The Rebel

This is my adaptation of "Rebel With A Cause" by Kim Nelson.

Chapter 8

Behind closed doors but not far away from Jax, Brenda started watching the clock the
moment she walked away from him. Anxious for his thoughts, for his approval of her ideas.
She knew her logic was sound, but she wanted to hear someone else say it. For once, she
needed someone to be on her side, in her corner and fighting for rather than against her.

When first moving into her office, she'd run all of her ideas through Sonny. She'd wanted
to ease into the operation smoothly, not ruffle feathers, and make friends with the other
officers. It seemed the thing to do, but all too soon she'd learned that her trust had been
misplaced. Sonny had listened well enough. He'd also taken her thoughts and ideas and
presented them as his own to the board or to her father behind her back.

She'd been silently fighting Sonny ever since. Sonny hadn't gotten where he was without
learning a few tricks. While outwardly supportive, he always found a way to delay a
decision or refute her facts on a project until he could represent her proposals as his own.
Brenda's mouth thinned. But that wasn't going to happen this time. Everything was going to
be solid this round. Irrefutable. She wasn't going to be relegated to the background
anymore, to the projects Sonny thought were too inconsequential. She was moving into the
big leagues. Whether he wanted her there or not.

Abruptly the pencil she'd been holding snapped between her fingers. Brenda jumped at the
sound, but the intensity of her feelings wasn't a surprise. She'd been patient. The projects
she'd handled, she'd handled successfully and well, but still she was stopped from moving
into other areas, bigger problems, more complicated transactions because Sonny kept
telling her father she wasn't ready.

Why she believed Jax could help her change that, help her break Sonny's influence on her
father and the other officers, she couldn't say. He was just a man. One she knew next to
nothing about. For all his seeming expertise, he might really be an ex-Hell's Angel, but she
didn't think so. Didn't want to believe it. She wanted, needed, to trust him, and he'd done
and said nothing to make her believe that she couldn't, and everything to believe she
could.

Still, she had a lot of unanswered questions about Jax McCarty. Throwing the broken
pencil into the trash, she scowled at the paper she'd been trying it, read for the past hour
and determined to get hold of his resume from the Human Resources people as soon as
she could. Background was important, and while she should have asked, she’d simply
gone on instinct in asking him to work for her. And she didn't know if it was good to depend
on instinct. Not with him.

He made her feel unbalanced. While mentally he could reassure, physically he set the
alarm bells ringing. Never had she met a man like him. She couldn't ignore his masculinity.
It was too strong. But she would have to deal with it. After all, he was hardly her type, didn't
come from her neighborhood. Unconsciously she squared her shoulders while gripping the
paper in her fingers with determined intensity. The only type of relationship available to the
two of them was professional. She was his boss, he her employee. Nothing more.

The electrical sparks that kept jumping between them would just have to be ignored. She'd
told him that she wanted him in her office, not her bed, and she'd meant it. The only trouble
with that was she kept remembering the heat of his body against hers, the strength of the
muscles under her hands when she rode behind him on the motorcycle. She nearly sighed
aloud. How easy it had been to touch and hang on. How tempting it was to do it again--on
or off a bike.

With a murmur of protest, Brenda shook her head and returned to reality. She looked down
at her wristwatch. One-thirty. She'd tried to stay inside the office, making Lilly come to her
rather than going out to the desk when she needed something, but it had been hard.
Especially when she'd finally gone out for lunch and seen her secretary getting into the
elevator with Jax.

Brenda sighed. She'd felt betrayed and angry, and why? How could she be so
possessed-obsessed-by a man she hardly even knew?

A knock on the door provided welcome distraction, and she jumped at the interruption.
"Come in." But it wasn't relief on the other side of the wooden barrier. It was Jax.

He held up the heavy folders she'd given him hours before. "Am I too early?"

"What do you think?" she countered, knowing the response was too quick but finding it
impossible to hide her anxiety as he stepped inside and closed the door shut behind him.

"It looks like a good investment."

Wounded by his flat observation, she stiffened, ready to defend. "But?"

He dropped the folders on the table she'd taken them from earlier, but didn't look away
from her as she remained behind her desk. "How badly do you want to do this deal?"

Her eyes gleamed with determination. "Very.'' He grinned. "Good, then come over here
and sit down so we can make sure you get what you're after.''

Brenda quickly joined him at the table and spent the next hour seated beside him with
papers spread in organized chaos between them. Finally, slapping the folder shut, she
frowned down at the tablet she'd been jotting notes on. "I think that does it."

