CHAPTER 10

             Jana's discoveries in the safe deposit box had drained her.  She had planned to go back to the penthouse and look through all the information she had found and try and figure out what her mission or plan was, but it had all been too much for her and she shut down mentally and emotionally.  She was empty, and instead she went back to her room and climbed in among the plants in her atrium behind the bathtub.  Holding her locket she tried to think, but nothing would come.  Finally, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

            She woke up cold and noticed that the sun had gone down.  She was surprised that she had made it this long without an interruption from Suzanne.   Maybe Suzanne couldn't find her or didn't know that she had returned.  Anyway, it had been the quiet, peaceful time that she had needed.  She looked at her watch and saw that it was about one o'clock in the morning.  Since she was leaving this morning to meet her parents, she decided to go on to bed and that she wouldn't worry about anything else until later.

            Jana awoke refreshed and full of energy.  She guessed the time alone and her mind shutting down had revived her somehow and now she felt that she was ready to face the whole situation again.  Pushing the button on the intercom, Jana spoke, “Suzanne?”

            A voice came back, "Yes, Ma’am."

            "Would you please get me something for breakfast.  And, oh yes, and tell Jake that I'll be ready to go to the airport at ten o'clock."

*      *      *

            It was a hot day and Ralph was very uncomfortable sitting in his car watching the penthouse.  With J.D. Kline's generous retainer, Ralph had been able to have one of his associates watch the penthouse through the night so at least he had gotten a good nights sleep.  He was refreshed and as an after thought, when he got ready to leave his apartment, he had thrown some personal effects in a bag.  There was no telling when Victoria would hop on another plane and take off for places unknown.

            He was still very puzzled by J.D. Kline's interest in Victoria.  Maybe it had something to do with her past as Jana Hardin.  Actually, he was hoping that that little secret of her being Jana Hardin was something that just he and Victoria shared.  He really didn't want to tell anyone else what he knew.  He felt that it was Victoria's secret and wasn't anyone else's business.

He perked up when he saw Jake and the limousine pull up in front of the penthouse.  Since he knew that Charles was gone, this meant that Victoria was on her way somewhere.  He started up his car, glad to have the air conditioning on, and watched as Jake loaded a small suitcase into the trunk as Victoria slid into the back seat of the limousine.

Traveling along the freeway, he could see that they were headed for the airport.  He got on the phone right away to J.D.  "Mr. Kline, it looks as if Mrs. Davenport is catching a plane.  Do you think you can find out where she's going?"

"Ralph, please call her Victoria instead of Mrs. Davenport, OK?  That name bothers me."

"Sure, I know what you mean."

"I'll check on which flight she's on and get right back to you."

As Ralph hung up his phone they were just turning into the airport and he hunted for long term parking while he watched the limousine glide on down toward the terminals.

While sitting waiting for the call back from J.D., he wondered where Victoria was off to this time.  It seemed strange that she would be off on business when she had just sent Charles.  He dreaded the thought that it might be personal and concerning Jana Hardin.  He knew that he would have to tell J.D. something about Jana Hardin if it turned out that that was what the trip was about.  There really wouldn't be any way to cover it up.

The phone rang and it was J.D.

"Victoria is on a flight to Charleston, South Carolina.  I've booked you on the same flight.  Good luck and be sure to keep in touch."

"Thanks, I'll call you every day."

Ralph hung up the phone and wondered who J.D. Kline's contact was in the airlines that got him his information so fast.  Then he sighed and said to himself, "I guess money talks."

Ralph sat in the VIP lounge watching Victoria.  He had been surprised to find that J.D. had set up first class seats and had arranged for him to wait in this lounge.  I guess J.D. really doesn't want me to take my eyes off of Victoria, Ralph thought, wondering once again as to why J.D. Kline was so concerned about Victoria.

