C.J. dropped by the penthouse suite early the next day walking past the gauntlet of secretaries poised in the lobby with stacks of paperwork to be signed.

Not by her but by Matt who hadn't yet surfaced yet after his aborted wedding to his former fiancée Elizabeth. She had passed by the newsstand on the way up and glanced at the front pages of the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Herald and the Beverly Hills Beacon only to find that the wedding had made front page news. It had enough staying power to dominate the headlines for the week that had passed since that fateful day.

Actually, it hadn't been so much the wedding but the fact that some deranged hit man with an ax to grind against Matt had crashed the ceremony. He hadn't gotten away with his fiendish plot to murder everyone in attendance but his arrival had nevertheless thrown a damper on the proceedings.

Elizabeth had freaked out afterward, and not even several shots of whisky had calmed her down. Uncle Roy always resourceful in a crisis had been whipping up his special herbal cocktail which had doubled as a truth telling serum during his years in covert ops. But Elizabeth had run off screaming in her wedding dress and had disappeared for a little while.

Of course, Matt in his rumpled tux had to go looking for his bride. C.J. could just watch as he took off, while she tried to calm down the minister who had passed out when the assassin had made his move. The caterers had watched as their ice sculptures exploded and gourmet dishes went flying in the melee. The organist had crawled under a table and refused to come out.

Not the way she'd want her wedding to go but then Matt's few attempts at getting married…well never a dull moment.

She walked into her office and closed the door so she could be alone with her thoughts. Stacks of files waited on her desk for her attention but like Matt, she hadn't been in the office. She'd been back East handling a business deal for Murray while Matt recovered from his broken engagement. Last night, she had returned and just crashed to bed, leaving her suitcases unpacked.

But this morning, she decided it was time to return to work. Still, as she sat in her chair she struggled a bit with the reality that she hadn't been all that upset when Matt's wedding had gone up in flames. At least not as much as she should have been that her best friend's best laid plans had gone amok. Guilt slithered through her as she realized instead that she had been relieved almost to the point of elation.

She hadn't pumped her fist in the air when he called it quits with his fiancée but she hadn't shed tears either. She had always known that Matt just didn't pick out his brides very well. They had after all, always been women he had rescued from one calamity or another.

Elizabeth had been a pretty girl, beautiful in a fragile China doll kind of way with her kinky red hair and piercing blue eyes framed perfectly on a heart shaped face. She'd look nice on a shelf somewhere or on a modeling runway but throw a little danger her way and she wilted like an orchard. She clung to Matt for comfort, her frantic eyes seeking his for protection while he had to save her once again. C.J. thought she should have been out there kicking the ass of anyone who dared look at her wrong. That's what she did after Matt had trained her good enough to qualify for her third degree black belt in three martial arts disciplines.

No man was ever going to mess with her again unless she wanted to be messed with.

Elizabeth had asked her to be her bride's maid because she had been estranged from her family for years and had no one else. But C.J. had gritted her teeth beneath her smile, doing it only for Matt. She had even hosted the bachelorette party where Elizabeth had hit the tequila just a bit too hard and gyrated with the stripper, while C.J. and Chris had watched incredulously.

She just hadn't acted like a woman who had wanted to get married. That bristled at C.J. because she wanted her best friend to be happy and she knew this passive aggressive heiress just wasn't going to cut it.

Someone knocked on her door and she knew it to be Chris.

"Come in…"

Chris smiled as she handed a latte to C.J. who took it gratefully.

"How was the trip?"

C.J. shrugged while she sipped the delicious drink.

"Not bad…brought back a new client so Murray should be happy…don't know about Houston."

Chris grabbed a chair.

"Haven't even heard from him since the wedding that wasn't," she said, "Is he ever returning?"

C.J. rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"I haven't any idea," she said, "He took it hard so I'd guess he'll need more time off."

"Hoyt called earlier," Chris said, "They've booked up the rest of the syndicate who contracted that killer."

C.J. felt a little relieved by that. At least the people responsible for all that mayhem had been put in jail where they belonged hopefully without bail.

"Did he tell Houston?"

"I guess, it's not exactly easy to find him these days."

"Last I heard he was mountain climbing," C.J. said, "He does that when he really needs to get away from the city."

Chris sighed.

"It must be such a bummer to love someone enough to get married and then it just spirals into a crash and burn."

C.J. couldn't argue with that even though she knew the bust up had been the best thing for Matt rather than a life spent having to cater to his fragile bride.

"He'll get over it…after he climbs every mountain range in California."

Chris just sipped at her own latte.

"You know I know I shouldn't be saying this but I'm not all that upset that the wedding didn't happen."

C.J. widened her eyes.

"What…you serious?"

Chris folded her arms.

"Oh come off it C.J…you can fool the rest of the secretarial pool but not me. You were relieved too, just admit it."

No point hiding anything from Chris, but if she admitted it what did it make her? How could she be happy that Matt's heart had been broken just a week ago?

"Okay, I didn't feel like she was right for him but I just wanted him to be happy."

Chris rolled her eyes.

