Brenda shifted uncomfortably in the doorway as Jax continued to simply stare at her, his mouth slightly agape. Self-consciously, she crossed her arms in front of herself to cover herself somewhat.

That simple movement on her part brought Jax out of his stupor - and made him realize that he'd embarrassed her by staring as he had. "I didn't mean to stare," he apologized, "but you look… amazing! … Wow! I mean, I knew you were beautiful, but - Well, I know supermodels that can't hold a candle to you…"

That brought a smile to Brenda's face, but still did nothing to ease her embarrassment as to how she was dressed. This was not how she normally dressed, and she was still not sure why she had let Lois talk her into dressing so dramatically tonight. It might be appropriate for a rock star onstage, but it certainly didn't feel right on her now. She wished that she had a trenchcoat or a blanket nearby to throw over herself! But she did see the next best thing - the rather large bouquet of flowers that Jax was carrying. "Oh, Tom, those are lovely!" she smiled warmly, as she took the flowers from Jax and held them strategically in front of her, effectively hiding most of her body from his view as she stepped aside and nodded for him to enter, which he did.

"I saw those and thought of you," Jax smiled, as he stepped inside and Brenda closed the door behind him.

"These had to have cost you a small fortune," Brenda pointed out, as she headed into the kitchen to hunt for a vase large enough to hold the extravagant tropical arrangement, but she stopped dead in her tracks as an unsettling thought suddenly occurred to her, and she turned back to look at Jax quizzically. "You did buy these, didn't you? - I mean, you didn't just 'borrow' them from the grounds of your brother's boss's place, did you?" she asked, a wry smile on her face as she remembered all the other things he had "borrowed" the other night from the beach house and its owner.

"No, I actually bought them," Jax laughed, as he realized what she meant by that jab. He wished he could tell her the truth right now - his real name, what he did for a living, that he owned the beach house and everything in and on the grounds, and that he had no need to worry about the cost of anything, let alone a bouquet of flowers - but he had to keep this ruse up until after tomorrow's stockholder meeting at GenCorp. But after that, he planned to tell her everything. That was, if she still wanted to see him after tonight…

"I wish that you hadn't," Brenda said, as she stooped to retrieve a large vase from the cupboard beneath the sink. "It's not that I don't love them - I do - it's just that you need to be a little more frugal with your money - unless, of course, you decided to cash my check after all," she added, as she stood and filled the vase with water, then added the flowers to it.

He chuckled softly as he shook his head. "No, but that reminds me…" he began, as he set the wine bottles down on the counter and fished the folded check out of his pants pocket, handing it to Brenda. "I have a meeting tomorrow that I expect to pan out very nicely for me, so I really don't need this."

"Meeting? For a job?" Brenda asked, reluctantly taking the check from him. Jax nodded. "That's great! What kind of job?"

Jax decided it would be best to say nothing more now, rather than risk saying too much. GenCorp was a fait accompli for JI, but Jax still couldn't talk about it until after tomorrow's stockholders' meeting. Besides, he wanted to enjoy one more evening as "Tom Quinlan, lifeguard and vagabond traveler." Brenda seemed to like Tom. What if she didn't care for Jasper Jacks, billionaire corporate raider? Common sense told him they were one-in-the-same, but he decided not to rock the boat anyway. Also, this way he would be keeping his word to Jerry about not breathing a word about the takeover or who he was to anyone until the meeting tomorrow.

"I'd rather not jinx it by talking about it tonight," Jax finally said, and Brenda nodded her understanding. "But I promise to tell you all about it after the meeting," he added brightly.

After the meeting… as in tomorrow… That caught Brenda by surprise. It meant that he was already thinking beyond tonight for them. She wasn't sure whether that should make her nervous or not, but she did know that it secretly made her very happy. "That sounds fair," Brenda replied, trying hard not to look too pleased by his inference. "But I think you should keep the check until after your meeting - just in case," she added, handing the check back to him again. "You can give it back to me when you tell me all about your new job."

Jax was about to protest when he realized what she had just said: she wanted to see him again after the meeting. "That sounds fair, too," Jax replied, smiling happily, as he slid the check back into his pocket once more.

They stood simply smiling at one another for several moments, when Jax broke the silence once more. "This is a nice place," he noted as he glanced around him at the house itself.

It wasn't huge compared to his place, but it was bigger than most of the other places on this stretch of beach. It had an open layout, with all the rooms in this section of the house blending seamlessly into one another with no walls separating them. The front foyer led into the great room that led into a large kitchen/dining area (where they were standing now) that opened to an outside deck in back. The house had a rustic flavor to it, with a large fieldstone fireplace in the great room and a matching fieldstone hearth in the kitchen. The ceilings were high and beamed, with floor-to ceiling windows across the back of the house, facing the deck and the ocean beyond. There were hallways that led out of both sides of the great room, which Jax decided must lead to the bedrooms, since this was a one-story house. Perhaps he'd find that out for sure later…

"Yes, it is nice," Brenda agreed, casting a casual glance around her. "But it's not mine. It belongs to a friend of mine - Well, actually, it belongs to the company she works for, but she has access to it whenever she wants. Anyway, she lent it to me - Ummm… well, to my husband and me… but then things changed, and… Well, you know the story…" she stammered, suddenly feeling uneasy thinking and talking about Jagger when she was about to have dinner with another man.

Jax sensed her unease, so he immediately changed the subject. "Mmmm… something smells good…"

"Oh! … I'd better get the salmon out before it dries out!" Brenda exclaimed, turning the oven off, then reaching for a pair of hot pads and pulling the warming dish containing the salmon out of the oven.

"Salmon - well, that answers my next question," Jax laughed, as he held up the bottle of white wine. "I wasn't sure what tonight's entrée was, so I brought both red and white."

Brenda glanced at the labels of the wines, both French and both very expensive. "Wow! That check I wrote will barely cover the cost of these two bottles of wine - I think you'd better plan to cash it even if you do get that job tomorrow!" Brenda laughed, shaking her head at his extravagance as she pulled the salad out of the refrigerator.

"Hey, don't worry: I took it from the wine cellar - with the owner's permission," he added quickly to ease her worry about the cost, as well as her teasing at his "borrowing" items from his brother's boss. "I should probably have selected some California wines since we're in California, but I happen to like these."

So, an Aussie lifeguard with a knowledge of and a taste for fine French wines?…Interesting… Brenda mused, casting a curious glance back at Jax as she arranged some warm French bread slices in a basket, then placed it on the tray with the salad and the salmon. Why do I get the feeling that there is more to this man than he's told me? she wondered. Then aloud she said: "Dinner's ready! … I hope you don't mind eating outside on the deck."

"Sounds great," Jax smiled, then he reached for the tray. "This looks pretty heavy. Why don't I carry it, and you bring the wine?" he suggested, to which she nodded. "Lead the way," he added, as he lifted the tray to follow her.

Brenda grabbed the bottle of white wine and a corkscrew from off the nearby counter, then ushered Jax out onto the deck.

"Wow!" Jax exclaimed, as he set the tray down on the table then turned to survey the setting. "This is beautiful…"

"I… ummm… I got a little carried away with the candles," Brenda laughed nervously as she stepped back into the house to get the vase of flowers. "I should have just turned on the deck lighting. Now I don't have room for these beautiful flowers," she added as she re-emerged from the house, looking around for a suitable place nearby to put the vase.

Jax scanned the area, then his eyes hit upon the perfect solution. "Here," Jax offered, taking the vase from her, "let's try it here." He pulled out a stool from the nearby bar, set it beside the table, then placed the vase on it. "Voila - I give you the perfect plant stand!" he grinned, holding his hands out for emphasis, like some smirking game show assistant.