The sweet voice over the loud speaker called their flight and Ralph noticed a heavy sigh escape from Victoria's lips.  Then a bright smile came to her face as she eagerly boarded the plane.  Once again Ralph was seeing how much Victoria had changed.

Checking the plane over after take-off, Ralph was relieved to see that Duke wasn't aboard.  Maybe he wasn't able to find out soon enough where Victoria was going and couldn't make the flight.  Ralph was sure of one thing though, Duke was on the job, he was very thorough.

*      *      *

 Jana took a deep breath, as she entered the hotel lobby of the Hyatt Regency in Charleston.  She was hoping that her parents would be up in their room and that she wouldn't run into them before she could prepare herself.

Entering her room, once again she was utterly amazed with the extravagance surrounding her.  The room was a suite and was so elaborate it even had a baby grand piano in it.  She stepped into the bedroom and decided to freshen up and change before meeting her parents.  Actually, she was delaying the inevitable which was really silly, what was she afraid of?  The only thing she could figure was that she was afraid that the mystery relating to her might harm them in some way.

She called down to the desk to get the room number of the other suite she had reserved for her parents.  Then she boldly stepped out of her room, walked down the hall and knocked on her parents door.

The door opened almost immediately, as if they had been pacing the floor waiting for the person to come and bring the information about their daughter.  Her father was short but his lack in stature was more than compensated by his strength in personality.  She felt that he must be the source of the strength and persistence that was holding her together now.  His appearance hadn't changed.  But, he never did show his age.  Her mother was as beautiful as always.  She didn't wait for them to recognize her she just said, "Mamma, Daddy."  And fell into their arms.  At first they were startled but then when they realized that it really was Jana, they all started half laughing and half crying together. Her parents just kept saying "Jana" over and over again, as they stroked her hair and her face, amazed but thankful that they had their little girl back in their arms again.

When they could talk again, they all started talking at once.  Her parents asking questions and Jana talking about how wonderful it was to see them again.  Then they all started laughing and held each other close again.

They finally were able to move over to the couch and sit down and her mother asked,  "Jana, darling, where have you been?  We have looked everywhere for you."

"Oh, mamma, I wouldn't have worried you and daddy for anything in the world.  I am so sorry that you have had to go through this but I just didn't know any of this was going on. I woke up about a week ago in Los Angeles and found out that I have been living the last five years as Victoria Davenport."

"Victoria Davenport?"  Her mother and father said almost in unison. “ That’s ridiculous. You can’t really expect that story to fly?” But, after some reassurance and seeing Jana’s display of sincerity regarding the matter, they finally were convinced.

"Oh, darling," her father said. "We've heard of her or I should say you.  We have heard around that you are buying up a big part of the Midwest and that you are very wealthy.  But unfortunately we never saw a picture of Victoria Davenport."

"It wouldn't have done any good, except for your own peace of mind, of course."  Jana said, "I found out that while I was Victoria I didn't remember anything about Jana.  So even if you had tried to approach me I wouldn't have known you."

Then Jana told them everything she knew about Victoria, except she left out the part about the private investigator since she didn't want to alarm them.

"You poor darling."  Her mother said as she took her hand,  "So...you have no idea what has happened to Michael?"

"No...I...I don't know where he is.  And I'm in a bad position because I want to try and hire someone to find him but I don't know who to trust.  I have to be very careful that no one finds out that I'm not Victoria anymore.  I need the money that Victoria has to keep things going and to check out any leads that I might get about Michael.  It also seems as if...what Victoria has been doing is helping out a lot of people...I can't just drop all of that.  Anyway...everyday I get more and more information to help me.  I just wish that some of that information was about Michael."

"We wish we could do something to help."  Her father stated.  "But we had private detectives looking for you, and they couldn't find you even though now we now know that you are well known.  Although, they were looking for you and Michael together."

"Thank you, Daddy.  But no, things are starting to fall into place...and I feel that if I can solve the mystery about Victoria that somehow I will find Michael.  I don't know why, but I feel that somehow they are related."

