The arrival home to Beverly Hills was full of the unexpected for Brenda. First and foremost, home was no longer the large, five-bedroom, green house on Beverly Drive. Home was, temporarily at least, her grandmother’s cozy, three-bedroom villa-style house 6 miles away in Santa Monica. Her father explained to a stunned Brenda on the drive home from the airport that he and her mother had separated and were planning to divorce. He added that it was neither an amicable nor pleasant split and was bound to be a very messy divorce.

     “Oh, Dad,” Brenda said sympathetically, when they arrived at her grandmother’s house, “I hope this wasn’t because of me. You know, because of how she didn’t send the ticket to get me home. I know you’re really, really angry about that, but . . . maybe this was the one time she really did just forget?” Brenda suggested lamely.

     “She did not forget,” Harlan said frigidly, still fuming inside about Veronica’s deliberate callousness towards Brenda. “But this split has nothing to do with you, Brenda,” he assured her. “This has been a long time coming, and her leaving you stranded in England for the holidays and lying to me about it was just the final straw for me, that’s all,” Harlan explained.

     “Dad, why does she dislike me so much?” Brenda asked, as they stepped inside. “Was I an excruciatingly painful birth for her or something?”

     Harlan smiled and stroked Brenda’s rich, dark hair. “Let’s not discuss her,” he suggested. “Talk of her will only ruin what we have left of our holidays. And speaking of the holidays, I hope you didn’t have too bad of a time spending yours with your sister,” he teased her.

     “I actually had a great time,” Brenda confessed, her eyes sparkling. “But it had nothing to do with Alexa. She was only there for two days, you know. I think we spoke a total of one-and-a-half sentences to each other.”

     Harlan looked at her curiously. “You really had a good time? You’re not just saying that to make your poor old dad feel better?”

     “I really had a good time,” Brenda said, smiling at him. “A very, very good time, to be honest.”

     Harlan rose an eyebrow. “Very, very, eh? Well, then, I’ll certainly have to thank the Jacks family for giving you such a merry Christmas in my absence.”

     “Did she kick you out, or did you leave, Dad?” Brenda asked, hands on hips.

     Harlan sighed but could not suppress a smile at his daughter’s stubborn persistence in returning to this subject. “Honey, I really don’t want to talk about your mother. The subject gives me indigestion.”

     “I’m just worried that if you left, she’ll cry abandonment and try to take you to the cleaners.”

     “She’s going to do that anyway,” Harlan said quietly. “And now I am officially putting a moratorium on any talk of Veronica Barrett. Understood?”

     Brenda gazed into her father’s kind brown eyes. “I love you,” she told him. “I’m not going to let you be alone in this, Dad. I know that Alexa will be on Mom’s side. You know that I’ll be on yours, don’t you?”

     Harlan nodded and smiled at her. “However, I don’t want you involved in this, Brenda. It has the potential to get very messy,” he reiterated.

     Brenda shrugged. “Well, I don’t care about that. You’re my father. If it wasn’t for you and Grandma I wouldn’t even know what love felt like or what it even was. I certainly never got any of it from my mom or my sister, and I don’t feel I owe them anything, least of all my loyalty. You, Dad, I owe everything. So I’m not going to abandon you now. No way.”

     Harlan was put on guard by the calculating determination in her lovely eyes. “All right, Brenda, what exactly is being hatched in that mind of yours?”

     “I’ve made a decision,” she told him. “There is no way I’m going to be 3000 miles away in New York while you have to take them on by yourself.”

     “I forbid you to postpone your college education, young lady!” Harlan hollered.

     “Oh, Daddy, come on. I’m not going to bail out on going to college; I promise you. I’m just changing my location of choice. I’m not going to NYU. I’ll just go to UCLA instead, so I can be near you. I was accepted there, too, you know. I turned them down, but I’m sure I have time to cancel my enrollment at NYU and get things rolling with UCLA.”

     Harlan spent the next two hours trying to change her mind, to no avail.

     And so Brenda’s homecoming included a new living space, the news of her parents impending and potentially nasty divorce, and a sudden decision on her part to alter her college plans. The final surprise was parked in her grandmother’s garage.

     “Merry belated Christmas,” Harlan said, putting the keys into her hand.

     “A car? Dad, you got me a car?!” she shrieked in astonishment. “But you told me I’d have to wait until after I graduated,” she said even as she walked around the spanking new, silver-blue BMW, running her hands along the metal.

     “Yeah, well, your mother might have emptied my pockets by then, so I didn’t want to wait.” At her concerned glance, he tweaked her chin. “I’m kidding,” he lied. “Do you like it?” he asked with a smile.

     “Yes!” she grinned. “You know perfectly well this was the exact car I always wanted and hounded you for ever since I was fifteen.”

     He chuckled. “You actually started in on me when you were a mere thirteen-year-old, Brenda. God, I think I heard the words ‘silver-blue BMW with the gray leather interior’ at last ten times during every meal when you were home for the summers and holidays.”

     Brenda laughed and then hugged him and kissed his cheek. “I love you. Thank you so much for this! And I won’t get a scratch on it, I swear.” Then she pulled away as she remembered something of great importance. “Dad! Is our mail getting forwarded here to grandma’s?”

     Harlan had to chuckle at her alarm. “Yes, Brenda. Why, are you expecting a check for a million dollars?”

     “Nope,” she said with a smile. “Something much better than that.”

     Her father folded his arms. “What?”

     “An invitation,” she revealed, her eyes taking on a fanciful look that made Harlan scowl with suspicion.

     “To what? From whom?”

     “To a New Year’s Eve party. From Jax.”

     Harlan looked puzzled. “Alexa’s Jax?”

     Brenda shot her father a little scowl of her own. “It just so happens that he is not Alexa’s Jax,” she was happy to report. “Jax told me that himself.”

     Harlan gazed at his striking young daughter and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Whose Jax is he then?”

     Brenda shrugged. “No one’s at the moment, I don’t think,” she responded with a happy little smile.

     So she liked that Jax was available, did she? Harlan did not like this. “Where is this party?”

     “At Jacks Enterprises. You know, that gorgeous silver building on Wilshire?”

     Harlan nodded. “Yes, I know it well. I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you to go, Brenda.”

     It was like a blow to Harlan’s gut to see the bewitching sparkle vanish from her eyes.

     “Why not?” she asked.

     Damn, but he could not stand to see her unhappy. It was going to be his very undoing, one of these days. He sighed. Perhaps there was a way he could allow her to go?

     “What I meant to say is that I’ll need to see the final guest list before I can allow you to attend,” Harlan clarified.

     Brenda looked at him in confusion. “You need to see who’s going to be at Jax’s party? Why, Dad?”

     “It is not Jax’s party, Brenda. It’s a corporate affair hosted by JE. Anyone in the high corporate circles could show up there. Anyone,” he murmured, more to himself than to her. “If you have any interest in going, I will have to insist on seeing who is on that final guest list. I need to see every name on there.”

     Brenda could not fathom her father’s adamancy or his odd request. “Dad, this is a really weird thing to ask for. And I don’t know if I can ask Jax to . . .”

     “I’m afraid it’s the only way I could possibly consider letting you go,” Harlan told her.

     Brenda sighed. “I don’t understand why you need to know who’s going to be there. Why does it matter? It’s not like Jax would ever let anything happen to me, Dad.”

     Harlan snorted. “You seem awfully sure about that. He’s all of what - 22 years old now?”

     “Twenty-three,” Brenda corrected. “His birthday was last month.”

     “Twenty-three; a man in your eyes no doubt, but still a boy in mine. But I can see that he’s certainly got a champion in you, hasn’t he?” Harlan murmured.

