The Ties that Bind

Chapter 20

The midnight oil was burning in Jax's study long after midnight passed. He had been working on contracts and reading proposals since mid-afternoon, taking only a few short breaks. He had been stuck on the same contract for some time now and he was ready to give up. It was probably the fact that it was nearly two in the morning and he had been reading all night.

Ever since he had gotten off the phone with Brenda earlier in the evening, he had been immersed in his work so as not to think about missing her. He had long since given up trying to figure out what she might do and when the clock struck midnight, he was sure she wasn't going to try anything tonight. It was too late and too cold for her to be out and he hoped she realized that and was at home right now in bed, maybe dreaming of him.

He smiled slightly at the thought and then caught himself drifting. He looked at the clock once more before putting his pen down on the desk and rubbing his eyes tiredly. He leaned back in his chair and massaged his shoulder muscles. Even he was willing to admit right now that he wasn't going to be able to concentrate on work any more. He was too tired and he had almost everything caught up. The little bit he still needed to do would be there tomorrow and he'd deal with it then.

Slowly, he stood up from his desk chair and walked towards his bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt on the way. He shed his clothes quickly and literally flopped down on the bed in exhaustion. He was sure he'd be asleep in seconds, hopefully dreaming of Brenda, as well.

Suddenly, Jax felt a draft of extremely cold air come into the room and it woke him from his half-asleep state instantly. He sat up and looked around the room, sure the breeze was coming from inside. He saw a slight figure on his balcony, approaching the inside of the house from the French doors. As one of the doors eased open, Jax got out of bed silently. He walked stealthily toward the door and stopped right behind it. A gloved hand wrapped around the door as the person crept inside. Jax grabbed the intruder's wrist and held it tightly in his hand. A soft shriek escaped the other person as he dragged the person inside the room and closed the door to shut out the frigid air again.

"What are you doing in my house?" Jax demanded harshly. He pulled roughly for the black cap on the head of the assailant. He was stunned to see a head full of dark brown hair fall around the shoulders of the person in front of him. The moonlight caught the strands of the dark hair, highlighting it so he could see the color. "Brenda?"

Brenda pulled away from him and put her hands on her hips. "Geez, Jax! You scared me half to death!" she exclaimed in a whisper.

"You?! What about me? I wake up to find someone breaking into my bedroom and you were scared? What are you doing, Brenda?"

He stood before her dressed only in his boxer shorts and the moonlight glinted off his bare chest. Brenda walked toward him slowly and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling seductively. "What am I doing here?" she repeated. "This…" She kissed him softly and slowly on the lips, relishing the feeling she had been missing so much in the last hours. "And this…" she whispered again as she ran the tip of her tongue along the edge of his mouth, hoping to gain quick entry.

She didn't receive it as Jax pulled back from her embrace. "Brenda, you shouldn't be here," he said raggedly. "What if somebody saw you?"

"I looked carefully," she said indignantly. "No one saw me climb up here. I waited until I was sure. Don't worry." She moved to kiss him again, but he stopped her once more.

"Brenda," Jax said in a warning tone, "it's too dangerous for you to be here."

She stepped back from him and towards the door again. "Does that mean you want me to leave?"

Without a second's hesitation, Jax replied, "I didn't say that." He crossed the small distance between them in an instant and grabbed her in his arms again. He kissed her deeply and passionately, giving her the entry she had wanted so much before. In one swift movement, she wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her over to the bed, laying her down in the center. Forgetting his previous exhaustion, Miranda, and all other reasons they should not be doing this, they made love into the very early hours of the morning.

Brenda lay blissfully in Jax's arms as the dawn broke outside. The gray light lit the room dimly and she eased herself up from Jax's embrace. He was sleeping peacefully and she didn't want to wake him. Kissing him softly, she brushed the hair back from his forehead and looked at him lovingly. She dressed quickly and scribbled off a note to him, leaving it on the bedside table next to his alarm clock which was set to go off in a few minutes. She knew she couldn't be there when he woke up or they might be caught. She slipped quietly out the balcony doors and climbed back down to the ground as carefully as she had climbed up the night before. She waited a few seconds before she dashed down the street and ran toward town.

