Punching the button, Jax sat in his car waiting for the garage door to open. To his delight, Brooke’s black Volvo was already there. Eagerly, he went into the house.

As he opened the door, a wonderful aroma hit him. The whole house smelled of roast chicken. He could also detect the faint smell of apple pie. His mouth began to water.

“Brooke,” he called out.

“In here, Jax!”

Funny, her voice sounded a bit different. He felt a vague sense of dread as he rounded the corner walking into the kitchen.

There were pots steaming on the stove. The granite countertop was covered with various glass bowls and boxes of ingredients.

“Brooke, where are you?”

“In here!” Her voice seemed to be coming from the bedroom.

There was something off about her voice. It sounded different, so different.

Walking down the hall towards the master bedroom, he noticed the door was cracked open.

Pushing it slightly, the door opened to reveal a gorgeous woman on all fours on the bed wearing black garters, bra, and lacy panties.

A slow smile spread across his face.

“Brooke, you look amazing.”

“We don’t have much time. Dinner’s almost ready.” She winked at him.

“This won’t take long.” He unzipped his pants. His cock was rock hard.

“Uh-uh, let me do that.” Brooke hopped off the bed and began to take him into her mouth. He groaned as she ran the tip of her tongue up and down his shaft. Her hand expertly cupped his balls lightly squeezing them as she sucked his length down her throat.

After a few long sucks, Jax felt himself explode deep in her throat. She licked the come from her fingertips.

“Wow that was fast. I’ve got dinner ready. We can have dessert later.”

* * *

“So, you’re telling me that someone is supposed to be stalking you? Who is this woman?” Brooke asked while sipping a glass of wine.

“Her name is Sarah Bender. She works at Meridian with Jessica. It’s just a publicity thing. It’s no big deal. I just wanted you to know in case we were out and you saw her watching us.”

Brooke looked out the huge picture window in the living room.

“She could be out there right now?”

Jax finished his bite of chicken.

“She could, but she isn’t supposed to be.”

“This is all for your next book?”

“Yes.”

Brooke shrugged and poured herself another glass of wine.

“Sounds a bit odd, but if it works it will be worth it.”

“It’s already working. Kristi said I was on TMZ last week.”

“Great. Glad to hear it!” Brooke beamed as she cut pieces of the homemade apple pie, Jax’s favorite.

“There’s just one more thing.” He mumbled as he dove into the succulent apple pie. It was perfect. The crust was buttery and flaky. The apples were sweet and tart.

“What?” Brooke brought a forkful of pie to her lips.

“I have to start dating models.”

Brooke’s fork crashed to the table.

“What?”

Jax waved his hand.

“No, no, no. It’s not what you think. Jessica is setting me up with these women. I just have to meet them at a club or a restaurant. I spend an hour or so with them, have my picture taken, and Sarah follows us around. That’s all.”

Brooke was visibly upset.

“I’m supposed to believe that you’re going to go out with gorgeous women and not do anything else with them. That it’s all for publicity?”

Jax pushed his dishes aside and took her hand.

“It is, Brooke. You’re the only one I want. I don’t care about any other woman but you. All of this is for us. I want to make it big for us. I don’t give a shit about Jessica Pierce or crazy Sarah Bender. This is for us. I’m not fucking these women. It’s all for show, I promise.” He brought Brooke’s hand to his lips.

She softened as she smiled.

“If you promise.”

“I do. This won’t be for long then I’ll be the #1 bestseller on the NYT. Then we can start planning the most fantastic wedding this town has ever seen!”

Brooke looked dazed.

“Wedding? Oh, Jax!”

“It’s not a formal proposal yet. But I want you to start thinking about what kind of wedding you want. I mean it, Brooke, you’re the girl for me. You always have been. You were by my side after I came home from Iraq. You nursed me back to health. You put me on the path to success. I want to share my life with you.”

Brooke jumped up from her chair and threw her arms around his neck.

“Oh, Jax Paulson, you’ve made me the happiest woman in the world!”

Jax grinned.

“Just how happy are you?”

“Come back to the bedroom and I’ll show you.”