"So did I but he'd never find that with her," she said, "I'd tell you more but I think I'm going to need something stronger than latte."

C.J. sighed looking at her cup.

"Yeah me too…how about we meet at Rosario's after work?"

Chris just nodded and after her friend left, C.J. sat at her desk once again grappling over her guilt over not being upset that Matt still remained a single man.

Matt looked ahead of him straight at a sheer rock face only inches away.

He had been doing that a lot lately since he got into his jeep and headed towards the mountains to do some communing with nature with plenty of climbing and rappelling thrown in his trip.

While he had been out surrounded by all this quiet beauty, images had flashed in front of him of his aborted wedding. Elizabeth in her bridal gown about to say her vows, until all hell broke loose around them thanks to the assassin. He had searched for Elizabeth after she ran off crying telling C.J. to handle everything until he returned with his bride.

Only Elizabeth when he tracked her down on the helipad of his office building hadn't wanted to come back. She said that she loved him but had to leave him because his life wasn't just dangerous, it was too damn complicated.

And she'd been right.

But as he spent the past week in the depths of the wilds, he had done a lot of thinking whether it was while hiking the steep climbs of the mountains or sitting by the warm fire at night cooking some fish he'd just caught, he'd been trying to make sense of his life.

Roy had given him his blessings when he took off, even recommended this spot to check out and C.J. well, she'd handle what was needed while he was gone. She had always been his best friend. Always reliable and there when he needed her.

On what was to have been his wedding night, she'd dropped by his beach house after he called her to kick back with some Scotch and left over catering on his deck and they had talked for hours.

Then she had looked at him, with her luscious dark hair in waves around her face and he didn't know who had kissed the other first. But when their lips finally met, the sensations that ruptured what remained of his sense. He could never forget them. His arms had wrapped around her waist and his kiss had deepened, the sighs he heard from her told him she wasn't complaining.

Until she had finally pulled away from him and pushed him away by placing her hands on his chest.

Telling him no. Telling him that she wasn't going to be his rebound woman after his broken engagement…right before she straightened her clothes and walked on out of there.

And out on him.

He began to climb up to the top of the rock, picking out the best handholds and places to place his feet. Pushing out everything in his head at least until he set up his camp later that night and while looking into the seductive flickers of fire allowing his mind to wander.

To not think about his former fiancée but the other woman who had kissed him that night.

C.J. belted down some tequila and planned to do some dancing but Chris said that they should eat something first so they ordered some flautas layered in thick guacamole.

"Still haven't heard from Matt?"

C.J. just shook her head and kept checking out the guys sitting across from her. She'd seen them here before. Chris followed her glance.

"They look pretty good right now," she said, "I promised myself I'd wait until I got over Glen but I don't think of him much anymore."

"Then maybe you should go over and talk to them…"

Chris thought about it but sipped her margarita instead.

"Nah, this is girls' night," she said, "but if you want to go and ask one of them to dance."

C.J. shook her head.

"I'll pass tonight," she said, "I'm still unwinding from that business jag."

"Was it all business?"

"Of course, they kept us pretty busy at that conference."

Chris picked up a flauta to nibble on, after making sure she scooped up more guacamole.

"So what were you going to tell me," she said, "about being relieved that Elizabeth's out of the picture?"

"It's nothing against her but she was this needy woman, except at the party when she went after that stripper."

Chris nodded.

"Yeah that was a bit strange. After we'd all tried pole dancing, it's like she just went a bit further."

C.J. sipped her drink.

"She was quite drunk too," she said, "When I pried her away from the dancer and gave him a huge tip; she just started crying about how she'd never be able to change Houston."

Chris' eyes widened.

"She wanted him to change even back then," she said, "She should have known that Matt's his own person and he knows what he wants in life."

Yeah, C.J. thought looking at her own glass; he definitely was that type of guy. But he had been enamored by Elizabeth enough to propose marriage to her. While they were lying in C.J.'s bed buck naked, but that was a whole different situation. She couldn't handle all of it, only the most recent installments of her nearly lifelong friendship with Matt.

"Sometimes I think about what it'd be like…"

C.J. blinked her eyes at Chris.

"What?"

"You know, to do it with him," Chris said, "I've sat at my desk and pictured it so many different ways. Starting when he walks in the office…all the secretaries vying for his attention but he looks straight at me. In a secretly meaningful way, something just between the two of us."

C.J. sighed.

"Sounds intriguing," she said, "Okay so what happens next?"

"Somehow we wind up in that bedroom downstairs, you know the one he crashes in when he doesn't want to drive back to Malibu? I'm wearing something barely there and he's just in his cowboy hat…and his boots."

"Wow…that's quite evocative Chris."

Her friend smiled, wiping the salt off of the rim of her glass with her finger and then sticking it in her mouth savoring the taste. C.J. just had no idea quiet unassuming Chris had these kinds of thoughts about Matt.

"Well then I take this rope that I've got with me and I tie him to the bed posts, you know with his wrists and then I have my way with him."

