Chapter One

JR could hear the couple arguing even before he reached the gate to his patio.

He unlocked the gate and pushed his beach cruiser bike onto the patio to its customary place against the fence and propped his surfboard next to it. The privacy fence afforded him the luxury of being able to strip out of his wetsuit so that he could rinse it, the surfboard, and the bike off before he rinsed the sand off himself.

The water from the hose was cool but using it to rinse off on the patio kept the sand and sea salt on his skin from being tracked into the condo.

The Santa Ana winds had been blowing out from the desert, so the waves hadn't been great this morning. This is why he was standing naked on his patio at this time of the morning and able to hear the muffled argument between the couple in the condo next to his.

Their patio door was closed, and two garages sat between their patios, so their words were unintelligible, but the tone and amplitude of their voices made the heated nature of their exchange obvious. Oh well, none of his business as long as words were all that he heard being thrown.

Drying himself quickly with the towel he had left hanging by the hot tub, JR prepared to enter his living room when he heard the sliding door of the condo next door to his open. This sound was followed almost immediately by that of something breaking on the asphalt parking area behind the building. He expected to hear louder voices through the open patio door next door but heard only silence as the door was slid closed once again.

Even though their two condos were the only units in the building that they shared, he didn't know the couple that lived beside him. They had rented the unit before he had moved in three years ago and kept pretty much to themselves. They were both in their mid to late twenties and seemed to spend most of their time at work.

At least the woman seemed to work a lot. JR had seen the man frequenting the community pool at various times of the day, but only when there were one or more young women present for him to try to impress. JR also knew that the property management staff had warned the man about his bringing glass bottles of beer into the pool area on several occasions.

As he took a shower JR couldn't think of a single time when he had seen the couple together outside their condo, and until this morning, he hadn't heard them argue. His studying minimized his opportunities to socialize with any of the neighbors in the condo complex. He had met several of them while maintaining the common areas of the complex or cleaning the pool, but never his next-door neighbors.

Checking the time on his cell phone while getting dressed in shorts and a polo shirt, he figured that he had four hours to study before he had to leave for his one class this afternoon. This particular class was not one he had to prepare for, but there were several others that he felt needed some preparation for him to be confident in his performance at the next class session. Maintaining his valedictorian status through his final semester majoring in molecular biology at the University of California, Irvine required the type of dedicated study that JR had thrived on his entire life.

His condo had four bedrooms, a master suite downstairs, and three more upstairs, one of which he had set up as his personal study hall. Dedicating the space in this manner afforded him the luxury of organizing everything he would need for studying in one room of the condo.

This approach helped him avoid distractions while trying to study in view of the kitchen or the view of the ocean off in the distance which could be seen from the living room. The lone window in his study hall room faced one of the courtyards of the condo complex and had very little foot traffic to catch his attention if the blinds were open, which they seldom were.

The knock on his front door was a surprise for several reasons. First, at nearly nine o'clock on a Friday morning, most people in the complex would already be on their way to work. Second, the security gates for the complex had traditionally kept canvassers, solicitors, and other door-to-door pests away from his portal. Finally, hardly anyone he knew would show up at someone's door unannounced. He was too curious however to ignore the intrusion.

Though he had only seen her from a distance as she came or went from the condo next to his, JR knew who the woman at his door was as soon as he opened it. He had always thought that she was 'girl-next-door' pretty, but it always appeared that she took little pride in her appearance. Her eyes were still puffy from recent tears, but she had tried her best to cover for this with a modest amount of make-up and avoiding direct eye contact.

"Hi," she said while looking at JR's bare feet. "We haven't met, but I'm your next-door neighbor Rockie Preston."

"I'm glad to finally meet you Rockie. I'm JR."

"I'm happy to meet you too, JR, and I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?"

"Sure," he said.

"My cell phone got broken this morning, my car was in an accident last night, and I need to get to work. Can I borrow your cell phone to arrange for an Uber ride?"

"Of course. Come on in and I'll get my phone for you."

Still staring at his feet, she said, "That's okay, I can wait out here."

He only paused for a second to consider her response before turning and walking up the stairway and into the study room, leaving her standing at the open front door. He returned momentarily with his cell phone and offered it to her. He had unlocked the phone by entering his password on his way back to her.

Taking a few seconds to familiarize herself with the strange cell phone, she began scrolling through the applications installed on it.

"You don't have the Uber or Lyft apps on your phone?" she asked.

"No, I'm sorry I don't. I've never had any need to use them," he replied.

"Can I install one of them from the app store," she asked. "They're free."

"I would prefer that you didn't," he said. "I can give you a ride to work if that would help."

"Is that your real voice or are you trying out your Sam Elliot impersonation on me?"

His voice had a deep, resonating tone, with a hint of 'twang'. She imagined that it could be a very intimidating voice, but he spoke to her softly and with a smile in his tone.

"It's the only voice I have, and you would do well to never hear me sing with it. So, would you like me to give you a ride to work?"

For the first time, her glance moved to his face and then to his eyes. They too had a soothing, smiling twinkle evident in their beautiful hazel color.

For his part, JR was amazed to see that her eyes were the same beautiful ice-blue color as his mother's.

Her expression was one of unbridled curiosity as she asked, "How, on the handlebar of your bike?"

Her sarcasm brought a grin to his face. He imagined that her impression of him had to be influenced by what little she would have had an opportunity to learn by seeing him around the condo complex. There was no reason that she should know anything more than what he showed the community daily, which was a guy who rode a beach cruiser to go surfing almost every morning and toiled around the complex doing manual labor.

"I do have a car," JR said with a smile. "It even has two seats, doors that stay closed while it is moving, and brakes that work when needed, but the bike is an option if your place of employment isn't too far from here."

"Are you sure it would be okay with your boss? I assume you have some responsibilities of your own here since I have seen you working around a few times."

"It's not a problem," he replied. "We have an arrangement that provides me with a very flexible work schedule when I have classes. So, once more, can I give you a lift to work?"

"Yes, please. I would appreciate it very much."

"Okay then, come on in. I'll grab my wallet and keys on the way to the garage."

He stood aside to allow her entry to his condo.

She hesitated only for a moment before walking past him into the small foyer of the condo. As he reached behind her to close and lock the front door, she inspected what she could see of the condo. The first thing that surprised her was how clean it was. While she couldn't say that his physical appearance was unclean, he was clean-shaven after all. His long sun-bleached and unruly hair, combined with the casual shorts and ragged shirts she had seen him working in made her perceive him as "unkempt". So, seeing the place where he lived appearing just the opposite was confusing to her at the very least.

She followed him as he walked past her toward the rear of the condo.

"Do you live here alone?" she asked, glancing towards the stairs.

This condo was a mirror image of hers where the layout was concerned, but that's where most of the similarities ended. His floors were all hardwood instead of carpet, with rugs and runners that were showroom clean. The furniture that she saw as they traversed through the living room area appeared dated from a style perspective, but it was made of quality material, plus the beautiful watercolor paintings, and she assumed family photographs that adorned the walls were art gallery quality. This condo had "family" written all over it instead of the college dorm room decor that she had expected to see.

"Unless I have a house guest visiting, I'm all alone here," JR replied as he picked up his wallet and car keys from the kitchen counter.

"The garage is through this door," he said over his shoulder as he led Rockie across the spotless kitchen area to the door on the opposite side. Rockie followed, not knowing what to expect anymore from this confusing adventure. Why did that description of the situation pop into her head? "Adventure?"

He opened the door to the garage and pushed the button beside it to start the garage door opener and turn on the light. By the time Rockie had passed through the door into the garage behind him, the area was bathed in enough light for her to clearly see the shiny red convertible that was housed in the garage. He walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her.

"Wow!" Rockie said as she walked around the back of the car to join him on the passenger side. "Nice car. What kind is it? I don't recognize it?"

JR smiled at the wonder in her voice. He was used to people being impressed with his car and took a great deal of pride in that.

"It's a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza," he told her as she settled into the passenger seat. He closed her door and walked around to the driver's door, but rather than opening it, he hopped over the edge of the door and planted himself square onto the driver's seat. As he started the car and backed out of the garage, she continued to inspect the interior of it.

Her thoughts and all the questions she wanted to ask about the car were interrupted by JR.

"Would you mind pushing the left button on the remote?" he asked as he put on a pair of sunglasses.

Rockie saw that he was pointing to the garage door remote clipped to the visor on the passenger side of the car. She pushed the button as instructed and was rewarded with the garage door closing right beside her.

"There should be a Scrunchie or rubber band in the glove box if you want to secure your hair," he told her.

Her long curly black hair looked shiny and healthy and hung just past her shoulders. JR had enough experience with girls and women riding in his car to know what the wind could do if the hair wasn't secured.

"Or I can lend you a baseball cap if you would rather wear one. Your choice."

"We don't have that far to go," she said. "I think I'll just hold my hair and it should be fine."

She reached up with her left hand and bunched her hair at the back of her neck and held it there. He noticed that she wasn't wearing a ring and wondered why that fact interested him.

"Okay then, tell me where you would like to go," he said as he drove towards the exit from the complex.

"Where I would like to go and where I need to go are probably in opposite directions," she replied with a smile. "Go up to MacArthur Boulevard and make a right. Please."

He followed her directions, but upon reaching their destination, he knew that all she would have had to do was tell him the name of where she worked, and he could have driven there without any input from her at all.

"How long have you worked here?" asked JR as he drove towards the employee entrance without being directed by Rockie.

"A little over three years," she replied.

"I interned here for six months during my freshman year of college," he said. "I don't remember seeing you around back then."

"We've lived next door to each other for years and just met today. Maybe I'm just not that noticeable," she retorted. "Plus, be glad that you didn't intern in my department. My boss is a tyrant who takes credit for everybody's work to further his own ambitions at the expense of theirs."

"He sounds like a poor leader," JR replied. "You obviously knew how to find my door this morning."

"Oh, I've noticed you around the complex," she said. "I'm just not a very extroverted person and respect other people's privacy as much as I value my own."

"I can relate to that, but I can't say that I am not glad to have finally met you," he said as they reached the employee entrance. "I have a class this afternoon, but I should be out by four. Would you like me to swing by and give you a ride home?"

She surprised herself by accepting his offer without any hesitation.

"I don't have my cell phone for you to call me to let me know when you get here, but if you come into the visitor's entrance, they can page me, and I'll come right out."

JR pulled a receipt out of his wallet. Tore a piece off and wrote his cell phone number on it. He jumped over his door and glided around the front of his car to open her door for her.

"I'll be here between four-thirty and five," he said, handing her the paper, "But here's my cell phone number in case your plans change."

Sliding out of the car, Rockie said, "I really appreciate it, JR. I'm not sorry that we finally met either."

She turned and walked through the employee entrance, using her badge to unlock the doors. She turned before the doors closed and waved to him as he drove away. Watching his hair blowing in the wind, she reflected on how her assumptions about her neighbor based on his appearance seemed to be so drastically different from the reality that she had witnessed.

~~~

JR drove the Corvair into his garage but didn't close the door. After exiting the car, he walked the alley and parking area behind his condo until he located what he was looking for. He had suspected that the sound he had heard earlier while on his patio was that of a cell phone hitting the asphalt, and this suspicion was heightened by his conversations with Rockie. Finally locating the phone under one of the trash dumpsters in the alley, he knelt and picked it up. As expected, the glass screen was shattered, but the protective rubber case around the phone seemed to have prevented any cracks to the body of the phone itself.

He decided that he would inspect the phone further once he finished the studying he had planned before Rockie had interrupted his morning. He walked back into the garage and closed the door with the button on the wall before re-entering his condo.

Chapter Two

Rockie had remained busy all day at work dealing with her normal digital forensic research projects while constantly being interrupted by her manager for petty tasks that he felt were below his pay grade. She was surprised at four o'clock in the afternoon when a request for an immediate meeting appeared in her e­mail from the President of the company. She had never been requested to meet directly with anyone above her manager's level in the organization and knew that he insisted on taking all management meetings personally.

She sent her manager an instant message, "Jacob, I have been requested to meet with Karen Mason at four-thirty today. Do you know if I need to prepare anything?"

Jacob replied immediately, "I knew nothing about this. Hold off until I find out the purpose of the meeting. I will likely take it myself, so don't worry about it right now."

She continued wrapping up the few items left on her list for the day. Jacob approached her desk before she had finished. He didn't look happy.

"You need to be in Karen Mason's office in five minutes and don't ask me why. I got my head handed to me for even questioning why you were asked to meet with her."

Rockie shut down her computer as she said, "I'm sorry if I caused you any problems. I'll head there right now."

"Just let me know what it is about tomorrow morning," he said as he turned and sulked away.

She wasn't exactly certain where Karen Mason's office was in the building. She checked with the receptionist and was directed to an office on the ground floor. The door was open, so she knocked lightly to announce her arrival and was instructed to enter and close the door.

JR arrived at the visitor lobby just in time to see Rockie's back as she was entering the executive office area. He asked the receptionist to page her and was informed that she was going into a meeting with the President of the company and couldn't be disturbed.

"Can I wait for her here?" he asked.

The receptionist checked the time and said, "The lobby closes at five, but you're welcome to wait until then."

"Thanks," he said.

Just before five o'clock, Rockie came into the lobby with a smile that JR was certain would overshadow the sun on a summer day. Her blue eyes were more alive than he had seen earlier, and she seemed to stand taller than her five-foot-three-inch height as she crossed the lobby to join him.

Standing to meet her approach, he couldn't help the smile that he felt appearing on his face as he addressed her, "It looks like someone had a good day. Are you ready to go?"

"I did, and I am," she said. "Thanks for waiting for me."

He wanted to tell her that he would gladly wait for her anytime for a chance to see her this happy, but he simply opened the lobby door for her and directed her to where he had parked his car in a visitor's spot. He opened the passenger door for her but stopped her from sitting down on the package laying on the seat. He reached down and handed the unwrapped box to her.

"You bought me a gift?" she asked.

"Nope, I believe this already belongs to you."

She opened the box and then looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Turn it on," he said. She pressed the power button on the cell phone and waited as it booted up to show the home screen she recognized as her own.

"Brad told me that he had thrown it over the patio fence and heard it break in the alley," she said as she scrolled through the screens.

"I found it when I got home from taking you to work," he said. "The only thing broken was the screen and I know how to fix that. The protective case you bought for it was definitely worth the price you paid."

"Unbelievable!" she said as she took her seat in the car. "This is the second-best news I have had today. Thank you, JR."

He closed her door, and then went around the car and jumped into the driver's seat.

He asked, "What's the first-best news that you heard today?"

"The President of our company has placed me in the company's Emerging Leaders program. Normally one's manager must nominate an employee, but she knew that my manager was too ambitious, so she is circumventing the normal process and putting me in the program directly."

He glanced at her as he drove and asked, "What's the Emerging Leaders program?"

Her voice had taken on an almost musical quality as she explained, "It is a management training program that fast-tracks employees with recognized leadership potential through comprehensive training modules and mentoring by a senior executive in order to place them into a permanent management role within the organization."

"I can see where that would be good news, especially if you have management ambitions," he acknowledged.

"I really hadn't considered a management role with my company because my current manager never would have supported my ambitions in that regard. He takes credit for my work so often that I'm surprised anyone in the company recognized any potential in me. I was hoping to gain enough experience to possibly move on to another company in a few years where I could expand my opportunities, but I now get the chance here. One of the other benefits of the program is that participation includes a housing allowance since managers are required to live within fifty miles of company headquarters. So, even though I already live within the required range, I still get the allowance. You have no idea how that extra money will change things for me."

"Hey, extra money is seldom a bad thing," he agreed as they were just entering the condo complex.

"Well that kills my mood," Rockie said as she gazed down the alley to the spare parking places for the complex. The numbered parking spot for her condo held a customized pick-up truck that he recognized as belonging to the man that shared the condo with her. The one she had called Brad.

"I thought that truck belonged to you or your boyfriend," he said as he reached above her to push the button on the garage door opener remote.

"We were a couple in high school and for a few years after that, but Brad hasn't been my boyfriend for years now. He was never faithful to me. I can't trust him or a thing he says, but I've needed his limited financial contributions to help pay the rent on the condo. He keeps trying to get back together, but the most I will agree to is sharing the condo as long as we have separate rooms, and he keeps his temper in check."

He backed into the garage and turned the car off but made no move to get out. He wanted to talk to Rockie further to understand what her situation with Brad was.

"You don't seem very happy about the truck being there. Is everything all right? This Brad guy isn't violent with you or anything is he?"

She sat silent for a minute, but she also made no attempt to leave the car.

She finally made a deep sigh and said, "No, he's never done anything physical to me, but sometimes I sense that he's restraining himself from doing so. I'm just going through highs and lows, I guess. I'm still angry with Brad for using my car without permission, getting into an accident with it, and then leaving it to be towed to the city impound lot. I am happy about finally meeting you and all that you have done for me today. I am elated about the opportunity that the Emerging Leader program will provide for my career and absolutely ecstatic about the housing allowance since it would allow me to pay my rent without any contributions from Brad. I was just getting excited about telling him he had to move out when I saw his truck and knew he is in the condo. That was a real downer because I had hoped that he would be gone for a few days and I would have a chance to formulate my side of the conversation I need to have with him."

He nodded in understanding and said, "You're more than welcome to hang with me for a while if you need more time to get your thoughts together. I would enjoy the company at dinner for a change."

"You cook too?" she asked.

"I don't have anything special planned, but I could barbeque some chicken thighs marinated in Teriyaki sauce, whip up a salad, and maybe another side dish of some sort if you're interested," he said.

"I've imposed on you enough for one day," she said, reaching for the handle to open her car door.

"Hold on," he said as he jumped out of the car and went around to open the door for her.

"JR, we're not on a date or anything. I can open my own doors." Her tone was once again cheerful.

"Sorry, Rockie, but it was the way I was raised. I mean no offense by it," he replied.

"Well, I appreciate it even if it is behavior that I am unaccustomed to. If you keep acting like such a gentleman around me and I'll have to hone up on my lady-like behavior. Again, something that I am not accustomed to around Brad or any of the men I work with."

He led her through the door into the kitchen and closed the garage door behind them before asking, "Sure that you don't want to hang here for a while and let me cook us some dinner?"

"I really shouldn't. You've done enough already."

"Rockie, I haven't done anything for you that I wouldn't have done for a complete stranger who needed some help. This should be obvious since we were complete strangers before you knocked on my door. You don't have to eat with me but feel free just to relax here for a while and gather your thoughts if that is what you want."

She smiled at him and nodded her acceptance of his offer. "You're being a better friend than I deserve. Thank you."

"I wouldn't categorize us as friends," he replied. "Not yet. We're neighbors doing what neighbors do, help each other out."

"Why can't neighbors also be friends?" she asked. "I think I've seen that happen on TV a few times."

Her smile wavered but didn't disappear entirely.

"Friendship involves a degree of trust and sharing that we might develop eventually, but I don't believe it exists between us right now. Plus, boy-girl friendships need to be nurtured carefully or they can get complicated really quick. You're already in a complicated relationship, so you probably don't need to add another one right now."

Rockie walked into the living room and sat on the sofa, "How old are you?" she asked.

He leaned back against the kitchen counter and said, "I'm almost twenty-three. Why?"

"You must have an old soul for you to be so mature at such a young age," she replied. "I'm twenty-five and you make me feel almost like an adolescent with some of your comments and observations."

He stared at her for several seconds but decided not to respond to her comments.

Pushing himself away from the counter, he asked, "Would you like something to drink? I don't entertain, so your choices are going to be limited".

He walked to the refrigerator, opened it, and looked inside. "Water, beer, milk, or orange juice?"

"Beer, please. I don't need a glass."

He pulled two beers out of the refrigerator, opened both bottles, and delivered one to her.

As he handed it to her, he winked and said "Drinking straight from the bottle? Not very ladylike."

"I'll show you ladylike," she said sticking her tongue out at him.

He chuckled and returned to the kitchen.

"Make yourself at home. I'm going to start my dinner, so just holler if you need anything."

She said, "Thanks, JR. May I use your restroom?"

"Sure, it's right..."

"Should I use the powder room or the full bath off the master bedroom?"

He nodded in comprehension that she would know the layout of his condo based on the layout of hers.

"You know your needs better than I do, so it's your choice."

She smiled at him and turned. He watched her walk through the doors to the master suite.

Rockie had never intentionally paid so much attention to someone else's home, but her intrigue from this morning persisted. She noticed that the king-size bed was not only made but made very well. Not a wrinkle or misaligned piece of bedding was evident. All the surfaces were clean of any dust, the hardwood floors were immaculate, and upon entering the master bathroom, she found the toilet seat was down. She was beginning to wonder if JR was gay.

The first sign that a man in his early twenties lived here came when she was washing her hands and spotted a box of unopened condoms on the counter. So, he apparently wasn't a celibate monk.

Rockie returned to the living room, and then pulled her cell phone out of her purse and settled back on the sofa to read e-mails.

She glanced up on occasion to look around at the paintings and photos in the living room or to watch JR as he went out onto the patio to start the barbeque or moved around his kitchen preparing side dishes and a salad. His motions seemed natural and instinctive. She decided that he certainly knew his way around a kitchen as she watched him chopping vegetables with the skill of a professional chef.

The smell of the barbeque was making her mouth water and her appetite grow. Her earlier decline of his offer of dinner now haunted her. How could she gracefully change her mind? Should she change her mind?

JR decided for her by setting the dining table for two. As he expertly laid out the silverware and place settings, he smiled over at her and winked. She took this as her cue.

"What can I do to help?"

"If you would like to carry the salad and pasta in from the kitchen, I'll get the chicken off the barbeque. Grab yourself another beer if you want one."

She made separate trips with the salad and pasta before going to the patio door and calling out to JR, "Would you like me to get you another beer too?"

He was just returning from the barbeque with a plate of chicken when he replied to her, "I think I'm still good with what I have but help yourself to another."

She retrieved another beer for herself and met him at the dining table. He held a chair out for her.

She winked and said, "Thank you, sir," as she took the proffered seat and scooted up to the table. "You make it tough for a girl to stick to her word," she playfully chided.

"What? You mean you were serious?" he countered with a grin, "It's not much of a meal, but I hope you enjoy it."

"Everything looks and smells wonderful," she said as she held her plate for him to serve her a piece of chicken. "Your mom must be very proud of your bachelor skills."

JR laughed. "My kid sister was more of a motivation for me to learn how to cook. For years she wouldn't eat anything unless it was made by me. It drove my parents crazy. Help yourself to pasta and salad. There is a choice of salad dressings here."

He pointed to a serving carousel that held a half-dozen bowls with various salad dressings in them.

"Are all your meals this formal, or is this for my benefit?" she asked.

"My parents call it 'civilized'. If you want to see formal dining, you should see my mom's idea of a holiday meal."

"Where's home for you, JR?"

"Right now, this is it. My parents and younger sister still live in our house in Texas."

Rockie watched as he bowed his head and silently said grace before starting on his meal. She felt ashamed for not asking him if he said grace before his meals, so she tried to make amends.

"This pasta is delicious. What kind is it?" she asked.

"It's just some Angel Hair pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese mixed in. I'm glad you like it."

"And the chicken practically melts in my mouth! You said this was marinated in Teriyaki sauce?"

He nodded. "Marinated and then brushed with more Teriyaki while on the barbeque. A simple preparation that makes the chicken more tender."

She nodded in agreement, smiled, and said, "How much do you charge for cooking lessons?"

He just grinned in response and changed the subject, "You mentioned that your car was in an accident?"

She finished the bite of food that she had been chewing and said, "That's what Brad told me. He ran out of gas in his truck last night, so he took my car to get a can filled. Somewhere along the way back to his truck, he hit something that damaged my car so that it wasn't drivable. Apparently, he left it parked illegally while he carried the gas can to his truck because when he drove back past where he had left it, my car had been towed by the police and is now in the city impound lot,"

"Do you know how bad the damage is to your car?"

She shook her head and said, "No. It was too dark, and Brad couldn't tell how bad it was. I told him that I expected him to pay the impound charges as well as my insurance deductible, and he said that was too much money for him to come up with. We argued about it this morning and he got pretty angry. When I was getting dressed for work, he threw my cell phone out the back door and stormed off."

"Who is your insurance with?" he asked.

"Jupiter is the name of the company," she replied. "Do you know of them?"

"I've heard of them. Until you get things worked out with your car, you can count on me for any rides you might need."

"Thank you." With a wink and a big smile, she added, "Maybe sometime I'll get to ride on your handlebars too."

Was she flirting with him? He sensed that Rockie had a playful side but didn't want to encourage her by playing along. He liked her, but he didn't need any complications either.

"Have you had enough to eat?" he asked when he noticed her plate was empty except for the chicken bones.

"I am very satisfied. Can I help you clean up?"

JR stood and pulled out Rockie's chair as she pushed away from the table.

"You can help carry things to the counter, then I'll take it from there. We would just end up bumping into each other if we tried to put stuff away at the same time."

There was no discussion as they made quick work of clearing the table. She returned to her spot on the sofa when the table was done and retrieved her cell phone.

"Well, I suppose I should go next door and see what Brad's mood is," she said. "I don't want to drag things out too long, but I don't want a messy confrontation either."

JR came out of the kitchen to walk her to the door, "I'm sure you will find the right time to discuss what you need. If you want a ride to work in the morning, you know where to find me."

"I'll take you up on that tomorrow. Thanks again for everything you've done for me today. The dinner was wonderful, and I can't thank you enough for finding and fixing my cell phone."

As they reached the front door and he opened it for her, she paused to consider what physical contact that he would find acceptable. She knew that even a kiss on the cheek would probably be inappropriate but going to the other extreme and offering her hand for him to shake was unacceptable to her. She settled for placing her hand on his forearm and gently patting it as she walked through the doorway past him.

Chapter Three

Watching Rockie stroll down the sidewalk towards the walkway that led to her condo, JR noticed that the sun was still relatively high in the western sky. He closed the door and returned to the kitchen where a glance at the clock on the microwave confirmed that it was not even six o'clock yet. There were at least two hours before sunset.

He put any food items that required refrigeration away but left the rest of the clean-up for later. He could finish that after sunset, but he couldn't clean the community pool in the dark. Even though he didn't have any classes on Friday, he wanted to leave his schedule for tomorrow as open as possible, doing the pool chores this afternoon would help with that objective.

He took off his shoes and took the chain with a key to his condo and put it around his neck. Grabbing a hand towel from the linen closet was the last thing he did before leaving the condo and locking the door. He had just stepped off his porch and onto the sidewalk when he heard someone speaking to him.

"Where are you heading, JR?"

He turned to see Rockie sitting on the bench in the courtyard in front of their two condos. She held her cell phone and had apparently been texting, using e-mail, or playing a game.

"I am going to go clean the pool. I usually do it on Friday so that it's ready for the weekend but figured that I would knock it out today. Why are you sitting out here?"

"Brad is being a tad difficult," she said, "but he'll be leaving for a date soon, so I thought I would just wait out here until he left. Want some company while you clean the pool?"

He considered her request for a few seconds. "It's not a very exciting event, but you're welcome to tag along. There are usually a few people in the hot tub, so you won't be stuck with just me."

She stood and walked through the grass the few steps to the sidewalk.

Approaching him, she said, "We'll see. I'm not a very social person but maybe meeting you today will prove to be an inspiration for me to meet other neighbors."

They turned together and walked down the winding sidewalk toward the center of the condo complex. JR used his condo key to open the security gate at the community pool, and then tucked the chain and key into his back pocket. As he had predicted, the main pool was empty, but the hot tub had two couples in it, chatting amicably with each other.

Giving the people in the hot tub a wave, JR otherwise ignored them and went to the equipment shed to pull out the chemicals and other items that he would need to clean the pool. Rockie settled into a chair at a table with an open umbrella for shade and just watched JR as he set to work testing the pool water to see what chemicals might be needed, and in what quantity.

It took him about fifteen minutes to adjust the chemical balance of the water and clean the pool filters. Rockie kept watching his actions, realizing that what he was doing didn't interest her as much as watching him do it. His skill and confidence were obvious, but he seemed so relaxed and in his element that she envied the contentment that these menial tasks gave him. Then again, he had behaved the same way while cooking dinner for them earlier. She wondered if he was as confident and content with everything he did.

Preparing to vacuum the pool, he was stretching out the long vacuum hose around the pool deck. With his back to the security gate, he didn't hear it open, but Rockie did. When she saw Brad ignoring her and heading directly toward JR, she jumped up and ran to intercede between them. JR heard her running footsteps and turned at the sound, dropping the vacuum hose. Rockie stood panting in front of him, facing the approach of her roommate. JR saw what the situation was and pulled a resistant Rockie behind him just as Brad reached them.

"This the new guy, Rockie?" Brad asked with a premature distaste for what he expected the answer to be. "This the guy that has been driving you around, feeding you, and fucking you for all I know?"

"Don't hurt him!" She said through her panting.

At six-foot-three, Brad was at least four inches taller than JR and outweighed him by more than seventy-five pounds. While JR appeared to be in good physical shape, Brad had a gym and steroid-toned physique and wore tight clothes that showed it off to intimidate people.

JR stood still and just silently appraised the guy before him. His expression was calm and passive, which he knew would agitate the typical aggressive personality. He was right.

"What, are you retarded or something, Asshole?" Brad taunted as he stepped closer. "I want to know why you think you can spend time with my girl behind my back?"

He remained silent but anticipated Brad's attack. The surprise head butt that Brad attempted met only thin air as his forehead missed its target completely when JR moved even quicker to pick up Rockie and move them both out of the way of Brad's attack.

Finding no resistance to his momentum caused Brad to stumble into the very place where JR had been just seconds before. By the time he had regained his balance and barely avoided falling into the pool, JR was leading Rockie over to a chair, so she would be out of the way.

He then turned and walked towards Brad to place a greater distance between them and Rockie. The couples in the hot tub had begun to get out of the water for a better view of the action.

Brad didn't waste time on talk but strode up to JR and tried a roundhouse side kick to his head. JR grabbed the foot and pushed back, once again throwing Brad off balance, causing him to fall onto his ass to the pool deck. The couples by the hot tub erupted into laughter.

He remained in the same spot, with the same expression as before on his face while he watched Brad get to his feet with a look of rage on his reddening face. He walked more cautiously back to where his opponent stood to wait and contemplated his next attack.

Kicks were too slow for someone as fast as this guy appeared to be, so Brad chose to use his fists since he had always been lightning-fast with those. He started with a right jab toward JR's nose.

Brad might have thought himself lightning-fast, but his opponent was laser-fast and easily avoided Brad's jab, as well as every other punch that Brad attempted, and he seemed to do it with little-to-no effort.

Rockie's mouth hung open in awe as she watched Brad's feeble attempts to make contact with JR being thwarted either by him moving faster to avoid the attack or easily brushing Brad's weakening punches aside with his hands or forearms. The couples by the hot tub were either speaking on their cell phones or using them to film the action before them.

After avoiding every one of Brad's attacks for more than ten minutes, JR was distracted for a second when the security gate opened behind Brad, which allowed Brad to grab hold of JR's polo shirt. Brad pulled on the shirt in an effort to bring his prey close enough for him to wrap his muscular arms around him, but JR appeared rooted to the ground and the shirt ripped from his body without him having moved an inch,

Tossing the torn shirt to the ground, Brad was getting ready for his next attempt when the police officers who had entered the pool area spoke.

"Sir, move away from that man now," said the first officer, wearing corporal stripes on his uniform.

When Brad ignored the command and started towards JR once more, the air became electrified from the twelve-thousand-volt Taser charge that hit Brad in his back. He collapsed to the ground in convulsive shudders until the voltage ceased. The two police officers efficiently rolled Brad onto his stomach and secured his hands behind his back in handcuffs. They left him lying on the pool deck as his body continued to shake and then approached JR.

"Sir, are you all right?" asked the corporal.

"Sure," said JR. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Rockie came over to stand next to JR and the other couples moved closer to better hear what was being said.

The officer ignored them and asked JR, "Do you wish to press assault charges against this man?"

He was pointing to indicate Brad on the ground.

JR glanced at Rockie and asked, "What do you want to do?"

She didn't hesitate in her response, "I want him gone and to never come back, so whatever that takes is what I want."

JR nodded and addressed the officers, "Will charging him with assault make it easier for her to get a restraining order to keep him away from her and her residence?"

"We have the whole thing on video," said one of the women who were part of the couples in the hot tub. "We're more than happy to share it with you if it helps your case."

The corporal held up his hand to silence the onlookers.

"An arrest for assault would usually be viewed by the court as justification for a restraining order to be granted, but there's no guarantee. If charges are filed, the District Attorney would likely subpoena any video of or witnesses to the incident."

"Then take him away," said JR. "I'll provide whatever information you need to file the necessary charges."

"Okay," said the corporal. "Everyone please wait here while my partner and I get the prisoner secured in our vehicle, and then I'll come back and get statements from everyone."

The two officers helped Brad to his feet and started escorting him to their car.

"What am I being arrested for?" he bellowed. "I never laid a hand on the guy."

The officers ignored his protests and were soon through the security gate. Brad's complaints faded as the trio got farther away.

The two couples closed around where JR and Rockie still stood on the pool deck.

One of the men said, "Dude, you obviously could have cleaned that guy's clock. Why didn't you just kick his ass?"

The other guy in the group said, "I'm glad he didn't. It was a much better show watching the asshole getting frustrated and embarrassed."

JR ignored them and bent down to pick up the vacuum hose once more.

Rockie put her hand on his forearm to get his attention and then rephrased the earlier question.

"Why didn't you fight Brad if you knew you could win?"

He looked first at the hand on his arm, and then into her eyes.

"Because you asked me not to hurt him. Don't you remember?"

She gasped and moved the hand on his arm to her mouth.

Recovering from his comment, she said, "I was saying that to Brad. I didn't want him to hurt you."

JR shrugged and said, "Well I guess it worked because he didn't hurt me. Now, let me try to finish vacuuming the pool before the officer comes back to take our statements."

Rockie was bothered by his dismissal but simply shook her head in amazement at his nonchalance over what had just happened. She turned and returned to her seat at the table under the umbrella, picking up his torn polo shirt on the way. The two couples pulled up chairs around the same table, introduced themselves to her, and soon had Rockie included in their conversation about what they had witnessed.

The Santa Ana winds had finally stopped blowing, but they had deposited several more leaves, twigs, and other debris into the pool than was normal, so it took him a few minutes longer to vacuum everything from the pool bottom. He had just about finished when the police corporal returned to the security gate and used the master key provided by the management company to enter.

JR pointed to the group around the table and asked, "Can you start with them, officer? I'll be done here in about five minutes if that's okay."

"Not a problem, sir. Take your time."

The officer selected one of the women from the couples and escorted her to another table on the other side of the pool deck to take her statement away from the others.

JR had finished cleaning the pool and put all his equipment away before the officer had finished with the first statement. He joined the others at the table to wait but purposely chose a seat that wasn't next to Rockie's. She noticed this but didn't comment on it.

~~~

It was past sunset, and the pool area was getting dark by the time the officer had obtained statements from the two couples, who each had returned to the hot tub when their turn with the officer was over. JR offered to let him take his and Rockie's statements in his condo, which the officer agreed to. The three of them waved to the couples in the hot tub and left the pool area together.

JR led Rockie and the officer into his condo and directed them to his study room upstairs.

He addressed the officer, "If you want to start with her, it will be quieter in here while I finish cleaning the dinner dishes in the kitchen."

Rockie thought about objecting, but the officer spoke before she could say anything.

"That will be fine. Thank you."

JR turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. As he entered the kitchen, he placed the key on the chain back on the hook where he kept it and then turned the water on at the sink to let it start warming up.

In the study room, Rockie kept making the officer repeat his questions because she continued to get distracted by her inspection of the room itself. The dichotomy that had presented itself to her so many times today was once again before her eyes.

From the floor-to-ceiling bookcase that spanned one entire wall and held an eclectic mix of literary works, to the lab table under the window where an expensive electron microscope sat, to the desk that looked too organized to have ever been used, to the leather recliner in the corner that looked comfortable enough to sleep in, none of it correlated to the image that JR's appearance projected to the world - or at least to her.

The officer was just asking his last question when a radio call from his partner reminded him that their shift would be ending soon, and they still had a prisoner to book at the station. He responded in the affirmative, finished noting Rockie's answer, and then asked her to direct him to the kitchen where he expected to find JR.

She nodded and led the way down the hallway, disappointed that the doors to the other rooms they passed were closed. They found JR in the kitchen wiping out the stainless-steel sinks with a dishtowel. Not a dirty dish was evident anywhere and the dishwasher hadn't been turned on. This made Rockie assume that he had washed and dried everything by hand.

"My turn?" JR asked without turning from the sink.

"No sir," replied the officer. "We're going to have to postpone getting your statement until tomorrow. It's getting late and we need to get the prisoner booked. Could you stop by the station tomorrow and give your statement to one of the detectives there?"

JR looked skeptically at the officer before replying, "Do you have enough with the other statements to make the charge of assault stick?"

The officer nodded and said, "I'm pretty sure that we do, but if we get your statement tomorrow, hopefully in the morning, the DA will definitely have everything for the arraignment to be held in the afternoon."

"Okay then," he said. "I'll stop by the police station right after I take Rockie to work."

"That will be fine. Let me give you my card with the case number on it. Just show this at the front desk and one of the detectives will come out and get you."

The officer handed JR one of his business cards. JR took it and escorted the officer to the front door.

"Thanks again, corporal. Your service is certainly appreciated."

At the front door, JR opened it for his guest. The officer stepped out onto the porch and then paused. "Excuse me, sir," said the officer as he turned back to face JR. "I'm curious as to why, if all I have heard is true, you didn't do more than just defend yourself?"

JR butchered an old adage when he replied, "The best offense is a good defense. Good night corporal. Thanks again."

The officer chuckled, then turned and walked down the sidewalk towards his waiting car. JR closed and locked the front door, then returned to the kitchen expecting to find Rockie waiting there, but she was once more sitting on the sofa in the living room. She had her legs tucked underneath her and was waiting patiently for his return.

He looked at the microwave and saw that it was almost nine o'clock.

"Isn't this a school night young lady?"

She smiled and said, "Oh, so now I'm a lady."

He chuckled and then took a seat on one of the chairs across from the sofa. Rockie took a few moments to silently study the man across from her. With his upper torso still exposed, she remembered that she had left his polo shirt in the room where she had given her statement to the police officer. Running her gaze over his exposed skin she observed how physically fit he actually was.

The difference between the way his fitness appeared compared to Brad and most other men she had seen was that this fitness was natural. His shoulders were broader than she had realized, his chest and stomach muscles more defined, and she knew from the experience of him effortlessly lifting her 110-pound body with one arm to move them out of the way of Brad's attempted head butt that his arms were more powerful than they appeared.

"I'm going to replace the shirt that Brad tore, and I won't take 'No' for an answer."

He smiled. "I'll expect the replacement to be just as broke-in and ratty as that one was, or I won't accept it."

She stood and said, "You intrigue me. I want to get to know you better, but I sense that is something that you will resist, at least in the short term. I'll leave you alone for now, but I'm not giving up on you."

JR stood as well and said, "There are some books that you can judge by the cover. Maybe I'm one of those or maybe I'm not. That's something you need to decide, but in either case, I am an open book Rockie. All you have to do is read what is inside."

Rockie was walking towards the front door when she said, "Oh, I plan to read up on you JR, but I have a strong sense that I will find many of the pages have been written with invisible ink."

He opened the front door for her and said, "Will I see you in the morning or will you use Brad's truck to drive yourself to work?"

"If your offer for a ride is still good, I would appreciate it. Brad never gave me a key to his truck, and I don't know how to drive a stick shift even if he did."

"The offer stands," he said. "Come over whenever you're ready."

Ignoring any possible objections, she rose on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll be here around eight-thirty. Is that okay?"

He smiled down at her and said, "That fits right into 'whenever you're ready' so, yes that's okay. Sweet dreams, Rockie."

He watched her practically skip down the sidewalk to the walkway that led to her door, then the light clicking of her shoes as she reached the porch for her condo. Once he heard her open and then close her front door, he closed his own and headed for a much-needed shower.

Chapter Four

The Rockie that greeted JR when he opened his front door the next morning was a different woman. While he had recognized that the woman he had met and spent so much time with yesterday was pretty, the version on his porch this morning was radiantly stunning. There were subtle changes that by themselves would not have been that significant, but on a whole, they had transformed her.

There was the obvious application of makeup, really just a conservative application of mascara that accentuated her blue eyes, a little hint of blush on her cheeks, and the lip gloss that seemed to draw the eyes to her mouth; a mouth smiling up at him with appreciation that he appeared to like the changes. Her curly black hair was secured at the back of her head in a barrette, which pulled it behind her ears so that the pearl studs in her earlobes were visible. However, the most striking difference from yesterday was in her clothing.

Starting with her shoes, he noticed that she wore conservative yet stylish two-inch-high heel shoes that not only made her that much taller but also made her legs much shapelier, especially her calves.

Her legs were further highlighted by the waist-high cotton skirt that ended about three inches above her knees with buttons that ran from the waist down her left thigh. The buttons stopped halfway down the length of the skirt, leaving almost half of her left thigh exposed by the slit. Tucked into the skirt, which helped make it flatteringly form-fitting was a sleeveless red satin blouse with a neckline that teased the eyes while remaining professional.

"Wow!" JR said. "I hope that my admiration of your appearance doesn't offend you Rockie, but you need to be told just how beautiful you look."

The blush on her cheeks paled under the reddening of her face and neck from his compliment.

"Thank you, JR. I always tried to dress in a manner that didn't entice Brad to think that I was trying to attract him back, so it's nice to play dress-up, so to speak. I like the opportunity to be a girl instead of a frump, and if you appreciate it, so much the better."

She winked at him and said, "Plus it helps dispel the rumors I heard last night that you might be gay."

"I think that would only be effective if we were seen together when you 'play dress-up', as you put it," replied JR as he stood aside to allow her to enter his condo.

The delicate scent of perfume filled his nostrils as she glided past him. "Since you will be at work while I am here studying..."

"I'll work on your reputation around here," she retorted, turning to watch him close and lock his front, door, "but not so much that the single, and probably some of the married women here start bothering you."

He chuckled and led her through the kitchen and into the garage, where he followed the same routine of the previous morning by opening the garage door and then holding the passenger side door open for her. When she slid into the seat, more of her thighs became visible. She noticed that he had paused with the door open, looking at the hemline of her skirt before closing it and walking to the driver's side. Once he was settled in his seat, she asked to borrow his cell phone.

Without questioning the reason for the request, he unlocked his phone and handed it to her, then started the car and backed out of the garage. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her entering something into his phone.

"Your phone number?" he asked.

She just nodded.

"Want to do me a favor?" he asked her.

"Anything," she replied. "God knows that you have done enough for me lately.

"Use my phone to take a picture of yourself. I suspect that you will be very photogenic, so if your picture turns out as well as I believe it will, I may ask you to pose for me."

She stared at him in disbelief, but as the car started moving. After stopping at the first red light, she positioned the camera to capture her face. Once the car started moving, she took a picture with the wind blowing her hair behind her head.

She took several shots, not certain how the motion of the car would affect their focus or stability. She thought of JR teasing her about being a lady to help her form the best smile she could muster. The car didn't have cupholders or any convenient spot to place his phone while he was driving, so she opened the glove compartment to place his phone in there.

She saw the registration card for the car and read the owner's information as she set the phone on top of it. James Robert Brandt Jr.

Rockie didn't say much more before reaching her office, but JR felt her repeated gazes on him until he had waved to her as she had gone through the employee's entrance at her office.

~~~

While he drove the few blocks to the police station, JR contemplated her obvious curiosity about him. He wasn't hiding anything from her, but he had been taught not to divulge personal information to others "Willy Nilly" less it be used against him.

He liked what he knew about Rockie, and found her fun to be around so far, and not at all difficult to look at. However, he had to stay focused on his education and his life's goals, so did he want to risk the challenges that a more involved relationship could entail?

He gave his statement to a detective at the police station, once more side-stepping questions on why he didn't fight rather than merely defending himself. The detective stated that upon reviewing the witness statements, Brad's lawyer would probably seek a plea bargain with the DA's office so he wouldn't do any jail time, but part of that would include honoring the permanent restraining order related to Rockie Preston and her residence, should she file for one and have it granted. The detective assumed that since this was Brad's first offense, he would be granted reasonable bail at the arraignment this afternoon and out of jail by the end of the day.

This gave JR something to think about. He had retrieved his cell phone from the glove compartment when he had arrived at the police station, so he checked the time before leaving the parking lot and heading back to his condo to get some studying done.

~~~

Rockie found three interesting e-mails waiting for her once she had logged onto her computer. The first was from Karen Mason, informing Rockie that she would be acting as her mentor in the Emerging Leader program and scheduled a meeting later in the day to discuss this in greater detail. She hadn't heard of the President ever serving as a mentor before, but she accepted that her knowledge of the program and past participants was limited, so it may not be uncommon after all.

The second e-mail was from a technician in the company's IT department asking when it would be convenient to swap out her desktop computer with a new laptop. Apparently, participants in the Emerging Leader program were expected to be mobile workers from time to time, so the technician also wanted to discuss her internet access capabilities in her home.

The third e-mail was from a Nick Rader with Jupiter Insurance. Evidently, the filing of the accident report on her car by the police had triggered a claims inspection by the insurance company. Mr. Rader left a phone number for her to call and discuss the results of the inspection and her options based on her policy coverage.

She began by accepting the meeting invitation from Karen Mason and then composing an e-mail thanking her for her confidence in her and expressing her gratitude for the opportunity. Rockie then asked the IT technician to switch her computers as early in the day as possible so that she would not be interrupted in the middle of a project. She also detailed for him who her Internet service provider at the condo was, as well as the service plan she currently has, asking if that would be adequate. While awaiting his response, she called the insurance adjuster, Nick Rader.

When he answered the phone, she identified herself and provided the claim reference number that Mr. Rader had listed in his e-mail. Once he had the insurance file pulled up on his screen, he apologized for not getting the inspection completed before this morning, but the delay was due to the police report not being available until late yesterday afternoon, and by then the fading daylight would have made the inspection problematic.

He assured her that the claims adjuster had been waiting at the impound lot for it to open to inspect the damage as soon as possible. He went on to explain that the damage was centered around the undercarriage of her car, but due to the severity of the damage, consisting of both axels, the frame of the car, the exhaust system including the catalytic converter, and the fuel tank, they were declaring her car a total loss.

Her audible gasp gave the insurance man pause.

"You realize that your policy provides for the replacement cost of your vehicle, don't you?" he said.

"I'm not sure that I understand exactly what that means in my situation," she confessed.

"What it means," Nick Rader explained, "Is that we will cut you a check for what it will cost for you to replace your damaged car with the same make and model at its current market price, less your five-hundred-dollar deductible. My preliminary research shows that a Honda Accord with the same options as your existing car sells for approximately $34,875 at dealerships in your area. If you accept our settlement offer, I could message you a cashier's check in the amount of $34,375 by the end of business today."

Rockie was dumbstruck. Not only did she not remember having replacement cost insurance coverage, but she was certain that she had signed up for a one-thousand-dollar deductible to get a lower premium. She considered the offer for several minutes while Nick Rader waited patiently on the other end of the phone.

Finally, she said, "Could you send me a copy of my policy's declaration page? I would like to confirm the details of my coverage before I agree."

She heard the clicking of a keyboard on the phone before Nick responded, "I just e-mailed you a copy of your policy declaration page along with the details of the settlement offer to you. Read them over, and if everything meets with your approval, print the offer, and then sign it where indicated. There will be a fax number in the e-mail that you can send it to, or if you want to scan and e-mail the signed form, you can return it to me that way."

She waited until she had received the e-mail and could confirm that she could open the attachments before thanking Nick, "I will print these out and read them right away. Thank you."

"It's a pleasure serving you. You should receive a customer satisfaction survey within a couple of days. We would appreciate your completing it at your convenience. Have a good day."

She read the declaration page thoroughly and thought that she must be going senile. The coverage was listed exactly as Nick Rader had described, and her signature was on the bottom of the page acknowledging the coverage details, but she could have sworn that she had elected the minimum coverage to keep her premiums lower. She made quick work of reviewing the settlement offer, signing it, and faxing it back to the number Nick had provided.

When she was done, she read the response from the IT technician telling her that he would be by her desk in thirty minutes. The message had come in five minutes earlier, so she knew that there wasn't much point in starting on any audits or projects, so she decided to handle a little personal research in the meantime.

She Googled "James Robert Brandt" and immediately knew that she had the wrong person. Her results showed hits related to several patent filings from before JR would have been born, and not much else.

Not to be deterred, she next searched for "James Robert Brandt, Jr." and thought that she had succeeded. The few newspaper articles that she could click on referred to someone who would be about JR's age, but only reported on several baseball honors that he had been awarded. All the articles were from Texas publications, so that was a positive. The latest article mentioned that he had been selected first in the amateur baseball draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but made no mention of what had transpired after that.

She had to stop her research when the IT technician showed up to deliver her new laptop and retrieve her desktop computer, keyboard, and mouse. He said that she could keep the monitor to use at her desk. He plugged the laptop into the power brick, so it would continue charging.

After turning it on, he showed her how he had copied her credentials from her desktop computer, so she should have no difficulty logging back onto the system. He then explained to her how to launch the corporate VPN, which would allow her secure access to the company network when working from home or anywhere else. She didn't need the explanations, but politely let the technician do his job of instructing her.

The technician was crawling under her desk unplugging cables, so she decided to use the time to send a text to JR.

ROCKIE: I hope I'm not bothering you, but I was wondering if you would let me fix YOU dinner tonight?

JR replied within a minute of receiving her text.

JR: That's not necessary, but thanks for the offer.

Rockie rolled her eyes and replied.

ROCKIE: I want to do it. Please, there's something I want to discuss with you.

JR's response brought a smile to her face.

JR: I haven't said no to you yet, so why start now? Dinner would be great. Can I bring anything?

ROCKIE: No, but we'll need to stop by the supermarket on the way home if that's okay.

JR: That won't be a problem. Thanks for the invitation. I'll see you around four-thirty.

ROCKIE: I could leave earlier today. Could you pick me up at two o'clock instead?

JR: Sure. That will work out better for me. I have a video call at three and this way I won't have to worry about getting done in time to come get you at four-thirty. I'll text you when I get to the parking lot.

ROCKIE: Thanks for being so accommodating, JR. I look forward to making you dinner.

JR: 😊

~~~

When Rockie received JR's text notifying her of his arrival just before two o'clock, she had already packed her computer into its bag and was soon on her way to the lobby.

Two of her male coworkers hurried to catch up with her and were trying to persuade her to join them for drinks. She continued declining their invitation as she walked through the doors to the parking lot and over to the curb where JR stood holding the door open for her. The men gave up their cause when they saw him, even though he hadn't said anything to them.

Rockie slid onto the passenger seat and held the laptop bag on her lap. As JR closed her door, he noticed the bag and asked her if she wanted him to put it in the trunk.

"That would probably be best," she said, "because I wouldn't want to leave my new computer just sitting here in the open while we are shopping, and I certainly wouldn't want to have to carry it around the store with me."

He reached in and took the computer bag from her extended arms, and then walked to the front of the car and raised the trunk lid.

"What are you doing?" screamed Rockie as she tried to find the handle to open her door.

Since JR had always opened it for her, she hadn't paid attention to where it was.

JR glanced around the side of the trunk lid and saw her panicked expression. He realized the cause immediately and walked around to open the door for her.

"Calm down, Rockie. Come and watch me."

She grabbed the computer bag from him but silently followed him around to the front of the car. Where she expected to see an engine instead was a spacious cargo area.

"The Corvair is a rear-engine car," he explained. The trunk is in the front as a result."

He held out his hand and she let him take the computer bag and place it into the trunk alongside a picnic blanket, a first aid kit, and a small toolbox. The area was amazingly clean.

She shook her head and said, "Darn you, JR, even your car is full of surprises."

He laughed and walked her back to her door, let her get settled, and then closed it for her again.

Before getting behind the wheel he asked, "Are we all set now?"

She stuck her tongue out at him in response but followed that with a nod and a smile. For the first time since high school, she was tempted to take a man's hand, but as he shifted and began driving, she resisted the urge and paid attention to his actions.

"Could you teach me how to drive a stick shift?" she asked.

"I think so," he said. "Let's try something. I want you to press down with your left foot while raising your right foot."

Doing as requested, she said, "There's got to be more to it than coordinating your two feet..."

"Keep doing it, only each time you do it, now reach up with your right hand and touch the tip of your nose."

She complied with his instructions. "It still doesn't seem that challenging."

"Then maybe you'll catch on fast. Now, keep doing those movements, only this time, after you touch your nose, raise your left foot as you press down with your right foot."

"Oh, come on," she said. "Are you going to have me patting my head while rubbing my belly next?"

"It's all about developing muscle memory. After that, you just need to recognize the right times to shift, and that is dependent upon speed and road conditions mostly."

She kept practicing the movements that he had taught her, even trying to time them to when he actually shifted his car.

She said, "You talked yesterday about the trust that needs to exist between friends. Well, I trust you JR. I trust that you're not making me look like an idiot to every other car on the road."

As they pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket, he glanced at her and said, "You can always trust me, Rockie."

Chapter Five

They pulled into his garage at two-forty-five, leaving JR fifteen minutes to help Rockie get her groceries into her condo before his three o'clock appointment.

As he opened her door, he said, "Too bad you don't have a garage door opener in your garage. It would save us from having to walk all the way around the building."

"I do have a garage door opener," she said. "But it stopped working years ago. Brad kept saying that he would fix it, and I stopped asking him to avoid making him mad. I'll need to go around and open the garage door from the inside."

"If you're renting, shouldn't the owner pay for any needed repairs? Do you mind waiting here and letting me go and open it for us?" he asked.

She smiled and handed him her condo keys, "I could have done that, but I was appeasing Brad's ego. I expect that this is another of those gentlemanly gestures towards a lady that I am supposed to just go along with. It's the blue key for the front door."

He found the right key and replied, "You could be a three-hundred-pound linebacker and I would still make the offer."

Her quizzical look made him explain, "It's your shoes. I would offer to make the walk for anyone wearing high heels."

She didn't know whether she wanted to slap him or hug him. "Well then, would you mind carrying my laptop over on your way to open the garage?"

He did as Rockie requested, while she waited at the car to hear her garage door next to his opening. She had a bag of groceries in each hand and passed him as he came back to the car from her garage. He took the last four bags over in one trip and then asked her to follow him back out to the garage.

She stood at the door to the kitchen while he walked through the garage, flipped the opener drive release to re-engage the drive mechanism, went to the right side of the garage door, and moved a paddleboard oar about a foot, to rest against the garage wall.

"Try the button now," he yelled over to her.

Rockie pushed the button to close the garage door and was amazed to see the door start to move.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Your sensor path was being blocked by the oar. I moved it so the two sensors on either side could see each other. Problem solved. Now, if you'll open it for me again, I will go over and close my garage. What time would you like me to come over for dinner, and can I bring anything?"

She pushed the button and let the garage door open before replying, "Dinner will take about forty-five minutes but come over whenever you want. I would love the company while preparing it, and there is something I want to discuss with you."

He stepped outside the garage, and said, "I do have the video call in a few minutes but it's with my sister. I could bring my laptop over and do it from your place if you don't mind me using your Wi-Fi. Then you'd get a chance to meet her if you wanted, otherwise, you'll have to wait for her to visit over Christmas break."

"I would love to meet her today," she said. "I'll get started on dinner and leave the front door open for you."

"No need," winked JR. "I still have your keys. I'll be over shortly."

He then walked into his garage and she heard the garage door begin to close. She walked back to her kitchen door and pushed the button to close her garage door. She turned to watch it descend and had the sense that there wasn't much in her life that someone like JR couldn't fix.

She hurried into her bedroom to change into a simple summer-style dress and then returned to her kitchen to set about preparing the ingredients for the tacos she had planned for dinner.

When he had seen the items that she had been selecting while they were at the supermarket, JR had mentioned that he liked homemade tacos. She hoped that he liked hers.

She was going to prepare them the way a high school friend's mother had taught her, with potato and cilantro mixed into the meat. She didn't have the homemade tortillas that her friend's mom always made, but she felt that the store-bought corn tortillas could be used as a substitute, especially if she fried them in lard instead of cooking oil. She had been told that lard made all the difference when frying corn tortillas, and she had never had anyone complain before.

~~~

Rockie heard her front door open.

JR called out, "Is everyone decent?"

She laughed and replied, "Not a good question to ever ask where I am concerned. Come on in anyway."

Rockie came out of the kitchen in her bare feet to meet him and handed him the bottle of beer she had opened in anticipation of his arrival.

"Why don't you use the dining table for your video chat? I can work around you there."

He took a moment to admire her casualness and the fact that it emphasized her sexy, innocent look even more. He then followed her instructions and began setting up his laptop at the head of the table.

"I was thinking," he said while turning on his laptop. "I can probably get the signal from my Wi-Fi in here since I can get yours next door in my condo. If so, I won't need to use yours."

"How do you know that it was my Wi-Fi signal that you are seeing in your condo?" she teased.

"Who else would have a wireless network with the name 'RockSolid' but the very impressive Rockie Preston?"

She giggled, "Okay, you found me out. But, seriously, if you need to log onto my Wi-Fi, just let me know."

As the laptop booted, JR examined what he could see of Rockie's condo. There was a futon sofa, two folding directors' chairs a couple of potted plants, and folding TV trays placed in the room to use as side tables. The wall art consisted of a poster for a movie that he had never heard of and an amateurish painting of a seacoast. He figured that someone could have bought all the furniture he saw in the condo for less than $500 at Walmart.

He looked down at the laptop screen and saw that the network signal was in the good to excellent range. He launched his Skype application and waited for it to start while checking the time.

"The signal from my place is strong enough for this, but thanks."

The Skype window opened, and JR had barely adjusted the angle of the display for the camera to be positioned to show his head before Rockie heard a squeal coming from the laptop's speakers.

"JR!"

Rockie stifled a laugh at the exuberance of his sister's greeting.

JR teased, "Hey Katie. It's good to see you too. What's it been, a whole week since we last chatted?"

"Where are you, JR? That doesn't look like your home behind you."