His antics made Brenda laugh out loud, completely forgetting both her embarrassment and her earlier wish that she'd never invited him here in the first place. And, as they settled into their seats and began the meal, Brenda suddenly felt quite comfortable - more comfortable than she had in a long time, in fact.

She decided to forget about everything else this evening - her nervousness about the outrageous way she was dressed; Jagger and her pending divorce; Alexis Davis and urgent phone calls to plot strategy for that divorce - and simply enjoy this evening with this man. She had no idea where this evening would lead - if it led anywhere at all - but, for the first time in a long time, she felt that she was finally taking a small step in the right direction by simply living in the moment. And after months of paralyzing indecision and inaction, that felt amazingly good.

Jagger slammed the phone down in frustration. He'd called the beach house at least eight times now and Brenda's cell more than dozen times, but she wasn't answering either one. Knowing Brenda as he did, he doubted she was out or entertaining, so he figured that she was probably monitoring her calls. And since he was the last person she'd want to hear from tonight, she was likely ignoring his calls. But the clock was ticking here for him - for both of them. He had to get through to her and fast - their futures depended on it.

He looked back down at the papers that had precipitated his panic in the first place. Someone was blackmailing him, and if he didn't meet their demands they planned to send this information directly to the feds, then leak the story to the media. Both he and the company would be ruined, and he would likely be sent to prison. And even if he managed to dodge that particular metaphorical bullet, he knew that he'd never be able to dodge the real one that would no doubt be waiting for him when all of this was made public.

Why was all of this happening now? First Brenda's surprise petition for divorce, then this… Was it just coincidental that these had arrived shortly after the legal papers from Brenda's lawyer - or were the two things connected?

Was Brenda behind this?…

No, she couldn't possibly know anything about this. If she did, she'd be the one working overtime to get in touch with him, not the other way around. And she certainly wouldn't be wielding threats like this. That wasn't Brenda's style. Besides, she was the one who'd filed for divorce, not him. All he'd wanted was a short separation. He'd planned to eventually work things out between them, once he'd gotten a few things straightened out in his life, but it had been Brenda's idea to completely end the marriage. So, why would she then turn around and threaten him with exposure and risk both of their futures if they didn't reconcile? The short answer was that she wouldn't…

Then, what about Brenda's lawyer, Alexis Davis?…

After all, she'd always treated him with thinly veiled contempt whenever their paths had crossed in the past. And he knew for a fact that she'd given Brenda her business card a couple of years ago, telling Brenda to call her when she needed her services. And since Alexis Davis specialized in high profile divorces, it didn't take much of a leap to know what she meant by that. Brenda had laughed it off at the time, saying that Alexis had been tipsy and had handed out her card to nearly everyone that evening, including to several of their friends who were unattached.

But Jagger had known exactly why she'd made a point of giving it to Brenda: Alexis had caught him in a moment of indiscretion with one of the beautiful, young servers at the party that night. Well, more correctly, she'd walked in just after that moment, so Alexis hadn't been entirely sure if something had actually happened between them or if it just appeared that way. She hadn't said anything to either Brenda or Jagger about the incident, but her actions toward him from that point on showed that she neither liked nor trusted him.

So, while Alexis Davis would probably love nothing more than to see him get caught and pay for all of his past sins - both personal and professional - she wouldn't do anything to hurt Brenda, and she definitely wouldn't threaten him with prosecution if he didn't keep the marriage together. Besides, she'd know that the feds wouldn't differentiate between him and Brenda in this instance, since they both owned the business, and they'd go after Brenda as zealously as they would him. No, it didn't make sense that Alexis Davis was behind this threat against him.

His mind drifted to another direction then… What about his "other" business partners - the ones who really owned the business now and accounted for the profits at Cates & Cates these days?… The ones that Brenda knew nothing about? …

He sighed as he remembered how he'd gotten mixed up with them in the first place…

In the early months when the agency was just beginning to get on its feet he hadn't minded the hand-to-mouth existence that he and Brenda were forced to live as they put everything into their fledgling company. But as the agency began to grow and make a name for itself - and for them - he grew to resent the Spartan lifestyle they'd assumed. Brenda hadn't minded the forced frugality in the least, telling him that it was the way she'd been raised so she was used to it. She had chided him that he just needed to be a little patient, and good things would come in due time - and when they could afford them. But patience had never been his forte, and he'd always hated living with any type of limits, so he'd begun to cut corners in order to feel less "controlled" by their restrictive situation.

Actually, he supposed that he'd been cutting corners all of his life. His good looks and natural charm had always been his ticket to the front of every line in life, and he'd quickly realized that he didn't have to take the same paths or follow the same rules as everyone else. He'd never had to postpone happiness. Everything in his life had always come easily for him; he'd always gotten anything he wanted almost as soon as he wanted it. Everything, that was, until Brenda…

Brenda had been the first brick wall he'd ever encountered in his life. She'd seemingly been immune to his looks and his charm, and he'd actually had to work to get her. In fact, he'd never worked as hard before or since for anything in his life.

And she'd been worth it once he'd "gotten" her. From the outside they'd seemed the perfect couple and happily married - and he did love her. And he had known his happiest days with her, but even she couldn't satisfy the hungry beast inside him that always needed something more - more sex, more money, more acclaim, more of everything…

He'd managed to control that hungry beast for awhile after they were married. It wasn't until they'd made the decision to open their own agency that he'd begun to feel restless and want more. Within days of getting that first bank loan to start Cates & Cates, they went from living comfortably to living a life of forced frugality. And his workday no longer seemed to have a beginning, middle, and end, as it had when he'd been merely an employee at Beecham; as one of the two principals of Cates & Cates, work always seemed to be there for them 24/7.

The new business had been his dream and Brenda had reluctantly gone along with it, but once they'd made that decision she'd readily accepted all the new constraints on them and had easily learned to work and live within those confines. He, on the other hand, had felt trapped by it all, and the longer that he and Brenda lived under such austere circumstances, the more he felt deprived in all areas of his life, even in the one area that was not lacking for him and Brenda - their sex life. And that is where the hungry beast first reared its ugly head.

At first simple flirtations with clients, models - even the occasional waitress - had been enough to satisfy his hunger. But then he'd begun to feel the need for more dangerous behavior. Those simple flirtations quickly led to outright affairs, and when even those risky activities no longer seemed to satisfy his hunger he progressed to paid liaisons - although never locally, to avoid being recognized - and always covered by an out-of-town trip for work. It was one of those encounters that had begun this inevitable slide down that slippery slope to the very bottom where he now found himself…

It had happened just a little over a year after they'd left the Beecham Agency to strike out on their own. Cates & Cates was doing very well for a freshman company, but he and Brenda were still basically living hand-to-mouth, with very little extra money for even the smallest luxuries, let alone the extravagant lifestyle that he craved. It had begun small enough - just a few hundred dollars skimmed from the books here and there to cover his "extracurricular expenses." But as his hunger grew, so did the amounts needed to cover his dalliances, until that one fateful night that had led directly to this.

He'd been in LA wooing a prospective client when he'd met Jessica. She was a tall, leggy blonde who loved to party. Of course, she didn't come cheap - $5000 for the night - but she was well-connected and he saw her as not only an incredible sex partner but also as his introduction to the power brokers in LA and Hollywood that could help put Cates & Cates on the map nationally. Unfortunately, he didn't realize until too late how "well-connected" she really was.

