***Thursday Morning***

Jennifer and Jonathan were sleeping, while a storm was raging outside. There was a clap of thunder so loud it shook the house, waking Jonathan.

He realized that it was just thunder, and snuggled Jennifer a little closer.

Instinctively, Jennifer rolled over towards Jonathan and settled into the crook of his arm.

"Jennifer….Jennifer…"

"What?"

"It's raining".

She looked at the clock.

"And? It's also 4:24 in the morning".

"Babe….it's storming outside".

He started kissing her neck.

"Jonathan, this isn't fair….you know that's my favorite…"

"Babe…..you know what storms do to me".

She leaned up and kissed him.

"And what about what you do to me?"

"That's the best part".

He rolled them so that she was on her back, and started kissing her neck.

She sleepily ran her fingers through his hair. He kissed her passionately, and they made tender, romantic, sweet love, before they both fell back asleep.

His alarm went off at 7, and he hit snooze a few times. He was still laying on top of Jennifer, and she started scratching his back.

"Oh, I'm definitely not going anywhere now".

She kissed him a few times.

"Are you still going to be able to fly up tomorrow?"

"As far as I know".

"Good".

He finally got up and got in the shower.

She waited a few minutes and then joined him.

She got in behind him and began to soap his back, and tease him a little.

He turned around and wrapped her in his arms, and kissed her before picking her up and backing her up to the wall.

After explosive, passionate, mind-blowing sex, they rinsed off and got out and dried off.

"I love stormy, rainy mornings with you".

He kissed her a few times and then they got dressed.

She finished packing her suitcase and zipped it and started carrying it downstairs.

He came up behind her and took it from her, and then loaded it into her car.

She went and made him breakfast and coffee, just the way he loved it.

"Darling, if you can't get to Sangray Bay tomorrow, then I will see you Sunday. Earlier, if I can get the article finished".

"Great".

She did the dishes while he ate and ran the dishwasher, and then switched out the laundry.

She came and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Tonight, when you want to go to bed, your pillowcases are in the dryer, darling".

She kissed his cheek.

"What are you doing before your flight?"

"I have a hair appointment, and I thought I might go get my toes done. My flight is at 1".

"Oh, I was going to say we could have lunch before you go, but it sounds like you won't have time. That's alright, I will see you tomorrow".

"I'm sorry darling".

"Don't be. It's alright".

They walked to the door together, and she kissed him goodbye a few times.

"See you tomorrow, darling".

"Call me tonight?"

"Absolutely".

"I love you, Red".

"I love you too, Jonathan Charles".

She went and grabbed her laptop and some legal pads, and the camera and charger.

She left a few minutes later, and headed to the hair salon.

After getting her hair done and her toes done, she had a few extra minutes, so she decided to surprise Jonathan by going by the office.

***Hart Industries***

Jonathan was on the phone when Jennifer walked in.

"I don't care, I am not going to be intimidated like this! The deal is off, I have had it, we are through!"

He hung up the phone angrily and she went to him.

"Darling, what is going on?"

"Darling, I promise you, it's under control. I know it doesn't look that way, but it is".

"What are you talking about?"

"This fax was waiting on me when I got here."

He handed it to her.

It was more pictures of them in bed together.

"Darling, this was taken this morning".

"How can you tell?"

"I was wearing that baby doll last night, Jonathan. I think I would know. I thought Patrick said there weren't any more cameras".

"He did say that".

Just then, Deanne came in. "Mr. Hart, this just arrived for you by messenger".

"Thanks".

She left.

He opened the envelope.

"What is it?"

He pulled it out, and saw that it was a magazine with a picture of Jennifer on the cover, naked.

There was a post-it note. "Maybe I will publish, maybe I won't".

Jonathan hesitated, and then handed it to Jennifer.

"I am calling the editor. I promise you, I will keep this from happening".

He quickly found the editor's number, and gave him a call.

"Have him call Jonathan Hart, at 555-8412. Tell him it's urgent. Thank you".

He hung up the phone.

She had tears streaming down her cheeks.

He held her close and tried to reassure her.

"Darling, I promise-"

"Jonathan, either you call the police and get them involved and get this guy to leave us alone, or I swear to God I'm becoming a nun".

Her eyes were blazing, and filled with tears. He had never seen her look so hurt.

"I will call Mark Watson, from legal. See if he can send a cease and desist order to Mark LaMont. Meanwhile, I want you to go catch your flight to Sangray Bay, and call me tonight, when you are settled into your hotel room".

She gave him a hesitant look.

"Darling, look at it this way, if you go to Sangray Bay, you won't be in our bed for anyone to catch you on film".