"I'm next door at a neighbor's place. She's fixing dinner for us, so I decided to chat with you from here. Would you like to meet her?"

"Hang on. I need to get off for a minute so that Mom can go put the clothes in the dryer, but don't you go away." she admonished before leaving the screen.

He turned around to face Rockie and explained, "My parents don't allow Katie to be on the computer unless one of them is in the room with her. So, when my mom has to leave the room for any reason, Katie has to stop chatting with me."

"That sounds like a reasonable rule in most cases," she said, "but surely chatting with her brother can't pose the risks that unsupervised chats with strangers would."

"As my dad would tell you, there are no exceptions where rules are concerned, or they aren't rules ­they're guidelines. We had plenty of both - well Katie still has - but we learned the difference between them quickly. My dad made certain of that."

"So, your dad is pretty strict, is he?"

"That is never a word that anyone who knew him would use to describe my dad. He is the smartest person I have ever known. When I said, 'We learned the difference', that is exactly what I meant. My dad teaches us the things he thinks we need to know and how to accomplish them, then he coaches and encourages us to live our dreams."

She was preparing to comment on apples not falling far from the tree when she heard JR's sister returning to her computer.

"Mom says you need a haircut." Katie chided, "And I agree. Are you still going to take me out on Halloween? Mom said she would cut your hair while you are home."

He chuckled and said, "You're lucky that Mom and Dad are letting me take you. After that stunt you pulled you would have been grounded if I wasn't going to be there. Spending Halloween with you is still my plan, but I will only be able to stay for the weekend. I will fly in on Saturday morning, take you to the `Trunk-N-Treat' event, spend the night, and then fly out Sunday afternoon. Do you want to chat with me next Friday or wait until you see me on Saturday?"

"Why don't you two wait for Saturday?" Said a voice out of view of the camera.

Rockie assumed it was JR's mother somewhere in the room.

"Your dad and I may want to go to a Halloween party next Friday, and if we do, Katie will be spending the night with Cile."

"That settles it then," he said to Katie. "Hi, Mom."

Katie interrupted before her mom could respond, "Can I meet your neighbor now?"

"Sure," he said.

Rockie took that as her cue to come out of the kitchen and join him at the table. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to position her head next to his. He moved his head to the side to allow them both to be positioned in the center of the screen.

On the screen before her, Rockie saw one of the most beautiful and angelic faces she had ever seen. There was mischief in the ice-blue eyes, though. She recognized her from some of the photographs in JR's condo.

"Katie, please say hello to my neighbor, Rockie."

Katie studied the image on her display for a few seconds before responding, "Hi Rockie. Are you JR's new girlfriend?"

Rockie smiled when she felt JR stiffen next to her.

"Hi, Katie. I don't think JR wants a girlfriend right now. I'm trying to get him to accept me as a friend to start with."

"JR needs a girlfriend," Katie asserted. "He hasn't had a girlfriend in a long time and you're so pretty."

Rockie laughed, again at the discomfort that she could feel JR was experiencing from his sister's questions and comments.

"Thank you, but JR and I just met yesterday, so give us a little time to get to know each other. What do you say?"

She felt JR relaxing a bit from her response to Katie.

"I'm going to go back to preparing our dinner. Enjoy your chat with JR."

"Wait please," said the woman's voice out of camera view.

Katie turned her head and watched as her mom approached the chair where she was sitting in front of the computer. She shifted a bit to allow her mom to kneel beside her and look into the camera.

"Hi Rockie, I'm JR and Katie's mom, Patty. I apologize for their manners and will discuss that with them in private, but I wanted to introduce myself to you since neither of them did so."

Rockie laughed even harder as she felt JR turning red beside her. She could certainly see where Katie inherited her beauty from. Katie was a younger version of the woman kneeling beside her.

"I'm so glad that you took the initiative, Patty. I am pleased to meet any of JR's family."

"JR's father is attending a meeting at the fire station or he would be here to meet you too. I hope he gets the opportunity to meet you in the future. Rockie is an interesting name for a young lady. Is there a story associated with your name?"

"My first name is really Rochelle, but everyone has always called me Rockie," she explained.

"Rochelle is a beautiful name. Did you just move into the condo next door to JR?" Patty asked.

"No," replied Rockie, "I was living here a few months before JR moved in."

"But you said that the two of you didn't meet until yesterday. Has my son turned into that much of a hermit?"

Rockie felt JR tensing again.

"Don't blame JR," said Rockie. "The fault was mine more than his. I am generally a pretty private person, and I don't make friends easily. JR is the only person in the complex that I have met in all my years here."

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Rockie. I'll let you get back to your dinner. JR, please call me when you get home. Now you can finish up with Katie so that she can get ready for her bath."

Without waiting for a response, JR's mom moved out of camera range and Katie straightened up again. Rockie moved back into the kitchen allowing JR to also sit up straight.

"Sorry JR," said Katie. "Mom and Dad are still mad at me. I better go get ready for my bath, but I promise to be on my best behavior so that they let me spend as much time with you as possible while you're here. I sure miss you."

"I miss you too, Katie, and I love you to the moon and back. Do your best, and remember what Dad always says..." he began.

Katie finished it for him, "Whatever you do today, you have to sleep with tonight."

"Right," he said. "Sweetest dreams. I'll see you next weekend"

"Bye JR".

Katie's face disappeared from JR's computer as she ended the chat on her end. He put his own computer to sleep before rising from the dining table and joining Rockie at her kitchen counter.

"Why is Katie in trouble?" she asked.

JR chuckled, "Her and my cousin Celia, we call her Cile, were born days apart and have been virtually inseparable since then. They're like sisters who live a few miles apart. My other cousin Joey and I are the same way. Joey and I are the same age, and Katie and Cile are too."

"Sounds like a tight-knit extended family," observed Rockie.

"We are. There is an eleven-year difference between brother and sister in both cases, and the girls have been spoiled to the extreme as a result. Anyway, our home is on six acres in a country club community. We're about a mile and a half from the clubhouse. I used to take Katie there on our horses so we could buy ice cream at the snack bar there. Last Saturday, she decided that she would ride there with Cile without asking permission. Nothing happened, but someone saw her there without me or any other adult and called my dad. He's head of the local volunteer fire department, so everyone knows him. He drove down and followed Katie and Cile to make certain that they got home safely. Katie has not been having fun since then, I can assure you."

"If I had that beautiful girl as my daughter, in today's world, I would have probably reacted even worse. She is so precious, and she obviously thinks that you hung the stars in the skies."

"She has been my world from the day she was born," he said. "Let me show you something before I put away my computer."

Rockie came over to the table where JR was pulling another chair over and placing it next to his. He then pulled it out for her to sit on it. Once she was seated, he returned to his chair and angled his computer so that they both could see it.

"Do you know what 'Change detection and notification' is?" JR asked as he opened the Google home page on his Internet browser.

"Are you referring to monitoring when a website changes and notifying someone about it, like Google Alerts?"

"Exactly," he said, nodding his head. "The technology has been around for decades and enhanced and improved upon over the years. Google Alerts is probably the best known CDN, however Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines also have their own, but their performance isn't as reliable."

"I'm familiar with it, JR. I work in computer forensics," she said. "Is there a website you're interested in monitoring or something?"

"Not me, and not a website. Have you ever heard stories about the Secret Service monitoring threats against the President? They use a variant of CDN that allows them to know when someone makes a threatening comment about the President on a social media site, on a blog, or even within a YouTube video. They can even detect when someone does a search on the Internet for certain keywords or phrases, such as 'White House' and 'bomb'."

"I've heard about that," she said. "What is your point?"

"My point is that your internet searches can trigger alerts without you knowing it and raise concerns from those being notified."

She turned red with embarrassment and said, "You know that I did a Google search on you today?"

"I was informed," he acknowledged, "but the search for my name is not what triggered an alert by itself. The trip-wire was you searching for my father's name, followed by my name. The two searches in sequence raised a flag."

"Raised a flag for who, and why?"

"My dad. He is very protective of his family. You probably learned very little about him or me with your searches. If it weren't for the fact that finding zero information when any member of our family is searched for on the web would raise too many questions, he would make certain that there was nothing posted on us at all. People can do that, you know. Locate information on them on a website and demand that it be removed."

"I was only joking about discovering the 'open book' that you claim to be having pages written in invisible ink," she said. "Sounds like your dad saw me coming."

"No harm done. What can I do to help with dinner?"

"Put your laptop away and then plant yourself in a seat. I'll bring the taco fixings to the table in a few minutes."

"That won't work," he said. "Since I will need to pull your chair out for you anyway, why don't you let me help carry things to the table?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "Fine. Put your computer away and then come back and get these bowls."

She pointed to bowls containing lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and guacamole.

He followed instructions while she started setting the table and carrying other items for their dinner to the table. When he brought the items that she had left for him, they were ready to be seated. She waited for him to pull out the chair for her, which surprised her, but was becoming familiar.

"Would you like to say grace for us, JR?"

He took his seat and said, "If you would like, I would be honored."

Rockie simply nodded and bowed her head.

Chapter Six

"Do you go to a local church?"

JR finished his fifth taco before replying, "I don't attend anyplace regularly. If I hear of a sermon or program that sounds interesting, I will check it out. For example, Christ Church by the Sea will have a nationally renowned Pastor named Bernie Calaway speaking at their service Sunday morning, so I'll probably try to go hear him. What about you?"

She shook her head and said, "No. I didn't have any religious education while growing up. My faith and spirituality have been developed through my own private contemplation of the messages others have shared with me of their own journeys of faith. I would like to expand my education, and I definitely believe in God, but I also know that due to my limited experience and knowledge, I could easily be led down the wrong path without realizing it. I guess I could use a spiritual mentor."

"Would you like to come to Christ Church by the Sea with me on Sunday to check it out? I am hardly qualified to mentor someone else's spiritual journey, but I could tell if the teachings were the Word of God or the words of man."

She smiled and said, "I think I would like that, JR. Thanks."

"Can I help you clear the table?" he asked as he slid out of his chair and stood behind hers to pull it out for her.

She surveyed the table and laughed, "There's not much left to clear. You ate everything there was. I just need to load the few dishes into the dishwasher, so relax."

"I would be happy to wash everything by hand," he offered.

"No, that's okay. I generally let the dishwasher get full before running it, which these dishes should do. Take a seat in the living room and I'll join you in a few minutes. Then we can talk."

He took a seat on one end of the futon sofa, repositioned one of the bolster pillows to cushion the wood slat arm, and was soon joined by Rockie who handed him another beer before sitting on the other end,

"Do you own the condo next door, JR?"

He had anticipated an inquisition, so he wasn't surprised by the question. "One member of my family or another has had our name on the deed for almost twenty-five years."

"So, you basically inherited it?" Rockie asked.

"I'm not a lawyer, but I don't think you can inherit property from someone who is still alive. For tax purposes, there would need to be a title transfer, which is a costly transaction in California because the property gets re-assessed and the tax value will typically increase. But, it's still less expensive than the inheritance taxes here."

"Do you have a mortgage on it?"

"No."

"Well, that helps explain how you can afford to live here since I doubt that your maintenance job would pay you enough to afford rent around here, let alone a mortgage. I know that I struggle to afford the rent on this place, or at least I did before the housing allowance came along."

He feigned indignation, "Hey, I get by!"

"Are you attending college on a scholarship? I mean, I did learn from my search that you are apparently a pretty good baseball player."

He shook his head and said, "No to the scholarship, and yes to being good at baseball."

"I don't understand why the school of your choice wouldn't offer a baseball scholarship to the number one pick in the amateur baseball draft?" she asked.

He paused a beat before answering, "Rockie, I had nominations from two different congressmen and one senator to attend any of the military academies in this country. I almost chose to follow in my dad's footsteps and go to the Air Force Academy but changed my mind. The University of California, Irvine offered me both an academic as well as an athletic scholarship, and there is another scholarship offer for my graduate studies at UC Davis if I want to go there, which I don't. I want to go to Texas A&M to study Veterinary Medicine."

"Then how are you paying for tuition, books, and other expenses?"

"A college fund was established for me years ago. My parents never influenced where I chose to attend college, but they insisted that I not take a scholarship that might benefit another student when the fund would cover my full education. My tuition and books are paid for and I receive a monthly stipend for other living expenses. Any other questions?"

"So, I guess you don't need any financial help from me, your cooking is better than mine, your condo is cleaner than mine, at least until I get Brad's stuff out of here, and you seem to know how to fix anything."

"Rockie, you don't owe me anything."

"That's not why I am looking for something that I can do for you, JR," she insisted. "I want to find a way to build your trust in me like you're building my trust in you."

"I ate your cooking, didn't I?" he asked with a grin. "If that doesn't demonstrate trust in you, I don't know what does."

"Stop being a brat," she countered. The ringing of a cell phone interrupted the rest of her response.

Since JR made no move to answer his, she rose and walked to the kitchen to check hers.

"Hello?" she said as she answered her cell phone. She turned her back on JR as the conversation progressed.

Listening to one side of a conversation was always challenging, but when her voice became more and more upset and insistent, he stood to stand beside her. Instinctively, JR put his hand on her shoulder, and he could sense her tension melting at his touch.

"I said that I will get back to you," she stated firmly as she disconnected the call.

"Is everything okay?"

She placed her cell phone back into her purse and said, "That was Brad's lawyer. He made bail and his lawyer wanted to arrange a time for Brad to come by to pick up his belongings. It must be a time when I am not here so that Brad doesn't violate the conditions of his bond, which include remaining more than fifty yards from me, which means that I don't have to request a restraining order. I told him that I didn't trust Brad to be in my condo unsupervised, but he said that Brad had a right to his belongings."

"I'll watch him if you want," JR offered.

"I don't think that's a good idea. He is probably madder at you than he is with me."

"If I'm lucky, maybe he won't hit me," he said with a wink.

Rockie giggled, "Oh yeah. How did you, and why did you do that with him last night?"

He tried to explain. "When my father was in the service, he specialized in the development and implementation of non-lethal combat tactics. He taught my cousin Joey and I how to defend ourselves. From the age of ten, we were both homeschooled. This meant that we were always the 'new kids' when we participated in any of the local sporting or social events. Bullies tend to gravitate towards the new kids, so Joey and I spent hours practicing how to make them look foolish to mess with us. Sure, we could have knocked out anyone who challenged us, but making them look like fools was a better deterrent for bullies in the long run. So, do you want me to supervise Brad while he's here?

"Let me think about it and I'll let you know tomorrow while you're helping me buy a new car."

"A new car?"

"I forgot to tell you. I heard from my insurance company this morning and it turns out that I had better coverage than I thought. They 'totaled' my car and sent me a check for its replacement cost, minus my deductible, which was also less than I remember it being. So now I can get a new car and I want your help."

"I will be happy to help you," he said as he picked up his computer bag. "When do you want to go?"

"Well, not right now," she said. "Right now, I want to get back on that couch with you and back to what we were discussing."

He smiled down at her and said "I want that too, but I have a feeling that I am going to be spending some time with you this weekend that I hadn't planned on, so I need to get some studying done in advance if I expect to keep up with my classes. Plus, remember that my mom wants to scold me and there is a two-hour time difference that I need to consider."

Pouting playfully, she said "Oh pooh. I had my heart set on interrogating you tonight. Can I come over and sit with you while you study? I can read or play a game on my phone."

"Maybe in time that would work, but tonight is not that time. You can text me as long as you don't expect an instant response."

Slightly mollified, she asked, "Can I ask more questions

"You just did"

"I knew you were going to say that!"

She giggled. "Well, can I?"

"As long as I can do the same."

"Deal," she said as she rose on her toes to place a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"Sweetest dreams, Rockie. I look forward to tomorrow."

"JR," Rockie said as he stepped onto her porch, "Do you still have the key to my front door?"

He patted the pocket of his pants, and then turned and took a step back up. "Oh yeah, sorry."

She held up a hand and said, "Keep it, and JR, please feel free to use it."

~~~

JR had barely settled in his study room when the first text from Rockie arrived.

ROCKIE: I forgot to ask; will you have breakfast with me tomorrow before we go car shopping?

JR: Only if you let me buy breakfast for us.

ROCKIE: I was going to cook you breakfast, but if you would rather eat someplace else, I'm okay with that.

ROCKIE: How do you like your eggs, by the way?

JR: I don't eat eggs.

ROCKIE:???

JR: When I was in elementary school, my class was given an assignment on `responsibility'. Each student was given a chicken egg and told to treat it like an infant, to protect it, nurture it and not let it get hurt. I took the assignment to heart and guarded my egg with my life. I was the only student in the class to return his egg safely after the month was over. But, reading bedtime stories and caring for the egg, well I formed a bond with it. I haven't been able to consider an egg as food since then.

He was chuckling to himself, thinking that he may have shut down Rockie's texts for a while so he could study uninterrupted. It worked for less than five minutes.

ROCKIE: Did you call your mother yet?

JR: I was just about to.

ROCKIE: Please ask her a question for me.

JR: What question would that be?

ROCKIE: Please ask if either her or your father would mind if I took their incorrigible little boy over my knee.

JR: They know I don't eat eggs. They'd support me.

ROCKIE: Do they know that you disrespect your elders? I've got at least three years on you, Buster.

JR: Are you that anxious to punish me?

ROCKIE: Who said anything about punish? I would hope that at some point, you would find the prospect of being over my knee something you would want.

"Shut this down", he thought. Although he enjoyed the banter with Rockie, he needed to stay focused on his studies.

JR: Anything is possible, but I think you need to pose your question to my mom directly. I'll give her your number so she can call you. I need to call her now before it gets too late there. Good night, funny girl.

ROCKIE: Good night, bad boy. Text me when you wake up so we can make plans to meet in the morning.

JR: Why don't you just come over whenever you are ready? I assure you that I will be up.

ROCKIE: Just remember that you're the one who said that. Good night, JR. You're the most fun I have had in ages.

JR: Ditto, Rockie.

He thought that calling his mom now might be a good idea. First, because he needed to call her before it got too late in Texas. Second, because it would distract him from further texts from Rockie, and third, because he would forget again if he didn't do it now.

He selected his mother's cell phone number from the contact list on his phone and hit 'Dial'. He knew as soon as she answered that she had him on speakerphone, and that meant that she and his dad were there together.

"Hi Mom, Hi Dad."

"Hi JR," said his dad. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet the new woman in your life earlier, but I hope I get another chance."

"I hope so too Dad. I think you will like her."

"And you think I won't?" asked his mom,

"I got the impression that you already did," said JR.

"I like that you like her," said Patty. "I trust your judgment and she is very beautiful."

"What do you know about her?" asked his dad. "You just met her yesterday."

"I know that she is very private and doesn't put herself out there willingly. I know that she has been struggling financially. I know that she is smarter than anyone I know besides you, Dad..."

"Excuse me?" said his mom.

He laughed and said, "Or you, Mom."

"That's better," she said

"I know that I confuse her and that interests her, but I'm not sure yet if that interest is merely curiosity or something more."

"How do you confuse her?" asked his mom.

"Mostly by my appearance," said JR. "She originally saw me as a beach bum who does menial work to survive and pay my way through college. She's getting over that after I explained my college fund, but she is still confused about my financial situation."

"I can understand the beach bum perception," said his mom. "You haven't mentioned your trust fund?"

"Rockie isn't a Gold digger, Mom. She was asking about how she could help me out financially. My biggest concern with her is how much of a distraction she could be to my studying. I can't stop thinking about her, and that isn't something I am used to. I'm probably more confused about her than she is about me. I want to help her in any way I can, but it's more than a charitable concern. I feel protective of her and I hardly know her."

His mom and dad were silent for several minutes before his dad said, "We'll support whatever you want to do, son. We're behind you one hundred percent. I just hope that by you knowing that we're behind you, you will feel free to follow your heart and see where that leads you."

"Thanks, Dad. I want to take things slower than I think she does, and I don't want anyone to get hurt, but exploring possibilities of a future life with her just feels like a challenge that I have to take on."

"No secrets, JR," admonished Patty. "I know better than anyone how you and your father tend to hold small little details inside that you feel are insignificant, but that can lead to assumptions or confusion. Don't make her pry everything out of you..."

"I don't do that," objected Bobby.

"You're not as bad as you used to be," Patty agreed. "But we're talking about JR right now. He's on unfamiliar ground and will be more guarded with himself until he gets to know someone. We know he won't be deceptive deliberately, but he does have traces of your selective disclosure disorder, even with his mother."

"Huh?" he asked. "What makes you say that, Mom?"

"Katie told me that Cile heard from Joey about you needing to prepare a valedictorian speech for your graduation ceremony. When I ask how your classes are going, all I hear is 'Fine'. You don't think that your mom would be proud to know that you are slated to be your class valedictorian?"

"Or your Dad, for that matter," added Bobby.

"It's not a done deal," argued JR. "I would have told you when it became official..."

"The point is," interrupted Patty. "You need to be careful with Rockie if you have any hope of a relationship developing between you. If she asks you a question, don't be stingy with your answer. Tell her what she wants to know, not just what you want to say at the time. Which I'm certain is exactly what you did when she asked about your financial situation with school."

"I think your mom has a point, JR," added Bobby. "And let me tell you why. You have already demonstrated your affection for Rockie through your actions on her behalf, yet we know that you have done all that anonymously. However, it will be harder for you to give her gifts or treat her to the type of romantic moments that new relationships can lead to if she isn't aware of your real financial situation. You don't want her thinking that you're robbing banks or selling drugs in order to take her on a date."

"I've actually been thinking about that," JR admitted. "I asked her out to breakfast in the morning before I go with her to buy a new car with the insurance settlement she received. I was thinking about telling her about the trust fund that I have received, but not reveal anything about the one I get in a few years."

"There's that selective disclosure I was talking about," said Patty, "You're willing to tell her that you're a millionaire, just not to what degree of millions. Do you think that will make a difference, JR?"

"I think you should wait to tell her about your trust funds," said Bobby. "You aren't pulling from the first one yet, so it really isn't a factor in your current financial status and the rest is a few years away as you said. Just tell her more details about how you are getting distributions from your college fund and leave it at that for now. If things are still progressing to your satisfaction when you return next week from your time at home, then you should invite Rockie to join you here for Thanksgiving."

"I think that's a good idea," Patty said. "Being informed that you are wealthy should be presented to her in an environment that speaks to how your home life is far from ostentatious or luxurious. Plus, we would all like to get to know her better if you think your relationship has any potential at all."

"I will follow your advice, Dad, and Mom, as always. Thanks," said JR. "We'll wait and see about Thanksgiving. Rockie may already have plans with her own family."

"She doesn't have any family," Bobby said before thinking. A rarity for him that surprised everyone on the call.

"And you know this how?" asked Patty before JR could pose the same question.

"Karen Mason might have provided a little biographical information on Rockie that I hadn't mentioned to either of you yet," Bobby admitted.

"On that note, JR," said Patty. "We'll let you go for now. I need to speak to your father about the relapse of his own selective disclosure disorder."

JR felt bad for laughing at his father's dilemma.

"Okay, Mom. I love you both. Have a good night."

Chapter Seven

"You said to come over whenever I was ready," said Rockie with a big grin on her face.

She couldn't ignore the warmth she was feeling in her heart at the sight of JR's sleep-filled eyes, drowsy expression, and hair that was more disheveled from sleeping than she had ever seen it in the daytime. He really was touching her in ways that she had never experienced before with anyone.

"You're doing this on purpose," he grumbled sleepily.

"Of course, I am," she admitted. "Do you think I would accidentally knock on your door at four-thirty in the morning? I know it's too early to go car shopping, but once you get ready, you probably could take me to breakfast."

"Come on in," he said as he opened his door wider and then stepped aside to let Rockie enter his condo.

"Let me go slip on some clothes."

She nearly gasped out loud when she realized he had been standing behind the door talking to her while completely naked. The realization was made clear as she entered the condo and watched him close the door behind them. She watched his adorable backside as he walked past her, across the living room, and into the master suite. Not a sight that she would ever regret witnessing, she was certain about that,

Since he hadn't exhibited any modesty related to his nudity in front of her, she decided not to say anything about it unless he brought it up. Maybe he would do it around her again if she didn't say anything about it, she certainly hoped so anyway.

She walked to the kitchen and placed her purse on the counter. JR came out of his bedroom wearing a pair of sweatpants but nothing more. He had rinsed the sleep out of his eyes, but his hair was just as unruly. He sat on the sofa and just stared into the living room while he continued trying to fully wake up.

Rockie joined him on the sofa. She took his arm and pulled. He didn't offer any resistance, either because he agreed with her actions or because he was not awake enough to realize what was happening. She positioned him so he could lay on the sofa with his head on her lap.

"Are you warm enough?" she asked.

He just nodded his head and settled it onto her thighs. She was wearing shorts that ended mid-thigh when she was seated, so his ear rested on the cloth, but his cheek was on her bare skin. She felt his warm and steady breath on her leg and smiled.

"Try to go back to sleep, JR. I will wait here until you're ready if that's okay."

He didn't respond, but she felt him bend his knees and getting the rest of his body comfortable on the sofa beside her. Shortly his relaxed breathing told her that he was once again dozing.

~~~

Rockie hadn't realized that she had fallen back to sleep herself until she felt JR shift his head on her lap. He had rolled over onto his back and was gazing up at her with a grin.

"That's the first time that I ever 'slept' slept with a girl," he teased. "I think I like your lap as a pillow much more than I would as a place to get spanked."

She ran her fingers through his hair and said, "I could get used to it too. Sorry I woke you so early."

He felt her fingers running through his hair, lightly stroking his scalp on occasion and didn't want her to stop. This was the most intimate experience he had ever had with a woman who wasn't his mother.

"It was worth it," he told her with a smile.

She smiled back at his adorable face. He was just so darn cute that she wanted to hug him like a child at the same time that she wanted to hold him like a lover.

"Thank you for letting me," she said. "Even though I was the cause for your being woken up, being able to comfort you enough that you could sleep a bit longer means a lot to me, especially after all that you have done for me."

He took the hand that was still running through his hair, held it, and then sat up on the sofa right next to her.

"So what time is it now?" he asked as he looked past her into the kitchen. His view of the clock on the microwave was obstructed by Rockie's purse sitting on the kitchen counter.

Rockie couldn't see the clock either, so she started to rise. He put his hand on her shoulder to stop her, and she looked at him questioningly.

"It doesn't matter right now," he said and then motioned towards the patio with his head.

"It's daylight out, so it has to be after seven o'clock. The exact time doesn't matter - at least not to me, and at least not now."

She settled back onto the sofa and leaned a bit closer to him so that the sides of their bodies were making contact from shoulders to knees. They both looked straight ahead, out onto the patio at the brightening sky beyond, content in their silence together.

After a few minutes, JR broke the silence. "I like you Rockie. You're fun and you make me laugh. I want to be a person that deserves to be your friend."

"I feel the same way about you JR, except I can add that you also make me feel more secure with a person than I have ever felt. You give me hope."

He took her hand into his, "Can we talk for a few minutes before I take a shower? Then we can go to breakfast."

"Of course," she said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I spoke with my parents last night, and before you ask, the subject of you taking me over your knee never came up in the conversation."

She giggled but he continued, "My mom has encouraged me to try to overcome my 'selective disclosure disorder' where you are concerned."

"Your what?" she asked, seeing the grin on his face.

"Yesterday, when you were asking about how I am paying for school I told you that a college fund had been set up for me. I told you that this is what I use to pay my tuition, buy my books and pay my living expenses, which is all true; I do get a monthly stipend from the fund. What I did not disclose was how much that monthly stipend is, which is what my mom considers 'selective disclosure'. She claims that me and my dad have the same 'disorder'."

Rockie laughed and said, "It's none of my business how much money you get or have, JR..."

"Maybe not, but I shouldn't answer only part of your questions. I knew when you asked the questions what you were trying to learn about me and purposely shared the bare minimum with you. I promise to try to do better. So, to start with, I receive twenty-five hundred dollars each month."

She didn't act surprised, which in itself surprised him. "Well, out of state tuition at UCI is pretty high from what I understand. How much of your monthly stipend is left for living expenses?"

"Basically, all of it" he explained. "My tuition and books are already paid for. Obviously, I don't need that much to live on each month, so most of it just ends up in the bank. In fact, my salary for working here pays me enough since I don't entertain and spend most of my free time studying."

She nodded in understanding before a questioning look appeared on her face, "Why do you do maintenance work around the complex? You certainly aren't doing it for the paycheck."

"I was raised doing chores in our house or on our land daily. I miss it. It relaxes me and gives me a sense of accomplishment when I can see the difference in the landscaping, pool, or other facilities due to my efforts."

"I can understand that," she said. "When I was watching you clean the pool, I was envious of how much you seemed to enjoy the work.

"I do. Anyway, I wanted to reassure you that I am financially secure so you can stop worrying about me."

"Fair enough, JR. Can I ask you another question? Your unkempt appearance - especially your hair - made me, and I'm sure a lot of other people underestimate you. Is that intentional?"

"My hair is driving me crazy," he said. "It's never been this long before, but I haven't been home for my mom to cut it since last Easter. You heard Katie say that my mom will cut it for me next weekend while I'm there. Where the rest of my appearance is concerned, I don't really care what people think. I have lots of nice clothes, but seldom have a reason to wear them. Studying or working around the complex both lend themselves to comfortable clothes, which is what I wear most of the time."

With sudden understanding, she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair once more, bringing a smile to his face and hers.

"No one but your mom has ever cut your hair, have they?"

"No," he admitted. "I know that it won't always be the case, but as long as I'm able to bring her the pleasure that she derives from it, I see no reason to let anyone else do it,"

"I don't either," she agreed. "I'II be proud to be seen with you no matter how you look because I really like what I see inside of you. Now, what I would like to see inside of me is some food. Are you getting hungry yet?"

He rose from the sofa, "Let me shower really fast and then I'll buy you the breakfast I promised"

She smiled up at him and asked, "Can I watch?"

Not understanding her meaning, he asked, "Watch me shower or watch me buy you breakfast?"

The smile in her eyes answered for her.

JR grinned back down at her and said, "I'm not going to invite you, but I won't stop you either. Personally, I think watching each other take a shower is a little premature, but you're the one who would be doing the watching and dealing with any trauma that resulted."

She smacked his bare chest playfully and said, "I wasn't offering quid pro quo, and there's nothing traumatic about your naked body other than the palpitations it might cause in some women's hearts. But I got my fix earlier when you met me at your door, so I'm good for now. "

"Seeing me naked didn't cause palpitations in your heart?" he asked with mock disappointment in his voice.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, Mr. Brandt. Now hurry up and get ready. I'm starving."

Laughing, he patted her playfully on the head before turning and walking back into the master suite.

Rockie walked over to the kitchen counter to get a look at the clock and saw that it was only seven-thirty. She assumed that the Honda dealership where she had bought her previous car still opened at nine o'clock on Saturdays, but she knew that her bank didn't open until then. So, depending on where JR wanted to take her for breakfast, they would need to plot out a route that took them by the bank so she could deposit the cashier's check before heading to the car dealership. She knew that his car didn't have a GPS in it due to its age, so she entered the address information for both her bank and the car dealership into the GPS app on her cell phone.

JR soon joined her at the kitchen counter. He carried with him the faint, pleasant scent of shampoo and soap which made her want to nuzzle him to inhale it deeper. He was wearing a pink silk Tommy Bahama shirt, grey cargo shorts, and boat shoes without socks. His hair was still long and wavy, but it was combed back neatly so that its length wasn't nearly as obvious.

'This guy cleans up quite nicely', she observed to herself.

"Ready to go?" JR asked her as he put his cell phone, wallet, and keys into the pockets of the cargo shorts.

"Yes sir," she said as she picked up her purse.

She took his hand without asking and let him lead her out to the garage and around the car as the garage door was opening. She only released his hand when she had to use it to fasten her seatbelt and to let him get in the car.

He waited until he had backed the car out of the garage and closed the door before speaking. "Have you ever eaten at 'Charlie's Chili'?

"Is that where you're taking me?"

"Unless you have someplace else in mind to go to for breakfast. I have always enjoyed their food, it's a beautiful morning for eating at the beach, and it's someplace I would enjoy sharing with you, especially if we can get an outside table to people-watch while we eat.

"Then I'm sold on it," she said. "Wherever it may be."

He drove them down to Pacific Coast Highway and then headed towards Newport Beach. Rockie realized what a beautiful day it was the closer they got to the ocean.

"How long have you had this car?" she asked while they were stopped at a light.

"My dad gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday, so it will be seven years next February fourth. His father gave it to him on his sixteenth birthday and the good Lord willing; I can give it to my son on his sixteenth birthday."

"I think that would be amazing!" she said. "I envy families that have traditions or keepsakes that they can pass on from generation to generation."

"Your family doesn't have any of those," he asked even though he knew the answer from what his father had revealed last night.

She shook her head. "My family has nothing but bad memories."

"Sorry to hear that. Are any of your family in the area?"

"Not that I know of. My father may still be in one of the State's prisons, but most of those are up north. Other than that, I have no living relatives."

"You were an only child?" he asked.

"No, I had a sister seven years older than me, but she died before I was nine."

"I'm sorry. Do you mind if I ask how she died?"

"My father sold her into prostitution when she was fourteen to pay for his drugs. She was killed by her pimp two years later when she tried to run away."

"Wow! Where was your mom during this time?"

"My parents were what's known as 'swingers'. In fact, it was obvious that my dad wasn't my biological father. Around the time that I turned six, they got hooked on drugs and my mom overdosed on heroin on my seventh birthday. Shortly after that, my dad took Julie away and I never saw either of them again. I was able to take care of myself for a couple of weeks, but my teacher called social services when I started wearing the same clothes to school. I was made a ward of the court and placed into the foster care program until I turned eighteen."

JR was silent as he found a public parking spot with a meter at the Newport Pier parking lot. He paid the meter for two hours of parking and then opened Rockie's door for her. He didn't hesitate to hold her hand as they walked to the reception podium at the pier-side restaurant. They were seated at an outside table and were soon drinking orange juice and watching the early morning crowd of fishermen on the pier or exercisers along the boardwalk. After placing their breakfast orders, JR began a new conversation.

"My mom and dad both grew up in this area. In fact, they were high school sweethearts. My dad's older sister, my Aunt Terri and her husband bought the condo when it was brand new. When his parents in Pennsylvania started having medical issues and they were traveling back there to help out, my dad would come over here to water plants and stuff, and usually brought my mom with him. I was actually conceived in the condo I live in next-door to yours but neither of my parents knew it at the time."

"Interesting," she said. "You really do have a connection with your condo."

"I suppose I do. I can't go into the details right now of what transpired, but my parents got unwillingly separated before my mom learned that she was pregnant with me. I didn't meet my father until I was ten years old. For ten years my mom maintained both her faith that they would be reunited as well as her love for my dad, and for ten years he never gave up searching for her. He knew in his heart she was out there somewhere. He didn't know he had a son until we were reunited. Since that time, I have witnessed first-hand a love such as few people get to experience. My parents are my role models for what a loving relationship should look like, and this has set the bar extremely high for me."

Rockie sat with her mouth agape, staring at JR while considering whether to place her hand in his.

Finally, she said, "I think what you describe with your parents is every girl's ideal relationship.

She continued, finally taking his hand in hers and finding no resistance, "I was well cared for in the various foster homes, got good enough grades to earn a scholarship to Cal Poly, but I never witnessed the type of love you describe with your parents. I had only dated two boys before Brad, and those were relationships that went nowhere. I thought that I loved Brad, but I certainly hope not because it didn't really feel right; there was no bond that made me feel that whatever we had between us would last forever. I'm sure he felt the same way because he was never very tolerant of my working and going to school at the same time because it left no time for him. At least that was always his justification for dating and sleeping with other girls."

Their meals came and they ate in silence, watching the people and their surroundings. When they finished, JR asked her if she wanted to take a stroll down the pier. He paid the bill, pulled her chair out for her, and they began walking. When they reached the end of the pier, they stopped to watch some dolphins off in the distance.

"My parents got married on a boat right out there," he told her as he pointed to where the dolphins were visible.

He turned and leaned his back on the railing and said, "Just as you have challenges imagining the type of love that my parents have, I am challenged to imagine what your childhood must have been like with the parents you describe. I know that both of my parents came from loving, solid, and stable home environments, but I don't know if even they would attribute what they always felt for each other to anything but the bond that formed between them. What's the debate, `Nature versus nurture'? I think my parents would take credit for their love over anything but divine providence. They refused to give up on one another or their love."

Rockie stood in front of him and used her feet to nudge his apart. She then moved into the space she had created and leaned against him, with her head on his chest. She didn't put her arms around him but just stood silent for several minutes listening to his heartbeat.

Speaking into his shirt, she said, "If the offer is still open, I would appreciate you supervising Brad while he picks up his stuff. I feel stronger than ever that he is a complication in my life that I need to eliminate. That will leave me free to deal with the new complication that is you."

He ran his fingers through her hair and asked, "Am I a complication in your life?"

"Oh God, I certainly hope so," she said.

Chapter Eight

"It's your choice to make," he said, "but I'm curious why you would want a 'Soccer Mom' style car rather than something smaller, sportier, and cheaper on gas."

When they had arrived at the Honda dealership Rockie headed directly towards the area where they stood now, looking at rows of SUVs and minivans. JR noticed that her interest was focused on the Honda CRV models and ignoring the other models.

"There are several reasons," she replied. "First, with so many pick-up trucks and SUVs on the roads, I will feel safer with something more substantial around me. Second, gas prices are getting better, and I don't have to drive very far to work, as you know. Finally, I want a vehicle that I can use to transport my paddleboard. I have only been able to use it twice since I got it because Brad refused to transport it for me with his truck unless we got back together."

"That is your paddleboard in your garage?" he asked.

"Does that surprise you?"

"Not really," he said. "I never gave much thought to it other than moving the oar to get your garage door to work. By the way, where is the remote control for your opener? You'll soon need it again."

"I imagine that it is still in the glove compartment of my car at the impound lot. The insurance company was supposed to have sent them a form authorizing me to retrieve any personal belongings from the car, so maybe I should stop by there after we're done here."

He just nodded because they had been joined on the dealership lot by one of the sales agents.

Rockie only looked at a couple of the SUVs' before test driving a silver one and starting negotiations to buy it. JR stayed out of the conversation between Rockie, the sales agent, and his manager, but he knew that she didn't stand a chance of getting the price of the brand-new SUV down to the amount of her insurance settlement. The price of the SUV with the features that she wanted was more than ten thousand dollars higher.

When the sales manager agreed to her request that he double-check for any manufacturer incentives or allowances that he might not be aware of, and subsequently left the room, she excused herself to use the restroom. When she returned, the sales manager was waiting for her with good news.

"I did miss a special incentive that may interest you," he said. "If you will accept the 'Touring' package, which has everything you wanted plus all-wheel drive, heated leather seats, and several other upgrades, I can meet your price. The downside is that we will have to transfer the vehicle from a dealership in the San Fernando Valley, so it won't be here until tomorrow."

Rockie was skeptical, "How can a car with more features cost less?"

"It is rare," agreed the sales manager, "but vehicles with certain option packages don't always do well in particular market areas. With the weather in Southern California seldom getting severe, people here are less willing to pay for options such as all-wheel drive and heated seats. Price incentives are used in these instances to help sell the vehicles. It's less of a loss than shipping it up north or back east where it would likely sell for more,"

She glanced at JR to see if he was following the logic,

He merely nodded his agreement and said, "Sounds like a good deal to me."

Turning her attention back to the sales manager, she asked, "What color is it?"

"It's silver, but with an upgrade that makes the color look pearlescent. The interior is cream-colored. Let me get you a brochure for the 'Touring' package so you can look it over."

The sales agent left the room to retrieve the brochure while Rockie contemplated her decision.

"Thank you," said Rockie. "Do we do the paperwork now or tomorrow?"

"You said that you were going to be paying cash, correct?"

"Yes," she said.

"Then we can do it today or tomorrow. It's your choice. We would just need to pull the vehicle information off the computer to get the required information."

"Which would you prefer?" she asked JR.

The sales agent returned and handed her the brochure.

"You might as well go ahead and get everything taken care of today since it's Saturday." He told her. "That way they will be able to verify your check with the bank and you'll be able to contact your insurance company to get the coverage set up. "

"Good points," she agreed. Smiling at the sales manager she said, "Let's do it."

JR stood and said, "If you can excuse me for a few minutes, I need to make a phone call."

"I'll just be waiting here," Rockie said.

She sat in the glass-enclosed room that they had been negotiating in and watched JR walk through the showroom toward the entrance doors. All during breakfast, their walk on the pier and here at the dealership, she had paid attention to how other people viewed him. The reaction of women to him was understandable. He was an attractive man, but more so due to his self-effacing personality.

Where men were concerned, he was respected immediately. She remembered stories about wolves and wondered if human males had the ability to distinguish who the leader of a pack was like wolves did. If so, JR was identified as the 'Alpha' merely by his presence.

She reviewed the brochure while she waited and soon saw JR re-enter the showroom from the lot outside. The sales manager intercepted JR as he stepped through the doors and shook his hand. The two men exchanged a few words before they walked back to the room where Rockie was waiting.

"Is everything okay?" she asked as JR and the sales manager entered the room.

"Certainly," said the sales manager. "If you'll follow me, I will take you to our finance office where you can complete the paperwork for your new car."

This time, it was JR who took her hand and they followed behind the sales manager.

She squeezed his hand and said in a low voice, "I meant was everything okay with you."

"Of course, it is," he reassured her. "I just wanted to reschedule something from tomorrow to today so I can bring you here to pick up your new car. No worries."

When they reached the office of the finance manager, they were asked to wait outside for a few minutes while the two managers discussed the transaction. Rockie and JR stood in the hallway across from the glassed-in office. The sales manager had closed the door after entering so they couldn't hear what was being discussed, but she did see a piece of paper being handed to the finance manager, which he promptly placed into a file folder on his desk. The two men chatted for a few more minutes before opening the door. The sales manager introduced everyone and then excused himself.

Once everyone was seated, the finance manager said, "Let's start with the basic information for the title. Whose name will be listed as 'primary' on the title?"

Rockie glanced at JR, and when he said nothing, she said, "My name is the only one on the title."

The finance manager completed the paperwork and showed Rockie where to sign. She was methodical and reviewed the sales contract very carefully before signing in all the required locations and writing a check to cover the full purchase price.

"Are you sure you're okay with bringing me back here tomorrow?" Rockie asked as she slid into the seat of JR's car.

He closed her door and said, "Of course. That's why I changed my scheduled visit with my grandparents to this afternoon instead of tomorrow."

They arrived at the impound lot just as it was reopening from the one-hour lunch closing period. The insurance company authorization form was reviewed by the clerk in the office and found to be in order. In a shorter than expected time, they were in a golf cart and being driven through the lot to where Rockie's former car was located. JR held the few items that she retrieved from the car and they were back at the office ten minutes after leaving it.

While walking back to his car, she asked, "JR, can we stop at home before visiting your grandparents so I can change? I would like to try and make a better impression than what I am wearing now."

He didn't remember asking or inviting her to accompany him when he visited his grandparents, but he liked the idea of her meeting them.

"If you feel you need to do anything to make a better impression on someone, I'll support you one hundred percent, but I think the girl next door is perfect."

Rockie considered what JR had said. She was the girl next door. As such, could she allow him to see her first thing in the morning or at other times when she wasn't her best? She suddenly realized that was exactly what he had done for her this morning. He was already secure enough with her to show himself to her without reservation. She also realized that sometime in the, she hoped not too distant future, they were probably going to make love, and when they did, she knew instinctively that they would wake up next to each other in the morning.

"I just hope you don't have a weak stomach in the morning."

He laughed and started the car. When they got back to the condo complex, he walked Rockie to her door and told her that he would be waiting in the alley for her, so she should come out through her garage.

He held up the remote for her garage door opener they had retrieved from her old car and said, "I'll put in a new battery and make sure this is working for you."

She rose on her toes, kissed his cheek, and said, "I won't be long."

As he requested, she exited through her garage, but she didn't need to push a button on her wall panel since JR stood on the outside testing the remote control. When he saw her coming, he left the door raised so that she could come through it, and then pushed the remote to close it one last time. He handed the remote to her to place in her purse, took her hand, and escorted her to his car waiting in his garage.

"Are we visiting with your mother's or father's parents," she asked once they were on the road.

"These are my mom's parents. They lived in the condo before me but started needing a little more assistance with day-to-day activities, so my parents found an apartment for them where they can maintain their independence, yet get the care they need with meals, laundry, and doctors' appointments. That sort of thing. My dad's parents still live in their house over in Cypress. We can visit them too if you want. I try to see all of them at least once a month."

"I told your mom that I would love to meet all of your family, and I meant it," she said. "They must have moved out before I moved in."

Immediately after crossing the San Diego Creek Bridge, JR swung the car into a parking area.

"This looks like a wonderful place," commented Rockie when JR selected a parking spot and turned off the engine.

"My grandparents love it, and that's all that really matters. Can I ask you something before we go in?"

"Sure."

"Both of my grandparents here are developing dementia. Can I share the picture that you took with my phone with my grandparents? It's the only photo that I have of you, and I know that once they meet you, they will want a picture to help remember you. Their dementia isn't too bad yet, but I know that they are both preparing for the day when their memories start to fail completely."

"Oh JR, of course. Why don't we also get a picture of us all together and share that."

He opened her door and said, "Good idea. I'm sure one of the staff will take a picture for us."

Holding hands, they walked through the lobby to the reception desk where JR signed them in, and a call was placed to his grandparents' apartment notifying them that visitors were on the way to their apartment. He led her down a first-floor hallway where a gray-haired couple stood in a doorway waiting for them.

A look of confusion came upon the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Harper as their grandson approached them, accompanied by someone. She resembled their daughter Patricia but was too tanned and too short. She resembled their granddaughter Kathryn, but she was too tall, and her hair was too curly. She was holding JR's hand, and he had never brought a girl to visit them. Who was she?

Chapter Nine

JR released Rockie's hand to give hugs to both of his puzzled grandparents before taking it again and introducing her.

"Grandma and Grandpa, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Rochelle Preston. Rockie, these are my grandparents."

At his introduction of her as his girlfriend, words momentarily caught in her throat, but she smiled and shook their offered hands until she was able to speak again.

"I am very honored and pleased to meet both of you," she said.

Mrs. Harper ushered them all into their apartment and closed the door behind them. Rockie let JR lead her through the living room and out onto the balcony where his grandparents had obviously been sitting when notified of their arrival. The two seats facing the view of the Pacific Ocean in the distance had beverages at them, so she and JR took the two seats on the opposite side of the table, giving them a view of the apartment itself.

"Katie tells us that you are flying home to take her trick-or-treating next weekend," said his grandfather once everyone was seated.

JR nodded and said, "I plan to fly home Saturday morning and fly back Sunday afternoon. With the two-hour time difference, if I can get off the ground here right at seven in the morning, I should be landing by two in the afternoon. Joey will pick me up and we should be at the house by three."

"Are you going to go to Texas with Bobby, Patty?" asked Mrs. Harper.

Rockie didn't want to correct his grandmother or say that she hadn't been invited and embarrass him, so she replied, "No, not this trip. I already had commitments for Halloween that I couldn't change."

She felt JR tense momentarily beside her, but he didn't challenge her response.

"You and Bobby have been dating a long time," Mrs. Harper said.

"Not very long," Rockie said with a smile, "but it's been wonderful so far. He is a perfect gentleman and makes me feel so special all the time."

"That doesn't surprise us," Mrs. Harper said, suddenly remembering who her guests were. "He is his father's son after all, and Bobby is the most romantic son-in-law a girl's parents could have wished for."

"I look forward to meeting him," Rockie said. "I'm curious to see how far the apple fell from the tree."

Rockie sat quietly for most of the remaining conversations between JR and his grandparents, contributing only when someone asked her a direct question. She relished in the little tidbits of information that she was gleaning about JR simply by listening and observing his interaction with his mother's parents but felt terrible whenever he had to correct one or the other grandparent's memory lapse.

"Oh, where are our manners? JR, would you get yourself and Katie something to drink?"

"Would you like something"? he asked Rockie as he rose from his seat.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

He went into the apartment and returned in a few minutes with a bottle of water and a shoebox. He took his seat next to Rockie and opened the bottle of water before asking about the box.

"What's this, Grandma?"

"Thanks for reminding me, JR. That's a box of seashells that I want you to take to Katie for me next weekend if you wouldn't mind."

He felt Rockie take the bottle of water from his hand and watched her take a drink before handing it back to him with a big grin on her face. He was finding her more adorable by the minute. He set the bottle on the table between them where she could easily reach it.

"I'll be glad to," he said. "She loves collecting them herself, but I know that she will be thrilled to get these from you."

When it came time for them to leave, JR escorted her back into the apartment living room, where his grandparents joined them to say goodbye. Rockie took notice of the photographs hung around the room and sitting on various surfaces. She easily recognized photos of JR's mom, but didn't recognize the blonde woman holding a much younger JR on her lap in several of the pictures. She explored the photos, seeking any that had JR present and observing his growth through the years. When her eyes landed on a wedding photo, she was transfixed.

"Is that your dad?" she whispered to JR.

Turning to see which photo Rockie was interested in, he said, "Yes. Remember that I told you that they got married on a boat anchored beyond the Newport Pier? That's my dad and mom exchanging vows on the bow of the boat."

"You look just like him," she said, "except of course, your hair is much longer right now."

"I've been told that before," he said. "Would you excuse me a minute while I go print out your picture? I'll need to go down to the business center, but it shouldn't take long."

"I'll be happy to wait here and get to know you better," she said with a grin.

This time it was JR who surprised Rockie with a chaste kiss on her cheek before leaving her in the apartment with his grandparents. Mr. and Mrs. Harper were both in the small kitchen, each looking through cabinets and drawers for something.

"Can I help you find something?" Rockie asked them.

Mrs. Harper replied, "My husband has misplaced his medication again."

"What medication is it, and what sort of container is it in?" Rockie asked.

"My blood pressure medication is in a pill caddy with the days of the week labeled on each compartment," said Mr. Harper. "And it's my wife who keeps moving it around so that I can never find it."

Mrs. Harper just "huffed" at her husband and continued searching drawers in the kitchen.

Rockie walked out onto the balcony and picked up the pill caddy that she had seen on the table where they had all been sitting. Showing it to Mr. and Mrs. Harper, she asked, "Is this it?"

"Hallelujah!" said Mr. Harper. "Where did you find it this time?"

"It was on the table on your balcony," Rockie informed them.

"That's right," Mrs. Harper said to her husband. "You took it out with us so you wouldn't have to interrupt our card game when the time came to take your pills."

JR returned with a five-by-seven print of Rockie's picture and a woman wearing a polo shirt with the assisted living center's logo on it.

"This is Lori," he said to introduce the woman. "She has agreed to take a group picture for us."

Lori smiled at them, but addressed only Mr. and Mrs. Harper, "How are my two favorite residents today?"

"We're doing good Lori," replied Mrs. Harper. "Thanks for coming over just to take our picture."

"The pleasure is all mine. Where would you all like to stand for the picture?"

Rockie looked at JR and then suggested that they stand on the balcony, so the picture would have the ocean in the background. JR took her hand and led her out onto the balcony, where they were joined by his grandparents. They seated the Harpers in chairs facing the apartment and then stood behind them. Lori took several pictures with JR's cell phone before handing it back to him.

"Take a look at those and let me know if they're okay," she said.

JR held the phone so that Rockie could also see the screen, and then scrolled through the pictures.

"Those are all good," she said.

"I agree," said JR. "Thanks, Lori. I will e-mail the one we choose so you can print and frame it for my grandparents like we discussed."

"Always glad to help you out, JR. Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Harper."

It wasn't until Lori had left the apartment that JR realized that she had ignored Rockie entirely, almost like she wasn't even present. He hoped that Rockie hadn't been offended by being ignored, but she seemed not to have noticed Lori much either. Maybe it's a girl thing, he thought...

Rockie had gotten his grandparents rearranged at the table into their original chairs facing the ocean. JR handed his grandmother the picture of Rockie.

"We thought that you might like a picture of Rockie," he said.

"That's very thoughtful of you," replied his grandmother. "Both of you."

"It has been such a wonderful honor and pleasure to meet you both," Rockie told them as she gave each of them a warm hug. JR followed her hugs with ones of his own.

"Don't be a stranger," said JR's grandfather. "You're welcome anytime, with or without our grandson."

She took the hand that JR was offering to her and said, "Thank you. I look forward to seeing you both real soon."

"Bye Grandma and Grandpa," JR said as he escorted Rockie out of the apartment.

"They're getting worse," he said once they were in the hallway.

"I don't have any frame of reference," she said, "but misplacing medications and forgetting things must be very frustrating for them."

"Oh, it is," he agreed. "I spoke to Lori about having another evaluation performed on them to see if the level of assistance and supervision currently in place needs to be increased."

When they reached his car he asked, "Is there any place you need to go before we head home?"

"No," she said while checking the time on her cell phone. "What are your plans for the rest of the day? It's only two-thirty."

JR opened the door for her and said, "I should try to get at least a few hours of studying in, so I guess that's my plan for the rest of the day."

"What about dinner? Any plans for that?" she asked as she took her seat and JR closed the door.

"No plans," he said as he started the car. "How about you?"

With a smile on her face, she said, "I have a plan formulating. I'll explain it to you on the way home and see if you agree to it.

It wasn't a very comprehensive plan, but JR realized that Rockie had placed consideration for his study needs front and center.

"What do you like on your pizzas"' he asked her as he opened her car door.

"Pretty much anything but anchovies can be picked off without leaving a residual taste," she said. "So, that's the only thing I would prefer not to have on them. What about you?"

JR waited until the closing garage door stopped rumbling and they were in his kitchen before replying, "I'm generally pretty traditional; I like the Italian ingredients, such as Pepperoni, sausage, lots of mozzarella cheeses, maybe a few vegetables, that sort of thing."

"What about ham, pineapple, olives, bell pepper, onions?" she asked.

"You should probably just order a supreme pizza, minus the anchovies, and let's see how we do as a team," he said with a wink.

"Then that's what I'll do," she said. "I'll order them around five when I come back in from the pool area."

She started towards the front door and asked over her shoulder, "Do you have beer or wine for us to drink with the pizzas?"

JR rushed to open the door for her, "I have beer, but no wine."

Turning to kiss him on the cheek, she said, "I'm good with beer. Now, get to your studying and I'll be back when the pizzas get here."

"Yes ma'am!" he said. "Enjoy your afternoon."

