Brenda grabbed the phone. "Brenda Barrett, here. Oh … hi, daddy."

"Well, what kind of greeting is that for your old man," Harlan Barrett said impatiently. "After all, I’ve been in that godforsaken office in London for 2 days, and you don’t even have a "Welcome Home" for me?"

Brenda sighed and fiddled with the phone cord. "Daddy, London hardly qualifies as godforsaken. And I am pleased that you’re home. We have a few problems on the self-insured account that we need to discuss as soon as possible."

"My thoughts exactly," Harlan said. "Why don’t we meet for lunch and we can start getting a handle on things? If we stay in the office, I know we’ll keep getting interrupted."

Brenda checked her watch. "OK, lunch sounds good. Tell me where and when."

"How about the PC Grille, about 1? I’ll call and reserve a table."

Brenda made a quick note in her day-planner. "Sure. I’ll see you at 1." She hung up the phone and rolled her pen between her fingers in frustration. It was two days ago that Jax had brought her back from their trip to the Hamptons, and promised to take her to see the visiting company of "Phantom of the Opera" that Wednesday. He had seemed pleased with the new aspect of their relationship, and she had no clue why he hadn’t called her since. She began to tap the pen on the desk.

{BRENDA! GET A GRIP! You’re acting like a sex-crazed teenager!}

Just then, Keith poked his head in the door. "Everything OK, Miss Barrett?" He had never seen Brenda like this before.

"Yes, Keith, I’m just a little …. tense this morning. Too much caffeine, I guess," she laughed. "Was there something you needed?"

Keith came through the door with a large vase of hot house flowers. "Will these help?" he asked slyly.

Brenda was speechless. It was a breathtaking arrangement of orchids, birds of paradise, and other varieties she didn’t recognize. She jumped up from behind her desk and grabbed the card from the arrangement before he had set it down on the desk. She smiled as she read it.

"Yes, Keith, they help a lot," she giggled. Suddenly she checked her watch. "We’d better go over those contracts again. I’m meeting my father for lunch at 1 and he’ll nitpick every last detail, so I’ve got to have my figures straight."

As Keith went to get the file, he noticed Brenda’s improved mood. Obviously, the woman got a life. Or something.

*~*~*~*

When Brenda got to the PC Grille promptly at 1, she quickly scanned the room for her father. Not seeing him, she signaled the maitre’d, who nodded and indicated she should follow him to a secluded table in the back of the restaurant.

As Brenda approached the table, her heart sank. Harlan was already sitting there, as was Sonny Corinthos. {Harlan the matchmaker strikes again.}

"Brenda! Look who just happened to be at the Grille for lunch, too!" he said, smiling broadly.

Although Brenda had on one of her usual business suits, she buttoned the jacket up even higher. She certainly didn’t want Mr. Corinthos to think she was happy at the prospect of spending any more time with him. She smiled weakly as Harlan got out of the booth and indicated Brenda should slide in beside Sonny.

"Brenda, nice to see you again," Sonny said cautiously. He wasn’t sure if she had mentioned anything to Harlan about his faux pas the other night. But since Harlan had called him to set up the lunch, he figured she hadn’t.

Brenda nodded socially to him, and tried to stay as far away from him on the leather seat as possible. Brenda ordered a chef salad, but doubted she would be able to stomach much of it considering her companion. Maybe if she ate a lot of garlic and breathed directly in Sonny’s face he would get the hint and bug off?

No such luck. Lunch was torture. Harlan and Sonny spent most of the time conversing about Sonny’s business and some new ventures he was considering. They would remember to include Brenda occasionally, but for the most part, she sat and listened to them and played with her food. Sometimes she dared daydreaming about her weekend with Jax, but was afraid to recall parts of it since she knew it would bring a blush to her face that she wouldn’t be able to explain to the two men.

Thankfully, Sonny had an appointment to keep at 1:30, so he had to make his excuses and leave. {HALLELUJAH!!!} Brenda began to regain a little of her appetite as he slid out of the booth.

Harlan pretended innocence and took a forkful of steak. "What was what?"

Brenda put her fork down so as not to stab her father with it. "Daddy, don’t play dumb. It doesn’t suit you. Did you know that Mr. Corinthos was going to be here today for lunch?"

Harlan coolly responded while still eating. "Actually, I set the whole thing up."