It was on his third "date" with Jessica that she suggested they hop a friend's jet and fly to Las Vegas for a change of scenery and a different kind of good time. Never one to pass up either a good time or the chance to network, he'd jumped at the chance. Jessica had made their flying time pure heaven and, between the incredible sex and the premium liquors, he'd been extremely mellow by the time they'd touched down in Vegas. There had been a limo waiting for them at the airport that had whisked them immediately to the Bellagio, where they were covertly escorted to a suite that took up the entire top floor. Inside the suite was the wildest party he'd ever seen, populated by some of the biggest movers and shakers on the West Coast. Jessica had known each and every one of them personally and had introduced him to them all. He'd known at that very moment that that night would change his life forever, but he'd had no idea just how much or in what ways…

About an hour or so into the party he'd been invited to go into a back room, where a high-stakes game of poker was going on. The buy-in was $100,000 and there were six players around the table, all vying for the $600,000 pot. He watched for nearly an hour, mesmerized by the nonchalance these players displayed, despite the high stakes for which they were playing. At some point he was asked to sit in while one of the players stepped out for some fresh air. He'd tried to decline, saying that he didn't have that kind of money to risk, but they'd assured him that he wouldn't be risking anything; he'd simply be playing for the absent man.

He supposed now that it was the combination of the liquor and the natural high he was on from simply rubbing shoulders with such powerful people as these, but he'd foolishly taken them at their word. But luck seemed to be with him almost from the moment he sat down at the table; he won hand after hand, and his skills seemed so sharp that when the man for whom he'd been playing returned, the man declined to re-enter the game, instead offering Jagger everything he won above the man's initial $100,000 buy-in.

In retrospect, Jagger realized he should have quit then; he'd have left the table with a small fortune and still had a future in front of him. But he hadn't, and over the course of the evening his previous amazing "lucky" streak disappeared and he ended the night more than a half-million in the hole.

He knew now that that was what the other players had been counting on from the beginning: suck him in, rig the game to give him the illusion of winning, then pull the rug out from under him so that he went in far over his head. The entire evening had been a setup, orchestrated by Jessica and some of her "well-connected friends", and he'd been the perfect mark. They'd needed a front man to launder their dirty money, and they'd maneuvered it so that he was in no position to turn them down. So, in order to pay off his half-million plus debt he'd been funneling mob funds through the agency ever since.

He'd tried only once to extricate himself and the company from the mob's clutches, and that was after Brenda had become pregnant. He'd been thrilled about the baby and he was looking forward to raising the child with Brenda, but he knew that he didn't want his child's life touched in any way by the mob. So he'd gone to them and offered to pay off half his debt immediately, with the final half, plus interest, within a year. They'd simply laughed at him, telling him that, unless he had all the money that he owed plus interest right then and there, his life was theirs - as was his wife's and unborn child's. Jagger had understood their threat immediately, and he'd known that they wouldn't hesitate to act on that threat if he crossed them in any way, either by trying to back out of their arrangement or by going to the feds for protection, so he'd backed off.

Ironically, just a few hours after he'd confronted his silent partners about ending their arrangement, Brenda lost their baby. And, despite the fact that the doctors assured them both that the miscarriage had been a fluke of nature and no one's fault, he still couldn't shake the feeling that his meeting that night had somehow precipitated it. And he could never forget when it had happened, nor could he ever forgive himself for not being there with Brenda at that terrible time, and he knew that his guilt had caused a chasm between him and Brenda that they'd never been able to bridge since.

But he'd grudgingly continued on with the mob as his "silent" partners after that night, never again rocking the boat in any way, so they would have no reason to come after him like this. Besides, they'd be slitting their own throats by threatening to go public with this. And they certainly wouldn't risk the feds getting wind of any of this.

So, that left him back at square one… Who was blackmailing him and why were they so insistent that he and Brenda stay together? Who, besides him and Brenda, even had an interest in their marriage? … No one that he could think of…

But finding out who was behind this was not a priority at the moment; finding Brenda was. According to his blackmailer's instructions, he had less than 72 hours to convince Brenda to reconcile with him, and he had to do it without letting Brenda know about the threat against them. But first he had to get in touch with Brenda.

He reached for his cell phone and pulled up his phone book, glad now that he'd put this number into his phone's memory, even though at the time he'd doubted that he'd ever call it. And he wouldn't be calling it now if he didn't need to find Brenda immediately, but if anyone would know where Brenda was and how to get in touch with her, this person would.

He quickly scrolled through the names until he found the one he needed - Lois Cerrullo - then he hit "send" and prayed that she wasn't monitoring her calls, too.

Lois Cerullo set the packed carryon aside and flopped down on her bed; cell phone pressed firmly against her ear. "So, when ya comin' home?" she asked wistfully.

There was a soft sigh on the other end, as Ned Ashton hesitated slightly, wondering what was going on here? "Didn't we have this discussion just this morning? ...You know we're trying to get the last track for this song hammered out. We're almost there, but we gotta keep at it - you know that, baby - but it'll probably be dawn - maybe even later - before we make it out of here."

"Yeah, I know," she conceded, disappointment still evident in her tone. "Ya gotta make music while the creative juices are flowin', otherwise ya might lose your flow - and we can't have that…"

"What's going on?" Ned inquired, immediately picking up on Lois's disappointed tone. "You knew this morning I would probably pull an all-nighter - and you were fine with it then. You were even encouraging it if it meant finally getting this CD done… What's changed since then?"

Now it was Lois's turn to sigh softly. "Ya know that friend I got back east who keeps his ear tuned for new talent?"

"Yeah, Tim Dionetti," Ned replied. "Why?"

"Well, Tim called me just a few hours ago, and he's all excited about this band he saw perform last night and he wants me to come see 'em live as soon as possible," Lois explained.

"Okay… So, when do you leave?" Ned asked, suddenly realizing the reason for Lois's first question as to when he would be home: she was evidently leaving very soon to check out this band.

"I'm on the 7:00 flight to Buffalo tomorrow morning," Lois replied.

Ned groaned softly at that. "How long will you be gone?"

"Not more than a coupla days - Less if these guys aren't all that good, but knowin' Tim's ear I'm thinkin' I'm probably gonna like 'em and want to talk to 'em and see about gettin' 'em to come out here as soon as possible to make a demo," Lois answered, then she gasped softly as she felt a sudden pain in her abdomen.

Ned heard her gasp and was immediately concerned. "Hey, what's the matter? Are you okay?" he asked anxiously.

The pain was gone as quickly as it had come. "No biggie - just a little touch o' indigestion - that's all…" she laughed, embarrassed that she had actually moaned out loud at a stomachache.

"Are you sure?" Ned prodded, not wanting to let this slide if it was really something serious.

"There, all better now!" she assured him, as she sat up on the bed and rubbed her stomach gingerly, happy not to feel any pain now. "Musta been that shrimp salad I had for lunch," she shrugged, hoping it was simply a slight case of indigestion and not food poisoning or the flu. "I'll take some Pepto, just in case, though."

"Good idea - but you call me if you feel it again," Ned urged, not completely reassured by her nonchalance about this. "I mean it, Lois!"

His solicitousness brought a laugh from Lois. "You are just so sweet, Nedly, but I'm fine - really!"

"Well, I think you should at least postpone this trip until you're better," he advised.

Now he seemed to be a little too concerned. "Where's this comin' from?" Then it dawned on her. "Oh, you'll use any excuse to keep me here, won't ya?" she teased, laughing lightly at him then.

"Well, you know I hate it when you're gone," Ned conceded, chuckling slightly. "And I'd prefer it if you never took another trip without me, but I really am concerned about you, baby. It could be something serious," he added, his tone as serious as his words.

