Winner Takes All-14
Authors note: Thanks for the overwhelming feedback I received on the last chapter! Keep it coming! *G* A quick song note, the song I used in the last chapter for J&B’s number was “I’m beginning to see the light” lyrics and music by Harry James, Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, and Don George.
This chapter is for my dear angel friend Karen S. who keeps me up all night, and helped me with ideas for this chapter! *G*
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A wave of commotion swept the room as Lucy’s announcement sunk in. All the ladies in the room suddenly lit up, a mad dash ensuing for their purses. Jerry doubled over in laughter at the predicament his brother had gotten himself into. Brenda appeared to be in as much shock as Jax. He was going to auction himself off? “How barbaric!” she thought to herself. Crossing her arms in disgust, Brenda was adamant that she certainly was *not* going to help boost his ego any more. Leaning over to Julia, she whispered “who does he think he is?!”
Julia smiled back, happy that finally, something about Jax had turned her sister off. “He’s Jasper Jacks, a man who believes he can have anything, and anyone” she said simply, the undertones of her statement obvious to Brenda.
“Well, at least it’ll be interesting to watch” Brenda decided, leaning back in her chair as she watched Amy Vining follow Alan Quartermaine around the room, begging him for an advance on her pay.
On stage, Jax looked at Lucy in shock. “What are doing?!” he hissed.
“Jax, you said you would help me, and this is how I need your help!” Lucy responded, her eyes pleading with him.
“Lucy, I’ll *give* you the money” Jax insisted.
“NO!” Lucy refused, “this way it was earned for the cause.”
“Lucy,” Jax began, trying to think of the best way to let her down and get out of the room without much reaction.
“Jax, you are not going to let down the charity are you?” Lucy asked.
“Are you trying to guilt me into doing this?” Jax suspected.
Lucy paused momentarily. “Yes, is it working?”
“Yes,” Jax grumbled, rolling his eyes in annoyance. He was going to be auctioned off like a piece of furniture!
“So, Mr. Jacks is going to wine you, and dine you for an entire evening, who wouldn’t want that?” Lucy said, in her best selling voice. “Jax do a little turn for us! Let everyone see the entire package they could have for one night!”
Sighing, Jax did a slow, 360 degree turn, shaking his head at the whistles he heard his directed his way.
“So, any opening bids?” Lucy asked.
“Yeah, three hundred bucks!” Luke Spencer shouted from the back. Every person turned around, looking at Luke with a very curious expression.
“What?!” he shrugged. “He liked my tequila!”
“Four hundred dollars!” Felicia Scorpio-Jones called out from her table. Mac looked at her accusingly as she laughed. “*Look* at him Mac! I had to try at least once! Besides, my girls like the way he sounds when he talks.”
“Five hundred!” Amy Vining yelled out excitedly, antsy for an attempt at any kind of love life.
The bids were coming out fast and furiously, almost every lady in attendance trying to nab the “hunk of a man” for one evening. Jax had to admit, this was kind of fun. Seeing everyone shell out the dollars just to have dinner with him. But, something was missing.
Brenda.
Casting a look over to her table, he noticed her sitting, with a look of indifference in her eyes. Was she really not going to bid? Maybe he had misjudged her feelings for him after all.
“Twelve hundred dollars!” Lois Ashton yelled out happily. “What?” she asked as she saw the penetrating gaze of Ned, and Edward. “It’s for a good cause, and. . .well look at him! What’s not to like?”
“How about the fact you are inflating his ego to the height of the empire state building!” Ned complained.
“Aww, Nedly, you know I love you, but I think your face is a little green” Lois teased.
“I like the way you think!” Lila Quartermaine spoke out in support of Lois. “Eighteen hundred dollars!” she called out happily, as Edward muttered on about wasting good money on a corporate thief.
“Two thousand!” Carly Roberts, Jason’s date for the evening was next to bid, raising a seductive eyebrow at Jax.
“Three thousand!” a voice called from the back. Everyone turned to see a brown haired, tall, leggy woman standing at the back. A tight navy dress accentuated her body, and her intentions for Jax were less than top secret. Brenda recognized her right away. Ashley Brent, a runway model for Calvin Klein. She swore, CK was next on her list of hostile takeovers. Her first move would be to get rid of all the anorexic looking models and replace them models with an actual body! But, what was she doing here, and why did she want Jax? “Stupid question Brenda” she told herself. She wanted Jax for the same reasons every other vulture in this room did. Plus, the fact that he was rich and powerful probably helped as well. At that moment, all Brenda wanted to do was walk over to Ashley, and drop kick her to the buffet table. Smoothing her hair behind her ears, Brenda tried to appear indifferent. She didn’t care *who* Jax ended up with, she didn’t care.