     “I just know that he would never let anything happen to me,” she said. Because it was the truth. She knew it.

     “Your confidence in him is admirable, albeit peculiar to me, given how little you really know him. But in any event, it’s not Jax’s duty to protect you, Brenda, It’s mine,” Harlan said with a seriousness that made Brenda stare at him questioningly. Protect her from what exactly? Or was he just speaking in general terms? “And I intend to uphold it until I take my final breath in this world,” he continued. “Now, if you get me that list, we’ll talk about your going to this party. That’s the deal, young lady.”

     “Well, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I have to get the invitation first,” Brenda said, sifting through the pile of mail that her father was indicating on the kitchen counter.

     “Are you sure you’ll get one?” he asked, not wanting her to set herself up for disappointment if Jax had merely extended the invitation frivolously, with no intention of following up.

     Brenda nodded. “I’ll get one,” she said. “Jax promised,” she added, as if those two words were sufficient explanation.

     Scotland…

     Jax had just come back in from a brisk run, which he’d embarked on in an attempt to try to get his mind off of Brenda. He thought about that girl entirely too much. Yes, it was true that he wanted her. Yes, it was true that he had every intention of being with her on a permanent basis, but it was really ridiculous that she occupied his every waking thought like this. He’d only been apart from her for a day so far and already he felt a strange gloom at the loss of her presence, her nearness . . .

     “Get it together, Jax,” he muttered to himself as he picked up the telephone and called his office. “Hi, Devlin, it’s me,” Jax greeted his assistant. After exchanging pleasantries about enjoying their Christmases, Jax said, “Have you been able to track down Milt yet?”

     “Nope,” Devlin replied. “He’s on holiday somewhere in the tropics and can’t be reached.”

     Jax shook his head. “A CEO who can’t be reached? Perfect,” he said.

     “My sentiments exactly,” Devlin said. “But I spoke with both of his secretaries and they both give the same story.”

     “Well, get V on it,” Jax said, referring to his own secretary. “She could find a needle in a haystack. But if she comes up empty, too, I guess I’ll just have to wait until the New Year’s Eve party. He’s too narcissistic not to at least make a cursory appearance there. And speaking of that party, Dev, would you leave a note for V to make certain that Brenda Barrett is put on the guest list?”

     “You mean Alexa Barrett,” Devlin corrected, assuming Jax had just misspoken.

     “No, I mean Brenda Barrett. And also make sure an invitation is couriered to her house tomorrow. Actually make it for the entire Barrett family, but Brenda’s name should be the one on the envelope. Address it to ‘Brenda Barrett and family.’”

     “You got it,” Devlin said, as he began to scribble a note to V to take care of it but then noticed the guest list on V’s desk. “Hey, Jax, I have a copy of the guest list in my hands as we speak, and Brenda Barrett is already on it.”

     “She is?” Jax asked, in surprise.

     “Yep. No other Barretts, but her name is definitely there. Handwritten in by V. Do you want me to tell V to add in the rest of the Barrett family?”

     Jax paused for a moment. “No,” he said. “I was just being polite by extending the invitation to her whole family. Brenda is the only one I wanted there. But I guess I’m not alone in that desire,” he murmured, trying to figure out who had put Brenda on the list. “Devlin, does V have any of her little notations on the list that would indicate who instructed her to put Brenda on there?”

     Devlin gazed down at the list. “Well, yesterday’s date is scribbled on there… Oh, and the initials ‘KJ’ are next to it. Does that help?”

     “Immensely,” Jax said. “Thanks. I’ll be back tomorrow, so I’ll see you then.” Jax hung up and walked into the den, where his Uncle Ian was beating the pants off of Jerry in a game of chess, while Katherine looked on, cheerfully mocking Jerry’s demolition. “I need to talk to you,” Jax said, tugging on his sister’s arm.

     Katherine left her observation of the chess match and walked with Jax over to the bay window.

     “Is something the matter?” she asked him, feeling his head and making Jax feel as if he were a six-year-old.

     He took her hand from his forehead. “I want to know why you put Brenda on the guest list for the JE New Year’s party. And don’t bother to deny it; I already know you did it. What are you up to?”

     Katherine sighed. “Boy, your secretary sure can blab. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

     “I’m waiting,” Jax said.

     Katherine sighed again. “I did it for you, of course. After what I witnessed between the two of you here, I knew you would want her to be there. Was I wrong?”

     Jax ran a hand through his blonde locks in frustration. “You’re lying,” he said. “I know you, Katherine. I know that you want Brenda as far away from me as possible. I can also tell you this - it’s not going to happen. I don’t care what you do. I will always be ten steps ahead of you.”

     Katherine frowned at his hostile tone. “Jax, please. You really don’t have any cause to be upset with me. Please don’t be angry. I only invited her because I knew you would want her there. Truly. I have no ulterior motives whatsoever. In case you hadn’t noticed, Alexa and I parted on bad terms. Believe me, I am completely over wanting that girl for you.”

     Well, that much Jax believed.

     “Okay, I don’t really know what game you’re playing now, Katherine, but this is not a game to me, all right? Not this - not Brenda. She is not a game to me. She is my future and that I take very seriously, and although I normally enjoy your amusing attempts to pull my strings, I won’t have you interfering this time. I won’t stand for that, so be warned, all right? And one more thing: you do anything that ends up hurting Brenda somehow - anything - and I swear on Mom and Dad’s graves that I’ll bloody well disown you. I am serious about this, Kat.” He tempered his cool tone and threat of disowning her as his sister with a quick brotherly kiss to her forehead. “And on the extremely slim chance that you really did invite Brenda to the party for the purpose of making me happy, I thank you. But I had already invited her myself. You see the moral of this story is that I can make myself happy, Kat. I don’t need you to do that for me.”

     Katherine was too stunned by their exchange to respond. And was still too stunned when he walked away to call out after him. Jax had never taken such a hard line with her. Never. To actually swear to disown her. To swear it on their parents’ graves, no less…

     Oh my lord, he really means it…she thought, feeling a bit panicky. I have either got to give up on this or get Brenda out of his life without ever letting it be known I had anything to do with it. She opted for the latter, simply unwilling or unable to give up her own personal dreams for Jax, which she had harbored and nurtured for so many years.

     The next day…

     For the tenth time in two hours, Brenda went outside to check the mailbox to see if the mail had been delivered yet. And again the box was empty. She groaned and plopped herself right down on the front steps, determined to literally wait for the postman. She heard laughter behind her and saw her grandmother gazing at her.

     “You would think you were waiting for a delivery of gold!” Ruby Barrett said, wiping the flour off her hands onto the apron and leaving her apple turnovers for a moment to go outside and sit with her granddaughter.

     “Am I pathetic to be doing this?” Brenda asked, leaning her head against her grandmother’s arm.

     “Hardly, darling. You’re just anxious. And maybe a little worried that…”

     “No, I’m not worried,” Brenda cut in. “I know Jax wouldn’t forget me, Grandma. I know that.”

     Ruby glanced at her beautiful granddaughter, whose glorious chestnut hair was blowing lightly in the balmy breeze of a late December day in Beverly Hills. Harlan had confided to her last night that he was concerned that Brenda’s childhood crush on Jax had evolved into something significantly more serious. And the way the young beauty was sitting out here waiting with heart on sleeve for that darned invitation to arrive, Ruby could see how her son could have reached that assessment. Oh, but Jax could hurt her. He could hurt her very badly, Ruby realized, and instinctively wrapped her arm around Brenda as if to protect her from all harm.

