Brenda loaded her film and double-checked both the lens and the aperture setting of the camera once again, then swept her eyes across the jogging path in the park, searching for him. She glanced down at her watch - it was 6:43 a.m., and she knew he would be here any minute. She had been watching him for days now, and she could literally set her watch by him. In anticipation, she raised her camera, ready to begin snapping pictures the minute she saw his blonde head topping the slight rise just beyond where she stood.
She had first noticed him a few days before when she had been here on her own daily morning run through Central Park. She had never seen him here before Tuesday, but he had been here every day since then and always at precisely the same time. And here he was now - right on time again. She began clicking rapidly as he ran toward her. He was probably on the shy side of thirty, and his sculptured body reminded her of Michelangelo's David - and, indeed, the muscles of his thighs and calves looked as though they had been chiseled from the finest marble. She could just imagine what his chest looked like beneath the faded gray sweatshirt that he always wore. He was a large man, but still very graceful in his movements, which is actually what had caught her eye in the first place. She had always been drawn to the majesty of this body type. His body and the way it moved was breathtaking, and she immediately knew that he would be a perfect subject for her latest project - a photographic series on the human form at work and play.
The rapid-fire clicking of her shutter continued as he ran past her, graceful as any jungle cat, and finally disappeared into the thicket just beyond. Brenda lowered her camera and smiled. She had taken an entire roll of film in just a matter of a few brief moments, but for some reason she knew that the pictures would be something special - perhaps because this man seemed to exude something special, even for the lens. It had been so long since she had seen anything near the chemistry that he shared with the camera.
She picked up her backpack from the ground and began stowing her gear back in it for her trek back home to the Village. She couldn't wait to get back to her loft to develop these. If they were half as good as she thought they were, she'd make a point of introducing herself to her mystery jogger tomorrow to get his name and his permission to use the photographs and maybe even induce him to allow her to take more pictures of him at a later time.
Jax doubled back around behind her and stepped behind a tree to watch her as she stowed away her gear. He had seen her out of the corner of his eye, openly snapping pictures of him as he ran, and he wondered why she was doing that - and for whom she was working? Certainly not a detective agency, because they were far more discreet in their surveillance techniques. Even the tabloid paparazzi were more covert than this girl was. She didn't try to hide the fact that she was blatantly photographing him, and only him, while he was running. If she was a private detective or a tabloid photographer, she was either a novice or an incompetent.
He had actually first noticed her on Tuesday, when they had both been running this same course. He had just come off a grueling all-night flight from the coast, and he'd decided to take an early morning run to burn off some excess stress before trying to catch a few hours sleep, but seeing her had been anything but calming to him. Especially when he realized that she was definitely watching him as they both ran that day, and every day since then. He had wanted to talk to her, but he had to be cautious because of who he was. He couldn't afford to allow himself to know every woman who caught his eye, but there was something about this woman that really peaked his interest, and so he had looked for her daily.
She was a beautiful woman - probably in her mid-twenties - who could easily attract any man's attention, even in a room filled to capacity with attractive women. She was beyond beautiful - gorgeous really - with long, dark hair and olive skin that showed the faintest tinge of pink as she ran. Her body was exquisite - tiny, but very curvaceous. If he had to lay odds, he would have bet that she was an actress or a model, but her ease with the camera today surprised him altogether. With her beauty, she looked like she should be in front of the camera - not behind it.
She slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed across the park, and Jax followed discreetly behind. Perhaps she's a stalker, he thought. After all, he was fairly well known - although rarely photographed - and very wealthy. But if she were a stalker, she wasn't even very good at that because she wasn't following him - he was following her! He decided that this cat-and-mouse game had gone on long enough, and he needed to know who she was and why she was taking his picture. He ran to catch up with her, tapping her shoulder from behind as he neared her.
Instinctively, she swung her bag off her shoulder and hit him squarely in the stomach with it, the unexpected impact knocking him to the ground. "Get away from me!" she screamed as she lifted her leg to follow the stomach punch with a kick to the groin.
"Hey!" Jax shouted, as he realized what she was about to do. "I'm not a mugger or a rapist! I just want to talk to you. I promise!"
Brenda calmed down at his words, and then she realized who this man was - the man she'd been photographing just moments before. "I'm so sorry!" She blushed deeply as she helped the man to his feet. "I thought… Well, obviously you know what I thought!"