Jax's alarm clock went off way too early for his preferences. He hadn't been asleep long enough for it to be morning already. He smiled as he remembered why it was that he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. When he moved to turn off the buzzing clock, he realized Brenda wasn't there any longer. He saw the note beside the bed and opened it to read.

Jax, I knew I had to leave before you woke up or I wouldn't have left at all. Thank you for not kicking me out. I'll call you sometime today. I love you, B.

Jax sighed and sat up in the bed. He dragged himself out from under the covers and forced himself to put on running clothes to go for a jog. He knew the cold morning air would clear his head and wake him up. The sun was turning the sky blue as he left the house and began his run. He slightly altered his route to avoid running by Brenda's neighborhood. Usually, he ran by the entrance gate to the allotment, but this time, he knew he'd go further if he even went near it.

An hour later, he returned to the house and went upstairs to shower and dress to go into the office. As he descended the staircase to get a cup of coffee from the kitchen before he left, he ran into Miranda in the front hallway.

"Good morning, Jax," Miranda greeted him coolly. She was putting her belongings in her purse as if she were leaving already.

"Miranda," he greeted her with a curt nod of his head. "Going somewhere?" He stopped briefly at the foot of the stairs.

"Yes, actually, it seems I need to house hunting today," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jax didn't respond, rather, he went into the kitchen with only a wry smile on his face. He heard the front door slam and figured Miranda hadn't been too happy with his silence.

Brenda walked silently through the halls of her house, trying to avoid anyone who might already be up. She made it to the bedroom without incident and undressed to take a shower and get ready to go into her Port Charles offices. When she went back downstairs, Robin was in the kitchen, dressed in her pajamas and eating her breakfast. Brenda poured a cup of coffee and sat down across from Robin, picking up the newspaper and scanning the headlines.

"So, Bren," Robin began casually.

"Yes, Robin?" Brenda didn't like the tone. It always meant Robin knew something more than Brenda thought she did.

"Where'd you go last night?"

Brenda froze. Saying the first thing that came to her mind, she said, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I went to look for you before I went to bed last night and you weren't in your room. I never saw you leave. Where'd you go?"

"Did you need me for something?" Brenda avoided the question.

"Not really, I just wanted your opinion on an outfit. But you weren't there. I thought you were sleeping last night." It was all innocent. It wasn't like Robin was accusing Brenda of anything.

"I just went for a walk. I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep," Brenda covered.

"At eleven o'clock at night? Isn't it a little dangerous to take a walk that late at night?"

"I wasn't gone long," she lied. "And I'm perfectly fine."

Robin glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. Brenda looked nervous about something. Robin wondered what she was trying to hide, but she let it go. For now.

Brenda finished her coffee and got up from the table, straightening her suit jacket. "I should get going, I suppose. I have a few meetings this morning and I need to go over some contracts first."

"All right, well, do you want to have lunch today? I have an easy class load today," Robin asked.

Brenda hoped she would have different plans, but she didn't tell Robin that. "Um, no, I think I might have an appointment for lunch today. Maybe some other time this week, okay?'

Robin nodded and Brenda left the kitchen. She breathed a quick sigh of relief and picked up her briefcase from the front foyer. She grabbed her coat and headed out the door for her offices.

Jax walked into his office an hour later, passing by his secretary's desk to get his messages.  There was one from Ned that asked him to call him as soon as he got in.  He sat down at in his leather desk chair behind the black lacquer desk and picked up the phone.

"Jax," Ned answered the phone, knowing it would be him.

"Yes, Ned, what do you need?"

"Did you get that contract signed yesterday and sent out, first of all?"

"I told you I did and I checked on it again last night.  It did go out as you asked."  He ran a tired hand through his hair and turned his computer on.  "Are you in the office today?"

"For a little while, at least," Ned responded.

"Good, then come up here, please," Jax requested and hung up the phone when Ned agreed.  Jax's offices occupied the top level of the building.  His main office spanned most of the floor, and a large conference room took up the rest of the area outside the receptionist area.  Ned's offices were almost exactly the same, one floor below him.