"Are you going to stay with us for awhile?"  Her mother asked, still clinging to Jana's hand tightly.

"I'm going to have to go back tomorrow.  I really wish I could be with you longer...but if I'm going to solve this mystery and find Michael I need to keep my identity a secret."

They talked for a long time and then finally Jana went back to her room to change clothes; agreeing to be back soon to take them to dinner.

The pungent bouquet of the wine, the delicate china, the tangy smell of the feast laid out in front of them and the way the waiters bustled about made Jana feel like a queen, but it just made her parents feel uncomfortable.  Had she really gotten used to living like the rich so quickly? She wondered.  Jana worked at getting her parents talking to make them feel more at ease.

Just as they were laughing at the time she had put a bucket on her head, when she was four years old, and tripped and fell into some fresh cow chips; Jana looked up and was shocked to see J.D. Kline standing in the doorway of the restaurant.  The maitre d' and J.D. Kline wound their way through the tables to a booth, but just as he was about to sit down he saw Victoria.

He noticed her looking at him and came over to her table.

"So we meet again, Mon Cheri."  J.D. said, with a certain air of confidence in his voice.

"Don't Mon Cheri me!  What are you doing here?" Jana sniped.

"This is a public restaurant. Isn't it?"  Not giving her a chance to answer or even reiterate her distress, he continued.  "I'm here on business and I must talk to you as soon as possible.  It's extremely important."

Jana sensed a genuine feeling of concern in his voice which took her off the defensive.  "Well...I guess I could spare you a few minutes.  How about an hour from now?"

"That's fine.  Where would you like to meet?"  He asked, his shoulders sagging in relief with her change in attitude.

"In the lobby?"  She asked as she looked into his eyes. She almost melted on the spot, as she felt that overwhelming attraction surge within.  Shivering to brush off that allurement she forced herself to believe that it must be his eyes.  They just reminded her so much of Michael's.

"How about something more private?"  J.D. asked with a serious look on his face.  "It really is important.  How about my suite?"

Jana gave him a friendly smile and said, "I don't think so."

"How about your suite then?"

Jana looked at her parents and repeated, "I don't think so."

"Well now, there must be somewhere private where we can talk that is acceptable to you."

Jana thought for a moment and then said.  "Do you think the manager of the hotel would lend us his office for a few minutes?"

"I'll check on it."  J.D. said with a grin.  He then turned on his heels and returned to his booth.

Being relieved that J.D. didn't force an introduction to her parents, she explained to them that he was just one of Victoria's acquaintances.

Jana noticed that her mother was staring across the room at J.D. and said, "Mother...didn't you always tell me it's not polite to stare."

"Oh, I'm sorry.  It's just that he reminds me of someone."  Her mother said, embarrassed a little.

"Oh really, who?"  Jana asked teasingly.

"Well, actually, he reminds me of Michael."

Jana turned her head sharply to look at J.D. again but then turned back around saying, "Really, mother, he doesn't look like Michael at all.  Sure, his eyes are the same color as Michael's and his voice does sound somewhat like Michael's but that's all.  What makes you think he's anything like Michael, anyway?"

"I don't know...I guess it's just a feeling.  It's just...a lot of little things that you can't put your finger on."

"He is about the same height as Michael,"  Her Dad observed.

"Okay, you two...that's enough.  We all know that it isn't Michael so lets just drop it, okay?"

Not wanting to upset Jana anymore, her parents quickly changed the subject.  Jana desperately wanted to turn around and look at J.D. again, but she knew she didn't dare.  One thing she did know, was that the next time she did look at J.D., she would be looking at him differently.

After Jana and her parents arrived back in her room, she received a call from J.D. saying that the manager had offered them a small conference room downstairs.  They agreed to meet in a half an hour in the "Little Texas Conference Room."

That's a silly name for a conference room, Jana thought, little and Texas were conflicting terms.