"And, of course, you know that I'm not because you've been watching me for days now, and you were just taking pictures of me as I ran the path back there," Jax said as he handed the woman back her backpack.
Her face turned crimson at that remark. "I…umm… I'm guilty as charged there, I'm afraid," she laughed self-consciously, acting uncharacteristically like a love-struck schoolgirl instead of the self-assured woman she usually was. She had seen and photographed handsome men before, but this man was beyond handsome. Between his sexy Australian accent and his mesmerizing blue-green eyes, she was being thrown for a loop here, and she felt like a complete fool.
Jax couldn't believe it, but her beauty actually seemed to intensify as her embarrassment increased. He smiled at her, suddenly wondering what it would be like to feel that beautiful body in his arms, kissing her, caressing her, having her respond to his every move... She had to be one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen in his life, and he was momentarily at a loss for words, which was totally out of character for him. He had always been a smooth talker in any situation, and especially with the ladies.
Brenda shifted uncomfortably as the man continued to gaze at her and smile, unabashedly appraising her body from head to foot. She was used to giving that look to others, although hers was with the practiced and detached professional eye of the photographer, studying their form and thinking about the composition of any piece she might have in mind for them. But his gaze on her was anything but professional or detached, although she guessed it was most practiced.
She didn't like the way this situation was turning out, and she needed to gain control of things. She had no intention of allowing this man to think that he had any kind of a chance of seeing her socially because he didn't. She had given up on love and even casual dating long ago because losing was too painful. It was just easier to abstain from that scene rather than to allow herself the chance to love again, only to lose it all in the end. Besides, she had only mixed her business and her professional life once before, and she had had her heart broken in the process.
She dug into her backpack and pulled out one of her business cards. "I'm Brenda Wilding," she said, handing the card to him. "I'm a photographer, and I have a small studio in the Village. I'm putting together a series on the artistry of the human form at work and play, and I was snapping shots of you as a possible subject."
"So you like my form, do you, Ms. Wilding?" Jax smiled sexily at her, delighting in the fact that his innuendo deepened the flush in her cheeks and seemed to send it coursing through her entire body.
Brenda definitely did not like the way his gaze was quickly melting her professional resolve. "Yes, but only for purely professional reasons." She glanced at his faded sweatshirt, his frayed running shorts, and his worn running shoes, and decided that he could probably use some extra money so he might be willing to model for her to help pay his bills. "If you're interested in allowing me to do a few more shots with you - both posed and natural - I can pay you $100 for a day's work, Mr.…" her voice trailed off as she waited for the man to introduce himself.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Jax said as he extended his hand out and grabbed her right hand in his. "My name is Ja…" he stuttered, realizing that she had wrongly assumed he was broke from his appearance. He had worn his usual running attire - the same thing he'd worn to run in since his college days, years ago. He liked the anonymity that these clothes afforded him because no one expected to see Jasper "Jax" Jacks, billionaire playboy, running anywhere dressed as if he had less than two nickels to rub together. His face, though distinctive, was not immediately recognizable because he had done a fairly good job of keeping his pictures out of the media through the years, but his name was something else entirely. It was constantly in the news. He knew she would most likely recognize his real name if he gave it to her and be embarrassed that she had just offered one of the world's richest men a job modeling for her for pocket change.
"… Jack Thomas," Jax quickly covered, hoping that she hadn't noticed his hesitation at giving her his name. He'd do the day's work for her, refuse her money, and then give her his real name - and buy the negatives and the proofs while he was at it. In the meantime, he'd get to spend time with her, knowing she was interested in him and his "form" and not merely his wealth and his name and all that offered. And he hoped to get much more from that day with her.
"Well, Mr. Thomas," Brenda said as she pulled her hand out of Jax's, "if you're interested in seeing these prints and earning some extra money, give me a call. My number is there on my card." Jax remained silent, but continued to smile at her. "Or if you'd prefer, I could give you a call."
"Umm… no, that wouldn't be a good idea," Jax stuttered, as he realized that if he gave her his number she'd be able to easily find out his true identity. He was staying in the Presidential Suite at the Plaza, where he always stayed when his business brought him to New York, and if she happened to call when he was out, the desk would certainly mention his name in taking the message, and then his secret would be out.
Brenda gave him a sharp look, wondering why he was hesitant to give her his number? But then she realized that she was a virtual stranger and it wasn't the smartest thing to hand out your phone number - or your business card with your address on it, as she had just done - to a stranger, especially in this city.