There was a short knock on the door and Ned walked in without waiting for the consent.  He took a seat across from Jax and waited patiently for Jax to finish checking his e-mail messages.

"How was your trip back?" Ned asked when Jax finally turned his attentions to him.  "Did you come back with Brenda?"

Jax shook his head.  "No, I came back alone.  She had some things to get done before she could leave.  I did talk to her last night, though."  Among other things, he thought with a smile.

"Is she ready to get everything started?"

"Actually, Sonny is out of town for a few days so we can't do anything about that just yet.  However, I got the funds transferred like we talked about.  They were made available first thing this morning.  We're ready to go on that front."

They spent the next half hour discussing the set up and implication of the new 'company' they were going to compete for.  They came up with a few ideas of how to get Miranda and Dolway to go about their actions in underhanded ways, ways they would set up, of course.  The intercom buzzed from Jax's secretary as they were wrapping up their plans and Ned was about to leave.

"Yes, Addie?" Jax asked

"There's a call for you, Mr. Jacks," she replied in her businesslike manner.

"Who is it?"  He rolled his eyes briefly at Ned, wondering if his day was starting already.

"She wouldn't say, sir, just that it is very important," she stressed the importance of the call, as per the other person's instruction.

Jax glanced at Ned questioningly.  "All right," he consented and picked up the phone.  "This is Jax," he stated brusquely.

Ned could tell immediately who was on the other side when Jax's face instantly softened and grin spread over his lips.  Ned got up to excuse himself. 

Jax halted him for a second when he had his hand on the door.  "Hey, Ned, how's Lila doing?" he asked with his hand covering the phone.

Ned turned back to answer him.  "She's going to be fine, just like they thought.  They're releasing her from the hospital this afternoon and Grandfather has consented to one or two visitors this evening.  But I'd say get there quick because he means only one or two visitors."  He gave Jax a pointed glance at the phone intending that he relay that information to who he knew was on the other end of the line.

"Thanks, Ned," Jax said and turned back to the conversation as Ned exited the office.

"What was that all about?" Brenda asked.  He'd asked her to hold almost as soon as he had come on the line.  She had barely even gotten out a hello before he'd cut her off.

Jax turned his chair to look out the expansive window that covered one corner of his office.  "Hey beautiful," he greeted her properly.  "I thought you were going to wait for me to call you."

Brenda picked up a pen from her desk and twirled it in her hand.  "I was, but I couldn't wait.  I miss you too much.  I needed to hear your voice again."

"Already?  You just saw me little more than two hours ago," he teased.

"Yes, but you were asleep, so that doesn't count."

"Okay, then you last saw me awake a little over four hours ago, right?" he grinned.

She laughed softly.  "I know, but I still miss you.  Did you get my note?"

"Of course I did," he replied.  "Though I must say I was disappointed not to wake up with you there."

"I thought it was best for both of us if I left before you woke up."

"It probably was.  Oh, before I forget, I was just talking to Ned."

"How's Lila?" she asked immediately.

"He said she's fine, just like they told us she would be.  Edward is letting her have a only a few visitors tonight after she is released from the hospital this afternoon.  Ned told me to make sure I told you to get there in time to be one of those visitors."

"You told Ned you were talking to me?"

"Oh, I think he knew without me telling him.  Besides, he knew that even if it weren't you, I'd be talking to you soon, which I would have been."

"Okay, well, do you want to come visit her with me?  I'm sure she'd be happy to see you, too," Brenda said, hoping he would agree.

Jax checked his schedule to see when he'd be free and if he could go with her.  He frowned when he realized he had a meeting scheduled for late in the day that would probably run long.  "I can't, I just saw that I have a meeting."

Brenda was disappointed, but knew he had obligations and work to do.  "That's all right.  I was wondering, though, are you free for lunch?" she asked somewhat seductively.

Something told Jax she wasn't just referring to food, though, and he grinned.  He checked his schedule again.  "Actually, I am," he said.