C.J. thought, her friend had obviously taken time to create the perfect fantasy of her boss. She couldn't quite see Matt letting a woman truss him up that way but then she'd only kissed him those few times so it's not like she was an expert.

"Every inch of his gorgeous body…up and down…maybe I'd sprinkle just a little bit of margarita on him and then…"

C.J. got the picture. In Technicolor.

"Whoa Chris, I think you need to settle down."

Because the restaurant was getting a bit hot inside with all these salacious words. Chris just looked at her and sighed contently.

"It's not like I'm ever going to do anything but fantasize," she said, "It helps make a slow workday move faster."

C.J. wasn't going to judge her friend for lusting after Matt from afar because it's not like she didn't have fantasies of her own. They didn't involve tying him up or splashing him with margarita for tasting.

But she'd known him for far longer than Chris had so she had more scenarios stored in her mind for what she'd like to do with him.

"What about you C.J., what would you do if you had him alone?"

She just looked up at Chris who waited expectantly.

"What?"

"Oh come off of it, my sister Pam told me what you told her once when you both got drunk at Murray's promotional party."

C.J. arched an eyebrow.

"Right after she told you that she had lured Murray downstairs to the pool table?"

Chris shrugged.

"Pam always did lead an exciting life…"

That she did because she had found a job entertaining passengers on one of the major cruise lines and had traveled around the world.

"So C.J. fess up because she told me about the days on the ranch…"

C.J. just sighed, and took a huge sip of her margarita to fortify herself. Not that she was inhibited by any means but talking about Matt had always been a bit embarrassing.

"You told her you used to fantasize about walking in on him while he was getting his chaps on to ride one of his broncos…inside that small stable?"

Ah yes, back in the day when Matt had lived on the ranch and commuted to work in L.A. before life had just gotten too hectic. He had taken in many a bucking horse to tame him with his expertise and patience. C.J. had been jealous a bit of the horses that stood there trembling while Matt ran his hands over their hides. She would love that if he did that to her.

Including in some very delicious places but what she had told Pam was that…it made her blush just to think about it.

"Oh come on C.J. fess up."

She sighed.

"Okay I used to fantasize about taking him inside the shed while he's wearing his chaps."

"Why does he need to wear them?"

"Only his chaps…"

Chris nodded.

"Oh I get it. That sounds kind of hot, but if everyone's waiting outside for him to get on the horse, what if they came looking for you?"

C.J. smiled.

"Then we'd just have to hurry on up the action."

Chris agreed.

"Definitely hot," she said, "Have you ever thought about going for it?"

C.J. shrugged.

"We're just friends, that's what works best for us…the other night…"

Chris perked up right then.

"What other night?"

"Oh nothing…"

"So then tell me about nothing."

C.J. ordered another margarita and the waitress went off to get it.

"Well he and I were talking…not long after Elizabeth had left town and we kind of kissed."

Chris shook his head.

"I knew you were holding out on me," she said, "and here I spill out my most secret fantasy and all this time…"

"I'm not with him Chris," C.J. said, "In fact I walked out on him after I told him I didn't want to be his rebound."

"I wouldn't mind doing that as long as the sex was great."

C.J. shook her head this time.

"Not me…if I were him, I'd want it to be because he wanted me not an easy lay."

Chris eyed her closely.

"He'd never look at you that way," she said, "Maybe next time you'll be smarter."

"There's not going to be a next time."

Chris mouth quirked.

"Oh yes there will be…in fact I'm willing to bet that inside a month, you're knocking the headboards with him."

C.J.'s jaws dropped. She just had no idea that Chris had this raunchy side to her.

"I doubt it, he'll dust himself off soon enough and return to the socialite circuit and that will be that."

"Only if you choose that C.J.," Chris said, "and guess what, just to make things interesting, I'm going to make a play for him and see what happens when I've got him all tied up."

C.J. couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Chris was seriously going to go out and seduce Matt? And why did that rankle her a bit?

"How about a friendly wager," Chris offered, "Whoever beds him first wins…some great prize."

C.J. didn't want to hear any more but decided to play along.

"How about the corporate condo in Tahiti," she said, "Maybe Murray will donate his week's worth of it."

Chris nodded.

"Sounds great to me…so are you going to accept the challenge?"

C.J. hedged, but the thought of Chris getting Matt between the sheets roped up or not, it really bothered her, and it stirred up what she might just call her competitive spirit.

"I'll think about it and get back to you."

Chris picked up a flauta, bit into it and then nodded.

"Fair enough…once you'll decide which I know you will, we can hammer out some ground rules…"

Matt lay back on his sleeping bag looking upward at the endless carpet of frosty stars lighting up the sky. His muscles ached from the day's exertion and his mind wafted to different subjects as he watched the smoke from his fire curl up into the darkness.

He had put his feelings about his aborted wedding to rest and tomorrow morning he'd be heading back to L.A. But it would be as a man on a mission, he'd be heading back to his life to fulfill anyone of the fantasies which filled his head.

About a certain woman who'd be waiting there for him, and never see what she would be in for when he returned.

He closed his eyes and with a resolute smile on his face, he settled in to sleep.