     Couldn’t Brenda harbor so intense an infatuation for someone else? Did it have to be Jax? Well, there was always the hope that Jax was not remotely serious about her. That he was merely astounded by her loveliness and would move on once he got past that feeling of wonderment. He certainly hadn’t been at all serious about Alexa. And he did earn himself quite a reputation at Yale for being the hotly pursued playboy. Perhaps he’d already forgotten about Brenda… Perhaps he would not even send the invitation at all and Brenda’s faith in him would begin to crumble, leading to the end of her enchantment with him…

     And then up the walkway came a messenger with an envelope. “Excuse me, ladies. I’m looking for a Brenda Barrett,” he said.

     Brenda popped up off the stoop. “That’s me!”

     The messenger did not speak, merely stared at her in awe, forgetting what he was there for.

     “Do you . . .have something for me?” Brenda asked, glancing at the envelope with barely concealed anxiety.

     “Y-yes,” he responded, flushing over his momentary loss of concentration. But how was he to know his delivery would be to what had to be the most beautiful girl in the world? “I’m sorry. Would you sign for this please?” Red-faced, he handed her the envelope and a signature sheet.

     Brenda scribbled her name and then gazed at the envelope as the messenger left.

     Her grandmother tapped her shoulder. “Is it what you’ve been expecting?” she inquired.

     Brenda nodded. “It’s a Jacks Enterprises envelope, so it must be,” she said excitedly, as she opened up the envelope and found her invitation there. “I told you he wouldn’t forget me, Grandma,” Brenda said in a soft voice.

     “So you did.”

     “Now I just have to call Jax and get him to make me a copy of the final guest list,” Brenda said, going back inside. “He’s going to think I’m crazy, Grandma,” she groaned. “Why is Dad making me ask for the guest list? It makes zero sense to me.” Then Brenda turned to grace her grandmother with a darling smile. “Do you think you could talk my dad out of this?”

     Ruby Barrett shook her head. “Not a chance, honey. He needs to see that list before he can allow you to attend.”

     Brenda tasted some of the filling for her grandmother’s apple turnovers and leaned against the kitchen table, shaking her head. “Why though? Why does he need to see it, Grandma? Do you know? I mean, does he think drug dealers and mass murderers will be on the list? Is he looking for a specific person or people or what?”

     Ruby shrugged evasively. “Your father is only trying to look out for you, dear. Let him do that, all right? If Jax really wants you there, I’m sure he will have no problem acquiring the list for you.”

     Two hours later Brenda finally got up the courage to call Jax at his home to leave a message for him about getting her the list. A man named Charles, who identified himself as the Jacks’ butler, informed her that Jax was no longer in Scotland, but back in Beverly Hills and was currently at the office and would she care to leave a message? Brenda declined leaving a message, and fifteen minutes later decided she would just march on over to JE and pay Jax a little visit and ask him about this guest list business in person. It would be better to handle this face to face, she decided. The thrill she felt when the butler had told her he was home had nothing to do with it. And the fact that she was practically jumping out of her skin to see him had absolutely nothing to do with it either.

     Jax sat in his office staring at the phone, which he’d nearly picked up at least fifteen times with the overwhelming urge to call Brenda. He had to keep telling himself not to rush it, not to rush her. That if he let her know how much he wanted her - how crazy and restless he felt when he was apart from her - that it might freak her out and send her running. Either that or it would have the adverse effect and make her think she held all this power over him and could toy with him. Either scenario did not sit well with him. But neither did not being able to see her, or hear her, or touch her.

     “What is wrong with you?” he muttered to himself, just as his office door opened and Jerry came flying in.

     “Been asking myself that question ever since you were born,” Jerry teased, as he slid into a burgundy leather chair opposite Jax’s desk. “Daydreaming about the wife-to-be?”

     Jax just grinned at Jerry and said nothing.

     Jerry laughed quietly. “So I heard through the grapevine that Milt is back from his mystery holiday,” Jerry mentioned, turning serious.

     Jax nodded. “I was with him for the last hour.”

     “And?”

     “There’s going to be a fight, Jerry,” Jax told him; blue eyes solemn, yet dazzling.

     “For what?” Jerry asked tentatively.

     “For control of Dad’s company. Because he made it perfectly clear to me that he is not about to relinquish his position as CEO. Not to anyone, but he did mention especially not to me. He said my being in charge would really make Warner want to come after us because my personal enmity with him is so well known. He said that I was too emotional, too much of a risk taker, that I did have the potential to be a financial genius - yes - but was not ‘grounded’ enough to channel my talents in the role of CEO.” Jax rolled his eyes. “Then he said that I wouldn’t be ready for that position for another twenty years; that I should be satisfied enough that I even have a VP title at my age. Then he capped off his whole, sorry little speech by saying this is not personal; that he’s only doing what he felt Dad would have done.”

     “What?!” Jerry leapt out of his seat. “Why, that miserable SOB!”

     Jax waved a hand dismissively, having already dealt with his outrage over the situation. “Whatever. The bottom line is, he won’t willingly give it up, so I’ll just have to take it. And I told him that.”

     Jerry let out a hoot of delight. “Well, hot damn! It’s on now, then, eh?”

     “It’s definitely on,” Jax said with a nod. “I told him at the next meeting of the board that I intend to recommend his ouster as CEO based on the complete mismanagement that’s been going on under his reign over the past five years. He’s at least savvy enough to realize that the board will probably agree that he needs to be replaced. However, he swears to me that if I go through with this, he’ll make sure the replacement is not me. And he bragged that the board would back him on this because they all think I’m way too young and impulsive for the position. Now I know he’s got a point there, Jerry. So I’m going to have to majorly schmooze these other board members over the next several months to a year to get them to take me as I am; age and impulsiveness be damned. I figure that at the next full board meeting, which comes up next month, they’ll agree that Milt has to step down. But they’ll leave him in as temporary CEO for about another six to twelve months, until they decide on someone new. Milt will recommend somebody; probably his whipping boy, Ken Seckler, and…”

     “And I will recommend you,” Jerry said. “Kat will, too, Jax. She’ll recommend you, but she won’t ultimately vote for you. You know that, don’t you? She’s got her own agenda for you, and it doesn’t include running JE. She will try to stand in your way.”

     Jax nodded. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t need her vote. There are only thirteen board members, so I only need seven votes to be voted in, and I fully intend to convince at least seven of the board members to vote for me.”

     Jerry gazed at Jax in admiration. “I’ll just bet you will, too.”

     “I will. When the vote for the new CEO comes up toward the end of next year, Jerry, I intend for the name called out to be mine.”

     Jerry felt excitement zinging through his blood, as he saw similar sparks of excitement glittering in his younger brother’s eyes. Jax was out to orchestrate the biggest corporate maneuver of his young life. To take back what belonged to them. To take back their father’s company. Their legacy. To get it back in the hands of those who would bring it back to the greatness it enjoyed when John Jacks was at the helm. And to use its resources to rip Will Warner and Warner World into shreds.

     Jerry noticed the predatory, little smile that was playing on Jax’s lips, and a huge smile burst out on his own.

     When Jax got like this, there was simply no hope for the competition. Milt was as good as gone. And Will Warner and his family as good as demolished into dust.

     Brenda entered the Jacks Enterprises lobby a bundle of excited nerves. She walked over to the friendly looking, middle-aged guard and asked him where she could find Jasper Jacks.

     “Take this elevator to the sky lobby,” the guard told her, “and when you get there, tell the desk attendants who you’d like to see.”