She broke into a wide smile, knowing she would get to see him again in just a few short hours.  She picked the place and they talked for a few more minutes. 

Jax was in the middle of telling her what he and Ned had discussed earlier when he heard a sharp knock on the door.  He nearly dropped the phone when Miranda walked into the office.  What was she doing there?  "Okay, look, I have to go," he said quickly into the phone.  "I will see you soon."

Brenda realized someone had probably just come into the room.  She had to go, too, she supposed.  Not that she was going to be getting any work done now that she had something to look forward to.  "In a few hours.  I love you," she said softly.

Jax blanched slightly.  He wanted to respond, but there was absolutely no way he could.  He merely said, "So do I.  See you later."  He hung up the phone on a slightly hurt Brenda without waiting for a response.  He faced Miranda who was now seated in the same chair Ned had been.  "Miranda, what are you doing here?"  She had never once, in all the years they'd been married, come to his office to visit him.  Of course, there had been no reason for her to come.

She pulled out a set of documents and handed them to him.  "I told you I would get these to you, and now I have."

They were the divorce papers.  He needed to sign them and his marriage was over.  He tried not to look too anxious when she gave them to him.  He glanced up from them to look at her coolly.  "Thank you.  I'll look them over with my lawyer and sign them if they meet my needs."  He looked back down at them and then realized she hadn't moved yet.  "Was there something else?" he asked.

"Just that you should know that I will be moving my things out of the house this evening.  I'll be gone by the end of the day."

She had found a place already?  That was quick, he thought.  He wondered briefly if she was moving in with Dolway, but then he realized he couldn't care less.  Again, he tried to hide his feelings from her.  He said calmly, "Good, thank you for abiding by my wishes so quickly.  Is that all?"

Miranda's eyes turned steely as she realized that Jax really didn't care what she did.  "Yes, I suppose it is.  Goodbye, Jax," she said coldly as she got up and walked out the door, closing it firmly behind her.

Jax smiled broadly as soon as the door shut.  Finally!  He looked over the divorce papers in his hands and he was satisfied to find that he didn't have anything to argue with.  Miranda must have really been in trouble not to make this turn into something ugly.  He figured she was probably banking on Dolway to take care of her and the suspected baby.  She even had given him the stipulation that if she were to marry, the alimony he was paying her would be stopped and she had given it to him with no apparent argument.  But then again, she had already taken some of his money with the last three companies she had stolen out from under him.  She probably figured there wouldn't be much left in a few months if everything went the way she was planning.  He signed the papers with a flourish and placed them in an envelope to send to his attorney to file and finish. 

His first meeting of the day walked in shortly after and he was busy for the rest of the morning with a negotiation proceeding.  A few minutes before twelve-thirty, he wrapped up his meeting and got ready to leave the office.  Just as he was walking out the door, Addie stopped him with an urgent phone call about the contract he'd just signed the day before.  He had to take it and it couldn't wait.  He stepped back into his office and closed the door.

Brenda checked her watch again.  She had been waiting for over half an hour by now.  She imagined she looked like quite the fool sitting and continually waiting for a no-show date.  The waiter had been back three times to see if she wanted to go ahead and order her meal.  She had declined and insisted she was going to wait for her friend.  Finally, she got up from the table, giving up.  As she retrieved her coat from the rack, she pulled her cell phone from her purse.  She dialed Jax's office quickly and was surprised when his secretary intercepted the private line call.  She only did that when Jax was tied up in something of the utmost importance.

Her brows furrowed as she asked if Jax was available and was told no, that he was on a very important phone call at the moment.  Addie promised to take a message and relay it immediately.  Brenda hung up the phone, disappointed.  She had been so excited to see him and now her day was practically ruined.  She chided herself almost immediately for being overdramatic.  Her day was not ruined, she just was not seeing Jax.  Her life would go on.  Wouldn't it?

She made a quick decision and headed back to her office.  Checking in briefly with her own secretary, she took the rest of the day for herself.  She knew she should be working, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to get any work done now.  She was too wound up at the prospect of seeing Jax.  She wouldn't be able to concentrate, so it was pointless to try.  She got into her car and headed off to her next destination.