"Nedly, it's just a little gas - that's all! I'm not dyin' or anything!" she assured him, laughing. Then she sobered as she added: "But I really am happy to know how much ya love me and want to take care of me - I only wish everyone had someone who loved 'em enough to always be lookin' out for their health and well-bein'."

Ned understood her inference immediately. "You mean Brenda…"

"Yeah," Lois sighed, "Bren mentioned today how much it still hurts that Jagger was unreachable when she lost the baby and then how he distanced himself from her afterwards. It was like he didn't even care. She had to go through that night all alone with no one to reassure her or help her, yet here you are worryin' about me handlin' a little tummy ache all alone… How'd I get so lucky to get the sweetest guy on earth?" she wondered aloud.

"I don't know that I can claim that title, but I do know that Jagger Cates is a heartless bastard," Ned replied coolly.

"Yeah, well, Bren's free of him now - thank God!" Lois added. "I just wish she woulda dropkicked his butt outta her life a long time ago."

"Yeah, well, better late than never," Ned commented. "How did she seem today?" he asked, suddenly realizing that Lois had yet to mention her lunch and afternoon with Brenda, when that had been utmost on her mind the last time they had spoken, early that morning.

"Actually, she's doin' just fine," Lois replied somewhat nervously, her voice suddenly quiet.

"Lois… what aren't you telling me here?" Ned demanded, recognizing from her suddenly evasive tone that that Lois was trying to keep something from him.

Lois sighed, realizing that Ned knew her too well to try to try to pretend that there was nothing more to tell. "Ummm…" she stammered, as she tried to figure the best way to phrase this so it didn't sound as bad as she knew Ned would interpret it. "Well, she's doin' great, considerin' the fact that she almost died the other night and then there's the little matter of her marriage crumblin' around her…"

"Yeah. I know all of that, Lois," Ned chided, somewhat impatiently. "Now, tell me what I don't already know and what you're trying so hard not to tell me."

Lois decided that there really was no way around this now, so she took a deep breath and dove right in: "She's treatin' the guy who saved her life to dinner tonight."

"That sounds reasonable," Ned remarked, wondering why Lois had been reticent to share that with him earlier?

"Yeah, well, there's a teeeeensy bit more…" Lois added hesitantly.

"Go on…" Ned prodded, now waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop.

She took a deep breath, then started talking in a rapid-fire manner so that Ned would have no chance to interrupt her: "She invited him to the beach house for dinner - and at first I thought it was a bad idea, but, Ned, she just seemed so happy when she talked about this guy and I figured - what the heck - who am I to rain on her happiness parade?, so-" Lois stopped mid-sentence, as she caught her breath again.

"Soooo…?" Ned waited expectantly, as Lois seemed to be pausing longer than necessary to catch her breath. Ned could hear another deep inspiration of breath on Lois's end and then…

"-So-I-encouraged-her-to-get-a-killer-outfit-for-tonight-and-pull-out-all-the-stops-and-go-for-it-with-him!" Lois spat out all in one breath.

"You what?!" Ned exploded. "Lois, what were you thinking?! Brenda's too vulnerable now, and you know that! How could you encourage her to 'go for it', as you put it?! The last thing Brenda needs now is an affair to complicate matters!"

"Maybe an affair is exactly what she needs right now, Ned," Lois replied stubbornly, her voice very calm. "Nothin' complicated, for sure - but a simple, no-ties-to-bind affair between two attractive people who are attracted to one another… She has needs, Ned… Brenda confided in me that Jagger hasn't touched her in over a year… Do you know what that does to a woman? … It makes her question her own sensuality."

"All Brenda has to do is look in the mirror or see the effect she has on men when she just walks through a room to know how beautiful and sensual she is," Ned countered.

"That's just it, Ned - Brenda can't see that about herself," Lois pointed out. "She's always doubted herself in that respect, and the cold way Jagger's treated her since the baby died has just made her doubt herself more."

"So, you think she should simply go out and jump into bed with some stranger just to make herself feel sexy?" Ned interrupted angrily.

"No, I didn't say that," Lois replied calmly, trying to smooth out Ned's ruffled feathers. "But it's not up to us, Ned… It's Brenda's life, and if tonight ends up with them spendin' the night together, then I don't think it's any of our business. After all, we slept together the very first night we met, when I came to see the Idle Rich in San Francisco… At least this is technically Brenda's second night with this guy."

"I don't care," Ned argued. "We're a completely different story than Brenda and this guy, Lois… When you and I slept together, neither one of us was just coming off a five-year marriage and neither of us had nearly died just days before or been rescued from death by the other… You and I were instantly attracted to one another, and we knew we wanted to be together for more than just that one night."

"And how do we know it's not the same for Brenda and this guy?" Lois queried. "Yeah, I know their meetin' was kinda freaky, with him savin' her life and the storm and all, but that doesn't mean that they couldn't find somethin' real between them, just like we did."

Ned sighed loudly at that. "I suppose you could be right… It's just that this feels wrong for some reason… I think Brenda needs to step back and get some perspective on everything - the divorce, her accident, her future plans - before she even thinks about a relationship of any kind with another man - and that includes a one-night stand."

"Well, like I said before, that's not for you or me to decide," Lois repeated.

"I just hope that she isn't in over her head," Ned continued to grumble.

"Spoken like a true big brother!" Lois laughed. "If it makes ya feel any better, she promised to call me if she felt like she was in any trouble tonight or as soon as the guy leaves - whichever comes first… Hmmmph!" she winced involuntarily, as she felt another pain in her stomach.

"That does it - I'm coming home now! You aren't okay, and we both know it!" Ned announced, suddenly forgetting all about Brenda and what she may or may not be doing this evening, as his lady love's health was at issue here.

"You'll do no such thing!" Lois retorted. "It's just a little gas - that's all. I'm headin' to the bathroom now for the Pepto, then I'm gonna go take a long soak in the tub, and then I'm turnin' in for the night. As much as I'd love to have you there next to me when I hit those sheets, I don't want you to do anything that'll jeopardize you and the guys wrappin' things up on this CD tonight. You said yourself that you just need to get this last track together and then you'd be home…. Well, the sooner we get off the phone, the sooner you and the guys can get done and you can get home to me."

"Are you sure you're okay, Lois?" Ned pushed. "I won't be able to concentrate if I think this is really serious and you're just downplaying it."

"I'm sure I'm okay!" Lois assured him again. "Here, I've got the Pepto in my hands now and I'm pourin' myself a dose and drinkin' it down." She held the cup to her lips and swallowed, grimacing at the taste. "Blech! There, it's down, and I fully expect to feel as good as new by the time I get out of the bathtub. So, you just hang up now, get back into the sound studio and use that musical genius of yours to finish this last song, then meet me in the middle of our big bed sometime before I have to get up to catch my flight in the mornin'," she ordered. "And I promise I'll call ya if I get to feelin' worse or if I hear from Brenda - okay?"

Ned sighed loudly, knowing there was no arguing with her once she'd made up her mind, as she had now. He just had to take her at her word here and trust that she was okay and that she would call him if she felt worse. "Okay," he reluctantly agreed. "I love you, Lois… Good night…" He finished the call with the sound of a kiss.

Lois grinned, holding her phone to her heart as she closed it. She loved how much he loved her and how he never failed to show her that day-in and day-out. She went to set the phone down when it rang again. "I'm fine - really, I am!" she laughed as she answered it, assuming it was Ned again.

It wasn't.

"Lois, this is Jagger - I need to find Brenda as soon as possible!"