     “Thank you,” Brenda said, getting into the elevator. Inside she made good use of the huge mirrored elevator, checking her appearance and running her hand through her tall, dark, curls, then taking a deep breath to calm down her excited jitteriness. What if Jax was not in the mood to see anyone? What if he was really busy? What if he would have preferred a phone call to a personal visit?

     The elevator arrived at the sky lobby, and Brenda got out and walked over to the attendants. The two men stared at her. One dropped the phone he’d been speaking into.

     “Wrong building,” the attendant with sandy hair said to her. “The auditions for the Speilberg movie are across street.” Then he grinned at her. “I hope you get the part.”

     “You’ll get the part,” the dark-haired attendant said, looking her up and down.

     “Oh, no, I ’m not an actress,” she laughed, and they both just about fell over when they got a load of her bewitching smile. “And I’m sure I’m in the right building. I’m here to see Jasper Jacks, please.”

     The attendants exchanged a glance. The sandy-haired one sighed dramatically. “Figures,” he said, thinking that Jax attracted the type of women that most men could only dream about. It was amazing. He scribbled out an entry pass for her. “Go right over there, show this pass to that guard, and then take the elevator to the 35th floor. And what’s your name? I’ll announce that you’re on your way up.”

     Brenda swallowed. “Oh… Do you have to do that?”

     The dark-haired one smiled at her. “Did you want to surprise him?”

     Brenda gave an enthusiastic nod.

     “Go ahead,” the sandy-haired one said. “If you were a surprise for me, I wouldn’t want it ruined.” He winked at her.

     She gave him a dazzling smile. “Oh, thank you so much!” and then went on her way.

     When she got off on the 35th floor, it was clear right away that it was a high-level executive floor. Brenda took a deep breath and walked over to yet another guard. “Hi. Excuse me, I’m here to see Jasper Jacks. Can you tell me where to find him?”

     Ned Ashton, Jax’s best friend, who also happened to be a corporate attorney for JE, was passing by when he stopped in his tracks at the sight of the vision that was asking the guard, Dennis, for directions.

     “Oh, my god!” Ned exclaimed.

     And Ken Seckler, who had been on his way out to lunch, stopped as well, and stood next to Ned, nodding vigorously. “New secretary?” Seckler asked hopefully, his eyes glued to Brenda.

     “I don’t know,” Ned said. “But, oh, my god!”

     “I’ll second that ‘oh, my god,’” Devlin said, leaning against the water cooler and doing his share of gawking. “Now she is the very definition of lovely. Who’s she here to see?”

     “Is she real?” asked Ron Juliano, who’d come out of his office after hearing a bit of commotion and now was floored seeing the cause of it.

     “What are you all staring at? Oh… holy, freaking cow…” Trent Resner said, as, coming back from the men’s room, he stumbled onto the sight that had several other men in the office gathered in a pack.

     “I know,” Ned and Devlin said simultaneously, shaking their heads.

     “My money is that, whoever she is, she’s here for Jax,” Devlin said. “All the ones that look like that always are.”

     “When has there ever been another one who looked like that?” Trent Resner wanted to know.

     “Hello. You guys are pathetic,” V called out to them. “It is rude to stare!”

     Having placed calls to Ned and Trent about going to lunch and being told by their secretaries that they had not returned to their offices yet, Jax called V on his intercom.

     “Hey, V, could you take a walk down to the conference room and see if Ned or Trent is in there? We’re supposed to go to lunch, and I can’t find them.”

     “Oh they’re not in the conference room, Mr. Jacks,” V said. “They’re in the hallway near the elevators, with all the other men.”

     “What?” And then Jax became aware of the murmuring of some sort of commotion. “Well, what’s going on, V? Insurrection?”

     “Nothing to be alarmed about, sir. It appears that Mr. Ashton and Mr. Resner are simply star-struck. There’s a young lady here who looks very much like a movie star. In fact, have you ever seen the movies Les Petite Filles and Brigitte? Or perhaps Belle Marie, Fenetre Bleu, or Les Yeux Noir? Well, probably not… They’re foreign films, but they all star this wonderful American actress, Grace Fillmore, who never made a single movie here but was a big star in France. Of course, she died a few years ago. But my point is that this young lady puts me very much in mind of her.”

     “Wow. Thank you for the useless bit of movie trivia, V.”

     “Hey, it might not be so useless one of these days.”

     Jax laughed. “Uh -huh. Can you see the young lady you’re talking about?”

     “Oh, yes, sir. Sure can.”

     “Is she, by any chance, petite, with long, dark hair, unusually pretty, brown eyes, and the most beautiful face there ever was?”

     V chuckled. “Well, either you know her, sir, or you can see though the walls. You described her perfectly. Would you like me to…”

     But V was speaking to a dial tone. Jax was already passing V’s desk on his way to where the commotion was centered. His heart was racing in his chest, and nothing he could do would slow it down. She was here? Brenda was here? He was sorely tempted to race down the hall, but did manage to have the willpower not to give into that idiotic impulse.

     A slightly flustered Brenda was getting offers from ten different people who said they would gladly escort her to Jax’s office, when she saw him coming. Her first instinct was to expel a breath in relief, but instead she sucked in a breath at the sight of him. Was it possible? He was even more breathtaking than she remembered him being in Scotland. He was wearing a handsome, perfectly tailored, dark blue suit, and - my, oh my, he wore it well! She swallowed and clasped her hands together nervously. He was coming! He was nearly in front of her. Oh, god… Oh, god…

     He stood in front of her now. He didn’t say a word; just took her hand - cold from her bout of nerves - into the warmth of his and led her away from the crowd of men and down the hallway, past gawking secretaries and finally into the haven of his office; a large, tastefully decorated office with huge windows, which allowed the sunlight to filter in and bathe the room in gold.

     He was so happy to see her that he wanted to kick himself. It was difficult for him to deal with emotions he could not seem to control. He felt like a child, who, when confronted with everything they ever wanted, tended to want to go a little berserk with glee. He was wildly tempted to trap her against his closed door and cover her with passionate kisses to let her know just how happy he was to see her, but he somehow did not give in to that delicious urge, and instead set her down in a comfortable chair by the window and took a seat opposite her on the burgundy leather sofa.

     “Well, if it isn’t my bonny sprite. You certainly know how to make an entrance,” he said, smiling at her.

     She smiled at him, too. “Hi,” she said, and she had to literally sit on her hands, her urge to hug him was so fierce. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”

     “Absolutely not.”

     “I probably should have called first. Well, actually I did call. I called your house.”

     “I take it you were looking for me then?” he said, gazing at her in such a way that she thought she might melt into the chair. He was inordinately pleased to see that she was wearing the necklace he’d gotten her for Christmas.

     “Yes, I was looking for you. I need to ask you a favor, Jax. Umm... You might think it’s a little weird.”

     “What are you doing for lunch?” he asked her.

     Would sitting here staring at you be all right? “I don’t have any plans,” she responded.

     “Well, you do now. Let’s go to lunch and you can tell me all about this weird favor you have to ask of me. What kind of food do you like?”

     Brenda smiled at him and shrugged. “Anything,” she said, feeling lighthearted.

     He rose a blonde eyebrow at her. “Oh, now, you really don’t want to say that around me, Brenda,” he warned her. “My tastes tend to run toward the very exotic. Let’s just play it safe and go upstairs.”

     “Upstairs?” she repeated, as he took her hand and she rose to her feet.

     “We have a very posh restaurant on the top floor,” he explained. “Traditional American cuisine and an excellent chef.” He led Brenda out of his office and stopped in front of V’s desk. “V, Miss Barrett and I will be upstairs at the ‘36 Club’ if you need me. I’m expecting that call from New York.”