Jax finally hung up the phone and massaged his temples.  The call had given him more of a headache than anything had in a long time.  There had been one technicality that had been overlooked which had fortunately been caught by one of his workers before the contract was finalized.  He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.  Suddenly, he looked at the clock, realizing that he'd been on the phone for almost two hours.  Brenda was going to kill him!  But then again, if it hadn't been extremely important, he wouldn't have stood her up with no notice.  She would understand, he hoped.

He looked up as the door opened and Addie walked in the room to deliver the messages he had received while he was on the phone.  He saw that Brenda had, indeed, called him and wanted him to call her immediately.  She closed the door again as she left and he picked up the phone again.  He tried her cell phone first, knowing she kept it on all the time, and found that it was out of range or turned off.  He tried her office and was informed that 'Ms. Barrett has left for the day.'  He tried the house and got no answer on the private line.  When he couldn't get a hold of her anywhere, he hung up the phone, asked Addie not to let anyone or any phone call in his office, and leaned back in his chair.

Jax hadn't realized how tired he was, but now that he'd just had to deal with the contract problems, he was more exhausted than before.  He leaned his head back against his chair, relaxed his body, and closed his eyes.  He never heard the door ease open or saw the person walk through it.

Brenda smiled at the sight before her.  There was Jax, leaning back in his chair and he appeared to be asleep.  She knew he had to be really tired for him to allow that to happen and she almost felt bad about keeping him up so late the night before.  She'd known he'd been working all night and had just gone to bed when she appeared in his doorway.  She stood in the door of his office, watching him for several minutes.  She'd had to do some quick talking to get Addie to let her inside the room.  The well-meaning secretary had been instructed not to let anyone in the office and she hadn't wanted to let Brenda in, but Brenda insisted that Jax wouldn't mind if he wasn't busy.  Addie had relented, but made sure Brenda was willing to take full blame if Jax were angry.

Silently, Brenda walked over to Jax, closing the door behind her.  Without disturbing him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and slowly began to massage them.  A slow smile spread over his face as he felt her.  He hadn't actually been asleep, he'd just been trying to relax for a few moments.  He hadn't realized she was coming to see him and he was pleasantly surprised by it.  He allowed her to continue loosening his muscles before he let her know he was still awake.

After a few minutes, Jax reached up with one of his hands and took hold of hers.  She leaned over his shoulder and kissed his lips softly.  He opened his eyes and smiled up at her.  "Hey, you," he said softly.  "What are you doing here?"

Brenda came around the side of the chair and he pulled her to sit down on his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist.  "I missed you at lunch and I thought I'd come see what kept you so long."

"I'm sorry about that.  I got caught with a phone call that I had to take.  I was here for the last two hours on the phone.  I didn't get a chance to call you and let you know I couldn't make it."

"It's okay, Addie told me when I called.  I just wanted to see you, so I had to come down here.  I hope you don't mind."  She smiled at him.

"Certainly not.  You just made my day a whole lot better," he grinned.  He leaned in to kiss her tenderly.  The kiss soon developed into much more and neither one of them wanted it to stop.

Brenda pulled back after several long moments.  She studied him closely, noting the vague circles and the tiredness in his eyes.  "Jax, you look exhausted," she said, concerned.

He nodded in response and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the chair again.  "I am, but I have to get this work done.  I've gotten so far behind with everything that happened last week.  I can't afford to take anymore time off."

"But if you don't get some rest, you won't be any good to anyone."

Jax sighed.  "I know--"

"Can you promise me one thing, please?" she asked, knowing he didn't break his promises to her if he could ever help it.

"I can try."  He massaged his forehead and then opened his eyes to look at her.  Her eyes were full of concern for his well-being and health.

"Jax, please promise me that you will leave early tonight and go home to get some real sleep.  Please?"  She caressed the lines from his face tenderly and smiled softly.

