Jack stood at the side stage of the fundraising event. He combed his hands through his newly cut and dyed hair and then smoothed his freshly pressed and very expensive navy suit down.A quick talking charismatic actor they had hired stood at the podium addressing the audience and auctioning off the various highly eligible bachelors that had been corralled into donating their time to the event to raise funds. Not that they really needed funds, but they had to make it look like they did to play along with the rules. Someone clapped Jack on the back. To his surprise, Henry stood to his side.His green eyes sparkled with the stage light as he looked at the crowd. "Is this one of your ideas or did Kael actual do his job as Fundraising Manager?" Jack laughed politely. "Let's call it a joint effort.""If you're not careful, we'll be promoting you to his job, too."Jack laughed again. He'd already been promoted to the head media strategist where they had doubled his pay again. He could s
Alex laid a hand on her belly. A little kick from the baby made her insides flutter and she smiled. In a few months, she would get to meet this little guy. Her heart was bursting with warmth now. She hadn't felt that way in a very long time. It reminded her of Jack and the Link. She shot a smile across the room trying to catch Jack's eye, but he was deep in conversation with another man. From this far away, the way he talked and gestured made her think of Henry. She frowned.Jack looked up and caught her eye. She quickly smiled back and gave him a little wave. She continued perusing the appetizer table, pushing little bits of cheese and dip in her mouth as she went. The blue dress she wore draped nicely on her form but hid her baby belly. It wasn't time to let people know yet. Her blonde locks lay in neat curls around her neck to hide the Vice. Her advisors told her not to change too many things after Henry died, so they recommended she kept her hair the same as it had always been. Sh
Alex awoke suddenly. Her clothes clung to her hot body. Her eyes darted to the corners of the dark room.Jack stirred next to her and mumbled, "It's just a bad dream.""I know," she whispered and rolled slowly out of bed. She tiptoed through the dark to the large master bathroom. She tapped the wall screen and the lights went bright. She slapped them two more times and it dimmed. Her eyes unsquinted and she flicked the panel to fill the large bath inset in the floor in the middle of the room. Immediately, the large bowl started to fill. She stripped and settled her naked pregnant body down on to the seat as the hot water rose to surround her.Her eyes closed. She had seen him again, the man with the green eyes. He'd called her name softly, "Alex-. Alex. I've been searching for you." The man's face appeared and the eyes faded from green to grey-blue, almost ice blue but warmer. Like Jack's eyes. Heat emanated inside her and she opened her eyes. The water was starting to envelop her n
Tom's leg bounced up and down as he sat impatiently waiting for the pod to reach the restaurant. His cuff read "18:25". He looked at the simple gold ring on his left hand as he wrung his hands together. A message flashed on his cuff and he turned to read it."Kena: I got a seat. S87."He flicked his fingers above the cuff and the message dutifully spelled out: "Almost there."He sent it off with a curt motion and went back to wringing his hands. He had to get himself together. He ran his fingers through his dyed dark hair to give them something else to do. He pulled on the strands and tried to focus on something other than his nervousness.The pod slowed and opened, revealing a candlelit walkway edged by shrubbery that led to a castle-like structure. He stepped out and tried not to rush to the door, which opened on its own accord.The seating attendant looked up as he entered. "Welcome to Moe's," she said with a small curtsy."Thank you. Seat-" He looked down at his cuff. "S87?"
A dinner of garlic butter oysters linguini was served and was incredibly delicious. They finished with a chocolate fondue served with various cakes and fruits for dipping. Throughout the meal, Brooke's foot had been climbing its way up his leg and now was firmly rubbing his crotch. The lack of table cloth had not actually stopped her and occasionally he would notice looks of the passersby in the hallway, but she seemed not to care.She finished the rest of the fruit with one last bite and stood. "I'm going to the ladies room before we leave. I think that wine went right through me." Her cheeks were a rosy pink, but she walked steadily as she left out the door and down the hall.Brooke was gone for ten minutes before Tom noticed a message on his cuff from her. "Man here. Come get me. Going to make a break for it."Tom leaped to his feet and dashed down the hallway. He knocked one couple aside as he rushed past them, apologizing on the fly. He finally reached the ladies room and saw
Alex stared out the side of the pod which was set to a clear screen showing the dark empty ocean. Abigail sat next to her and hummed a cheery tune. It had been a few weeks since her bath incident and Alex felt like the nightmares were getting worse. Jack insisted they were just part of being pregnant and being under a lot of stress from the campaign. It made sense, but it didn't make her feel much better. She absently stroked her round belly, one more month to go. The docking port opened for their pod and let them on to the superhighway. The pod shuddered as the wheels protruded and set against the tube. They sped away smoothly as the pod caught up with traffic.It was funny to her that this is probably the exact same thing she would have been doing if Henry was still alive. Jack had just sort of stepped in and taken his place. Maybe that was the reason for her nightmares. Was Jack becoming too much like Henry? She dismissed the thought quickly. She had seen the real Jack. He was th
Alex stiffened. Oh god, Henry wasn't dead. He wasn't dead. He really wasn't dead.Jack shook her gently to gain her focus. "Act the same. I will send for you, I promise. We will get out of here together."Alex nodded. She stared into his beautiful eyes. It didn't matter the color, they were wondrous, warm, and loving. How could she have mistaken anyone else for him?She leaned forward to him. He met her halfway. His mouth covered hers and his soft tongue caressed hers. He drew her into his chest, holding her against him, pregnant belly and all. Liquid fire dripped through her. It heated her all the way to her core with loving warmth. She absorbed strength from his embrace. It fortified her and she felt renewed. She felt alive again as if the past months or even the past year had all just been some game. It had been a game, a game she fell for.He relaxed his grip on her and let her reluctantly step away. This was the real Jack, her Jack. And now she'd have to leave him again. She a
Jack leaned back in the pod's chair and rubbed his temples. All these meetings with people made it harder to stay on top of creating events. He was relying on his team now to come up with ideas. He was not really the idea man anymore. He was more like the man who approved and presented others' ideas. At least he had the board members in his pocket and Henry seemed to like him. He resisted a full body shudder. He'd been so good at pretending to be James up until now. He just had to keep on it. He wouldn't let Alex down.Jack mulled over his current proposal to Henry in his mind as the pod zoomed along towards his neighborhood. He'd have to get Henry to agree to bring Alex to the debate, but how was he going to get her free?The pod slowed and parked itself in the garage of his house. He walked up the stairs to the main room and found it empty. He looked around. Dinner appeared to be started, but Lexi was nowhere in sight."Maya?" He called as he looked over the top of the couch. He c