Hanging up the phone, Jana turned to her parents, "I'm sorry, I have to meet with him.  I really wanted to spend all this time with you, but as you can see, Victoria Davenport's life is not her own; people are always needing to see her."

"That's okay, darling."  Her mother said.  "We're just so relieved to know that you are alive and well.  We know that after all this is over, we'll have plenty of time to spend together.  When you're done you can come on up to our room."

"Absolutely, after this meeting is over, I won't let anything ruin our visit."   Jana said resolutely.

Exactly one half hour later, Jana stepped into the Little Texas room.  J.D. was already there waiting for her. He motioned to her to close the door, which she did and then walked over to his table.

She said.  "Sorry I didn't introduce you to my guests in the restaurant, but they're just some people I'm buying some property from."

"That's okay.  Have a seat."

"Thank you.  Now, what's so important that we had to meet in private?"

"That's just like you Victoria, getting down to business right away."

"Well, I hate to admit it, but you've gotten my curiosity up."

"I understand that you've been having problems with your business affairs."  He said, stating a fact.

"What do you mean?"  She asked guardedly.

"Well, you haven't been keeping in contact with your business manager and you've been neglecting other important daily dealings that you normally handle like clockwork."

Jana sat there stunned.  What right did this guy have checking up on her and why did he know about her anyway.  She knew about the letter and the will and that they were supposedly doing the same work but that didn't give him the right to talk to her this way.  But she realized she was going to have to be careful; she sure didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she wasn't Victoria.

"Listen, I know that you are a great benefactor of Martha and my charities but that doesn't give you the right to question me about my business practices."  She replied as she started to rise.

"Please, sit down and don't be angry with me.  I guess I haven't been very tactful, but you've been doing such good work until now, I was concerned that something might be wrong."

"There is nothing wrong."  Well...there it was again. He was saying something without saying anything.  How she would have loved to question him about what Victoria and he have been doing, but she was afraid to let even J.D. know that she wasn't Victoria.

"What I'm wondering, is what we're doing here talking when we weren't supposed to meet."  She said trying to play along with him.

"We weren't, but since you have been acting strange and..."

"Acting strange?  I haven't been acting strange.  I have been doing my work.  I just acquired the Great Wheel Tire Company holdings and I have Charles out right now acquiring more property.  Doesn't anything make Them happy." She added that last part hoping that he would give her an idea of who They were.

All he said was, "Don't be ridiculous."

Jana was really bothered by this whole meeting.  It wasn't just the conversation, it was J.D.'s presence.  There was something about him; she felt drawn to him; like she wanted to be close to him and talk to him about a million things.  The only other person she had felt that way about was Michael.  This attraction bothered her even more when she thought about what her parents had said; about J.D. reminding them of Michael.  The last thing she needed was to become involved with someone else.  She knew that what she really needed was Michael.  She hoped that this conversation would be over soon...but yet, she wanted it to go on for a long time.

He broke into her thoughts with,  "I'm very concerned about your safety."

"About my safety?  There's nothing to worry about."

"Charles was a real asset to you in the beginning but now I'm afraid his greed is going to cause you harm."

"Charles doesn't have the courage to harm anyone physically."

"No, but his hired help could."

"You mean, Ralph Walker?  He doesn't strike me as being vicious."

"So, you know about Ralph Walker."

"Certainly, he's been following me for about six months.  But I don't think he knows anything more now than he did six months ago."

"Well, Ralph Walker isn't working for Charles anymore.  And it seems he's hired a real mean private investigator to watch you."

"What are you talking about?  I saw Ralph Walker just today following me as usual."

"Ralph is working for me now.  I hired him to look after you.  You see...actually, Ralph is a okay guy.  How he got hooked up with Charles I'll never know.  But since Ralph is used to your routine I thought he would be the perfect person to look out after you."

"I still don't see why I need Ralph to take care of me."