"I can't promise you that, sweetheart.  I have to get this work done.  I cannot fall further behind.  But it's sweet of you to worry so much.  I will promise you one thing.  I will be fine, I promise.  As soon as I get caught up here."

Brenda got up from his lap, but held fast to one of Jax's hands.  "Look, I have to get going, and I know you have to get back to work.  Don't think I'm not going to check in on you and make sure you leave here tonight, though," she warned.

Jax smiled and stood to walk her to the door.  "I know you will.  I will do my best, all right.  That's the best I can promise."  He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him as she was about to place her hand on the doorknob.  She turned and their lips met in an intense kiss.  It seemed like an hour had gone by when they finally pulled away.

Brenda kissed him one more time and whispered, "I love you."

He whispered back, "I love you, too," just before she opened the door and disappeared through it.  Jax closed the door behind her and leaned against it momentarily.  He sighed and then pushed away from the door and went back to his desk.  He picked up the phone, dialing the overseas number he needed, and settled back in to work for the rest of the afternoon without interruption.

Brenda was at the Quartermaine mansion for less than a minute before chaos erupted.  Edward was yelling because too many people were coming to visit Lila and Lila was protesting that she really did want to see Brenda.  She'd been waiting all day to see the young lady and Edward was not allowed to prevent Brenda from going upstairs to see her.  As a result, Edward was fuming at Reginald for something he didn't do and wasn't responsible for.

Brenda just laughed as she went up the grand staircase and into Lila's quarters.  Lila was sitting up in the bed, waiting patiently when Brenda opened the door and crept inside.  She immediately went to the bedside and put her arms around the older lady.  "Lila!" she exclaimed, her voice filling almost instantly with tears, "I was so scared!"

Lila held Brenda for a few long moments before she responded.  "Brenda, dear, don't you know by now not to worry about me?" she smiled.  "I'm just fine.  It's going to take more than a little stroke to get me down."

Brenda laughed and sat up on the edge of the bed, holding Lila's hand with her own.  "Yes, well, just don't do it again.  I don't know what I'd do without you.  I don't want to find out, either."

"You won't, dear, you won't," Lila reassured her.

They talked for nearly half an hour before Edward burst in and insisted that it was time for Brenda to leave.  He wouldn't take no for an answer, so Brenda left after kissing Lila on the cheek and telling her again how worried she'd been.

Once Brenda was back in her car, she looked at the clock and decided to call Jax.  She promised herself she wasn't going to go back to his office, she was just going to call him and see if he'd left.  It was past the time he normally left and she wanted to see if he'd kept his 'almost' promise to her.  Keeping one eye carefully on the road, she dialed her car phone and listened to the ringing of the phone on the line.

Four and a half rings later, the phone was picked up.  "Jax here," the gruff voice came. 

Before she answered him, Brenda thought he sounded upset about something and was seriously reconsidering admonishing him for not leaving earlier.  She forced a cheerful voice and said, "You're still there."

On the other end of the phone, the tension left Jax's body instantly.  He put his head in his hand and loosened his grip on the phone.  "You have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice right now," he sighed.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she was worried about him.

"Nothing…everything," he responded dejectedly.  That afternoon had been one of the worst he'd ever spent in the office.  He was more anxious than ever to leave, but he still had work to do.

As soon as she heard him deny anything was wrong and change his mind, Brenda made a decision.  "Jax," she said in a commanding tone to get his attention, "I am really worried about you, honey.  Please, will you meet me somewhere?  Your house or somewhere.  I don't like the sound of this."

Jax sat up straighter in his desk chair and looked out the dark window.  "I'm fine, really.  It's just been a bad day around here.  I'll be all right.  Besides, I still have work to get done."

"Jax, no," she pleaded.  "Please, leave now and come home.  I'll meet you there.  Please?"

"Brenda--"

"If you don't agree, I'm coming back to your office and I will physically force you to leave," she tried to threaten.

He laughed softly at the mental image of this tiny woman trying to force him out of his office.  He also knew there was no use in arguing with her.  She would do it, or try, at the very least.  "All right, I'll leave as soon as I can," he finally agreed.

"Now," she ordered.

