neck made him to trace every square inch with his lips. The irrational desire to see her hair down around her shoulders seemed to be all Jax could think of.

But then, when Jax took a visual tour of Brenda’s legs, his thoughts took a different route. He couldn’t help but wonder if her thighs were as smooth and shapely as her calves – and as strong. As he began to fantasize about her legs wrapped around his waist, Jax caught himself and gave himself a firm mental shake. {What’s WRONG with you, man? This woman could be the children’s next NANNY, for God’s sake!! And here you are, thinking about tumbling Mary Poppins between the sheets!!}

Addie cleared her throat and brought Jax out of his fantasies. He blinked twice and pushed the disturbing thoughts far to the back of his brain – he hoped. "Well, I’m sure they can just fax the materials over after the interview……" He looked up at Addie. "That’ll be all for now, Addie." The secretary smiled and turned to leave but Jax called after her. "Would you please hold my calls for the next twenty min….." The door slammed behind her before he could finish and Jax sighed. "Oh, well….." He wriggled a little in his chair and reached for a pad of paper. "Since I don’t have your resume, I hope you’ll excuse me making some notes separately….."

"Of course!" Brenda didn’t care if he wrote "War and Peace" on a cocktail napkin. Just as long as she got the information on Roy DeLucca she so desperately wanted.

"Now….." Jax’s hand was poised above the pad when the telephone rang. He glared at it but then his face softened. "Addie probably isn’t back at her desk yet…." He smiled apologetically at Brenda. "Would you excuse me ONE more time?" Brenda nodded quickly and he picked up the phone.

"Jax here." Brenda watched as he sank back into his chair. But then, just as quickly, his face hardened and he sat up straight. "No, I can’t answer that." A pause. "Because I’m not my partner, that’s why!" Brenda caught her breath. "I would LOVE to let you speak to Roy DeLucca, but I don’t know where the bloody h*ll he is!" Brenda’s heart sank as the conversation continued. "Well, the last time he pulled something like this, he didn’t come back to the United States for ten days, and when he did – he had an entire harem with him!" Jax nodded as Brenda listened intently. "That’s right – an entire harem! What’s more – he said he was bloody married to ALL of them!" Jax rested one elbow on the desk and ran the fingers of that hand through his hair in obvious frustration. "Look – I really can’t be of any help to you. I’m NOT the man’s mother – I’m only his business partner." Jax nodded grimly. "Yes, I’ll be sure to give you a call just as SOON as I hear from him."

It was at that point that Brenda realized all of her efforts that day were in vain. Jasper Jacks didn’t know where Roy DeLucca presently was. Brenda believed that he was sincere. Somehow, she also doubted that Jasper Jacks would have much information on Roy DeLucca’s life prior to their partnership. If she hoped to ever have a chance to get to meet Roy DeLucca, it was obvious that being around Jasper Jacks was the key.

Jax hung up the phone and looked up at Brenda. "I’m so sorry about that," he muttered. He glanced at the phone and then nodded with satisfaction. "Looks like Addie’s back at her desk now." He relaxed into the chair and covered his eyes, massaging them with his fingertips. "So……the opening would be a full-time live-in position. You would have your own suite of rooms in the family residence, although it’s far enough away from the children’s rooms that you would be assured of your privacy. It’s equipped with a full-service kitchen, but you’re free to take your meals with us if you like……" As Jax rattled on, his voice became more and more mechanical. "You’ll need to have a driver’s license, of course, since the children would need to be picked up from school and driven to various extra-curricular activities. A car would be furnished if you prefer not to use your own. The monthly stipend would be……"

"Mr. Jacks!!" Brenda finally interrupted Jax just as he named a rather generous amount. He looked up at her in surprise and a lock of hair fell haphazardly across his forehead. Brenda smiled cannily. "Exactly how many times have you outlined the position in the last two months?"

Jax’s face fell but then he smiled in embarrassment. "More times that I’d like to admit to." He shook his head. "You’re very astute, Miss Barrett – and straightforward."

"Definitely the latter, I’m told." Brenda cocked her head to the side. "Is that a bad thing?"

Jax propped his elbows on the arms of his chair and made a steeple of his fingers. "That depends on the answer to the most important question of all."

"Which is?"

"How do you feel about children?"

Brenda’s reply was quick and unequivocal. "I adore them."