"Because, you stubborn headed women, Charles has hired a new PI and this guy IS REALLY VICIOUS!"

"Oh."

"Yes, OH‚  Charles has turned out to be a real liability, but at this stage in the game we're really not sure how to take care of him."

Jana just sat there not saying anything.

"I'm sorry."  His eyes softened.  "I really didn't mean to frighten you but I thought you should know.  I managed to have him waylaid so he wouldn't follow you here.  I wanted to be able to talk to you without him knowing about it and reporting it back to Charles."

Jana looked up.  She saw the concern in his eyes and somehow felt reassured.  As they sat looking at each other Jana felt a spark from him that tingled through her whole being.  This can't be, she thought and got up to leave.

"Please wait,"  He said grabbing her arm sending that tingle through her again.

"We really aren't supposed to meet.  You've given me the message and I will be careful.  Now I think that we should end this little rendezvous."  Jana pleaded.  As she finished her words, she realized that she was trying to convince herself just as much as J.D., neither of which was turning out to be a successful endeavor.  Maybe she could stay, just a little longer.  This whole scene with J.D. seemed unreal to her, like something out of a Shakespearean play, a movement from a nonexistent symphony, or the subtle colors from an impressionistic work of art.  She was almost totally spellbound by this strange yet so familiar man.

It was then that J.D. whispered, "Victoria."  The sound of that name brought Jana back to reality, as she remembered that this was not Michael.

Shaking her arm free of him, she said purposefully, "We must keep this strictly business, we have too much work to do.  Good-bye Mr. Kline."  Jana walked out the door and waved to Ralph as she headed for the elevator.

*      *      *

Ralph followed Victoria upstairs.  He even got in the elevator with her.  Since she had been in a meeting with J.D. and she had waved at him when she came out, he figured that J.D. had told her that he was working for him now.  They didn't say anything to each other in the elevator or along the hallway to her parents room.  He could tell she was upset.  He guessed it was from finding out that she was in danger from Charles' new private investigator.

Having followed her to her parents room initially, Ralph knew that the two older people she had come to meet were Jana Hardin's parents.  From what the papers had said in Spencer, Missouri they had been looking for her for all these years and Ralph had been touched by the reunion.  He had heard the laughter and crying and it had actually made him miss his own parents, long past dead.

Feeling that Victoria would be safe with Jana's parents, Ralph headed back downstairs to see if his boss was still in the conference room.  He had been shocked to see J.D. here in Charleston.  When he had called J.D. to let him know that everything was fine, J.D. hadn't said anything about coming here.

Ralph was glad to see that J.D. was still sitting in the conference room.  He was deep in thought and didn't hear Ralph as he walked into the room.

"Mr. Kline?"  Ralph said quietly so he wouldn't startle him.

J.D. looked up at Ralph and said, "What are you doing here?  You're supposed to be watching Victoria."

"She's in the room with that older couple she came to see.  I don't think she's in any danger right now and I wanted to talk with you."

"She's so stubborn!"  J.D. stated out of the blue.

Ralph could see that J.D.'s mind had wandered off again. He knew that Victoria could have that effect on somebody.  He was just surprised that the rich and powerful J.D. Kline had fallen under her spell.  But then again he wasn't surprised, Victoria had a special something about her that just drew people to her.  Ralph now realized that his feelings for her were really just a dream, a dream that couldn't possibly come true.

"What do you mean she's stubborn?"  Ralph asked snapping J.D. back to reality.

J.D. got up and paced the floor as he said.  "I told her about Charles hiring a, shall we say, not so nice guy and she didn't even seem bothered by it.  How is she going to stay safe if she isn't careful?"

J.D. didn't add the information concerning his hopeless conservation about her being lax in her business affairs.  The fact that Victoria and he were working toward the same purpose, was on a need to know basis and Ralph didn't need to know.

"Well, sir, I will try my best to keep her safe."