He laughed again.  "I can't leave now.  I have a few other things--"

"Jax…" she trailed off threateningly.

"All right, all right, I'm leaving now," he grumbled slightly.

He still sounded tired to her and she asked, "Are you going to be okay to drive home?  I can come get you."

"No, I'm all right.  It's not that far, anyway, you know."

"Good.  Then I will meet you at your house in twenty minutes."

"Thirty," he said and quickly hung up the phone before she could argue with him again.  He sat back in his chair and shook his head at her persistence.  He shouldn't be leaving.  By all counts, he should be staying at the office for at least another two hours.  He knew that.  He also knew that he needed to see Brenda right now.  It had been such a bad day that he needed her support to deal with it. 

Jax tied up the few loose ends that he could in twenty minutes, leaving himself ten minutes to get home.  He knew that if he was one minute later than Brenda pulling in, she'd be on him in an instant.  He put on his suit jacket and walked to the elevators.  Within minutes, he was in the car and turning out of the parking garage to head home to Brenda's waiting arms.

They both pulled into opposite sides of the driveway at the same time.  As soon as she was close enough to see him, Brenda could tell how taxing the day had been on him.  The small circles under his eyes had darkened and grown.  His hair was mussed as if he'd been running his hands through it nonstop.  His tie was loosened and the top button of his shirt was undone.  His eyes were shining with exhaustion by the time he even got to the front door to meet her.

Without saying a word, she stepped into his embrace and hugged him tightly.  She held him for a few minutes before she turned and opened the front door with his keys.  The front foyer was dark, as was the entire house, leading her to believe that absolutely no one was there, not even the housekeeper.  It was just as well, if not better.  They wouldn't have to explain anything to anyone.

Brenda led Jax upstairs to his bedroom and still, neither had said a word.  Jax had felt all of his energy leave him as soon as he stepped into her arms.  He was afraid he wouldn't have enough strength to get up the steps, but when he finally stood at the top with her, he stopped worrying about anything except how much work he should be doing.  He let her guide him into his room, but he refused to lay down on the bed and go to sleep as she was urging.

"Brenda, I don't want to sleep," he protested.

"You need to," she argued.

"That may be true," he conceded, "but I wouldn't be able to even if I tried."  He removed his jacket and took off his tie, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it hang open.

"Why not?" Brenda asked as she sat down on the bed next to him.  Worry etched her face and filled her voice.

"Because I have too much work to do."

"Jax!  You were supposed to come home so that you wouldn't do anymore work, you know that!" she exclaimed.

"That may have been what you were thinking, but I didn't agree to that.  Brenda, I have too much to do.  You don't understand how far behind I am.  And now, because of what happened this afternoon, we're starting over on a project that would have been finished next week."

"And all of it will be there tomorrow," she insisted.

"Don't you get it, Brenda?  No, it won't.  This stuff needs to get done now."  He got up off the bed and made a move toward his office door, but the room spun suddenly and he had to sit back down.

"Jax?  Are you okay?" she asked as she watched him put a hand to his head and close his eyes for a moment.  He didn't answer her.  "No, see?  You're not okay.  You are not going to do anyone a bit of good tonight, Jax.  Please, don't try," she pleaded again.

He gave up then, knowing she was right all along.  His eyes still closed, he nodded his response.  He turned on the bed and lay his head down on the pillow at the top of the bed.  Brenda watched him and realized he was still wound as tight as a tennis ball.  She knew he was lying there with his eyes closed, but his mind was still racing with ideas and solutions to whatever problems he was having at work.

"Jax, please relax," she said softly.

"I am relaxed," he murmured, knowing he wasn't.

"No, you're not."  She got up from the bed and stood near the head of it.  "Turn over on your stomach," she said.

Jax opened one eye slightly to look at her.  One look at her expression and he knew she wasn't kidding.  He did as he was told and soon felt her straddle his back.  She immediately went to work massaging his shoulders until the knots were gone and he couldn't think of anything except how good her hands felt.  He felt himself drifting to sleep, but woke slightly when she got up off the bed.  As she leaned down to kiss him and whisper goodbye, he moved and caught her hand.