Hearing him close the front door behind her, Rockie acknowledged that she couldn't leave JR and enjoy her afternoon at the same time.

~~~

Once inside her condo, she changed into one of her bikinis, tied her hair up into a knot on top of her head, and wrapped a Sarong around her waist. She placed her cell phone, beach towel, and spare front door key into a small day pack and headed to the pool area.

The beautiful morning that she had witnessed at breakfast with JR had transitioned into a picture-perfect Southern California afternoon. The recently departed winds out of the desert had blown any trace of smog from the skies. The temperatures were in the mid-eighties, and the air held little humidity. She hadn't been able to enjoy sunbathing in ages due to Brad's advances any time she even mentioned wearing a bikini, so she was grateful that her first opportunity to do so again fell on a day like today.

Several of the other residents of the complex had been of a like mind, so the pool and much of the surrounding areas were occupied. Rockie recognized a man and a woman from the hot tub couples Thursday night and returned their waves. She found a chaise lounge chair that remained unclaimed and positioned it to her liking.

Spreading her beach towel onto the lounge and retrieving her cell phone, she laid down on her front side so that she could keep an eye on the time. Her skin had not been exposed to much sun over the summer, so while she tanned easily, she wanted to be careful not to get sunburned today.

"Not hanging with the pool boy today?"

Rockie looked up to see who was talking and saw the male member of the second hot tub couple from the other night.

"Excuse me?" she said.

The man pulled a chair away from one of the tables and placed it at the head of her lounge. He took a seat before speaking.

"The guy who takes care of the pool and landscaping around here, you were with him the other night weren't you?"

"I was keeping him company while he cleaned the pool if that's what you're referring to," she said, craning her neck to see the man's face.

Two other men were pulling chairs towards the chaise lounge where Rockie lay.

"Hey, Jesse. Introduce us to your friend," one of them said as they each took a seat on either side of her lounge.

"It's 'Rockie', right?" asked the first man. The one the others had referred to as 'Jesse'.

She glanced around at all three men, then nodded in response to Jesse.

"I met Rockie here the other night when the pool boy made Brad look so bad. You remember, the 'non-fight' I told you about. Rockie, this is Chip, and this is Gene."

Jesse pointed to one of the men and then the other.

Rockie said hello to Chip and Gene, and then glanced at her cell phone to check the time again. Only two minutes had passed. Why had time suddenly slowed down?

"Rockie was Brad's girlfriend," Jesse explained to the others, "and he got pissed when he caught her hanging out with the pool boy. Isn't that the gist of things, Rockie?"

"So, you're not with Brad anymore?" asked Gene. "Or is that just until he gets out of jail?"

"Look guys, this really isn't any of your business," Rockie said.

"Hey," interjected Jesse. "We're just curious about whether or not Brad is still in the picture. Not just with you, but where other women around here are concerned. He was a pain in the ass to all of us guys."

"That's right," agreed Chip. Gene nodded as well.

Rockie sighed, "Brad was not my boyfriend, he was simply a roommate. He will come by in the next few days to pick up his belongings, then he will be gone forever. Satisfied?"

Sunglasses obscured their eyes, but she sensed their change of demeanor almost instantly. The men changed from "curious cats" to a "pack of wolves" on the hunt, surrounding their prey.

"Why don't you join us in the hot tub, Rockie," asked Gene.

"It's too hot today," she replied.

"She's right," said Jesse as he stood. "Sitting in the shallow end of the pool would be better."

Gene and Chip stood also, urging Rockie to join them.

"Come cool off with us, Rockie."

"No thanks guys, I'm just trying to get some sun today," she said as she rolled over to expose her front to the sun.

If drooling made a sound, she knew that she would have heard it. The intakes of breath and smacking of lips made their appreciation of her new position very obvious.

She had only ever experienced appreciation of her looks from Brad, and he appreciated anything female, so she usually dismissed his reactions. However, JR had displayed appreciation for her appearance yesterday morning, and that had been genuine, she was sure of that. JR's appreciation was also welcomed by her. Not so with these men.

Jesse tried again, "The pool guy takes good care of the pool, Rockie. You should check it out for yourself so you two have something more to talk about next time."

"We already have plenty to talk about but thank you for your concern. Now, please stop blocking my sun so I can finish up here."

Gene reached down and tried to take Rockie's hand, but she pulled it away. Her other hand held her cell phone, so Jesse tried to take her forearm into his hand.

"She said 'No'."

Suddenly, there was a pressure applied to the crook of his left elbow. Jesse sank back into his chair as he lost feeling in his legs, sweating heavily, and looking confused. His bladder and bowels were releasing, and he could do nothing to control them.

Rockie swung her head in Jesse's direction and saw JR standing where Jesse had been only seconds before. He was wearing shorts but no shirt.

He reached down to hand Rockie a book.

"Will you hold this for me, please?"

She took the book and laid it on her chest, hoping that it would cover the beating of her heart that she knew had to be obvious to everyone.

"What the fuck?" asked Gene as he turned on JR.

"Where do you get off butting in? Stay the fuck out of our business or..."

Gene's words were cut off as his eyes met JR's. What he saw there took any fight right out of him.

Instead, he tapped Chip on the shoulder and said, "Come on, let's get Jesse cleaned up. He's been embarrassed enough without everyone seeing him in the mess he's in."

JR hadn't said another word, but upon seeing the bigger Gene back down, Chip eagerly assisted his friend as he took one of Jesse's arms and they led him out of the pool area. The odor from Jesse's urine and excrement mostly went with them.

JR moved the chairs back to the table while Rockie watched him. He then looked around until he found another empty chaise lounge, pulled it over next to Rockie's, and then sat down.

He extended his hand and said, "Thanks for holding my book."

She passed him the book without comment, which he shifted to his opposite hand. Before he reclined on the lounge, he spent several seconds just looking at her bikini-clad body with a warm smile on his face. Finally, lying back, he reached over and took Rockie's free hand in his.

"You look amazing," was all he said before starting to read.

Rockie considered strolling back to her condo for some suntan lotion but thought her carnal intentions would be too obvious, since she didn't really need a tan.

Chapter Ten

Rockie giggled as her garage door began opening at the touch of a button on the remote control. She had forgotten how nice it was to park her car in the garage, but before the door had opened far enough to allow her to pull in, she heard JR honking at her from his car.

He had followed her home from the dealership where it had only taken a few minutes for the sales agent to give her a tour of the vehicle and its features before handing her two key fobs. The new car didn't use traditional keys, either to open and lock the doors or to start the ignition.

She looked in her rearview mirror and saw JR hopping out of his car to approach hers. She rolled the window down with a single tap of a button on her door and waited for him.

He smiled as he reached her window and said, "Why don't you park in my extra space for the time being? If Brad shows up on time, he'll be here soon, and moving his stuff out through the garage to his truck over there will be faster and easier."

She glanced at the spot that JR was indicating, and then back at him. "Good idea. It will also keep Brad from seeing my new car parked in the garage when he gets his stuff out of there. The less he knows about what I am driving these days, the better I'll feel."

"You think he'll try stalking you or something?"

She nodded, "I wouldn't put it past him. He can be persistent where I am concerned. He may not want me, but he won't want anyone else to have me either. That's why I still have concerns about you supervising his moving out."

"I'll be fine," he said. "Go ahead and close your garage for now, then park. I'll pull into my garage and wait for you."

He started to walk away when she said, "I would like to change clothes. Do you think there's time before he gets here?"

"Why risk it? You can change at my place. Just tell me what items you want to change into and I'll get them for you."

He walked back to his car and Rockie pulled into the parking spot. She contemplated the idea of letting JR go through her closet and drawers, running through a mental inventory of what was in each location, trying to remember if there was anything that she wouldn't want him to see.

She blushed as the contents of some of the lingerie he would find in one of her drawers came to mind, but rather than having him avoid that drawer, she liked the idea of teasing him with its contents. As she pushed the button to turn her car off, she thought about what item in the drawer she should include on a list for him. Then it came to her.

The new car was supposed to lock automatically when the driver key fob had moved fifteen feet from the vehicle, so as she walked towards JR's open garage, Rockie listened for the small beeping sound that would signal that this feature actually worked. She heard it just as she entered the garage and smiled.

JR was waiting for her at the door to the kitchen. He stepped aside to let her enter and then pushed the button to close his garage door. Once in the kitchen, they both glanced at the clock on the microwave and saw that they had exactly fifteen minutes before Brad's scheduled arrival time of two o'clock.

Rockie set her purse on the counter and turned to JR, "Do you want me to write things down for you or can you remember?"

He smiled and said, "Give me the list verbally first. If it seems too complicated, we can write it down."

She had a mischievous look in her eyes that JR was beginning to recognize. He had seen it several times the previous evening as she teased him by keeping her bikini on while they ate pizza and watched a couple of old movies together. She had wrapped the sarong around her waist while they walked from the pool area back to the condo but took that off because she said it tended to get caught on things when seated.

"I'll make things easy for you," she said. "In my closet, see if you can locate the teal tank top shirt and the cream-colored shorts. They should be hanging pretty close to each other, on the right side."

She slipped out of her sandals and continued, "These sandals should go okay with that outfit if I need shoes anymore today."

"Sounds simple enough," he said as he started towards the front door.

"There's one more thing" she added as she followed him. "In the top drawer of my dresser, there should be a package containing a pair of silicone nipple covers. Could you bring that also?"

JR paused, turned to her, and smiled.

"Of course, Rockie. It will be my pleasure."

He chuckled, patted her on the top of her head and left for her condo. He was pleased that Rockie trusted him enough to tease him. He just wasn't certain of how he would respond when she escalated things, and he knew that time was likely to come eventually.

JR was not opposed to casual sex. He even had a couple of "friends with benefits," but that was not the type of relationship that he wanted with Rockie, and he was sensing that she felt the same way where he was concerned. They probably should talk about things before too long.

Rockie was having very similar thoughts while she started to undress in JR's master bedroom. She had been teasing JR with her body and would continue to do so until he wanted her to stop. Her actions were deliberate, and they both knew it. His teasing of her was more coincidental.

Obviously, him opening the door yesterday morning while naked and then walking in front of her back to his bedroom wasn't a total accident, but he had been asleep, and she had surprised him. She didn't think that he was consciously trying to tease her by not wearing a shirt or by the way his shorts hung so enticingly low around his waist, but God as her witness, he was.

She had only had sex with Brad, and none of the experiences had been very pleasurable for her, and she had never achieved an orgasm as a result. She knew that things would be different if she and JR became lovers, but she couldn't let her anxious desire to prove that fact drive him away.

As she stood next to his bed wearing only her bra and panties, she justified her actions to still be an appropriate degree of teasing. After all, these items covered slightly more of her than her bikini did, and she had teased him with that for hours yesterday. They had both had fun knowing what she was doing to him, and that brought a smile to her face.

The sound of the front door opening brought her attention back to the present. Walking to his closet, Rockie found an empty suit hanger that would work to hold the skirt and blouse that she had worn to the church service.

JR had smiled when he saw her standing on his porch this morning, but the brat hadn't said anything about the service being held on the sand at Newport Beach until he was retrieving a blanket from the trunk of his car for them to sit on.

"I'm in here," she shouted.

JR found her placing her former clothing onto one of his hangers. He remained silent, with a smile on his face as he approached his bed and laid the items he had brought her onto it.

"I'm going back over to wait for Brad," he informed her, "Unless you need something else first."

Smiling broadly at him as she reached for the front clasp of her bra, preparing to undo it, she said, "I think I'm good. Thank you, JR."

He shook a finger at her, turned, and said as he left the room, "We'll talk when I get back."

Rockie giggled as she heard the front door open and close.

"We sure will, Mr. Brandt."

JR took a seat on the bench in the courtyard to wait for Brad. At five minutes past two o'clock, he saw him approach from the front of the complex. JR assumed that someone had dropped Brad off, or he had taken a taxi. He remained seated until Brad was standing in front of him.

"Don't tell me that you're the asshole that she got to watch me get my things."

In response, JR just held up the key to Rockie's condo for Brad to see. He stood up and walked past Brad to her front porch, inserted the key, and opened the door. Brad tried to push past him into the condo, but JR placed his right hand onto his shoulder and squeezed just hard enough in the right pressure point to cause Brad's knees to collapse.

JR stepped around him and said, "We can do this the hard way or the easy way. It's your choice."

Brad rubbed his shoulder with his left hand as he stood, "Fuck you. You'll get yours, and so will that bitch. The time will come, mark my words."

JR ignored him and asked, "Where do you want to start, in your bedroom or the garage?"

Brad just mumbled under his breath and started up the stairs. JR followed behind, trying to avoid a chuckle.

When Brad had carried his belongings from upstairs and placed them all in the kitchen, JR opened the door into the garage, pushed the button for the garage door opener, and stepped into the garage.

"The bitch finally got the opener fixed" Brad observed as he followed JR.

"It wasn't broken," replied JR as he walked over and stood just outside the garage so he could see what Brad was taking.

"Do you want to back your truck closer or carry everything to it where it is?"

Brad didn't reply but began hauling his belongings from the kitchen to the truck. He placed his clothes in the cab, behind the front seats, and the boxes in the bed as JR just observed him. When he was done in the kitchen, Brad returned to the garage and started carrying weights and other workout equipment to the truck. JR didn't stop him until Brad tried to take the paddleboard.

"That stays," JR said.

"Bullshit," said Brad. "I bought it for her and she never uses it. I'm taking it."

"The hard way or the easy way," is all that JR said.

Brad put the paddleboard back and then headed for his truck. He attempted to spit in JR's face as he passed but missed when JR moved too quickly for it to hit him. Brad ran the remaining distance to his truck, jumped in, and started it up.

JR stepped into the garage and watched as Brad backed up too fast, put a major dent in his rear bumper when he hit a dumpster, and then laid rubber heading towards the exit.

JR whispered, "Sweet dreams," before closing the garage door and returning to the kitchen.

Rockie was looking at one of the watercolor paintings on the living room wall when JR returned to his condo.

"How'd everything go?" she asked without turning.

"No problem. Do you want to move your car into the garage now?"

"It can wait. JR, are all these watercolors by the same person? They appear to be, but they're not all signed by the same artist."

He walked over to stand beside her and said, "My mom painted all of them."

"She's very talented," Rockie said, "but does she have a split personality or something? Why two different names?"

"Come sit with me and I'll try to explain," he said as he took her hand and led her to the couch.

Rockie took a seat, but JR remained standing.

"Would you like something to drink?"

She looked up at him, shook her head, and then patted the place beside her, encouraging him to sit as well.

He sat beside her and they both leaned back with their shoulders touching. Their hands found each other's, and they intertwined their fingers.

JR began, "There was a period in our lives when my mom had a different identity."

"Wait," interrupted Rockie. "Was it when you were younger? Was that blonde woman in some of the pictures that your grandparents have your mother?"

He nodded and continued, "That was what my mom looked like from the time I was born until my dad found us. She changed her appearance for my sake."

"For your sake? Why would you care? You were just an infant in most of the pictures I saw."

"For a couple of reasons. First, the United States Marshals protecting us recommended it, and second, she wanted me to look like one of my parents."

"Hold on. Was your mom in the witness protection program?"

JR nodded again, "For the first ten years of my life, well actually for a few months before I was born, my mom, me, and her parents were in the program. My grandfather was a material witness in a major organized crime case, so they hid us away and changed everyone's identity except mine."

"Why not yours?"

"My mom wouldn't allow it. She insisted that my birth certificate list my real father, so my last name would be different from her maiden name anyway, which the Marshals agreed was good enough to hide my identity."

Rockie nodded, understanding both the love and the logic in his mother's actions.

"Anyway, I'll let my mom tell you the story about how her and my dad got back together. She loves to share it and does a much better job of telling it."

"Okay, but one question, I thought once someone went into the witness protection program that they were basically in it for life. How did you all get out of it?"

"My dad had the threat eliminated. No threat meant no reason for protection."

"Is your dad Elliot Ness or something?" she asked sarcastically. "You said the case involved organized crime."

JR laughed at her comment. "I'll just say that my dad fits into the 'or something' category and leave it at that."

"I can't wait to meet him," she said, and he recognized the sincerity of her statement. Why wait?

"Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?" he asked nervously.

Surprised by the question, it took her a few seconds for it to fully register.

"No plans currently," she replied.

"Would you like to come home with me for the holiday? I will be driving because my car is still registered in Texas and must be inspected once a year in order to renew it. I can get the inspection done while I'm there."

She felt him tense beside her, "Are you sure your parents won't mind a guest?"

"They're the ones who suggested that I invite you," he said, and then quickly added, "I would have asked them anyway because I had the idea before they mentioned it."

She smiled at his discomfort and wondered if the self-confidence that he demonstrated everywhere else would ever be present in their relationship.

"I would love to go with you."

She felt him relaxing once more beside her.

"I've never been to Texas and doing a road trip with you will be a blast."

When was the last time that she had heard so much excitement in her voice?

Yes, she was very excited, and JR was thrilled that he was the source of her excitement. He realized that it made him excited to elicit positive responses of any kind from Rockie. He knew that he had the same reaction when he made Katie happy or excited, but this was Rockie. She didn't love him like a kid sister, and he didn't love her like a big brother. This was different, but the same; but different. Confusing is what it was.

"Will you have any problem getting the Tuesday and Wednesday before and the Monday after off?"

"None whatsoever," she said. "I have loads of vacation time banked."

"Good," then he added jokingly, "So we have one holiday together planned. What are you doing for Christmas?"

Rockie turned her body so that she was more fully facing him and said, "You're making me think that your introduction of me as your 'girlfriend' to your grandparents was more than a way to minimize their confusion over me accompanying you. Is there something that we need to discuss?"

He tensed momentarily beside her before responding, "Sorry for surprising you with that introduction yesterday, but I liked the way the word rolled off my tongue so easily."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then said, "Not as much as I did. I'm not saying that we have to place labels on what's between us right now, but it was encouraging to hear you at least acknowledge that there is something between us. Thank you. Now, you're inviting me to come home with you for a major holiday. Well, that's more than mere neighbors do for one another, isn't it?"

"Oh, we've definitely moved beyond 'mere neighbor' status," he chuckled. "The questions are, 'Where are we?' and 'Where do we want to go?'. I have my thoughts, but I would like to hear yours."

"I want to be your lover," she said without hesitation, "and I want you to be mine. I'm not saying we're at that point today, but that's where I see us heading and I believe that you see it too. There. I said it."

"Define 'lover' for me."

She started with, "Lovers don't have to actually be in love, but they must desire intimacy, value intimacy, and strive for intimacy. A lover is a trusted friend. They are exclusive with each other and considerate of how other relationships, even other friendships can be interpreted by the other partner. A lover is open and shares themselves freely, body and mind. Lovers have faith in each other as partners. Lovers are givers, but also able to willingly accept what their partner offers."

"And you think that I, or we, can meet that definition?" he asked.

"I believe we are already trusted friends, or at least I consider you to be my most trusted friend. I don't want to be with anyone but you, so I am already exclusive with you even without you asking, and I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts, hopes, and dreams with you, so I would have little reluctance to share my body with you at some point."

He sat next to her, nodding along with her words, but offered none of his own.

Finally, she asked, "What about you? Where are we and where do you want to go with us?"

JR didn't respond right away. He was obviously gathering his thoughts, so she waited nervously beside him until he spoke.

"Where I am is confused. I want to spend time with you when that is the last thing I can afford to do with finals approaching. I want to make you happy and to make you feel like a priority in my life. I want to protect you and make to feel safe at all times."

"Why is all that confusing for you?" she asked.

He took a sigh and said, "Because those are things that I feel towards Katie. I have always spoiled and protected her, and I'm concerned that I may be in some way using you as a surrogate in my life for her. The confusing part is that in addition to those feelings, I also enjoy the small intimacies that we have shared so far. I like that you feel secure enough to tease me, and I have thought about all the ways that someday you might please me, and me you. Reconciling all the things I am feeling about us is what's confusing for me."

Now it was her turn to sit quietly for a period while she digested his response and formulated a reply. He was gratified to see a smile on her face while she did so.

"You more than just like me, don't you?" she finally asked.

JR was surprised by the question. Wasn't it obvious? He tried one of her patented sarcastic responses, "Is water wet? Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bee like..."

Giggling, she said, "Okay, I get it. So, let's discuss your confusion and try to find some clarity for you. What do you say?"

"I'm all ears," he said.

"The easiest thing would be for me to stop letting you do things for me that you might do for your sister. However, that won't work for two reasons; first, it's who you are and we both know it; and second, those are qualities in you that I treasure. I love your heart and how that shines through in your benevolent and protective nature. Let me ask you this, does your father protect your mom like you protect Katie, and now me?"

"Oh, he's over the top sometimes, like I told you."

"Do you think he feels confused about that when your mom and him are intimate? You told me that he has sisters, so how do you think he avoids the same confusion that you are feeling?"

JR thought that he was understanding her direction, "Because they have roles that allow him to do many of the same things he would do for his sisters, only for my mother. So, you're implying that if you and I were better defined in our relationship that I probably wouldn't be as confused."

"I'm willing to try if you are," she agreed. "I am willing to be your girlfriend. Oh, and maybe you should stop patting me on the top of the head."

They both laughed.

Chapter Eleven

Rockie and JR had gotten into a routine of meeting on his patio each morning after he returned from surfing and before she left for work.

He had given her a spare key to his front door so she would bring her computer bag and everything she needed for work over to his condo and drink a glass of juice while waiting for him to arrive. Their kisses were still relatively platonic, but they were occurring more frequently and were no longer just being delivered by her.

She couldn't talk him into removing his wetsuit on the patio for her yet, but ever since he had described his normal routine for rinsing the sand off everything, she had been teasing him to show her. They would simply sit on the patio, usually on the side of the covered hot tub, and share their plans for the coming day. They would hold hands as he walked her over to her garage so that Rockie could drive herself to work.

Rockie found a different color rose bouquet waiting for her at work each day of the week so far. White, pink, red, and yellow. Today was Friday, so she was curious as to today's color. She had no doubt that the roses would be there, she was just uncertain about which color JR would have chosen for today.

She was becoming the talk of the office, and she had asked JR to stop, but he would simply smile at her and ask, "Who's number one?"

She knew that she was a priority in his life, and she prayed that he knew that he was for her as well.

Once she had gotten her laptop turned on at her desk, she picked up her desk phone with the voicemail indicator blinking. She knew that the receptionist would have left her a message about the flower delivery, but she was surprised to find a second voicemail waiting for her.

It turned out that the second one was actually the first one. It was from Brad's lawyer asking her to return his call. She made note of the number and then checked the time. It was just after nine in the morning, so she thought that she had time to check on the flowers before returning the lawyer's call.

Confirming that the other message was from the reception desk informing her of a flower delivery, she deleted it and headed out to the lobby to retrieve the flowers.

The receptionist's desk had a crowd of women standing around it admiring the multi-colored rose bouquet waiting for her. There were roses in colors and shades that Rockie never knew existed. Most were still budding, and she imagined what a beautiful sight they were going to make once they were all in full blooming glory.

She deflected all the questions and comments from the curious women about the millionaire that was sending her flowers every day of the week. "Millionaire," she thought as she strode back to her desk, "I wish". She knew that JR wasn't hurting financially while he was in school due to his college fund, but once he finished and set out to start his own veterinary practice, things would likely get a lot tighter for him money-wise.

She sat at her desk, with the flowers placed prominently on the file cabinet across from her where she could see them every time she looked up. She continued following the routine that she and JR had established this week by sending him a text.

ROCKIE: The flowers are the most beautiful yet. Thank you.

JR: What, you expect me to send you uglier flowers?

ROCKIE: These are going to be hard to beat. They set the bar pretty high.

JR: Ain't no mountain high enough. Ain't no valley low enough...

ROCKIE: Are you singing to me, Mr. Brandt?

JR: I would never do that to you.

ROCKIE: Why not? Maybe I'm tone-deaf and wouldn't think it was as bad as you claim it to be.

JR: You would have to be stone-cold deaf not to think it was bad.

ROCKIE: What makes you think your singing is so bad? You have an amazing voice when you speak.

JR: Let me explain it to you this way; when I was in first grade and all the kids stood to sing the national anthem, the teacher said: "JR, lip-synch!"

ROCKIE: Oh, that's awful. It must have scarred you for life. No wonder you think you have a bad singing voice.

JR: Her opinion has been validated many times over the years.

ROCKIE: Well, I don't believe it could be that bad and I'm going to keep pestering you to sing for me.

JR: Pester away to your heart's content.

ROCKIE: I'll let you get back to your studying. Have you finished packing?

JR: Almost. I have a load of laundry running that has something in it I want to pack. After that, I'll be done.

ROCKIE: I don't know what I am going to do for two days without you.

JR: Other than the wedding you are invited to on Saturday and paddleboarding on Sunday?

ROCKIE: Oh yeah, I guess I don't need you after all.

JR: Ouch!

ROCKIE: On second thought, you do come in handy for eating my cooking, so I guess I'll keep you around for that.

JR: Whew! Have a good day. I miss you.

ROCKIE: I miss you too. I'll be home as soon as I can. Bye.

JR: Bye Rockie.

Rockie had the same grin on her face that always accompanied one of her and JR's text conversations. She saw that it was nearly ten o'clock, so she decided to return the lawyer's call. She assumed that she was calling his office and her call would be answered first by an operator or an attendant. She was surprised when the lawyer answered his cell phone instead.

"Good morning, this is Rockie Preston returning your call," she said after he answered.

"Thanks for returning my call. When was the last time that you saw Brad Hunter?"

"Over a week ago when the police arrested him. Why?"

"You didn't see him when he came by to pick up his belongings?"

"No, my next-door... my boyfriend supervised while Brad picked up his things. Again, why is this of interest to you?"

"Can you give me a number to reach your boyfriend?"

"Not until you tell me what this is about," she said firmly.

"Brad missed his court date yesterday. The Sherriff sent deputies to execute the bench warrant that the judge issued, but his roommate said that Brad had moved and didn't know where he was. He just said that Brad was terrified Wednesday morning and said that he had to get as far away from here as possible."

"But he didn't say where he was going?" Rockie asked.

"No, but his truck was found in the parking lot at Long Beach airport used by private planes. Brad doesn't have a pilot's license as far as you know, does he?"

"No, he hated flying commercial jets and thought anything smaller was a death trap. Sorry I can't be of further assistance."

"What about your boyfriend?" the lawyer persisted.

"What about him?" Rockie was getting agitated now.

"Can you give me his number?"

"The best I can do is to provide your number to him and let him decide whether or not to call you. Goodbye."

She sat and thought about what the lawyer had said. Brad had awoken Wednesday morning terrified, but terrified of what? Then his truck was found in a parking lot that served private pilots, and she knew for a fact that he hated to fly. All she knew was that she wasn't going to get JR any more involved than he already was. She would let him know about the conversation with the lawyer, but not mention that he wanted to speak with JR. If JR wanted to speak to the lawyer on his own, she would provide the number, but she didn't anticipate that happening.

There were countless times during the remainder of her workday when her mind drifted to thoughts of JR. She felt bad for even teasingly implying that she didn't need him, and while she knew that he recognized it as teasing, the words still bothered her. Nothing mattered to her more these days than what JR thought of her and their relationship. This was a journey for both of them. A curious, wonderful, playful, and becoming romantic journey that she didn't want to screw up.

She had made plans for them for tonight. After dinner, she was going to try to talk JR into letting her give him a massage. Nothing erotic or too intimate, but one that would allow her to really touch his body, to feel the strength that lay beneath the surface of his skin, and to show him how he could trust her to not push their self-imposed limits too far. They had agreed that they wanted to grow their intimacy slowly, regardless of how torturous that would be for them, and she thought that a massage would be acceptable to him as intimate because it was between just them.

She knew that her body was getting impatient, even if her heart and mind were trying to take things slowly. That's one reason why she had decided that she would only agree to let JR massage her feet if he asked to reciprocate. She suspected that her tolerance for intimate contact was significantly lower than his. Even the chaste kisses that he had placed on her cheeks had affected her libido more than anything she had ever done with Brad. She could admit it to herself, even if she didn't like using the word. JR made her 'horny'. She wondered if she was having a similar effect on him.

~~~

She was.

JR kept re-reading the same section of the lab report he was supposed to summarize for his class on Monday. His eyes saw the words, but his mind was too occupied with thoughts of Rockie for them to be comprehended. The promise of what could lie ahead for their relationship was countered by the potential challenges posed by his pending graduation and relocation to Texas.

He was contemplating their options when he received a text message:

JOEY: Package delivered.

JR: Any problems?

JOEY: Not really. They treated it like a training exercise.

JR: Any blowback potential?

JOEY: Zero. Seals from our west coast and the French coast.

JR: Thanks for making the arrangements

JOEY: Nothing that you wouldn't do for me.

JR: Without hesitation

JOEY: I need to run to a class. See you tomorrow.

JR: Sounds good. I will e-mail you the flight plan once I have it filed. Thanks again.

JR reviewed the exchange with his cousin and best friend, Joey, to ensure that there was nothing said that would tie them to the disappearance of Brad. He didn't feel any remorse for letting Joey make the arrangements through his contacts at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, where he had spent two semesters last year in pursuit of his master's degree in criminal science.

If the plan was executed as they had discussed last Sunday, Brad had been visited Tuesday night while he slept by Homeland Security tactical operations agents, who had subtly warned him to "get out of Dodge," or face consequences that he would not live through. Choosing the option to remain alive resulted in Brad being exiled to one of the smaller islands of French Polynesia. He arrived illegally, had no passport or other identification, nothing but the clothes he wore, and seventy-seven American dollars. At least the weather was nice.

The buzzer for the dryer's end-of-cycle sounded. He decided that trying to study was a waste of time, so after he folded the clothes, he would go clean the pool and take care of a few other chores while he waited for Rockie to get home.

He needed to get to sleep earlier than normal so he could be well rested and at the airport by six in the morning. Sound restrictions wouldn't allow him to take off before seven, but he wanted to be in the queue of planes waiting for the curfew to expire. He trusted that Rockie would understand that, and he also trusted that Katie would understand his need to study while he was there.

Pulling into her garage, Rockie pondered the realization that it had only been one week since she had first invited JR to eat dinner with her. So much had happened between them in that week, and time had flown by, it also seemed that they had been together for much longer.

Their meals since that night had always been together, either at her place or his. The location didn't determine who prepared or ordered the meal, since they established a tradition of flipping a coin to see who would do it. Rockie liked it better when they ate at her place because she always used the dishwasher, whereas JR always took the time to wash and dry his dishes, which she thought cut into their time together. That was becoming very precious to her.

~~~

She carried the shopping bag that held one of her surprises for JR into her kitchen after closing the garage door. Setting her purse in its usual place on her counter, she retrieved her cell phone to text him.

ROCKIE: Honey, I'm home!

JR: I'm just taking the curlers out of my hair, dear. I'll put on my makeup and come see you.

ROCKIE: You're a nut

JR: I thought squirrels liked nuts?

ROCKIE: This squirrel is nuts about her nut. I'll probably be changing when you get here, so let yourself in.

JR: I'll be right there.

She hurriedly changed into a pair of workout shorts which were basically a pair of sweatpants that she had cut off, removed her bra, and slipped on a t-shirt. Remembering her plan to give JR a massage tonight, she added the nipple covers under the t-shirt. Rockie knew that her body would betray her, so she had to be prepared.

JR was standing at the kitchen counter when she came out of her bedroom. He was more dressed up than usual, wearing a pair of Levi jeans, another Tommy Bahama shirt, and tennis shoes.

"What's the occasion?" she asked after kissing him.

"I lost the coin toss this morning, so I wanted to take you out for dinner. Is that okay?"

"That's sweet," she said. "But with you leaving early tomorrow, I would rather stay in with you tonight. I'll cook if you want."

"I thought that you might feel that way, so let's go back to my place and I'll heat up our dinner."

"You already have something cooked?"

He nodded and said, "Leftovers. I defrosted it this morning, and I hope that you like it. It's my mom's recipe for the world's best tuna casserole.

"I've had some pretty good tuna casseroles in my day," she said.

"None like this, I assure you."

"Lead the way," she said as she took his hand and accompanied him from her condo to his.

After eating, JR rose to clear the dishes from the table. Rockie stood with him to help.

"Put them in the dishwasher. They can wait," she insisted.

"But there are only two plates the bowl and some utensils. It will only take me a few minutes to wash them."

"You need to run your dishwasher occasionally or it won't work when you need it. Leave the dishes in it and I'll fill it with my dishes while you're gone. Please?"

"You know that I can't say no to you. Don't abuse it."

"I'm going to test that tonight."

"Do tell," he said.

She explained her plan to massage him but then added an additional component.

"I want to spend the night with you. I want to wake up with you, to start a day with you. I want to see you and for you to see me as we each look first thing in the morning. I need to know that the experience won't chase you away."

"That could be challenging," he said with a grin.

She slapped his chest playfully, "Sleeping with me or seeing me first thing in the morning?"

He winked and said, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

"You love throwing my own words back at me, don't you?" she said as she put her arms around him.

He put his arms around her as well and smiled down at her, "Do I get to massage you too?"

Taking his hand to lead him into the master bedroom, she shook her head and said, "Only my feet."

Releasing his hand, she said, "I trust that you wouldn't massage me inappropriately, but I don't trust myself not to respond inappropriately. Please undress to the point where you feel comfortable for me to massage you. When I'm done, I'll let you rub my feet."

"Are you going to use any oil during your massage?" he asked as he glanced at the linens on his bed.

"I have a water-based massage lotion," she replied while pulling the comforter off the bed. "It won't hurt your sheets."

JR had started unbuttoning his shirt but paused to help her fold the comforter. He took it from her and laid it on a chair. She came over to him and finished unbuttoning his shirt, and then slipped it off his shoulders.

"Do you want this hung up or in the hamper?" she asked.

Unbuttoning the top button on his jeans, he said, "I only had it on for a little while, so it can be hung up."

She went to his closet, found an empty hanger, and placed the shirt on it.

"Any particular place you would like it hung?"

He was now sitting on the edge of the bed removing his shoes and socks, "No, anyplace is fine."

She closed the closet door and stood watching as JR set his shoes under the foot of the bed before rising and pulling his jeans off, leaving him with just his boxer briefs. She stared at the tight, light blue fabric, which left little to the imagination about what it covered. She felt herself flush but regained control quickly.

Pointing to the bed, she instructed, "Please lay down. You can choose whether you want me to massage your front side or your back side first. I'll go get the lotion out of my purse."

He did as Rockie requested, laying on his back with his head propped up on the pillows so that he could watch her through the bedroom door as she retrieved the lotion and started returning.

The look on her face conveyed angelic purity with demonic mischief and he could not suppress the smile that she brought to his face. Was there anything that he wouldn't do for this woman?

His self-control was never tested to the degree she did with her massage of his chest, arms, and legs. Her eyes were so sensuous that he had to close his to block the desire that she ignited as she stared into his. Her feather-light touch would find spots that he didn't know would arouse him, and when she found them, it seemed like she would linger on the same spot for minutes.

He did his best to ignore the arousal by thinking of unpleasant things, but he knew that his efforts not to get a full erection would not last much longer. He tried to remain silent, stifling moans of pleasure that her touch elicited, and was successful for the most part.

"Okay, you can turn over now" she whispered in his ear.

He nearly lost control at the sound of her sweet voice spoken so low and soft in his ear, accompanied by her warm breath on his neck. He rolled onto his stomach, pushed the pillow aside so that his cheek was lying flat on the sheet and silently prayed that her torturous pleasure would not be as arousing on his backside. Then she threw one of her legs over his waist, straddled him and sat on his buttocks.

This had the effect of pushing his semi-erection into the bed, which could be beneficial, but it also brought her warm thighs into direct contact with his sides, which negated any benefit that he had hoped for. Instead, it heightened the discomfort that his renewing erection was experiencing as it was pushed at an odd angle into the mattress.

Thankfully, he discovered that his back and shoulders didn't have anywhere near the degree of sensitivity that his chest and arms did. Rockie also was positioned to allow for her to apply greater pressure with her massage of his back.

He was able to relax and focus on the pleasure that her deep kneading of his muscles produced until she turned and directed her focus to the back of his thighs and calves. He only had a few seconds to consider the discovery that his upper torso was more sensitive on his front, while his lower torso was more sensitive on the back before the torturous arousal began again.

Apparently, either she found the back of his legs boring, or her hands and arms were tiring from her actions because she spent far less time there than she had elsewhere. As soon as she had finished massaging both of his heels, she repositioned herself so that she could lie down on his back. JR released his loudest moan of the evening when her soft, curly hair fell across his cheek as she rested her head against the back of his neck and her cheek between his shoulder blades.

"Did you enjoy that?" she whispered.

"Mmm-hmm," he mumbled.

He didn't want to tell her that he was enjoying their current position more. The weight of her warm body against his, the combined scents of her shampoo and perfume, the feel of her hair and her breath on his skin, and the safety of being in a position that impeded and hastened the waning of his arousal. The alarm clock was on the opposite side of the bed from the direction his head was facing.

"Do you know what time it is?" he asked.

He felt her shift and turn her head, "A little after six," she told him as she settled back where she had been. He felt her smile against his back.

"What are you grinning about?"

"What the future holds for us," she replied. "I thought that giving you a massage was very intimate, but then I thought about how much greater it will be once we are ready to explore things further. What do you think?

"It couldn't be any more torturous than that massage was."

"Oh, JR, I never meant to torture you. You should have said something and I would have stopped..."

His body had calmed down enough that he felt safe to roll over. He started rolling to his left and Rockie scooted off him to allow him to lay on his back. He continued rolling though until he was on his right side facing her. He positioned a pillow under his head and then pulled her over to rest her head on his bicep.

"I didn't want you to stop," he told her. "It was torture because you were bringing me so much pleasure. The only torture was my current need to control myself around you. I'll be glad when we're past the need to maintain control around each other."

"So, it's not just me," she whispered. "I'm not the only one in this relationship struggling to maintain control of my... my desires?"

He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and said. "Not by a long shot. I think we are both participating in the longest session of sexual foreplay in recorded history, or at least it seems like it."

"That's an appropriate description of it, I guess. We can take some solace in how rewarding everything should be due to the build-up to the event, but it doesn't mean we have to like it. It's very frustrating, to say the least."

"I agree," he said, "but do you want to know what I like best about it?"

"What's that?"

He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers and said, "That we can lie here like this and talk about it. There's no embarrassment, no guilt, no shame; just hope and dreams of what the future holds for us."

Rockie didn't verbally reply, but scooted against him, placing her head below his chin and her face against his bare chest. They simply lay together without moving or talking, breathing in each other's closeness.

JR watched the minutes click by on the alarm clock while feeling his heart beating against her soft, warm face. When it read seven o'clock, he thought that he should say something.

"Do you want anything to drink?" he asked.

"No, I'm good, but I'll be glad to get you something if you're thirsty."

"I'm good too. Do I get to massage your feet now?"

She pulled far enough away that she could look him in the eyes and said, "Please believe me when I tell you that right now, I know that I would let you do anything you wanted with me. I trust that you won't abuse that knowledge, but I needed you to know. I am at your mercy, JR."

He smiled down at her and moved to kiss her on the lips, but then thought better of the idea and kissed the tip of her nose instead.

"As I am at yours, Miss Preston. If you still want us to sleep together tonight, maybe we should discuss the sleeping arrangements."

Disappointed, and yet relieved by the detour of his lips, she said, "Sure. What would you like to discuss about them?"

"I normally sleep naked, as I think you discovered last weekend. However, I can probably tolerate sleeping in these," he said, indicating his briefs.

She smiled and said, "I wouldn't want you to change your routine for me. You can sleep however you want. I have a new pair of pajamas that I bought just for the occasion, and that will keep your bare skin off my bare skin. You see, I usually sleep naked too."

"What kind of pajamas did you buy?' he asked with suspicion.

She sat up and slid off the bed.

"I'll go next door and get them, and then you'll see for yourself."

Before he could object, she ran out of the room in her bare feet. He heard the front door open and close and smiled at her child-like excitement.

She came back within a minute, carrying a bag from Victoria's Secret. She bounded onto the bed with it and tried to catch her breath.

Panting from her jog next door, she pushed aside the tissue paper in the bag and pulled out a bright pink pajama shirt with tails.

Holding it up against her chest, she asked, "Do you like it?"

JR studied the shirt as she held it up. It appeared to be made of satin or similar fabric and the tails went down to the top of her thighs.

"It's very pretty," he said. "And very short."

She giggled, "I thought you would think so. So, there's more."

She reached into the bag and pulled out a matching pair of pajama pants and held them up for his inspection.

"Better," he said. "Safer," he added with a grin.

"Do you think you'll be able to hold me and let me hold you if I'm wearing these?"

"I'll certainly give it the old college try," he said. "Do you have clothes for in the morning?"

She shook her head, "No, but you said that you didn't want me to drive you to the airport, so I thought I would go home after you leave. I'll either wear the pajamas the few steps or change back into what I'm wearing now."

"Okay. Do you want to change in the bathroom or would you like me to give you privacy here in the bedroom?"

She moved back until her feet hung off the end of the bed, then stood up to address him, "Neither. You forget that I have seen what I am missing with our self-imposed restrictions. You haven't."

She quickly pulled the t-shirt over her head and saw his eyes widen, "Fair is fair, Mr. Brandt."

Chapter Twelve

"November Two Four Five Eight Bravo, turn south to 180 and climb to 1500 feet."

"Roger. November Two Four Five Eight Bravo turning south to 180 degrees and climbing to 1500 feet," JR acknowledge to the flight controller routing his departure from John Wayne airport.

His flight plan into Stinson Field outside of San Antonio was predominantly eastbound, but departures today out of Orange County had planes taking off towards the west, which is why he was now being directed to start the turns that would eventually have him heading in the right direction.

He dialed the new heading into the flight computer on the Beechcraft Baron G58 Twin-Engine aircraft that he had rented for this trip and verified that the plane was responding correctly.

The avionics package on the G58 was one reason that he liked to fly them. The second reason was the almost fifteen-hundred-mile range that the plane could fly without refueling. This allowed for non-stop flights between San Antonio and Orange County. The final reason was that he was single-pilot type certified to fly it alone.

JR had received his student pilot license when he was ten years old, had been private pilot certified on single-engine land aircraft right after he turned sixteen, had been instrument flight rated by the time he was seventeen, and flown enough hours to obtain multi-engine certification by the time he was eighteen. His pursuit of his jet engine type certification was on hold until he finished his education, so this type of aircraft would have to do until then.

After the Air Traffic Control Center had set him on his eastbound course of 91 degrees and an altitude of eight thousand feet, he would spend the next several hours simply monitoring the instruments, watching for other aircraft, and thinking about Rockie.

~~~

He couldn't remember ever having a more peaceful night of sleep. He awoke to her satin-clad body spooned back against his, with her hair only inches from his face. Her scent was still fresh in his memory, as was the feel of her body beneath the fabric of the pajamas. She was warm and firm in all the right places, yet soft and subtle in all of those right places too. He had lain still beside her for almost half an hour, relishing all the sensory input that the closeness of her sleeping body presented him.

Surrendering to the morning call of nature, he had slid out of his bed, walked into the bathroom, and closed the door. When he opened the door to re-enter the bedroom, he found her sitting cross-legged on the bed watching him approach. Her tousled hair, bright blue eyes, and radiant smile were the most beautiful image he had ever witnessed.

Her eyes drank in his body as he climbed back onto the bed.

Once he had arranged some of the pillows and leaned back against the headboard, she said, "I have been waiting over an hour for you to get up to go to the bathroom, just so I could watch you come back."

Scooting to the foot of the bed, she said, "Now it's my turn."

As her feet reached the floor, he asked, "Do I get a show on your return?"

"That might be arranged. You were a very attentive audience last night, so that's a point in your favor."

He was chuckling as she continued into the bathroom and closed the door. She was right about one thing; he had been very attentive last night when she had surprised him by undressing in front of him. The sight of her body went right to his heart. She really did trust him.

He turned to see the bathroom door open, and there it was again. The effect was the same; his heart warmed at the sight of her naked body as she crossed the room and crawled back onto the bed beside him. She settled back beside him, positioned the top sheet over both of their bodies, and leaned against his shoulder. He put his arm around her, and her head rested on his chest. He took care not to touch her bare breast as he held her, but it was a challenge for him.

"I think we did pretty good with this," she said. "Maybe we should make it a Friday night routine for a while. What do you think?"

"I think it has several beneficial aspects that warrant repeating it at least once a week," he said.

"Other than exploring the intimacies between us, what other beneficial aspects might you be referring to? See, I can talk all professional and businesslike too."

His chuckle caused her head to bounce on his chest, which made her giggle in return.

"One of the biggest benefits, at least for me, is that this is something that clearly distinguishes what I feel for you from what I feel for Katie. It helps with the clarity that we discussed on Sunday, and makes me more secure in how I feel about you."

"That makes sense," she said. She then asked, "How do you feel about me?"

He was silent for a moment before responding, "I feel many things; friendship, trust, loyalty, protective, desire..."

He paused for a second, and then continued, "All of the things I feel could be defined with one word though I think."

"What word is that?"

He rolled over so that they were lying on their sides facing each other. He wanted to see her eyes when he told her, "Rochelle Preston, I cherish you."

Rockie used the sheet to dab at the tears that instantly materialized in the corner of her eyes, and then threw her arm over him and pulled their bodies together.

She rained kisses all over his face before whispering in his ear, "James Brandt, you make me feel cherished and I cherish you too."

He copied her, covering her entire face with kisses as she had done to him. They lay silently in each other's arms until it was time for him to shower and get ready for his flight. Since modesty between them was a thing of the past, she put the lid down on the toilet and sat in the bathroom while he showered and shaved, commenting or asking questions about his routine out of curiosity.

Drying off his face after shaving, he asked, "Do I get quid pro quo with you some morning?"

"Certainly," she replied with that devilish grin he was learning to treasure.

"The next time I fly to San Antonio, you can watch me shower and get ready."

~~~

His next navigational waypoint was approaching, so he verified that the flight computer acknowledged the change and watched the compass heading adjust.

~~~

While he had been getting dressed, she made his bed and slipped back into her pajamas before going into his kitchen to pour them both some juice. She brought the glasses back to the bedroom where JR was sitting on the edge of the bed tying his shoes. She handed him one of the glasses and then climbed back onto the bed beside him.

When he looked up, he saw their reflections in the mirror mounted to the dresser, and his eyes found hers.

"I will never get tired of the intimacy that sharing yourself first thing in the morning bestows on me."

"And I will never get tired of the trust and security you demonstrate that allows me to share the intimacy," she replied. "I don't want to scare you with the words that come to mind, but I already feel that 'For better or worse' is a phrase that already applies to us."

"I couldn't agree more," he said as he stood. "What time is the wedding?"

"The ceremony is at one this afternoon and the reception is scheduled for three."

"I'll text you when I land. If you're someplace where you can talk, you can call me back."

"If it's during the ceremony or something, I'll at least send you a reply to your text."

She set her glass on the nightstand and rose to stand in front of him.

"I've gotten used to seeing you every day..."

"You will still see me every day," he replied as he pulled her to him. "You are seeing me now, and you'll see me tomorrow night."

"You know what I mean," she said into his chest. "I'm used to being able to see you at any time. You're not going to be right next door for almost two full days. I'm not used to that."

"I understand, and I'll miss you too. Can I get a kiss goodbye?"

"Only on one condition," she said. "JR, please really kiss me."

She didn't have to ask twice. He tilted her head as he lowered his. Their lips met and parted as they explored each other's tongues for the first time. He had brushed his teeth, but she tasted of juice and morning passion. He fought the desire that her kiss was fueling in him, and he could tell by the sudden heat radiating from her that she was also being affected by him. She finally pulled back and fanned her face with her hand.

"What in the hell was that?" she whispered.

Misunderstanding her, JR apologized, "Rockie, I'm so sorry..."

"Okay, no more of that unless we both have clothes on. Whew!"

He chuckled and said, "You're good for my ego if nothing else. Take care of my girl while I'm gone."