It didn’t take much stealth to handle that volley from her opponent. Princess Brenda had been known for years in Baeristonburgh as an advocate of every children’s charity in existence. She spent long hours working with wounded children in hospitals. She loved to volunteer in shelters for battered spouses, lending a hand with the littlest victims of the domestic abuse. Since her own childhood had been spent in such isolation, with only her one sister and a veritable army of bodyguards around, Brenda loved to take entire days away from the palace. Her picture was often in the press back home with homeless or orphaned youngsters, taking them to circuses or movies.

Jax’s eyes widened briefly as he stared intently into Brenda’s face. "I believe you," he said slowly. He sat up straighter so that he could speak to her more directly. The effect was that the words went straight to her heart. "You were quite correct in your assumption about the turnover in nannies around here recently, Miss Barrett." He sighed. "Unfortunately, you would be the children’s tenth nanny in six months."

"Ten??!!" Brenda couldn’t suppress her gasp. When Jax seemed shocked, she tried to regain her air of proprietary. "Would it be fair for me to ask why there’s such a high turnover?"

Jax smiled and stared down at the desk. "My children aren’t monsters, Miss Barrett, nor am I." Brenda flashed back to Addie’s comment about "murder" but somehow she doubted she’d find Nanny #1 through Nanny #9 buried outside in the rose garden. "We have been traveling a great deal lately, and several of the candidates just didn’t want to spend months in Alaska or Australia – away from loved ones here in the States."

"And is travel to those places on the agenda again anytime soon?"

"Actually – no." Jax was emphatic. "I think that the children need some permanence in their lives right now." A disgruntled look came into his eyes. "And with my business partner off God knows where for God knows how long, it appears that I should be around to handle the day-to-day operations of J&J Jacks for a while."

Brenda smiled and tried to control her excitement. "I couldn’t help but overhear earlier – that partner of yours certainly does sound like a handful."

"Ohhhhh, he is," Jax agreed. Then he abruptly seemed to switch gears again. "But he’s not the issue here – you are."

{Yes, *he* is – but you just don’t know it yet.}

"So, Miss Barrett – tell me about yourself." He glanced at her legs appreciatively again but then resisted temptation. "What experience have you had as a nanny?"

"Actually, Mr. Jacks, since you’ve been so forthright with me, I feel that I should be honest with you about some things……"

Brenda saw Jax’s eyes flare just briefly. A hint of a smile touched his lips. "Please do."

Brenda took a deep breath. Somewhere in the space of the past five minutes, she had decided that she *wanted* to be the nanny for Jasper Jacks’ children. Oh, it would give her the opportunity to do some undercover research and perhaps even *meet* the mysterious Roy DeLucca. But when Jax had told her that she would be nanny #10, it had touched a chord in Brenda’s heart. She had worked often enough with neglected children to know how hard it was for a youngster to live without love or a sense of permanence. When she and Julia were children, they wanted for no material things. They had every thing a child could want – except the loving kisses and hugs of a full-time mother and father. King Harlan and Queen Veronica often left the care of Brenda and Julia to the palace nurses. And no matter how firmly they assured the young princesses that they were loved, none of them smelled or felt like their mother.

"I’m afraid that I have absolutely NO experience at being a nanny." Jax’s eyes widened slightly but it was also obvious to Brenda that he appreciated her honesty. "In fact, I’m probably not the right person for this job AT ALL." Jax sat back in his chair and nodded for her to go on. "I was telling the truth when I said that I adore children, and I’ve done a lot of volunteer work with children in hospitals and shelters. But I’ve never been TOTALLY responsible for anyone’s children 24/7." Brenda laughed a little. "In fact, if you DO choose me for your nanny, I can’t even make a commitment to work for you more than six weeks."

"Six weeks?" Jax arched an eyebrow and Brenda swore he almost looked disappointed. "After all the children have been through – first losing their mother and then the parade of nannies we’ve had lately – I think it would be important for them to have someone more permanent in their lives for a change. But……" He drawled the word. "I’m also in a serious bind here since I’ve got important acquisition negotiations coming up and I need a nanny pronto……"

Brenda nodded. "I see. That does put you in an awkward position." Jax stared down into his lap. "Are the children still having difficulties dealing with their mother’s death?"