"You did a good job.''

"You did better."

He shrugged indifferently, unwilling to take the credit when she deserved it. "I just offered
suggestions. You did the work."

Propping her elbow on the table, she rested her chin on her hand to study him as he sat
back in the chair beside hers. Cool, confident, knowledgeable. Who was be? Surely not a
man who simply rode a motorcycle from town to town. "We make a good team."

"Glad you hired me?"

"You bet," she assured him, and felt her toes curl as a slow smile spread across his mouth.
It wouldn't do for her to start wondering what his lips tasted like, but as she licked her own
in unconscious anticipation, both he and she leaned toward each other--until the door
behind them suddenly burst open.

"Ms. Barrett, it's Mr.--" Lilly never got a chance to finish her sentence.

"Never mind, baby," a short, dark headed man interrupted. Dressed in a smartly tailored
suit that sported no tie, he sent her a wink. "Ms. Barrett knows who I am."

"It's all right," Brenda said, standing with a cool nod of understanding and dismissal, but
her stomach flipped in alarm as she watched the man in the door eye Lilly as she left to
return to her desk. Had he recognized Lilly despite the disguise?

"You know, Brenda, your taste in secretaries has taken a decided dip for the worse."

The cool observation had Brenda gritting her teeth, but it was mixed with relief. The ruse
had worked.. "Sonny..."

“Oh, and this must be your new boy." Sonny Corinthos grinned, spotting Jax and quickly
noting the close proximity between him and Brenda. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything.”

Having followed Brenda to her feet, the unsubtly veiled insinuation had Jax's fingers
curling into fists. Without introduction, he was ready to plant his knuckles against the
newcomer's teeth that were big and bright enough for any mouthwash commercial. Yet he
had to remember his place and Brenda. He was in the office to help not hurt her, but as he
watched her stiffen with regal fury and stalk up to the. man, Jax wondered if she was going
to slug him for herself.

''Jax McCarty, this is Sonny Reed, my father's vice president in charge of operations,"
Brenda announced coolly. "Sonny, this is Jax McCarty."

Sonny turned to give Jax a condescending smile, but Brenda stepped between them to
make sure his focus stayed on her.

"Jax is not my boy. He is my associate, and as such, you will address him with the same
respect you do me or, for that matter, anyone else who works for me."

Sonny’s eyebrows came together, and his smile faded.

“What you were interrupting was a final review of the report I'm about to give at the
meeting, which is, I'll assume, why you came to fetch me. You really are too considerate.' '

Listening, Jax relaxed his fingers. He liked Brenda’s sarcasm. It dripped from every word
with a deflating effect that had Sonny Corinthos’ dark eyes shooting daggers, but if Brenda
noticed Corinthos reaction, she gave no indication. She continued on.

"And as far as my secretary goes, maybe you should remember that secretaries are here
to work, not to be groped." Giving Sonny one final, withering glare, she turned to Jax.
"Jax, you're with me."

As she headed for the door, leaving Sonny Corinthos in her wake, Jax couldn't help
grinning. And he couldn't help rethinking his plans of teaching her how to lose her temper.
Ice worked as well as heat. She'd frozen Sonny where he stood without raising her voice.
Maybe she didn't need to learn how to yell or slam doors. Maybe she could teach him
something.

Hastily hurrying after her and past Sonny, Jax grabbed a stack of folders from Lilly, who'd
already photocopied the proposal for presentation to the board, and headed for the hall.
He was aware Sonny was following him, but Jax was more aware of Brenda, who was a
few steps ahead.


The anger was still running high. He could see it in her stiff shoulders, hear it in the
decisive click of her heels on the tiled floor before she hit the carpet leading to the
conference room. While it might not be the first time Sonny had gotten under her skin, Jax
had to believe it was the first time she'd come at the man swinging. Otherwise, Corinthos
never would have made such vocal, intimate suggestions, or looked so surprised when
she'd confronted him.

One step behind Brenda as she entered the conference room that was bordered by
floor-to-ceiling windows on one side and computers, slide machines and screens on either
end, Jax figured he also knew why Lilly was masquerading as Lynda, but if Sonny
Corinthos had a thing for the ladies, at least he wasn't dumb.

Jax watched Corinthos smile and shake hands with an older man in a gray suit. If
Corinthos had been stupid, he'd have made a play for Brenda. Or, maybe he had and been
turned down. The thought had Jax's blood boiling, but seeing Brenda smoothly meet and
greet the other company officers entering the room, he doubted it. She had too much class
for a man like Corrinthos even though Corinthos surely would have contemplated the
benefits of wooing the boss's daughter. The trouble was that such a relationship could
cause problems, too, especially if Corinthos couldn't keep his attention on one woman at a
time.