"Are you trying to get rid of me? You are, you are trying to get rid of me".

"No, I'm not trying to get rid of you, darling."

"Yes, you are, I was standing here when you said it".

"Why would I want to get rid of you, I love you".

"I love you too, and I thought you would want me in our bed".

She grabbed her purse and left, without kissing him goodbye, or even saying the words.

Jonathan sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

He grabbed the phone and called Jack.

"Jack, do me a favor, will ya? Wait till you get a delivery of flowers and sweet tea to take off? I promise, I will send them on a rush. Thanks".

He hung up and then paged the company courier.

He filled out a card that he kept in his desk drawer, and handed it to him.

"Get a dozen red roses, pretty ones. Put this card in it. Go to the deli on the corner across from the airport and get a large coconut sweet tea. Take them to LAX, and find the Hart Industries plane, and ask for Jack".

"Yes sir".

***Sangray Bay***

The flowers and sweet tea helped Jennifer calm down some. She felt bad for not kissing him goodbye, but he had to know that she would get upset over him saying that.

She figured they would smooth it over when he got there in the morning.

The plane landed and there was a car service waiting to take her to her hotel.

She had a cozy little room, and planned to do nothing but research all night long.

She got settled into her room, and changed into some comfy clothes.

She looked at the clock.

It was almost 3, he would still be at the office.

She called and got Deanne.

"Deanne, can you please tell Jonathan that I arrived safely and everything is alright?"

"Oh, Mrs. Hart, he specifically told me to put you through. One moment".

She sat down on the bed.

"Hello".

"Hi. I'm here, and everything is fine".

"Glad to hear it".

"Well, I told you I would call, and I have a lot of work to do so-"

"Jennifer, please don't do this. I hate the way we left things. I'm sorry, darling. I wasn't trying to say that I didn't want you or don't want you in our bed. I promise you that's not what I meant".

"I don't want to argue, Jonathan".

"I don't want to argue either. I love you, I'm sorry we fought".

"I'm sorry we fought too".

"Where are you staying?"

"Wildwood Inn".

"Nice place".

"Did the magazine editor call you back?"

"Yes. He assured me that he has no plans to publish a naked picture on the cover anytime soon".

"And the police? What did they say?"

Long silence.

"Jonathan!"

"Jennifer, if we involve the police, we won't be able to keep this under wraps. I told you I could handle it".

"Jonathan, we are in over our heads here. We need the police. I meant what I said, call them. I love you, I have to go".

"I love you too, Jennifer".

He hung up, and called an emergency board meeting.

An hour later, they were meeting in the conference room.

"An emergency has come up, that will force me to be out of the office tomorrow. So, if there is anything anyone wants to discuss, now is the time".

They voted on a few matters, and he explained that the Utah deal was over and done with, and that he was being threatened and intimidated, so he pulled out.

One of the board members announced that she was retiring, and sailing around the world, so they would need to replace her. Jonathan had HR post the position and start accepting resumes.

The meeting adjourned, and he went back to his office, and had Deanne book him on the next flight to Sonora.

"Any airline, I don't care which one, first class if you can".

"Yes, Mr. Hart."

"Call me on the car phone or at home and tell me what flight-I am going home to pack".

He raced out of there and headed to Willow Pond.

An hour later, he was at the airport.

***Jennifer***

Jennifer was deep in concentration, and hit a wall. Her back hurt, she had a headache, and she was starving. She decided a hot shower would be the ticket, so she put away her laptop, and turned on the TV for noise. She was headed to the shower when there was a knock at the door.

She opened the door, and saw Jonathan standing there.

She took one look at him, and crumpled, and started crying.

She hugged him fiercely.

"I'm sorry, I was so mean to you and I didn't mean it".

"It's alright. It's ok".

He came in further and put his stuff down.

"I stopped and got us dinner, it's no La Scala, but it's an Italian deli from up the street and a bottle of wine with 2 plastic cups."

He was taking off his jacket and loosening his tie.

She hugged him again, and he held her for a few minutes.

They went and sat on the bed, and ate their dinner. He poured them both some wine.

"Darling, I thought you had a meeting in the morning".

"You are more important. I moved the meeting up, and had it right after we hung up the phone, and then caught the next flight here".

She leaned over and kissed him.

"I don't deserve you, not one little bit".

He fed her a bite of ravioli, and then kissed her forehead.

After they were finished eating, he ran their trash to the garbage chute while she took a shower and changed into her pajamas.

She came out of the bathroom, and laid down on the bed next to him.

"Darling, can you tell me why you didn't call the police in yet?"