Jax smiled in surprise at the new entrant in the bidding war. She was beautiful, and her intentions were clear. The perfect person to take his mind off another brunette that had haunted his dreams for far too long.
Brenda sat in her seat, her hands grinding together, the beat of her heart elevated. Looking up at Jax, she grew even more repulsed. He *wanted* her to win! She realized angrily. Of all the conceited, deceitful, terrible, unnerving,-- “Ten thousand!” she shouted, standing up suddenly.
The crowd gasped, and a look of horror crossing her eyes. What had she done? Reluctantly, she gazed into that set of magical eyes on stage, seeing a mixture of surprise, amusement, and desire.
“Eleven!” Ashely retorted, walking up towards the front of the room, an eye gazing at Jax adoringly.
Brenda’s eyes widened. Who the hell did Ashley think she was? She had no right to Jax, she wasn’t even his type! “Twenty thousand dollars!” Brenda retorted.
The crowd gasped, as Jax stood on stage, trying to figure out Brenda. She had been so indifferent seconds ago, what had changed? Was it Ashley Brent? Was she. ..jealous?
He looked at her, as gorgeous as always, glaring at Ashley as if she were poison.
“Very interesting” her noted to himself.
“Twenty five thousand!” Lila announced excitedly. “I can just imagine us having tea in the rose garden.”
Edward looked at her questionably. “Tea?! My dear Lila, is it really worth twenty five thousand dollars?!”
Lily looked back at her husband. “No dear. Thirty five thousand dollars!” she called out countering Ashley Brent’s bid of thirty thousand.
“You know,” Ned whispered to his Grandfather, “he would have to do *anything* we asked, for an entire night.
A devious smile crossed Edward’s face. “Anything?”
“Yup” Ned nodded with glee.
“Fifty thousand!” he bid, a twinkle in his eye as he thought about the things he would make Jax do for him.
Brenda sat back in her seat once more with satisfaction, as she smiled with glee at the sight of a pouting Ashley Brent. Thank goodness for the Quartermaines. If Ned and Edward wanted him, they could have him, it was just this *Ashely* she had a problem with.
“One hundred thousand” a new bidder called out. Brenda looked to see Jason standing up with his bid, his evil eyes meeting hers. Brenda narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion, what was he up to?
“One hundred thousand dollars, going once,” Lucy shouted gleefully, her Nurses Ball would brake the record books once again!
Brenda looked over to Edward, hearing him mutter that “Jax isn’t worth that much!”
“Going twice!” Lucy called out.
“One fifty!” Brenda bid, her eyes still planted on Jason’s. She and Jax couldn’t be together, but she wasn’t going to let Jason do anything to him.
“Two hundred thousand” he retorted instantly, a gleam of mischief in his eye.
He was goading her, and she had to allow it, or Jax would end up with Jason, and his tramp of a girlfriend. “Three hundred thousand.”
Seeing that he had made his point, Jason raised a glass of champagne to Brenda, and sat down. Sighing a breath of relief, Brenda returned the gesture, sitting down as she prayed her bidding didn’t make her out to look like a woman in desperate desire of Jax. His ego didn’t need any nurturing as is was.
“Five hundred thousand dollars.” Brenda snapped her head up to see Ashley’s re-entrance in the bidding war.
“Who needs that house in Tuscany” she shrugged.
Brenda gave her a sarcastic smile, walking up beside Ashley in front of the stage, the competitive part of her materializing. “Well, I’m going to make sure you keep it honey, don’t worry about that” she said cattily. “Six hundred thousand.”
“Six fifty!” Ashley responded, knowing that was her limit. Those constant shopping sprees, and weekly lipo appointments had cost her this bidding war. She didn’t have any more money to spend.
“Seven” Brenda smiled immediately, knowing she had won. “Come on Lucy, wrap him up” she said.
“Okay,” Lucy said happily, “going once, going twice,”
“Eight hundred thousand dollars.”
Brenda looked behind her to see Julia standing up, a very annoyed look on her face.
“What are you doing?” she mouthed to her sister in confusion as Julia walked up towards Brenda.
“I don’t want anything do with him Brenda, but I’m doing what’s best for you, and if you think about if for a second, you’ll agree with me” Julia stated defiantly.
“Well thanks Jules, you always did know how to make a guy feel special” Jax smirked.
After shooting a glare at Jax, Julia turned to Lucy. “So, can we finish things here?”
Lucy began her attempt once more to finish the bidding on Jasper Jacks. She spoke slowly as she noticed Brenda fidgeting, almost ready to bid higher.
“Julia’s right” Brenda told herself. She had only started bidding because of Ashley Brent, but if her sister won what harm would that do? Gazing up once more she looked over Jax once more. He would have to do anything for her, do anything *to* her. Could she really pass up an evening with such possibilities? As she opening up her mouth to bid against her sister, another voice stopped her.
