***The next morning***
Jennifer woke up just before the alarm went off and snuggled Jonathan some more.
After a few kisses, she got up and headed for the shower. He called and ordered room service for them.
After she was dressed, they had breakfast on the balcony.
"Darling, do you want to take me to the animal shelter, so that you can have the car?"
"No, I'll be fine. I can call a taxi if I want to go somewhere".
"Ok. I will be back as soon as I can". She kissed him a few times and then left.
Jonathan called the office and gave them that number in case of emergency. He wanted to ask if there had been any more faxes from Mark LaMont, but he didn't. He knew Jennifer would be mortified if anyone from the office saw her that way.
***Jennifer***
Jennifer pulled up to the animal shelter and got out. The animal shelter was called Four-Legged Palace, and was on about 80 acres. The owner was a little old lady named Gloria. She explained that she had such a heart for animals and couldn't bear to know that the stray dogs that she came across wouldn't have food or shelter, so she took them in.
"We started out with kennels for 4 dogs, and now we have room for about 300. We try to rehome them, but if we cannot, we keep them here. We do not euthanize unless they are sick and terminal. We chip them, with our address and the new owner's address, so if they get lost they have two chances to find an owner. And we take care of all of their shots and heart worm tests and treatments before they leave us".
"This is wonderful! I have to tell you, I am morally against animals being caged. But you are doing it right-they aren't cramped or crammed in, they have room to move around and stretch. That is so good".
"We have a dog run, and we let them go in the dog run at least 2 times per day. If a dog is being especially aggressive, then we don't let him go with the others, but we let him go alone".
"How are you funded?"
"Strictly through donations. Some months are better than others, of course. I am actually about to refinance this place so that we can get the roof replaced and new plumbing. The past few months weren't that great, donation wise. I am hoping that your article can help spotlight us so that more donations will come in".
"Do you only rescue strays, or do you let people come bring their dogs that they can't care for any longer?"
"Both." She looked Jennifer dead in the eyes. "Honey, if a dog needs a home, I will give it one".
"I love that".
They took a few pics of some specific dogs that Gloria wanted her to spotlight.
"This is a little guy we call Camaro".
"Hello, Camaro".
"I was driving in my Camaro and found him on the side of the road".
"Oh, how interesting. My husband and I found our late dog on the freeway, so we named him Freeway".
"That's adorable. What kind was he?"
"Our vet felt that he was a löwchen, but we never really knew for sure. He sure was a feisty little guy, though, and we miss him very much".
"Dogs are like the best children. They have so much love to give and will take as much as you can give them. They are so loving and loyal".
She finished giving Jennifer the tour, and then Jennifer left.
"I will send you a copy as soon as it's ready".
"Thank you, dear".
Jennifer stopped and shopped some at an outdoor mall and then headed back to the hotel.
***Wildwood Inn***
Jennifer came in their room, and saw that Jonathan was sleeping. She quietly shut the door, and put her stuff down. She drew the drapes closed and made the room dark, and then went and put on some of the lingerie that she had bought that day.
It was a turquoise and white lace spaghetti strap extra short nightie.
She came and got in bed with Jonathan and looked at the clock. It was 3 p.m.
She snuggled up to him and kissed him a few times and then fell asleep with him.
About an hour later, he woke up and realized she was laying on him.
"Darling, when did you get back?"
"A little while ago".
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You were sleeping so peacefully, I decided to join you".
He pulled her on top of him and kissed her.
"How did your interview go?"
"Darling, it was the absolute most wonderful place. And I know I am not supposed to be biased, but I can't help it. The owner is this little old lady who's just absolutely precious, and she takes in any dog that needs a home, no matter what. She only euthanizes if they are terminal and in pain, and she survives strictly off funding alone. She said she was about to have to refinance the place to get a new roof put on and new plumbing."
"How much do you want to donate?"
"I knew you would understand".
She kissed him a few times.
"Darling, did you check in with the office today?"
"Yes. I gave them this number".
She looked at him.
"I didn't ask anyone to find out if there were any more faxes, I figured you wouldn't want Stanley or Deanne to see you like that if there were".
"Good plan".
She sat up and started scratching his chest.
"How long did you sleep, sailor?"
"A couple hours or so".
She was tracing circles on his chest and playing with his chest hair, and driving him crazy.
He lifted the nightgown off her head, and she reached down and tugged his pajama pants off him.
He rolled them so that she was on her back.
"Come here, angel".
He kissed her passionately, nice and slow for several minutes. She pulled him closer to her and he started kissing her all over, as she played with his hair.
He kissed her nipple and she arched her back in pure pleasure, and wrapped her legs around his waist.
She lifted her hips to him as he thrust into her, and they rocked their hips together.
He buried his face in her neck, as they rocked their hips together in mutual ecstasy. She tightened around him and arched her back.
"Come on honey".
"Ok baby".
She dug her nails into his back as they exploded in ecstasy together. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. They laid there together, kissing and cuddling for a long time.
"Darling, after we get through this deal with Mark LaMont, we need to take some time and go to the ranch for a little vacation, just you and me".
"I am always up for that, sailor".
She scratched his back for him for a little while, as he laid on top of her, and listened to him moan with delight.
"Darling, I am going to owe you like 5 hours of back rubs and back scratches after this…"
"I'll stick it on your tab".
She kissed him a few times, and then he crawled off her, and she snuggled up to him.
"Darling, we need to think about dinner. What are you in the mood for?"
"How about we order room service and stay right here?"
"Perfect idea".
She climbed out of bed and got a robe on, and tossed him his robe as well.
She opened the drapes and he turned on a lamp, and they looked through the room service menu.