"Because, I am trying to do what you asked me to, which is keep the pictures under wraps and don't let anyone else see them. Lt. Gray is our friend, darling, and there's no way to involve him without them seeing the photos."

"Yes, there is. The cameras. We can tell him about the cameras".

"Yes, and he's going to tell me that unless they use the footage on the cameras, we don't have a case. And then he's going to tell me that if he has used the footage, then he has to see it in order to prove it. And think about if they catch this guy-he's going to be arrested, and go on trial and that means that the jury, the judge, the lawyers, the officers at the precinct, the officers who check in evidence, they will all see those pictures of you, in addition to our friend and his staff".

"So, instead, you and I are just going to be prisoners of this guy, never knowing if or when he will publish the pictures? I can't live like that. I won't".

"Darling, I think we only have one choice- force his hand, tell him to publish the pictures, and then take them down as soon as he does".

"No. I don't like that idea. Not one bit. What did Jason in IT find out?"

"Nothing, really. The phone number he was calling us at the house from was unlisted. Phone company won't give us any information. Fax numbers were public fax machines, all over town. I think he published the fake magazine cover and then glued it on the magazine. He must have a printing press in order to do that. I looked it up, and Mark LaMont owns 2 magazines."

"Darling, he could print the pictures in those magazines".

"I doubt he will- the magazines he owns are about tools and car parts. Trust me, this was all about intimidation".

"Yes, but you aren't giving in. So, what makes you think he's just going to back off?"

"Because I pulled out of the deal this morning, about 10 minutes before the magazine was delivered and haven't heard a peep out of him since. And I checked with the courier company, they picked that envelope up last night, so he planned this before I pulled out of the deal".

She nodded. She was quiet, which he knew meant that she was trying to figure things out.

She went and put a warm compress on the back of her neck, and grabbed some Aleve out of her purse.

"Headache?"

"Yes, and my back was hurting. I think all this stress is getting to me".

"Did you bring any lotion with you?"

"Yes- in my cosmetics bag".

He got up and got some lotion, and then came back to bed.

He sat behind her and pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear.

"Take your top off".

She gladly did as he requested, and laid on her stomach, and he lathered her with lotion, and gave her a deep tissue back rub.

"Feel good, darling?"

"Mmmmhmmm".

She let him massage all of her stressed spots, and she almost fell asleep.

"How's your head?"

"Better".

He massaged her back for almost an hour and a half, and then she sat up and put his pajama top on.

She snuggled up to him and he hugged her and held her.

"Darling-thank you for the roses and the sweet tea that you had delivered to the plane".

He kissed her. "I felt so bad when you left. I wanted to come after you, but I was afraid the editor was going to call and I figured that was more important than following you".

She nodded.

"I'm sorry I was being so bothersome".

"Jennifer, you have every right to be bothersome about this. This is hard on both of us".

He held her a little while longer and kissed her head some.

"What do you have on deck for tomorrow?"

"I have to be at the animal shelter to interview the owner. I am spending several hours shadowing them, and then I was going to come back here and start writing the article."

She sat up and looked at him.

"How did you get here?"

"I had Deanne book me first class on United, and flew into Sacramento and then rented a car at the airport".

"How did you find me?"

"Well, on the phone you told me you were at the Wildwood Inn. So, I asked the rental car agent for directions, and then asked the front desk for your room, and told her I was surprising you".

"You definitely did that".

"What are you planning on doing while I'm at the animal shelter?"

"Stay here. I brought some files with me, and I plan on doing some work".

"I will try to get back here as soon as possible".

"Don't do that- take as long as you need. I'll be ok".

She sat up and reached over and got the lotion from him, and started rubbing some on her arms and legs.

"Jonathan….what are we going to do if he keeps sending you those pictures?"

"Darling, I told you. I backed out of the deal. So, if he sends me another picture of you like that, I will call Lt. Gray. I promise that I will try to handle this as sensitively as possible, but I can't promise that once the police are involved, that I will be the only one who sees those pictures".

"I know. I don't like it, but I can accept it, since they would be helping us stop him".

Suddenly, Jennifer had another idea.

"Darling, what if you called him and told him that you wanted back in the deal?"

"Darling, I am not going to do that. I am not going to willingly and knowingly hand over a company and let him fire good people for no reason".

"Hear me out. What if you tell the employees first that you will find other jobs for them in your company, if he does in fact fire them?"

"It doesn't work that way. This company is the only Hart Industries company for miles around, I wouldn't have any way of hiring most of them".

Her face fell.

He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her.

"We will find a way to stop him, I promise".