Jax smiled satisfaction, sat back and watched the meeting begin.


Brenda was the only woman seated at the conference room table, but that didn't surprise
Jax. Harlan Barrett had a reputation for being old-fashioned, for running a traditional
company with conservative standards, and it showed in the decisions he made and the
people he used to help make them. Men. That meant Brenda was fighting prejudice as well
as the image of the boss's daughter, but during the meeting she made intelligent
comments, got approving responses and otherwise appeared respected. Still, her father
was apparently holding her back.

It seemed impossible to Jax that Harlan Barrett couldn't get past his own bigotry for the
sake of his daughter, but he wasn't ready to believe that yet and had no time to think about
it. Brenda was starting her presentation.

Holding his breath, he knew it could be the beginning she needed to force the attention
and responsibility she deserved. The project was big in scope, in value, in possible profit.
Bigger, said Lilly, than anything Brenda had ever handled. All she had to do was not
fumble after the kick off.


“I've investigated the property owned by Jake Cooper and think you'll find we have some
interesting options if we choose to proceed with the purchase," Brenda announced, and
nodded to Jax to pass out the copies he'd been holding.

The room got quiet as she spoke, but no one appeared inattentive. Jax watched for those
who were ready to dismiss her before she began, but no one seemed so inclined. When
she was finished, not a person at the table was unaware of the benefits to be reaped from
making a deal.


"I believe our best option when planning resale," Brenda concluded, "would be residential
not commercial."

Several heads nodded agreement, but one officer sighed in loud disapproval. "I believe I
have figures that would contradict that recommendation," Sonny announced with an
expressive shrug. "But in any event, this entire project is unlikely to become reality.''

Jax stiffened, as did Brenda. . "Why not?" she demanded.

"Because Jake Cooper just isn't willing to sign on the dotted line," Sonny said, turning
away from her to address her father instead. "I've spoken with him several times, and
again today, but he isn't willing to enter into a contract.”

“The money?" Harlan Barrett asked.

"No," Sonny denied. "He wants conditions on the sale. He wants to dictate terms in the
contract that would limit what we could or couldn't do with the property after purchase."

"Such as?" Brenda asked.

"It hardly matters, Brenda." Sonny smiled and dismissed in the same breath. "We simply
can't have our hands tied."

Irritated, Brenda opened her mouth to speak again, but her father put up a hand to silence
her.

“Do we have competition?" Harlan Barrett asked. "Is someone else bidding for rights?"

“I'm sure others are making inquiries," Sonny responded with a nod. "I can try to find out
what terms they're seeking--and their price.''

"Do that," Harlan ordered and, rising, dismissed the meeting, but Brenda wasn't willing to
give up that easily. She followed Sonny out of the room and down the hall .

"I'd like to know more about Cooper’s conditions," she insisted, keeping pace with Sonny's
longer strides.

"Brenda, I appreciate your concern," he assured her, not slowing his pace to accommodate
her, "but I'm on top of this." He finally slowed as they approached her office door and Lilly's
desk. "Nice report, by the way.”

"Thank you, but if you'll let me work with you, maybe we can find a way around Cooper's
objections." Brenda tried again. "This is too good an opportunity to let pass. The profit
margin--"

"Yes, I. know, and I appreciate your enthusiasm--as does your father.'' Sonny smiled..
''But--''

"I want to talk to him.

Sonny blinked. "To whom?"

"Jake Cooper."

Sonny laughed. "You'll have to wait for your own project, Brenda. This one's mine, and
besides, if I can't convince him to sign, who can?''

The frustration and anger ran so deep, she couldn't speak as he walked away. She could
only clench her teeth to stop from swearing--or crying. The project was right, her figures
were good, the board approved, but...

"So, are you going to call Mr. Anderson, or should I?"

Brenda blinked and swung to look at Jax. She'd forgotten him, forgotten everything except
losing her goal, but the gleam in those blue/green eyes had her flagging spirits rising
again. "I will." She turned to Lilly. "Lilly--”

“I've got his number right here," Lilly told her, flipping through a Rolodex. "I'll put him
through as soon as I reach him .''

''You do that,'' Brenda declared, and marched away, but this time Jax didn't follow. He
stayed where he was and returned Lilly's wink instead.