As he stepped into the garage, she said "I will. You take care of my guy."

~~~

The northbound landing approach that Air Traffic Control vectored him onto presented him with a shorter taxi distance on the ground to reach the Field Based Operations area where he would be leaving the plane for refueling and filing the flight plan for his return tomorrow. It was also where Joey sat waiting for him in his pickup truck.

JR completed the shutdown checklist as the FBO agents chocked his wheels and prepared tie-downs to secure the plane to the tarmac. Thunderstorms weren't really common in this area during the fall, but no one who had witnessed how quickly the weather could surprise you took things for granted where airplanes were concerned.

Joey remained behind the wheel of his truck and just waved at JR when he grabbed his one bag and climbed out of the plane. JR opened the passenger door, tossed his bag behind the seat and climbed in next to his cousin. The truck was in motion before JR had fastened his seatbelt.

"In a hurry, are we?" he asked Joey.

"I have orders to have you home by three o'clock," Joey replied. "Katie and Cile warned that my food may no longer be safe to eat if I didn't follow their order."

JR laughed and pulled out his cell phone. He had to wait for it to boot since it had been turned off during the flight.

"Give me one second," he said once he had a signal.

JR: Landed safely in San Antonio. Driving to the house now.

ROCKIE: Sitting in the church waiting for the ceremony to start. Did you get the pictures that I sent you?

JR: Let me check...

He opened up previous messages and saw two from Rockie. He clicked on the first one, which was the second one sent. It was a picture of her standing in her living room. The patio blinds were closed behind her providing a cream-colored background. The five vases of roses that he had sent her were on the floor at her feet. She was wearing the dress that she had bought for the wedding.

She had shown it to him on the hanger when she brought it home, but he hadn't appreciated how the dress' color of blue complimented her eyes, or how the style complemented her figure. Her hair was stylishly arranged on the top of her head, and her makeup accentuated all of her natural beauty without being overdone. She looked absolutely stunning.

The second message, which she had sent first and saw that it too was a picture of her standing in the same spot in her living room, only this time her hair was down around her shoulders and she was wearing a white string bikini that he had never seen before. 'Wowza, wowza, wowza.' She was pin-up girl material, that's for certain

JR: Wow! All I can say is 'Thank you'. I know that people here are going to ask me for a picture of you, so your timing is perfect. The bikini picture will NOT be shared. I'm stingy that way.

ROCKIE: I would expect nothing less of my gentleman. I'll call you after the ceremony.

JR: Enjoy the wedding. Take lots of notes.

ROCKIE: Are you implying something, Mr. Brandt?

JR: Just that I may quiz you at some point. Call when you can my cherished one.

ROCKIE: You're making me cry and the ceremony hasn't even started. Feeling cherished. Bye.

As he put the phone away, he asked, "So, are you going to ask how the flight was?"

"Not much point. We were monitoring your flight on the web. Katie showed Cile the 'Flight Aware' website, and now they're both experts on tracking flights. By the way, they want you to get your instructor certification, so they can take flying lessons from you."

"Why me? Why don't you get your instructor certification so that you can teach them?"

Joey laughed, "We're both off the hook. They're each getting flying lessons from Santa Claus this year, so don't spoil the surprise. Anyway, your flight doesn't interest me, but details on the new girl do."

"I've already filled you in on most of it when we spoke on Sunday about her ex-roommate. You'll get a chance to meet her over Thanksgiving. She'll be driving out with me."

"Is it true that she looks like a cross between your mom and Katie?"

"There are a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. I'll show you a picture when we get to the house. What's new with you and Jennifer?"

"She's excited and scared at the same time. Excited that we're going to be moving in together, but scared that her parents might stop paying for law school when they find out."

"I thought her parents liked you," JR said.

Joey nodded and said, "As Jen puts it, 'Liking the boy that your daughter is dating is night and day different from liking the man that she is living with.' We're planning to tell them of our plans tomorrow, so we'll see."

"Well, good luck."

"What about you and Rockie? Any plans to move your relationship along the same path?"

"I think that we both hope for the potential of that, but our situation is complicated by her having a job in Orange County. When I graduate in December, I had planned to move to College Station. I'm not sure how we'll deal with that when the time comes."

"What kind of work does she do?"

"She doesn't know that I know, but she is essentially an ethical hacker. She is a Certified Network Defense Architect specializing in 'White Hat', and sometimes 'Gray Hat' attacks on their clients' networks."

"What company does she work for?" Joey asked.

"BWH"

"You're kidding!" said Joey. "She works for your dad?"

"Yes and no. BWH is jointly owned by my dad and Wallace Holdings. She works for Karen Mason, who reports jointly to my dad and Sean Wallace, neither of whom show up anywhere within the BWH leadership structure."

"Does she know that you're rich?"

"All she knows right now is that I have a college fund that pays for my education and provides a substantial allowance for living expenses. My parents suggested that I wait until she is visiting our home at Thanksgiving to tell her about my trust funds."

"Do you need to stop for anything before we get to the house?"

They had just exited the freeway onto US Highway 87. In less than a mile they would be past most stores and businesses as the rural countryside took over.

"No, I'm good for one night. Are you and Jen going to join us at the church tonight?"

"That's the plan," Joey said. "There aren't too many more years ahead where Cile will want to dress up for Halloween, so I want to take advantage of them while they last. Do you know what she and Katie have decided to dress as?"

"No, what?"

Joey laughed and said, "I'll let them surprise you".

When they pulled onto the driveway to the house with only five minutes to spare of Joey's deadline, JR saw the family Sheltie, Spenser raise his head and give a single bark. Gone were the days when the dog would have run out to the drive to see who was coming. He was almost twelve-years-old and arthritis was starting to take its toll on his movements.

Katie and Cile must have heard the single bark, because they were through the front door and running to the driveway before the truck came to a stop. Joey parked and turned off his truck, as the girls each took positions to welcome their respective brothers to the house.

Joey got out first while JR retrieved his bag from behind the seat. Cile wrapped her arms around him and said, "You're cutting it close, but I'm glad you made it in time. Katie was making a list of things to put in your food, and it would not have been pleasant."

Then she whispered, "I wouldn't have let her."

Katie impatiently opened JR's door for him, and then stood back to allow him to climb out of the truck. She threw her arms around her brother and literally crawled her way up his body until her face was level with his.

Looking him in the eyes, she kissed his cheek and said, "I've missed you sooo much."

"I've missed you too. Are Mom and Dad home?"

She led him towards the house with Joey and Cile following, "They're waiting for us in the kitchen. Mom's getting things ready for your haircut. Do you have a picture of Rockie? I promised Cile that she could see her."

They paused on the front porch while JR pulled out his cell phone and found the picture of Rockie in her new dress. He turned the phone for Katie to see the picture and asked, "Will this do?"

Katie took the phone from his hand and studied the picture before turning it for Cile and her brother to see.

"Isn't she the prettiest girl?"

Their cousins studied the picture for a few seconds, and then Joey turned and whispered in JR's ear, "You forgot to mention that your new girlfriend is African American..."

Chapter Thirteen

Rockie waited until she heard JR's garage door close, and then waited another ten minutes before deciding that he wasn't coming back.

She felt no guilt about spending a few minutes roaming around his condo before going back to her own to prepare for the wedding. She considered her research as constructive to their relationship since her intent was to gain greater insight into her partner. She even justified it by saying to herself that JR would have let her do it if she has asked him.

She knew where she wanted to start, and that was in the third bedroom upstairs where the door had been closed when she passed it last week. She suspected that this was the room where his sister slept when she stayed with him, and the decor of the room bore that out.

It wasn't overly feminine, but there were enough signs, such as the stuffed pony on the bed to tell the tale. Except for a pair of children's swim goggles in one of the dresser drawers and other pool and beach accessories on the floor of the closet, the room had only furniture in it.

The upstairs bathroom had one child's toothbrush in the holder on the counter, and several unopened adult toothbrushes in the drawer. The combination shower tub was spotless behind the seashore themed curtain. In fact, the entire bathroom was spotless, which made her wonder if JR even used it when he was upstairs studying.

She saw her reflection in the mirror and paused. She reflected once more on her appearance and how much JR had genuinely been appreciative of seeing her as she still looked. Her curly hair was still in disarray around her face, but the post-sleep puffiness was no longer evident in her eyes. The fabric of her pajama top did little to disguise the arousal that was still evident by her distended nipples, and he had shown appreciation in that as well. Her B-cup sized breasts didn't provide her with the most alluring cleavage, but she was proud of their shape and tried to wear clothes that flattered them.

She knew that the next closed door upstairs was a linen closet because she had the same thing in her condo. To be complete in her research, she opened the door to inspect the contents. Boring. Just shelves stacked with spare towels and bed linens, but she did decide that she was going to either have JR teach her how to fold fitted sheets like he did, or ask him to fold hers. The fourth bedroom held a king-sized bed and dresser, but not much else.

Back in the study room, she familiarized herself with what she had seen previously. Everything was still in the same place as before, so she started at the desk. The surface was clear, without a speck of dust on it. She sat in the chair in front of the desk and considered the drawers. There were two small drawers in each of the pedestals, and a locking file-sized drawer beneath them.

She opened the top right drawer and saw an organizer filled with pens, pencils, paper clips and rubber bands. There was a roll of postage stamps in a holder, along with a stapler and a pair of scissors. The drawer below it contained an assortment of device chargers and USB cables. These weren't as organized, but they were all bound neatly and could easily be identified when needed. The bottom file drawer was locked, which she had expected, so she moved over to the left set of drawers.

The top drawer on this side was a surprise. It was filled about halfway with newspaper and magazine articles that someone had either written comments on the pages, or affixed sticky notes for the same purpose. She pulled a few out to examine them and saw that they were all financial in nature. Stories or reports on companies or technologies, primarily in other countries.

Most of them detailed the start of a new Chinese or Indian company that was manufacturing a product or marketing a technology that they hoped to eventually enter the American market with. Browsing some of the comments that accompanied the articles, she recognized that an analysis had been done on each one that focused upon the overall investment risks it presented.

She placed the papers back as she had found them, and then opened the second drawer. It too contained papers, but these appeared to be print outs of spreadsheets. Examining a few of them, she recognized that they were all the same basic spreadsheet template, just with different information on each. Someone was doing a comparative financial analysis of data from multiple sources.

Rockie was not a CPA or a stockbroker, and she had never had the means to do any investing of her own, but she knew enough about it to recognize stock symbols and understand a lot of the terminology associated with it. Someone, and she had to assume it was JR, was doing some serious investigation and analysis of foreign companies and their stock market potential.

Putting everything back once more and confirming that the left file drawer was also locked, she turned her attention to the bookcase. Where she had noticed an eclectic assortment of books previously, she now examined them closer.

Yes, there were lots of textbooks related to biology and other courses that JR would have taken, or was currently taking, as well as several fiction and non-fiction novels. She now noticed a disproportionate number of books on economics, financial markets, different investment theories, and banking principles from around the world.

One other item caught her eye since it had apparently been referenced more often than the others. It was a two-inch three-ring binder without any label on its spine to identify its contents. She removed it from the shelf and opened the front cover. It contained hundreds of pages that were obviously print-outs from the Internet. The pages were all from the same website, which she had heard of but never visited, "The CIA World Factbook".

Flipping through the pages, she saw that the pages were almost all related to China, and focused upon the political dynamics of the communist country. The pages were printed at different time periods, apparently whenever something changed in the eyes of the CIA which would potentially impact that country's economy or free-market policies. She put the binder back on the shelf.

She left the room and returned downstairs, questioning the whole time why someone majoring in molecular biology would be so interested in the world's financial markets. Now she had to find a way to broach the subject with JR.

She retrieved her clothes from yesterday, slipped into her sandals and made one final examination of his condo. Their juice glasses were still on the kitchen counter, so she placed them in the sink before picking up her purse. She would add them to the dishwasher and run it this evening after adding a few items from her condo to it.

Checking the time on the microwave, she felt relatively certain that she could dash the short distance to her front door wearing the pajamas without anyone seeing her. This is exactly what she did.

The first cramp occurred while she was in the shower. She had counted back in her mind and confirmed that her last period had ended twenty-eight days prior. She was still as regular as clockwork. Counting ahead fourteen days, which would be another Saturday, she made a mental note that maybe she and JR should not sleep naked together the Friday night before. Why tempt fate and take unnecessary chances? She was also relieved to know that her next period should not begin until they had returned from their Thanksgiving trip.

After drying off, she checked the tampon holder in her purse to be certain it was stocked. As she returned to the bathroom, she saw the shopping bag that she had left on her bed and started formulating an idea. After applying her make-up, she put her hair in a barrette, and then slipped on her new bikini.

In the side table next to her bed, she found her digital camera and table-top tripod. She screwed the two items together as she walked out to the living room. Placing the tripod-mounted camera on the dining room table, she surveyed the area within view to find the best location to pose.

The blinds covering the patio door were open to let light in for the five vases of roses that sat on the floor in front of it. She turned on all the lights in the living room before closing the blinds and judged that the lighting would be adequate when combined with the camera's built-in flash. The off-white color of the blinds would provide a suitable backdrop as well.

She kept setting the delay timer on the camera, taking over twenty pictures to test various poses and exposure settings before deciding on the one she wanted to send JR.

The thought of him having such a provocative picture of her was exciting. She had never allowed anyone to take a picture of her like this, especially Brad, who had finally stopped begging her for one after years of refusal. Presenting herself to JR in this manner was different, because he was so different.

She configured the camera with the settings that had produced the picture she had chosen, and then went back to the bathroom to finish her hairdo for the wedding. She didn't take the bikini off until it was time to change into the lingerie that she would be wearing under the dress.

The lingerie was new too, and she decided to get a picture of her in only those items before putting on the dress. Though she was more covered with the camisole, panties, garter belt and nylons than she had been in the bikini, she knew that she would not be sending this picture to JR. She just wanted it for a possible future present for him.

She only had to take five pictures in the dress before finding the one she would send to JR. She transferred both pictures from the camera to her cell phone.

The wedding that she had been invited to was for a woman that worked for her company, named Lisa, whom Rockie had had after-work drinks with a few times, and they ate lunch together at least once a week. She was among approximately a dozen of her coworkers that Lisa had invited to her wedding, so Rockie assumed that there would be some people there that she knew. The ceremony was being held at a church in Corona, so Rockie left herself plenty of time to make the drive to the edge of the Inland Empire.

During the drive, she debated about when to send the pictures to JR. He would still be on his flight for another two to three hours, so she decided to wait until she arrived at the church parking lot to send them.

Her transponder allowed her to bypass the toll booths on the Foothill toll roads that dumped her onto the 91 freeway just a few exits from the off-ramp she needed to take for the church.

She sat in her car with the air-conditioner running while she sent first the bikini picture, and then the dress picture to JR's cell phone, each in a separate text. Once she saw that they had been sent successfully, she started scrolling through all the pictures that she had taken of JR over the past week.

Some of these pictures he knew about, because he had seen her take them and was smiling back at her. Others were candid shots that she had taken without his knowledge, usually while he was preoccupied working around the complex, cooking their meal, or reading.

Her favorite so far was a selfie of the two of them that she had taken last Sunday after the church service. They looked like two people completely comfortable with each other as they sat on the blanket at the beach. The breaking ocean waves were visible in the background, and even a few seagulls were included to add more depth to the overall image.

She took a few minutes to change the wallpaper on her cell phone to this picture before getting out of her car and heading to the church.

She had been sitting in a pew chatting quietly with another coworker that she recognized but didn't really know very well when a tall, handsome man slid in next to her, followed by Karen Mason.

Karen leaned past the man and said, "Hi Rochelle, I hope you don't mind us joining you. This is my husband, Kyle."

"Of course not Mrs. Mason. I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Mason."

Kyle smiled warmly and shook Rockie's offered hand.

"Please, call me Kyle. I've heard a lot of impressive things about you, Rochelle, so I'm glad to finally put a face to the accolades."

Rockie blushed and said, "Thank you. Please call me Rockie. I am honored to be mentored by your wife. I hope that I can live up to everyone's expectations."

"We have every confidence that you will exceed them," Karen told her. "Now, let's enjoy the opportunity to celebrate this day with the happy couple. Will you sit with us at the reception? Did you come with anyone? Everyone in the office is talking about your boyfriend and the daily delivery of roses."

It seemed awkward to be holding a conversation with her husband sitting between them, but Karen had moved forward in her seat to look around him, and he had cooperated by sitting straight against the back of the pew so that their view of each was not obstructed.

"My boyfriend couldn't make it," Rockie explained. "He had to fly home to Texas for the weekend."

Karen laughed, "You're not just milking the mystery by hiding him from us, are you?"

"I do have a picture of us together if you would like to see him."

She found the picture of her phone and handed the device to Karen. Kyle looked at the picture with his wife at the same time.

Laughing at it, he said, "He needs a haircut."

Feeling a need to defend JR, Rockie said, "He has been waiting for this trip home to get it cut. He wants to give his mom the pleasure of doing it. She is the only person to have ever cut his hair, so it's a special thing between mother and son. I think it's adorable."

Karen handed the phone back to her and said, "I do too."

The text from JR letting her know that he had arrived came just as the audience was settling down in preparation for the ceremony to begin. She quickly replied to each of his texts and then put her phone back into her purse.

Karen and Kyle were whispering things between themselves that she couldn't hear, but one of them would turn and smile at Rockie from time to time.

She had all but decided to skip the reception after the ceremony, but now considered how it might be viewed by Karen Mason if she did so. Appearing anti-social at an event like this probably wasn't a smart career move. She wanted to call JR though, so while the rest of the guests waited for the wedding party to get pictures taken in the church, or already started heading to the reception, she went to her car. Starting the engine so that she could run the air conditioner, she waited for her phone to pair with the hands-free Bluetooth built in the car, and then dialed his number.

"Hi, Rockie!" came the enthusiastic voice that she recognized as belonging to his sister Katie.

"JR's got his head in the sink while Mom washes his hair. He wants me to ask if he can call you back in a few minutes."

Rockie laughed and said, "Wait, Katie, do you know how to do a video call using JR's phone?"

"No."

Rockie quickly explained where to find the icon on the screen and asked Katie to push it, and then point the camera at JR so she could watch him getting his hair washed and cut. She thought that she heard JR objecting and his mom laughing as Katie followed her instructions over the speakerphone. Katie was giggling her head off as she tried to find a place that would give the best picture of JR and his mom, yet keep her out of his reach so he couldn't grab the phone.

While she waited for Katie to get into position, Rockie activated her own video feature so that they would be able to see her on their end. Katie was the only one able to see her since she was pointing the camera at JR rather than activating the front-side camera. Rockie was okay with that.

"You are so pretty," Katie said to Rockie's image. "JR showed us a picture of you in the dress you're wearing. Was the picture from today?"

"Yes, it is from earlier today. I wore it to a wedding I am attending."

"Oh, I love weddings," Katie said. "Will you let me help with your wedding when you marry JR?"

"Don't be a pest, Katie."

The admonishment coming from her mom. "It is a beautiful dress, Rochelle, and you look beautiful in it."

JR was trying to say something too, but with his head in the sink under running water, his words were unintelligible. His mother turned off the water, wrapped a towel around his head, and started vigorously drying it. When she was satisfied, she placed the towel over his shoulders, turned him around, and led him to a waiting kitchen stool.

JR looked at the cell phone in Katie's hand and just waved sheepishly. His mother wasted no time in attacking his hair with impressive skills and practiced ease. Rockie watched silently as the long, shaggy locks of hair fell to the masterful snipping of scissors in his mother's hand.

She watched in amazement as JR's facial features became more mature as his hair grew shorter. She saw his ears clearly for the first time and saw perfection worth some serious attention from her mouth. His hazel eyes seemed to become an even more prominent feature as they stared back at her through his cell phone camera.

She must have been blind. She had recognized that JR was good looking and acknowledged that other women found him as attractive as she did, but now she saw God-like handsomeness in him that she had somehow missed. She wasn't the least bit concerned about his effect on other women, she was actually feeling an overwhelming pride in her guy.

His mother had placed a wet hand towel into the microwave and was now gingerly removing the hot towel with a pair of metal tongs. She waved it around for a few seconds to cool it off before folding it and wrapping it around the back of JR's neck. He cringed momentarily as the warm towel made contact with his skin but didn't object.

The routine was obviously familiar to him. His mother left the towel sitting in place while she whipped up some shaving suds in an old-fashion mug. When she was satisfied with the mixture, she removed the towel and used a brush to apply the suds to JR's neck, and around his ears.

Rockie wondered if she could ever learn, and if JR would ever trust her enough to use the straight razor that his mother now held, to shave the back of his neck and other places on his head or face. He obviously trusted his mom, which once again tugged at Rockie's heart. The mother-son bond between these two was so endearing to her. She envied them so much for it, just as she envied the bonds she continued to witness between JR and his little sister.

While she hadn't seen anything to prove it, other than his car, she sensed that a similar bond of love existed between father and son. For her, the common denominator was JR, and she prayed that they would have a bond like those someday.

While his mother finished cleaning the residual suds with a wet washcloth, JR asked Katie to hand him his phone. As soon as he had it in his hand, he switched to the front-facing camera so that he and Rockie could see each other.

"Sorry to put you through that," he said with a grin.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Your mom is amazingly patient with you."

"I've had lots of practice," she heard his mom reply.

JR laughed, "The practice came with my dad. I'm just the beneficiary."

"Don't sell yourself short, buster," his mom laughed in the background.

"How was the wedding?" he asked.

"Thankfully short. I hadn't planned on going to the reception, but then Karen Mason showed up with her husband and they sat right beside me. You remember, she's the President of our company who is mentoring me in the Emerging Leaders program. Her and her husband have asked me to sit with them at the reception, so now I feel obligated to go. By the way, please send me a picture with your hair cut that I can share with them. I showed them the picture of us at the beach and they both thought that you needed it cut. I would like them to see my guy now. I am so proud of how you look."

"I'll make sure that we get a picture of JR that you can share," she heard his mother say. "But he needs to move right now so that I can sweep up his hair from the floor."

Chapter Fourteen

"I believe the accepted term is still 'mulatto'," said JR's dad.

JR's family had been joined for an early dinner by Joey, Cile, his Aunt Franc, and Uncle Jason. Each had just taken a turn looking at the picture of Rockie in the blue dress.

Joey had repeated his observation that JR had neglected to mention that his new girlfriend was African-American.

"She's beautiful," Franc observed. "She kind of reminds me of Vanessa Williams, when she won the Miss America Pageant in the early eighties. Her eyes are amazing."

"She reminds me of Aunt Patty with a tan," said Cile.

Patty objected, "I wish I could tan that well. Her skin looks so soft and smooth, and the tone makes her look so exotic.

"Guys, come on," JR interjected. "I admit that she's pretty, beautiful even..."

"Beautiful?" Jason said. "Son, you're not even in her league. Count your blessings that she gives you the time of day."

"Hey!" said Patty. "My son is no slouch. Any woman should be proud to be seen with him, at least now that he doesn't look like a homeless bum."

"What's mulatto?" asked Katie.

Everyone at the table deferred to JR's dad.

"It's a term used to describe a person whose mother is one race and her father is another."

"I don't understand," Katie said.

"You know that Kevin St. Claire on Swamp Cypress Drive is a different race than you, right?"

Katie nodded and said, "He's black and I'm white. So?"

"Well, the proper names for your races would be African-American and Caucasian," her father told her.

"If one parent is African-American, and the other is Caucasian, their children would be part one race and part the other. The term used to describe this mix is 'mulatto'. That's what Rockie is. One of her parents was Caucasian, and one of her parents was African-American."

"But why does that matter?" asked Katie.

"It doesn't," said JR. "Except that it adds to her beauty."

"Is she really going to come with you at Thanksgiving?" asked Katie.

"She said she would," JR answered. "She's anxious to meet all of you."

"And we're anxious to meet her," said his Aunt Franc.

"So, tell me about the problems with your radio," his father asked of JR.

"One of the tuner transistors seems to be overheating. It won't hold a station once it warms up. I was going to borrow a multimeter from Bryce but wanted to run the symptoms by you first."

His father nodded, "It could be a transistor, but it could also be a leaking capacitor. I'll send Bryce a list of components that you can pick up and bring with you. We'll work on it together while you're here."

"I would like that. Thanks, Dad."

"Katie, you and Cile better go start getting your costumes on," said Patty. "JR and Joey agreed to clear the table and do the dishes for you girls. Do you need me or Franc to help you get ready?"

The two girls pushed their chairs back quickly and stood up.

"We have already practiced wearing our costumes and can help each other if we need to," Katie said. "We'll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes."

"The Trunk-or-Treat event doesn't begin until after dark and that's almost two hours from now," Patty reminded them. "You have plenty of time."

"Katie, I put a box of seashells from Grandma onto your bed," said JR. "You and Cile may want to clean them before you put on your costumes. You know how smelly they can get if they're not cleaned and you can't assume that Grandma remembered to do it."

"If the shells are anything like the last ones she sent me, they're mostly pieces of trash that she picked up on the beach. It's sad that Grandma mistakes anything she sees on the sand for a real shell, but I will check them out and write her a thank you note."

The two girls headed to Katie's room while JR and Joey began clearing the table. Their parents retreated to the family room to wait for the few Trick-or-Treaters that would come to the door tonight.

Joey started rinsing the dishes while JR put the leftovers into containers and condiments into the refrigerator. JR spoke loud enough to be heard over the running water, but not so loud that the parents would hear in the family room.

"Your dad is right," JR said, "I am nowhere close to being in the same league as Rockie. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to realize that she is as beautiful as everyone else thinks she is. Even though guys flock all around her, she thinks it is normal 'male' behavior and not related to her looks."

"Does she have a low self-esteem?" Joey asked.

"Not at all. She may be a little introverted with people she doesn't know very well, but with me, she has a sexy innocence that she is very aware of. She gets a kick out of teasing me, with her body and her actions. She tends to use sarcasm frequently, and I think she likes to be challenged intellectually."

"Well then, you're screwed," Joey teased.

"Haha," replied JR as he came to stand next to Joey at the sink, "You wash, and I'll dry."

"How far have you two gone physically?"

"We had our first French kiss this morning. Other than that, things have been tame but intimate. We hold hands a lot, cuddle on the couch and stuff like that. She did give me a massage last night that was the most arousing experience of my life. Oh, and we slept together last night but didn't have sex or anything."

"You're taking it slow. That's good."

"She's not making it easy. If you think her face is beautiful, you should see the whole package..."

"You've seen her 'whole package' but you guys haven't had sex? Explain that one to me."

"I think she got inspired by seeing me naked one morning last week. She had knocked on my door around four-thirty in the morning as a joke. I answered the door, half asleep and didn't think about my lack of clothes when I let her in. She spent all evening at my place wearing nothing but her string bikini, purposely teasing me. Last night she stripped out of her clothes right in front of me before putting on her pajamas, and this morning she joined me in my bed wearing nothing but her devilish smile."

Joey laughed at his cousin's dilemma and said, "Must really be putting your virtue to the test."

"I'm enjoying it. Actually, I'm enjoying 'us'. It's like we're playing a game that involves just the two of us and we're making up the rules as we go along. Meeting Rockie was unexpected, falling for her was unexpected, and her falling for me was definitely unexpected. She says that her desire is for us to eventually become lovers, and while she is trying to get there faster than me, I am enjoying the journey with her."

"Well, I'm happy for you," said Joey, "and I can't wait to meet her. This is the last one."

He handed him the last dish that needed to be dried, and then drained the sink. JR put the dried dishes away and then used the damp towel to wipe out the sinks before hanging it up to dry.

"I'm going to go pick up Jen," Joey told his cousin. "We'll catch up with you at the church parking lot."

"Sounds good. I'll be there with the girls around six-thirty."

JR went up to his bedroom and launched the messaging app on his cell phone to see if he had received anything new from Rockie. There was one from about five minutes ago.

ROCKIE: I wish you were here with me. A wedding reception is no place for a girl on her own.

JR: I wish I was with you everywhere. I promise to go to the next wedding with you.

ROCKIE: I would like that. Thanks for the picture. It has come in handy.

JR: Using it to ward off suitors, dance requests and the like?

ROCKIE: No, silly boy. My sitting at a table with the President of the company seems to discourage most guys, but there have been a couple that I have had to politely decline offers from. Your picture comes in handy with the curious women from my office. Now I can show them what the mystery man looks like.

JR: You know you are free to dance with anyone you want to. I won't mind.

ROCKIE: What you don't understand, JR, is that YOU are my guy. I don't want to do ANYTHING with anyone else but you, and I want to do EVERYTHING with you. I can't take my mind off of you, and I don't want to.

JR: I feel the same way about you, Rockie. How much longer are you going to be there?

ROCKIE: I was just preparing to say my good-byes when you returned my text. While I have you, can I ask you something?

JR: Sure

ROCKIE: Can I sleep in your bed tonight? It will make me feel closer to you, and you have more pillows on yours than I do. I started my period today, so having pillows to hug to my stomach and support my back will help with the cramps.

JR: Of course. There is also a hot water bottle under the sink in the master bathroom and a heating pad in the linen closet if you think those might help.

ROCKIE: They might make me too warm, but it's nice to know they're available if I need them.

JR: Will you do me a favor?

ROCKIE: Anything.

JR: Please put on more of your perfume before going to bed. I want your scent to linger for days.

ROCKIE: Maybe we should just start sleeping together every night. You could help care for my cramps when I have them, and I can stink up the place for you.

JR: Do you think we could be 'good' every night instead of only having to be good one night each week?

ROCKIE: In all honesty, I'm having difficulty remembering why we have to be good at all.

JR: I can handle delayed gratification.

ROCKIE: Well I can't! Well, I can, but I don't like to.

JR: I'll file that detail away for Christmas time.

ROCKIE: Oh, I also shake all the presents with my name on the tag. I thought you ought to know.

JR: That reminds me, when is your birthday?

ROCKIE: November twenty-second. Why?

JR: That's perfect! Your birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year.

ROCKIE: Do you have a present picked out for me already?

JR: Yes, I do. Flannel pajamas with footsies.

ROCKIE: Cute. You can run, but you can't hide.

JR: I can be pretty nimble on my feet...

ROCKIE: I remember. I'm going to be heading home shortly. Will you call me before you go to bed?

JR: Sure thing. I'll send you a picture of Katie in her Halloween costume once she shows it to me.

ROCKIE: I would love to see her in it. Thanks.

JR: Drive safe. Bye.

ROCKIE: Always. Bye.

He heard the sound of the girls thundering down the stairs and calling his name. They obviously didn't know that he had come up to his room. Laughing at their excitement, he hurried after them. They had gone directly to the family room to show their costumes to their parents to get their approval. JR stood at the entrance to the room and started laughing out loud when he saw what they were wearing.

Each of the girls was wearing one of their respective brother's Little League uniforms. Judging by the size of the girls, these must have been from when the boys had just moved up to Little League from the T-Ball League.

Joey's uniform had his last name, 'Reid' above the number seven, and JR's uniform had his last name above the number six. Their team had been the 'Angels' that year, which was very appropriate now when he saw the girls' faces smiling back at him. They were definitely little angels.

"JR, we need your help," Katie pleaded. "Mom says that we don't need to put shoe polish under our eyes because it will be dark, but it's part of our costumes. You and Joey used to wear it all the time."

JR saw his mom biting her lip to stifle a laugh. He suspected that she had set him up for this and he loved her for it.

"Let me go get my shoe polish and I'll fix you both up. Wait here a minute".

The girls both squealed with delight and sat down cross-legged on the floor to wait for his return. He came back into the room and made big production for the parents' benefit and the girls' enjoyment describing the only proper way to apply shoe polish under each eye.

"Now it may start to feel a little strange once it starts to dry, but don't touch it or you'll smear it all over your face," he warned them, knowing that this is exactly what was going to happen.

"Can I borrow the Yukon Dad?" he asked.

"You better take your mom's new car. I may need the Yukon if an alarm comes in."

"The key fob is on the hook," his mom offered, "and there better not be any shoe polish anywhere in it tomorrow. Understand me, girls?"

"Yes ma'am," the girls said in unison, as they picked up their baseball gloves and pillowcases to hold candy, and then followed JR into the kitchen giggling the whole way.

"I didn't know that Mom had gotten a new car," he said to Katie as he located the key fob. It looked just like the one he saw Rockie use with her new car.

"She got it last week. The Volvo had too many miles on it she said. It's a Honda and it's really nice."

Katie led JR and Cile through the garage door, and she stood on her toes to reach the button that turned on the light and raised the garage door. JR saw a new Honda CRV that had the same Touring package as Rockie's, but this one was pearl white instead of silver. He opened the back door and both girls jumped in, one after the other. They had their seatbelts fastened before JR had taken his seat. He adjusted the seat and mirrors, and then started the car and backed out of the garage.

There had been a mass shooting at a church near here a couple of years back, so no one was surprised to see a couple of cars from the Wilson County Sheriff's office providing security for the parking lot.

Vehicles participating in the 'Trunk-or-Treat' event were parked in one section of the lot and visitors were being routed to another section. JR followed the attendants' signals and followed two other cars to find parking spots.

"Remember where we're parked in case we get separated," he told them as they started walking towards the event as a group.

Approaching the first row of vehicles parked to hand out candy, they saw Joey and his girlfriend Jennifer waving to them. Jen showed the girls her new tattoo of a Lone Star on her ankle and made a big deal about the costumes that Cile and Katie were wearing. She asked several questions about them and encouraged the girls to 'play the part' of baseball players who had just won their game. As Jen led the girls towards the first car in the row, JR's phone buzzed to indicate a message.

ROCKIE: I just wanted to let you know that I am home. Now the missing you really sets in. 

JR: Chin up, Sweetie. I'll call you in a little while.

ROCKIE: Sweetie? Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?

JR: You don't like my terms of endearment?

ROCKIE: I love all your endearments. It just surprised me.

JR: Everything about 'us' has surprised me. Happily surprised.

ROCKIE: Back at you, Cutie. Call when you can. Miss you.

JR and Joey followed Jen and the girls at a distance, watching their pillowcases starting to drag the ground from the weight of all the candy that they were collecting.

JR felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see a familiar pretty blonde head looking up at him.

"Hello Abby," he said. Joey continued walking to give his cousin some space.

"Hi, JR. I didn't know you were back home."

"It's just for the night. I promised Katie I would bring her here, so..."

"You never returned any of my e-mails or phone calls," Abby said.

"That's right."

"Are you still that mad at me?"

"As I told you, I'm not mad at you - I'm just done with you. We want different things in life, so I moved on. You should too. In fact, that was our problem, wasn't it? You moved on while we were still together."

"I told you that it was nothing. I was just trying to make you jealous..."

"Giving a blowjob to Tyler Grant and pulling a train with five guys on my own team would never make me jealous. It makes me pity you. I hope you find redemption, and I hope you find love. It just won't be with me."

"You had the money to take me to California with you, yet you refused. How do you think that made me feel?"

"And you were only interested in getting away from here and saw me as your ticket to do so. Your actions proved that you felt nothing for me, so why cry about it now?"

"I've changed, JR. I realized what I had in you and want to try to earn your trust again. I'm not asking for us to be together in California, but maybe we can see each other when you come home on occasion. Are you coming home for Thanksgiving?"

"Yes, and my girlfriend will be coming with me."

"Could you get away for a little while, so we could talk some more?"

"I could if I wanted to, but I don't want to. She is everything that you weren't, and I would never deceive her by sneaking away to spend time with someone else, especially you."

"Come on, JR..."

"Goodbye Abby." JR turned and looked for Joey and the girls. They were just turning to go up another row of vehicles.

"See you around, JR," Abby said as he walked away.

When he caught up with Joey, Jen and the girls, he asked the two in costume to pose with their pillowcases held in front of them, so he could get a picture. He then took a picture of Katie by herself. They only had one more row of vehicles to walk down and each brother took pillowcase carrying duty for his younger sister until they finished.

They split up when they returned to their cars, with Cile being driven home by Joey and Jen while JR and Katie rode together back to their home. It was traditional that Katie had to surrender her candy for inspection while she took a bath and got ready for bed, so she willingly complied as her parents met them in the kitchen.

"I'll let you know when I'm ready for bed, JR."

I'll be waiting anxiously for your signal, Katie."

Since she had been a toddler, Katie had been thrilled by her older brother running to the sound of a whistle that he had given her to signal that she needed him. Her parents were surprised that their daughter had never abused her brother by calling him under false pretenses or just to tease him. Whenever JR was home for any period of time, Katie kept her whistle handy and only used it when she really needed him, or to summon him for a kiss and hug goodnight.

He sat in the kitchen, talking to his parents while they sorted through the candy that Katie had collected, searching for anything suspicious.

"How do you like your new car, Mom?"

"I'm getting used to it. There are a lot of features that are more of a nuisance to me, but I'll get used to them."

"It's identical to the car that Rockie just bought, only a different color."

"Does she like hers?" his mom asked.

"She seems to, but until today, she has only driven it home from the dealer, and then to and from work."

"And she still doesn't know of the parts you played in her insurance settlement and car purchase?" asked his dad.

"No, I thought it best to keep those anonymous at the time. I'll play things by ear going forward. Our relationship is quite a bit different now than it was then."

"How so?" asked his mom.

"We're getting much closer, more intimate and sharing more between us. There is a comfort between us now that wasn't present last weekend."

"That's encouraging," his mom said with an acknowledging nod from his dad.

"You two have been a big help," he told them.

"What have we done," asked his mom.

"You've given me the best example," he said, and then explained his confusion to them. Then they heard the whistle blow.

Chapter Fifteen

His parents had retired to their bedroom by the time that he and Katie had finished saying goodnight. She had insisted on showing him all the art, book reports and other school work that she had done since the last time he had been home. He patiently sat with her hopping off and on his lap to retrieve one thing after another for his review and approval. Katie had never been satisfied with anyone else's approval except JR's, and she had a large stockpile of items to share with him.

When he was finally tucking her into bed, she said, "Abby was at the church. Did you see her?"

He nodded and said, "She saw me first. We spoke for a few minutes."

"She stopped coming to the house asking about you over the summer, but I know that she is still trying to check up on you through other people. Did she ask you to take her out again?"

"Sort of, she wanted to get together when I come home for Thanksgiving, but I told her that I wasn't interested."

"JR, you're not gay, right? I heard that Abby was telling people that you two broke up because you were gay."

Laughing, he said, "No, Katie, I am not gay. I like girls, but they must be the right girls. Abby isn't one of them and that bothers her."

"Is Rockie one of the right girls?"

"Definitely. I really like Rockie."

"I like her too. She's fun and I know that she makes you happy. She's prettier than any of your other girlfriends too. Is she really going to come with you at Thanksgiving?"

"That's our plan. Is her joining us okay with you?"

"Of course! Cile and I want to go shopping with her so she can help us pick out studs for our ears. Mom and Aunt Franc say we can get our ears pierced when we're thirteen, so we are going to give studs to each other for Christmas presents."

"I think that she'll like that, but do me a favor, if she sees something that she says she likes, let me know what it is so I can get it for her for Christmas. Us guys need help buying for girls, so I'm counting on you being my secret shopping elf. Okay?"

Katie giggled with excitement over the prospect of helping JR. He had always included her in little secret plots and she had always been his most loyal and trustworthy co-conspirator. Neither of them had ever betrayed the other's confidence and they trusted each other completely. He thought that having the same trust between him and Rockie was a goal he wanted to eventually reach.

With his parents in their bedroom, JR decided not to bother them any further tonight. He was still on west coast time, and his body wasn't yet tired enough for sleep, so he decided to see if Rockie was available to chat.

JR: Knock, knock

ROCKIE: Whose there?

JR: Honey Bee

ROCKIE: Honey Bee who?

JR: Honey Bee a dear and call me

ROCKIE: Is this the result of you being around an twelve-year-old girl for a few hours?

JR: Actually, I think I'm suffering withdrawals from my addiction. I need an intervention.

ROCKIE: I think you need one too. Fortunately, I have an opening in my schedule right now, so I'll call you.

He settled into the chair at the desk in his bedroom and answered her call, "Whew! That was cutting it close."

Rockie was giggling, "You did seem close to the edge. I'm glad I was able to get to you in time."

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm doing okay. The cramps have subsided for now, but they are usually worse when I am trying to sleep, so hopefully, your pillows will help there. I have a confession for you, though."

"If you're referring to snooping around my place, don't worry about it. I would expect nothing less from you. It's encouraging for me to know that you're still interested enough in me to take the time to learn more. Did you find anything that causes you concern?"

"How did you..."

"I didn't know that you did, but I hoped that you would. I gave you the opportunity to learn more about me on your own, and you took advantage of it. You wouldn't have found anything that I didn't want you to find."

"How do you know that I didn't pick the locks on the file drawers?"

"Because I trust you to respect the limits, and you have haven't disappointed me yet. If you want to go through those file drawers, just ask."

JR thought he heard a slight sob as she said, "I think I'm learning more about you by not going through them. More about you and me. More about us as a couple. Being here without you is harder than I imagined, so I guess I need an intervention too."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think seeing your beautiful face is exactly what I need right now to help me cope. Can we switch to video chat?"

"I like the way you think, Cutie. Let's do it."

JR selected his video chat feature and waited until he saw Rockie's face on his screen. She had removed her makeup and wrapped her hair into a knot on top of her head. He could see that she was propped up, leaning against pillows in his bed. That explained her bare shoulders, and he knew that there would be more of her bare beneath those.

"You have made quite an impression on my family today," he told her.

"The pictures? Which ones did you show them?"

"The picture that you took in my car and the picture of you in your new blue dress, but you getting Katie to help you watch my mom cut my hair was what really struck a chord with everyone. It's the kind of playful, intimate thing that one of my parents would have done with the other. They like the effect that you have had on me."

"I'm just responding to you, JR. I can't take credit for the things that you inspire me to do. Things that I would never do without you in my life. You need to know that."

"You're pretty inspiring yourself, just in case the roses didn't give you a clue."

"Oh, I got the clue, and I am pretty sure that I am going to be getting a lot more clues from you, aren't I?"

"Do you mind my public displays of affection?" he asked.

"I adore them, but I don't want you thinking that our private displays of affection aren't adequate for me. You are the best boyfriend a girl could possibly ask for."

"Well, as my uncle and cousin both pointed out to everyone today, you are way out of my league, so I had better play at the top of my game if I have any expectation of you sticking with me."

"What? I don't believe you. Every woman that sees your picture swoons over it, so if anyone is out of their league, it's me. You make me so proud every time we're seen together, and that was before you got your hair cut. I'm afraid that I'm going to look like a troll next to you now."

He chuckled, "I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree."

"JR, were there any comments from your family about..."

"Your tan? Sure."

"Is it too dark?"

"Rockie, the color of your skin is never going to be an issue for me or anyone in my family. In fact, Katie pointed out that my mom gets as dark as you when she has a good tan."

"But I can get a lot darker when I tan."

"Good, because I think tan lines are sexy."

She giggled, "Well then, maybe I'll work on my tan tomorrow instead of going paddle boarding. Is your flight on schedule for tomorrow afternoon, and will you be home in time for us to have dinner together?"

"I will probably be leaving here in the morning rather than the afternoon. When I pulled the weather report before taking off yesterday it mentioned a cold front moving down from Colorado on Sunday afternoon, so I will pull another report in the morning and decide then."

There was silence for several seconds as Rockie just stared at her cell phone screen, studying his face.

"JR, are you flying yourself on this trip? Do you own an airplane?"

"No, I don't own a plane. When I fly to and from home I rent one, usually a Baron G58 twin-engine because it has the range to go the distance without refueling."

"So, you're flying by yourself, without a copilot or anyone else?"

Her eyes were widening as her excitement increased.

"Will you take me flying sometime? I've never been on an airplane of any type."

"Of course. In fact, since you have never been on an airplane, you obviously have never seen a sunset from the sky. My forty-eight-hour rental period isn't over until Monday morning, so if you would like, I can fly us over to Catalina Island for dinner and you can watch the sunset from the plane. Would you like that?"

"I would love that," she screamed, bouncing in excitement, which exposed her bare breasts to his view.

She settled down and pulled the covers back up while he laughed his head off at her jubilation.

"I'm so excited right now that I probably won't get a wink of sleep tonight," she told him.

"There's one catch, though..."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Since I won't have time to take you flying tomorrow evening and finish my lab summary for class Monday, I need to get off the phone now so I can get it done tonight."

She threw her arms up in mock agitation, "The sacrifices that a girl has to make just to get her first ride in an airplane!"

He chuckled and asked, "Do you have everything you need there for the night?"

Rockie nodded and said with a grin, "I have all my clothes for tomorrow in your closet and a toiletry kit in your bathroom. I may commandeer one of your dresser drawers soon if I like this arrangement as much as I think I will."

"I like the idea of you getting comfortable in my place. Make yourself at home all you want."

"It won't be home until you're back here with me, but I appreciate you letting me sleep in your bed tonight. It helps with the loneliness more than I can tell you."

"Anything I can do to help," he said. "I need to get to the lab summary, but don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."

"I will," she said. "Goodnight, Cutie."

"Goodnight, Rockie. Sweetest dreams."

Once JR's face had disappeared from her screen, Rockie plugged the charger into the phone and set it on the bedside table. She pulled her laptop back onto her lap and returned to her project.

Since she had read the 2014 study by Gareth Owen from the University of Portsmouth, which found that the most commonly hosted type of content on the Darknet was child pornography, she had made it her mission to find a way to break the layered encryption in the Deep Web that the exploiters of children hid behind. It had been like tracking gophers in a one-hundred-acre field of crops.

She could see where they surfaced when they came onto the Worldwide web to visit social media and other sites looking for children, but tracking them back down the hole into the myriad of tunnels and layers within the Deep Web had been daunting. She had developed a variant of the "whoami" Linux command line instruction and was currently working on methods to make it viral within some of the most popular social media sites, such as Facebook.

She had performed numerous successful White Hat penetrations of Facebook servers in the past, so she had been confident that she could penetrate them again to plant the virus, and she was right. Her current challenge was that in order to catch the predators, the virus was targeting every user, so she needed to develop the algorithms that would allow her program to disregard any users whose internet routing never included Deep Net sites.

With the millions of users on Facebook, filtering out the predators would take some serious processing, which is why she had decided to start with them, and also to piggy-back onto their servers for the processing power that existed there. Though she was only testing her algorithms, she needed to disguise the processing activity as maintenance operations, so she had to select the right times to avoid detection. She had been monitoring the Saturday night maintenance schedules on their servers for months and was confident that tonight would be an ideal time to perform her tests.

She set the timer for the processing to begin and exited the server maintenance console within the Facebook system. With nothing remaining to monitor for the tests to start running at midnight local time, she moved on to her other current project; JR.

Opening the spreadsheet that she had created for the purpose, she started entering the inventory of his freezer, refrigerator and pantry that she had compiled earlier. This inventory was entered on a spreadsheet tab different from the clothing inventory, cleaning supply inventory, and toiletry inventory that she had already entered. The food items were entered by brand name, size of container and quantity.

This spreadsheet would be converted into an app for her cell phone that would allow her to start analyzing and keep track of the things that he liked to eat, the size and style of his different clothing items, which laundry detergent and other cleaning supplies he preferred, and even his brands of toilet paper, soap, shampoo and toothpaste. She didn't want to ever disappoint her guy.

Chapter Sixteen

"I'll be back to pick you up at noon," JR said as he opened her door at the curb in front of the employee entrance. "If you think of anything that you forgot to pack, text me and I'll bring it with me."

Rockie rose out of her seat and stood to hug him, "I'm pretty sure that I have everything, but I'll let you know if anything comes to mind. I can't wait to get started."

"Me too. Have a good morning."

They kissed quickly, and she hurried into the building. JR climbed back into his car and headed back to his condo. He needed to finish his packing in preparation for their trip to his home in Texas. Rockie's bags were already packed and in his living room, so when his bag was ready, he could get all of them situated into the cargo area of his car.

Rockie settled into the chair at her desk and woke up her laptop. She couldn't wait to see which song that JR had sent her a link to this morning. She thought back to the last three weeks and how he had continued to display his caring and affection for her in such wonderful and romantic ways.

As agreed, when he had returned from his Halloween trip, she had met him at John Wayne Airport just after one o'clock in the afternoon. He had come into the office of the Field Based Operations building to meet her and file his new flight plan for their trip to Catalina Island, and then escorted her out to the airplane that he would be flying.

It was the same Baron G58 that he had flown home in, so while they waited for it to be refueled, he took her on a tour around the plane, performing his pre-flight checks and explaining every detail of his checks to her. She felt momentary fear when he instructed her to sit in the right, copilot seat and then he fastened her safety belts around her. He didn't expect her to help him fly or something did he?

He hadn't. He simply wanted her to have the best experience and the finest view for her first airplane flight. She squealed with excitement when they had taken off to the west after a short wait in the line of planes in front of them. They were flying around Catalina Island within fifteen minutes. JR had explained that they had to maintain a minimum altitude, so they couldn't fly too low without prior permission.

He took them around the entire island's shoreline, giving her a breathtaking view of both the island and the hundreds of small boats anchored at various spots around it. They saw larger ships in the distance heading in or out of the Port of Los Angeles, but the haze along the mainland coast obscured their ability to see much beyond the shore.

They saw buffalo and other wildlife when JR flew over the more remote parts of the island as he brought their flight path to align with the runway at the island's small airport, known as "The Airport in the Sky". Rockie squealed again as the plane touched down on the runway, with her eyes so wide that JR wondered if she had blinked even once since he had fastened her seatbelts.

JR rented a golf cart for them to make the ten-mile drive into Avalon, where they visited the museums, window shopped, and people watched before eating fish tacos at the Descanso Beach Club. He had them back at the airplane and preparing to take off to the west as the sun was getting low in the sky.

Although a marine layer was starting to form closer to the surface of the ocean and along the shoreline, at their altitude, the sky was clear, and their view was limited only by the horizon. JR continued heading west, chasing the sinking sun until it was barely above the horizon, and then turned south to place Rockie in a perfect position to witness the final minutes of what he hoped would be her most memorable sunset.

Rockie was thankful that she had remembered to bring her digital camera, and wasted no time configuring the settings to capture the changing light of the sun, the reflections on the surface of the water, and the coloring of the sky before the sun had disappeared entirely below their view. She was glad that she had taken several pictures of JR flying the plane earlier, because to try and do in the dimming light would have required her to use the flash. She didn't think was a good idea to temporarily blind the pilot. She scrolled through the pictures as JR turned the plane east and began preparing for their return to John Wayne Airport.

The most disappointing point of her day occurred when she had to drive herself home from the airport because they both had parked their cars there. She arrived back at the condo complex well before JR since he had to finish the paperwork for the rental of the airplane, so she was waiting in his kitchen with a beer for both of them when he eventually arrived.

Although she wanted to spend the night with JR, Rockie felt that her excitement from having him home, and then the romantic sunset in the sky that he had given her would make her more passionate towards him than they were ready for. She slept in her own bed that night, and almost every other weeknight night since. That didn't mean that their affection and desire for each other took a hiatus.

She respected JR's need to focus on his studies, but she had encouraged him to do more studying during the day while she was at work, and to save his maintenance work around the complex for after she got home so that she could either help him with it, or simply keep him company while he did it. They had continued eating dinner together during the workweek, and meeting on his patio every morning before she left for work, whether he had gone surfing or not.

She would move into his condo on Friday after work, but sleep in Katie's bedroom rather than risk sharing a bed with JR. While JR studied on her days off, she would be in the recliner in the study room working on her Deep Web project. When he would take a break, she would join him, but tried not to be a distraction to him otherwise. She added a tab to her spreadsheet that listed his habits and daily routines so that she wouldn't forget any of them and took notice of his efforts to memorize hers as well. They were getting to know each other better every day.

The daily flower deliveries that she had received during their first week were replaced the next week with boxes of candy each day, which she would share with others in her office. The following week, she had received e-mails filled with famous love poems that JR had selected for her. On Monday of this week, he had e-mailed her a link for a love song on YouTube that he wanted to share with her, "Perfect," by Ed Sheeran. She knew that there would be another e-mail waiting for her this morning, the Tuesday when they were going to be starting their trip to Texas together.

She still had the song "Best Friend," by Tim McGraw, and its lyrics playing in her head when JR sent her a text just before noon.

JR: Hi Bonnie, your Clyde is here.

ROCKIE: My Romeo to your Juliet would be more enticing.

JR: I can't be enticing you if you expect me to transport you across state lines. I would run afoul of the Mann Act!

ROCKIE: Okay, I'll be right down so we can make our get-away. See you in a minute.

JR had the cargo area in the front of his car open and he was rearranging the items in it when Rockie came out of the building. He paused to kiss her, took her computer bag and placed it into the spot he had cleared for it.

"You want to help me put the top up?" he asked.

"Sure," she said. "I like learning new things with you."

"Great, then follow me," leading her to the back side of the car.

"If you unsnap the cover on your side, I'll do them on mine."

She began pulling up to release each of the button-sized chrome snaps, folding the cover as she moved towards the center, where her folded part met his. He took the cover from her hands and stored it in the cargo area before returning.

"Everything about raising and lowering the top on this car is manual. It can easily be done by one person but goes faster with two of us."

He put his hand under the black canvas covered railing and lifted the top. It raised easily and unfolded into its proper shape as the leading edge rested on top of the windshield.

"That looked pretty easy," she commented as she opened the passenger door and leaned in to look.

She stuck her head out again and said, "Do I just push the lever closed to secure it?"

"That's all it takes," he confirmed as he reached in and secured the latch on his side at the same time.

He saw the employee entrance to the building open and a woman begin to approach them. Rockie heard the footsteps and turned as well.

Karen Mason was carrying what looked like a semi-folded backpack. She had it extended, but before handing it to JR, she pulled him in a warm and friendly embrace.

"I'm glad I caught you, JR. Please return this to your mom for me. I keep meaning to ship it back and forgetting to do it."

JR looked at the item and a big smile spread across his face as he said, "It's not my mom's, Karen. It's my 'Papoose'. I got it when Katie was little because she would cry if I left her. I could carry her in this and leave my hands free for chores."

"That's sweet," Karen said. "It sure came in handy when I had to travel home from your house with Cammie when she was a baby. What was that, two years ago?"

He reopened the trunk, placed the item inside and closed it again, "I was already living out here at the time, so two years sounds about right."

Karen gave him another hug and kissed his cheek, "I don't want to keep you two from your trip. Enjoy yourself Rockie. You're going to love JR's family. Bye."

Rockie watched her boss walk back into the building and stood stupefied for several seconds afterward. It took JR clearing his throat to bring her back to paying enough attention so she could notice him standing beside his car, holding the door for her.

She slid onto the seat but made no effort to fasten her seatbelt. Chuckling at her obvious confusion over recent events, he reached in and fasten the seatbelt for her before closing the door and returning to his own seat. He was accelerating up the onramp to the 405 freeway before she spoke.

"How long have you known Karen Mason?"

"I met her for the first time at her wedding. My dad was one of Kyle's groomsmen and Katie was her flower girl."

"Let me get this straight," she said staring straight ahead, "You were at the White House wedding of Kyle and Karen Mason, so your dad must be pretty close with one or both of them..."

"Kyle runs one of my dad's companies, Brandt Consulting. Oh, and my dad saved Kyle's life too."

"I suppose that would warrant an invitation to their wedding. Next question, why didn't you ever tell me that you knew Karen Mason?"

"I told you the first time that I drove you to work that I had interned at your company. I assumed that it would be implied that this would result in me knowing people there."

"This is going to be a long trip if you keep acting like a brat the whole way."

"Fair enough. When you told me how poor of a leader your manager was, I called Karen because I knew that she would want to know about it. Employee morale is always very important to her. She called me back later in the day and asked me not to mention it to you because she had some plans for your career, and she didn't want you to think that my relationship with her would have influenced things where you were concerned."

"Well, in a way they did. If you hadn't said anything to her, she probably never would have noticed me. You brought me to her attention, which is why I was given the new opportunities. I guess I should thank you for that."

"I was glad to help."

She studied the inside of the convertible top as they drove. She said the first thing that came to mind, "This reminds me of being inside one of those old covered wagons, where the canvas was supported by bent wooden boards."

Laughing, JR replied, "Sometimes when I try to find parts for the car, it seems like I am working on something as old as a covered wagon. There aren't very many of this model around for scrap parts anymore. But my dad and I are proud that everything in it is original except the leather covering the seats and the ragtop."

"Is that uncommon for a sports car as old as this?"

"It's uncommon for any car as old as this, but the Corvair is not a sports car. Sure, it's sporty looking and fun to drive, especially the convertible version, but it has only slightly more power than a Volkswagen Beetle."

"You sure don't see many of them on the road anymore," she said.

"There are probably more in the air than on the ground these days."

"That's a strange thing to say," she said.

"Remember when you watched me do the pre-flight checks on the plane before we took off for Catalina?"

"Yes. You were very thorough."

"You saw me check the fuel level, oil level and hydraulic fuel level, but did you see me check the water level?"

She thought for a second and said, "No."

"That's because airplanes can't use water to cool the engines because of the added weight, so they typically use air-cooled engines."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with these cars being in the sky?"

"Like the Volkswagen Beetle, the reason the engine is in the back on a Corvair is that it allows for air to be vented through the car and over the engine to cool it off. This car doesn't have a radiator or use water for cooling, just air. It is very lightweight but has more horsepower than air-cooled engines of the same size, so it became popular as an airplane engine. When one of the cars was wrecked or sold, the engine was frequently bought by someone building an airplane or needing to replace the engine in an airplane they already owned."

"I'm not a marketing genius or anything," she said, "but if the engine alone was that popular, why isn't it still manufactured? Even VW brought back the Beetle."

"One man essentially killed the production of the Corvair by publishing a book in which he described it as a 'death trap', citing research data that was eventually proven false, but by then the press had trumpeted his claims and the model could never recover from the bad publicity. Do you think, from what I have told you about my dad, or me for that matter, showing you how much you mean to me, that we would drive someone we cared about in a car that wasn't perfectly safe?"

"Of course not, Cutie. You had mentioned trying to make Tucson today. Is that still the plan?"

"Barring any significant traffic holdups, we should reach Tucson by seven tonight. Well, eight o'clock with the time change. We'll stop for lunch once we get into Corona, before we get to Interstate 15, and then eat dinner at the hotel in Tucson. How's that sound?"

"Can we get room service? I've never had room service before."

He chuckled at her excitement over having food delivered to their room.

"I'll tell you what. Let's see how early they start room service in the morning. If it's early enough for us to eat and be on the road by seven o'clock, then we'll use room service for breakfast."

"It's all good with me. I'm just going to sit here, shut up and wait for you to start singing to me."

He turned to her and smiled, "This is going to be a long trip if you keep acting like a brat the whole way."

She stuck her tongue out at him and said, "You're the brat. So, why did you want to put the top up? Are we anticipating rain or something? It looks pretty clear right now."

"Not any rain forecast that I know of, but once it gets dark in the desert, it will likely cool off enough for you to want me to use the heater."

"You told me that I probably wouldn't need anything but sweaters and maybe a light jacket," she said.

"And that's true while we're in La Vernia. The days will typically be in the seventies at this time of year and the evenings will not go lower than the mid-fifties. However, we will be driving through hundreds of miles of desert, but as long as we're in the car with a working heater, you shouldn't need anything heavier than I told you."

"Plus, I always have you to keep me warm," she said with a wink.

"You certainly do," he agreed. "Mind if I ask what you have been working on all those times that you're on your computer while I'm studying? Are you designing websites or something?"

"Oh, it's just kind of a hobby project," she said dismissively. "I'm almost done with it."

"What kind of hobby?"

"Computer coding and program development. Boring stuff for you probably."

"Try me," he said.

"I probably shouldn't," she said. "Its legal standing might come into question at some point, so the less you know, the better."

"You question whether what you are doing is legal? Why?"

"It's complicated. Sorry, but it's best if you don't know. Let's just say that I don't consider it illegal, but someone else might. The end result will definitely be legal, and even stop other illegal activity. It's the way that I am getting there that might raise questions of legality."

"Is there any way to do what you need to do at this point legally?" he asked.

"Sure, if I had a couple of million dollars or some organization with the resources I needed decided to help."

"Let's discuss this further after lunch. How does a sandwich from Subway sound?"

"That works for me, as long as I get a cookie to go with it."

"Have I ever said no to you, Rockie?"

Chapter Seventeen

The valet opened her door in front of the Loew's Ventana Canyon Resort just before eight o'clock at night. The traffic had consisted mostly of semi-trucks, and JR had explained that by taking Interstate 8 instead of Interstate 10 through Phoenix, they had bypassed the rush-hour traffic there.

She inspected the exterior of the hotel as JR helped the bellman load their bags onto a cart. They didn't need all their luggage, but it was better to take it all in rather than leave anything in the car overnight.

The hotel's adobe-style architecture blended in perfectly with the surrounding mountain vistas and the grounds were impeccably maintained. This appeared to be at least a four-star resort, which would definitely be a first for Rockie. She had only stayed at two hotels before, and they had both struggled to maintain a one-star rating.

JR came over and took her hand. He escorted her to the front desk where they were promptly registered and handed card keys for their suite. Since they had never asked JR for a credit card, even for incidentals, she assumed that he had made pre-paid arrangements for their room, which helped explain why he had insisted on driving past so many other hotels between the freeway and this one.

The bellman directed them to an elevator and pushed the button for the top floor.

"I'll be up with your bags shortly. Please enjoy your stay."

When it stopped at their floor, JR led her to the end of the hall where one of the double doors responded to his insertion of the card key by clicking open. He pushed the door wide and allowed Rockie to enter before him. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the sliding glass doors for the balcony where the most beautiful desert sunset was on full display. It looked like she could reach out and touch the colors.

She walked to the glass doors and silently stared at the vista before her. She felt JR step up behind her, put his arms around her and rest his chin on the top of her head.

"It's so beautiful!" she whispered to him, "It's too bad we're only here for the one night."

"We can come back sometime and stay longer if you'd like. Maybe for the Tucson Folk Festival in May. Later than that and the view isn't worth tolerating the heat. But I must warn you, the sunsets that you can see from my home in La Vernia are also pretty spectacular. The sunrises too. "

She turned to face him and pulled his lips to hers for a kiss before saying, "Every sunrise and every sunset that I get to spend with you will be spectacular for me. Now, when do we eat? I'm starving."

"As soon as the bellman gets here with our bags we can go downstairs. I already have a table reserved for us at the Flying V Bar and Grill. They make the best Margaritas in Tucson."

"I see," she said with a giggle, "and how many Margaritas have you drank in Tucson to make that determination?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. JR opened it to let the bellman efficiently carry their bags into the room. JR tipped him and turned to take her hand before she started to unpack anything.

"That can all wait. My girlfriend is starving, and her desires always come first for me."

She pouted up at him and said, "Not all of them, and you know it, Cutie."

Entering the popular restaurant and being quickly escorted to their reserved table, Rockie couldn't help noticing the envious looks that they received from all the other diners. The table had a position of prominence in front of the large, wood-burning fireplace and an unobstructed view of the lighted skyline of Tucson in the valley below.

A string quartet was playing a selection of what Rockie recognized as show tunes, and two candles were burning on their table. It was all more romantic than she had expected, but she was thrilled by the obvious effort that JR had put into the arrangements for them. He held out a chair for her, and she obediently took her seat.

Once he had joined her by taking his seat, she leaned over and whispered, "If you want to get lucky tonight, all you have to say is one word."

"What?" he asked.

She winked and said, "That word will do."

He laughed, and she giggled. The waiter handed them each a menu. JR ordered a half pitcher of Margaritas, specifying that the tequila must be Maestro Dobel, and requested that some of their famous guacamole be served with the tortilla chips as an appetizer.

Silently reviewing her menu, Rockie considered what she wanted to eat. With Thanksgiving dinner right around the corner, she eliminated any of the poultry dishes. She doubted that a salad would satisfy her hunger, but she didn't want anything heavy like steak, lamb or ribs. She had just about decided on the scallops when JR spoke to her.

"Would you like for us to split something?"

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"How would you feel about splitting the salmon and one of their Brussel sprout and apple salads?"

"That sounds perfect," she said. "But, so far, everything about you has been perfect."

"Oh. Miss Preston, you have led such a sheltered life," he teased.

She playfully smacked his hand, and then brought it to her lips and kissed it.

"I love you, James Robert Brandt. I'm not afraid to tell you that and I will try to find as many ways to show my love as you have done for me."

Before he could respond, their drinks arrived, followed almost immediately by their chips, salsa and guacamole. JR poured the Margaritas into glasses for each of them, and then raised his in a toast, "To us."

She clinked her glass against his and said, "I think that should be our daily toast."

"So it shall be!" he proclaimed proudly, "For as long as there is an 'us', that will be our daily toast."

"Would forever be too long?" she giggled.

He brought her hand to his lips and said, "Not for me."

"They have dancing in the lounge if you would be interested," he told her as they were leaving the restaurant.

"I would love to dance with you, Cutie, but maybe some other time. I would rather just be 'us' for the rest of the night."

He dropped her hand and moved his around her waist. She placed her arm around his waist, and then let him lead her to the elevator.

Working silently together with their own luggage, each unpacked those items that they were going to need for the night and the next morning, and then set the rest of their baggage aside in the living room area of the suite.

Speaking over her shoulder as she carried her toiletries into the bathroom, she asked, "Do you want to make love to me tonight, or sleep in separate beds. I can take the couch if you would prefer."

He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for her to come out of the bathroom before answering, "I didn't expect it to be an 'either-or' situation."

She winked at him and said, "It never has been with us, Cutie. I was only teasing you. I want to be and do whatever you want. I respond to you, remember that. That's why I can admit that I love you, because you have shown me that you love me."

"Are you sure that you're not just seeing things?" he asked with a smile.

"So, you're saying that you don't love me and I'm reading everything between us wrong?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, Smarty Pants. Until then, would you bless me with your company in our bed tonight?"

She unbuttoned her blouse as she said, "We need to get one of those."

As he took off his shoes he asked, "One of what?"

She pulled him to a standing position and started unbuttoning his shirt, "We need an 'our' bed."

~~~

They did order their breakfast from the room service menu. JR had used one of the hotel-provided terry cloth robes to answer the door and receive their food. He then brought everything back into the bedroom and gave Rockie her first-ever breakfast in bed.

Now that she was awake and in better control of her desires than she trusted herself to be while they slept, she had taken off her pajamas. She sat propped against the headboard, cushioned by two pillows, with the sheet gathered around her waist.

While he had never touched them, she knew from his eyes how much JR appreciated her bare breasts, and she thrilled at every opportunity that she had to share them with him. She knew that he appreciated other parts of her body as well, but exposing her breasts to him was intimate, convenient and satisfying for both of them.

For his part, JR had slept in his boxer briefs but removed them when he joined her in the bed for breakfast. He didn't realize her appreciation for his body, and she was still considering ways to make it known, because she appreciated it beyond belief and struggled constantly to keep her hands from roaming over every inch of him.

"I want to share an idea I had to see if it's something that you would like to do," he said as he cleared the remnants of their breakfast from the bed.

Rockie smiled and gave her full attention to him and said, "Sure".

"How would you like to learn to drive a stick-shift today? The toughest part most people have when first learning to drive a manual transmission is avoiding a stall when starting out and downshifting when stopping. There is a stretch of Interstate 10 along our route where each offramp merges onto a frontage road. The frontage road intersects a country road, where there will be a stop sign. Crossing the intersection on the frontage road will bring you to the onramp back onto Interstate 10. This would be a good area for you to learn the fundamentals without having to worry about other drivers very often. What do you think?"

"I'm game if you are," she said. "When do I start?"

"It's not until we reach New Mexico, so I'll drive until we get there. Can you wait an hour or so?"

"I've waited this long," she sighed dramatically.

He laughed and said, "I'll get in the shower first then you can shower while I shave at the sink."