     V nodded. “Yes, sir.”

     Jax, still holding Brenda’s hand, led her out to the elevator bank.

     “Sir?” Brenda giggled. “Your secretary calls you ‘sir’?”

     Jax smiled at her and shrugged. “What can I say? She’s very proper like that.”

     “But she looks like she’s only about ten years older than you are. Isn’t that strange for her to be calling you ‘sir’?”

     “Believe me, it took me awhile to get used to it. But it’s her way. She’s very professional. When I told her to call me Jax, she looked at me as if I’d just insulted her or something.”

     He had the cutest look on his face as he recalled that incident, and Brenda could resist no longer. She disengaged her hand from his and tossed her arms around him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m just really happy to see you!”

     She felt his arms slide around her, sweetly crushing her to him. “You are?” he grinned. Then he whispered into her ear, in a voice that could melt butter, “I’m really happy to see you, too, Brenda.”

     The elevator arrived and Jax pulled her into it, still hugging her, which made her laugh and began to feed the office rumor mill of the many pairs of eyes watching them disappear into the elevator.

     They were halfway though a fun and very tasty lunch when Brenda finally bought up the subject of the guest list.

     “I got your invitation to the New Year’s Eve party, Jax,” she began, taking a sip of his banana protein shake and making a face.

     He glanced up at her. “You coming?”

     She smiled at him and nodded. “Yes. Well, that is, maybe…” she amended, grinning as he stole some of her French fries.

     “Maybe?” he frowned a little bit.

     “Well, I still have almost five months to go before I’m eighteen, you know. And I still live with my father, so he’s basically still calling the shots. Plus, I really do love the guy and I hate upsetting him. So anyway, he - my father - says that the only way he’ll allow me to go to the party with you is if he…” she paused, thinking Jax was really going to think this was overprotectiveness at it’s most excessive.

     “If he what?” he prodded, offering her a bite of his shrimp scampi.

     “If he sees the final guest list,” Brenda said, taking the offered bite. “I know it sounds crazy, but he’s really insisting. He won’t let me go until he’s seen it, Jax, and I really want to go. I know this is probably asking too much, but do you think there’s any way that…”

     “I’ll get it for you,” he said, because he wanted her at that party more than words could say. “It’s a very odd request though,” he agreed. “Do you know why he wants to see it?”

     Brenda shook her head. “I really don’t. He wouldn’t say. I’m sorry. I…”

     Jax placed a finger against her lips, then brushed it across them - so soft, so full… Oh, how he wanted to kiss her. “Don’t apologize. It’s not a problem,” he assured her, as he pulled out his cell phone and called V to tell her to have a copy of the guest list ready for him when they got back to the office. “Done,” he told Brenda as he hung up.

     “Thank you,” she said, relieved at how easy that had been. Then she cleared her throat and decided to ask him what she’d been wanting to. “So, Jax… Can I ask you something?”

     “Sure.”

     “On New Year’s Eve… this party… Would that be considered sort of an actual date between you and me? Kind of?” Her smile was completely irresistible.

     Jax stroked his chin and nodded solemnly. “Definitely.” The merest of smiles danced seductively on his lips. “Is that a problem?”

     She flashed her dimples at him. “No. I was just checking.”

     Jax laughed. She was so cute. “Just checking, huh?”

     Two hours later, Jax was walking Brenda back to the lobby and outside to her new car.

     “Very nice,” he said, gazing at her car in admiration.

     “Thanks,” she said, touching the hood proudly. “It was a Christmas gift from my father.”

     “Wow. You must have been a very good girl,” he teased her.

     She laughed, thinking about her wayward archery arrows at school. “Well… no comment.” She tucked the copy of the guest list she’d procured from Jax into her stylish backpack pocketbook.

     “I’m sorry about your parents,” Jax said, since Brenda had confided in him a few moments ago about Harlan and Veronica’s split and the fact that she was living at her grandmother’s in Santa Monica now. He was sorry about her parents’ crumbling marriage but thrilled that, as an end result, Brenda would be going to UCLA instead of NYU. It was also pretty safe to assume there would be no Barrett family trip to the bloody Bahamas, which made Jax’s own tropical plans for the summer that, much easier to carry out.

     “Thanks. Imagine that I came home to that news, huh? ‘Welcome home, Brenda, Merry Christmas. Your mom and I are getting a divorce, and it’s not going to be pleasant.’”

     Jax nodded, leaning against her car. “It’s probably for the best though, you know. If they no longer make each other happy, what’s the point?”

     Brenda thought about that. “Do you know what I think, Jax? I think he doesn’t love her anymore,” Brenda confided. “He didn’t tell me that or anything, but I just feel it. I think that’s pretty sad in a way. But then again I know my mother, and unfortunately I can see how she could kill somebody’s love for her.”

     “Some loves die,” Jax agreed diplomatically. “But on the other hand, I hear that some loves last forever.”

     Brenda gazed into his eyes, smiling. “Then that’s definitely the kind I want.”

     He held her gaze, a heavenly smile touching his lips. “Don’t we all?”

     She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his cheek. “I, unfortunately, have to go. But thank you so much for lunch and for listening to me unburden myself on you.” She smiled. “I can’t seem to talk to anybody the way I can to you. Anyway, I owe you a lunch now and two hours of unburdening yourself to me anytime you want to.” She pressed her lips to his cheek yet again, closer to his mouth this time, remembering how it felt to be kissed by him - wanting so very much to feel that again.

     “I see your aim is improving,” he said in a soft, compelling voice. “Why don’t you try for the bulls-eye?” he added, tapping his lips.

     Brenda didn’t need much encouragement, as she was yearning for just that, and was already as drawn to him as a magnet to steel. She stood on her tiptoes again, tentatively rested her hand behind his head, her fingers brushing against the soft, golden waves of his hair, and guided his lips down to her own.

     A melting sweetness caressed her as their lips connected in a slow, sensual bliss, repeatedly. This time it was Brenda who took the initiative and ran her tongue over his lips, as he had done to her when they had kissed before. And then she remembered the other thing he’d one to her and she did that, too - drawing his bottom lip slowly in between her teeth as she ran her tongue over it, thinking him the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted. Better than chocolate, for sure. Even better than her grandmother’s apple turnovers, and that was saying a lot. Jax’s response was to issue a barely audible, low moan, grab her and draw her more deeply into their kiss. And as the fires of passion were about to explode between them, Jax’s phone rang, and it was V telling him that the call he was expecting from New York was holding.

     Brenda stepped back from him, feeling a bit frazzled, her lips tingling wonderfully, her breathing, as usual, quite erratic after being kissed by him. But she was not one bit embarrassed, which she thought that maybe she ought to be. But with Jax she never was. Kissing him in any way - in all ways - seemed perfectly natural to her. She grinned as she felt like saying to him “I was born to kiss you, wasn’t I?’

     “I have to take a phone call in my office,” he explained to her, blue eyes locked on her like sensual blue missiles.

     Brenda nodded, still feeling a little too giddy to speak.

     He opened her car door for her and she slipped inside. “Do you still like the water?” he asked her, recalling how they’d once shared with each other their mutual love of the ocean. His voice was low and husky and wonderfully intimate.

     She nodded, hoping her ability to converse would come back any minute now.

     “Would you like to go sailing with me this weekend then? That is, if your father doesn’t nail your bedroom door shut to keep you inside.”

     Brenda laughed at that imagery. “I’d love to go!” she said, thinking this would technically be their second date then, if New Year’s was their first. She was so excited by Jax’s interest in her that she could barely contain herself. “I think I can talk my dad into not bolting all the doors. As long as you bring me back safe and sound from the New Year’s Eve party on Thursday, I’m sure he’ll tone it down a little bit on the overprotectiveness.”