" …Anyway, the surf was really wild that day, and, Jake - the other lifeguard on duty with me that morning - and I were having a hell of a time just trying to keep this woman and ourselves from drowning as we headed toward the shore, so we didn't even notice that somewhere along the line the woman's top had fallen off," Jax was explaining, as they sat lingering over the remains of their meal. "We finally struggled onto the beach with her. Still not noticing that she was half-naked, we rolled her onto her side to help get rid of the water she'd taken in, and she coughed and sputtered, indicating she was very much alive and not in need of resuscitation. So we helped her to sit up - still oblivious to her state of undress, as the adrenaline is just pumping like crazy through both me and Jake - and moved back a bit to give her some room. Jake and I are beaming at each other, really stoked about saving her life and fully expecting all these glorious accolades from her for being her heroes. But instead, she sits up, looks down to see that she's topless, let's out this godawful scream, as she covers herself as best she could with her one arm, then hauls off and punches me in the face with the other! … And that is the story of my very first water rescue!"

Brenda couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. "She actually hit you?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.

"God's honest truth!" Jax laughed, raising his right hand and crossing his heart to indicate his sincerity. "She probably would have hit Jake, too, if he hadn't scrambled out of her reach when he saw what she'd done to me!"

"Jake was a smart guy!" Brenda laughed, as she easily pictured the scene from Jax's vivid description.

"Yes, he was - quick, too!" Jax agreed, laughing as he reached for the wine bottle and moved to refill her nearly empty glass.

Brenda shook her head and put her hand over her glass. "I think I've had more than enough wine - I don't usually drink this much," she admitted, embarrassed that she was on her third glass as it was, "but this wine was excellent."

"As was the meal," Jax offered in return, his eyes twinkling.

Brenda blushed slightly at that, knowing she couldn't accept his kudos for the food. "Yeah, well, I can't really take credit for the meal - I didn't make it myself. All I did was order it from this little gourmet place in town," she admitted with a nervous laugh.

Jax smiled. He'd been right when he'd guessed that she'd admit she'd ordered the meal. "Well, I didn't make the wine either, but I will take credit for selecting it for tonight. Just as you should take credit for your excellent choice of caterers."

Brenda burst out laughing at that. "I like the way you think," she declared, raising her glass to salute him.

Laughing, Jax raised his glass as well and clinked it against hers, then they both drank down the last of their wine. He set his glass down, then leaned forward in his chair, smiling as he studied her face. "You have the best laugh, Brenda - and the most beautiful smile… You light up everything around you when you smile…"

Brenda was both surprised and somewhat embarrassed by his compliment, so she simply shrugged it off. "I think you're confusing my smile with the light from all these candles."

"No, I'm not confused in the least - This candlelight pales in comparison to your smile," he replied, which brought an even bigger smile to Brenda's face.

"You've definitely had a little too much wine," she laughed, as she nodded toward the nearly empty bottle.

"Well, in vino veritas," he grinned in return. Maybe it was the wine making him talk this way, but it was all her that was making him feel this way - unbelievably happy. In fact, he couldn't remember when he'd felt this happy before… Well, yes, he could; he'd felt nearly this happy yesterday when she'd invited him to dinner.

"If we weren't already outside, I'd suggest that you need a little fresh air to clear your head," Brenda retorted.

"I can guarantee that it takes a lot more than a few glasses of wine to get me drunk," Jax assured her. "But I wouldn't mind taking a walk on the beach; not to clear my head, but just to enjoy the ocean - and the company," he added, standing and holding his hand out to Brenda.

Brenda hesitated as she gazed out at the ocean, noting the moon's reflection on the nearly still water. She loved taking moonlit walks on the beach, and it had been a long time since she'd done that… But there were inevitable dangers in walking on the beach in the moonlight with a man as attractive as Tom Quinlan - especially after three glasses of wine…

Oh, what the hell! she thought, as she kicked off her heels, then stood and took his hand, and they headed off the deck and onto the beach.

"Lois, this is Jagger - I need to find Brenda as soon as possible!"

"Sorry, pal - wrong number!" Lois hissed, as she moved to terminate the call.

"Please don't hang up!" Jagger begged, anticipating what Brenda's best friend was about to do. "This is really important, Lois. I've been calling Brenda for hours, but she's not answering - not her cell phone and not the house phone- and I'm worried," he added, glancing at his watch and suddenly realizing just how worried he really was. Less than 70 hours left…

"You're worried?" Lois repeated incredulously. "Yeah, right!" she added sarcastically. "What do you really want, Jagger?"

"Like I said, I need to talk to Brenda," he replied tersely, not in the mood to play Lois's games here. "Do you know where she is?"

"Sure, I know where she is," Lois replied evenly. "She's at the beach house in Malibu."

"Like I said, I need to get in touch with her immediately, but she's not answering-"

"Well, I don't blame her for not wantin' to talk to you!" she interrupted him angrily. "And don't think for a minute that I'm gonna help you get through to her, 'cause I'm not! If you need to tell her something, I suggest you do it through your attorneys."

His tone was far less cordial this time: "I need to talk to Brenda, and I'm not about to go through any third parties to do it! Dammit, she is still my wife, and I have every right to talk to her whenever I want to!"

"Yeah, and she has every right not to take your calls, if that's what she wants! And I can guarantee that that's exactly what she wants now 'cause you are the last thing on her mind tonight!" Lois shot back, realizing - too late - that she'd said more than she'd intended. She just hoped that Jagger didn't understand her inference.

Unfortunately, he did…

"Is Brenda with someone tonight?" he asked, suddenly jealous at that thought. Even though he'd had numerous affairs - all meaningless in his mind - it had never occurred to him that Brenda might have strayed also.

Lois said nothing, once again wishing that she knew when to keep her big mouth shut.

"How long's this been going on?" he demanded angrily.

His self-righteous tone made Lois furious. "Like you haven't had your share of indiscretions while you were married to Brenda! Well, now you're legally separated and she can do whatever she wants with whoever she wants - and it's none of your business!" she taunted.

He ignored her dead-on accusation of his own marital infidelities, as he tried to find out about Brenda's possible indiscretions. "I said: how long's this been going on?!" he growled.

"Nothin's goin' on, as far as I know!" Lois clarified, realizing that Jagger could be trying to gather ammunition to use against Brenda in the divorce. "She just met this guy the other night durin' that storm we had, and she's treatin' him to dinner tonight as a thank you for savin' her life!"

"Saving her life? …" Jagger repeated, not sure he had heard her correctly. "Brenda almost died?" he asked quietly, as that terrifying thought penetrated his heart. Despite the fact that they were having their problems now, he still loved her. The thought of being divorced from her was hard enough; the thought of her dying nearly tore him apart. "How did it happen?"

"I don't know all the details," she lied, not truly believing Jagger's sudden concern, and therefore not feeling the need to fill in the details for him. "I just know that Brenda fell off some rocks in a cove near the beach house and this guy found her and took her to safety; otherwise, she woulda drowned."

"I… I didn't know…" he stammered, wondering why Brenda hadn't seen fit to tell him about something as important as this? But Lois reminded him why in short order.

"Of course you didn't know - and why should you? … Brenda figured you didn't care enough to be with her the night she lost your baby - despite the fact that you were very married then; why would you care what happens to her now that you're gettin' a divorce?" Lois pointed out sarcastically.

"The divorce wasn't my idea; it was Brenda's," Jagger countered. "I only wanted a separation - I'd hoped we could eventually work things out."

That really angered Lois. "Work things out, huh? And why would you wanna do that - more importantly, why would she wanna do that?" she huffed. "You treated her like she didn't matter - especially this past year, when she's needed you most! You may have only wanted a temporary separation - though God only knows why, since you seem not to understand a thing about commitment - but Brenda's had enough! The girl's been doin' some soul-searchin' since that night she almost died, and she's decided that life is too short and too precious to waste, so she's gettin' rid of everything in her life that doesn't make her happy. And I'd say her petition for divorce speaks volumes as to how she feels about you right about now, pal, so just back off and leave her alone!" she shouted, as she slammed her phone shut, turned off the ringer, then tossed it on the bed.