"I expect better than just your best, a lot is riding on nothing happening to her and that is what I expect, nothing happening to her.  Get more people you can trust, if you have to, but I want her protected."

Ralph could hear the deep urgency in his voice and knew that J.D. felt it deeply, but Ralph also didn't miss the comment he had made about "a lot riding on nothing happening to her".  What could he have meant by that statement?

"I've already gotten some other people to help me out and I will guarantee you that I won't let anything happen to her."

J.D. saw the hard look of determination in Ralph's face and felt a little better.  "You had better get back upstairs."

"On my way."  Ralph said as he headed for the door.

Since Victoria now knew about Ralph protecting her he was able to be more visual in his stake out's.  So he sat himself down on a couch at the end of the hall; after listening for voices to make sure that Victoria was still in the room.

Ralph thought once again about whether he should have told J.D. about Victoria being Jana Hardin and that the older couple she was visiting was her parents.  But if Victoria had wanted him to know she would have told him herself.  Even though J.D. was paying him, he still couldn't go against Victoria.  Being a good private investigator, he rationalized in his mind that he really was doing the best thing for J.D., because, if his feelings for Victoria were this strong, he would do more to protect her than if he was just doing his job.  He figured that that was a good enough reason for not telling J.D. about Victoria.

*      *      *

Leaving her parents room and returning to her own, quite late that evening, Jana noticed Ralph Walker sitting on the couch at the end of the hall.  He gave her a little wave and she returned it adding a little smile.  Jana thought about Ralph Walker and wondered how much he knew about her.  If he had been following her all along he probably knew a lot...a lot more than she wanted him to.  She wondered how much he had told Charles and how much he had told J.D. Kline.  She resolved that she was going to have to somehow strike up a conservation with Ralph and find out as much as she could.

When she arrived back in her room she noticed that she had a message on her phone.  Calling down to the desk she found out that Mr. J.D. Kline had requested that she call him in room eight fifty three when she returned back to her room.  Returning the phone to its cradle Jana tried to decide whether to call him or not.  Finally, she decided, "What harm would it do" and picked up the phone and dialed his room.

The phone was answered quickly with a "Hello".

"You wanted me to call?"  Jana stated.

"Yes, I was wondering if we could meet again before you returned to LA.  I have one more thing I would like to talk to you about."

Jana was really afraid of meeting with him but he had information that she needed.  Maybe she could get some of that information out of him.  "Sure, when would you like to meet?"

"How about now?  That's if your not too tired.

"I'm fine.  Shall we meet in the lobby?"

"Okay."  J.D. answered and hung up quickly before she could change her mind.

The lobby was almost empty when Jana arrived but she noticed that J.D. was already there.  It was nice to see that a man that was as important as he didn't stoop to keeping people waiting.

As she approached he said, "Shall we go in the lounge?"

"Sure."  She said glad that they would not be alone together this time.  Jana wasn't sure if it was him or herself she didn't trust.

As they sat down Jana studied J.D. and realized that her parents were right, he was very much like Michael.  Maybe that was why she was attracted to him.  She knew that could be the only reason because she loved Michael so much.

"Would you like something to drink?"  He asked breaking into her thoughts.

"Yes, just a club soda with lime please."  She replied not wanting to impair her thinking with anything more potent.

Calling the waiter over J.D. ordered two club soda's with lime, surprising Jana.  She and Michael had always both ordered club sodas when in a bar because they didn't really like drinking hard liquor that much, but she just figured J.D. had ordered one because she had.

"Victoria,"  J.D. started,  "I wanted to see you at least once more since it wouldn't be wise to be seen together after we return.  I'm sure that Charles' newest PI is going to be following you everywhere and I can help you best if I'm out of the picture."

"Tell me J.D.,"  she inquired, "why are you taking such an interest in me?  You hardly know me."

"I'm surprised you have to ask.  I'm sure They have given you the same instructions as They have given me.”