     “I doubt it,” Jax said. “Ever since I first met you, he’s been way overboard on the protective side. I suspect it’s only gotten worse as you’ve gotten older.” He traced his fingertips along her jaw. “Not that I could possibly blame him.” He leaned forward and brushed warm lips over hers. “I’ll see you on New Year’s Eve, sprite.”

     She surprised him by eagerly kissing him back. “Yes, you will! Bye, Jax,” she said as she started her car and took off, realizing she only had one day to find the perfect dress for her first “date” with this most intoxicating man who drove her wild beyond words.

     Having looked over the final guest list for the JE party, Harlan had relented and allowed Brenda to go with a smiling stipulation that she have a good time. And no matter how much Brenda badgered him, he would not tell her who or what he was looking for on that guest list. And finally she was just so happy to be going that she lost interest in her father’s odd behavior. “You didn’t really think the domineering, old coot would be on the list, did you?” Ruby Barrett asked her son. “This is a Jacks Enterprises function, after all. They’d more likely keep him away at gunpoint than invite him.”

     Harlan shrugged. “I knew it was extremely doubtful, but I have to take excessive precautions like this, Mom. If he gets one good look at her, he’ll know, and he’ll set out to claim her as one of his own, come hell or high water. He’ll want to take over her life, just like he did her mother’s, if the truth comes out. Hell, I’m already doing all I can to keep Veronica quiet, without worrying about attempting to keep him quiet, too… As if I could.”

     Ruby scowled. “That woman is going to turn you into a pauper in return for keeping that blasted secret, Harlan.”

     “It will be worth it to keep Brenda happy.”

     “You’re talking about Jax now, aren’t you?”

     Harlan shrugged. “I’m not blind. She’s mad about him.”

     “She’s seventeen, Harlan. It’s just a rather intense crush. She’ll fall in and out of love with a dozen men before she’s 21. Jax is not the end-all and be-all for her. Her happiness does not revolve around him.”

     Harlan arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you see the way she lights up at the mention of his name? I think it’s more than a crush, Mother. I wish it weren’t, because this damned secret would hold much less weight if she were infatuated with anyone but Jax. But I believe she is experiencing her first taste of love with that young man,” he sighed.

     “Nonsense,” Ruby insisted.

     And yet she knew that if Harlan was right, then Brenda’s secret would have to remain a secret. Jax could never find out, for there was no telling how he would react to such a revelation.

     The limousine arrived to pick Brenda up at 8:30 p.m. She was so excited when her grandmother told her that a black limo had pulled up outside that she raced to the door, nearly tripping on the edge of the carpet. Her father grabbed her, preventing her fall.

     “Brenda, you are really going to have to learn how to walk,” Harlan said. And yet he had to laugh. For it was just like Brenda to run, as the child never did have an ounce of patience in her body. Why, even when she was born, she’d popped into the world in record time. She was not one to sit back and explore life. She grabbed for it. She ran for it. Was she running for love now, he wondered distractedly? Running head-on, full speed ahead into a love with the one man that could possibly leave her with a shattered heart?

     Fate could be cruel.

     For it was fate that made Brenda the biological granddaughter of Will Warner.

     And fate that made the entire Warner family Jax’s most hated enemies.

     “Okay, I’m leaving now. Bye,” Brenda said, kissing her father on the cheek and telling him he needed a shave, then kissing her grandmother.

     “I still don’t understand why Jax couldn’t pick you up here himself,” Harlan said. “I would have liked to have a chat with him.”

     “I told you, Dad, he had a really big, hush-hush deal that was going down today, and he had to oversee it personally, so he was running late. He’s going to meet me there.”

     “I’d like to know who the devil works on New Year’s Eve?” Harlan muttered.

     “Um, well, you normally do, Dr. Barrett,” Brenda reminded him. “Come on, give Jax a break. This was a really important deal, from the sound of his voice, and I don’t mind meeting him at the party. It’s not a problem,” Brenda insisted. “Now, you two have fun ringing in the New Year with Dick Clark,” she said.

     “Be careful,” her father said.

     “I’m always careful,” Brenda promised. “And don’t worry; Jax will take care of me, Dad. Really, he will. You worry way too much!” She kissed his worried forehead and then opened the door, just as the chauffeur had been about to knock.

     “That is one indescribably beautiful girl,” Ruby said, gazing out as Brenda climbed into the back of the limousine.

     “The spitting image of her mother,” Harlan commented.

      “Yes. But even I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look quite this beautiful. She’s certainly out to impress that young man.”

     “It’s worse than that. She’s out to capture his heart, Mother,” Harlan murmured. “Which could mean great peril for her own.”

     He shook his head. Of all the young men in all the world, why did she have to set her heart on that one?

     The Jacks Enterprises’ New Year’s Party was already in full swing when the limousine pulled up in front of the building. The chauffeur opened the door for Brenda, and she saw Jax sitting there on the steps in front of his father’s company, waiting for her. His eyes were transfixed on her the moment he saw her, but no more than her own eyes were transfixed on him.

     He got up and walked down the steps towards her. “Thank you for delivering this very precious package safe and sound, Albert,” Jax said to the chauffeur, although even while addressing the man he never once took his eyes off of Brenda.

     “You’re most welcome, Mr. Jacks.” And with that, Albert went back to the limousine to wait until the party was over and Jax required his services.

     “Oh… You look so great,” Brenda said softly, her dark, gold-flecked eyes gazing at him adoringly.

     “And you are the most beautiful thing I have ever, ever seen in my life,” Jax responded, his eyes soaking in her intoxicating loveliness, as he twirled her around to get the full effect. She wore a shimmering silver dress, styled to tastefully hug her exquisite body. The necklace he’d given her for Christmas adorned her throat. Her hair was worn loose, the gorgeous, dark chestnut-brown curls falling down to her back and sparkling in the moonlight.

     “You’re certainly in a very good mood!” she observed, smiling happily.

     “Well, that’s because you’re here,” he explained. “And I also managed to swipe an extremely coveted company away from someone I happen to loathe. So, so far it’s been a very good day, you see,” he added, winking at her.

     Brenda rose a dark, slender brow in admiration. “Well, congratulations,” she said.

     He took her hand, interlocking their fingers. “Thank you. Shall we?” he asked indicating they go inside and up to the 36th floor, where the party was taking place.

     As the old year was being rung out in style at JE, Katherine was in a corner with Hollywood Records head honcho, Steve Kilmer, singing Brenda’s praises.

     “I’m telling you, Steve, the girl is fabulous,” Katherine said.

     “These young pop divas are a dime a dozen these days, Katherine,” he told her. “The industry is saturated with enough Brittney Spears as it is. I’m not interested.”

     Katherine waved a dismissive hand at that comment. “Oh, please. Wait until you hear her. Wait until you see her. Vocally she blows Brittney Spears out of the water, I’m telling you, Steve. And she’s not just another blonde, like the current crop of Brittney Spears-Christina Aguilera -Mandy Moore-Jessica Simpson-types. No, Brenda Barrett is a brunette, for one thing, and when I tell you that she’s probably the most gorgeous thing you will ever lay eyes on, I do not exaggerate. She’s got the most adorable little dimples, this cute little beauty mark right here, beautiful eyes - I mean they’re brown, but you have to see them to know what I mean. And just - well her face is simply angelic.”