"Arrrgghhh!" she screamed, feeling angrier than she could ever remember feeling. Then suddenly she felt sicker than she had ever felt. Clutching her stomach, she raced for the bathroom, all the while cursing Jagger Cates for making her little tummy ache suddenly feel like Mt. Vesuvius ready to erupt.

"Lois! Lois!" Jagger shouted into his phone, but there was no answer. She'd hung up on him. He quickly hit the redial button and listened as it rang… once… twice… three times… and four, then it kicked into her voice mail. "Dammit!" he swore, slamming his phone shut and lobbing it across the room. It hit the back of his leather couch, then fell harmlessly onto the seat cushions.

Frustrated, he ran his hands through his dark hair as he tried to figure out what his next move would be. He'd thought it would be relatively easy to get Brenda to drop the divorce petition, but after talking to Lois Cerrullo, Brenda's best friend and confidante, he wasn't so sure anymore. He slid back into his desk chair and sighed as he processed everything he'd just found out.

Brenda had almost died… And if it hadn't been for some stranger, she would have… And now she was having dinner with that same stranger to celebrate her new lease on life… A life that no longer included him…

But it had to include him…

Otherwise…

He shook his head, not wanting to consider the ugly alternative at the moment. He had to get to Brenda as soon as possible, and since she wasn't answering her phones for him and Lois wasn't about to help him get to her, he'd just have to fly down there to see her in person.

He punched the intercom button for his personal assistant. "Lydia…" No answer… "Lydia!" he repeated louder, but still no answer. It was then that he looked at his watch and saw that it was 9:38 p.m. and realized that Lydia, along with the rest of his staff, had gone home hours ago.

He sighed as he opened his bottom desk drawer and pulled out the phone book, rapidly scanning its pages for the listing for San Francisco International Airport. He grabbed his desk phone and quickly punched in the number for the airport, then waited impatiently as it rang several times before a male voice finally answered: "San Francisco International Airport. How may I direct your call?"

Jagger found himself almost breathing a sigh of relief then, as he felt that he was finally making some headway now. "I need the airline with the next available flight to LA…"

"I love the ocean like this -" Brenda said as they walked along the shoreline, just beyond the waves that lapped gently onto the beach, " - all calm and peaceful… It's so beautiful - almost like you could see halfway around the world."

"Yes, it is beautiful," Jax smiled, as he looked at her looking at the water. "But the wild ocean has its own beauty as well."

"Ah, yes - the surf…" Brenda laughed, looking from the water to Jax, who nodded and smiled in return. "So, tell me, Tom Quinlan, when did your love affair with the wild ocean first begin?"

"When I was ten, actually. That was when we moved from a small sheep station in Queensland to the coast… I think I discovered surfing the first week we were there, and I've being doing it every chance I get ever since then," he explained, as they stopped walking and both looked back out at the ocean. "It's almost indescribable to be out there riding on a wave. It's both exhilarating and humbling because one minute you feel like you are so in control as you ride that wave and the next minute you're beneath the wave, as the ocean reminds you just who's the real boss."

"Sounds incredible," Brenda mused, smiling at the pure joy on Jax's face as he talked about surfing. "Surfing's not something I've ever wanted to do, but you make it sound very exciting."

"You really should give it a try - you'd love it," he enthused, then his face lit up even more as he added: "Hey, I could teach you! It's really easy, once you learn the stance and get the balance and all."

"Easy, huh? - Well, maybe for you, but I'm totally uncoordinated! I can barely stay upright at times on dry land; I know I could never keep my balance on a surfboard out on the ocean!"

"Nonsense!" he scoffed. "You're incredibly graceful - and anyone who could stay upright on those heels you were wearing tonight would have no trouble mastering staying upright on a surfboard."

"Ah, but I've had years of practice walking in heels…" she pointed out.

"And I could teach you to surf in a matter of days - maybe even hours, depending on your desire and how intense you want me to get with you-" he stopped mid-sentence, as he realized just how sexually charged that sounded, and he hadn't meant it to be at all.

… Or had he?…

Jax wasn't so sure as he looked at her looking up at him; the moonlight hitting her face in such a way that she appeared almost angelic. She was so incredibly beautiful, and at this moment he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted another woman in his life.

Brenda had picked up on the sexual innuendo as well, although she wasn't sure if he'd meant it to sound that way or not.

… Had he?…

The air around them suddenly seemed charged with electricity. Brenda wasn't sure if it was the effects of the wine or the beautiful, moonlit setting or the fact that Tom was an extremely sexy man, but she suddenly felt this overwhelming urge to lean in and kiss him.

You're still a married woman, her head advised her.

Legally separated and about to be divorced, her heart argued.

The paperwork has barely begun on the divorce, her head pointed out.

But your marriage has been over for a long time; you have needs that have gone unmet for far too long. Go for it! her heart urged.

You're drunk, her head reminded her. It's not smart to be making these kind of decisions when you're drunk - or have you forgotten the night you lost your virginity?

That stopped Brenda dead in her tracks, and she literally shuddered at the memory of that horrible night and its aftermath.

Jax saw her shiver. "Are you cold?" he asked, jumping to the logical - though, wrong -conclusion. "The breeze is starting to pick up," he noted, although it was just a light breeze and quite warm, actually. "Maybe we should go back to the house," he suggested, although he hoped she'd decline so they could complete what he was sure was about to happen - They were about to share their first kiss.

Going back to the house was the last thing Brenda wanted to do at that moment also, but she still agreed. "Ummm… yeah, I guess am a little chilly," she covered, feeling both embarrassed and disappointed that she'd managed to ruin this moment between them. It was probably just as well… she thought, as she wrapped her arms around herself and they headed back to the beach house.

They walked the short distance in silence; each wondering if the sexual energy they'd just felt between them had been real or if it had all been in their imagination, and each hoping they'd get another chance to find out for sure before the evening was over.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the airport is completely fogged in. Visibility is zero right now, and it's not expected to lift until mid-to-late morning, at the earliest. No flights will be arriving or departing until then," the airport employee explained to Jagger.

"What?!" Jagger exclaimed, not believing the man. He grabbed the remote control for his drapes and hit the button to open them, expecting to see his normal expansive view of the city's lights below. Instead, there was total darkness. He couldn't even see the lights of the building across the street. Dammit! This just wasn't his night!

"Did you still want to book the next available flight to LA, sir - even though it will probably be late morning before it leaves?" the airport employee asked after several moments of silence.

Jagger sighed deeply as he realized that this was probably the best he could do, under the circumstances. Of course he supposed he could take a chance and try to drive to Malibu, but it was a long, tiring drive in the best weather; in fog like this it would be suicide. And since his death - by any means - was exactly what he was trying to avoid here, he knew that a flight in the morning would be most prudent.

"Yeah, I do…" he finally answered, hoping that this delay wouldn't cost him in the end.

Lois set the alarm, then slid into the king-size bed and settled in for the night. Despite the way she'd felt earlier, she actually felt pretty good right now. She'd felt surprisingly better after she'd vomited, and now that she'd had a good soak in the tub, she felt even better still. Now, she just needed to get a good night's sleep so she'd be at her best tomorrow - unless, of course, Ned made it home before she had to leave, then she'd need to be at her best for him.