Her eyes widened, and a smile formed on her lips. He had hinted several times about her letting him watch her shower; her 'quid pro quo' for him letting her watch him. And while she had never denied him directly, he had also never taken advantage of the opportunity. What was she to make of this change? What she was going to do is give him a show that he would not soon forget.

~~~

They stopped for gas in Lordsburg, New Mexico. JR hadn't said much since they had left the hotel, but the grin hadn't left his face and he would occasionally shake his head, still in disbelief of what he had witnessed.

As he had stood at the sink preparing his razor and the water temperature for shaving, he could clearly see Rockie as she stood naked behind him, tying her hair onto the top of her head. Her eyes wouldn't leave his in the mirror, and the mischief in them was smoking. When he glanced down to direct the shaving cream onto his hand instead of the countertop, she opened the clear glass door to the shower and stepped in.

From his position at the sink, all he had to do was adjust his focus from the reflection of his face to her adjusting the water temperature and flow in the shower. Even out of focus, her image was distinct enough for him to see what she was doing, and what she was doing was teasing him like never before.

Her skin, always smooth and sensuous looked like liquid passion when wet. She writhed and wiggled as seductively as an exotic dancer as she let the water caress her shoulders and run down her body. Once satisfied with her body being wet enough, she began to apply the body wash from the hotel.

The tent below the towel he had wrapped around his waist was all the indication she needed to know that her show had been as appreciated as she had hoped. He hadn't said anything to her as she dried off in the shower, but he didn't return to shaving until she had sauntered past him, back into the bedroom to get dressed and repacked. Neither of them had made any comments about her performance until they were pulling back onto Interstate 10 in Lordsburg.

"You know that was not the first time that I have done that in the shower," Rockie said. "In fact, it has become almost habitual since I met you. I'm glad that I finally got to share it with you, to make it clear to you the effect that you have on me."

"And you don't think that you have any effect on me?" he asked with a grin.

She giggled, "Oh, I know that I have an effect on you, but do you do anything about it like I do?"

He got a serious look on his face and said, "Genesis 38:10 says, 'And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also.' According to the Bible, spilling of one's seed can be risky."

She stared at him a second and said, "I don't always know whether you're kidding or deadly serious."

He turned and winked at her, "Well that serves you right, Sweetie. As far as your question goes..."

She groaned, "I know, 'That's for you to know and for me to find out.'"

She stuck her tongue out at him and said, "You'll get yours."

"Bring your best shot, Miss Preston. Are you ready to take the reins?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I will get off at the next exit and we'll start your lesson."

He pulled over to the gravel shoulder along the frontage road and turned the car off. The area around them was barren and there were no buildings visible in any direction. It was several seconds, and in some cases, minutes before another vehicle passed on the Interstate beside them.

JR opened his door and walked around to open Rockie's. She slid out and moved right into him for a kiss before letting him lead her around to the driver's side.

JR stood beside her, with the door open as she got situated in her seat. He helped her adjust the seat before closing the door, and then adjusted the side mirror to her liking. She adjusted the inside rear-view mirror while he went around and took the passenger seat beside her.

"Before you start the car, why don't you get a feel for the clutch pedal. Different cars can have different clutch pressure, so push it down with your left foot and feel how much pressure that takes. Then release it slowly and feel how much pressure you have to apply to it to keep it from just springing back."

Rockie did as instructed, repeating the motions several times before asking, "Okay, what's next?"

"You learn where each gear is on the stick-shift and how to move the lever to the right detent position for each."

He pointed to the knob on the shift lever. "Most four-speed manual transmissions have the gears arranged in an 'H' pattern, like that. Right now, the lever is in a neutral position since it isn't located in any of the detents. Go ahead and push down on the clutch and hold it in while you move the selector to first gear."

She pushed the clutch in and held it before moving the stick-shift to the left and up. "Do I release the clutch now?"

JR nodded and said, "Yes, but do it slowly as you lightly press down on the gas pedal. Once we start the car, you will be able to feel the transmission engaging as the clutch is released and that is when you would gradually apply more gas to prevent the car from stalling."

He watched her concentrating as she slowly released the clutch and pressed down on the gas pedal at the same time.

"Good. Now, do as we practiced before, release pressure on the gas pedal as you apply pressure to the clutch. When you have the clutch completely down, shift into second gear."

They sat on the shoulder of the frontage road for fifteen minutes as he repeatedly took her through all the gears. When he felt that she was confident in the required motions, he instructed her to depress the clutch and turn the key to start the car. Her smile was infectious as she followed his directions.

"Now remember, when the clutch is depressed the transmission is not engaged and there is nothing to hold the car in position other than the brakes. You need your right foot to push on the gas, so keep the parking brake on until you're ready to move. Are you set?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said.

"Then shift into first gear, release the brake, and apply a little gas as you slowly let out the clutch."

The start was only a little jerky, and Rockie squealed with delight as the car began moving forward without stalling. She shifted through second and into third gear before reaching the stop sign at the intersection where she had to repeat the entire process over once downshifting and coming to a complete stop. She moved through the gears effortlessly as she re-entered the right lane of Interstate 10 and accelerated up to the speed limit.

"This is fun," she said to JR. "It's like I'm really driving the car instead of just steering it."

"It can be," he agreed, "but it also has its downsides, like being stuck in stop and go traffic or starting out from a complete stop on an inclined road with some other car on your back bumper. The next exit is in about ten miles. As you get onto the offramp, let your foot off the gas and downshift into third gear. You'll use the transmission to help you slow down. I'll tell you what to do after that depending on the situation we encounter there."

She executed her exit perfectly, depositing them back onto the frontage road approximately one-hundred-yards from the intersection. She once more made her stop, and then ran through the gears to achieve freeway speed by the time she had reached it. JR considered himself a patient and encouraging teacher, but Rockie's apparent mastery of a manual transmission so quickly made him proud of her and himself. They exited and re-entered the freeway four more times before Rockie spoke.

"I think I'm getting pulled over."

Chapter Eighteen

JR turned and saw flashing blue lights on a white and green SUV that was racing to catch them. He recognized it as a Border Patrol vehicle, which was common in this area.

"It looks like it, but it's the Border Patrol so you're not being pulled over for any traffic violations. There's the next exit in about a quarter of a mile. Turn your right blinker on, take the exit as before, but pull over to the shoulder as soon as you can."

"I'm scared," she admitted. "I've been pulled over by the police as a passenger in someone else's car, but never as the driver."

"There's nothing to be frightened of," he assured her. "They're probably doing a routine citizenship check and that will be it."

"You are an American citizen, aren't you?" he teased.

"Yes, but with a skin tone significantly darker than yours."

She exited the freeway and immediately sought a spot along the gravel shoulder to stop the car.

"Where are the emergency flashers?" she asked.

"This model year was before that feature became standard equipment, so there aren't any. You'll be fine. Their flashing lights will do the trick for both of us. Just roll your window down and then keep your hands on the steering wheel."

The officers were just sitting there. Finally, they made an announcement using the loudspeaker in their SUV, "Ocupantes, salgan del vehículo con las manos vacías y a la vista."

"What did they say?" Rockie asked.

"They're speaking Spanish. They want us to get out of the car with nothing in our hands."

"Do they think we're illegal immigrants? For crying out loud, look at your hair. Should we get out?"

"No, wait for them to ask us in English," JR told her.

They didn't have to wait long, "Occupants, exit the vehicle with your hands empty and in clear sight."

"Now we can get out," JR told her as he opened his door.

Rockie followed his lead, opening her door and stepping out of the car. They each stood, arms at their sides, with their door open. Each was looking back at the Border Patrol vehicle, waiting.

"Turn and place your hands on the roof of the vehicle then do not move."

Doing as requested, they faced each other across the canvas roof. Rockie looked ashen, but JR just smiled back at her reassuringly and said, "Everything will be fine."

They heard both front doors of the SUV open, followed by the sound of heavy footfalls on the gravel shoulder as each Border Patrol agent stepped out. JR took his eyes from Rockie's and glanced to his left to watch the two men approaching. One was heading for his side and the other was heading for Rockie.

They both wore tactical uniforms, which included outside-the-shirt Kevlar vests, holsters that strapped at the bottom to their thighs, and web belts that were loaded with extra ammunition pouches and other accessories. They were prepared for action of some sort, but there was also something wrong with this picture.

The agent approaching Rockie reached her first and asked, "Ma'am, are you okay?"

She looked across at JR with a quizzical expression. Why wouldn't she be okay?

"You don't have to worry about him," the agent told her, "You can answer me honestly. Are you okay?"

"Of course, I'm okay," she answered. "Why would you think that I wasn't."

"Ma'am, please go back and stand by our car while we speak with your passenger."

The agent took Rockie's arm, turned her in the direction of their vehicle and then urged her forward.

She looked back at JR as she slowly walked towards the Border Patrol SUV and he could see tears starting to roll down her cheeks. This was getting ridiculous. Then he realized the truth.

"Officer, what is going on here?" he asked the one that was standing directly behind him now. The other officer was walking around to the same side of the car, looking in the windows as he did so.

"Is Moore at the house?" the one approaching asked his partner.

"Who's Moore, and what house?" JR asked.

"Shut up and stand still," said the officer behind him. "One more word from you until you are asked a question and I'll arrest your ass."

"Try it and I'll put you in the hospital," JR replied.

His words drew just the response he was hoping for.

Just as his partner had stepped up beside him, he reached around JR to try to grab one of JR's wrists as his partner went for his other one. Rockie watched from twenty feet away as JR spun so quickly that neither office could react. Before they knew what had happened, JR had grabbed both men under their chins and banged their heads together. Rockie could hear the concussive sound of the two skulls colliding, and then watched as both agents fell limply onto the gravel shoulder and rolled down the embankment into a culvert.

"JR!" She yelled, running toward him, "What have you done?"

"Stay back Rockie," he told her.

His attention had been drawn to an unmistakable sound about ten feet from where the unconscious agents were laying.

"There's an angry rattlesnake down here that I need to deal with."

She stopped at the back end of the Corvair.

"Oh God, JR, be careful."

JR slowly descended the embankment until he reached the agents. He kept his eyes on the coiled rattler while he felt around on the web belt of the first agent he came to, searching for the assault baton he expected to be there. Instead, he found an old wooden Billy Club. Grinning because it further validated his suspicions, he removed it from the ring holding it.

He slowly approached the agitated rattlesnake with the club extended in front of him. He could see that the rattler was relatively young by the few buttons it had on its rattle. That would probably make it more aggressive, choosing to strike rather than flee. JR was counting on that.

When he was close enough to prod the snake with the club, but still far enough away to avoid getting bit himself, he poked the club at the head of the rattler, tempting it to strike at it. It only took a couple of pokes before the snake responded by lunging at the club and sinking its fangs into it.

JR immediately tossed the club before the snake could release its bite. Both landed with a thud about twenty yards away, in some scrub brush behind the barbed wire fence that lined the frontage road.

As he walked back to where the agents still laid, he yelled up to Rockie, "Call 911, give them our location and tell them everything is not Code Four. Got that? Not Code Four. They'll understand."

"But I don't know where we are."

"Tell them that we are on the Interstate 10 frontage road, just east of exit sixty-two. Remember, not Code Four. That's the important part."

He watched as she nodded, and then went to his car to retrieve her cell phone from her purse. She stood with the driver's door open watching him as she dialed emergency services.

JR examined each agent to make certain that he was still breathing before removing the handgun from each holster. Both were automatics, but they were inexpensive Taurus nine millimeters. Not something that the Border Patrol or any other government agency would use as a service weapon. He clambered back up the embankment, ejected the magazine from each weapon and then laid all the components onto the top of his car.

Rockie looked over at him with her cell phone against her ear, "They asked me to stay on the line until help gets here."

"Yeah, I figured they would. It shouldn't take long though."

"We're in the middle of nowhere," she objected. "We could be waiting here for hours."

JR smiled and pointed to the sky. She heard the sound and turned in that direction. A speck in the distance was heading directly towards them at a high speed, and within seconds, the sound and shape of a helicopter became clearer. The increasing sound of the helicopter was being matched by the distant sound of sirens.

JR walked around to join her by the driver's door. She kept the phone to her ear, but leaned into him, resting her head on his chest.

"Can you tell me what 'not Code Four' means?"

"Code Four is a law enforcement radio message indicating that everything is okay, or the situation is stable. When you told the operator that everything was not Code Four, what do you think that he or she assumed?"

"She thought that we were some type of law enforcement and we need assistance. But we're not law enforcement, so isn't that illegal?"

He put his arms around her and said, "I'm pretty sure that they're going to let it slide this time."

Pulling back to look up at him, she said, "Considering all the trouble that you're going to probably be in for assaulting two Federal officers, I can see why they might let it slide. What's going to happen to us?"

They turned their heads to watch the New Mexico State Police helicopter landing in the middle of the frontage road, approximately fifty yards away. The pilot began shutting it down, but the passenger opened the door and jumped out before the rotors had barely slowed. The officer with Captain's bars on his shoulders drew his sidearm and jogged towards them.

He slowed as he passed the Border Patrol SUV and examined it more closely. He kept his weapon at his side and walked over to where JR and Rockie waited for him.

Rockie informed the operator that help had arrived and then disconnected the call and slipped her cell phone into the pocket of her denim jacket. JR nodded his head in the direction of the culvert.

"Those men pulled us over. They are obviously imposters, so I wasn't as cooperative as they had hoped."

Holstering his pistol, the Captain asked, "Are they alive?"

JR nodded, "The last time I checked they were, but there was an angry rattler that I tossed about twenty yards over the fence. I can't tell you if it might have come back."

"I need to see some identification for you and the lady," the Captain said.

Pointing to the automatics with their magazines removed laying on the top of the car, he added, "Are those theirs?"

JR nodded as he pulled out his wallet, extracted his driver's license and handed it to the Captain. Two county sheriff vehicles were pulling in from the east. They had turned off their sirens but kept the blue lights flashing as they parked in front of the Corvair. He could still hear sirens from the west and knew that additional units from some agency were responding.

The Captain gave a cursory glance at JR's driver's license and then slipped it into his breast pocket, "Do you mind explaining what made you believe those men were imposters?"

"I didn't at first," JR said, "but as soon as they exited their vehicle, I became suspicious."

"Why?" asked the Captain.

"Yeah, why?" asked Rockie as she handed her driver's license to the Captain. Her purse now hung from her shoulder.

"Follow me," JR said as he led them over to the embankment where they could all see the men laying in the culvert. They were joined by the two Luna County sheriff deputies as JR began to explain.

"The first thing that struck me as strange was the absence of body cameras. The Border Patrol has mandated the use of them for more than three years. That made me look at them closer, and I noticed that neither had a name tag on his vest, which is also a requirement. Finally, if you look at the front plate on their car, it isn't a U.S. Government plate. It's a Texas government plate. I bet that if you check, there is an agency in West Texas that has reported the plates being stolen off one of their vehicles, probably the same model SUV as that one."

One of the sheriff deputies said, "We've been looking for a couple of guys impersonating Border Patrol agents over the past few months. We have had five women raped by them, two of which occurred after the male traveling with her was shot and killed. There is supposed to be a third member of their group who joins in once the impersonators have captured the victim."

"I've heard about them," the Captain said. "You think these may be your guys?"

Two State Police vehicles came screaming down the offramp, so conversations ceased until they came to a stop and turned off their sirens.

JR turned to the deputies and asked, "Does the name 'Moore' mean anything to you?"

One of the deputies pointed to the scrubland beyond the barbed wire fence and said, "That's the Moore ranch. It stretches all the way to the border with Mexico, and from just south of Lordsburg to just outside of Deming. Why?"

Pointing to the men in the culvert, JR said, "One of them asked the other if Moore was at the house. He may be the third member of their group."

The deputies looked at each other before the second one said, "Jeremiah Moore is near eighty years old, so it's not likely that he would be involved. However, he does have a grandson living in a house on the ranch who is about the same age as those two. His name is Kevin Moore, and he is well known to everyone as a spoiled bully. I wouldn't put it past him to be involved."

"Deputies," said the Captain, "Why don't you do the honors and place those two into custody. Medical transport will be arriving within ten minutes, so you can direct them to the facility your county uses for the treatment of prisoners. We're going to go take a closer look at their vehicle."

The deputies side-stepped down the embankment to check on the men while the Captain led JR and Rockie back to the SUV. Rockie hadn't let go of JR's arm since the Captain had returned her license to her. He still had JR's license in his breast pocket.

She now saw the anomalies about the vehicle that JR had mentioned, plus a couple more. As they walked around the SUV, she noticed that there were no blue lights in the rear, only on the dash and behind the grill. The green stripes were not aligned properly where they ended at one door and started on the adjacent one. She put a fingernail along the edge of one of the stripes and saw that it would peel right off.

"It's a wrap," she said. "It's not painted. Is that normal?"

"Not at all," said the Captain. "We're seeing things like that more and more around the country. Not just people impersonating law enforcement vehicles, but delivery trucks, service vehicles and others are being impersonated to help fool people and avoid detection of all sorts of crimes."

A paramedic van from the closest fire department pulled up. The deputies directed the EMT's down to the men in the culvert. JR and Rockie watched them while the Captain conferred with the two State Police officers alongside their cars.

When he came back over, JR asked, "Do you need us for anything more right now? We have a long way to go and my parents are going to be worried if we're too late."

"Where are you folks headed?" the Captain asked.

"We're heading to my parent's house in La Vernia, Texas. Do you know where that is?"

"Wait a second," the Captain said as he took JR's license out of his pocket and looked at it.

"You're Bobby's boy, JR, aren't you? I thought this car looked familiar."

"Yes, sir. Do you know my dad?"

"We were at the Air Force Academy together. I haven't spoken to him in a few years, though. How's him and your mom? Patty isn't it? How are they doing?"

"They're doing well. This is my girlfriend, Rochelle Preston. I was teaching her how to drive a stick shift when we met up with those guys."

They turned and watched the deputies helping the EMT's carry the prisoners who were both strapped to backboards.

"Since impersonating a Border Patrol agent is a Federal crime, but the rapes and murders these guys are suspected of are state crimes, we'll let the lawyers figure out who's prosecuting for what. If your contact information is good, there's no reason to keep you two here any longer. Would you like an escort to the Texas border?"

He handed JR's license back to him.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," JR said, "it would help us make up some time."

The Captain called his two officers over, "Kelly, you and Sanchez escort these folks to the outskirts of Anthony. VIP treatment, understood?"

"Yes sir," Officer Kelly said. To JR he said, "Follow me as soon as you're ready, sir."

JR led Rockie back to his car, opened the passenger door for her and waited for her to get situated before closing it and going around to adjust the driver's seat and the mirrors. He started the car and pulled behind the lead patrol car, which already had its lights activated. The trailing patrol car pulled up behind JR, and the procession headed for the onramp to Interstate 10. As they turned onto the ramp, both cars activated their sirens and increased speed, with the Corvair between them.

Chapter Nineteen

"How fast are we going?" Rockie squealed.

Glancing at the speedometer, JR responded, "About one hundred and two miles per hour."

"It feels faster," she said. "This is exciting."

"Compared to the rest of our boring morning?" he said with a grin.

"That wasn't exciting. That was the most terrifying experience of my life. I thought that they were going to arrest you. First, those fake Border Patrol agents, and then the real police. Your calm confidence in any situation amazes me. Can you teach me that?"

"If you hang around with my dad long enough, things might grow on you like they have with me and my mom. I'm not saying that we didn't have self-confidence before my dad found us, but he has allowed us to be more secure in doing the right thing."

"I think that I am getting some of that just from being around you," she said. "I feel more confident in my appearance, in my work, in my sexuality."

She stroked his right hand as it sat on the shift lever.

He chuckled, "So I saw this morning. You really are a beautiful, sexy and intelligent woman. I like how you are always challenging and stimulating me in one way or another, even when you don't realize it. I like being with you more than I ever have with another girl, and I like the 'Us' that we are becoming."

"It doesn't bother you that I admitted that I am in love with you?"

"Not in the least," he said, turning his right hand over to squeeze hers. "I hope that you know that I feel the same way about you, but I don't want to verbalize it until things get a bit clearer for me. I think that being with you and Katie at the same time will do that for me."

"I was hoping the same thing," she admitted. "If you can love and interact with your little sister as you have always done, and still demonstrate your love and desire for me, I think we'll have turned a corner that we need to turn pretty soon."

"Why pretty soon?" he asked.

"Because I don't want to have to force myself on you," she giggled.

~~~

They stopped for a late lunch in Fort Stockton. The speed that they had been able to maintain with the police escort had put them a little bit ahead of schedule. Barring any delays, they should arrive in La Vernia between six and seven that evening. He should have called his parents while they were at lunch to update them and see if they wanted to hold dinner until they arrived or tell him and Rockie to stop and eat before they got there.

"Can you use my phone to call the house?" he asked Rockie as he handed her his cell phone. "We should update them and see what the plans are for dinner tonight."

"I would be happy to make the call. Do you want to talk to them or just have me handle it?"

"That will depend on who answers the phone," he laughed. "Why don't you put it on speaker in case I have to save you from my mom or something."

"You told me your mom liked me."

"She does, but her liking you is exactly why she may try to pull your leg a bit. She can be quite the kidder when she gets in a mood."

Finding the icon on his cell phone for his home telephone number, she made a note of the number and then entered it into her own cell phone instead.

"Do they have caller ID?"

"With my dad? I wouldn't be surprised if every call to our house was traced through the NSA."

She hit the dial button and said, "Well, let's see who answers."

She heard it start to ring, so she hit the speakerphone icon.

"Patty's Massage Parlor. We won't rub you the wrong way. Patty speaking"

Rockie stifled a giggle and said, "Hello Patty, I'm glad you answered this time. I need to make reservations for a party of six who have requested your personal attention. Do you have time this evening?"

"Of course, but I do charge extra for same-day appointments. What type of services is your party desiring?"

"Your famous 'Happy Ending' massage, of course. Is ten dollars still your standard charge for that?"

JR almost choked trying not to laugh.

"Normally it is when Bruce performs the massage. My rates are lower since I'm not as popular as him. Bruce really knows how to make the boys happy."

"Let me check and see if anyone in our party would prefer Bruce instead. Is he available tonight?"

"He should be here later, but I need to advise you that he will be role-playing this evening. Your party will need to refer to him as 'JR'.

"Not funny, Mom," JR moaned.

Both Patty and Rockie were laughing so hard that neither could continue the conversation for several seconds. Patty finally regained her composure.

"That's what you get Sweetheart for asking Rockie to call your mother instead of you doing it yourself."

"I'm sorry. I am driving, and I am so anxious to see my mom, that I didn't want to spend the time to stop and call you myself."

"Sure thing, Bruce. So where are you guys and when should we expect you to arrive?"

"We're just passing the Tunis Creek Stagecoach Stop east of Fort Stockton, so that puts us about four hours away. We should be rolling in around six-thirty. Do you want to hold dinner for us or have us stop and grab something before we get there?"

"Just come straight home. We have a busy night scheduled at the massage parlor, so we'll eat when you get here and then put you right to work. Would you like to help us out, Rochelle? I'm sure a few of the regulars would love to get to know you, if you know what I mean?"

"Of course, Patty. I am dying to learn the family business."

"Okay you two, that's enough," JR chuckled. "You're going to have the vice squad raiding our house by the time dinner is over."

Patty and Rockie laughed again, then Patty said, "Drive safe Sweetheart. I can't wait to see you and meet Rochelle. Love you."

Rockie disconnected the call and asked, "So Bruce, will you teach me how to give a 'Happy Ending' massage? I think I may like to give one to my boyfriend someday."

"Oh, you and my mom are going to get along just fine," he groaned. "Heaven help us all."

~~~

Traffic into San Antonio was lighter than normal with most holiday travelers heading out of town rather than into it, so JR stayed on Interstate 10. They passed the 1604 and Interstate 410 loops on the western side of the metro area, and then the same highway loops in reverse order on the eastern side.

He took Exit 597 and drove the frontage road for about a mile before turning right and following an assortment of small farm roads for several miles before meeting up with FM775. He turned right onto this farm-to-market road, traveling in a mostly southerly direction for about fifteen minutes.

Realizing that they were nearing their destination, Rockie took in as much of the scenery as possible from the roadway. The properties they passed looked like small family farms and ranches. Many of them had single or double-wide trailers for the home, with various outbuildings depending on what they were growing or raising. Where there were actual houses, they were typically several decades old and in obvious need of one repair or another. She thought that the little town of New Berlin was charming, but there wasn't much to it. The area impressed her by the hard-working culture that it represented. She could see how JR could have been influenced to be the man he was by growing up around here.

Just before crossing Cibolo Creek on the outskirts of La Vernia, JR turned left onto another country road that ended a half mile later at FM539. He turned right and Rockie saw that newer homes were evident down some of the cross streets, but there were still a lot of trailers and manufactured homes. A white split-rail fence began running down the left side of the road and continued as far as she could see, but the rise in the roadway gave her a limited horizon. As they crested the next hill, she did see a break in the fence at the entrance to Los Palomas Country Club Estates.

JR was slowing the car and signaling his turn, so she started paying closer attention to the area inside the white fence.

The same style and color of fence continued into the subdivision, broken every hundred feet to a quarter mile by a driveway that led to the custom home on the property.

"How large are the lots here?" she asked.

"Most are one to three acres. There are a few owners, like my parents, who bought adjoining lots, so those properties will be five to six acres."

"How large is your parents' property?"

"Six acres."

"So, this is the house that you grew up in?"

"Mostly. While we were being protected, the US Marshalls had us living in a house about fifteen miles from here, closer to Floresville. We couldn't stay in that house if we weren't in the program anymore, so my parents bought the land and built a house here about eleven years ago. We moved in just a week before Katie was born. Here we are."

The car slowed and turned right onto a driveway leading to a two-story house with natural stone siding and white trim. There was a large porch with a white railing that wrapped around to one side of the house. There were three closed garage bays and two other vehicles on the concrete pad outside of them. JR found a spot to the right of the cars and parked the Corvair.

"Welcome to my home," he said. "Well, one of my homes."

"Before we go in," Rockie said, "What sleeping arrangements should I expect? Will you and I share a room, will I share a room with Katie, or what?"

"I'm sure that my mom will let you make that decision."

"What do you want my decision to be?" she asked.

"I want your decision to be based on what makes you feel the most at home and as comfortable as possible. Why don't you wait until you meet everyone and get a tour of the house? Who knows, you may decide that sharing a room with Katie is more fun."

She laughed, "Never going to happen, Cutie. You've spoiled me where fun is concerned."

"Okay," he said as he got out of the car and walked around to open her door. "Let's go meet everyone first. I'll unload the car later."

He led her across the driveway and up the stone path that led to the front porch. Before stepping onto the porch, he stopped and turned them around.

"Take a look out there. We're facing almost due north. The skyline to the northwest over there is San Antonio. Straight ahead you can usually make out some of the grain silos up near New Braunfels, and to the northeast, you can see the city of Seguin thirty-two miles away. In about an hour, we'll come out and let you watch the sunset. It's a great way to end a day out here."

"I can't wait," she said.

They heard the front door open, so they turned back towards the house. Katie came bounding across the porch but ignored JR and came straight to Rockie. She grabbed the hand that JR wasn't holding and tried to pull Rockie up the steps.

"Come on, Rockie, everyone is waiting for you," she implored.

"Well!" said JR, "That's a fine howdy-do. Doesn't anyone want to see me?"

Katie stopped, looked at JR, and just rolled her eyes. Rockie couldn't help laughing as she stepped through the front door and into the foyer. The similarities in furniture style and décor of the house to JR's condo were obvious. Comfortable, quality furniture sat on clean hardwood floors, and an assortment of nice rugs were visible everywhere. Katie kept pulling on her hand, leading them into an open-concept family room where they saw a group of people chatting around a large kitchen island across the expanse.

When everyone saw Katie leading her guests toward them, the conversation stopped. Patty strode over and embraced Rockie.

"It is so nice to finally meet you, Rochelle. You're even lovelier in person."

"Thank you, Mrs. Brandt. I have been looking forward to this for weeks."

"Please call me Patty."

"Only if you call me Rockie. People only ever called me Rochelle when I was in trouble."

Patty laughed and said, "Deal."

She then moved over to embrace her son, "I'm glad you made it safely. Your father has been updated, of course, but we all want to hear your side of things."

With that, his father stepped beside Patty and embraced Rockie as well.

"Hi Rockie, I'm Bobby Brandt. It's a real pleasure to meet the lady that everyone has been telling me about. Welcome to our home."

"Thank you, Bobby. I think you're the one person in JR's family that I have been most anxious to meet. Ever since I saw how much you look like JR in your wedding picture, I have been curious whether the resemblance was still there."

Patty interrupted, "You bet. If you want to see what your boyfriend will look like when he is in his early forties, look no further than my handsome guy right here."

While his mom and dad embraced and kissed in front of their guests, Katie continued the introductions.

"Rockie, this is my cousin and best friend, Cile. That goofy-looking guy over there is her brother, Joey, and the beautiful girl beside him is his girlfriend, Jennifer. This is my Aunt Franc and Uncle Jason."

Everyone took turns shaking hands with Rockie while JR stood aside like a bystander. Patty stepped between Rockie and JR, taking each by the arm and leading them into the dining room.

"You two sit in these two chairs," she instructed. "Everyone else find a seat and plant yourselves. Dinner is ready to be served."

Addressing Rockie she said, "I believe you have already had my tuna casserole as a leftover. I hope you like it freshly made, and hot out of the oven."

Ignoring the chair that JR had pulled out for her, Rockie said, "Please let me help you serve, Patty."

"I'm sorry, Rockie, but Katie and Cile made me promise to let them help serve. But don't worry, the massage parlor will provide you plenty of opportunities to help out later."

She winked at Rockie and returned to the kitchen laughing.

JR groaned, Rockie giggled and the rest of the guests just looked confused.

Taking her seat, Rockie asked JR, "Has your mom been doing the massage parlor routine a long time?"

He took his seat beside her and said, "No. Apparently, you're her inspiration for it. I never hear her mention massage parlors before today."

Bobby took his seat at the head of the table and said, "Your mom and Franc have been taking lessons in erotic massage techniques from Kim and Lucy at Rick's. I think that may be what's keeping it on her mind. She has always been an enthusiastic student."

"Rockie's regular massage is erotic enough for me," JR said, turning to kiss Rockie on the cheek. "And that's without any classes at all. Right?"

Franc said, "Maybe Rockie can give Patty and me lessons while she's here."

"Me too," added Jen, causing Joey to blush.

"Good job spotting those imposters this morning," contributed his Uncle Jason, more to change the subject than anything else.

"Greg Clevenger, he was my old academy classmate that you met this morning, said that you helped them crack several major sexual assault and murder cases today. Both of the guys you took down have confessed, and fingered the third guy, who is the grandson of a local rancher," said Bobby.

Joey chimed in, "I'm hoping that you and Rockie will let me take your official statements. Captain Clevenger agreed to let me as long as you both agree."

"I understand that you're studying criminal justice at Baylor," Rockie said to Joey. "My dream is to develop applications and programs to assist law enforcement agencies to track criminal activities on the Internet, and the Deep Web in particular."

"Good luck with that," said Bobby. "Even the NSA has challenges breaking the encryption and layers on some of the Deep Web servers."

"That's because they are going after them blind," Rockie countered. "The predators aren't going to find any victims within the Deep Web itself. They need to come out into the regular Internet to do that. Initial tests of my program show that once an identity is confirmed as originating from the Deep Web, it can track them back through the encryption and layers to the originating computer."

Bobby glanced at Jason and they shared a look. He then turned back to Rockie and said, "You said that your dream would be to do this, but it sounds like you already are."

Rockie nodded and said, "I should have said my dream job would involve doing it. All my programming and development so far has just been a hobby for me."

She smiled and addressed Bobby directly, "You know that I work for BWH, what I do there, and probably a lot more about me, so you know that what I currently do is not my dream."

Bobby didn't reply, but simply nodded and studied the young woman that his son had brought home.

Chapter Twenty

"I think 'our' bed should be a double," whispered Rockie as she nuzzled against JR's neck. "I would prefer a twin-size, but that would be too greedy of me."

He had just awakened next to her in his bedroom. She had apparently been awake a while longer since she was more fully aware of their surroundings than he was.

"You don't like the king-sized bed at the condo?" he asked groggily.

"You have too much room to get away from me in that bed. I like you being confined more like you are in this bed."

"I don't remember ever avoiding you at the condo," he said.

"The point is, you have the opportunity to avoid me there. Here, you're always close to me. No chance of you being more than an arm's length from me."

"I can see your logic, but maybe you should consider things that would make me want to avoid you in a king-sized bed and not do them."

"Enlighten me on the things that would make you want to avoid me, and I will consider them."

After several seconds of thought, he pulled her naked body against his and replied, "Funny, I can't think of a thing that would make me want to avoid you." He poked the tip of her nose with a finger.

"I was surprised to be in your bed this morning," she breathed into his ear. "Very pleasantly surprised. Thank you."

She rubbed as much of her body against his as she could manage without actually climbing on top of him.

"When you fell asleep in front of the fire, no one wanted to wake you. So, since I figured that I was going to have to get you ready for bed anyway, I might as well do it in my room. All your bags were still in here, but I didn't want to sort through them trying to find your pajamas, or even a robe for you. I figured that the easiest thing to do would be to take your clothes off and let you decide what to wear when you woke up."

"I think that you felt safe with my lack of consciousness," she teased.

"I did consider the risks and decided that finally spending a whole night naked in bed with you was worth it. We were both pretty tired, so I doubt anything could have happened even if we wanted it to."

"Give me a chance next time and I'll take that bet. Do you have to use the bathroom?"

"You can go first," he offered.

"I've already used it. I'm surprised that I didn't wake you."

"So, I missed your exit and grand re-entrance," he pouted.

She jumped out of bed, walked with exaggerated swaying of her hips to the bathroom attached to his room, turned, raised her arms above her head, and struck a provocative pose, before walking slowly and seductively back to the bed and crawling in next to him again.

He laughed and pulled her back against him.

"You're the best girlfriend a guy could have. I imagine that you want me to give you a show now."

In response, she sat up, crossed her legs, and clapped her hands a few times.

"Your fan club awaits your performance."

Before heading to the bathroom, JR walked over to one of the windows in the room and pulled the blinds aside to look outside.

"Probably an hour before daylight."

She watched as he walked past the bed and resisted the temptation to grab him and pull him back into bed with her. Patience was not her strong suit where he was concerned. His stride was normal, without any of the fanfare that she had added to hers, but his regular walk was more than good enough in her opinion. God, what the sight of his naked body did to her was amazing.

While he was in the bathroom, she straightened the bed covers and pillows so that they could lean against the headboard and talk for a while. She had some questions for him. She heard him flush the toilet and then the obvious sounds of him brushing his teeth. She was glad that she too had thought to brush while JR was still asleep.

He smiled at her anxious and attentive expression while she watched him return to the bed. Seeing how she had arranged things, he slipped in beside her and leaned against the pillow cushioned headboard. She moved beside him, pulled his arm around her, placed his hand over her breast, and held it in place while she leaned against his shoulder.

He tried to keep his hand motionless on her breast, and her hand over his helped.

"I need to get up in about forty-five minutes so that I can get the chores done before breakfast."

"Can I help you," she asked.

"If you want to. It's not very glamorous work. The growing season is over so, basically, it will just entail feeding the animals and making sure their water troughs are clean. You might enjoy that."

"Sounds like fun," she said. "Besides the horses, what other animals do you have?"

"There's four Suri alpaca that my parents are raising. They send the fiber from them to a company in Santa Fe, New Mexico that turns it into yarn for my Grandma Brandt. She then knits blankets for her church missions in South America."

"Don't alpacas spit at people?"

JR chuckled, "They can spit, but they generally reserve it for each other. Don't worry, they have tell-tale signs that indicate that they are preparing to spit. I'll let you know if I see any warning signs. So, besides the horses and alpacas, we also have three cats that patrol the property, a Jenny to protect any young livestock from coyotes, a calf that belongs to Katie and Cile, and our dog, Spencer, who you met last night. We don't have to worry about feeding him since that's Katie's chore."

"Who does the chores when you're away?"

"I let my dad do them when I'm not here. He relinquishes them back to me whenever I am home."

"Well, now you need to let me help you. We're a team at home, and we'll be a team everywhere else. Okay?"

"You say that now," he chuckled. "You'll sing a different tune when the time comes to clean up after them."

"I'll just have to show you, I guess. By the way, do you really keep a donkey to protect against coyotes?"

"Sure. Didn't you notice when we were driving past all the pastures that had cattle on them, every time a calf was present, there was also a donkey in the same pasture? Jennies are extremely protective of young animals and their kick will send a coyote scurrying, if it survives it."

"Interesting. JR, how many girls have you been with?"

The sudden change in conversation subject took him by surprise. The question wasn't that big of a surprise though since he had been preparing for it.

"Rockie, I sense that the answer to your question is important to you, so I just want to be clear about what you are asking me. If you want to know the number of girls that I have been in the presence of, the total would probably be in the thousands, but that's not what you want to know, is it?"

She shook his head against his shoulder and said, "No. Let me rephrase it for you; JR, how many girls have you had intimate relations with?"

"So far, just with you."

"But we..."

She sighed and pushed his hand down firmer onto her breast. She wanted to make certain that he felt her hardening nipple in his palm.

"Okay, Cutie, let's try this. How many girls have you put your pee-pee inside of?"

He had to stop laughing before he could answer her question, "Sixteen."

"And you don't consider any of those sixteen times 'intimate relations'?"

"No, and I'll tell you why. There was nothing involved with any of them but two aroused people satisfying basic biological urges. There was usually little foreplay, little or no planning, no emotional attachment; at least not on my part, and no commitments. There was only one time when one of us still didn't have on most of our clothes."

She considered the experiences he described and thought back to her own limited ones. Her experiences with Brad were pretty much as JR had described his experiences. There was never any emotional attachment to what they did. She had felt no passion for what they had done, and certainly no desire for him like she felt for the man here with her now.

"Do you feel any 'biological urges' with me that you would like to satisfy. Because I sure feel them towards you. And if you say, 'That's for me to know, and for you to find out', I'll spank you."

Making her head bounce as he chuckled at her question, he said "I have wanted to ravage you since you first knocked on my front door, but not as much as I have wanted to make love to you. I would remain celibate for the rest of my life if that's what it took for us to share intimacies such as we are right now."

"JR, I believe we can have both. I love our intimacies more than you'll ever know. I have never had anything like this with anyone else. Can I ask if all of the sixteen partners you have had were white?"

She felt him tense beside her. He took several seconds to respond.

"I'm not sure that I understand the context of your question, so I'll just tell you that no, not all of them were 'white'.

"You are the first white guy for me," she admitted. "Of course, there were only two other guys before Brad."

"If it helps, you can close your eyes when we're naked."

She smacked his chest and said, "Not funny. The color of our skin only concerns me where it might affect you, and I don't mean how you feel about me. I know that you love me. My concern is how it may affect how others perceive you because of my skin color. Interracial relationships are not universally accepted."

"I would have the same concerns about me where your friends are concerned, but I would dismiss them anytime I saw the love for me in your eyes. I hope someday to give you that same degree of confidence."

"I'm getting there. Being so warmly welcomed by your family has gone a long way in that regard. I know that they knew of my race before we arrived, but their acceptance was never certain until I actually met them."

"My parents adore you, especially my mom. She already asked if she could trade you for me."

Laughing, Rockie said, "There's no one for her to trade with. I'm a free agent, so she could have us both."

"You should tell her that. Anyway, you will never be made to feel anything but loved around me or my family."

"Strangers will probably be different," she said.

"I can't say that I know what it feels like for you to be judged by the color of your skin, or your gender for that matter," he said.

"I do know how it feels to be viewed as different, and to not be trusted or respected because of my race. 'White male privilege' does not exist in many parts of the world."

Rockie guffawed and said, "Really? Like where?"

"Like most oriental countries, middle eastern countries, African countries; should I go on? There remains a great deal of historical bias towards white men where centuries of colonial exploitation have shaped the current cultures. I don't blame them for the biases, I'm just explaining that they exist and can manifest themselves as discrimination like what I have heard described by some of my minority friends."

"You have been to these places and witnessed discrimination because you are a white male?"

"Yes, and yes. Predominantly in smaller villages and towns but also at hotels, restaurants and other small businesses in larger cities."

"You will have to tell me about your world travels sometime, but for now, I would like to just lay here and listen to your heartbeat until we have to get up."

"When do I get to listen to your heartbeat?" he asked.

"My heart and every beat it makes belong to you, JR. I will never deny you anything, so whenever you want to rest your head between my breasts, you will be welcomed."

"Soon," is all he said as she settled her head on his chest.

"You really love animals, don't you?" Rockie asked as they climbed the backstairs off the mudroom. They were returning to JR's bedroom to shower and change their clothes after tending to the animal chores.

"With the exception of Spencer, I wouldn't characterize it as 'love'. I respect the responsibility that we have to care for the animals on our land and I enjoy their appreciation for that care. I recognize that each has its own personality, and I enjoy learning those."

"What do you think I should wear today?" she asked as they entered his room.

"We're very casual around here, even on holidays. I expect that my mom will Shanghai you into the kitchen with her so that she can spend some time alone with you today, and it can get warm in there with all the ovens and stove burners going. Maybe one of those light dresses that you brought?"

"I know just the one," she said as she pulled the sweatshirt over her head and walked towards the bathroom.

"Can I talk you into washing my back?" Her bare back was almost as appealing to him as her bare front.

She turned and winked at JR as she unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her legs. She had not worn panties beneath them and made certain that JR knew that she was bare on both her top and bottom while they tended to the animals.

While she waited for the shower to warm up, she stepped back to the doorway and said, "I promise that if you wash me, I will not try to reciprocate on you. I am offering you the opportunity to enjoy me without risk. It's your choice."

"That seems rather one-sided and selfish," he said as he began undressing.

Rockie placed her hands on her hips and smiled at him, "Are you finally saying 'no' to me, Cutie?"

In response, he kicked his feet free from his jeans and followed her into the waiting shower.

Chapter Twenty-One

Rockie tied the apron that Patty had handed her around her waist and said, "I hope you're not making a mistake asking me to help with preparing food. JR's a better cook than me."

Patty smile at her reassuringly and said, "Where do you think he learned? It's actually better to share the duties with someone who wants to learn rather than with someone who thinks they know what to do."

"Well, I certainly don't have the first clue what to do, but I am very willing to learn."

"Good. Can you follow a recipe?" Patty asked.

She had sent JR and his father off to deliver Katie to Franc's house, so she and Rockie were now alone in the kitchen.

"I can, but the more detailed the directions the better. I mean, I know how to measure ingredients and so on, but if the directions don't specify when to add what, and in what manner, I get lost pretty quick."

"That's a challenge even the most experienced cooks have, Rockie. It's like getting a box full of fabric pieces and trying to sew them into something that resembles a dress."

"Exactly. So, where do you want me to start?"

"You can just hang here and watch me for now," said Patty. "I need to get the turkey ready to go into the oven first. Have you ever roasted a turkey before?"

"No, I've just enjoyed the fruits of someone else's labor. Do you roast your turkey? I didn't know many people did that anymore..."

"I'm traditional where the holidays are concerned. We'll occasionally deep-fry or smoke a turkey during the summer for the Fourth of July or Labor Day, but I have always liked to roast it in the oven for Thanksgiving, along with both stuffing in the bird and dressing around it."

"That sounds wonderful to me," said Rockie. "Did your mom teach you how to cook?"

"No, my mom worked long hours selling real estate, so she never felt much like cooking big meals. We would usually spend holidays with someone else and just bring a side dish as a contribution to the meal. I'm self-taught, and I'm actually glad that I was able to develop my own styles and tastes based upon what me and my family like rather than what somebody else thinks we should like."

"I have been learning a lot just by working alongside JR in the kitchen. That reminds me, what is his obsession with washing dishes by hand rather than using the dishwasher?"

Patty laughed, "You're going to learn really quickly that JR is a virtual clone of Bobby. If that's the way his dad does it, then that's going to be the way JR does it. I was thrilled when Katie got old enough to start helping with the dishes because she would force JR and her dad to use the dishwasher. You know, for a young lady who has every man in her life wrapped around her finger, Katie is actually a very independent, caring, and selfless little girl. She adores you, by the way."

"I adore her too. One of the things I love about JR is his devotion to her. I just wish..."

"Give him time, Rockie," Patty said with understanding in her voice. "I want to tell you a story, so you understand how I can be so certain of what you need to know."

"About how you and JR's dad were reunited?"

"That's the one," Patty confirmed. "What has JR told you about it?"

"Only that you were in the Witness Protection Program until he was ten, and it was his dad that made it possible for you to get out and be reunited."

"We've got a few minutes, so follow me. I want to show you something."

Patty wiped her wet hands on a paper towel and led Rockie out of the kitchen. She walked them across the family room and through a set of double doors into a large room that had two office desks at right angles to each other, an artist easel near the large bay window and a large leather sofa.

Rather than leading Rockie to the sofa, Patty took her first to the wall on the left side of the door, where more than a dozen watercolor paintings hung. All of them prominently depicted the Corvair that JR now drove in the scene. There was also a single photograph of the Corvair, parked on the sand at some beach location with what looked like a teenage Patty and Bobby kissing in front of it.

"I met Bobby on the first day of my junior year of high school. I had just transferred to a new school, and the first time I saw him, I knew that he was destined to hold every place in my heart for the rest of my life. In retrospect, I now understand that our relationship developed at a pace that Bobby established out of respect for me. He never denied me anything, but he would not move things faster than he thought they should go until he was convinced that I could handle things."

"Sounds vaguely familiar," Rockie grinned. "Please go on."

"I remember teasing him shamelessly for months, trying to make him see that I was ready to do anything with him, that I was completely his for the taking, but he wouldn't waver until he knew it was the right time for me. He always had a way of reading me, and knowing what I wanted or needed, often before I realized it myself."

Patty took Rockie's hand as she leaned against the backside of the sofa, staring at the pictures on the wall, "When we finally did make love, in the condo that is now JR's by the way, it was like a fairy tale come true. I realized that making love provided us both with a physical outlet for the overwhelming love we felt for each other. Then the unthinkable happened, my family was forced into the Witness Protection Program and I never had a chance to tell Bobby anything."

"When I discovered that I was pregnant, I was livid. I learned that none of the promises made to us had been kept, especially the promises to let Bobby know what had happened. Then I found out that several of our family friends had been murdered by the people that my father was scheduled to testify against, I knew that I had to protect Bobby and his family. I stopped insisting that he be told anything and began channeling all of my love for him through our baby boy."

Pointing to the pictures on the wall, Patty continued, "I started painting pictures that depicted an event in mine and JR's life, and always included the Corvair, since that was such a special part of mine and Bobby's life together before our separation. I would hang a new one every Easter and tell JR another story about his father. So, on the fateful day when Bobby showed up at one of JR's baseball practices, not even aware that he had a son, he happened to still be driving the same car that his son had grown up viewing in his mother's pictures."

"Why did Bobby just happen to show up at JR's baseball practice?" Rockie asked.

"He didn't know it was JR's baseball practice. Remember, he didn't even know that JR existed. He came to watch his nephew's baseball practice. Bobby had just moved to San Antonio and was coming to see his sister, who he hadn't seen since Joey was born. They agreed to meet at the baseball practice and drive to her house from there."

"So, Joey and JR were friends before they found out that they were cousins?"

"That's right. Franc and Jason lived right down the street from the house that the Marshalls had set us up in, unaware that she was Bobby's older sister. She had always been away at school when Bobby and I were dating, so I had never met his older sister, Francis. Her and I became friends, and while I knew she had a younger brother, the fact that he was Bobby didn't come to light until that day when I walked out onto the deck at Franc's house and saw him standing there."

"I can imagine how that must have shocked everyone."

Patty laughed, "No, what shocked everyone was me fainting at the sight of a man that everyone else present thought was a complete stranger to me. See, I had changed my appearance so that my hair and eye color matched JR's, and I was wearing glasses, so Bobby didn't immediately recognize me. In fact, he didn't get a good look at me until the next afternoon, and then he knew."

"That's a wonderful story," Rockie said with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, it's romantic and heartwarming," Patty agreed, "but the reason I wanted to share it with you is because of how Bobby and JR are so similar. I didn't recognize it until later, but JR had always been trying to protect me when he was younger. I think back on times when as a toddler, he would be in his stroller or car seat and he would never play with any toys. He was always aware of our surroundings and would warn me about things like a car that might be following us, or a man looking at me strangely. I always attributed his behavior to him seeing the Marshalls acting protective but came to realize it was just JR's nature to be protective of me. This made me think back to Bobby, and how he too had always been very aware of our surroundings when we were dating and had always placed my safety ahead of my happiness."

"I see that in JR," Rockie admitted.

"You've only seen what JR wants you to see," said Patty.

"What do you mean?"

"Bobby is the kindest, most compassionate man I have ever known. However, I also know just how ruthless and brutal he has been, both in his service to this country and in protecting his family. JR will be no different. If Bobby perceived a need to protect me or our children, he would take steps to do so, and nothing would stop him. I usually find out about things after the fact, and while I may not always share his assessment of the situation, I trust his instincts far more than mine. If JR thinks that you are being threatened or treated with disrespect, he will intercede. You may never learn about it, and he won't care either way. He's going to protect you whether you like it or not."

Rockie thought about how JR had contacted Karen Mason when she had mentioned how her immediate supervisor was treating her unfairly, and then to the incident with the three guys at the pool. Yes, JR had been protecting her at those times. Were there others? Oh God, did he think he was protecting her from sex? What harm could come to her from them having sex except her getting pregnant and surely he knew how to protect against that. She had seen the condoms in his condo.

Patty continued, "If JR is as much like his father as I believe we both think he is, then there is one thing that you need to always remember; Bobby knows of only one way to handle any threat, and that is to eliminate it. There are no other options. When he came back into our lives, he saw the threat that had forced my family into the Witness Protection Program, but rather than merely accept us living with protection from the threat, he saw that it was eliminated entirely."

"JR talks about his dad like he's a superhero. When JR invited me to his home for Thanksgiving, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had taken me to Superman's Fortress of Solitude, or maybe to Batman's secret cave."

Patty laughed and then moved to one of the desks in the room. She placed the palm of her hand flat on a section of the surface and Rockie jumped in surprise as a door appeared in the wall in front of her.

"It's not the Fortress of Solitude or the Bat Cave, but it's the closest thing Bobby could arrange and still keep it relatively secret."

Rockie stood up straighter to glance down the concrete steps on the other side of the doorway.

"What's down there," she asked.

"Basically, a 'Panic House'. There are four bedrooms, three baths, a fully stocked kitchen, and everything needed for our family to live safely for an extended period of time. It is impenetrable from anywhere on the outside of the house and only accessible to someone with the right biometric parameters stored in the system. There are three other entrances outside in case someone in the family isn't in the house when entry is required."

Patty placed her palm in the same spot on the desk and the door closed. The wall looked as if nothing has happened seconds previously.

"Rockie, if you have feelings for JR, which I expect you do, I can offer you this advice; Trust him. Trust him with your life and with your heart because he will protect both of them with his life. You may not always like things that he does but accept that he will live his life with your security and happiness as his number one priority."

"Most important though, never give him an ultimatum. He will view that as a threat and all he knows how to do is eliminate threats. Let me share something with you from when Bobby and I were dating. Before the first time, I was getting so frustrated with us not making love that I considered threatening Bobby with us breaking up if we didn't do it. I'm glad that he sensed my thoughts because he found the perfect opportunity for us to be together and for us to finally consummate our love. Rockie, I knew then, and I know now that had I given Bobby that ultimatum, it would have been the end for us and there would have been nothing I could have done to change that result."

"If you make JR choose between what he thinks is best for you and what you think you want, you will lose him forever. My advice is that you trust him."

Rockie nodded, "Blind faith is hard. I have been more patient with JR than I believed possible, especially when there is so much that I don't know about him. I do believe that we have a future together, and I want to help him accomplish his dreams. One of the reasons I am working so hard on my program is so that I can hopefully license it for enough money for me to help him set up his veterinary practice once he graduates."

"Veterinary practice?" Patty asked.

"Of course. I know his college fund is paying for his schooling, but once he graduates, he will need resources to get established with his own practice. I plan to be there with the financial support he will need."

"Okay, Rockie, here's my next piece of advice for you, learn how to talk to the Brandt men. Don't settle for what they tell you when you ask them a question. They are not deliberately deceitful, but they will make you dig for all the information. You will find that their responses are typically going to be like an onion. You will need to go layer by layer to get everything out of them."

"Let me give you a very real example; if you ask JR about his pending graduation, he'll say that he is all set to graduate. You could leave it there, but if you asked him where he ranked in his class, he would tell you that he's ranked okay. If you asked him what 'okay' meant, he would tell you that he's one of the top in his class. If you asked him where in the 'top of his class' he was, he would tell you he's number one. It would be easier if you knew to just ask 'JR, who is the valedictorian for your class, to which he would honestly tell you that he was. The problem is that you often don't know what you don't know, so you can't cut right to the end question. You're going to have to learn how to peel the onion."

Rockie stared at Patty as she played her many conversations with JR back in her mind. That brat! She knew now that she had been far too accepting of the minimal information that JR had provided. Then something that Patty said resonated with her.

"Why is JR going to veterinary school if he doesn't want to be a veterinarian?"

"I'm sorry, Rockie, but you need to peel his onion, not mine. Come on, let's get back to the kitchen. We can talk further in there."

"How many foster homes did you grow up in?" Patty asked as she stuffed the turkey while Rockie prepared the dressing. She was concentrating hard on following Patty's precise instructions.

"From the age of seven, until I left for Cal Poly at seventeen, I lived with five different foster families. I was luckier than most kids in that respect because I was always able to begin and end a school year in the same place. My moves always occurred during the summer break."

"That still couldn't have been easy. I remember how upset I was when my parents moved before my junior year of high school and I had to adjust to a whole new school and make new friends. Fortunately, I met Bobby and his popularity rubbed off on me as his girlfriend."

"I adapted I guess by being a loner. I didn't make friends easily, wasn't very social and found solace in my studies. Except for one foster dad that I had during high school, all of the rest were happy with me being quiet and not having to worry about me hanging out with the wrong kids."

"What was the difference with the one foster father?" Patty asked.

"He was a Captain with the police department who ran a teen outreach program in the community where we lived, and he was always trying to get me involved in the activities he arranged for other kids. The only activity that I liked enough to do regularly was learning gun safety and how to shoot a pistol."

"Were all your foster families black?"

"Yes. Social Services tried to avoid placing kids in environments where they had less of a chance to fit in. Many foster homes that take black children are in predominantly black neighborhoods, which made the likelihood of the foster kids getting involved in gangs and drugs much more common. Girls have it easier than boys as long as they can avoid getting pregnant, which wasn't a problem for me since I was never seen as that attractive because of my lighter skin and blue eyes."

"So, you didn't date much in high school?"

"Not at all. I went to the movies once on a double date with another boy, his sister, and her boyfriend, and to a birthday party once with a boy who was staying in the same foster home as me, but I never even held hands with either of them. I started hanging out at school with this one boy, and we became sort of boyfriend and girlfriend, but we never went on any dates or anything. I finally gave him my virginity when I was in college, mostly to get him to stop bothering me, but I admit that I was also curious."

"I take it that it wasn't everything that you expected it to be?" Patty chuckled. "The first time seldom is for most girls. I was fortunate that my first time, and every time since has been with Bobby."

"Your first time met your expectations?" Rockie asked.

"My first time far exceeded my expectations," Patty confirmed. "I realized that we both had been sharing our emotional love, but the expression of that had been limited by our inability to also share our physical love. It felt like a release had been opened within my heart the moment that Bobby and I began to make love because I felt so much more love flowing out of me, and I felt more of his love filling voids that I didn't know existed."

"That is exactly what I think will happen with me and JR!" Rockie cried. "I feel like we have barely scratched the surface of the love we have the potential of sharing, and I am so frustrated that I can't convince him of that."

"I think he knows it too, even if he hasn't recognized it for what it is," Patty said. "But remember, he needs to know that you are protected and respected before he will allow himself to do things that might adversely impact you or how you feel for him. He needs to trust that you are ready."

"Oh God," Rockie said, "I've practically molested him already. What more can I do to prove to him that I am his for the taking?"

"Don't confuse physical 'hints' of desire with the emotional assurance that he may be looking for. Talk to him and try to make him understand how much more you think your love will grow if you do so without limits. He probably doesn't know that I know, but my son has done his share of sowing his wild oats. He is now trying to differentiate between those experiences and what he feels he needs to do for the two of you to have something more than he has ever had before."

"I don't have the experience that he does, but I know that I would do anything to show him my love. I trust him enough to let him take control of my feelings, so I need to make him know that."

Patty smiled and said, "I think that what you need is a girl's night out."

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Do you want to come with me when I go pick up Katie?" JR asked.

Rockie was sitting on his lap in a chair in the family room. Patty had told her to relax for a couple of hours before she would be needed to help mash potatoes and finish the other side dishes for their meal.

"I would love to, but that will be when your mom expects me to be here to help her," Rockie said.

"You know that she really doesn't need any help, right?"

"That's not the point. She asked me to help so I am going to. I am learning a lot from her."

"She is a good cook," JR admitted.

"Who said anything about learning how to cook?" Rockie stifled her giggle. "So, did you and your dad get the radio fixed?"

"For the time being. It's the original radio, so parts are getting harder to find for it, but as of right now, we can at least listen to AM stations on it."

"Do you have anything else planned for the rest of the day?" she asked.

"I had planned on spending it with my girlfriend, but I'm flexible."

She placed her lips on his and spoke with them together, "I love you, JR."

"I know. Can we go for a walk? I'm hungry enough without smelling the food cooking."

"Sure. Are my shoes okay for where you want to walk?"

He looked at her sandals and said, "If we decide to go anyplace that you feel uncomfortable walking, I will carry you."

Standing, she said, "That is an enticement that I could abuse, but I won't."

Taking her hand as he stood, JR walked her through the kitchen, where they told his parents their plan to walk around the property, and then they went out through the mudroom to the back patio. JR led them around the fenced in-ground pool down the walkway leading to the stable.

"If you're interested while you're here, the pool is heated. Maybe tonight we can watch the sunset from the hot tub?"

"I didn't bring a bathing suit," she reminded him. "While I wouldn't need one if it were just you and me, I think it would be expected by your family."

"How about sitting on the edge and dangling our feet in while we watched the sunset?" he suggested.

"That would be nice, but I don't think tonight will work. Your mom said that she was taking me for a 'girl's night out'."

JR stopped on the walkway and turned to her, "Oh really? Did she say where she was taking you?"

"Nope."

"And you're okay with not knowing her plans?"

"Sure. We've had a good time today and I like spending time with her. I trust that she won't corrupt me too much for you."

Rockie noticed them approaching the stables and said, "I hope you plan on taking me for a roll in the hay, Cowboy."

JR laughed and said, "Soon, but not right now. I just wanted to check on the horses' water to make sure the line blockage I fixed this morning hasn't returned."

She just leaned her head against his arm and walked beside him into the stables. While JR busied himself checking the supply line to the water troughs, she wandered over to the tack room and switched on the light. She hadn't been around a lot of horses in her life, but she had spent a couple of summers at camps for underprivileged youths which had horse stables that the kids helped care for, so she wasn't completely foreign to tack rooms. This one looked more like a store display than a tack room because it was so clean and organized.

JR came over, stood beside her, and placed his arm around her waist.

"Want to go for a ride while you're here?"

"Sure, if we have time," she replied.

She pointed to a black plate just inside the entrance to the room and even though she suspected that she knew the answer, she asked him, "What is that?"

JR looked where she was pointing and began to answer when a thought occurred to him.

"I'll explain later," he said as he took her hand and began to lead her out of the stables and back towards the house.

When they re-entered the mudroom, JR let go of her hand and walked over to his father in the kitchen.

"Can I speak with you a minute, Dad?"

Bobby and Patty noticed the concern on JR's face and in his voice and glanced over at Rockie for a clue. She could offer them nothing by her expression.

Bobby placed his hand on JR's shoulder and said, "Of course. Let's go into the study."

After the two men left the kitchen, Rockie walked over to Patty and asked, "Is one of the external entrances to downstairs located in the stables tack room?"

"Yes, why?" Patty asked.

"Were you not supposed to tell me about downstairs or something? When I asked JR what the palm reader was in the tack room, he rushed us back here like something was wrong."

"Ah...," Patty said. "I think I know what his concern is now."

"Can you share with me?"

"Your biometric parameters haven't been entered into the system. JR knows that if we were required to go downstairs that you wouldn't be able to go with us."

"Couldn't one of you take me down with you?" Rockie asked.

"Only if you and someone that the system recognized were to be the first two down, and then no one else would be allowed to join you. The system is designed to view any biometric presence that is not programmed into it as non-friendly, so it would not allow anyone to join you and whoever you were with down there. If there was already someone down there and you tried to enter, even with a member of the family, you both would be sealed in the stairway until first responders arrived to secure the property."

Rockie thought about how the idea of her being restricted from the safety of the room should they all need to go there would affect JR. She doubted that there was any specific threat that concerned him, but based upon what Patty had mentioned earlier, even the remote possibility that she would not be protected must have bothered JR.

"What more can I do to help?" Rockie asked Patty as she put the apron back on.

Patty said, "If you want to check the top oven, you can see how the rolls are doing. They probably have a few more minutes, but it never hurts to keep an eye on things."

"So true," said Rockie as she turned on the light to the oven and gazed inside. "They're just beginning to turn brown. I'll keep an eye on them. When is JR supposed to pick up Katie?"

"Between one-thirty and two. Franc has her meal planned for three o'clock, the same as us. If you wanted to go with JR, I could manage things here."

"Let's wait and see where everything sits when he is ready to go, and I'll decide then. You said that the gravy would be one of the last things you prepared, and I really want to learn how to do that."

"You go with JR and I'll make sure to save the gravy for when you return."

She looked at the clock and added, "Those two had better finish their argument soon. It's after one thirty already."

As if on cue, JR came out of the study, followed by an equally stoic-looking Bobby. Rockie took the apron off again and walked over to meet JR.

"Your mom says that I have time to go with you to pick up Katie if you want some company."

His face brightened, and he said, "Great. I always love having you with me. Let's go."

Rockie waved goodbye to Patty, but Bobby was pouring himself some iced tea and ignoring everyone in the room. JR likewise ignored both of his parents as he took her hand and led her out of the house to his car. He walked Rockie around to her side and opened the door for her.

"Would you like the top up or down?" he asked.

"I would prefer for it to be down if it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble at all. Go ahead and release the lever on your side and I'll go get mine."

She reached above the windshield and pulled the release lever. The top raised slightly but did not fully release until JR pulled the release on his side, then the top popped up about six inches. Rockie was preparing to get out of the car to help JR lower the top, but he had it folded back into its storage compartment before she could open her door.

"Relax, Sweetie. I'm not going to worry about putting the compartment cover on for now since we'll be putting the top back up later."

JR jumped over the driver's door and took his seat. He leaned over and kissed Rockie before starting his car. Being the only car on the parking pad, it was easy for him to turn his car around and then speed down the driveway. He had progressed through third gear before reaching the street. He downshifted and raced towards the exit from the subdivision.

Rockie had never seen JR drive this aggressively. She wasn't worried about the driving, but she was concerned about what was motivating it.

"Is everything okay, JR?"

He smiled reassuringly at her and said, "It will be."

When he reached FM539, he turned left and drove at the posted speed. There was little traffic on the roads since it was Thanksgiving, so they both assumed that the red color of the Corvair would be only one reason why it would be more obvious to any law enforcement cars that were out patrolling, so JR drove accordingly.

Rockie paid attention to the scenery as JR drove. The rolling fields and ranch pastures that she had seen yesterday continued. Upon reaching US Highway 87, JR turned right. Rockie noticed the name on the Post Office.

"Sutherland Springs. Why does that sound familiar to me?"

"Probably because of the mass shooting at the church that happened here a few years ago. Heck of a way to have your town remembered isn't it?"

"I remember that!" she said. "It must have been a horrible scene around here. This is close to your home. Did you know any of the victims?"

"Yeah, my mom knew a couple of the women, and two of the girls killed had been in Girl Scouts with Katie."

"Oh, that's awful."

"Yeah it was tough, but we're proud of how it was local neighbors who caught the guy that did the shooting, and especially proud of the support that poured in from everyone around here."

"After living in such a close-knit family and community here, it must have been challenging for you to adjust to living alone in a place strange to you, like Orange County."

JR shook his head and said, "Not really. Remember that both sets of my grandparents have lived there, so we visited quite frequently. My parents would take us to all their old haunts and I got to know the area as sort of a second home even before it became my home. Where friends and such are concerned, it actually worked out better for me. I wouldn't have time for much socializing, which could strain some friendships if I had to keep turning down invitations to parties or other events. My only acquaintances in Orange County are other classmates, with the same social constraints that I have..."

"Oh, is that right?" Rockie asked with a bite in her voice.

JR chuckled, "I know that you know that you are not in the same category as 'acquaintances' or even ordinary friends. I will always make time for you. For 'us'."

"I don't think your dad likes me," she admitted.

JR was silent for several seconds before saying, "He doesn't think you are right for me. He believes that our relationship is going to hold you back from your potential."

"What? I don't believe that, and I hope you don't believe it either. He hasn't said more than a few words to me since I arrived, and he stares at me more than I am used to, like he's looking for the horns on my head that he expects to find. I think he doesn't approve of you being with me for other reasons, and I don't have to tell you what I think those reasons are."

"Rockie, I won't deny you your feelings or your beliefs, and I won't claim to know what types of discrimination you have encountered or how that affected you. All I can ask is that you trust me when I tell you that any reservations that my dad may have about our relationship have nothing to do with the color of your skin, your upbringing, or your religious beliefs."

"That's fine, JR, but just so we're clear on one thing, I will never come between you and your family. Unless they can accept us being together, without reservations or concerns about either of our futures, then I'll walk away. I mean it. I love you too much to do otherwise."

"Don't I get any say in the matter?"

"No, you don't, because I know in my heart that you would choose me, and that would doom us as a couple. Even if you never felt any resentment towards me, I would always feel regret. I can't imagine living with the knowledge that I was the reason that you and Katie were kept apart, or you and your mom for that matter. It wouldn't work for me."

"I'll fix things with my dad, Rockie, and if I can't, I'll get my mom to help."

"Please don't get your mom involved. I don't want to be the cause of any rift between your parents. Let them be happy together. They deserve that. At least your mom does."

JR pulled into the drive of a house almost as big as his parent's home but on a much smaller lot. He then backed onto the street again and continued down it. "I want to show you something before we pick up Katie."

He drove to the end of the street, which had a cul-de-sac at the dead-end to allow vehicles to turn around. There was a gated driveway with a ten-foot stone wall on both sides which appeared to continue around the entire property line. He stopped the car so that they could look through the gate into the property beyond. It looked unoccupied.

"This is where we lived while we were in the Witness Protection Program. The U.S. Marshalls Service still owns it as far as we know, but it hasn't been occupied since we moved out."

"This is where you were living when you met Joey and his family? I think that you and your mom making friends with people who turned out to be relatives is an amazing story."

He started back down the road to his aunt and uncle's house.

"Yeah, it is. Joey and I have talked about it over the years, and we both agree that there was always a bond between us that was deeper than mere friendship. Finding out that we are first cousins must be the explanation we agreed."

This time, when he pulled into the driveway of the house, he turned the car off, jumped out and came around to open Rockie's door for her. He took her hand to help her out of her seat, and then walked with her to the front porch. He didn't bother knocking but just walked in.

"Something smells good in here," he hollered.

Katie came squealing around a corner and once more ignored JR as she grabbed Rockie's hand.

"Come and see the pie I baked," Katie begged.

Rockie let Katie pull her by one hand as she kept ahold of JR's in the other. They entered a large kitchen area to find Franc and Cile examining a turkey that appeared to have just come from the oven.

Katie pointed to a pumpkin pie on the counter and said, "That one's mine."

She pointed to an almost identical pie next to it and said, "That one's Cile's."

"They're both beautiful," Rockie gushed.

"They look good enough to eat," agreed JR.

Katie put her hands on her hips and stared up at her brother with a serious expression.

"Nothing better happen to my pie before we get it home," she admonished. "You better drive really careful, because I'm going to be holding it on my lap the whole way."

Franc, Cile, and Katie all laughed, but JR knelt to be face to face with his sister.

"Katie, I will make certain that this pie is as perfect as it is right now when we serve it at home. Trust me."

Katie threw her arms around JR's neck and started kissing his face.

"I love you, JR."

"I love you too Katie-kins. Let's get you and your pie situated so we can get home before Mom sends Dad out to find us."

"Do you want me to carry the pie out to the car for you?" asked Rockie. "Then I can hand it to you once you have your seatbelt on."

"Yes, please," Katie said as she took JR's hand and said goodbye to her cousin and aunt.

Rockie was simply going to wish Franc and Cile a happy Thanksgiving, but Franc came around the island to embrace her.

"I hear that you're joining our girl's night tonight."

"Oh, is this a regular thing?" Rockie asked.

"Sure, after slaving in the kitchen all day on Thanksgiving, Patty and I have been leaving the clean-up to the guys and having a girl's night out for years. I'm glad that she invited you to join us."

"Where do you usually go?"

Franc winked and said, "You'll see. There's only one suitable place open on Thanksgiving for a girl's night out, and fortunately for you, we know exactly where that is. See you in a couple of hours. Enjoy your meal."

Rockie giggled at the conspiracy that Patty and Franc had brewing, "You too. See you later."

She picked up the pie under the scrutiny of Cile, who was making sure that her pie wasn't taken by mistake. She carried it out to the car and handed it to an already seated and secured Katie, gingerly setting it on her lap.

"All set?" JR asked her.

Katie just kept her eyes on the pie and nodded her head.

Rockie was glad that having Katie with them prevented their earlier conversation from resuming, but she knew that it wasn't over.

Chapter Twenty-Three

"I don't know where we are going, but your mom said to 'dress to impress' and your aunt implied that this was a regular event for them on Thanksgiving, so you tell me, where have they usually gone?"

JR continued watching as Rockie applied make-up and styled her hair in his bathroom. The activities probably wouldn't be as impactful if she wasn't doing them while wearing matching pale pink panties with no bra and sheer black stockings. The red dress that she was waiting to slip on had made his mouth water just seeing it on the hanger. He knew that she was going to turn every head in Texas once she put it on.

"We haven't a clue," he said in response to her question. "Although I suspect that my dad and uncle Jason have a pretty good idea based upon their happy expressions the next morning."

"Would you like to have a happy expression tomorrow morning?" Rockie asked as her reflection in the mirror winked at him.

JR just smiled back at her and said, "Let's see how much your mood improves. The frost from dinner hasn't fully thawed, has it?"

She glanced at him in the mirror but didn't reply.