     Steve gave her a skeptical stare, which Katherine took offense to. “I’m not exaggerating,” Katherine insisted. “Listen, I’m going to start up a karaoke contest in a little while and convince her to take part in it, and you’ll see what I’m talking about and that will wipe that skeptical look right off your face. So don’t you dare leave until you’ve had a chance to see her. You won’t be sorry.”

     And with that enticing pitch to the record mogul, Katherine went off to mingle and scan the guests to make sure that Brenda had indeed shown up. So far Katherine could not spot the girl, or Jax for that matter. She was very pleased five minutes later to see them both enter the room.

     “Hi there, sir, Miss Barrett,” V greeted them at the entryway, as she handed Jax a 2001 party hat and gave Brenda a 2001 Tiara.

     “Brenda, I don’t think you’ve been properly introduced to my secretary, Venus Ardanowski - We all just call her ‘V’. V, this is my bonny sprite, Brenda Barrett.”

     Brenda shot Jax a cute smile and then extended her hand to V. “Hello, V. It’s very nice to meet you,” Brenda said in a raised voice, to be heard above the music and merriment.

     “Same here, Miss Barrett.”

     Brenda was about to tell her to call her ‘Brenda’, when she recalled Jax telling her how V had reacted to his asking her to call him ‘Jax.’

     “You seen Jerry, V?” Jax asked her.

     “He was here, sir. But then a woman came here, asking for him, and he left with her. I haven’t seen him come back yet. He seemed really happy to see her though.”

     “Oh, okay. Thanks. Now don’t tell me you’re going to man the door all night, V? Get in there and have some fun. I’m sure Devlin is dying to take a twirl with you on the dance floor.”

     V rolled her eyes. “Not in this lifetime. You know perfectly well that I can’t stand him, sir.”

     “People who fight as much as you and Devlin do must secretly be in love,” Jax teased her.

     V blushed scarlet and glared at Jax. “Enjoy your evening, sir. I see other guests arriving who need to be greeted,” she said, turning her attention to new arrivals.

     Jax led Brenda into the room, snatched a succulent stuffed shrimp from a passing waiter, and slid it into her mouth.

     “Mmm!” she said, nodding with approval.

     “Good?”

     “Very. Hey, Jax, who is Devlin?” she asked.

     “He’s my assistant. He and V clashed from day one, and yet they’re always singing each other’s praises to me behind each other’s backs.”

     Brenda grinned. “Aww, that’s cute.” She grabbed a stuffed mushroom, nearly causing the waiter to drop his tray when he got a look at her. She put the hors d’oeuvre to Jax’s lips and fed it to him, gazing at him expectantly for his reaction.

     “Not bad,” he said. “Would you like something to drink?”

     “Gingerale, please,” she said, as she followed Jax to the bar. “This place looks great!” she said, looking around. “Very festive.”

     “You like this? Well, I’ve got a surprise for your eyes only later,” he informed her.

     Brenda’s eyes gleamed with delight. “What is it?”

     “Later,” he said again, laughing softly at the little pout she could not quite hide. “You don’t like to wait, do you?” he observed.

     She shook her head with a smile. “No. It’s one of my biggest flaws. Lack of patience.”

     “I don’t necessarily consider that a flaw,” Jax said, thinking a lack of patience on Brenda’s part could work very well to his advantage. Once he got her to fall in love with him, she would probably lack the patience for a long engagement and want to get married right away.

     The DJ had just put on the 98 Degrees song “Give Me Just One Night,” which Brenda happened to love.

     She put down her gingerale. “Oh, Jax, I love this song. Will you dance with me?”

     “You bet,” he said, taking her out to the dance floor.

     Katherine observed that everyone was having a great time; Jax and Brenda included. Jax always had fun at these functions because he had such an outgoing personality and was such a charmer, who was always flocked by people drawn to that charm… not to mention that face. But tonight it was different. There was a happiness in him that his sister could not ignore. In fact, Jax seemed so happy about Brenda being there that Katherine felt a twinge of guilt at her determination to orchestrate a situation that would take the girl out of Jax’s life. She had to remind herself that this was for Jax’s own good. That she had practically raised him and knew what was best for him. And that she was not hurting Brenda, but in fact handing her a wonderful career opportunity, just as she’d handed her a great educational opportunity six years ago. And this career opportunity just happened to have the added perks of concert tours, video shoots and the like, that would keep her away from Jax for many months at a time and give Katherine time to insert a new woman - one of her choice and qualifications - into Jax’s life.

     Her determination was renewed, and two hours later Katherine took the microphone to get everyone’s attention. “Karaoke contest time, everyone. Please gather round over here and let’s see if we can get some brave contestants to start the fun.”

     To Katherine’s chagrin, Brenda did not volunteer to be one of those brave contestants, though many others did. Brenda seemed content to lean back against Jax in the circle of his arms, watching the fun instead of participating in it.

     “Oh, look,” Katherine said. “Our very own Ned Ashton needs someone to help him out because he’s got a duet.” She zeroed in on Brenda, ignoring the other women who were volunteering. “Brenda, how about you? Come on, get up here. It will be fun!” Katherine said.

     Brenda glanced up at Jax and crossed her eyes. He grinned down at her. “Go ahead,” he encouraged. “God knows my friend Ashton could use the help, and I would never pass up an opportunity to hear your beautiful voice.”

     “But that was just for you, Jax. Privately. I can’t do it in front of all these people who I don’t even know!” Brenda insisted, hitting his leg.

     “Yes, you can,” Jax said, his hands on her waist, gently pushing her towards Ned.

     “No, I really can’t,” she said, shaking her head and plastering herself up against Jax and not moving.

     Jax leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Yes, you can, my bonny sprite.” His lips brushed warm and sweet against her ear. “Now go on up there and make me proud.” And he accentuated that with a little slap to her shapely bottom.

     Brenda let out a sigh because she knew she was going to do it. She would not disappoint him for anything in the world. “Oh, all right. But may I do grievous bodily harm to you if I make a fool out of myself?” she asked him.

     Jax laughed as he watched her go and stand next to Ned, who was valiantly trying to act completely unaffected by standing next to her, but failing miserably.

     “Eyes in their sockets, chin up off the floor, Ashton,” Jax suggested, a wicked, teasing glint in his eyes. “And hands bloody well kept to yourself, you hear me?”

     “Shut up, Jax!” Ned hissed, tugging on his tie like a nervous groom.

     Katherine glanced around the room to ensure that Steve Kilmer was watching and then she handed Ned and Brenda microphones and turned on the karaoke monitor.

     “Go for it, you guys,” she said, clapping and stepping back. Ned, who was normally quite good at this sort of thing at previous JE parties, was not quite up to par this evening, but it didn’t matter anyway, as the moment Brenda sang her first note of the song “Aquarius” all eyes and ears were on her anyway. As Katherine knew would happen, Brenda literally captivated the guests, including Steve Kilmer, who, Katherine noted smugly, seemed on the border of ecstasy at witnessing such an untapped talent. Or that look of ecstasy could have been from merely looking at Brenda in that sensational silver dress, she admitted. Katherine had no problem confessing that Brenda Barrett was a step above exquisite. In fact, she fully understood the intensity of Jax’s attraction to the girl, but it was an attraction that Katherine simply could not allow to develop into anything as serious as holy matrimony.

     Finished with the performance, Ned and Brenda both stepped away to allow the next brave soul to have their go at it. The wild applause and whistles were loud and a little overwhelming to Brenda, who laughingly slid into Jax’s waiting, outstretched arms.

     “So did I make you proud?” she asked him.