"I…umm… I'm staying with friends for the moment," Jax lied, "and I hate to have them taking messages for me. You understand…"
"Sure," Brenda nodded. "No problem… You have my card, and if you're interested in seeing the proofs and modeling for me, give me a call. I'm heading back to my place now, so the proofs should be ready later this morning." She moved to leave, but his voice stopped her.
"How about lunch?" he called after her.
Brenda turned around to face him, wondering if he were asking her to lunch or if he meant that he'd call at lunch about the shots and the job. She knew then that she should nip this situation in the bud, but instead she replied, "I should be in then, if you'd like to call."
Jax laughed, "Okay, but I thought perhaps I could treat you to lunch, and we could look at the proofs then and discuss your job offer." He looked back at her business card in his hand and added, "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the city… Could you recommend a good restaurant in your neighborhood?"
Brenda gave his attire another look and smiled, thinking perhaps that he wasn't flirting with her as much as he was eager for the job she had offered him. "Why don't you just come to my studio, and I'll furnish the food? After all, this is technically a business lunch and I'm trying to hire you to work for me, so I should be the one furnishing the meal. Are deli sandwiches okay?"
Jax laughed again. "That sounds great. Just make sure you get lots of spicy mustard and extra dills with whatever sandwiches you choose."
Brenda flashed him a big smile and laughed, "It's a deal, Mr. Thomas." She extended her hand once again, and he took it eagerly, obviously enjoying the brief moment of physical contact with her.
"Call me Jack," he corrected, smiling a dazzling smile that suddenly reminded Brenda of someone else's smile and a chill ran through her. "And it's a date, Brenda."
After that smile and his mention of the word 'date,' Brenda's face clouded, and she withdrew her hand immediately from his. "No, Mr. Thomas, it's merely a working lunch. If you're coming expecting me to provide 'dessert,' you might as well save yourself a trip because there will be nothing more on the table for you besides a corned beef sandwich and that job offer I've already made. I'm a professional, and I don't believe in mixing business with pleasure, and what I have in mind with you is strictly business."
Her face and her words were cool, but inside she was fighting the torrent of emotions that this man had managed to unleash. She hadn't felt like this since … Well, it had been years, and she hated what these feelings were doing to her. Years before she had allowed her need for pleasure and love to nearly overtake and ruin her life, and it had taken her a long time to recover. She couldn't allow herself to be drawn to this man. She didn't need him as a model for her series as much as she needed to be in complete control of herself, and she realized that there was something about Jack Thomas that was too much like someone else she had once known and it made her want to lose herself in him. Suddenly she felt the need to get away from him as quickly as possible, and she wished that she had never laid eyes on him or made him that job offer - or given him her card with her number and address on it.
She snatched her card out of his hand. "I'm sorry, Mr. Thomas, but this has been a terrible mistake on my part. I really don't think I'll need you to model for me after all. I apologize for having intruded on your life, and I'll destroy the roll of film I used this morning." Before he had a chance to respond, Brenda turned and ran quickly toward the entrance of the park, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she had no desire to continue this conversation further or to ever lay eyes on him again.
Jax watched as she disappeared from view. She was unlike any other woman he had ever met in his life, and she confounded him. No woman had ever refused his flirtations as she had, and he was surprised at how wounded his ego felt. But it was more than a sense of wounded male pride that bothered him. He had sensed that she was just as attracted to him as he was to her, but the minute he had hinted at anything between them beyond her business proposition, she had frosted over and cut him off completely. What was it that frightened her so deeply?
She had even taken back her business card to prevent him from calling her or looking her up at a later time. He smiled at that. His photographic memory was one of his greatest business assets, and he had committed her card to memory within seconds of her giving it to him in the first place, so it didn't matter whether he had it or not. He knew where he could find her, and he had every intention of doing so at lunchtime today.
Earlier this morning she had been merely a pleasant distraction whom he planned to meet and possibly wine and dine while he was here in New York, but now getting to know her fully was important to him. There was something about her, beyond the obvious physical attraction, which drew him to her. She was both an enigma and a challenge, and he had never been one to turn away from either. Besides, her beautiful face had burned itself into his memory, and she'd haunt him forever if he couldn't learn more about her. He smiled as he turned and headed back to the jogging path, confident that soon he'd know all the delicious secrets that Ms. Wilding possessed and kept so closely guarded.