~~~

The atmosphere, once everyone had taken their seats, was festive, except between her and JR's dad. Neither had spoken a word to the other until Katie had brought up the subject of asking Santa for a cell phone for Christmas.

When Bobby had told Katie that cell phones were too risky for a girl her age, Rockie had countered that there was a way to ensure her safety. Before anyone could ask what Rockie was referring to, Bobby had shut her down by changing the subject. Patty was not to be as easily dismissed, so she asked Rockie to explain, which she agreed to do after dinner.

Rockie, Patty, and Bobby had remained at the table while JR and Katie cleared the dishes. Rockie had instructed Patty to go to the Google store and search for an app called "Secret Chaperone".

"What category is it under?" Patty had asked.

"It's not categorized," Rockie had explained. "The only way to find it without scrolling through the tens of thousands of apps is to search for it by name."

"They're not going to sell many like that," Bobby had said.

"It's not for sale," is all that Rockie offered as an explanation.

"So, it's ad-supported," he had countered. "That's a good way to get a virus onto your phone, Patty."

Patty had only glanced at her husband before doing as Rockie had instructed and entered the name into the search field and tapping the icon to start the query.

Once the app was located, Patty read the description aloud, "Turn any cell phone or tablet into a fully monitored and secure platform. Secret Chaperone allows parents to secretly supervise the phone, internet, chat, and photo sharing activities of their children at all times. Parents can remotely control any features or functionality of a child's cell phone or tablet, set security parameters, and establish alerts for specific actions, such as disabling of the GPS feature. Secret Chaperone cannot be detected on the child's device and cannot be disabled by turning the device off. As long as battery power remains, Secret Chaperone is active."

Patty looked at Rockie and asked, "So, how does this work?"

"If you were to install the app onto another cell phone, such as your husband's, you would be prompted to enter the telephone number for the device that you wanted to be the Secret Chaperone, such as your own phone. Once you enter that number and launch the app, it becomes invisible on the phone it is installed on and your phone would get a popup asking if you agree to be the Secret Chaperone for that other device. If you agree, then you will have an icon on your phone that gives you complete control and monitoring capabilities over that other device."

Patty put her hand out and said, "Bobby, give me your phone."

It wasn't a request.

Once he had relinquished his phone to his wife, Bobby stood and began assisting his children in the kitchen.

Patty repeated her search on her husband's phone but went the extra step of hitting the "download" icon. She watched as the progress indicator moved rapidly across the screen. When completed, she tapped the "install" icon. Within seconds her phone dinged. She looked at the screen and saw the pop-up that Rockie had promised. She accepted the request and saw the icon image of what looked like a Nanny wearing a spy mask. Tapping the icon took her to a settings and configuration menu.

"What now?" she asked Rockie.

Rockie spent fifteen minutes explaining each of the settings and what they did to protect and monitor a child. Patty asked several questions that indicated her obvious excitement over the possibility of using this app to grant her daughter her Christmas wish.

"How do you know so much about this app?" Patty asked when her lesson was over. "Have you had a need to use it yourself?"

"No, I developed it while in college to help a teaching assistant in one of my classes. Her son was getting bullied at school, so she wanted to be able to delete or respond to chats, social media posts and other activities, as well as capture them to provide proof to the school authorities. I have added to it over the years to address other potential risks related to child predators, and even non-custodial parent issues."

"Why don't you market it then? It looks like it would be extremely popular and useful for parents."

"It kind of goes back to what Bobby was saying earlier. If I market it, there will be an expectation that the app will be maintained and supported as Android or Apple iOS versions change. The Alpha version of Secret Chaperone was developed on the KitKat version of Android and iOS version 6.1.6. The Beta was released on the Lollipop version and iOS version 7.1.2. While it still works with the latest versions on both Androids and Apple devices, future updates may require me to make changes. I don't have the resources myself to market the app and provide support for thousands of users. I can handle supporting a few people, such as you and Katie if you want, but not the masses."

"Sign me up," Patty said. "Even if I can't use it to convince Bobby to get a phone for Katie, I can keep an eye on him until he figures out how to remove it from his phone."

"It can't be removed," Rockie assured her. "It's unlikely that anyone would ever find where it resides within the operating system."

"Why?"

Rockie glanced at the kitchen to make certain that they were outside of hearing range.

"All cell phones have a chip inside them to provide the location of the phone via GPS. Even if someone turns off their location notification, the chip is still there."

Patty smiled, "I know about that chip. In fact, I know the person who invented it."

Rockie looked at her quizzically and then remembered the patents that she had seen attributed to James Robert Brandt.

"Bobby?" she asked.

Patty just smiled and nodded.

Rockie giggled and continued, "Well, all the GPS chips have a vulnerability that I found years ago. I exploit that to actually install Secret Chaperone within the GPS chip itself. Since no program calls from the system or any installed applications are directed to the chip except for when a location is needed, it gets overlooked by all virus or application scans. It's hiding in plain sight."

"Oh, that is priceless!" Patty gushed. "I won't mention it, but I'm sure going to enjoy the knowledge. Now, we need to get ready to leave. How long will it take you to be ready?"

"A half-hour?"

"That sounds fine. I'll meet you in the kitchen in half an hour. We're going to have a blast tonight."

~~~

"Would you help me with my zipper?" she asked JR after stepping into her dress and sliding it into place on her body.

Momentarily speechless at the sight of her in the dress, JR simply stepped behind her and pulled the zipper up as requested.

"Am I dressed to impress?" she asked. She didn't need affirmation because she could see herself in the mirror, but she wanted to give JR a chance to voice his opinion.

"I don't know if I like the idea of you going out looking so beautiful and sexy without me being with you. If you were going with anyone other than my mom and aunt, I might try to talk you out of it."

"I wouldn't feel comfortable going out like this without you. I trust your mom not to get me into a situation that we can't handle. She says that we'll be home by ten o'clock, so the place can't be too wild."

"I'll be anxiously awaiting your return, and I really do hope that you have a good time. Try to forget about my dad for the evening and enjoy yourself.

She rose to kiss him and said, "I'll try. I better get downstairs. Your mom is probably waiting for me."

JR walked her downstairs, where they found his mother and Aunt Franc giggling like schoolgirls and both looking just as impressively dressed as Rockie, but nowhere near as beautiful, at least in his eyes.

"Rockie, you look ravishingly beautiful," Patty said. "You are going to be the center of attention tonight."

Franc laughed and said, "Without a doubt, and when you see where we're going, you'll appreciate just what an accomplishment it will be for you to be the center of attention. Come on, I'll drive."

Rockie kissed JR one more time before following Franc and Patty out the front door and over to Franc's SUV parked in the driveway. Bobby and Katie waved to them from the stables where they had been checking on the water trough once more. JR stood on the porch and watched them drive away, experiencing an emptiness he was not accustomed to.

"How far do we have to go?" Rockie asked. She was sitting in the back seat, behind Patty while Franc drove. "It seems like everything is at least fifteen minutes from your home."

"It's about thirty miles away," answered Franc, "But one good thing about being this far out, is we seldom encounter any traffic, so we're able to drive the posted speed limit. We'll be there in less than forty minutes."

"Did Jennifer join your family for dinner?" Rockie asked Franc.

"No, she had it at home with her own family. We may see her tonight though. I told her we were going."

"Where are we going?" Rockie asked again.

Patty said, "Remember that I told you that Bobby is the only man that I have ever made love to and I am the only woman for him? Franc and Jason are similarly exclusive to each other. I realized soon after Bobby and I were reunited, that our physical intimacies would always be an outlet for the expression of our love for one another, but that we didn't know what we didn't know. Were there physical activities that we could share that would allow for an even greater expression of our love?"

"Making love with Bobby has always rocked my world, but I felt that there were needs and desires not being fully satisfied for either of us. For example, while I loved the tenderness that we had always shared, I needed to know that Bobby had a raw, animalistic desire for me as his woman. I needed him to be my caveman. Do you know what I mean?"

"I think I do," said Rockie. "I have fantasized about doing things with JR that I never would have imagined before meeting him. It's kind of like I have a need for him to own me, and I don't mean like domination, bondage, or anything like that. I need him to need me rather than just want me."

Franc picked up the conversation, "Even before Katie and Bobby; sorry, that was the name that I knew Patty by before she came out of hiding, were reunited, her and I would discuss these same topics as they related to Jason and me. How could we learn to explore our physical relationship when we didn't know what our men would find arousing versus obscene."

"I mean, I knew that Jason wasn't a prude or anything, but we had always been, I guess 'safe' is the best way to describe things. I knew that he didn't want to offend me by suggesting something, and I didn't want to do so for him either. We watched a few porno films together and discussed what we saw, but they always seemed to be targeted towards scintillation, when what we needed was education. This may sound crude, but we could watch some guy screwing a woman in her mouth, but we couldn't learn anything about the feelings of either person by what we were shown. Did he get pleasure from it? Did she get pleasure from letting him do it? Did they feel any outpouring of emotional love on either side through the act?"

"Exactly," Patty agreed. "There were 'sex manuals', but those spoke more to the clinical aspects of various acts rather than the pleasure one or the other partner received. Franc even found a few websites with 'How To' sections, which were basically just blogs where people posted their own experiences, but we learned quickly that these were mostly fantasies that people were writing about instead of real-world experiences that we could learn from."

"JR and I haven't done anything yet and I'm already in the same quandary that you guys are talking about. What did you do?" Rockie asked.

"We started taking classes," said Patty. "It started with me wanting to learn how to do a proper strip-tease for Bobby. I found a gentleman's club and convinced them that there could be a market for them offering exotic dance lessons to wives and girlfriends so that they could entertain their men at home. At first, they thought that teaching wives and girlfriends how to strip would take their clientele away, but we showed them how the sharing of an experience in the privacy of their own home would make couples more confident in sharing it in public."

"Women who would never have considered visiting a strip club would now want to accompany their men there to learn new ways of improving their own private performances. Within weeks of their first class, they saw a dramatic increase in the number of couples visiting, and found that the majority of lap dances were now being paid for by the women treating their men. The dancers were also seeing an increase in tips, especially those who took the time to entertain the couple instead of just the man."

"So, is that where we're going tonight?" Rockie asked, trying to stifle the excitement in her voice.

"Yes, we are," admitted Patty, "but I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything more than observe. This is a couple's night in the main club area, but there will be events for men and women separate from each other. Franc and I will be participating in a kind of erotic dance 'open mic' event. It's where wives and girlfriends perform for one another to try out new routines under the guidance of two or three of the club's regular dancers. The focus is on the moves, so bras are optional, but panties must remain on, and there is no touching of the other participants. We tip each other with dollar bills, just like on the club floor, and the woman who ends up with the most money at the end gets a prize."

"That sounds like fun," Rockie said, "but I wouldn't have the first idea about how to do an erotic dance."

"You'll catch on quickly," Franc told her. "We'll have time to watch a few of the pros in the main club area before class."

"And the dancers who lead the session are very encouraging and helpful with beginners," Patty added. "You can even wear a mask to hide your identity if you want to. However, do what you feel comfortable doing, nothing more."

Rockie's excitement continued to build as they drove. It seemed to her that the trip took longer than the forty minutes that Franc had predicted, but when she looked at the clock on the dash, she saw that it had taken less time. Oh, the tricks time can play on one when they're anxious about something.

She watched as Franc pulled into the drive under a sign that read, "Rick's Cabaret - Adult Entertainment and Education Venue".

When Franc pulled up to the valet parking station at the front entrance, uniformed men opened all their doors at the same time.

"Good evening Mrs. Reid, Mrs. Brandt. I hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner."

"It was wonderful, Julius. How was yours?" answered Franc as she stepped out onto the pavement.

"Very nice, thank you. Your car will be waiting in the usual spot whenever you're ready to leave. Enjoy your evening."

Franc came around to join Patty and Rockie as one of the valets drove her SUV around the entrance circle and parked it about fifteen feet from where they stood. They walked past a line of people waiting to pay the cover charge to a roped-off entrance a few feet away. The huge man attending the rope, lifted it from one post and greeted them with a warm smile.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Patty, Franc. We have your table waiting for you."

Patty smiled brightly and said, "Thank you, Henry. Could you ask Melanie to stop by when she has a chance?"

"Of course, Patty. I'll notify her immediately."

Patty led them through the doors and across a warehouse-sized room, passing several large semi-circular booths with tables. The booths appeared to be on turn-tables of some sort which would allow them to rotate to face whichever of the three raised stages had a performance going on. Currently, the stages were all empty, so the two or three couples seated in each of the booths were just chatting between themselves. Patty led them to a booth that had velvet ropes surrounding it, a "Reserved" sign hanging from the rope in front of the booth entrance and another large man standing behind the rope watching them approach.

"Good evening ladies," he said as he lifted one side of the rope and stood aside to let them enter before replacing the rope onto its post.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Chico. Looks like a nice crowd tonight," said Franc.

"Yes, ma'am. The main room is booked for dinner and there will likely be a line for the after-dinner shows forming shortly. Melanie wanted me to let you know that she is on her way."

Patty took a seat in the booth and scooted over so that Rockie could slide in beside her, followed by Franc.

"You two must be pretty regular customers to get such VIP treatment," Rockie said as she settled into her seat and placed her purse onto the seat beside her hip.

"Owning the place does have its benefits," Patty agreed.

"You own this place?" asked Rockie in amazement.

"Patty and I are fifty-fifty partners," Franc replied. "It has been a great investment and as you said, receiving the VIP treatment whenever we decide to come ourselves is a side benefit."

A bubbly little brunette girl, who Rockie thought looked like she was still in high school was allowed through the rope barricade and addressed Patty.

"Hi Patty, how much change would you like tonight?"

"Hi, Mel. Please bring me three one-hundred-dollar bundles."

Patty handed the girl three one-hundred-dollar bills.

"Also, please ask the bar to send over our usual champagne, but with three glasses."

"Right away, Patty. Franc, do you need anything additional?"

Franc smiled brightly at the girl and said, "No, thank you, Mel."

After Melanie had left them, Rockie said, "Isn't there a minimum age to work in a place that sells alcohol?"

Understanding her question, Patty laughed, "Melanie is thirty-two years old. She is one of the bookkeepers for the club, but she paid her way through college dancing out there on the floor. She still fills in if we need someone. It might surprise you to learn that an exotic dancer that knows how to entertain the crowd, both men and women, can make five to ten thousand a week. That's one reason why many of our dancers are single mothers and college students."

Reaching into her purse, Rockie asked, "How much change should I get?"

"Tonight is my treat," Patty said. "One of the hundred-dollar bundles is for you, one is for Franc, and I'll use the other. Normally I would get us more, but we aren't going to be staying that late today. Just save most of it for the training session. There won't be many main room dances before then, but limit your tips anyway."

"I'll just follow your lead," Rockie said as their booth started rotating to give them a view of one of the stages where lights were coming on and music was beginning to play.

She watched as the chairs surrounding the stage began to draw people who had been standing around, as well as a few from other booths. The chairs were apparently in some sort of pit below the floor surface because Rockie could see the stage clearly, even with people standing around it or sitting in the chairs.

A cocktail waitress set an open bottle of champagne on their table, along with three fluted glasses. Franc tipped her, then poured each of them a glass and handed one to Rockie, who passed it over to Patty before accepting the second glass as her own.

"To continuing education," Franc toasted.

Patty and Rockie clinked their glasses against Franc's and they all took a sip.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The lead-in for a song that Rockie faintly recognized began playing and the lights in the main room faded. As everyone's attention turned to the stage, the legs of a woman appeared from the ceiling and her body began lowering down a pole to the stage itself. As soon as her feet touched the stage, the lyrics for the Jessica Simpson song, "Come on Over" began.

Rockie realized that the song selection was intentional, because the blonde woman now strutting around the stage wearing Daisy Duke denim shorts and a plaid men's shirt tied in a knot under her breasts could probably be a body double for Jessica Simpson in her younger days. No one could compare the dancer's face to Jessica's, however, because she wore a masquerade mask that hid her eyes. It's unlikely that anyone focused upon her eyes for long though, because the sultry and suggestive moves that she made on stage were drawing all the attention elsewhere.

Rockie tried to focus her own attention on the movements while ignoring the activities of the crowd as they threw dollar bills onto the stage, applauding and cheering her performance. She wondered for the first time what it must feel like to know how your actions were affecting a crowd of people, both men, and women. She knew that she enjoyed teasing JR but now wondered if she would also like teasing a crowd, just like this dancer was doing.

"Watch how she milks the attention when she takes her top off," Patty said into Rockie's ear so that she could be heard.

Following Patty's guidance, Rockie focused her attention on the dancer's hands and watched them caressing her breasts through the cotton fabric before moving down to her bare stomach. Her head tilted back as if she was giving herself pleasures never experienced before. She continued teasing herself and the crowd through the fabric of the shirt for several minutes before slowly untying the knot.

Money and cheers were flooding the stage as the dancer took three exaggerated minutes to undo one of the buttons holding the shirt closed, and then finally the second button. She turned her back to the crowd before throwing the front of the shirt open and slowly lowering it off her shoulders and down her back. She used the shirt like a feather boa to move sensuously while keeping her back to the audience.

The cheers of the crowd were reaching a crescendo when she dropped the shirt to the floor of the stage and turned to the beat of the music to finally expose her bare breasts to the audience. Rockie didn't know how to gauge if the dancer's breasts were all that spectacular, but from the reaction of the crowd, you would think that each breast contained the elixir of life itself.

While not large, the dancer had maybe 'B' cup sized breasts that were standing almost as tall and proud as Rockie's did. Her nipples were distended due to the earlier caressing and were long enough to visibly cast shadows onto the dancer's breasts under the stage lights. Now that she wasn't as focused on the movements of the dancer, she examined her body and wondered if JR would find the dancer arousing.

As the dancer began the build-up routine for the removal of her shorts, Rockie glanced at her legs and determined that they were shapely enough, but not as toned as hers. The high-heels that the dancer wore definitely provided more definition to her calves and thighs, but... wait. Was that a tattoo on her ankle? It sure was, and all Rockie could concentrate on was determining why the tattoo looked familiar to her.

The Daisy Duke shorts were tear-away, with Velcro seams, but her removal of them fired the crowd up again. She swayed, shimmied and made simulated love around the pole for another five minutes before her performance was over. Collecting the dollar bills littering the stage beneath her feet, she stopped to blow an occasional kiss to the crowd before gathering her pieces of clothing and exiting the stage by a back stairway.

"Did you like that?" asked Patty.

"I see what you mean about it being educational," Rockie said. "It's not so much the moves as the attitude that is projected. She made it seem like she really loved herself and wanted to share that love with everyone here."

"Wow," said Franc. "You catch on quick. We'll see a couple of more routines before our session begins, so start thinking about what attitude you might like to project to make your man know that you are his alone. That's what you want JR to know, isn't it?"

"Very much so," agreed Rockie.

Melanie returned with the three bundles of dollar bills just as the last dancer started circulating the floor, visiting each of the booths in turn to receive tips that the occupants could not get to the stage during her show.

Rockie watched as the masked dancer made her rounds of the booths wearing nothing but a G-string. She noticed that both Franc and Patty had pulled three one-dollar bills from their bundles, so she followed their lead in preparation for the dancer's arrival at their booth.

When she did arrive, it became instantly clear why she had recognized the tattoo. Rather than standing beside their booth as she had with all the others, she slid in beside Franc and hugged her.

"How'd I do?" Jen asked.

"Very well for a first time," said Patty. "How much did you make?"

"It looks like about two-hundred so far, but there are a few more tables. I also have requests for six lap dances, but I declined those as we discussed," Jen stated. "What did you think Rockie?"

"I thought you were amazing. Was this really your first time?" She slid three of her dollar bills over to Jen.

Jen nodded, "I've been practicing at the educational sessions and getting a lot of encouragement, so I thought I would give it a shot. I need to build a nest egg in case my parents cut off my money for law school. Franc, how do you think the mask influenced my tips?"

"I think you need to compare with some of the other girls tonight to see where you stand, but from what I saw, it probably helped you. People love mystery, and you blended that perfectly with something that they were familiar with. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the people walk out of here tonight thinking that they saw the real Jessica Simpson dancing out there."

"I agree," said Patty.

"You guys are great," Jen said as she hugged Franc once more, then walked around the booth to also hug Patty.

"Pay attention, Rockie, these ladies can teach you a lot."

Rockie smiled and waved as Jen hurried away to visit the rest of the booths before the next dancer began her routine.

"The dancers don't have to give lap dances?" Rockie asked.

"Nobody here does anything that they don't want to do," Patty said. "A lot of our dancers, just like Jen, are in a serious relationship with someone and want to limit their activities to those that they and their partner have agreed are acceptable."

"Joey is okay with Jen dancing as long as she wears a mask so no one recognizes her, she only dances when Patty or I are here, and she doesn't give any lap dances," Franc said. "Except to him of course."

They watched two other dancers perform, and Rockie noticed that there were definite differences in the attitudes projected through their movements, and how these elicited different responses from members of the audience. Some of the moves were seductively teasing, almost like expressing willingness on the part of the dancer for her to welcome the desires of her man. Others were provocatively aggressive, holding the promise of the naughty deeds that the dancer would perform on her man if he would surrender to her desires.

Rockie favored the less aggressive teasing approach and tried to remember the moves that communicated that attitude. She wanted JR to want and need her for his own satisfaction, knowing that hers would be met by him in return. She wasn't being selfless; she just wanted her man to be the man when it came to their making love - at least at first.

At exactly eight o'clock an announcement was made about the training sessions being held for men and women in separate rooms off the main room. A pink floodlight suddenly highlighted a door on one side of the building while a blue floodlight highlighted a room on the opposite side. A few couples in the booths started parting, with each gender heading towards the appropriate room.

"Let's go," said Franc as she slid out of the booth.

Franc had drunk only one glass of champagne, leaving the rest to Patty and Rockie. As Rockie stood, she felt only slight dizziness, which quickly subsided as she followed the other two women towards the pink light.

The room they entered looked like a smaller version of the main room, with only two booths and one stage. Patty and Franc slid into one of the booths, followed by Rockie and then two other women. Five women took seats in the other booth. There were two scantily clad dancers standing on the stage watching the "students" get situated. The tall, Scandinavian-looking blonde spoke first.

"Good evening, ladies, and happy Thanksgiving. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Erica, and my partner tonight is the lovely Rainey."

Rainey spoke into her own microphone, "The song for tonight's peer challenge will be 'Simply Irresistible' by Robert Palmer. For any newcomers, each participant in tonight's competition must perform to the same song, but feel free to use your own style of interpretation. That's how we all learn. A reminder that while your performances may suggest otherwise, your clothing must remain at least rated R-17. A bra isn't necessary, but panties must be worn at all times."

Erica took over, "We recommend that all audience members view the performances from the stage seats, not only to improve your experience but also to more readily facilitate any tipping you may want to give a dancer. We will be moving quickly between performances tonight, so there will be little opportunity for the dancers to collect tips from anyone at the booths. The dancer with the most tips at the end of the night will win her choice of DVD from the gift shop. Any questions?"

In unison, Erica and Rainey asked, "Who's first?"

~~~

"I didn't realize that there would be so many choices," Rockie said to Franc and Patty as she examined all the DVD titles available in the gift shop.

She got to select one as the winner of the contest, but she hadn't expected there to be so many to choose from.

Patty laughed, "Don't worry about it right now. I'll send you a link to the website where you can spend a bit more time reading about each of them before you decide. We'll have your choice sent to you."

"Thanks, I think that would be best. I'm not thinking too clearly right now anyway."

"We told you that you would be the center of attention tonight," said Franc. "You had 'natural' written all over you. I think that seven hundred and thirteen dollars is a new record for tips in a peer competition. Who was next highest, Gina with three hundred and eighty dollars?"

"I can't believe that I actually did it," Rockie said as the other two women led her out to the car. "I had an idea of what I wanted to do for JR, but that was going to be private."

The women took seats in their previous positions and Franc started the car. It was just past nine-thirty, but it felt much later to Rockie.

When they reached the freeway, Rockie asked the question that had been eating at her all night, "Patty, you and Bobby are pretty well off financially, aren't you?"

"They're loaded!" exclaimed Franc before Patty could respond.

Patty nodded and said, "Bobby and I are extremely well off, Rockie. In fact, the reason that Franc and I are treated so well at the club isn't because we're the owners, it's because we take none of the profits from the business. All profits are shared among the employees. We wanted to own it so that we could have control over the educational and entertainment offerings for couples such as us. The only involvement Bobby has is the occasional reminder to any organized crime goons that the club is off-limits for them."

"So, you being wealthy is the reason for the downstairs at your house..."

"No, Rockie, that is not the reason. The reason is related to Bobby's work."

"I thought that Bobby was retired or something. The only work-related thing I have ever heard mentioned with him is the volunteer fire department."

"Bobby once held a very high position in our government. People who hold such positions never really retire. Think of him as a soldier who is on active reserve status. He is called on frequently for consultation or to take control of a project that requires his special skills."

"With your financial situation though, JR has his college fund and I assume your support for when he gets out of college."

"JR hasn't accepted a dime from anyone since he was fourteen-years-old that wasn't earned by him or inside a birthday card," said Franc.

Patty interrupted before Rockie could say anything, "You need to peel that onion yourself, Rockie."

Rockie didn't say anything more. She pulled out her cell phone and started some research on the questions that had been plaguing her for weeks.

She read, "A depositary receipt is a negotiable financial instrument issued by a bank to represent a foreign company's publicly traded securities. The depositary receipt trades on a local stock exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the U.S. but represents an interest in a company that is headquartered outside of the United States..."

Rockie made a note in her cell phone of this information and several other items that she wanted to research on her laptop. The operating system on her phone didn't provide her with the same level of code manipulation that she would need to access the information, even with the wormhole that she had created on the servers that held it.

Since that first Friday in her condo, when JR had told her that her simple Google search had been detected, she had taken that as a challenge. That evening, while JR studied, she had surreptitiously accessed the databases at his university that held student records. While a lot of information on JR had been hidden, this hadn't meant that it wasn't there. She found everything on him in short order, and placed the wormhole to allow her direct access in the future.

She didn't review anything more than enough details to confirm that it was actually JR's information. Even this early in their relationship, she knew that she wanted there to be a level of trust between her and JR that would only come from them freely sharing between themselves. She didn't want to take any shortcuts on her own where JR was concerned, but she wasn't as reticent where his father was concerned.

Rockie had been so focused on her cell phone that she hadn't paid any attention to the route Franc was driving. Her first inkling that something was different arrived when their car stopped under the portico of a hotel.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"The Hotel Emma," said Patty.

"We aren't going back to your house tonight?" Rockie asked.

Franc hadn't turned off her car, and kept it in gear as a bellman opened the door next to Rockie. Franc and Patty just sat silently without unbuckling their seat belts. Rockie didn't know what was expected of her, but she assumed that the two women were dropping her off alone at this hotel. She unfastened her seatbelt and began to slide out of the car.

Patty finally spoke, "Oh, Rockie, happy birthday. We'll have a cake for you tomorrow. Katie wants to bake it herself for you in the morning."

Standing beside the still open door, Rockie asked, "You knew that today was my birthday? No one said a word."

"Of course, we knew," said Patty. "JR swore us all to secrecy though. Now, get in there. I think you'll find your birthday present waiting for you in the lobby. See you in the morning."

Rockie was speechless as she stepped back far enough to let the bellman close the door to the car. She watched Franc and Patty driving away until the taillights had disappeared before turning and allowing the bellman to escort her through the doors leading into the lobby of the hotel.

The modernistic, western design contrasted slightly with the leather "cowboy-style" furniture in the lobby. The history of the building was prominently told through the large photographs on the walls depicting its former life as the Pearl Brewhouse. Rockie had never heard of a brand named "Pearl", but judging by the size of the building, the brewery must have been capable of producing a lot of beer.

There wasn't anyone waiting in the lobby, so Rockie approached the Hispanic man behind the registration counter. He smiled at her approach and his greeting surprised her.

"Good evening, Miss Preston. Your bags have already been delivered to your suite."

He handed her a card key and continued, "You are in the Maritzen Suite tonight and Jasper will be more than happy to escort you to your room. If you require anything during your stay, please don't hesitate to ask any staff member."

Rockie saw a different bellman approach and stand beside her expectantly, but she made no move to indicate her readiness to follow him. She addressed the clerk behind the counter instead.

"Can you tell me if there are any other guests sharing my room?"

"I'm sorry Miss Preston, but I have no knowledge beyond what I have already shared with you. I only came on duty a few minutes ago and was simply given your description and the information that I have already relayed to you."

Rockie didn't respond. She accepted the reality that the most expedient way for her to get answers would be for her to go to the room and see what awaited her, besides her bags. She did know though that this had JR written all over it.

Without saying anything, Rockie nodded and allowed the bellman, Jasper, to lead her to one of the elevators. It opened immediately upon him pressing the call button, and he followed her through the doors. These closed as soon as he had pushed the button for the top floor of the hotel.

Exiting the elevator into a lushly furnished foyer area, Rockie saw three sets of double-door entries down a long hallway, one on each side and the last one at the end of the hall. Apparently, there were only three rooms on the top floor. Jasper led her to the set of doors at the end of the hall where he held out his hand for her card key. Rockie handed it to him and waited as he used it to unlock one of the double doors to the suite and held it open for her to enter.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Rockie stepped into the room and turned to address Jasper, "I'm sorry, but I don't know how much of a gratuity is appropriate. Can you tell me?"

"I've already been taken care of, Miss Preston, but thank you. Please enjoy your stay."

The bellman handed her the card key, stepped back into the hallway and closed the door.

Rockie walked into the room and realized that this was a multi-level suite. The first level consisted of a large living room area with a fire burning in the fireplace, a dining area with seating for eight, and a full wet bar. There was no one waiting for her on this floor, so she started up the stairs.

As the second floor came into view, her attention was drawn immediately to the glass doors, behind which the lights of San Antonio shown. There was a large terrace through the doors, but there was no one on it either. At the top of the stairs, she was able to appreciate the high, vaulted ceiling and the cupola, which meant that this was the very top of the building.

Looking around the room, she inspected the custom-designed furnishings until her eyes fell onto the king-size bed. There was something small and cylindrical laying on the comforter. She walked over to inspect this item more closely and recognized it as a line level. The small metal tube with a level bubble in the center of it and hooks on either end was used to gauge how level a rope, wire or string was when stretched between two endpoints.

She picked the level up from the bed and saw that there was a clear filament fishing line tied to one end. The line ran under one of the pillows that were leaning against the headboard. Rockie slowly began pulling on the line until another object, taped to the other end came out from its hiding place under the pillow.

Rockie recognized the object even before picking it up. She giggled as she pulled the tape off and then disconnected the fishing line from the level. Seeing a trashcan near the desk, she deposited the fishing line into it before heading to the double doors across the room. Holding the level and the other object in one hand, she used the other to push open both of the doors leading to the bathroom.

The bathroom was as luxurious as the rest of the suite, with over-sized double vanities, a walk-in shower and the largest claw-foot tub that she had ever seen.

She held the level in one hand and the object in the other as she raised them, "Are you implying something with these, Mr. Brandt?"

"Now, Miss Preston, I think we both know that a woman as smart as you would be able to discern the intended message. However, if you aren't up to the challenge, feel free to slip into your birthday suit and join me here in the water. I'll make the implications perfectly clear for you."

Rockie jumped back in time to avoid the water that JR had splashed at her from his seat inside the huge bathtub.

"Birthday suit, huh?" she said with a lusty gleam in her eyes. She set the level onto the vanity counter and said, "Knowing my smarty pants boyfriend, this implies that you want to take our relationship to 'the next level'. Am I right?"

JR simply smiled broader and nodded. She placed the other object on the vanity next to the level, approached the side of the tub and turned around.

"Zipper please," she said.

He rose onto his knees in the tub to reach the top of her dress zipper and slowly lowered it. When she turned back around, she saw his arousal just under the surface of the bathwater, and her mouth grew dry.

As anxious as she was to join JR in the bathtub, her experience this evening at the club was still fresh in her mind, along with her thoughts of how she had planned to use her newly developed talents to please her guy.

"I think we need some music," she said, pulling her cell phone out of her purse.

She scrolled through the few songs that she had stored on it until she found one that suited her purpose. Setting her purse onto one of the vanities, she selected the song, set it to repeat, and hit the 'play' icon on the screen.

JR settled back into the bathwater, anticipating the teasing that he had come to expect from Rockie. He had not expected her to start moving the way that she did. He sat mesmerized as her eyes found his and the desire within them literally jumped out at him.

She started slowly swaying in time to the song as she reached up and released her hair from the pile on top of her head. Slowly shaking her head until all the curly locks had fallen about her shoulders, Rockie never took her eyes from his. The spaghetti straps of her red dress hung loose on her shoulders, but didn't appear in danger of falling off as Rockie continued to seductively sway to the song. Conveying her desire through her eyes, licking her lips, and now he realized, through the movement of her hands on her own body.

After releasing her hair, her hands had stayed near her face, caressing first her cheeks, and then slowly moving down both sides of her neck and eventually to her shoulders. She didn't move the straps of her dress as she gently ran her hands over each of her shoulders and slowly lowered them to the top of each covered breast. Even at this distance and the dress fabric covering them, JR could clearly see Rockie's aroused nipples responding to her touch.

Rockie was feeling the arousal that JR could only see. As much as she wanted to let her hands linger and prolong the exhibition for JR, she knew that she didn't want her first orgasm with her guy to be self-induced, which she was getting precariously close to doing. She kept her left hand on one breast, but avoided further direct stimulation of the nipple as she slid her other hand over her stomach, past her waist, and down her thigh until she reached the hem of the dress.

She turned her back on JR as she slowly raised the front of the dress. The back of the dress rose at a lower and slower rate than the front and Rockie focused upon feeling when the dress hem rose above the back of her thighs, exposing just the bottom of her panties to JR's attentive stare. She knew that JR would be expecting her to continue lifting the dress, eventually pulling it over her head to remove it, so she almost giggled at his disappointed gasp when she had let the hem of her dress fall back into place.

Returning her hands to her shoulders, Rockie put even more heart into her motions as the song began replaying. She pulled first the left strap off her shoulder, followed by the right one. Both straps hung loosely on her biceps as she crossed her arms in front of her body to prevent them from sliding down further. She wanted to time the dress falling to the floor for the moment when the song reached its crescendo, and she did so perfectly.

As soon as she dropped her arms to her sides, the dress melted away from her body and landed in a pile around her feet. She raised her right foot and took an exaggerated step to the side placing her high heel shoe outside the discarded dress, and then she repeated the motion with her left foot. Keeping her back to the bathtub and her legs spread on either side of the dress, she bent at the waist to pick it up.

"Holy crap," JR uttered as he saw legs that seemed to go on forever, along with the most alluring site of Rockie's panty-clad bottom. He saw her beautiful curly hair cascading below her upside-down face as she winked at him from between her legs. She rose very slowly, never ceasing her swaying motion to the beat of the music.

After she had placed the dress onto the vanity, she turned around to face him wearing only her shoes and her panties, JR felt a tear fall from his eye. His heart was overflowing with emotion for what his girl was doing for him, for them.

When Rockie brought her thumbs to the waistband of her panties, JR abruptly stood up in the bathtub and said, "Wait!"

Rockie was shocked by his reaction and thought just for a moment that JR had changed his mind. When she saw the expression on his face, she knew that he hadn't.

"Please let me," he said, stepping out of the water and onto the thick bathmat beside the tub.

Without saying anything, and without hesitation, Rockie walked over to stand in front of him. JR sank to his knees onto the bathmat and gently placed a hand at the back of Rockie's right calf, coaxing her to raise her foot. She did so, and he gently removed her shoe. They repeated the procedure for the left shoe. Tossing both shoes aside, JR remained on his knees, his face level with Rockie's waist.

He glanced up at her face, seeking approval, which her smile and nod provided him. Placing his fingers under the waistband of her panties at each hip, he didn't immediately pull them down. He moved the back of his fingers until his hands met in the middle of her stomach, and then slowly slid them around until they were on each of her sides. The feel of her skin under his fingers was like nothing he had ever experienced, and her sudden gasps for breath as she felt his touch on her skin was an affirmation that he was doing things right.

"JR, please," Rockie pleaded, and he recognized the urgency that he felt was being shared by her.

He didn't hesitate any further to slowly lower her panties to the floor. Rockie placed a hand on JR's shoulder as she raised each foot in turn to allow him to remove her panties completely. She kept her hand on his shoulder to prevent herself from collapsing as he buried his face into her pubic hair and she felt his warm breath... there.

"Oh my God," she moaned.

JR relished the scent of his girl for only a few seconds longer before pulling back and standing up. Rockie immediately threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss that made both of them weak in the knees.

Never removing his lips from hers, he said, "We're going to have to warm up the water some."

"You still want to take a bath?" Rockie said, disappointment evident in her voice.

"I want to make love to you," he said. "I think that sharing a warm bath with you is an intimacy that should be part of that tonight, but if you don't want to..."

"Okay, but I don't want to hear any complaints about wandering hands while we're in the tub," she playfully chided. "I've behaved myself in the shower, but that ends tonight."

JR reached into the tub to open the drain so that some of the water could drain out, making room for more warm water.

"I am counting on that Miss Preston."

Rockie walked over to the vanities and used the mirror as she gathered up her hair and tied it into a knot on top of her head. Glancing down, she saw the object that had been taped to the fishing line and held it up for JR to see.

"If you really want to take our relationship to the next level, you're going to need a lot more than one of these."

JR laughed and walked over to join her at the vanities. He slid open a drawer to reveal it almost overflowing with additional condom packets.

"If we need more tonight than these, I think we'll both be dead."

~~~

"You are the most beautiful sight to wake up to."

Rockie's mouth formed a smile before her eyes opened to see JR with is head on her pillow just gazing at her with a look of amazement and adoration on his face.

"You ain't so bad yourself, Cutie. What time is it?"

"Whatever time you want it to be. If you want it to be noon, I'll fly us east until it's the right time. If you want it to be midnight, I'll fly us west. I would position the sun, moon and stars for you, Rockie."

She giggled, and then leaned in to kiss his lips, "I'll keep that in mind, but let's focus on the time right here and right now."

"In that case," he said, "it's almost six. How are you feeling?"

Rockie thought she knew what JR was asking, so she paused to assess her body before answering.

"I feel the most wonderful kind of aches in all the right places. How about you?"

In response, JR found her hand and guided it to the answer that he wanted to convey.

Rockie's smile broadened and she said, "Hold that thought."

Untangling herself from the sheets, she hurried into the bathroom without even bothering to close the door. JR had always been delighted by her uninhibited approach to the little things that were intimacies shared only between the two of them. He felt blessed to be the one lucky guy who Rockie would have ever shared the sounds of her morning bathroom regimen with, but he wished that she would hurry back.

Ever since they had climbed into the bathtub together last night, he had craved her body next to his. Rockie had denied him nothing, letting him bask in the pleasure that her body gave him from the moment that he had settled into the water and positioned her between his legs, facing away from him. He knew that she had been as anxious as he had been to finally feel the coupling of their bodies, but she patiently tolerated his exploration of her body by his hands, lips and tongue while her ability to reciprocate was limited by the position of their bodies in the bathtub.

JR had been dreaming of Rockie's perfect breasts for weeks, so he wasn't about to rush through the first exploration of them with his hands. As she leaned against his chest and closed her eyes to the pleasure she was feeling, he cupped water into each of his hands and slowly poured over her exposed breasts before tenderly caressing them. As he teased her erect nipples, he lowered his mouth to nuzzle the back of her neck, before sliding his lips over to her ear and gently nibbling on it.

Rockie had purred, moaned, sighed and gasped at JR's attention to her breasts, but when his hand slid down her stomach, her pending pleasure silenced her. It was almost as if she didn't know how to vocalize the expectation that his movements had hinted at.

His recollection of their time in the bathtub was interrupted by Rockie returning to their bed and pulling the sheets from on top of him.

"Now, let me see what my guy has waiting for me under here..."

~~~

"I have something to share with you," Rockie said after JR had opened her car door, "but I don't want it to upset you."

"Go ahead," he said.

"I think your mom and Aunt Franc have experimented with each other."

"Why do you think so?"

"Just some comments they made last night. They seemed intimately familiar with certain girl-girl topics when they came up in conversations. Do you think that your dad and uncle know?"

"There are ways to gain insight into things without actually doing them yourself. My mom and Franc have always tried to broaden their horizons for the benefit of their relationships with their husbands, but to my knowledge, neither have ever strayed; with man or woman. Would you have an interest in that sort of experimentation?"

"Would you want me to?"

"I hope that someday you have a female friendship comparable to what exists between my mom and aunt. Then I think that exploring new or different 'feelings' would be up to you."

Rockie kissed him and said, "I think I'll focus on exploring my feelings for my boyfriend for the unforeseeable future. I hope that you know how special your birthday present was to me."

JR kissed Rockie's lips again before closing her car door and going around to get in the driver's seat.

"I think that was more my present than yours," he said. "I do have something else for you though."

"JR, you gave me something that I will treasure forever. You gave me the memory of us making love for the first time on my birthday. It's something that I will be able to cherish like no other present I have ever received."

"So, you don't want another present?" he asked with a grin.

"I don't need another present," she said with her own grin, "but if you've already gone to the trouble..."

JR started his car and drove out of the hotel parking structure, "Good. Well, you actually get a choice."

"A choice of presents?" she asked. "How many do I get to pick from?"

"Only two this time."

"Which two?"

"Your first option is to allow me to pay for your condo to be completely redecorated and furnished. That cheap dime-store stuff you have isn't comfortable and you deserve better."

Rockie understood his opinion of the furniture in her condo, but she wasn't too keen on him spending money to replace it. She now knew that he could afford it, but...

"What's my second choice?"

"Your second option is to move into my condo with me."

"You want us to live together?" she asked.

"That's one of the choices," JR confirmed.

"JR, I have a lease that doesn't expire until January. Even if I moved in with you, I would still need to keep paying on it. Plus, I wouldn't want to be a distraction to your studying. That brings up another subject that we need to discuss, what are your plans after you graduate? I thought you once mentioned going to Texas A&M. What happens to us then?"

"Rockie, I know that I haven't verbalized it like you have, but we both know that I love you. You do know that, right?"

Rockie leaned over and kissed his cheek before placing his right hand between both of hers and holding it there.

"I have never been more certain of anything in my life, JR, but that doesn't answer the question about what your plans are for after you graduate."

She wanted to give him every opportunity to confide in her.

"I believe our plans depend on you," he said. "I have shared with you what my plans for the future are. What about you? What do you want for your future? You're in this management training program. Is that a direction you want to go?"

"All that you have shared with me is your plan to study veterinary medicine at Texas A&M, but nothing beyond that. I got the impression from things that your mom said that being a veterinarian is not your objective, but then why that course of study?"

"I see what you mean," he said. "From what I have told you, it doesn't make much sense. Let me try to explain things to you. I would like to have your support, but it's not too late to change directions if you don't see it as something that you could share with me."

"I would love that, JR."

"What I really want to do is to join the Biological Technology Office within the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency. It would allow me to embrace and contribute more significantly to the role of Bioscience in our national security."

"I know what DARPA is, but what does the Biological Technology Office do, and why would they need a veterinarian?"

"The BTO is currently focused on basic and applied research in the areas of gene editing, biotechnologies, neurosciences and synthetic biology; from powered exoskeletons for soldiers to brain implants that can control mental disorders. They are looking for veterinarians to augment the overall medical knowledge of how these applications of science and technologies can be expanded. A lot of research utilizes animals, so beyond ensuring that the animals are treated humanely, someone also needs to validate that the results seen in an animal are safely transferrable to humans."

"Where is this BTO located?" asked Rockie.

"The headquarters is outside of Alexandria, Virginia, but with research projects all around the country, I probably would be based there."

"It sounds like it could involve a lot of traveling," Rockie observed.

"Would traveling be an issue for us if you could come with me?" JR asked.

"I don't know how I could do that and keep working," she told him. Come on JR, spill it!

"I guess that would depend on the type of work you were doing. Computers go everywhere these days, so if you were to focus on more programming and application development like you have been doing as your hobby that might be something that you could do anywhere."

"What if I didn't want to do that? What if the type of work I wanted didn't allow for the type of travel your dream job would entail?"

"I guess we could decide between us who gets to work in the field of their choice and the other would support them in that role. Or..."

"Or what?"

"We both become beach bums and live off of my trust funds."

Rockie laughed, but not at JR's comment. She laughed with the relief that she had finally gotten him to broach the subject of his wealth. How much more could she coax out of him?

"How long would that last?" she asked.

"Sweetie, I have more money than we could spend in a lifetime, and that is before anything that my parents might leave me."

"JR, are you telling me that you are rich?"

He nodded his head and said, "I'm in no risk of landing on a list of the wealthiest Americans, but I could already be set for life if I chose to be."

"Your parents are wealthy too, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they are."

"They certainly don't flaunt it," she said. "I haven't witnessed a single item or behavior that could be considered ostentatious. You obviously inherited that quality from them. So, back to the subject at hand. We don't have to finalize our life plans today, but I would be interested in what ideas you had for the two of us once you graduate."

JR was not surprised by Rockie's nonchalant attitude to him informing her of his wealth. He would have been surprised if she had acted any other way.

"I would like to continue my education, even if the option of working for DARPA isn't something that we can agree on together. I can find other options for a career. What I can't find is anything or anyone who could fill the void in my life that would exist without you."

"So, you would want me to move to Texas with you after you graduate?"

"Would you consider that?" he asked. The hope was evident in his voice.

"Sure, I would consider it, but answer me something if you can. Why doesn't your father like me, if not due to my race?"

"Rockie, my dad is very interested in you. That's the best way that I can describe it right now. He tells me and my mom every chance he gets how impressed he is with you and that I would probably hold you back from your potential if we stay together."

"So why is he reluctant to allow me into the panic house? Your mom showed it to me, and I know that's what you two were arguing about yesterday."

"He's not actually reluctant," JR tried to explain. "For added security, no one in our house has administrative credentials into the system that controls access to the downstairs. With the holiday, there won't be anyone available to add your profile into the system until Monday unless he contacts the operations center, and that would likely raise the threat level and ruin a lot of people's holiday weekend. With no imminent threat, he wants to wait."

"I don't know," she said. "There's something with your dad that spooks me where you and I are concerned. I am concerned about coming between you and him, forcing you to choose between us or something. I won't do that."

"Let me speak to my mom to see if she knows why my dad is acting in a manner that concerns you."

"No, JR, don't do that. I wouldn't want to cause a rift between your parents any more than I would want to cause a rift between you and your dad. We've got a couple of more days here, so let's just wait and see how things play out. You need to get back to your studying this morning anyway."

Checking the time, he said, "I'll have a few hours to study before my mom drags me away. We'll probably be gone the same time that you have Katie and Cile with you, which is the only reason that I agreed to go with my mom to New Braunfels. Remember not to let them fill up on too many snacks since we're celebrating your birthday tonight at dinner."

JR felt rather than saw the mischievous grin spreading across Rockie's face, "I don't think the dinner table would be an appropriate place for us to celebrate my birthday, Cutie. At least not like we celebrated it last night and this morning."

JR chuckled and said, "Okay, let me put it this way, we're going to be eating your birthday cake for dessert tonight, so don't let the girls overindulge while you're with them. Better?"

"Only if you keep your promise that you made to me this morning and secure the headboard on your bed and tighten the bedframe bolts."

"That is my first priority when we get to the house," he assured her.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Rockie felt like a chauffeur with both girls sitting in the backseat of Patty's Honda while she drove. Even though she trusted that Katie knew the way to the mall that they wanted to shop at, she programmed it into the GPS just in case. Katie and Cile were jabbering and giggling in the back seat, so Rockie wouldn't have been surprised if they forgot to give her a critical direction at some point.

"How old were you when you got your ears pierced?" asked Cile.

"I was fifteen," Rockie told her. "I saved money from my babysitting jobs to pay for the piercing and plain silver training studs."

"Do you have anything else pierced besides your ears?" asked Katie.

"No, I don't. I don't have any tattoos either," confirmed Rockie.

"Jen has a tattoo," said Cile.

"I know. I saw it."

"Why don't you have any tattoos?" asked Cile.

"It's just my personal choice. My skin is darker than Jen's and I can't imagine anything that I would want permanently tattooed onto my body."

"Not even JR's name or initials?" Katie teased.

"Not even that," said Rockie, "and before you ask, I wouldn't do it even if he tattooed my name on his body. He can do what he wants with his body, but I hope he doesn't get any tattoos. Have you two decided what kind of studs that you want to get as your first pair?"

"I want diamonds," said Cile.

"I want emeralds," countered Katie.

Rockie laughed and asked, "How much do each of you have to spend?"

"We each brought fifty dollars, but we are bujjeting ten of that for lunch," Katie said.

"Do you mean 'budgeting'?" Rockie said, suppressing a giggle.

"Yeah, budgeting. So, we have forty dollars each to buy studs for each other. I am going to give Cile hers for Christmas and she is going to give me mine."

Rockie searched for a parking spot in the massive lot at North Star Mall and found one about thirty cars from the food court entrance.

"Tell you girls what," Rockie said as she walked them to the mall entrance. You stick with me the whole time we're here and I'll buy lunch. That will allow you to spend the entire fifty dollars on your studs. How's that sound?"

"Actually, said Katie, "we can still only pay forty-five dollars each because there will be sales tax on top of that."

"Good point," said Rockie as she held the door open for the girls. "Where do you want to start?"

They wanted to start at one end of the mall and check out all the stores that sold earrings, and then go back and double-check their favorites before deciding. With the day after Thanksgiving 'Black Friday' crowds, Rockie was challenged with shuffling the girls through the stores without them getting trampled and by keeping them safely with her while walking through the mall.

It was well after noon when each girl had made their final selection and purchased the gift for the other. Rockie was starving, since she hadn't had an appetite this morning, but shopping with the girls had taken her mind of JR long enough for her hunger to return with a vengeance. She was thankful that the girls were also hungry, so they put up no argument when Rockie suggested that they head to the food court.

Of course, the food court was also packed with shoppers. Rockie spotted a table that a family was just vacating and quickly claimed it for her and the girls. She felt that she would be able to keep an eye on the girls if she sat at the table and allowed the girls to buy their food.