She smiled contentedly at that thought, remembering the banner way that they had started the day that morning. Heck, that was the way they started every day that they woke up together in the same bed! And the way they tried to end every day, as well. Good sex was always a good thing, but good sex with the person you loved and who loved you in return was the best!

Her thoughts drifted immediately to Brenda then, as she thought about her relationship with Jagger and how empty she knew that Brenda had felt in her marriage. Brenda had admitted that she had probably never been in love with Jagger, which is why she had never fully enjoyed making love with him. She said she'd invariably felt empty and used after their sexual encounters, rather than satisfied and happy. She'd also confided that she doubted that Jagger had ever truly loved her either, which was another reason she'd thought that their sexual encounters had felt empty and meaningless most of the time. Brenda was probably right about Jagger not loving her, despite his protests to the contrary to her earlier tonight. Lois wasn't sure the man was capable of loving anyone, beyond his own reflection in the mirror!

She was glad that Brenda was finally breaking away from Jagger, and she hoped that Jagger wouldn't be able to talk her out of this divorce once he finally got ahold of her. Brenda deserved more in life than to be tied to that lout for even one more day! She deserved to love and be loved the way that Lois was loved by Ned and the way she loved him - first, foremost, and forever.

She sat up in the bed and grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand, quickly hitting the button for Brenda's cell phone. She wasn't the least bit disappointed when Brenda's voicemail immediately picked up. "Must be havin' a pretty good time there tonight, girlfriend, since it's goin' on 11 and you're still not answerin' your phone - even for your bestest friend in the world!" Lois grinned into the phone, as she pictured Tom Quinlan's reaction to Brenda in that fabulous outfit she'd helped her pick out for the evening. And she just bet things had heated up nicely after that! "No hurry callin' me back - Just wanted to find out how things went tonight and to warn ya that Jagger's tryin' desperately to get in touch with ya. Just be prepared - and don't fall for anything the man has to say. That means don't let him sweet talk ya into takin' him back, no matter what!"

She paused, as she realized that Brenda didn't know about her last-minute trip to Buffalo in the morning. "Oh, I gotta catch a plane to Buffalo first thing in the a.m. and I'll probably have my cell off 'til I get there, so don't panic if ya get my voicemail instead of me when ya call me back. But I promise that I'll call ya first chance I get 'cause I want to hear every last detail of tonight's dinner with Tom Quinlan - other details, too, of course!" she added, laughing. "Hope there are a lot of those details!" she added, giggling uncontrollably like a school girl. "Anyway… Talk to ya later! Love ya!"

She closed the phone to end the call, then opened it again immediately and hit *1, which was Ned's cell number. She got his voicemail, too. "Nedly, it's me… Just wanted to let you know that I'm feelin' better now, so you can stop worryin' about me and concentrate on your music… I'm turnin' in now, and I'll probably be gone when you get home 'cause I've got a car pickin' me up a little after 4 a.m. to take me to LAX. … Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I was thinkin' about ya and tell you one more time that I love you and that I'm so lucky that you love me, too - and I promise I'll never take our love for granted… You are the best!" She ended the call with a kiss before closing the phone and setting it back on the bedside stand.

She smiled then, as she snuggled under the covers, whispering a prayer of gratitude that she'd found someone to love who loved her in return and asking God to help her best friend find the same for her life, too.

"Here you go, Mr. Lansford. I hope that you'll enjoy your stay here at the Fairbanks Hotel," the desk clerk smiled as she handed Jerry his key card and a copy of the receipt for the room he'd just rented under the name of Jim Lansford from Boulder, Colorado.

"Thank you," Jerry replied in his best American accent, pocketing the receipt as he picked up his briefcase and walked toward the elevator that would take him up to his room. He hit the "up" button, and the elevator doors immediately opened. He stepped inside the empty elevator and hit "3" on the control panel and waited as the doors closed and the ride began. Within a matter of seconds the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal a brightly-lit hall done in varying shades of blue. According to the sign on the wall opposite the elevator, his room was to the left, so he headed that way, glancing at the doors as he went until he finally found room #314.

He slid the keycard into the lock and the light instantly flashed green. He opened the door and stepped inside, hitting the light switches as he passed by, tossing his bag onto the bed, then setting his briefcase onto the desk. He briefly glanced around the room, which was a sea of blue - not unlike the hallway and the lobby. It was not what he was used to, but it wasn't bad. At least the hotel was clean - and more importantly, low profile and nearly empty tonight.

When the fog had forced him to stay overnight, he'd purposely chosen this moderately priced, out-of-the-way hotel over one of the downtown luxury hotels he would have normally stayed in had he been in town to see and be seen as Jerry Jacks of Jacks International. But this trip to San Francisco was secret; no one - other than his pilots and the private investigator he'd come to see (and whom he paid handsomely to be discreet) - knew who he really was or why he was here in the city. And he planned to keep it that way. Everything would fall apart if his role in this were found out.

He tossed off his jacket, then settled into the desk chair and opened his briefcase, pulling out the private investigator's packet he'd received earlier in the week, as well as a second packet he'd acquired that afternoon. The first packet contained everything there was to know about Brenda and Jagger Cates, from past to present; the other packet held their future - the detailed accounts of Jagger Cates' illegal dealings, as well as the mortgage on the Cates & Cates ad agency that Jerry had just acquired from the third party "investors" that Jagger Cates had brought into the business a few years back. It had cost Jerry several million of his own personal funds, but he knew it would pay off handsomely in the end, especially if it permanently separated Brenda Cates from his brother.

And he had no doubt that it would. This plan provided the perfect way to quickly pull Brenda Cates back to her husband, and he'd given Jagger Cates a deadline and specific instructions in order to expedite that end. Cates was probably moving heaven and earth right now, trying to win back his wife in order to avoid the painful alternative: prison. And, of course, Cates also feared the other, more serious - and more permanent - consequences from his silent partners if this information were leaked to the US government: a bullet to the back of the head. It didn't matter that those "well-connected" silent partners Cates so feared were no longer in the picture; as long as Cates believed that they were, then he'd be more inclined to do as he'd been warned: repair his marriage and do it fast.

It didn't even matter if the Cateses really reconciled or not, just so it appeared to Jax that they had long enough for Jerry to get Jax out of the country and interested in someone else who didn't come with so much baggage - namely, a husband.

Yes, it was a good plan, and the best part of this plan was the fact that Jerry was completely out of the picture. He could simply stand back and anonymously pull the strings without anyone ever finding out that he had orchestrated the whole thing - especially not his brother, Jax. Because if Jax ever found out, he'd never forgive him. It wouldn't even matter to Jax if Jerry turned out to be right about this woman - which Jerry was confidant he was. Jax would see it as the ultimate betrayal by his brother for going behind his back and investigating Brenda Cates in the first place.

But Jerry was not a believer in the old adage that it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all; he believed - at least in this case - that it was better to stop a romance before it started than to watch suffer when it fell apart later, as Jerry was sure it inevitably would. But Jax would never understand that. He knew that the romantic in Jax believed that his accidental meeting with Brenda Cates was fate bringing together two soul mates destined to find the magic of true love. But Jerry was older and wiser, and he knew that love was elusive at best and excruciating at worst - especially when one loved the wrong person. He wanted to spare Jax that pain by stopping everything now, before it even had a chance to get started. He just hoped that he wasn't already too late…

Jerry pulled out his cell phone and punched in Jax's number, but it went immediately to his voice mail as it had been doing for the past couple of hours now. He glanced back out the window. If it weren't for this fog, he'd be in Malibu now, and he'd know for sure what Jax was up to tonight. But, despite the fact that he couldn't raise his brother at the moment, he really wasn't all that worried. After all, it was the night before the big GenCorp meeting and Jax never rarely went out the night before a takeover, preferring instead to pore over spreadsheets and study the profiles of the board members so that he could be in top form at the meeting. He also routinely turned off his cell phone, preferring quiet and solitude to any interruptions, even from Jerry. Jerry trusted that tonight was no different for Jax and that Jax wouldn't change his pattern before such an important meeting as this - not even for a woman as beautiful and alluring as Brenda Cates.