Brenda still was fuming. "Why? I wasted perfectly good time here listening to you two talk about something I have little or no interest in. If you really wanted to discuss the self-insured account with me, why the ruse of lunch?"

"Brenda," Harlan said patronizingly, "I can’t understand why you’re so upset. We still have plenty of time to discuss that account. I just thought you might like to have someone more your age here, somebody more your type than your dear old dad."

"Daddy," Brenda said through grit teeth, "Mr. Corinthos may be closer to my age than you are, but my type? I don’t think so."

"Why?" Harlan asked. "He’s a successful businessman, dedicated to his ventures, self-made. I thought you two would hit it off."

"He may be what you call dedicated, but I call him obsessed. He’s out to take care of himself first and puts everyone and everything else second. I just don’t like him," Brenda said with a shudder.

"Well," Harlan sighed, "that’s a shame, Brenda, because I’ve decided to merge Barrett Industries with his operation. I intend to name Mr. Corinthos as my successor when I decide to retire."

Brenda was a little taken back, since she had wondered what her place in Barrett Industries would be in the future. But, knowing her father’s chauvinistic attitude towards women in industry, she really hadn’t believed that her father would name her as CEO when he retired. "OK, if those are your plans, I guess I can work with him."

Harlan shifted uncomfortably. "Well, Brenda, I think you’ll need to be able to get along with him to a greater extent than that."

She looked at him closely now. "Why, daddy? Why do I sense I’m not going to like your latest scheme?"

Harlan tried to be nonchalant. "Because, Brenda, I not only intend to merge with Mr. Corinthos’ companies, I intend for you to marry him.

Brenda had to keep from shrieking in a public place. "WHAT! This is some kind of joke, right?"

"Brenda, do I look like I’m joking? I’ve been working on this arrangement for some time now. Of course, your sister Julia royally screwed up my plans when she married that nut case Bill Eckert. So, I had to do some re-arranging. But, I think this will work out nicely. Beside, you and Mr. Corinthos make a better-looking couple than he and Julia would have. She’s much too tall for him."

Brenda tried to talk to her father rationally. "Daddy, there are a lot of other ways you could go with this merger, or even finding a successor. Why not just hire a professional from the outside?"

"Because, Brenda," he explained, talking as though she were a 2-year-old, "an outsider won’t have the vested interest that Sonny will. A family-run business always has more drive than a business run by an outsider. Sonny will have more at stake in making Barrrett Industries financially secure."

Brenda tried to keep this on a business level. "OK, so you name him as your successor. That will give him part ownership in the business. Won’t that be enough control?"

"I already have the paperwork nearly in place. The way it’s structured, when Sonny takes over for me, he’ll get 25% of Barrett Industries, with you, Julia, and I each retaining 25%. When I finally decide to get out completely, my 25% will be divided giving you the largest share and a little to Julia and Sonny. But he still won’t have controlling interest. No one individual will."

Brenda sensed she was losing the battle. "Fine. I’m sure that I can vote my shares his way in most situations and then he’ll have enough for the controlling interest he needs. Isn’t that enough?"

"Brenda, be realistic. Sonny is hungry, but he could also become greedy. He could try to do anything in his power to cheat either of you girls out of your shares. No, the way’s it’s set up, if he divorces you, he’ll never be able to get the shares he needs to have a controlling interest."

Brenda was ready to tear her hair out. "This is…. Daddy this is something right out of the Middle Ages! Arranged marriages went out with corsets and drawbridges!"

But Harlan was not to be swayed. "Darling, this will be the perfect set-up for you. Look at you – you’re a successful businesswoman. Work is your life. Wealthy, assertive, powerful. Be truthful, honey. Surely you don’t picture yourself as a June Cleaver someday. Barefoot and pregnant just doesn’t suit you, Brenda."

She glared at him, but he went on. "Or, let’s take a look at your social life thus far. You’re 25 years old, and have been exposed to most of the eligible bachelors in Port Charles. You deal with important men around the world, some of whom have made their interest in you painfully clear. Yet, do you have a boyfriend? No. Are you involved in a "relationship?" No. Have you experienced that wonderful thing your mother was so fond of spouting about – love? I doubt it."

Brenda’s thoughts strayed to Jax for a moment, but then she was brought back to reality by her father’s tirade. "And I doubt that suddenly Mr. Right will just pop up at this late date. You’ll have a marriage with all of the advantages socially and financially and none of the disadvantages."