Jana listened intently, as she thought to herself “maybe J.D. will let the identity of the theys slip.” Then J.D., going on in a low, almost mysterious tone continued with, “You know that we weren't supposed to meet or even try and find out anything about each others work, so keeping you safe must be very important.  I never understood why They didn't want us to meet until now."

"What do you mean?"  She asked trying to dig more information out of him.

He gave her a piercing look, with his soft blue eyes, straight into her's and Jana once again felt the electricity pass through her as he said.  "I know you can feel it too, these feelings we have for each other, and any kind of emotion would interfere with our work.  They didn't want us getting involved."

"If it were true that I have these feelings and I'm not saying it is true, why wouldn't They want us getting involved?  People work together and get involved all the time."

"I don't know about you but I made an agreement with Them.  That I would spend all my time and energy for the work.  Too many lives are at stake here and if I were around you all the time I don't think I could concentrate on my work."

Too many lives at stake!  What was he talking about?! Victoria was just buying land and businesses.  What could that have to do with people’s lives being at stake!

He finished with, "I guess it's a good thing that we can't meet in LA."

The last statement brought Jana's thoughts back to J.D. and she couldn't help but be flattered that the most eligible bachelor in LA was talking to her this way.  Actually though, it was kind of crazy, because here he was saying that he wanted to be with her, but yet, he was glad that they wouldn't be able to be together.  It certainly was confusing.  Then again, it probably was for the best, since he would just get hurt anyway.  The only one she wanted to be with was Michael and these feelings that J.D. was talking about were just physical anyway.

Breaking into her thoughts again J.D. said, "What I would really like, would be to just forget work for this one evening and spend our time together in social conversation.  After that we could go back to strictly business, if you want.  Do you think I could persuade you?"

Seeing how his face had softened and how earnest he was in his request, Jana couldn't say no so they spent the evening talking about everything under the sun except their pasts.  They both seemed to steer away from that, which was a relief to Jana.  Since J.D. didn't mention anything about his past, she figured that he must just be following more of Their instructions.

When the lounge closed at two a.m., J.D. walked Jana back to her room.  They had both noticed that Ralph Walker had been following and watching them all evening.  When they reached her room, Ralph continued on and took his spot, on the couch, at the end of the hall.

As Jana opened her room door, J.D. pushed her gently inside; out of Ralph's view.  Her back was against the door that was still open.  Without a word J.D. leaned against her pinning her while his mouth came down on hers.  At first she was so surprised that she didn't do anything; then a tingling feeling poured through her; her arms came up around him and held him tightly as her body strained to move closer to his.  Hopelessly lost in the kiss she didn't mind when his hands started to roam over her body sending surges of passion through every crevice of her being.  Their lips parted and as her cheek rested next to his, the smell of his unfamiliar cologne was like a slap in the face, reminding her of what she was doing.  She pushed him away.  They stared at each other for a moment, breathing heavy, each seeing the desire in the others face wanting to through caution to the wind and get lost in each others desire.  They wanted to touch each other again; but instead, pulling his eyes away from hers as if he didn't trust himself, J.D. said, "I'm sorry, this isn't supposed to happen and they will know."  He turned and quickly left.

Jana stumbled into the room, totally disbelieving the ache that raged through her.  How could J.D. bring these feelings out in her.  She had only left Michael a little over a week ago, in her mind, and when she left him she had loved him completely and the thought of any other man almost repulsed her.  Now she felt an almost overwhelming desire for this man and she was so ashamed.

As she slipped out of her clothes and in-between the satin sheets of the king size bed of the hotel suite  J.D.’s last words struck her, “and THEY will know”.  She realized that the look in J.D.’s eyes at that moment had changed from sexual torture to fear.  What could frighten a man like him, a man who seemingly owned the world.

*      *      *

*      *      *

Beginning     Chapter 11

Copyright 1990 by Anita and David Mathews