The three of them sat at the table, inspecting the different food vendors located in the mall, and deciding what they wanted to eat. When they had all agreed on pizza slices, Rockie handed them enough money to cover everything and sent them to purchase their lunch while she watched from the table.

"Are you with Katie and Cile?"

Rockie turned quickly to see who had spoken to her before returning her attention to the girls waiting in the food line. She answered without turning back around.

"Yes, they asked me to take them shopping today. I hope that you don't think I'm being rude, but I need to keep an eye on them in these crowds."

The cute blonde girl sat on a chair next to Rockie and said, "I understand. My name is Abigail Blank, but everyone calls me Abby. I'm acquainted with Katie through her brother JR. Do you know him?"

"Yes, I know him."

"I thought that he would be coming home for Thanksgiving, but since I haven't heard from him, I assume he couldn't come out from California. He's going to college out there, you know."

Rockie turned her head only enough to increase the view of the girl in her peripheral vision. She could still see Katie and Cile waiting in the food line, and she thought for a second that this must be how mothers keep track of multiple children at one time. Well, she was being a "Mother Hen" of sorts today.

"JR did come home for Thanksgiving," Rockie told Abby. "He is out with his mother today."

"Oh good. He probably wanted to wait for the holiday to be over before hooking up with me. He's very considerate that way. Are you an Au Pair or a Nanny? I know there's a distinction, but I can never remember what it is."

Rockie watched Katie and Cile returning. There was a group of young men who were taking far too much notice of the two and Rockie's awareness of their surroundings increased. The two girls had a natural beauty that often drew attention to them. Tall for their age of eleven, neither girl had begun developing much of a figure yet, but the promise of what would soon blossom within them was evident to anyone who knew what to look for.

"Abby, would you mind holding our table while I go help the girls with our food?"

"I would be glad to. I want a chance to talk to Katie about JR anyway."

Rockie quickly rose and walked up to meet the two girls as they navigated the crowd back to their table. Their hands were full of food, drink, and napkins but Rockie kept one hand free while the other was inside her purse. When she met up with the girls, she placed herself between the girls and the group of men who continued to watch their movements. They did not seem at all dissuaded by seeing the girls being escorted by a grown woman.

Katie saw the blonde sitting at their table and stopped.

"Abby, what are you doing here?"

Abby rose to give Katie a hug and Rockie saw the little girl avoid it by sliding around the other side of the table and quickly sitting down. Cile took the seat next to her cousin, leaving the other two seats for Rockie and Abby if she decided to join them. She did.

Katie and Cile launched into a conversation about how best to wrap their earrings. Rockie recognized it as an obvious attempt to avoid talking with Abby. She wondered what the story was between this girl and JR, but also realized that her interest wasn't as intense as it might have been just a couple of moments ago. What was her Spider-Sense telling her?

At the first break in the conversation between Katie and Cile, Abby pounced, "When did JR arrive home, Katie?"

Katie turned to face Rockie and said, "You and JR arrived on Wednesday night, wasn't it Rockie?"

Abby turned her head and asked, "You're the new girlfriend?"

Rockie extended her hand, "Rockie Preston. I'm pleased to meet you, Abby."

"You drove out with JR and are spending the holiday with his family? Do you go to school with him?"

"Yes and no. JR and I live next door to each other in Orange County."

"You are a lucky girl. JR is like no one else I have ever known. I know it sounds funny, but when we were together, I felt like every challenge I had in my life was suddenly fixed. If I had car problems, I would win a raffle for a new car that I didn't remember entering. If I was running low on money, my bank would find an accounting mistake that deposited more than I needed back into my account. It's like JR was a good luck charm in my life."

Rockie was getting another strange realization as this girl spoke. It was like Abby was describing her own life since she had knocked on JR's front door.

"It seems like you appreciated what you had. Why aren't you still together?"

"Because I foolishly tried to force JR into something that he wasn't ready for and did it in the cruelest way possible. I cheated on him."

"What was it that you wanted that he wasn't ready for?"

Abby glanced over to make certain that Katie and Cile weren't paying attention, then she said, "I wanted him to make love to me."

"How long had you two been dating?"

"Over nine months. I had been a virgin and wanted JR to be my first, but nothing I could do would convince him that I was ready."

"I understand how that could have been frustrating. Would you like me to give JR a message or anything?"

Abby stood to leave and said, "No, just take good care of him. You'll regret it more than I can express if you let him slip away."

Rockie watched her walk into the mall before scanning the area searching for the group of men that she had seen earlier. They were nowhere in sight, so she helped the girls collect their trash and dispose of it before leading them out of the mall exit towards where the car was parked.

Rather than having one of the girls walk on either side of her, Rockie positioned them both on her left side, keeping herself between them and the aisle, with her right hand inside her purse.

Rockie noticed the panel van right after they had apparently noticed her and the girls. It was driving down an aisle four rows away and heading in the direction of the mall itself. The traffic congestion near the mall entrances would slow the van down, but Rockie wasn't taking any chances. She hurried the girls along, telling them that others were waiting for their parking spot. She got both girls situated in the back seat with their seatbelts fastened before climbing into the driver's seat, placing her purse on the passenger seat, and running that seatbelt through the handle to keep it positioned within her reach.

Their parking space positioned them heading away from the mall as soon as she had backed out of it. She drove to the end of the aisle and began looking for an exit. Cars were stopped in every aisle waiting for another car to pull out of a space so that they could take it, so Rockie stayed on the outer access aisle until she could find an exit onto the perimeter road around the shopping center.

She knew that she was on the opposite side from where they had entered, but she wanted to get onto a public thoroughfare as quickly as possible. Finding an exit road, she turned right towards the freeway.

She saw the gray sedan weaving in and out of traffic about a quarter-mile behind her, which is what drew her attention. She had expected to see the van, but the actions of the sedan made that her immediate focus. She was in the right lane, preparing to turn onto the frontage road for the Interstate 410 loop when the sedan pulled up beside her in the left lane. She saw the four gang bangers clearly as the passengers on the right side of the car signaled for her to pull over.

The traffic in the left lane came to a stop and horns sounded as the sedan cut off the car behind Rockie in order to get behind her. She made the right turn onto the frontage road and watched in her mirror as the sedan followed. She also saw the same panel van now making the turn several car lengths back. The onramp to the freeway was more than a mile down the frontage road and Rockie spent the entire distance looking for her escape.

"What's the matter Rockie?" asked Katie. She had apparently sensed Rockie's anxiety.

"I think some men are following us, but it will be okay."

Rockie jumped at the sudden sound through the speakers of the car.

"What's wrong Katie?"

She looked in the rearview mirror at Katie and saw her holding the silver heart pendant that hung around her neck.

"Dad, Rockie thinks we're being followed."

"Where are you?"

"Rockie, where are we?" Katie asked

"We're on the frontage road for the 410 Loop. The onramp is about a quarter-mile ahead."

"Dad..."

"I heard, Katie-kins. Rockie, they're probably snatch-and-grab robbers. Find a crowded parking lot with a lot of people around and pull in there. They won't try anything with too many people around."

"That won't work," Rockie replied.

She then saw the sign that she knew would provide them safety.

"It's not your decision to make," Bobby said. "Find a crowded place with lots of people, such as the shopping mall that you just left. Once I know you're safe, I will send people to deal with the guys who followed you."

"Sorry, but I won't do that. I know where I'm going, and I'll have the guys taken care of properly."

"Young lady, you have my daughter and my niece in that car. I demand..."

The sound ceased immediately when Rockie turned the power to the car's entertainment system off. Instead of getting onto the freeway, she made a U-turn at the next intersection, back onto the frontage road heading in the opposite direction. She sped up to put a little distance between them and the gray sedan. The van was directly behind the sedan by this point and her suspicions that they were associated grew stronger.

She took the ramp that would lead her to the departure gates at the San Antonio International Airport and watched with satisfaction as first the sedan, and then the van continued to follow. On one of the busiest travel days of the year, the roads in front of the terminals were as crowded as she had hoped. She pulled into the far-left lane and slowed for the traffic in front of her. She scanned the sidewalk in front of the terminal until she saw what she knew had to be there somewhere.

As she approached the next pedestrian crosswalk, the sedan was on her rear bumper, and the van was directly behind it. She came to a complete stop at the unoccupied crosswalk and waited. It took less than fifteen seconds for the first horn to sound, followed almost immediately by another, and then another. The sudden cacophony of horns drew the attention of the police officer who was stationed to keep people from parking at the curbside.

The officer looked over at Rockie and made eye contact. He made a motion for her to move on, but she shook her head 'No'. He stared at her for a minute before speaking into the microphone clipped to his shoulder. He kept motioning for her to move, and even yelled at her over the honking horns, but she continued to refuse his commands. He was soon joined on the curb by two other officers, who likewise stared at her, trying to understand what she was up to.

The first officer and one of the two that had joined him stepped off the curb and put up their hands to get cars in the right and center lane to pause for them to cross. The third officer resumed urging vehicles at the curb not to loiter. As the first officer approached her window, she rolled it down.

"Ma'am, you cannot stop in a traffic lane. I could cite you for obstructing traffic."

"Officer, the men in the gray car behind me have been following us since we left the mall. I stopped here because I need your help but be careful because they have guns. Oh, and the van behind their car is associated with them. I believe you will find multiple girls being held prisoner inside it."

"Are you serious?" the officer asked as he glanced discretely back at the sedan.

"I am very serious," said Rockie. "They have been following us and tried to get me to pull over several times by pointing their guns at us. The situation is definitely not Code Four."

The officer stepped away from her window and motioned for his partner to join him at the front of her car. Rockie couldn't hear the conversation but she judged by the expression on the second officer's face that he was in as much disbelief as his partner.

They spoke for a few more seconds before the second officer walked past the passenger side of her car and started directing the traffic stalled behind her, the sedan, and the van into other lanes. As he walked past the passenger side of the sedan, he glanced inside.

The first officer had returned next to her rolled down window just as a message came across his radio, "The ignition is punched, so the vehicle is probably stolen. All occupants are hiding their hands from view. We need to initiate a T-1 protocol."

The first officer replied into his microphone, "Roger. Get past the van and call in the troops. We need to close down the departure lanes and get people out of the area."

He lowered his head and spoke to Rockie, "It looks like you were right, Ma'am. I need you to keep your vehicle here for a couple of minutes until our guys get into place, but when I give you the signal, you need to get as far from this area as possible. Understand?"

"Yes, officer. Thank you."

Rockie saw Katie and Cile struggling to look over their headrests to see what was happening behind their car. Rockie didn't want their interest to warn the men behind her.

"Girls, I will adjust the rearview mirror so you can see, but don't try to turn around. Here, tell me when you can see behind us."

Katie and Cile leaned their heads together and watched the mirror being adjusted.

"There," they said in unison.

Rockie used the side mirrors to watch. The driver of the van was apparently the first to notice a sudden influx of police officers dressed in tactical gear, because it tried to back up enough to clear the bumper of the sedan in front of it, but crashed into the car behind it. The taxi driver jumped out and started screaming in a heavy accent. He was quickly pushed back into his car by one of the heavily armed police officers rushing towards the scene.

Before their eyes, Rockie and the girls watched over a dozen tactical response team members descending on the sedan and van. The passenger door on the van opened and a man jumped out and started running towards the terminal building but hadn't gone ten steps before a police canine officer released his dog on him. He fell screaming to the pavement as the dog continued his relentless biting. When his handler and another officer arrived to secure the prisoner's hands, the dog was called off.

"Go now!" yelled the first officer, who had never left the side of their car.

Rockie didn't hesitate to do as instructed this time. The roadway in front of her was as clear as if the airport was closed for business, which she supposed it was until the bad guys had all been arrested. She glanced one last time in her side mirrors before the curvature of the road prevented her from seeing the incident unfolding behind her. All the occupants of the sedan were laying on the pavement with automatic weapons trained on them, along with the driver of the van.

Officers were carrying something out of the back of the van to waiting EMTs. Rockie quickly readjusted the rearview mirror before Katie and Cile could recognize that the objects being removed from the van were three girls of their own general age.

"That was exciting!" said Cile.

"Daddy is not going to be happy. Maybe I should call him again?" Katie asked Rockie.

They were already on the freeway, heading at the posted speed limit towards Katie's home. Rockie contemplated whether she wanted to deal with Katie's dad before getting the girls safely home but decided that she had to let him have an update or things could get much worse. She reached over and turned the entertainment system back on.

"Go ahead and dial the Bat Phone," she told Katie.

To her surprise, Katie understood her meaning. She giggled and pushed a hidden button on her pendant.

"Katie, is everything okay? It looks like you're heading towards home," said Bobby over the car's speakers.

That confirmed to Rockie that the pendant's location could be tracked.

"Yes, Daddy we're fine. Rockie took care of everything."

"Keep the signal open until you pull into the driveway. Do not disconnect me again. Understood?"

"That wasn't Katie's fault," interrupted Rockie.

"I wasn't talking to Katie," Bobby said. "Get them home and then you and I will discuss things further."

"Yes, we will," Rockie thought.

~~~

"I'll talk to your father as soon as we get home," Patty assured her son.

JR was letting his mom drive the Corvair, an act that she said made her feel like a teenager again. Understanding her history in the car with his dad made this easy for JR to believe.

"Please don't, Mom. I know that Rockie wouldn't want your relationship with Dad to be impacted by ours, and I agree with her. I just hope her knowing that Dad isn't opposed to our relationship will give me a chance to make things right again. I have never seen her concerned like this before, and it's killing me to know that I am the cause."

"I suspect that Rockie hasn't encountered many people in her life who she felt respected her strength or intelligence; People who trusted her completely and who she could trust in return. She thought that she had that in you, and thinking that one of your parents doesn't approve of her won't be easy for her to accept."

"I understand all that," JR conceded.

Hearing the alert tone on her cell phone, Katie said, "Can you check that for me, JR?"

JR pulled his mother's cell phone out of her purse and looked at the screen.

"KENS Breaking News?" he asked.

"Oh, that's an app I installed that shows breaking news and weather alerts for the San Antonio area. The skies are clear, so what's going on?"

JR opened the app and tapped the 'play' icon. He watched as a news story image was displayed behind a banner that read "Possible Terrorist Incident at San Antonio airport".

When the video started to play, behind the 'Recorded Earlier' message he saw a scene that chilled him as nothing had ever done. His mom's car, with Rockie clearly in the driver's seat and several armed police officers approaching.

"Mom, is there any reason for Rockie and the girls to be at the San Antonio airport?"

"No, why?"

"We better head home. I'll call Dad."

JR dialed his dad's cell phone and got an immediate voicemail prompt, which meant that his dad was on the phone. They were at least forty-five minutes from the house, probably closer to an hour. He left a message requesting a callback and explained to his mom what he had seen.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Rockie pulled the car into the driveway and pushed the remote to open the correct garage door. She pulled into the garage and closed the door again before turning the engine off, disconnecting the communications with Bobby. The girls were unbuckled and out of the car before Rockie could get her seatbelt and the one securing her purse unhooked. The three walked into the mudroom together, but the girls then ran up the stairs to Katie's room with their purchases ahead of her.

Rockie went straight to JR's room, where her packed computer case still sat next to the nightstand. She placed the strap for the case over her shoulder and started back down the stairs.

She turned to see Bobby standing in the doorway to the study. Without responding verbally, she walked towards him. He stepped aside to let her enter the study and then closed the door behind them. He didn't say a word until he had taken a seat at his desk. He didn't offer her a seat, and she wouldn't have accepted one if he did.

"I would appreciate an explanation as to why you, one disobeyed my instructions, and two, disconnected my communication with my daughter."

His voice was not raised but was well above the level that Rockie had heard from him previously, obviously in an attempt to intimidate her. Good luck Mr. Brandt.

Rockie spoke in a calm tone as she said, "First of all, your instructions were inappropriate to the situation..."

"They most definitely were not. You had my daughter and niece in a situation that could have been resolved quickly and easily if you had followed my directions. Instead, you put them and yourself at risk by remaining on busy streets where you had no control of the situation."

"Are we done? Because, if you insist on interrupting me, then I have nothing more to say."

"We're done when I say we are done," Bobby growled.

Rockie just stood and silently stared at Bobby. He stared back until he realized that she wouldn't relent as easily as he had expected.

"How did you get away from the men following you?"

"I took them to a crowded and well-occupied location as you suggested, only I picked one where the help we needed would already be on site."

"Such as?" asked Bobby with a skeptical expression on his face.

"I led them to the airport. I knew that there would be a police presence there to deal with them."

"I'm surprised that the police at the airport would get involved with some potential package thieves," snorted Bobby.

"I am not surprised by what surprises you, Mr. Brandt. As I tried to explain to you in the car, these were not merely some guys out to steal Christmas purchases."

"Even if they were after your money and the car, getting back to the shopping mall would have been safer than letting them chase you around the city streets. What would you have done if one of them had tried to get into the car while you got stuck at a stoplight or something?"

"I would have shot him, and then continued to the airport."

"Shot him?" Bobby chuckled, "With what?"

Rockie reached into her purse and withdrew an automatic handgun, ejected the magazine, and then offered the gun to Bobby. He had to stand up and walk around the desk to take it.

"A Sig Sauer P380," he said while examining the weapon. "I trust that you have a permit to carry a concealed weapon?"

"Whether I do or don't isn't any concern of yours. The fact is that I had the gun with me, I know how to use it, and I was prepared to use it to save the lives of your daughter and niece."

"That's all very dramatic," he said as he handed her gun back to her and watched her reload the magazine and return it to her purse.

"However, we both know that had you given the men what they wanted, the chance of them harming anyone would be very slim."

"Tell that to the three young girls that the airport police rescued from those men. Tell your daughter that you were willing to turn her over to those men to do with as they pleased so that your pride isn't hurt by me ignoring your foolish and ill-informed demands. They weren't thieves, they were 'Snatchers'. They wanted the girls and nothing else."

When Bobby didn't respond, she said, "I think we're done here."

She turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind her. She picked up the light jacket that she had brought with her and headed out the front door.

She did not doubt that cameras were recording her walk to the end of the driveway, and they would likely capture the direction she chose after that. Turning left would take her to FM539, and it would be at least a five-mile walk for her to reach any place worthwhile for her. Turning right would take her in a direction she hadn't traveled yet, but JR had mentioned a golf course with a clubhouse within a mile or so. That might do.

Rockie started walking to the east along the shoulder of the road, over a slight rise where she could now see all the way to where this street ended at another cross-street. She had no idea which direction she would need to go at the intersection but assumed that there would be a sign or some sort of marker there. She didn't want to start crying, so she concentrated her thoughts on anything other than JR and her promise to walk away rather than come between him and his family.

The route through the neighborhood to the golf course was clearly marked, so she had no trouble finding it. There were dozens of cars parked in the spaces outside the clubhouse, so she was certain that it would be open for business. She entered through the front doors and read the directory to decide where she wanted to head next. She chose the bathroom first since that was her most urgent need at the moment.

The pro shop and snack bar held no interest for her, so her next destination was the nineteenth hole. She took a seat at a table for two and unpacked her laptop. She had to slide some placards aside to make room on the table, but she had it booting by the time a server came by.

"Hi, my name is Angie. What can I get for you?"

"Hi Angie, could I get a lemonade to start with, and do you have Wi-Fi here?"

"One lemonade, no problem. Would you like any snacks? We have free peanuts or pretzels. Oh, and the Wi-Fi details are on the card right there."

She pointed to one of the placards that Rockie had moved earlier.

"Thank you, some pretzels might be nice."

"You got it. I'll be right back."

Rockie looked at her cell phone and wondered how long it would be before JR discovered she was gone and tried to contact her. What would she say to him when he did? She had made her position relative to his family clear earlier, so what more could she tell him other than that was the reason that she had walked away? His father had made it obvious to her that he had no respect for her, didn't trust her, and that she was not suitable for his son. How could JR expect her to ignore that?

She decided to take preemptive steps to prepare JR by sending him a text.

ROCKIE: What I feared today has come true. You will understand once you speak to your father. Please bring my luggage back when you return home.

JR: Rockie, what's going on? I saw you in the car at the airport. You were on the news. Are Katie and Cile still with you?

ROCKIE: They're fine and at home. Your father will explain everything when you see him. I love you, JR, but I will not come between you and your father. Please do me one last favor and bring my things home with you.

She switched her cell phone off for the time being. She wanted JR to hear his father's side of things without any prior influence from her, otherwise, he might ruin the relationship that she was trying to save. She hoped that JR understood that, if not today, eventually.

With her laptop already booted, she launched an application of her own design. Using Google Maps, she quickly identified the GPS coordinates for where she was sitting and then used these to determine the cellular towers in closest proximity, knowing that these would also be the ones providing a signal to the Brandt home. They were all Emerson-owned towers, so placing them each into maintenance mode for two hours was a simple task for her application.

Her lemonade arrived, along with a basket of stick pretzels. She looked around the lounge and saw only two women who appeared to be waiting for their husbands to finish a round of golf. Based upon the number of cars that she had seen in the parking lot, she assumed that there were at least a couple of dozen golfers still out on the course.

She didn't know a lot about how long a round of golf would normally take, but she had nothing else to do now but wait for a crowd of golfers to finish their games and come through the lounge before heading home. In the meantime, she would take the time to check the servers at Brandt Consulting that she had penetrated earlier in the day.

~~~

"She left," JR said as his last text message came back undeliverable.

"How? Why?" asked Patty.

"She said that Dad would explain things when I see him. What do you think happened, Mom?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure that it is just a misunderstanding. You know that your dad wouldn't purposely chase her away from you."

JR sat silent as his mother increased her speed to try and get them home sooner.

"Have you tried calling your dad again?"

"No, I'll try again right now."

JR dialed his dad's cell phone, but this time rather than going to voicemail, he heard, "The cellular number you have dialed is not in service at this time."

JR disconnected and tried the landline phone in the house. This time his father answered. JR spoke before his father could even utter a greeting.

"Dad, what's going on? What happened to make Rockie leave?"

"What do you mean 'leave'? The last I knew she was upstairs in your room."

"She's asking me to bring her luggage home with me and said that you would explain when I see you. What happened?"

"We discussed her acting irresponsibly where the safety of Katie and Cile are concerned and she refused to acknowledge that she had done so."

"Acted irresponsibly how?" JR asked.

"When they left the mall, they were followed by some men. Typical package thieves is what I suspected, so I gave her clear and specific instructions, which she ignored."

JR thought back to the news story he had seen, "Dad, were the men in a gray car?"

"So, she told you her story..."

"No, I saw it on the news. I saw Mom's car at the airport with Rockie driving just before over a dozen police officers took down what is being reported as suspected terrorists. They were behind Rockie in a gray car and there was a van behind that which was also being taken by the police. You should turn on the news and you'll probably catch an update."

"Hang on," Bobby said as he hit the remote to turn on the large-screen television in the study. He surfed through a few of the local San Antonio channels until he found a breaking news story.

JR could hear the reporter in the background as his dad listened, "Six armed men were arrested today at the San Antonio airport and are being charged with kidnapping. Police were alerted by a citizen who they believe was the next intended target of the gang. Police report that three adolescent girls, ranging in age from ten to thirteen were rescued and appear to be unharmed..."

"Jesus Christ," Bobby groaned. "I owe Rockie one hell of an apology."

"Maybe you do Dad, but it looks like you won't get the opportunity to pay that debt. She's left us. She's left me."

"We'll find her Son, and when we do, I promise that I will make this right. I promise."

"We'll see Dad. I just hope you're as good at keeping your promises as Rockie is."

~~~

Rockie saw the Corvair turning into the drive leading to the house from the backseat of the car she had been offered a ride in. The husband and wife couple were delighted to help the pretty young woman get to a rental car facility in Seguin so that she could arrange for transportation while her disabled car was being serviced. They didn't know that she would not be renting a car, or that her car was safely parked in a garage thirteen hundred miles away and in perfect working order. All they knew was that they had noticed the stranger in the lounge of the country club after their round of golf, and always mindful of welcoming visitors, they had introduced themselves.

After verifying that her penetration of the Brandt Consulting servers was still undetected, Rockie had left her custom system logging algorithm running while she spent time on her laptop trying to determine the best way for her to get home without broadcasting her route or mode of transportation in a manner that would be easy for someone like Bobby Brandt to track.

That eliminated airlines, trains, rental cars, and other options that would require her to use a credit card. She had initially discounted buses as well because their passenger manifests would surely be searchable by someone with the right skills, but then she figured out a possible solution. She would soon see how it would work.

Rockie directed the couple to a rental car facility in downtown Seguin. They wanted to wait to make certain that she was able to get a car, but she assured them that her guaranteed reservation left no doubt, so this convinced them to simply leave her at the curb in front of the facility. After they had driven away, she walked around a corner and down two blocks to the Greyhound Bus Station and bought a one-way ticket to Houston.

While heading southeast to Houston would add considerable time to the already lengthy bus trip back to Orange County, she surmised that any search of bus passenger manifests would target only those heading west from San Antonio and surrounding cities, and focus on buses leaving today. She would be heading in a different direction today and eventually heading west from a different metropolitan area. She wasn't expected back to work until Wednesday morning, so the extra day of travel shouldn't be an issue.

The next bus to Houston would leave in just a few hours and she was able to purchase one of the last two seats available. She found an open seat in the snack bar of the bus depot and placed her laptop bag at her feet. She withdrew her cell phone from her purse and placed it next to her laptop. She turned the phone on and saw a text from JR. He must have sent it from his computer since the maintenance of the cell towers wouldn't terminate for another half hour.

JR: My dad is beside himself wanting to apologize to you. I now understand why you left. I assume you are headed home, so please keep me posted on your progress so that I know you are okay. I will be heading back tomorrow and driving straight through. I should be home by noon on Monday. If you're there by then, please let me know. We need to talk.

She turned the phone back off and considered her own travel schedule. This bus should arrive in Houston tonight around eight o'clock. She was going to buy only one-way tickets to the incremental stops along the route home to make locating her more difficult. So, her first westbound segment would be a ticket from Houston to Fort Stockton. Her next segment would be from Fort Stockton to Tucson, and from there, her last segment would be from Tucson to the Greyhound station in Santa Ana. She would take a taxi home from there.

Placing her laptop on the table and waking it up from the sleep mode, she had intended to check the schedules at each of her planned intermediate stops. The information that she saw on the system log changed her mind.

The Brandt Consulting servers were being prodded by other systems, and not just one or two of them. Rockie launched another application that resided within her penetration suite, the one that she had developed to track users back through the Dark Web, and used it to identify which systems were essentially telling the Brandt Consulting servers to "watch out" by sending notice that links on their systems that pointed to the Brandt Consulting systems were being queried by unauthorized users.

The systems involved did not reside within the Dark Web but were supposedly even more secure and secretive. They were all federal government systems, including the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and the Justice Department among dozens of others. Rockie didn't know if this was a normal occurrence, and she didn't have the time right then to research it further.

Returning to her system logging algorithm, she made some quick adjustments directing it to create a historical log file and placed it onto the servers where it wouldn't be easily found by anyone but her. She then turned off her laptop, placed it back into its bag, and began looking for a drug or department store near to the bus depot.

The layover times at the various stations would vary, and eventually, add more than twenty-four hours to her trip, and traveling by bus was always fraught with the risk of breakdowns, road closures, and other possible delays, but she had three days before she had to be back at work, and the trip would provide her with plenty of time to think about what she needed to make JR understand. It would also allow her to dig deeper into what was on the Brandt Consulting servers that was so interesting to someone.

She knew that this project wouldn't take her mind off JR and the issues with his dad, but it might help her understand more about Bobby Brandt which could explain his behavior towards her. His being upset about the threat to Katie and Cile was not surprising, and his comments to her, as a result, would have been tolerable if they stood alone. However, she could not ignore the "interest" in her that JR had mentioned and the way that he had made her feel almost like a bug under a microscope every time she was around him.

JR insisted that there was nothing about her and him being different races influencing his dad's attitude towards her, but if not that, then what? Was it her lack of family or financial resources that Bobby Brandt resented in some way? Nothing about the way that he or the rest of the Brandt family lived suggested that he would place any significance on the social status or wealth of others.

There was the comment by JR where he had said his dad feared that she would be "held back" if she and JR continued their relationship, but she had no idea how or why his dad would arrive at that conclusion. Did he envision her as an underachieving, lazy Gold Digger that would cease all career ambitions once she had latched onto his son?

These thoughts were pointless right now. She needed to find the DC to AC power inverter that would allow her to use her laptop on the busses before the first leg of her journey home began.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Her first sight of JR was his crestfallen expression as he watched her back out of her garage on Wednesday morning and then drive away without even acknowledging his wave. She had arrived home the previous evening around eleven o'clock and purposely done everything she could to hide her arrival from him. Had he not been on his patio when her garage door had started to open, he probably wouldn't have heard her leaving.

She felt that their pending conversation would require more than the few minutes that she could have dedicated to it either this morning when she had to get to work, or last night when she was dead tired from her protracted bus trip home. She would explain that to JR in a text as soon as she got to her office. In fact, she would text him from the parking lot before she went into the building.

She had told JR that she wouldn't come between him and his family, but on the trip home, she had considered whether his father not liking her would by itself constitute coming between his entire family. She was willing to discuss their options with him if he was willing to accept that she would not tolerate the disrespect his father had demonstrated toward her.

As Rockie entered the company's parking lot right after eight-thirty in the morning, she noticed that all five of the visitor parking spaces were occupied. It was rare for all the visitor spaces to be filled, but even rarer for them all to be filled that early in the workday. The coincidence of them all being full today was not lost on her. She found a space further down in the employee parking section and sent a text to JR.

ROCKIE: Sorry that I didn't have time to stop and talk to you this morning. I got in late yesterday and slept late as a result. I really do want to talk things over with you later today if you have time.

JR: It's okay, I was just worried about you... Worried about us. Let me know when you want to get together, and I'll make time. By the way, I love you.

She stared at his words for several seconds before replying, especially the last three words.

ROCKIE: I hope so because I love you too. We have some challenges to face, but I believe in us.

JR: Me too.

ROCKIE: I'll text you later with a good time. I'm not sure how much work I'll have to catch up on or when I'll be able to get home, but I'll keep you posted. I love you.

She shut off her car, collected her laptop bag and purse, and then got out of the car. As she walked towards the employee entrance, she pulled her badge out of her purse and clipped it to her jacket. She placed the badge against the reader at the entrance, but the door didn't release as usual. She tried three more times before giving up and walking to the visitor entrance.

"Hi, Leanne," she said as she approached the receptionist's desk, "My badge isn't working at the employee entrance. Can you buzz me in please?"

"Good morning, Rockie. Your badge has been deactivated. If you'll give me a minute, I will have someone escort you to HR."

"Deactivated, why? I was just on vacation."

"I don't know Rockie, I was just told to have you escorted to Human Resources when you came in. They're expecting you, so I'm sure that someone will be right out to get you."

"Expecting me?" she thought. She was due back from vacation today, but why else would human resources be expecting her? She hadn't done anything wrong, and there were no hints of layoffs that she knew of. She would find out soon enough, because Valerie Roberts, head of the HR department had arrived to escort her.

Valerie was as friendly to Rockie as the first day that she had interviewed with the company.

"Welcome back Rockie. How was your vacation? I understand that you drove to Texas with your boyfriend."

"It was fine," Rockie said as she was led into the office area. "Is there some problem that I need to be aware of?"

"We'll discuss it once we get to the conference room," Valerie told her, "but I don't think it's anything that can't be worked out."

Valerie led her to the HR conference room, where two people were already waiting. Karen Mason was there along with a man who Rockie didn't recognize. Valerie closed the door before directing Rockie to a seat at one end of the table and then took a seat on the side.

Once everyone was seated, Karen Mason spoke to Rockie, "I apologize for the surprise that you walked into this morning. I tried calling you several times over the past few days but only got your voicemail. I didn't think leaving you a message on this matter was appropriate, so here we are."

"Where exactly are we?" asked Rockie.

"Let me start by introducing everyone," Karen said. "You know Valerie. This gentleman is Bert Garmeni, our chief legal counsel."

Rockie nodded a greeting to the lawyer, but remained silent, waiting for someone to explain further the purpose for her being here.

Bert Garmeni began by sliding some papers over to Rockie and saying, "Miss Preston, here is a copy of your employment agreement with BWH. Do you recognize it?"

Rockie glanced down at the papers and said, "Yes, I recognize it. Why?"

"Do you recognize your signature on the last page of the agreement?" Garmeni asked.

She turned to the last page and said, "Yes, that is my signature, but again, why?"

Ignoring her question, the lawyer said, "If you turn to page four of the agreement and reference section thirteen, do you see the subject of 'intellectual property' mentioned?"

Rockie found the page and reviewed the relevant section. "Okay, so?"

"Miss Preston, it has come to the attention of management that you have developed intellectual property while employed by BWH which you have not disclosed to the company. As an employee of BWH, any intellectual property developed by an employee during their period of employment rightfully belongs to the company."

Rockie was not to be intimidated so easily, "I have documented proof that all the development of the 'Secret Chaperon' application was completed months prior to my employment at BWH."

"That may be true," the lawyer said, "but what about your other project? The Dark Web tracking project?"

"That project has no relevance to BWH and what we do here. That's like claiming my recipe for red velvet cake belongs to the company simply because I worked here at the time I came up with it."

She pointed to the employment agreement before her and continued, "Section thirteen limits intellectual property claims by the company to products or service of value to the company."

"Actually, the clause reads, 'products or services of value to the company as determined solely by the company'. Have you presented your product concept to anyone at BWH for that determination of value to be considered?" Garmeni asked.

Rockie remained silent, so Karen stepped in, "Rockie, do you know what 'BWH' stands for?"

Rockie smiled and replied, "It stands for 'Brandt-Wallace Holdings'. BWH is a joint venture of Brandt Consulting and Wallace Holdings International."

Karen continued, "Under the terms of your employment agreement, BWH could terminate your employment effective immediately."

Rockie stood and placed her laptop bag on the table and placed her employee badge on top of it.

"Unless I quit first. Thank you for the opportunity. Do I need an escort out of the building?"

Karen smiled and said, "Not so fast, Rockie. There's someone else who wants a few words with you."

As if on cue, the door to the conference room door opened. Patty Brandt walked in, followed by her husband. Without any direction from the new arrivals, Karen, Valerie, and Bert all rose from the table and left the room.

Rockie stood in place beside her chair as she watched two people enter and three people exit the room. She remained standing as Patty and Bobby took seats on the opposite side of the table. They looked over at her and just smiled.

"After the news I just received, I'm not surprised to see you here," Rockie said to Bobby.

She turned to Patty and said, "But your being here is disappointing. If you have the capacity for telling the truth, please tell me if JR knows that you are here."

"JR does not know that we are here," said Patty. "We thought that you had broken up with him anyway, so why should it matter to you?"

"So, if you believe that JR and I are a thing of the past, then your vendetta against me has nothing to do with your fear that he would spend his life with someone like me. It's against me regardless."

"Vendetta?" asked Bobby. "Do you think that this is about us not liking you or something?"

"You have made your opinion of me quite clear," she said to Bobby, and once again turning to Patty she said, "but I thought that you liked me, or at least respected me."

Bobby and Patty glanced at each other before Patty nodded to urge him to speak.

"Rockie, I apologize. I obviously did not make my opinion of you clear, because if I had, you would know that I adore you. Patty and I didn't raise dumb children. Even if I doubted JR's judgment regarding the two of you, which I never have, I know that Katie's protective nature towards her brother has never been wrong where the perception of the girls he had dated is concerned. Katie idolizes you, and that alone would be enough for me. However, I also think you're bright, beautiful, funny, compassionate, brave, loyal, and possess more integrity that I would have expected from someone who had the hardships in life that you have had. I also recognized that this isn't the whole you, is it? If I have seemed distant or not as welcoming as the rest of my family, it's because I have had the opportunity to see the shadow."

"Shadow?" Rockie asked in confusion.

"Please take a seat," Bobby said, "and I'll try to explain."

Rockie silently took a seat across the table from the couple and waited.

"When we learned of JR's interest in you," Bobby began, "I spoke with Karen Mason to learn what I could about you. I don't apologize for that, and when you have children of your own, you will understand."

"I understand now," she said. "I'm okay with that."

"Good." Bobby continued. "I understand JR already told you, I had no reservations about adding your profile to the access system for the secured area of our house, but I neglected to do it before your arrival, and then it was too late to complete it before the holiday. I saw no harm in delaying things until this week, but I did authorize a background check on you in preparation for profile data entry into the system. That's where your shadow appears."

Rockie nodded her head in understanding and said, "You saw only what I wanted you to see."

Bobby smiled and said, "Yes, you and I are similar in our penchant for privacy it appears. You would have discovered this if you had ever attempted to learn more about me or any family member beyond your one Google search. You didn't try, and that impressed me."

Rockie glanced down at her hands before saying, "You may want Patty to leave us alone for a few minutes."

"Why?"

"Because I know more about you than you think. Some of it may be things that you don't want her to hear."

Bobby just chuckled and said, "I doubt that you could know anything about me that my wife hasn't already learned. Her security clearance is much higher than yours."

"I didn't say that you wouldn't want her to learn something," Rockie said, turning her gaze to Patty.

"I said there might be things that you didn't want her to hear."

Patty's expression turned to concern as she said, "Tell us what you want to, Rochelle."

Rockie glanced between the husband and wife and saw that they seemed resolute in hearing her disclosure together. Finally, she said, "Mikhailov is looking for you."

With Bobby sitting silent with a stunned expression on his face and Patty just watching him do so, Rockie picked up the explanation, "Right after JR and I first met, he told me that my Google search on him had raised red flags. When he warned against similar searches by me being detected, I took that as a challenge. I began by accessing his school records. I wasn't interested in the details, only in proving to myself that I could find and access them without being detected, which I did. Just because some of the information in JR's records are hidden, doesn't mean that they don't exist. I guess you could say that I saw the same shadows that your research into me showed you, so I just brought the details out of the darkness where I could see them clearly."

"You get underestimated a lot, don't you?" Bobby asked. "For example, not all of your hacking is ethical, is it?"

Rockie shrugged at Bobby and said, "Technically, and I suppose legally, no it isn't. However, I believe it to always be morally justified so I have no difficulty doing it and sleeping with it each time. Doesn't that paraphrase one of your own idioms?"

"And you're prepared to deal with the consequences when you are caught?" Bobby asked.

She smiled and said with complete confidence, "My penetrations are bullet-proof. Believe me when I tell you that no one could detect my actions unless I wanted them to."

"Do you want me to test you on that?", he asked, but with far less confidence in his tone of voice.

Rockie didn't answer the question, but just continued with her earlier explanation, "The details that were hidden in JR's records provided me with additional information on you and your family that directed me to other potential databases, including those at Brandt Consulting. Until a couple of days ago, I had never done more than penetrate the servers and place a sort of 'doorstop' there to see if it would be detected, and to leave me with access should I ever need to come back."

"The fact that we are all sitting here indicates that she was never detected, doesn't it?" Patty asked her husband. Bobby simply nodded in reply.

"So," Rockie said addressing Bobby, "When I left your house, I had time on my hands and decided to use it trying to understand you better. I hadn't gone very far before my application detected a 'nudge'."

"A nudge?" Bobby asked.

"That's just what I call it when my code has to adapt itself due to changes in the protocols I circumvent to penetrate a system. Some other event was stimulating the Brandt Consulting servers to modify network and access settings like closing certain ports or rerouting access rights. When I researched these nudges further, I found out that the triggering events had been occurring for several weeks, and were essentially advisories from numerous government databases about queries that linked to data on the Brandt Consulting servers."

"So, what do these nudges have to do with Borisovich Mikhailov?" he asked.

"That is the name that was being queried on the other systems," Rockie explained. "As you probably know, most government databases have keywords flagged to restrict access to information based upon defined rights of the entity seeking it. Not everyone can simply log into the Department of Defense databases and ask for the launch codes of our nuclear arsenal, but a user with the proper access rights could do just that. Someone like the Secretary of Defense, I would assume."

"Probably not him," said Bobby, "but I get your point. And to that point, someone would need to gain at least basic access to the database to even initiate a query, so unless the queries are by an authorized user on the databases, just one without the right clearance levels, the databases have been penetrated from the outside. Correct?"

"Is Sevastopol far enough outside?" asked Rockie.

"On the Crimean Peninsula? That Sevastopol?"

Rockie nodded her head and said, "Right in the center of the Gagarinski District of the city. I have identified seven separate computers at three locations in that area that have penetrated one or more of our government servers with the sole purpose of finding information on the name Borisovich Mikhailov. I penetrated two of these and discovered that the queries are not on Mikhailov, but being conducted on his behalf in an attempt to identify someone by the name of 'Prem'yer- suka'. Curious about who this person might be, I did my own query of the Brandt Consulting servers, and guess what I found out."

Bobby didn't answer but just sat staring at the woman across from him with a look of puzzled amazement. Patty kept glancing between her husband and Rockie, not knowing what to expect.

Finally, Rockie spoke, "I'm sure that this all surprises you. First that I know what I know, followed by learning how easily I gained that knowledge, and probably ending with the discovery that some very dangerous and determined people are trying to locate you. If it makes you feel any better, I eliminated the threat for now, and the foreseeable future."

"How?" asked Patty before her husband could respond.

"I'll try not to get too technical," Rockie said. "First, I fixed the vulnerabilities in each of the compromised government servers that the hackers had exploited to gain access. That was simple software coding fixes that I have done hundreds of times before. Next, I placed a little ransomware bug that I have developed onto one of the computers in Sevastopol that quickly spread to all the others on their network, regardless of whether it had been one of the ones involved in the penetrations. For the last two days, hundreds of computers around the Crimean Peninsula have been offline. They will remain offline until one million dollars is donated by each to the 'Human Rights Watch' agencies. Even if they paid the ransom by the deadline, which is in less than an hour from now, those computers and everything on them is useless and will continue to be so for eternity. I suppose they could reuse the cases that the computers are in, but anything electronic within them has been destroyed, including all data."

"But the people responsible will still exist," Bobby said. "If they're that determined, they'll be back in some fashion."

"I don't have the resources to deal with the people," said Rockie. "All I can do is cripple their technological capabilities."

"Well, I do have the resources. Can you be more specific as to the location of the computers?"

Rockie nodded and smiled, "Is the street address good enough?"

"That will do," said Bobby. "Are you positive that they can't trace any of this back to you?"

"One-hundred percent," assured Rockie. "However, if they ever can crack the ransomware bug, there are some politicians in North Korea who may need to watch their backs. The coding points directly to them."

Bobby laughed and said to Patty, "Why don't you two go get some coffee and have the discussion I know that you want to have. I need to make a few arrangements before lunch."

Patty leaned over and kissed her husband before rising from her chair and walking around to stand beside a still seated Rockie. Noticing Rockie's reluctance to stand, Bobby rose from his chair and walked around to join his wife. Patty stepped aside as Bobby reached for Rockie's hand and gently held it in his.

"Rochelle, if I didn't make it clear before, I want to do so now. You have misunderstood me in so many ways, and I take full and complete responsibility for that. Since she sat next to me in that first class, Patty has had me wrapped around her little finger, and she has always known this. From the day that she was born, Katie has had both me and her brother wrapped around her little finger, and she knows that as well."

Rockie felt Bobby release her hand and thought that he was done until she felt the pressure on only one of her fingers; her little finger.

"Rockie, you have had me right here since before I actually met you, and I'm not going anywhere. I was going to say that I see so much of Katie in you, but that wouldn't be true. What I do see, and what makes me so proud is that I see so much of you in Katie. I love you, respect you and welcome you to our family without reservations. I hope I can demonstrate that to you better than I have so far."

Rockie felt the tears on her cheeks but ignored them as she quickly stood and stepped into Bobby's waiting embrace. Patty had tears in her own eyes as she joined them in a group hug.

"Can I leave these here?" Rockie asked as the embrace of all three ended. She was pointing to her computer bag and badge, still sitting on the conference table.

Bobby stepped back and smiled, "Of course. If I must leave the room for any reason, I'll make certain that the door is locked. However, it might be a good idea if you keep your cell phone with you in case I need to call you for more details on anything or clarification on the things you have already told me."

"How much time are you going to need?" Patty asked. "We are supposed to meet my parents for lunch at eleven-thirty so I should call them if you think we might be late."

Bobby checked the time and said, "Give me an hour. I just want to get a few things started now and I can follow up on other matters later."

Patty kissed him once more and then took Rockie's hand, "Come on Rochelle. Let's go find a spot in the lunchroom to have a little talk."

Rockie squeezed Patty's hand and said, "Yes, let's do that."

Chapter Twenty-Nine

ROCKIE: I will be getting home earlier than expected. Do you have a class or studying to do?

JR: I have a final in Philosophy at eleven this morning, but I should be home by two. What time will you be home?

ROCKIE: I can go home anytime I want, but I could also spend a few hours running some errands. I should be home by the time you get there.

JR: You know what sounds good after a long road trip? Lounging in my hot tub. Are you up for that? We can sit and talk until our skin becomes macerated, or longer if necessary 

ROCKIE: That sounds painful 

JR: Just proves that I have been studying for my exams. Macerated is the medical term for pruney skin.

ROCKIE: Okay, on one condition.

JR: What's that.

ROCKIE: I want to make love to you first. I need to know that we're okay.

JR: That's not a sacrifice, but I will do anything to show you that we're more than just 'okay'.

ROCKIE: As I will do for you.

JR: I know you will. I'll see you around two. Use your key to let yourself in.

ROCKIE: Okay. Good luck on your final.

JR: Thanks. See you soon. I love you too, Rockie.

"Chatting with JR?" Patty asked as she returned to the table in the lunchroom with a cup of coffee for each of them.

Rockie placed her cell phone on the table, accepted the offered cup of coffee, and set it down next to it.

"Yes, just checking his schedule for today. He has a test this morning, so I wanted to wish him luck on that as well."

"It should be one of his last tests, shouldn't it?" Patty asked as she took the seat across from Rockie.

"I actually think the final exams just started this week. On our drive out to Texas, JR apologized to me about him being so occupied with exams right after we returned. Some days, like today and tomorrow, he only has one exam, but I think on Friday he has three of them in one day. Then he should be done."

Patty took a sip of her coffee and asked, "Rochelle, do you mind if I ask why you never continued your education?"

"How do you mean?"

"From what Bobby shared with me, I remember him saying that you attended Cal Poly through an academic scholarship. Didn't you have any interest in going on for your Masters?"

Rockie looked at her hands as they were holding her cup of coffee and a small grin appeared on her face.

"I have my Master's degree and was accepted in the doctoral program, but my student loan debt was already too high by that point to go for my Ph.D. Mr. Brandt didn't see it in my records because I have it hidden."

"Why on Earth would you hide the fact that you have a Master's degree?"

"Because when I graduated, the job market was in horrible shape. I applied at more than a hundred companies and didn't get called for a single interview. Well, that's not entirely true, because I did have one phone interview where the recruiter enlightened me on things."

"What things?"

"He told me that my Master's degree made me overqualified for most entry-level positions in the current job market, but my lack of real-world experience made me underqualified for the more advanced positions that companies might have available. I couldn't change my lack of experience, so I changed my educational records. I was hired by BWH within a week of dumbing down my education history."

"Your student loan obligations don't appear on your credit report. Did you alter those records as well?"

Rockie merely nodded.

"How much student loan debt do you have, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Approximately twenty-eight thousand is outstanding, but I have never missed a minimum payment."

"Don't worry about it," Patty said. "I'm sure that Bobby will agree that we'll take care of that debt for you."

"Please don't do that." Rockie pleaded. "It's my debt and I intend to pay back every cent of it, no matter how long it takes."

Patty laughed and said, "I don't think you understand, Rochelle. While Bobby could certainly make your federal student loan debt simply disappear, what I meant was that he and I will pay the debt for you. Consider it our birthday present to you if you like. We set up educational funds for our children, and while you may be a little late coming to the party, so to speak, you are now part of our family and your education is now our responsibility. While we are willing to discuss any further educational desires that you may have, who will pay for them isn't open for debate."

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Completely," Patty said. "And there's also no way that you will pay another month's rent on the condo."

"But I have a lease..." Rockie began.

Patty cut her off, "Not any longer. We're terminating your lease immediately. Whether you stay in that condo or move in with JR, which I know is what he wants you to do, we will not charge rent to a member of the family."

"Wait," Rockie said. "You own the condo that I live in?"

"You didn't know?"

"No. JR never mentioned it and I never had reason to investigate who owned it. I just thought it was some corporation or something."

"The title for your condo and for the one that JR lives in are in the name of our family trust. That way, any member of the family would be considered an owner of them both."

Rockie just stared at Patty without comment. It seemed like the entire Brandt family was one big onion that she needed to peel. She was tempted to use her computer to re-establish the penetrations that she had used to research Bobby, but that would be like slicing and dicing the onion and she was afraid that this would reveal things that she wanted to learn during the natural progression of her relationship with JR. If anything about the progression of their relationship had been natural so far.

"I see it too," Patty said to break the silence.

"See what?"

"I see a lot of you in Katie, especially where your devotion to JR is concerned, but also in other ways. For example, both you and my little girl have this streak of tenacity that everyone needs to watch out for. If anyone tells Katie that she can't do something, we know with total certainty that she will do whatever it takes to prove that person wrong. Tell me that you're not the same way."

"Well, depending on what it is," Rockie said with a grin. "If someone told me that I couldn't flap my arms and fly, I suppose that I would accept that as fact. Otherwise, I would probably embrace the challenge and try to prove that I could do whatever it was."

"Just like you did when JR said that your internet searches could be traced."

With a giggle, Rockie said, "Exactly like that!"

Patty laughed and said, "Well, we're proud of you. Now, let's go back to the conference room and see if Bobby is ready for us yet."

Patty stood and Rockie rose to join her, asking, "What do you think he has been doing?"

"Taking care of you, to begin with. After that, it's anyone's guess."

"Taking care of me?" Rockie asked in obvious confusion.

"I'll let him explain. Let's go."

They left the lunchroom and crossed back across the lobby to enter the executive area where the HR conference room was located. Patty had a visitor badge that apparently allowed her access to all parts of the BWH office building.

They saw Karen Mason entering the conference room with a few manila folders, so they waited outside until she had finished her business with Bobby and greeted her on her exit.

"Is he still on his phone?" Patty asked Karen.

Karen smiled at both women and said, "No, he's just reviewing some e-mail attachments that he asked me to print out for him. I'm sure you can go in without interrupting anything."

"Thanks, Karen," Patty said as she opened the conference room door and ushered Rockie in before her, closing the door after both had entered.

Patty walked over to Bobby, leaned down to kiss him, and then resumed her place in the chair beside him. Rockie returned to her previous location and also sat down.

Bobby smiled at Rockie and opened one of the file folders in front of him on the table, but he kept his eyes on her.

"Rockie, Rockie, Rockie," he said with a gleam of admiration in his eyes. "You have been one very busy and resourceful young lady."

Rockie just grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

Bobby continued, "Okay, so I told a little fib and informed the IT team at Brandt Consulting that I had approved a 'white hat' penetration of our servers and challenged them to detect it. Just as you said, they see no evidence of your penetration, but when I suggested that they look at the system logs for any records that might suggest modifications to the security settings were being triggered by external events, they found the same ones that you saw, even during the time period that you had mentioned."

"They couldn't find me now anyway because I am gone, and I leave no trace."

"So it appears," Bobby said, still smiling broadly at her. "Nice work."

Rockie smiled back at him and let him continue, "The IT team is in communication now with the NSA and the National Cyber Command updating them on the suspected breach of the various databases that the logs indicate were triggering the events. They are running tests on all of their systems trying to understand why the events occurred and why all of the affected database systems have mysteriously received unscheduled maintenance updates that no one had been aware of even being required. In fact, they can find nothing describing the updates documented anywhere, but they attest to the fact that it did correct an unknown vulnerability that came to light only when they examined what had changed."

Rockie reached into her purse and withdrew a small USB flash drive and slid it across the table to Bobby.

"This will update any other systems that require it," she told him. "I only dealt with the ones that presented a potential threat directly to you or your family."

"Our family," said Patty. "You're a part of our family now."

"Absolutely," agreed Bobby, "and you are about to see the lengths that I will go to in order to protect a member of my family."

He took a sheet of paper from the folder that was opened in front of him, spun it around and slid it across the table so that Rockie could read it. It was a printout from an e-mail message addressed to Bobby.

She read it briefly before looking back up at Bobby and asking, "Is this legal? I thought someone had to be charged and convicted of a crime before they could be granted a pardon for it."

"Not where the President is concerned," Bobby explained. "The Supreme Court upheld the President's authority to grant preemptive pardons decades ago. As long as you haven't violated any state laws, which it doesn't sound like you have, the Presidential pardon promised in that e-mail message wipes the slate clean for you. Now, take a look at this."

Bobby slid another document across the table for Rockie to read. This one was a bit more detailed, so it took her longer to respond.

"I understand the meaning of 'Top Secret' clearance, but what's 'SCI' and 'SAP' clearances, and why would the Department of Homeland Security grant them to me?" Rockie asked.

Bobby nodded that he understood her question and explained, "SCI stands for 'Sensitive Compartmented Information' and SAP stands for 'Special Access Program'. Rockie, you now have a security clearance as high as mine or the President's."

"But why?"

"I want you to have options," Bobby told her. "Your skills and talents are wasted at BWH, but if this is where you want to stay and keep doing what you've been doing, I'll support that. However, I believe that with the right resources at your disposal, you would want to do more. It's obvious for example that you have a passionate interest in combating child predators through technology. If that's something you want to pursue, I will make certain that you have no obstacles in your way."

"The main thing I want you to know though, is that for all intents and purposes, you are a member of my family now. You and JR need to figure out where your life together is headed, so Patty and I want you to go into those discussions without any limitations on your side. Be what you want, Rockie. Do what you want to do."

Rockie sat in her chair, openly and freely crying at Bobby's revelations. Patty came around the table, knelt, and wrapped Rockie in her arms,

Between her sobs, Rockie asked, "Do you think that JR or Katie would mind if I called you 'Mom'?"

Patty kissed Rockie's forehead and said, "Trust me, sweetie. Nothing would make either of them happier."

Bobby had come around to stand beside Rockie on the other side. He placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "There's something else I want you to know before we have to leave for our appointment with Patty's parents.

Rockie looked up at him and asked, "There's more?"

He nodded and handed her a business card, "This gentleman will be contacting you by the end of the week to discuss the patent application process for your Secret Chaperone program. Once the application is filed and the patent is pending, you will receive an exclusive distribution rights offer from the Michelle Anderson Foundation for Human Rescue. The offer is being developed right now, but from the interest expressed so far, you can expect it to be significant."

"What do you consider 'significant'?" Patty asked. "I know that you have negotiated a lot of distribution agreements for your own inventions, but you don't have a lot of experience negotiating software distribution, do you?"

"I've consulted with some experts in that field," Bobby assured her. "Would between ten and twelve million plus a percentage royalty be significant enough for you?"

Rockie gasped and said, "This foundation would pay me that much just to let them have exclusive distribution rights to Secret Chaperone? How much do they plan to sell it for?"

"They do not plan to sell it," Bobby said. "They will make it available for free to individual users, but they would charge other organizations a fee to license the rights to rebrand or distribute it within some other application suite. Anyway, I'll make our attorneys available to review the agreement with you when the time comes."

Rockie stood and threw her arms around Bobby and buried the side of her face onto his chest. It felt almost like she was in JR's arms when she said, "Thanks, Dad."

"You're very welcome, Rockie. Please check with JR when you see him to see if he can make time to have dinner with his parents tonight."

Standing straight, Rockie said, "I already know the answer. Come by the condo whenever you're ready and we'll barbeque steaks for us all tonight. I know that JR will have almost as many questions as me the next time we see you, so spending time at the condo will serve our purposes better than a restaurant."

"That sounds like a good idea," Patty said as she took Bobby's hand. "We'll be there around six if that's okay."

Rockie remembered JR's plans for them to use the hot tub tonight and decided that they could do so after dinner. She would even help him keep his books dry if he wanted to study while relaxing in the water.

"Six will be perfect," she said and then glanced down at the computer bag and badge on the table.

"Do you think there is any chance that I could buy this laptop?"

Bobby shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, but that computer is not for sale. It belongs to my girl."

He picked up the bag and handed it to her, "Let's decide on the badge once you and JR have had a chance to discuss things. It's yours if you want it, but remember that you're not limited to it."

"Thanks."

She gave Patty and Bobby each another hug before turning, picking up the documents that had been shared with her, and sticking them into the computer bag. Smiling, she waved and left them in the conference room with huge smiles upon both of their faces.

Chapter Thirty

"Are you sure that you're not upset about me having left?"

"How... can... you... even... speak... right... now?"

Rockie giggled with her head on JR's chest as his gasping words denoted his need to recover from their lovemaking.

"I let you do all the hard work and then enjoy the fruits of your labor," she teased.

She considered that her body lying on top of his chest would impede his ability to catch his breath as easily as he would with her off him, but the feeling of him inside her wasn't something that she wanted to relinquish until she had to.

She rose off his chest and smiled down at his face while maintaining their coupled state. She felt him responding to movements of her body that she hadn't realized she was making.

"Oh pooh," she said. "You feel so good, and I don't want to get up, but if I stay on you too much longer, we won't have a chance to talk before your parents get here."

"What time did you tell them to be here?"

"Six," she said.

"It's only three-thirty," JR told her.

"I'm aware of that, but you still need to get a couple of hours of studying in today, and I have plans for you after your parents leave that will prevent you from doing it later. Plus, I need to check a few things out before your dad gets here so that I can better understand the options that he mentioned. Do you think we can talk here like this for a few minutes?"

JR placed his hands on each of her hips and held her in place.

"Try to stay still and let's see how we do. It's your movements that stir things up for us. And to answer your earlier question, no, I am not upset that you left. I understood why you did, but I wish that I would have had the chance to leave with you. I would have, you know."

"I know, but that's not what I wanted. Your mom said that you left almost immediately after I did, and I feel horrible about being the cause for you to cut your time with them short, especially now that I know it was all just a misunderstanding."

"What exactly was misunderstood?" he asked.

All that Rockie had shared with him as they had hurriedly undressed each other before making love was the fact that his parents had come to her office, that the three of them had talked things over and she would explain more later.

"Your dad and I were both seeing shadows, and these influenced our judgments of each other."

Seeing the confused expression on his face, Rockie explained her hacking activities relative to what "shadows" she was referring to and watched as JR's understanding became obvious.

"For anything that I may have done to contribute to the shadows that you encountered, I truly apologize," JR told her. "But I don't understand something..."

"What don't you understand?"

"Why didn't you use your obvious skills to 'shine some light' onto the shadows you saw?"

"I did on my way back home, but only where your father was concerned. Where you are concerned, doing so wouldn't have provided me with what I wanted most," she answered.

"And what was that?"

"The thing I have wanted most since the day that I met you was for you to trust me. I wanted to earn your trust by showing you that I cared about things that mattered to you and to learn what those things were by spending time with you, observing you, and absorbing everything I witnessed. Can you reach my cell phone on the nightstand without moving us too much?"

JR turned his head to the left to locate her cell phone on the nightstand and then reached for it. His hand was about nine inches from his objective with his arm fully extended, so he returned his hands to Rockie's waist and held her in place as he bounced their coupled bodies closer to the side of the bed where he could then reach her phone.

The physical reaction of his movements made her moan softly and he had to tighten his grip on her waist to stop her involuntary responses. Once he thought that it was safe to release his hold on her, he retrieved her phone and handed it to her.

The love and passion in Rockie's eyes as she gazed down at him was a sight that JR would always treasure. He watched as she diverted her gaze for only as long as it took for her to locate what she wanted to show him and turn her phone so that he could see the screen.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It's 'My Boyfriend's Favorite Things' list. Feel free to add anything that I might have missed."

JR started perusing the list. It was broken down into categories, such as 'food and drink', 'toiletries', 'clothing', and 'entertainment' among others. While he quickly browsed through most of the categories, he took his time when he came to the one titled 'intimacies'.

"You really are amazing," he told her as he handed the phone back to her.

"I never doubted your love and devotion to me for a minute, but to see the effort that you have put into learning these things in a way that involved so much personal investment on your part, just proves to me again how blessed I am to have someone like you in my life."

"Don't even try that mumbo-jumbo on me Cutie," she said waving the phone in front of his face.

"What this doesn't show is all the things that you have done for me. Those are all filed away right here," she said, touching a spot on her chest over her heart.

With a genuine look of puzzlement on his face, JR asked, "What things?"

Rockie felt the coupling between them succumbing to gravity as JR's firmness diminished. She slid off him and stood next to the bed. Extending her hand, she said, "Come on. I'll enlighten you while we shower."

JR let her tug on his hand as he resisted her prodding for several seconds so he could gaze at her post-coital beauty in its full glory before him. He finally relented to her prodding, slowly swinging his feet over the edge of the bed and standing in front of her.

"Will getting clean be as much fun as getting dirty?" he asked before kissing her lightly.

"If we had the time right now, I would show you a very good time. However, that will have to wait. Come on."

She led him into the master bathroom, leaving him to discard the condom he was still wearing as she turned on the water in the walk-in shower and set the temperature. She tied her hair into a knot on top of her head and waited for him to join her at the open shower door before stepping inside. JR closed the door and moved around her so that she would have direct access to the warm water while he waited.

Rockie pulled him under the water with her and into an embrace as she said, "We just need to rinse off a little. We can do that together."

"Risky, but I'll play along."

Rockie giggled and said, "I am so glad that you are willing to take the chance; that we are willing to take the chance."

"You're not talking about just the shower here, are you?" he asked as he kissed her forehead.

She shook her head and tilted it back as she rose onto her toes to kiss his lips, "I'm talking about our lives together, now and in the future. And on that point, can you share with me what happened to Brad? You did arrange for him to disappear out of my life, our lives, didn't you?"

She felt his body tense and hugged it closer to hers as reassurance that his answer would be welcomed, regardless of what he admitted to.

"Are you concerned about him?" he asked.

"Not in the least," she replied. "I'm concerned about us. I need you to be able to trust me with the truth."

"What if I want to protect you from the truth?"

"Then I need you to trust me when I tell you that if the details surrounding Brad's disappearance are in some digital format on some computer in the world that is online, I can find the truth myself. It might take me a couple of days, but I will find it. You can't protect me from the truth, JR; all you can do is make learning it easier and more meaningful by sharing it with me."

He stared down at her pleading eyes and pulled her tighter against his body. With his head resting on top of hers, he explained the details of Brad's exile.

"So, you don't think he'll try to get back home at some point?" she asked when he had finished. "He could hitch a ride on a private yacht, a fishing boat, or any other vessel that happened to stop at the island on its way to the United States."

"The ordeal so far has not been a pleasant one for him, but it did demonstrate how much more serious his situation would become if he ever attempted to re-enter this country. If he was brave enough, or foolish enough to try, he would be intercepted almost immediately by French special forces personnel, who have the island pretty secure due to some of their own operations that are based there."

JR stepped back and looked into Rockie's eyes, "Now, was there something else you wanted to tell me before my parents get here?"

In response, she reached behind JR's back and turned off the shower, "Come on. I'll tell you while we dry off and get dressed."

Rockie stepped out onto the bathmat outside the shower and handed JR a towel before taking one for herself. They stood staring into each other's eyes as they quickly dried off. When he had finished, JR stepped out of the shower, wrapped his towel around Rockie, and pulled her back against his body.

"Well?" he said.

Rockie squeezed out of his embrace by sliding under the towel across her back and stepped back.

Giggling playfully at him, she said, "Limit your physical contact with me for now or we'll end up back in bed. It's bad enough that we're going to be getting dressed in the bedroom with the rumpled bed as a tempting reminder for me. I don't need you making it harder to resist the thing that I want most right now, which is to make love to you again."

JR chuckled and hung his towel on the rack before extending his hand to take Rockie's and hang it up as well.

"The feeling is mutual, but I'll behave until my parents leave, then all bets are off."

"You've got a deal," she said as she quickly walked into the bedroom and began straightening the bed.

JR followed her and took over straightening one side of the bed while Rockie did the other.

"Playing house naked with you is something I could get used to," he said. "Have you given any more thought to moving in here with me?"

While focusing her eyes on placing pillows back into place on the bed, she said, "I know about all the things you have done for me."

JR stood after placing his own pillows and said, "Do you care to elaborate?"

Rockie stood, still naked on the other side of the bed from JR as she said, "First, I want you to know that I figured things out completely on my own. I didn't hack anything to do it."

"Okay," JR said tentatively. "What exactly did you figure out?"

"I figured out that you are my 'good luck charm', as Abby referred to you. First, you got me into the Emerging Leader Program, which happened only because you mentioned me to Karen Mason, then you had my car insurance policy revised to cover the replacement cost, followed by covering the additional amount that my claim payment was short in order for me to get the car I wanted. Then, of course, there's the matter of getting rid of Brad that we have already discussed. There are probably more little things that I am overlooking, but I know that from the day I met you, and hopefully for the rest of my life, everything good in my world will be mine because you love me."

"You met Abby?", he asked, only because her words had otherwise left him speechless.

Rockie smiled and began collecting her clothes from the chair where she had discarded them.

"Yes. She introduced herself to me while I was at the mall with Katie and Cile. She thought at first that I was their Au Pair. She's still pretty hung up on you, by the way."

JR followed Rockie's lead and started getting his clothes collected.

"Her feelings towards me were never reciprocated. She thinks that she broke my heart, but all she did by cheating on me was to disappoint me because I thought that she belittled herself with her actions. I had already told her that we weren't going to try to maintain a relationship when I left for California, but she wouldn't accept that."

"JR, none of that matters to me. I only mentioned her because of her relaying to me all the ways that any obstacle in her life seemed to get miraculously fixed when you two were together. That is what made me start considering my own life since meeting you, and I drew my conclusions from that."

"Do you want me to apologize for making things better for you? Most of that was before I had realized what you really meant to me, and no different than what I would have done for anyone who needed help. Now things are different."

Rockie sat on the end of the bed to put her shoes on.

Glancing over her shoulder at JR, she said, "No, I don't want you to apologize. I want to thank you, but not only for what you did. I want to thank you for being the kind of person who would do those things for someone you barely knew. I told you weeks ago how much I treasured your kindness and compassion for others. It's one of the things that made me fall in love with you, and I would never want to change it. So, how are things different now?"

JR walked around to stand in front of Rockie, then knelt in front of her and removed the shoes that she had just put onto her feet.

"You don't need these. We're staying in tonight."

Smiling at him, she said, "I guess you're right."

JR remained on his knees as he said, "You were a girl in this world that I saw a limited opportunity to help out in a few areas. Now you are my world, and there are no limits to what I would do for your safety and happiness."

Rockie leaned forward and kissed him before saying, "And you are my world, Cutie. Your safety and happiness are my priorities as well."