“Nine hundred thousand dollars!” an Aussie accent shouted.
Julia spun around in surprise. “Jerry, what are you doing?!”
“You really think I’m going to let you spend an entire evening with my little brother? I mean, he isn’t me, but he still has some charm!”
Julia rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Will you get it through your thick head! I’m NOT going to spend the evening with Jax, and even if I was what would it matter?! We are FINISHED!”
“Finished?” Jerry spat out, “Really? Is that why you convinced Calvin Klein to give Christy Turlington an extra layout shoot the night of *our* date?”
“Hey!” Ashley marched up angrily. “That was MY job originally! If I had that shoot I would have had more money for Jax, you. . .you WITCH!”
“Will you kindly get out of my face?” Julia said angrily.
“Will you ALL shut up and stop talking like I’m not right in front of you?!” Jax interrupted.
“NO!” Julia, Ashley, and Jerry shouted simultaneously. The fighting continued, the attendees of the nurses ball, enjoying this extra “performance.” Brenda on the other hand, stood in the background quietly, shaking her head at the predicaments her sister’s big mouth got her into.
“Well Jax” Lucy smiled, “this has definitely been a success, but I guess you’re going to be having an evening with your brother.”
“Yeah, he’ll probably make me feed him his dinner!” Jax laughed.
“Lucy?”
“Yes Brenda?”
Brenda cast another gaze at the verbal argument her sister was deeply involved in, and the guests in their tables showing hints of impatience. “I think it’s time to finish this, or the chorus line will never make an appearance! I bid one million dollars.”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “A. . .million? Hoo boy, I think we can finish it now. Going once, going twice, SOLD!” she shouted, finally garnering the attention of the quarreling threesome adjacent from her.
“What?” Julia questioned, shooting a weary gaze over at her sister.
“Sold. I didn’t have time to wait here for you three to finish fighting, so Brenda finished the auction off and bought Jax for one million dollars.”
A wave of gasps filled the room. Julia began screaming once more at Jerry for distracting her, Ned threw his hands up in the air stating that he wouldn’t have paid one cent for an evening with Jax, while Amy Vining and a large group of females whined amongst themselves in disappointment.
As the commotion died down, the ballroom began to quiet and await the chorus line. Brenda walked towards Jax, taking his hand and leading him behind the stage. “Well, it looks like you’re mine for the evening” she stated simply.
“I guess so. So what do you consider a one million dollar date?” he asked flirtatiously. She paused before answering him, biting her lower lip in thought. “She always looks so adorable when she’s thinking” Jax smiled to himself.
Brenda looked down at the ground momentarily before telling Jax her plans. “There is a 24 hour coffee shop by the docks. My wish is to sit there, and talk.”
Jax hid his surprise and disappointment well. “Okay,” he said slowly “shall we go?” he offered, extending his hand towards Brenda.
Taking his hand in hers, Brenda gave Jax a small smile as the they discreetly left the ballroom.
Meanwhile, Lucy had taken off her dress, and put on a long satin robe over her knickers while she pulled out her costume for the chorus line. Pulling the sash of the tie on her robe, her thoughts strayed suddenly when she heard the music of the chorus line starting already. Rushing out to the main stage, she flagged the production manager over. “What are you doing?? I’m not ready yet!”
“Well, we are *way* behind schedule thanks to that little stunt you pulled, so we had to start it. If you want to go on, you had better get out there now!” he asserted, pushing her towards the stage.
“But I’m not ready. . .”she began to protest as her satin robe got caught under a cord causing her to trip and land horizontally on her stomach in front of the audience in her underwear! As the hoots and whistles broke out, Audrey Hardy helped Lucy up, and after attempting to hide herself, she gave up and continued to dance with the chorus line to finish the ball.
The Nurses Ball, was (finally!) finished, and a *huge* success.
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They were quite a pair. Two equally attractive, and magnetic people dressed in formal clothing in a coffee shop frequented by dock workers! After receiving their coffee, the waitress left, leaving them alone in their booth at a quiet corner of the diner.
“So you wanted to talk” Jax repeated. “Here’s a topic, why did you pay one million dollars for me?”
Brenda took a sip of her hot coffee, her hands wrapping around the cup. “I paid one million dollars for this conversation so I think it’s fair if *I* get to ask the first question.”
“Alright” Jax agreed. “What’s on your mind?”
She said back comfortably, placing her coffee cup on the table in front of her. “There’s a company. Great stats, stable, a *challenge* to defeat, but it can be done and despite a few potential roadblocks, you basically know it’s yours. What do you do if another prospect enters the mix? It won’t give you the headlines, the satisfaction of winning, or as much money, but you still want it.” Brenda paused, looking at Jax to make sure he was following her words. His eyes urged her to continue, as Brenda took another sip of her coffee. “Now, the million dollar question is, which do you pick?”