Jax raised pained eyes to meet Brenda’s. "They’re not the only ones." He took a shaky breath. "It’s always difficult to lose someone you love."

"I’m well aware of that, Mr. Jacks – more than you can imagine." Brenda couldn’t help the mist that rose to her eyes whenever she thought of the brother she never had a chance to know.

Jax suddenly began tapping his pencil rapidly on the desk to break the awkward silence. "You know, Miss Barrett, I think it’s only fair since you’ve been so honest with me that I return the gesture." She nodded slightly and settled back a little in her chair. "Do you have any questions about the children or the position?"

Brenda tipped her head to the side and narrowed an eye. "Tell me about the children." She laughed softly. "Boys or girls?"

Jax echoed her gentle chuckle. "One of each. Ages 13 and 6."

"13?" Brenda didn’t hide the surprise she felt. "But you don’t look that old……"

"Miranda and I married when we were quite young." Jax sat back in his chair and folded his hands at his waist. "Not that we *had* to get married, mind you." He shook his head sadly. "We quickly found out that being parents at the ripe old age of 19 isn’t very easy, which is why we waited so long before we had Scott."

"So…..Scott was 3 when his mother died?" Brenda sighed softly. "He must have been devastated."

Jax’s eyes had a faraway look. "We all cope with it in different ways." He suddenly sat up straighter and looked around before picking up the telephone receiver. "You know, I really haven’t been very fair to you in this interview, Miss Barrett. You should really meet the children before you decide if you want the position……"

Brenda reached out and put her hand over Jax’s to make him ease the receiver back into the telephone cradle. "Actually, I was thinking that it should be the other way around, Mr. Jacks……"

"Jax, with an X, please….." He couldn’t help but notice the tingle on his hand where Brenda had touched him or the way her hand lingered before she pulled it back. "We’re very informal around here."

Brenda nodded her concession. "All right – Jax. But I *still* think that the children should have an opportunity to meet me, and then you can *all* decide if I’m right for this position." She held up a finger. "AND they should be told that I would only be their nanny temporarily……" Looking into Jax’s eyes, Brenda would have promised to stay until h*ll froze over, but she knew it was only so long before her true identity leaked out. "……although perhaps I could stay until after Christmas……if you want me……"

{Oh, I *want* you, alright…….I’ve wanted you since I saw those legs and the way some of your hair keeps falling out of that d*mn skinny bun on the back of your head…..}

Jax swallowed hard and covered his lusty urges with a weak smile. He reached for the telephone again. "Why don’t I just call the living quarters and have the children come……"

A roaring sound in the hallway interrupted Jax. Brenda frowned in confusion as it got nearer to his office door but Jax just grimaced. He rose from the desk chair and strode towards the door, flinging it open just as the roaring got the loudest. Brenda turned around in time to see him glare furiously at the source of the roaring.

The noise stopped as soon as its creator did. Brenda stifled a smile as she saw a young, black-haired girl stop the skateboard she was riding on a dime at Jax’s feet. Jax folded his arms across his chest. "Lissie! Haven’t I told you before NOT to ride your skateboard inside the house? Particularly in THIS part of the house?"

"But these hallways are the best for riding!" the girl protested. "This tile isn’t all bumpy like the pavement outside in the drivewa……."

"ELIZABETH!!" Jax’s chest heaved as he struggled to retain his composure. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then put his hand to the small of the girl’s back. "There’s someone in my office I’d like you to meet….."

The girl sighed – clearly a "yeah, whatever…" response – and allowed her father to push her inside the office, skateboard in hand. As she came closer, Brenda could see that she must have taken after her mother. She failed to inherit Jax’s blue eyes or fair coloring. Yet, she was beautiful, even at that gawky stage of early teen-dom.

"Lissie, I’d like you to meet Miss Brenda Barrett," Jax intoned. The girl just stared at Brenda and chewed her gum, her face totally expressionless. "Miss Barrett, this is my oldest child, Elizabeth Jacks."

Brenda rose from her chair and extended her right hand. "I’m very pleased to meet you….."

Lissie didn’t flex a muscle. The rate of her gum-chewing increased slightly, but other than that, she didn’t acknowledge Brenda’s greeting. Then, her gaze dropped pointedly to Brenda’s breasts. She stared at them for a few seconds, and then looked Brenda straight in the eye.

"Are those real?"

To be continued……