~~~

"I've checked," Rockie explained. "A Presidential pardon carries no weight outside of the United States. Another country, countries, or even the World Court could still charge me with criminal activity if my actions were known. Anyone supporting me could also face charges."

JR nodded his head in agreement, "I think she's right, Dad. Plus, even if her intentions are honorable, internet privacy laws in other countries may not view that as an excuse."

Bobby glanced at his wife, who was sitting next to him, across the dining room table in JR's condo.

He asked, "What are your options then?"

"I'm not sure of all of them just yet," Rockie said. "I am confident that my intrusions are undetectable, at least for the time being, so I'm not concerned about getting caught. It would be helpful to have access to the servers and network infrastructure legally, but doing so could compromise whoever was allowing me access to their systems."

"What makes you so confident that your intrusions won't be discovered, or tracked back to you?" asked Patty.

Grinning, Rockie explained, "Similar to my use of the GPS chip vulnerability in cell phones for the Secret Chaperone application, every device that accesses a network has a single-chip controller on the network interface card that handles encoding and decoding of data through the seven network layers. While not all of these chips are identical, they must all follow the exact same command structure for network protocols to be standardized around the world. If there was a vulnerability identified in the standardized command structure, it would exist on every network interface card."

"And let me guess," said Bobby with a grin, "you found just such a vulnerability."

Rockie smiled and winked across the table at him.

"Of course, having a way in is just the beginning. The encrypting and decrypting of data still exists, but I have developed algorithms that track that process, applying filters that target only specific data. Anyway, since my intrusion process gets applied during a firmware update and then resides in the hardware, instead of within any operating system or application, it is virtually impossible to detect using technology currently available."

JR put his arm around Rockie's shoulder and asked, "Is it the testing of your algorithms that require you to seek out more powerful servers and systems?"

"For the most part, yes. Deanonymization is a strategy in data mining in which anonymous data is cross-referenced with other sources of data to re-identify the anonymous data source. When I am trying to filter out a lot of traffic to isolate any originating from the Dark Web, as an example, that could be millions of devices sending data that needs to be analyzed. My laptop can't handle that much processing."

"Let's expand on your activities some," Bobby said. "Currently, you're well along on your goal of having a process whereby activity on the Dark Web can be traced back to its source. What are your thoughts on how that data could be used once you're able to reliably track it?"

"I plan to notify the authorities in whichever country the illegal activity is occurring. They could then track the suspect IP address through the local internet service providers to identify an exact location."

"There are several problems with that," said Patty. "Aren't there, Bobby?"

"Yes, not the least of which will be your ability to remain anonymous. Few legal systems around the world would act upon information that they couldn't use as evidence in a court of law. They would need to be able to demonstrate that the evidence was obtained legally, which would typically require them to identify you as the source. Then there would be potential privacy violations brought against you in some countries. Without some legal authority behind your actions, you would have very limited credibility and even less success."

"Even if she went to work for someplace like the NSA," JR said, "a lot of other countries would reject the information as the US spying on their people."

"Interpol could be an option," Bobby said. "I could make some inquiries if you would like."

"Let's do something first," Patty suggested. "Rockie, would you feel comfortable coming out of the shadows some before considering Interpol? I don't mean revealing any of the secrets of your skills, but your true education level and things like that should be visible to them."

"Sure, I have no problem with that. However, I'm not really keen on working directly for Interpol. While I do have a passion for fighting child predators around the world, I don't want to give up other pursuits or interests that I may want in the future, such as this cute guy here beside me. Maybe I can be a contractor for them or something like that?"

"So, let's put a strategy together," said JR. "Dad could start inquiring about how much interest Interpol would have for someone with the ability to track criminal activity through the Dark Web, but not mention anyone specific. If there's definite interest, let's run some options by Interpol to see if the individual would need to be an employee or if a contract arrangement could work for them to maintain the legal authorization that any ensuing investigations or criminal proceedings would require."

"Right," agreed Bobby, "and while I'm doing that, Rockie can start updating the records on herself that we would need to showcase her education and background qualifications."

"How much of your tracking success can you demonstrate without divulging your intrusion method?" asked JR.

"That would be easy to demonstrate to a person with the knowledge to understand network and system logs," Rockie assured them. "Those records, along with my filtered data would show that I tracked a routing emanating from the Dark Web back to the specific network interface card of the originating device. Every one of those has a unique address, so it's similar to a fingerprint for identification purposes."

"Are there agencies within the US government that have the types of servers that Rockie needs for her continued testing?" asked Patty.

"I'm sure there are," said Bobby, "but for the short-term, until we know whether some association with Interpol is a viable option, we should probably keep Rockie's work more clandestine. Give me a list of parameters that you require, Rockie and I'll get you access to whatever you need within Brandt Consulting's systems."

"Okay," interrupted JR, "We determine whether Rockie would be a fit for Interpol, establish the type of role that they would accept, get Rockie access to the servers and systems that she needs, setup any desired demonstrations of her tracking, then what?"

"Find out what kind of maternity benefits are available," said Rockie.

The others fell silent and simply stared at her. Rockie laughed at their perplexed reaction and finally let them off the hook.

"Hey, I'm just planning ahead. Isn't that what a sound strategy is supposed to do? Seriously though, I will need to know how any career options that I have fit in with what JR's dreams are for his own. He has a few years of school to go, but I won't accept anything now that might get in the way of what he wants to do when the time comes."

JR scooted his chair back from the table, and Rockie recognized the invitation that he was presenting her. She moved over into his lap and threw her arms around his neck.

"I love you, JR."

"I love you too, Rockie."

Addressing everyone, he asked, "So, what about the short-term. Does Rockie still work at BWH?"

"No," Rockie said before anyone else could speak.

"If the offer is still open, I am going to move into this condo with you. From what I have learned in my research, I am going to have to devote a lot of time to the patent application for Secret Chaperone, so I can do that while the potential situation with Interpol is investigated. Plus, if you still plan to move after you graduate next month, we're going to need to start packing and finding a new place in Texas to live."

"I don't know about anyone else," said Patty, "but all this talk about potential grandchildren has made me hungry. Plus, I need to ask my son and girlfriend a favor."

"Sure, Mom, what would you like?"

"I would like for you and Rockie to disappear for a couple of hours after dinner so that your father and I can get reacquainted with your hot tub."

Chapter Thirty-One

His erection was proudly pointing directly at Rockie.

JR had never seen a woman lost fully in lust before. His experiences had been milder in the past. She wasn't looking at him, she was studying what was between his legs. She bent down, grasped his erection tenderly, and kissed the leaky crown. JR tried to rise, his thoughts leading to the master bedroom in her condo. Rockie wasn't in the mood to move. She pushed him back into the futon and straddled him. JR smiled at her aggressiveness. It made him want her all the more.

Rockie continued to hold his erection and guided it toward her target. She dragged the crown along her warm moistness which caused a shudder to run down her legs that JR could feel. He held her hips as she slowly lowered herself onto him, engulfing the head, but stopping there. She let go of him and brought her hand to his head, caressing the side of his face.

"It has been too long for me," Rockie said.

JR was about to respond that it had only been a couple of hours when she lowered quickly, fully wrapping him in her tight sleeve. He closed his eyes, arched forward, and stifled a moan as pleasure surged through his body. When Rockie was fully seated, JR opened his eyes to her lustful expression. She watched his face, and JR hers, as she began to move her hips. The pleasure was intense, he had never known such complete and total desire.

JR reached up, pushing her hair behind her neck, and pulled her lips back to his. They fit so well together. They shared the same air as she shifted to grinding her pelvis into his. Their eyes were only inches away from each other. The heavenly sensations began to build, their breathing becoming stronger.

"Wait for me," Rockie said.

JR felt her back stiffen and move opposite her hips. He pulled into himself and tightened his legs, holding back. Her ice-blue eyes were boring into him, coaxing him forward, begging him to release.

JR was on the verge of losing it when her movements lost tempo and became an offbeat staccato. Each surge of her hips was followed by a deep grunt. He could feel her body as it began to shudder. Her face flushed and her stomach curled in.

JR exploded into her; love, passion, and desire for his girl released in volcanic fury. Their eyes never left each other. Rockie's blissful face drove him further into nirvana. JR held her as she shook, her body gripping and releasing him. She collapsed onto him and began laughing softly.

"Kind of taking a chance, aren't we?" he panted.

"There are no risks for me where you are concerned, Cutie. However, I will make an appointment this week to explore our birth control options. Condoms won't work as far as I'm concerned."

"Your spontaneity makes that obvious. I would either need to be sheathed constantly or keep my pockets full of foil packets."

"Feeling you release inside of me; I mean the actual result of your release is too wonderful for me to describe. I love the feeling right now as the warmth and wetness flows within me. That's your love, your desire shared with me. Thank you."

"Believe me, the pleasure was all mine," JR said.

She nibbled on the tip of JR's nose and said, "Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on who's pleasure it was. Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly, but why the sudden serious tone?"

"It's s serious question, and I want the full answer. Please don't make me struggle to find all the questions to ask."

"I promise," JR said. "What do you want to know?"

"Why is all of your significant wealth being held in trust accounts?"

JR laughed in relief that her question wasn't more complicated for him to answer.

"Other than a couple of thousand dollars in my regular bank account, everything else automatically gets routed to one of two revocable trust accounts that my parents help me set up when I started trading derivatives in my teens. Actually, only one trust account handles the income from my trades, the other was funded by my parents. Katie has her own trust account as well. Neither of us is supposed to have access to the funds in those accounts until we turn twenty-five, unless both of our parents are deceased before our twenty-fifth birthday."

"I understand the estate planning aspects, but why does all of your trading income go into a trust account? Are there benefits to that which I might want to take advantage of when the time comes?"

JR was thankful for the added context for Rockie's question, "There are a lot of benefits, but for me, the biggest benefit is the slight bit of anonymity it provides for me. I may have millions of dollars in my total financial portfolio, but most of it is hidden in the trusts. Sure, someone who knew the name of the trusts could probably see me listed as the trustee for each, but they wouldn't necessarily assume that the funds in the trust were exclusively mine. Do you know that my credit score is probably lower than yours? That's because I have little visible credit history for the report agencies to track."

"That sounds about right for a college student," Rockie said. "So, you have no restrictions on accessing the money in the trusts other than your current age?"

"Nope. As the trustee, I can take money out as easily as I can from my bank account."

"What are some of the other benefits of a trust?"

"A trust can be used to protect assets from creditors, for estate planning as you mentioned, for subterfuge as I mentioned, and to some degree for tax benefits. It really depends on the intention of the trust when it gets established. Oh, and also the state in which the trust is based. Texas doesn't tax any of the assets in my trusts until they are distributed, which is nice, but there are other terms that they put on trusts that might not be to your liking."

"I thought a trust had to be established in a person's state of residency?"

"No, typically, the only residency rules would apply to the trustee named in the trust, but there are ways to get around that too. Anyway, my dad's lawyers will be able to answer all your questions and help you set up a trust when you're ready."

"Okay, one more question," Rockie said as she raised herself to stand, "is it all right if I start moving my things over in the morning?"

JR saw streaks of wetness beginning to run down the insides of Rockie's thighs as he stood and folded her into his arms. He released her only long enough to pick her up.

Cradling her, he said, "Let's rinse off and get dressed. We can take a load of your stuff over tonight and get the rest tomorrow. I'll have some charity come and pick up all the furniture by the weekend."

"Even the futon?" Rockie teased. "I have a new-found appreciation for that ratty old thing."

JR laughed, "Get over it. We'll work on making you appreciate every piece of furniture in our home."

Rockie nuzzled her nose against his neck as they reached the master bathroom, "Promise?"

~~~

JR's parents were sitting at the dining room table when JR and Rockie carried their armfuls of clothes into the condo. Bobby's cell phone was laying on the table and was on speaker mode, so they knew that a conversation was taking place between them and whoever was on the other end.

Bobby silently motioned for his son and his girlfriend to join them. Depositing their loads onto the couch, JR and Rockie took seats across from his parents.

"Kirby, give me a second to bring some others up to date," Bobby said.

He then muted the cell phone before addressing JR and Rockie, "We're discussing what our agents discovered when they infiltrated the locations in Sevastopol that Rockie identified. Kirby Wallace is on the phone from DC, and Rick Acosta is on the ground in Ukraine. They don't know who you are, so let's keep it that way for now. If you have something to contribute to the conversation, or want to ask a question, signal me and I'll mute the phone."

JR and Rockie both nodded and watched Bobby unmute the phone once more.

"Okay Kirby, you were saying that Canadian authorities have been reporting increased tensions between different organized crime factions in their major cities for the past nine months or so, and Rick, you learned that Mikhailov reportedly died almost a year ago to this date, is that correct?"

"Both are correct," came the reply over the phone. JR recognized the voice of Kirby Wallace since he had been hearing it from his earliest childhood. Kirby had been one of the US Marshals assigned to protect him and his mom while they were in the witness protection program, and later went to work for his father.

"Rick, have you learned who replaced Mikhailov?" Bobby asked.

"Do you remember the name, Vitaly Kazan?" Acosta replied.

"Remind me."

"He was one of Mikhailov's top guys. His oldest son, Ivan appears to be in the lead currently to see who replaces Mikhailov. He is in his early twenties, but already has a reputation for brutality where any competitors are concerned. Odds are that he'll win the role through sheer intimidation combined with pure force."

"So, he's too young to remember the deterrents that forced their organization out of the U.S.," said Kirby. "Maybe he's testing the water in Canada to see how they respond before trying to move back here?"

"I don't know," said Bobby. "While the activity in Canada might be related, it doesn't explain the attempts to access databases here. Rick, did you learn anything about that?"

"We're still questioning the people we found at their computers. Most of them are computer tech types called in after everything crashed, so they may not know the purpose behind the hacking that was going on, but like I said, we're still early in the interrogations at this point."

JR made a motion with his hand that his father saw.

"Hang on a minute," Bobby said to the phone before muting it.

"Dad, this Kazan guy doesn't have to remember how they were forced out of the US, but he must know that they were. What if the database probes were an attempt to identify if the same forces that drove them out are still active? Is there anything in a database somewhere that would indicate monitoring of their activities to ensure that they remained beyond our borders?"

"The FBI and DHS servers likely have files from ongoing organized crime investigations," Bobby told his son.

"If they hadn't accessed those yet," Rockie said, "they won't be able to now. I shut them down there when I upgraded all the targeted servers to resolve the vulnerability that they had been exploiting."

Bobby nodded, and then unmuted the cell phone before continuing, "Okay, the potential new leadership of their organization may be trying to see if our memory is as short as their own. With their ability to hack into the databases where they could possibly see our continued vigilance no longer available to them, what is the risk that they might blindly try to test our resolve by committing an act to see how we respond?"

"It might have been advantageous for the attack against their computers to have pointed to the US," said Acosta. "That would have been a good sign that we're still watching them. My team showing up after the fact claiming to be Canadians also distances US involvement."

"Our options on foreign soil are far fewer than within our own borders," said Kirby.

This time, Rockie raised her hand for Bobby to mute the call. He did so.

"Computers, and the internet, in particular, are not confined by borders," Rockie said. "I disabled their computers on the one network that was attempting to penetrate databases over here, but if they have other computers on different networks, those should still be active. It would take me a few hours to identify any, but we could then target those and make it obvious that it was us doing it."

"Let's discuss that amongst ourselves," Bobby said. "If we can come up with the proper actions to send a clear message that our resolve remains, then I would need to explore how best to deliver it."

Rockie nodded and Bobby unmuted the conversation, "Rick, keep questioning the people you have and try to learn if there are other computers that the organization is using, either for similar hacking efforts, programming, websites, whatever. I want to look into whether we can use those systems as deterrents rather than further physical threats. Kirby, let's check with the NSA to see if there might be a role for them that makes the origin and content of any message delivered by the United States unmistakably from us."

Obtaining acknowledgment of his instructions from both men, Bobby terminated the call.

"Would anyone like coffee?" Rockie asked.

"No," said Patty, "but you could talk me into another Margarita. Bobby?"

"Sure, the hot tub sweated the other one out of my system, so I can handle another."

"Dad, the hot tub heater isn't turned on," JR teased.

"You sweat your way, Son and I'll sweat mine."

Patty blushed as she joined Rockie in the kitchen to fix more Margaritas for the group.

"It looks like you worked up a sweat yourself," she whispered to Rockie.

Rockie smiled and said, "Is it that obvious?"

"Only to someone who recognizes the glow that the Brandt men can put on a gal."

Rockie giggled and hugged Patty, "Are you sure that you and Bobby don't want to stay here tonight? Between the two condos, there is more than enough room."

"No, Bobby's parents are expecting us to stay with them. In fact, we're going to have to leave as soon as we finish these drinks."

Rockie handed two filled glasses to Patty and took two herself, "Okay, as long as you both know that you're always welcomed."

They returned to the table, handing a Margarita to each of the men waiting patiently there, and then kissing their respective partner.

"I was just teasing JR about younger generations ignoring the lessons of their ancestors," Bobby said.

"And I was telling my father that he gets smarter every year as I age. Soon, he'll be as smart as he thinks he is."

Patty and Rockie laughed at the father-son bantering.

"Bobby, you don't seem to think that there is a risk for any of us currently, right?" asked Rockie.

"Based on what we know right now, no I don't. I'm going to place some people and groups on a higher level of alert for the time being, which will prepare us to deliver the message when the time comes and also identify any potential threats well in advance. Our intelligence networks will be brought online with the tactical response apparatus so that there is real-time sharing of information before it is needed, that sort of thing."

"You strike me as more of a proactive rather than reactive type of person," Rockie said to Bobby.

Bobby grinned and said, "It takes one to know one. What do you have in mind?"

"Oh, I don't know," Rockie said, grinning right back at him, "How often do you think our friend Ivan and his associates pay for anything with cash?"

"Geez," said JR, "remind me never to make you mad."

~~~

"JR, do you consider us lovers, because I do?"

He brushed little curls of her hair aside and kissed the back of her neck as he whispered into her ear, "Unequivocally."

JR doubted that his parent's car had exited the parking lot before Rockie was undressing him, coaxing him to join her naked in the hot tub. The sound of the bubbles created by the water jets in the tub was soothing, and JR had felt himself beginning to doze just before Rockie had asked her question.

She was sitting between his legs, aimlessly playing with the hairs on his thighs as she ran her hands up and down them under the water. For his part, JR was savoring the feel of her warm, wet breasts as he gently caressed each; not attempting to arouse her, but simply basking in the feel of her skin under his touch. He had admired Rockie's breasts for what seemed like forever before finally touching them, and he wanted to make up for lost time.

"Good," Rockie replied. "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything."

"I don't think being lovers is going to be enough for me. I mean, it's always going to be the core of our relationship from now on; where the foundations of trust, friendship, and even our love are based, but even before we made love, I sensed that I would want more where you are concerned. Where we are concerned."

"You want other lovers?" JR asked.

Rockie tilted her head back as far as she could so that she could look into his eyes.

"Never! Earlier, when we were at the other condo, I explored something that I want to keep exploring. Sometimes, when the mood strikes one or the other of us; I'm going to use a euphemism here, I want to be your cavewoman and for you to be my caveman."

"Like role-playing?"

"No, Cutie. Let me try to explain; earlier, you let me use you for my own pleasure. No questions asked, no reservations and no expectation that you would achieve the same pleasure. You let me do whatever I wanted, and I think as a result you, in fact, did achieve the same pleasure."

"If not more," agreed JR.

"Agree to disagree," giggled Rockie. "Since there is no recognized equivalent word for men where the term 'slut' is concerned, I don't know how to classify the way that my mood at that time made me want to simply use you for my own selfish pleasure. However, I do know that I also need you to feel the same way about me sometimes. I need you to know that I am just that, JR. I will be your slut whenever the mood strikes you. I need to know that you love me enough to possess me as much as you would protect me. It won't be always, and may not even be that often, but it needs to be an option. Do you understand?"

JR pulled her tighter against his chest and said, "Sweetie, I have no qualms about exploring options with you as long as you are always as honest and open with me as you are being right now. All I ask is that you never submit to me out of a sense of duty or obligation. There can't be any 'quid pro quo' involved in our intimacies, regardless of what form they may take. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Now that that is settled, I have one other favor to ask of you." Rockie said as she started to rise out of the water.

JR began to follow her as he asked, "What?"

Handing him a towel before wrapping one around herself, Rockie said, "I won a free DVD from the collection at Rick's and I want you to help me decide which one we should select."

While drying off, JR didn't reply but simply grinned at her. "Why the 'cat who ate the canary' expression," she asked.

"Because we don't have to pick a single DVD," JR explained, taking her hand and leading her back into the condo. "I have an unlimited subscription that allows me to stream anything in the collection at Rick's."

"Young man, you get into bed right now!" Rockie said with her own grin and pointing towards the bedroom. "I'll get my laptop and meet you there."

Chapter Thirty-Two

Rockie sat with her coffee at the dining room table, reviewing the specifications for the standard Mercedes AMG GT C Roadster. She saw that the handcrafted four-liter engine was bi-turbocharged, claimed to accelerate from zero to sixty in three point six seconds, had active rear-wheel steering and dynamically enhanced handling. It looked like it would be a really fun car to drive. She would find out soon enough.

Switching to the satellite imagery being fed to her directly from the NSA, Rockie zoomed in on the stretch of road she had been told to watch. While it was still well before dawn in Southern California, the Bakhchysarais'ke Highway on the Crimean Peninsula was under clear afternoon skies.

Rated one of the ten most dangerous roads in the world, with fifty hairpin turns, the Bakhchysarais'ke Highway is often completely impassible during inclement weather, which is why she was keeping an eye on that particular stretch of the highway. That would tell her if her target had braved the road today as was his normal routine. From what she could see, the road was clear of snow for its entire seventy-seven-kilometer route between Bakhchysarais'ke and Yalta.

On the real-time satellite image, she saw the silver convertible heading southeast, passing the tourist information center just prior to where the highway began climbing through the mountain pass and approached the first of the treacherous curves. It had been estimated that she would have approximately five minutes from this point to acquire the satellite signal that would allow her to access and take control of the driver-assist features in this high-end roadster.

It had taken her less than two days to gather the access credentials and other information on Ivan Kazan, which in turn identified several other key individuals in leadership roles within the criminal organization based out of Odessa commonly referred to as the Russian Mafia.

Kirby Wallace and Rick Acosta had determined that their team already had adequate resources on the ground in Sevastopol to handle the field operations once a few key items were sent to them. Consequently, she was up early on this first Sunday in December ready to play her part.

Although she and Bobby had agreed to let the NSA take the lead in using her information to send their message related to any computer or systems penetrations, Rockie refused to trust anyone else with this particular role, and Bobby had agreed.

Looking over her shoulder towards the master bedroom, Rockie could see that JR was still sleeping. Hopefully, she would complete her part and be able to rejoin JR before he awoke.

~~~

Ivan Kazan wasn't deterred by the sub-zero windchill around him as he raced his convertible up T0117 towards his home overlooking Yalta, with the panoramic view of the Black Sea beyond. The windshield and design of the AMG GT C channeled any wind away from the driver and passenger; so much so that with the sun shining above, he kept the interior thermostat set at seventy degrees and the heater seldom came on.

His meetings this morning in Sevastopol were irregular, but not troubling to him. The fact that funds in several of their bank accounts had mysteriously been transferred to other accounts didn't concern him. No money was missing, so once Devora, Luka and Stanislav surfaced, there would likely be a simple explanation. All three missing the conference call was irregular.

The hairpin turns of the Bakhchysarais'ke Highway were what enticed Kazan to purchase this car. He doubted that there were more than two other vehicles manufactured in the world that would allow him to navigate the turns with the same degree of exhilaration. As he approached the first turn, he let the technology designed into his car do as it was intended to do, which was to assist him in maintaining control under the most difficult driving conditions.

The suspension seemed made for the gravitational forces generated by him taking these tight turns at speeds that would send most other drivers and their vehicles plummeting thousands of feet to their certain death. He smiled as he felt the car making adjustments for him; in braking, acceleration and steering.

Kazan's smile vanished as the car fought against him, forcing it to turn left at a fork in the road instead of continuing right around the next curve. The car accelerated on its own, climbing the rising incline of this side road and deftly navigating around the curves as if it could see the actual road. This road was gravel, not well maintained, had no guard rails, and kept climbing towards where Kazan knew the snow from two days prior would still be present.

Realizing that he had no effect on the control of the vehicle, he removed his hands from the steering wheel and began looking for a means to stop the car. The push-button ignition did not respond, and neither the foot or parking brakes would engage. He debated whether to release his seatbelt in case he needed to jump from the car when he saw a widening in the road at an extremely tight hairpin turn. If the car didn't slow down, even the magnificent German engineering designed into this vehicle would not prevent it from sliding in the loose gravel and over the edge on the mountain.

Almost as if the car sensed its own doom, the braking system finally engaged. The car did skid on the gravel but remained straight and true in its path towards the edge of the abyss beyond. Kazan screamed as the horizon flew towards him, certain that he was about to die. The fear generated adrenaline was coursing through his entire body when the car came to rest barely a foot from the exposed and unguarded edge.

He was so startled by his brush with imminent death, that Kazan didn't take notice of the engine shutting off or the ensuing silence for several minutes. It was another sound that brought his attention back to the present and made him start looking around.

The buzzing sound wasn't familiar to him, yet he thought that it should be. When the object appeared in front of him, he didn't immediately connect it to the sound he had heard, thinking initially that it was just a bird in flight.

Kazan still had his seatbelt fastened, which prevented his frantic attempt to fling his body onto the passenger seat as the flying object suddenly shot something at him. There was no explosion or even the sound typically associated with gunfire, but something had definitely been shot at him from what he now understood to be some sort of drone aircraft.

Sitting upright once more in the driver's seat, Kazan examined the windshield of his car. There was a suction cup style dart, similar to what a child's toy would shoot, stuck securely to the outside glass. The drone had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

What was happening here? Kazan heard nothing but silence as he sat and contemplated his situation. He knew from experience that his cell phone would have no signal in these mountains, so he didn't even bother to try that. What had happened with his car to get him to this location, and was whatever it was related to the drone and the plastic dart now on his windshield?

Kazan unfastened his seatbelt and stepped out of the car. His view and perspective of the scene did not change as he stepped around the open door towards the front of his car. He leaned over and grabbed the plastic shaft of the dart, but the rubber suction cup would not release.

Bending further, he reached over to place a couple of fingernails under the edge of the rubber, hoping to lift the edge enough to release the suction and remove the dart from his windshield. He had to slide his fingers under the rubber itself much further than he had expected to finally release the suction and get the dart to pop off. The rubber was moist under his fingers. That is why the suction held so tightly to the glass.

Ivan Kazan hadn't returned to a fully upright position before he sensed his body collapsing beneath him, and he fell to the gravel beside his car. He couldn't move any part of his body except his eyes, but he could still hear. What he heard was the approach of another vehicle, but he couldn't move his head to bring whatever it was into the limited sightline that his eyes presented him.

Kazan was not a small man. He stood over two meters and weighed just over one-hundred-thirteen kilos, but the two black men picked him up and carried him to the white van with apparent ease. No words were spoken as the door to the van was closed and he knew that their journey back down the mountain had begun.

~~~

"Can we go to Charley's Chili for breakfast?", Rockie asked.

"Sure," JR said, "but we should try to be back here by ten since that is when Habitat for Humanity is supposed to be here to take all the furniture from the other condo."

Rockie raised off JR's chest to see the clock on the nightstand on his side of the bed,

"It's just after seven, so if you get your cute little butt out of bed, we'll have plenty of time."

"Me? What about your delicious little butt? It's just as bare as mine at the moment."

"I'm overjoyed that you find my butt delicious, but that's probably due it having been awake for four hours and already showered, whereas yours has not. Come on, I'll join you in the shower and help you get your own butt up to delicious standards, along with a few other body parts."

"I would like that," JR said as he rolled out of bed and offered Rockie his hand to help her up.

Surprisingly to both of them, washing each other was as far as their shower activities this morning went. Rockie teased and played with JR more on the drive to Newport Beach than she had in the shower.

They were both wearing sweatshirts and jeans so they would be able to sit at one of the outside tables on this cool coastal morning and watch the area around Newport Pier coming to life.

The area wouldn't get too busy on a Sunday until the afternoon when church services were over, so they were one of the only two couples currently sitting at outside tables. Even the pesky seagulls seemed to be sleeping late today.

"Graduation is the week before Christmas, isn't it?" Rockie asked.

JR had his juice glass to his lips, so he simply nodded in reply.

"And your whole family is going to be coming out for that, and then staying in Southern California until after the new year?"

"That's the plan," JR confirmed. "Katie and Cile will stay with us, at least on most nights. Mom, Dad, Uncle Jason, and Aunt Franc will stay with my grandparents in Cypress. Mom will pick up her parents on Christmas morning so they can join in with everyone else."

"What about Joey?"

"It depends on whether Jen decides to come with him," JR answered. "If he comes alone, Katie and Cile could bunk together and Joey could use our other guest room. If Jen comes too, they'll probably decide to get a hotel so that they have some privacy."

"Can I host a graduation party for you? Just your family and a few other people like Karen Mason and her husband?"

"Rockie, it's our place together. You don't need to ask my permission."

Rockie leaned over and kissed his lips, "Thanks Cutie, but I wasn't asking permission; I was wondering if you thought that your family would mind me making plans for them. They might already have an agenda for while they are here that I am unaware of."

"I would be surprised if much more than Christmas day itself has been scripted so far. My dad will be flying everyone out on his plane, so even the travel plans are flexible to a great extent. I know that my mom and Aunt Franc will want to do some shopping for any gifts that they didn't bring with them, but I'm certain that they would work around whatever you wanted to schedule. My dad and Uncle Jason just go along to get along, if you know what I mean."

Rockie giggled and said, "I hope that you take lessons from them."

"Have I ever said 'no' to you, Miss Preston?"

"No, and I promise that I will try never to put you in a position where you feel you need to tell me 'no'. Anyway, I'll run my idea past your mom before checking the availability of the community room at our complex. That should accommodate everyone I was thinking of inviting."

"Sounds like a good plan," JR said. "On another subject, we're not going to have a lot of time after the first of the year to find a place in Texas before my classes. If it was just me, I could find anyplace, but we need to consider your needs now as well..."

"How far is Texas A&M from your parent's house?"

"Around three hours. Too far to commute on a daily basis."

Rocky thought for a few seconds and then said, "Okay, I'll start checking out our options for extended stay hotels. I won't want to use public Wi-Fi, so I'll see which wireless carriers that serve the area can sell me a mobile hot-spot device."

"My dad could probably fix you up with something," JR interrupted. "He still has a lot of contacts in the wireless industry, not to mention within the NSA. Anyway, an extended stay might work for a short time. We could search for a more permanent housing solution on the weekends."

"Let's discuss it more on the way back home," Rockie suggested. "Start thinking about what you would want for a more permanent solution and let's make a list. I'll start researching that as well."

"One list that contains both of our 'wants'," JR said.

Rockie took JR's hand and said, "All I want, and all I need, wherever we live, is you."

~~~

When the van finally stopped, Ivan Kazan knew that they were somewhere in Sevastopol. The smells and sound of the port area were very familiar to him. This was confirmed when the two black men removed him from the back of the van, and carried him to a building where one of his computer operations was based.

Kazan now worried about the fact that these men had made no effort to hide their faces from his view, or keep their location secret. The only reason that men who knew of Ivan Kazan would be that brazen was if they planned to kill him, and thus never give him the chance for revenge.

The two men deposited him onto one of four straight-back wooden chairs with arms in the warehouse of the building. Before he was positioned in the chair and his view was limited to only what was in front of him, he saw that the other three chairs held his missing comrades, Luka and Stanislav, with Devora between them. All appeared to be as paralyzed as he was, yet they each had their arms and legs bound to their respective chairs with leather straps.

Kazan saw similar straps being placed around his arms, and while his peripheral vision didn't allow him to see his legs, he assumed that straps were being placed around them as well. He heard the sound of plastic wheels on concrete as something was rolled next to his chair, but he could not see what it was. He could still feel nothing.

When a door across from the four chairs opened, Kazan saw two figures enter the room and begin walking towards the captives. They stopped far enough back to remain within the limited vision range of their entire audience.

The man was middle-aged, with the physique that reminded Kazan of the retired Spetsnaz soldiers he had met. Still hard, still deadly. The man's eyes were cold, yet piercing in their intensity as he surveyed the condition of each captive.

The woman was much younger; unlikely older than her early thirties. She was attractive, with a slender figure, but her strength was recognizable by the way her clothes fit her and by the confident way that she presented herself.

"Comrades," the man said. "We come before you today representing the Prem'yer-suka..."

If Kazan was physically able to respond, the best he would have been able to manage would have been a gasp. He watched helplessly as the two black men who had brought him to this warehouse placed a large computer monitor on a table behind where the man and woman stood, and turned it on. His view of whatever the monitor showed was blocked by the man and woman, but Kazan suspected that it wouldn't be for long.

"Several years ago," said the man, "your organization poked the Alpha Bitch and made her quite angry."

He stepped back and stood beside the computer monitor as the woman moved to the other side of it.

"You're all apparently too young to remember how severely the Alpha Bitch bit back. You either forgot or were never told of the conditions under which the Alpha Bitch allowed your fathers and their comrades to leave the United States."

The woman now spoke, "I am of the same generation as each of you. I know the feeling of immortality that comes with youth and inexperience. What I want to ask each of you to consider now is, what value is immortality if you spend every day wishing you were dead?"

"You see," the man continued, "the Prem'yer-suka that is the United States of America has been poked again by your organization. We are here to remind you, and to use you as reminders for others that poking the Alpha Bitch will bring you nothing but pain."

The image on the computer monitor changed. It now showed a middle-aged woman strapped to a chair in a fashion very similar to Kazan and his comrades. There was an intravenous tube inserted into the woman's arm, which was being fed from a bottle on a wheeled metal stand beside her chair. The others might not know who this woman was, but Ivan Kazan would recognize his own mother.

The man spoke again, "Unlike each of you, Ivan Kazan's mother has not had a neurotoxin applied that would render her without feeling."

The man held up a small device and pressed a button on it. The sound on the monitor was muted, but Kazan and the others couldn't miss the agony the woman was experiencing even if they couldn't hear her screams. The man pushed a button again and the diminishing pain within Kazan's mother became obvious almost instantly.

The image on the monitor changed again, showing a pretty young woman in the same predicament as Kazan's mother had been shown.

This time, the woman on the other side of the monitor held up a small device and said, "Comrade Stanislav, you have such a pretty young wife. Why do you wish to bring her so much pain?"

With a push of a button on the device, the captives witnessed the same agonizing pain being inflicted on Stanislav's wife before it became too much for her. She passed out before the button could be pushed a second time to stop the pain.

Devora's eyes were filling with tears as the image of her twin sister came onto the computer monitor. There was nothing that she could do to prevent the same demonstration being made for her benefit as the man once again pressed a button on the device in his hand.

Luka's wife was the final demonstration before the woman turned off the computer monitor and addressed the four.

"Comrades, due to the neurotoxin that each of you are experiencing the effects of currently, you would not be capable of participating in the demonstrations that we needed to present to you. However, rest assured that the same nanotechnology injected into your loved ones that allow us to inflict horrendous pain and suffering by the pressing of a single button is also your own fate, even as I stand before you."

Kazan saw a wheeled metal stand come into his field of vision as one of the black men pushed it from beside his chair. The clear tubing disappeared from his sight before he could see the needle that he knew had to be inserted into his arm.

"The Prem'yer-suka will not take your lives," the woman told them, "but with the targeted nanoprotiens now permanently part of your neurosystem, and that of your loved ones, she can make you all wish that you were dead."

"So, let's discuss what life is going to be like for you," the man said. "As long as you respect the conditions originally set for your organization by the Prem'yer-suka, you will be ignored. You are free to move the monies that we transferred between your bank accounts back to the original locations, and we will not stop you. The ninety-three million in bitcoin will be returned to your blockchain in one-million bitcoin increments each month for eleven months. If you have demonstrated complete compliance with the Prem'yer-suka's conditions, the remaining bitcoins will be returned in the twelfth month."

The woman took over, "If you ignore the conditions once more, or in any way fail to meet them, you and your loved ones will feel the pain for your transgression. In addition, every financial asset within your organization, anywhere and everywhere in the world will be lost to you forever. This means that even if some pimple-faced kid that works for your organization tries to upload a bootlegged copy of a movie made by an American company, you all will pay the price."

"Further to that," the man said, "America's neighbor to the north has not yet requested our assistance in dealing with your organization within their borders, but rest assured, if they do, we will assist. It has been a long-standing policy of the Prem'yer-suka that an attack against an ally is an attack against her. You might want to let your comrades in Canada know of the situation."

The woman checked the time on her watch and said, "If you each make an effort, you should find that you are slowly regaining feelings. Try wiggling one of your fingers."

Kazan first tried to move his head and learned that he could turn it slightly if he strained to do so. He was able to turn enough to bring the other three into view. He watched as each of them tested their own rapidly increasing mobility.

He decided to try speaking, "It was always suspected that the Prem'yer-suka was a part of the American government, but we never knew for certain until now."

"What people in other parts of the world don't appreciate," the woman said, "is that the government of the United States is the people of the United States. Every soldier, every employee of the government, and though they often ignore it, even the politicians work for the people. You need to understand, and for you to make others in your organization understand; as long as the Prem'yer-suka is made up of the American people, she will never cease holding you to the conditions we have mentioned. Raise your children to respect the Prem'yer-suka so they do not receive a similar reminder in the future."

"One last thing," the man said. "While your vehicles are all parked outside this building, I encourage you not to attempt driving until tomorrow morning to ensure that all residual effects of the neurotoxin have been cleansed from your bodies. You won't have our assistance driving them this time."

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Is the event at the Taronga Zoo next week the one you had mentioned wanting to take the kids to?"

"Is it the twenty-ninth of January next Saturday?" asked JR. "Boy this year is flying by."

Rockie reached across the dining room table and squeezed her husband's hand, "Yes, Cutie, and don't pretend that you forgot. You have been talking about surprising Jimmy and Jamie with the new animal encounter area of the zoo since we made the donation that finalized the funding for it. The weather should be nice. The forecast for Saturday is for clear skies and temperatures between twenty-four and twenty-six degrees."

"Is that for where we are inland, or at the harbor?" JR asked.

Their rental house in Frenchs Forest, north of Sydney typically had slightly warmer and dryer weather than the area around the harbor, which is where the Taronga Zoo was situated along the north shore.

Rockie was right about his excitement over taking their six-year-old twins to the new area of the zoo, which was an expansion on the traditional "petting zoo" concept from his childhood. His son, James Robert, who they called "Jimmy" and his daughter Jamison Rochelle, who they called "Jamie" both shared his love of animals. He wanted to let them experience the interaction with creatures that they would likely never see again once his assignment in Australia ended later this year.

"That is the forecast for the harbor," Rockie replied, bringing JR back to their conversation. "It's interesting that the forecasted lows for La Vernia are within the same range for next Saturday."

JR chuckled at his wife's twisting of temperatures, though she did it frequently since they had moved here. Being on "the bottom of the Earth", as she had called Australia brought seasons opposite of those in America, and the use of Celsius rather than Fahrenheit to express temperatures allowed her to play her little games, and teach them to their kids.

"Do you want another drink?" JR asked as he rose from his chair at the table.

"That would be nice," Rockie said. "Thanks."

JR and Rockie had been waiting at the dining room table after dinner so they had a clear line of sight to watch the twins rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher. He was proud of how brother and sister always worked so well together; supporting and encouraging rather than criticizing.

If one of them did something in a manner that the other disagreed with, they would ask him or her to explain why they had done it that way. When there were multiple ways of doing the same thing, brother and sister had always worked out a compromise on their own, without involving their parents. The examples that he and Rockie set in their relationship as husband and wife seemed to work well for the brother and sister.

One reason that he and Rockie had decided to wait almost six years to have children was their desire to be in a place within one or both of their careers where they could home-school their children.

He had started as a research analyst with DARPA immediately upon graduating from Texas A&M. His not trying to impress higher-ups at the BTO is exactly what made his early years so impressive to them. He was recognized as an innovative and "outside the box" thinker who wasn't afraid to advocate for the termination of projects that he knew would lead nowhere, as well as for seeing potential where others had either missed it or ignored it.

Part troubleshooter, part diplomat, and part enforcer; JR had been elevated to a position that provided oversight to joint research projects between DARPA and those of America's allies around the world.

This current assignment, working with the Australian military on research focused on the development of anti-freeze proteins, which in theory, would enable soldiers to function much more effectively in artic conditions, would terminate in approximately nine months. JR would then be rotated back to DARPA headquarters, where everyone fully expected him to be offered the position of Director.

Shortly before their move from the condo in California to College Station, Rockie had received the information about applying for a patent for her Secret Chaperone application, as well as initial details on what role she could potentially play in support of Interpol. JR had listened as Rockie spent hours in discussions with the lawyer to ensure that the application for a patent was prepared in such a way that future enhancements or additional features to the application would be covered by it, without delaying its licensing.

Rockie had never gone to work directly for Interpol. JR's dad and his lawyers had helped her set up her own company that would have all the internationally recognized security certifications to establish and maintain the legal credibility that Interpol and other law enforcement agencies would require to act upon the data that her company would supply them.

Once her company was established, the first enhancement that Rockie made to the Secret Chaperon application was to add a new feature. If the Secret Chaperon encountered a suspicious contact attempt on their child's device, they could simply copy the user name into the "Report This" field. The data would immediately be directed to one of Rockie's own servers, where the routing of the user name within the particular e-mail or social media account would be analyzed.

In the last twelve years, through the Secret Chaperon application alone, Rockie's company had facilitated the arrest and conviction of more than fifteen thousand pedophiles, child predators, child pornographers and sex traffickers. Her Dark Web analytics had been instrumental in the tracking and arrests of another twenty-one thousand people for crimes ranging from illegal drug sales to contract murder. In most cases, the criminals never suspected that their internet activities had been tracked and used to identify them.

JR paused in the kitchen to observe his children as they worked together. He had agreed with Rockie that they were probably too young to have them wash the dishes by hand, but not too young to learn how to load the dishwasher.

"Who's turn is it to put the soap in?" he asked.

"Mine," said Jimmy at the same time that Jamie said, "His."

JR poured another glass of wine for Rockie and made himself another cocktail as he watched Jimmy add soap to the dispenser on the dishwasher's door, and then stand back to let his sister close the door. Jimmy replaced the soap container under the kitchen sink while Jamie pushed the correct buttons to select the wash cycle and start the dishwasher.

"Homework tonight?" JR asked as he prepared to carry the drinks back to the table.

"Yes," the twins said in unison.

Jamie added, "Mom says that we will have a math quiz tomorrow so we need to study for it"

"We're going to do flashcards for each other," Jimmy informed his dad.

"That sounds like an excellent plan," JR told them. "I'll let you know when it's time to get ready for bed."

"Thanks, Dad," came the synchronized reply.

Being twins, his children naturally had similar appearance; curly red hair, their father's hazel eyes and their mother's slender, athletic physique. While they might look alike, both had also embraced the differences between them, and each established an individual personality that complimented the other. For example, Jimmy had become the protector of Jamie, while Jamie had become the nurturer of Jimmy. These traits weren't exclusive for either child, but they had recognizably become dominant for each.

Handing Rockie her glass of wine, JR remembered their conversations on the subject of children that occurred the first night that they had spent together in the rental house that Rockie had found for them in College Station. It was in January of 2015, almost exactly a year before their wedding.

"Are you sure that you want to wait that long?" JR had asked. "I thought having kids while a woman was in her twenties was better."

"Better how?" Rockie asked.

"I understand that women who give birth during their twenties have a lower chance of miscarrying and of conditions like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and high blood pressure."

"Maybe so, Dr. Brandt," Rockie countered, "but a recent study shows that women who have children in their thirties tend to live longer. In fact, it said that women who had their last child after age thirty-three were twice as likely to live past ninety-five compared to women who had their last child before their thirtieth birthday."

"I want you around as long as possible, so babies in your thirties wins as far as I'm concerned," JR told her.

Rockie had held out until she was thirty-one. They had agreed that they wanted to have two children, and thought that a four-year age difference would be a good range to shoot for. They got a fourteen-minute age difference instead.

JR didn't sit back down at the table after handing Rockie her glass of wine.

"Do you want to get more comfortable with me on the couch?" he asked.

When Rockie looked up and smiled at him, he pulled out her chair so she could stand and join him. She picked up her glass of wine with one hand and took JR's free hand in her other. Leading him to the couch, she set her glass onto a coaster.

"If I'm going to get comfortable with you, I'm going to get really comfortable," she said. "I'll be right back."

Realizing what Rockie was implying, JR said, "Hold on, I'm coming with you."

Rockie turned and started running towards their bedroom, with JR in pursuit. Her progress was slowed by her attempts to remove her shirt along the way.

Once in the bedroom together, much of their urgency abated. JR and Rockie stared in each other's eyes as they undressed, sharing smiles and looks that communicated things that only a couple as in love as they had been for the past thirteen years would recognize.

Rockie finished first and went to their closet. Opening the door to access the hooks on the inside surface, she removed two black silk robes. She handed the larger of the two robes to JR before putting hers on and tying the knot around her waist.

JR put his own robe on, feeling the fabric as it caressed his skin. This was only the second time he had worn this robe. Both robes had been Rockie's gift to him yesterday for their twelfth anniversary. His robe was for him to enjoy the feel of silk against his skin. Her robe was for him to enjoy the feel of her silk-clad body against his skin. Win-Win.

JR had opted for the modern twelfth-anniversary gift and given Rockie a pearl necklace and matching earrings.

Neither had very much opportunity to appreciate the fabric last night because each had craved the more sensual feeling of their skin against each other instead. That was something that they had always appreciated.

"All set?" JR asked.

"Ready, willing and able," Rockie replied, walking over to where her husband stood.

Placing her arms around his neck, she raised her right foot off the floor, sending a silent signal to the man who knew her so well. In response, JR's hands went to her sides and lifted her until her face was even with his.

Wrapping her legs around JR's waist, Rockie did everything that she had learned over the years to convey her love, passion, trust, need, and desire through her lips as she brought them to JR's.

"How many times over the years had the two of them been in this exact position?" wondered Rockie as her tongue performed its ritualistic dance with JR's. "Not enough", was the only answer that came to her mind.

In the twelve years that they had been married, she and JR had never spent a single night apart, and every one of those nights, they had made love. Not always sex, but always some intimate moments spent just between the two of them before slumber arrived. Always a lingering kiss goodnight; sometimes only a few caresses instead of cuddling if one or the other wasn't feeling well, or if the twins were sleeping with them.

The kiss broke, but JR didn't set Rockie down. Instead, as was also a custom, he shifted her body until he was cradling her in his arms so he could carry her. Walking back out to the living room, he gently settled her body onto the couch before sitting beside her.

Rockie let JR get settled before taking his arm, placing it around her shoulder and positioning his hand over her silk covered breast. He would know what to do from there. After all, the children were still up.

"Are we going to have to reciprocate this weekend for the Dunn's?" JR asked. "If so, maybe we can take Geoff and Heather to the zoo with us."

Paul and Maggie Dunn were neighbors whose own children were a year on either side of the twins, at five and seven. The two families had been swapping babysitting duties for each other for more than a year. The Dunn's had watched the twins last night while JR and Rockie had celebrated their anniversary, so it would be expected that they would be watching the Dunn's children next.

"I think it would nice to offer," said Rocky. "Maybe Paul and Maggie would want to come as well, or they could enjoy the time to themselves."

"I'm glad that we met the Dunn's," JR said. "I hope that we can stay in contact with them when we return to the States."

"Me too," Rockie agreed. "Not making friends at each location that we have lived didn't seem so important before the twins were born, or even when they were younger. Now I think we need to set an example for them to help develop lasting relationships with people outside their immediate family."

"I know that one of the things that I treasured most about my childhood, was the stability that we had," JR said.

"That's why I'm questioning whether accepting a promotion that requires us to live near headquarters is the best thing where the twins are concerned."

"Why? I thought that you were okay with the promotion if it was offered to you."

"My home will always be wherever you and the twins are, Sweetie. So, tell me, do you see us living in Virginia, at least until Jimmy and Jamie are through with high school?"

"It wouldn't be my first choice, but I could deal with it. Remember, I didn't have the stable childhood that you had, and I survived."

"We both want our kids to do more than just 'survive' their childhoods," JR said. "Put yourself in their shoes, and then tell me what your first choice would be."

"You already know what my choice would be. I have seen the benefits of having a loving and supportive extended family through yours. I would want the twins to experience that as well. Cousins, grandparents, great aunt and uncle, and depending on where Katie eventually settles down, an aunt as well. Plus, the community around them is almost like an extension of the whole family."

"I..." JR began. The ringing of a cell phone caught his attention.

"Is that your phone or mine?" Rockie asked.

JR moved to rise from the couch, "Mine. You left yours on vibrate. Hang on."

JR reached the cell phone and unplugged it from the charger on the third ring. He checked the display to see who was calling as he walked back to the couch.

"Hi Katie-kins," he answered, and then activated the speaker so that Rockie could hear.

"Are you calling to wish us a happy anniversary?"

"Oh, JR, I forgot that you were a day ahead. "I'm sorry. Happy belated anniversary."

JR and Rockie could hear faint traffic noises in the background, so they assumed that Katie was driving and using the hands-free Bluetooth connection in her car.

Katie tried harder than anyone else in the family to keep in contact with JR, Rockie and the twins. She never failed to call at least once a week, and always made a point of speaking to each of them individually to get a personal update from each. The curious thing was that Katie had just spoken with all of them three days ago.

"No worries," Rockie said. "I'm usually a day early for birthdays and stuff. How is everything?"

"Not too good right now," Katie told them.

"I just shot a man."