And he doubted that Brenda Cates would be the one to go after Jax. If her college nickname of Ice Angel was any indication, then she was not one to chase after or seduce a man or really even respond when a man showed an interest in her. According to the information that his PI had complied for him, Brenda Barrett Cates may have an angelic face and a heavenly body, but her heart was as cold as ice. Sex was evidently not a pleasurable pastime for the woman, and Jerry doubted that she would be the one to initiate anything with his brother, even if she was legally separated now. So, Jerry wasn't really worried about either Jax or Brenda Cates becoming intimate or even getting together socially tonight.

And after tonight… Well, both he and Jagger Cates had that covered. Soon, Jax and Mrs. Cates would be mere memories to one another, and Jerry planned to keep it that way permanently.

"I probably should have blown out the candles before we took our walk," Brenda said, as they walked onto the deck and looked at the nearly melted remains of the candles that lit the area. "Thankfully, I didn't start a fire!" she sighed, as she began blowing them out.

"Well, we could have easily found our way back here if you had," Jax quipped, smiling as he helped her extinguish the candles.

Brenda just laughed and shook her head. She loved Tom's sense of humor. He seemed to see the quirkier side of everything, which was a nice change of pace for her. For far too long she'd only been able to see the dark side of life; it was nice to see brightness and feel happiness again. How ironic that it had taken a brush with death to help her finally feel alive again.

And meeting Tom Quinlan… her heart whispered.

She paused and glanced up at the man, watching as he helped her blow out the candles. She'd been trying all night not to stare at him, but he was gorgeous and it was hard not to notice his physical beauty, especially his muscular form, which was scarcely hidden beneath the simple khakis and blue chambray shirt he'd worn that evening. He'd left the top two buttons of his shirt collar unbuttoned for a casual look, and she could see just a hint of his taut, tanned chest peaking through, causing her to remember how he'd looked the other night with no shirt on. That memory brought a pleasurable smile to her face.

He looked over at her and smiled then, almost as if he were aware that she was thinking about him, so she quickly averted her eyes and began clearing off the table. He moved to the edge of the deck to extinguish the last of the candles. As soon as his attention was elsewhere, she found herself looking at him once again, watching his every movement. Even in the simplest tasks he moved with long, graceful strides that made him appear almost as if he were gliding, rather than walking, and she suddenly began to fantasize just how graceful Tom Quinlan might be in bed…

She smiled at that thought, realizing just how right her heart was about Tom. He made her feel so alive in every way, but most of all sexually, and she felt happiest for that. She had always wondered about her own sensuality, even while married to Jagger. Despite the fact that they'd had a healthy sex life - prior to the past year, at least - she'd rarely felt as aroused by Jagger in the very midst of their lovemaking as she did now simply watching Tom as he moved about.

It's simply because you're drunk, her head reminded her again as rebuttal to what both her heart and her body were feeling. But, unlike on the beach, that thought didn't stop her cold in her tracks because she'd some time to think about the differences between that night in college and tonight, and the differences were vast.

That first time she'd been dead drunk - unable to even fathom what was happening at the time. It wasn't until the next morning that she'd realized what she'd done and regretted it. Had she not been drunk, the entire ugly incident would never have happened. But if she and Tom made love tonight, it wouldn't be because she was drunk - which she wasn't; it would be because she wanted to. And she most definitely wanted to! She just hoped that he did, too…

Jax stole a glimpse behind him and smiled to himself as he finished blowing out the last of the candles. He'd been fairly sure that she'd been watching him all this time, and he'd been right. She was trying to be discreet about it, but she was definitely checking him out, which meant she was interested in him, for which he was profoundly grateful because he was definitely interested in her.

He'd had the distinct feeling that she'd been leaning in for a kiss earlier on the beach, but then the breeze had kicked up and she'd shivered, and it was like someone had thrown cold water on her. But that was probably a good thing because he'd been set to kiss her then, too, but he knew that he wouldn't have been able to stop with just a kiss or even two - and it definitely wouldn't be good for the new owner of GenCorp to kick off tomorrow's stockholders' meeting fresh from being arrested for public indecency for making love on a public beach!

He turned around to once again catch her looking at him and smiling contentedly. "A penny for your thoughts," he offered, walking over to the table where she'd just finished clearing the remains of their dinner and immediately taking the tray from her to carry it back inside.

"I was just thinking how this evening turned out a lot better than I'd anticipated," Brenda replied, as she grabbed the vase of flowers and walked inside, heading to the great room, where she placed the flowers on the fireplace mantle.

Jax followed her inside, setting the tray on the kitchen counter as he passed by, then following her into the great room. "And just how did you picture it?" he asked, his eyes twinkling, as he leaned against the mantle just inches from where she stood.

"Actually, I envisioned a disaster, especially after I caught a glimpse of the myself and the deck in the patio doors just before you came!" she laughed, somewhat surprised at herself for admitting that to him so easily. But it felt strangely right to share everything with him.

"But both the setting and you were beautiful tonight - especially you," he said, smiling as she blushed at his compliment. He loved that she blushed at times; modesty was rare these days, and rarer still in a woman as beautiful as she was.

"Well, this really isn't me," she confided, gesturing at the make-up and the clothes. "It was my friend Lois's idea. She's a talent scout for a recording company, so she's into all this hip, dramatic style, showing lots of skin and all. I'm more corporate in my dress. Showing too much skin is frowned upon in the boardroom."

"So I've heard," Jax grinned. "So, I'm glad we're not in the boardroom…" he added somewhat suggestively.

"Yeah, well…" Brenda laughed self-consciously, suddenly feeling very awkward despite the fact that things between them seemed to be progressing exactly as she'd hoped. It had been so long since she'd flirted that she suddenly felt out of her league here. She needed to cool things off a bit here so that she could regain her footing and feel completely comfortable with what was inevitably happening here.

Jax sensed that she seemed a bit unsure here and probably needed to slow down a little, so he changed the subject. "So, how's your head?" he asked, and when she threw him a puzzled look, he added: "Does it still hurt - from the fall on the rocks the other night?"

"Oh - umm… No - no, the headaches are gone and so is the bump. The cut healed nicely, and all that is left is a greenish bruise, which I covered with make-up," she replied, pulling back her bangs to show him her forehead.

"I'm glad," he nodded in reply. "You took a pretty nasty fall."

"Yeah… yeah, I did," she murmured softly, "and I lived to tell about it, thanks to you." She gazed up into his eyes, and she suddenly felt as if she were looking right into his soul. She could see goodness and gentleness there, and caring and compassion for her far beyond anything her husband had ever offered her, and she wondered why she had ever feared taking this step? She suddenly felt as if everything in her life had been leading her to this moment and to this man, and that her accident and his rescuing her were the last pieces of a much larger puzzle that was her destiny. She knew it was probably crazy to feel this way, but she couldn't shake this feeling. It was as if her heart were guiding her now, not her head.

… Trust your heart, and you'll be fine… Her Aunt Ruby's words that Lois had echoed just this afternoon reverberated throughout her body.

…Trust your heart…

…And so she did…

She reached up and gently caressed his face, her eyes aflame with both anticipation and desire. Then she slowly pulled him into her arms and kissed him softly on the lips; a kiss filled with passion and the promise of what was yet to come…