"We could split something, darling, if you want to".
"Sure, what do you want to split?"
"I don't know….nothing really looks good to me".
"We could get dressed and go into town and eat somewhere".
"I'm game if you are, but I need a shower first".
"We can save water and shower together".
She leaned up and kissed him as they headed to the shower.
***The next morning***
Jonathan and Jennifer slept in, and had a lazy morning. She woke up before him, and worked on her article for about an hour, and almost got it finished before he woke up.
He sat up in bed and kissed the side of her face.
"Morning".
"Morning. There's coffee on the dresser. I saved you some".
"Thanks, babe".
He got up and got some.
"Need a refill?"
"No thanks".
She kept typing away, and about an hour later, she had finished the article.
She emailed it to Gloria, and then closed her laptop and got up to shower and get dressed.
"Darling, what do you want to do before we fly home?"
She came out in a towel and started digging for clothes in her suitcase.
"Well, we can go shopping if you want, we can go to the animal shelter and donate money if you want, we can do whatever you want".
"Perfect". She put on some leggings and a bright blue top with the shoulders out, and some black wedges.
He finally got a shower and got dressed, and they checked out of the hotel.
After some shopping, they went back to the Animal Shelter.
***Four-legged Palace***
Jennifer and Jonathan pulled up and parked.
They held hands as they walked up to the door and rang the bell.
Gloria answered, and happily let them in.
"I just finished reading the article and I am thrilled with it! Thank you so much!"
"I'm so glad you like it. This is my husband, Jonathan. I told him all about your shelter and we just had to come by again before we left."
She gave them a tour for Jonathan's sake, and then at the end of it, he pulled out the checkbook and handed Gloria a check.
"This should cover your new roof, new plumbing, and a whole lot of food and medicine for these guys. And when this runs out, I want you to call us and we will donate again. My wife loves animals more than she loves me, which is a lot, so you will always have us in your corner".
"That's not true! I love animals way more than I love you, darling".
She grinned at him and tweaked his nose.
"You are so adorable". He kissed her and then looked back at Gloria.
"Here's my card, you can call us anytime, alright?"
Gloria had tears in her eyes.
"You two are angels-absolute angels".
She and Jennifer shared a long hug, and she kissed Jonathan on the cheek.
They got in the car and headed to the airport.
3 hours later, they were back in Los Angeles.
As soon as they loaded their bags into the car, Jonathan looked at Jennifer.
"Want to go with me to the office?"
"Yes".
***Hart Industries***
They came inside and held hands as they walked through the building.
He unlocked his office, and they headed towards his desk.
The only fax was a note from Mark Lamont.
"This isn't over".
He held it up for her to see.
She embraced him.
"Promise me that whatever he does next, we will call the police? I can handle it, I swear".
"I think this is over, darling. I promise you, you have nothing to worry about".
She nodded, and they headed out, locking the office behind them.
***Willow Pond***
Jonathan and Jennifer came inside and she headed straight upstairs to get ready for their dinner party.
He was upstairs watching tv on the bed while she was getting ready.
She held up two gowns, a light blue maxi dress that was banded at the waist and had a deep plunge and v-back, and a deep slit, and a black halter gown with a deep plunge and leg slit in shades of deep purple and black below the waist.
"Which one, darling?"
"You are gorgeous in both".
"Thank you, but which one?"
"The light blue, I guess".
She wasn't swayed by his underwhelming opinion, so she went back to the closet to keep looking. She finally decided on a purple strapless gown with a rhinestone band at the waist. She decided to wear black strappy heels and a sparkly clip in her hair.
They finally left the house around 5 and headed to the party.
***Dinner party***
Jonathan and Jennifer came inside the house, and said hello to the hosts, Natalie and Brantley Garrison.
It was a small dinner party, just the main businessmen that Brantley dealt with on a regular basis.
Jonathan and Jennifer grabbed a table, and then grabbed a cocktail. The band began to play, so they headed to the dance floor and shared three dances. Jonathan whirled her all over the dance floor, and they only had eyes for each other. After their dances, they went to get food, and sat back down at their table.
Pretty soon, the Garrison's took to the microphone, and thanked everyone for coming.
"We have a few door prizes to give out, and a silent auction that will be taking place later tonight. All the money raised from the auction will be going to a women's shelter in downtown Los Angeles."
They started off with a dance contest for best couple, which Jonathan and Jennifer won effortlessly.
They lost the few other door prizes, so they went back to their table, which was at the back of the room.
"Now, we have some businessmen who want to make a presentation, before we do the silent auction".
A tall, dark haired man, with a very deep voice and a goatee took the microphone.
Jonathan leaned over and whispered in Jennifer's ear.
"That's Mark".
She immediately had a very panicked look on her face.
"So, I have this company in Utah, that I am trying to sell, and I had the deal all closed up, and then my buyer pulled out just before the sale went through. So, I am offering it now, at a fraction of the price he was going to pay for it."
The rest of the presentation was about the company itself.
"We manufacture the parts for cameras, and VCR's, and cordless telephones. We do tons of business, and stay busy. We have accounts in China, Japan, Korea, plus 45 out of the 50 states. We have great employees, who work really hard, and would be an asset to any company. And, lastly, I just want to say, when you get down to the bare basics, you typically discover the truth. So, come see the bare basics of our company. Thank you".
As he said that, he turned to the last canvas in his presentation. There, for everyone to see, was one of the pictures of Jennifer, lying naked in the bed. Across the top, were the words "Jonathan Hart's bitch".
Jennifer let out a horrified gasp followed by a sob, and ran out of the room.