     “Very,” he told her, holding her so close that she wanted to squeal with delight. She felt his kiss upon her head and closed her eyes. It was such a heady pleasure being held in his arms so possessively like this. “In fact, I think you definitely deserve that surprise I have for you now,” he said, releasing her and leading her out of the room and towards the staircase.

     “Where are we going?” Brenda asked excitedly.

     “To the roof,” Jax said, grinning at her perplexed expression.

     “The roof?”

     “Just wait and see,” he promised, as he led her up the flight of stairs.

     Back in the room where the party was continuing with other intrepid karaoke contestants, Steve Kilmer was seeking out Katherine.

     “Where is she?” he asked, when he finally found Katherine.

     “Wasn’t she as good as I told you?” Katherine bragged.

     “Better,” he said honestly. “With those looks and that voice she has multi-platinum artist written all over her. Now where is she? That young lady and I have got to talk! Would you know if she’s interested in a recording contract?”

     “I’m sure she will be,” Katherine said, excited over Steve’s enthusiasm. “Let’s go find her and ask her, shall we?”

     But their efforts in tracking down Brenda were in vain, as she and Jax seemed to have disappeared from the party, much to Katherine’s aggravation.

     “Katherine, I have to hit the industry parties, so I can’t stay, but please, when you find Brenda, give her my card, and for god’s sake tell her to call me as soon as possible,” Steve said, handing Katherine his business card. “I don’t want her getting snatched up by some other company.”

     “I’ll make sure she gets in touch with you, Steve. Thank you for coming.”

     “No, thank you,” Steve said. “That was worth every minute.” And then he was making his way out of the party, while Katherine continued her search for Jax and Brenda, before finally deciding, with a disgruntled frown, that they must have left the building.

     Jax opened the door leading to the roof and gestured for Brenda to step out. She did and was delighted to discover that the “roof” was actually a rooftop terrace, beautifully decorated with hundreds of twinkling, white lights, a table with hors d’oeuvres, sparkling water, and expensive champagne. There were also noisemakers

     Brenda laughed and twirled around.

     “Like it?” Jax asked, white teeth flashing in a disarming grin.

     “Are you kidding? This is fantastic!” She went over to the railing and gazed down at the city of Los Angeles. “It’s so beautiful up here.”

     Jax stood back, watching her. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” he teased her, knowing perfectly well she wasn’t, as he’d seen her climbing out of that third story window at Miss Tillery’s house.

     Brenda turned away from the view and looked at him. “I’m not afraid of anything when I’m with you.”

     She could not have said anything more perfect, in Jax’s opinion. Well, perhaps an ‘I love you’ or two. But it was far too early for that, he knew. Still, things were moving along quite nicely, in his estimation.

     “Hey, look, Jax. From here we can see the clock all the way over at Warner World,” Brenda marveled, gazing at the well-known gold-and-crystal, lighted clock that graced the top of the Warner World building.

     Jax said nothing; the mere mention of anything affiliated with ‘Warner’ making him sick to his stomach.

     “It’s 11:50,” Brenda added, not understanding his sudden moodiness and panicking that she was somehow the cause of it. “Ten minutes to go,” she said softly.

     Jax shook off the bad mood that the mention of Warner World had momentarily put him in and reached for her, his high spirits returning, the warm light back in his eyes. Brenda was relieved to see both and chalked up his strange moment of silent moodiness to her imagination.

     The music from downstairs floated clearly up to them on the roof, and with a whispered “come here” Jax took her in to his arms, slowly twirling her in time to the music.

     What a day this has been
     What a rare mood I’m in
     Why it’s almost like being in love
     There’s a smile on my face
     For the whole human race
     Why it’s almost like being in love

     “Is everyone else going to come up here, too?” Brenda asked him, wondering if he could feel her pulse racing, feel the mad pounding of her heart against his body?

     “No,” Jax responded.

     Dark, lush lashes swept upwards as she glanced up at him, an indulgent smile on her lips. “No?”

     “No. I wanted to be alone with you,” he explained.

     “Ohhhh, I seeeee,” she said, laughing as Jax dipped her.

     “Not yet, you don’t,” he said, sending her a smile that was gorgeous beyond words, not to mention breathtakingly seductive.

     The music of life seems to be
     Like a bell that is ringing for me
     And from the way that I feel
     When that bell starts to peal
     I would swear I was falling
     Swear I was falling
     Why it’s almost like being in love

     The world began to magically melt away as they danced on the rooftop terrace, surrounded by the white, twinkling lights, unable to look away from one another; extremely cognizant of their physical closeness, the balmy winter night, something magical happening between them.

     A soft beeping sound interrupted the spell of enchantment cast upon them.

     “Beeper?” Brenda asked softly.

     Jax shook his head. “My watch,” he said. He caressed her lovely face. “It’s midnight.”

     “It is?” She was no longer cognizant of time. Or anything else for that matter. Only him. “Then Happy New Year, Jax,” she said.

     “I predict it will be, Brenda,” he whispered in a husky voice. “For the both of us.” He leveled on her a beautiful blue-eyed gaze of quiet intensity. When he looked at her like that she believed anything that came out of his mouth. He could have told her that night was day and that day was night and she would have believed him.

     Then his hands slid gently along both sides of her throat, moving slowly through the soft chestnut curls, until his hands were cupping the back of her head. His touch was warm and intoxicating and sent her thoughts scattering to the winds. He slowly bent forward to kiss her, and she stood on her tiptoes and leaned into him to meet those wonderful descending lips. The kiss he bestowed upon her mouth was like a taste of purest heaven encased in heat, and she sighed with pleasure into his mouth. Feeling utterly enchanted, as if she were living a fantasy, Brenda slid her arms around his neck, as over and over he kissed her until her limbs felt as if they were melting. The pressure of Jax’s mouth on hers was like a passionate fire starting to consume her. His hands slid down to interlock behind her waist and draw her into his body, letting her feel, for the first time, the state of a man’s arousal. Her breasts tingled where they pressed against his shirt. With a soft moan of pleasure, she parted her lips in an unconscious invitation and with an answering moan of his own, Jax’s warm, skillful tongue left their erotic exploration of her lips to sweep inside of her mouth. The first stroke of his tongue against hers was an indescribable, erotic sweetness. By the second and third strokes, her own tongue was eagerly reaching out to meet with his. It was the most amazing sensation Brenda had ever felt, as their tongues stroked and caressed and tangled deliciously in a kiss to end all kisses. And all at once there was a passion unleashed between them that had the intensity of a lightning storm. It was wild and beautiful, as they kissed endlessly, slow, deep and arousing; lost in the moment, lost in each other, lost in the feeling. Jax’s blood ran hot and wild inside of him, as he marveled at how much he needed her, how much he wanted her, how it felt as if she were made just for him. And he was stunned by the amazing things she could make him feel. Things that went far beyond the thrill of his very intense physical attraction to her. And as for Brenda, her whole world right now was a swirling storm of exquisite passions and emotions that she could never put into words.

     The need for air was the only thing that finally parted their lips several long, long moments later, as they stood out on the rooftop terrace, locked in each other’s arms. Jax’s eyes were glittering with desire, his heart easily out-beating the most capable drummer. Brenda’s lips were swollen with passion, her beautiful eyes radiant. And they were both breathing as if they’d run for miles and miles, as they stood there staring at each other in candid wonder.

     “…Ummm…Oh…wow, Jax...” Brenda finally said in a shaky, soft voice; her breathing still coming in erratic, breathless spurts. “That was…”

     He shook his head slowly and cupped her face. “Is,” he corrected, as he proceeded to cover her mouth passionately with his own and kiss her into heaven all over again.

Song credit: “Almost Like Being in Love” written by Lerner & Loewe