Brenda’s face dropped as she realized his intent. "Oh my God! I get it! You think I’m some kind of unfeeling monster, incapable of passion or love! You think I’m frigid, too!"

She grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth. "Thanks for lunch, daddy, but I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. I’ll send you a memo about that self-insured account."

Harlan followed Brenda out of the restaurant, not wanting to make any more of a scene than they already had. He finally caught up to her in the lobby of the hotel and turned her around to face him again.

"Brenda," he hissed quietly, grabbing her by the arm. "Don’t make a federal case out of this. I’m sure that as soon as you go back to your office and consider it rationally, you’ll see that it will be best for all those involved."

"You listen to me, Harlan Barrett," she said venomously. "Just because I don’t sleep with every man who asks me, and just because I haven’t marched down the aisle like some ninny at the ripe old age of 25, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to turn out to be a spinster! Maybe I’ll fall in love tomorrow, maybe a year from now, maybe never! But I know that I’ll never marry any man I don’t love! I’d rather die an old maid than that! And I am not some bonus perk you can just include to sweeten some business deal!"

For once Harlan was speechless. Brenda looked around at the customers in the lobby who were already staring. She suddenly had a delicious temptation, and couldn’t resist. "Oh, and daddy, if you have any more doubts about whether or not I’m frigid," she whispered sharply, " why don’t you give Jasper Jacks a call!" She spun on her designer heel and hit the swinging doors of the hotel lobby with a vengeance.

Harlan turned in embarrassment to the other patrons, shrugged his shoulders, smiled, and uttered one single word he knew they would take as an explanation. "Hormones!!"

*~*~*~*

When Brenda got back to her office, Keith could tell by the look on her face when she came in that it had not been a good lunch. Best to look for that hiding place again.

Brenda stormed back into her office, slammed the door, and plopped herself into her desk chair, swiveling to stare out the windows. Why didn’t her father just tie a big red bow around her neck and give her to Sonny for Christmas? When her phone rang, she spun back around, expecting it to be Harlan.

"HELLO!!" she shouted into the phone.

After a five-second silence, a low voice came through the receiver. "I take it this is not a good time?"

Her body visibly relaxed and she buried her forehead in her free hand. "Jax, I’m sorry," she sighed.

"Problems at the office?" he asked gently.

"Problems with my father," she replied, gazing up at the flowers that had arrived earlier. "Just something he and I have to work out." She switched gears. "I got the flowers. They are so amazing," she crooned.

There was that smile through the wires again. "No more so than you are, love. Are you sure you won’t tell me what the problem with Harlan is?"

She leaned back in the chair. "It’s a long story. Bottom line is that he wants me to marry Sonny Corinthos."

"You’re kidding!" Jax sputtered. "Why would he want you tied to that piece of slime?"

"I don’t know. Something about sealing a merger between Barrett Industries and Sonny’s operations. It all seemed like something out of a grade B movie, so I didn’t pay attention to all of the details. He told me that since I hadn’t had any significant romantic ties to anyone at this point in my life, he figured I never would. He obviously believes the rumors that I’m physically and emotionally unable to love, so he thought a business marriage would suit me fine."

"What did you say?" Jax asked.

"I told him there was no way I would marry Corinthos!" Then she giggled a little and lowered her voice. "And, I may have said something that I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t resist."

"Tell me."

"Well, as a parting shot, I told Harlan that if he had any questions about whether or not I was frigid, he should give you a call."

"Should I expect him to show up at my door toting a rifle and demanding that I make you an honest woman?" Jax snickered.

"Jax, I don’t think you can even use the words "Harlan Barrett" and "honest" in the same sentence. They contradict each other. He probably didn’t even notice what I said, he was just so furious that I didn’t fall into line with his scheme. Tell you what – let’s just forget about this whole thing, and you can tell me why you called in the first place."

"Well," he said slowly, "I promised to take you to see Phantom tomorrow night, and I thought we might go to dinner first. How about if I pick you up at about 5:30?"

"Sounds like heaven to me," she smiled. "See you then."

As Brenda leaned back in her chair again and turned to face the windows, she tried to breathe evenly and think calmly. She thought of Julia and Bill, and then John and Jane Jacks, and the love that was so obvious in their marriages. Nope, there was no way she would ever marry someone who didn’t love her. They would be having snowball fights in hell before she ever married Sonny Corinthos.