"Please don’t leave," he murmured into the pillow.

"I have to, Jax," she whispered.

"No, you don't.  Please, stay," his voice trailed off as he finally fell asleep.

Knowing he wanted her to stay made her heart leap with love for him.  She shed her shoes and the suit jacket she'd been wearing with her pants.  Careful not to disturb him too much, she lay next to him on the bed.  He moved enough to wrap his arms snugly around her.  Though it was only seven o'clock, Jax was asleep and Brenda was perfectly content to rest in his arms.

Jax woke with a start and sat up straight on the bed.  Glancing quickly at the clock, he saw that he'd been asleep for just over three hours.  He realized he'd been so tired when he left the office, he barely remembered driving home and going to sleep.  Just as he thought that, he also realized that Brenda wasn't in the room with him, as he expected she would be.  He did remember that she met him at his house when he got home.

He got up from the bed and ran his hands through his hair and stretched his back.  The hallway outside his bedroom was dark, as was the rest of the house.  He didn't hear anything and he looked at the bedside table to see if there was a note he'd missed telling him where Brenda was.  There wasn't one, so he assumed she hadn't left the house.  He walked out into the hallway and towards the staircase leading down to the front foyer.  As he approached the landing, he saw the light on in the kitchen.  He smiled slightly and walked down to see what Brenda was doing.

Brenda was attempting to fix herself something to eat, but she wasn't finding what she was looking for in the cabinets.  She didn't even hear Jax come in the room while she was opening and closing the cupboards until he put his arms around her waist and scared her half to death.

"Jax!" she screamed before she could stop herself.  She turned quickly in his arms, laughing nervously.

Jax was laughing, as well, as he kept his arms around her waist.  "Right here," he responded.

She hit him on the arm and backed away, turning back to the cabinets.  "You scared me to death!  I wasn't expecting you to wake up."

"Sorry," he shrugged, smiling.  He watched her looking through the cabinets and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Crackers," she replied.  "I was going to make some soup and I wanted to find the crackers first.  Why?  Do you know where they are?"

"Not a clue," he said.

"But you live here!  How can you not know where the crackers are?"

"I may live here," Jax corrected her, "but I don't do the cooking here.  I rarely have cause to even be in this room."  He grinned. "Unless one of my girlfriends is in here making all kinds of noise," he teased.

"One of your girlfriends?" she cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for an explanation.

Jax froze for a second, thinking rapidly.  Was she questioning his use of the term or was it the joke?  He didn't know for sure.  "I--"

""Just exactly how many girlfriends have you had, mister?" she broke into a smile, having enjoyed watching him squirm for a minute.

He almost breathed a sigh of relief.  "You knew what I meant."  Apparently she agreed with his use of the term.  He wasn't quite sure how to think of her.  'Mistress' seemed like such an out of date and inappropriate term.  'Lover' didn't adequately describe their relationship.  'Girlfriend' seemed to fit the best, but he knew she couldn't possibly consider him in the same fashion.  She wasn't the one who was actually signing divorce papers yet.

Brenda stepped toward him and put her arms around his neck.  She grinned at him and then kissed him lightly on the lips.  When she pulled back, she studied his face carefully again.  The circles were still under his eyes, but he didn't look nearly as tired as he did before.  His shirt hung loose from his dress pants, revealing his broad, tanned chest.  She moved her arms to encircle his waist and leaned in close, kissing him on the chest before hugging him.

Jax was surprised by her sudden show of affection.  It had come so quickly after their teasing that he wasn't sure what to make of it.  Not that he minded in the slightest.  He tightened his arms around her waist and drew her mouth back to his, lifting her into his arms as the kiss deepened.  He stood back against the counter top as he felt his knees almost go weak.

Several long moments later, he pulled away from her and whispered, "Still hungry?"

Brenda smiled seductively and responded, "Only for you."

He needed no further encouragement to carry her back upstairs to his bedroom and lay her gently on the bed beneath him.  He was in complete control as they made love into the night hours.

 

Chapter 21