Annie woke up sometime around twelve Saturday morning. After Jovon stormed out of the room,she'd spent quality time staring at the fire and nibbling on the triangular shaped cream and chocolate cookie,until about midnight. Then had crawled into bed and slept like the dead.

Her body felt as if it had been hit with a jack hammer and her head pounded like hell. Raising herself from the bed,she went to the double French doors,drawing the thick draperies aside and peering out into the bright sky. The sun casted a bright light that filtered over the lake like a fairy dust. Few surrounded the house cloaking the enormous house like a security blanket,maintaining a sense of privacy.

Her mind flashed back to her conversation with Jovon last night, when he carried her up to her, correction, his room.

I'm a man privacy.

Bullshit!

If there was anything Annie learned over the years,it was that people,not all but majority, his their pain under a cold exterior all in the name of privacy. And something told her that he was hurt. Either he liked it or not,Annie was determined to find out what it was and would fix it.

She was good at mending relationships and even matchmaking.

Stumbling into the bathroom,she splashed water on her face and noted in surprise the neatly folded pike of clean clothes that turned out to be a khaki skirt and a black turtle neck cardigan. After brushing her teeth with a conveniently placed new toothbrush, she put the clothes on. They fit perfectly,which in itself was alarming. How the hell did he get her size so perfectly?

Her boots were nowhere in sight,but her stealthy benefactor had included a pair of silver coloured ballet flats. And to her surprise,they fit perfectly too.

Feeling a bit too much like little orphan Annie, the irony, she opened the envelope that lay on the bedside table.

~*~
Please join me for lunch downstairs at one. Jovon.

~*~

The house was still and quite. Not that she expected much,seeing as he lived alone and all.

Jovon was nowhere in sight,which left her to wander on her own. At the foot of the stairs,she turned to her right and headed down the hall. She found herself in a large family room. There were two sectionals, a couple of armories,side tables,a writing desk and nothing about the room felt crowded.

"Nice," she muttered,appreciating the warm colours and overall comfort of the space. The decorator did a good number on the house and it showed off. Annie crossed to one of the sectionals,taking in a drink cart made of incredibly beautiful inlaid wood. Instead of liquor,there were an assortment of soft drinks,along with ice,flavoured water and a few snacks.

"Somewhere a housekeeper or cook is lurking," She mused to herself as she ran her fingers over the cream sectional. Annie made a mental note to praise the woman if she saw her before she left.

What must it be like to grow up in a place like this? She couldn't begin to imagine. While the house was something out of a movie,she had a feeling it might not be very comfortable for a kid. Although they lived in a very big house too,Annie had her brother's to play with,even though they teased her to no end. If Jovon had been an only child,it would have been really lonely for him. This was the kind of house that screamed for bunch of kids.

Sighing,she backed out of the room and turned back the way she came. As she passed the stairs and piano,Annie braced herself to be both impressed and intimidated. Good thing,too, because the dining room could easily seat thirty, although the table was currently set with only a dozen chairs. Still,by the way it sat in the centre of the room and the numbers of thick legs clustered together, she would guess there were about eight or ten leaves that fit into it. Two hutches flanked leaded glass windows, while a long buffet sat in the centre of the opposite wall. There were four chandeliers and a fire place.

Impressive.

Passing through the dining room,she made her way towards the rear of the house and walked into,what looked like, the kitchen that could easily satisfy the pickiest chef known to man. She also found Jovon there.

He wore swears, a T-shirt,and hadn't shaved. There was a light shifting in her stomach,bit this ome had nothing to do with the food he was cooking,and everything had to do with how delicious the man in front of her looked.

"Good afternoon," She said,doing her best to act normal around the sudden fluttering in her chest. Annie decided to pick her words carefully to keep from setting him off again.

He looked up and smiled. Annie did a double-take and was sure her jaw fell off and rolled into a corner on the tiled floor. Butterflies unfurled in her lower belly and she had to scold herself before she registered that he spoke to her.

"I-i didn't get that."

"I said,I hope you slept better." His smile didn't falter but his eyes were watchful. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She said stiffly. "I need to check on my car."

He shrugged. "Already taken care of... The garage will drop it off at your house by the end of the week. And I had yer bags delivered to your house."

She bit her bottom lip. "I'd like an estimate so I can contact my insurance."

"Let me handle this. It's the least I can do. You know they'll jack up your rates if you submit it."

He had her there. Not that she couldn't pay,but coming here certainly had it's cost. Plus her father was still pissed at her for deciding to go on a vacation instead helping out in the company, and thereby refusing to give her any allowance. Her mother also agreed with it.

"I'll pay you back."

His brows narrowed in displeasure. "I said to forget it."

Annie remained quite after that. It seemed that it didn't take much to annoy him. And truth be told,she was not up for exchanging words. Not if she wanted to find out about his past life anyway.

He nodded at the stove. "How about some tea and dry toast?"

"Sounds great." She fingered the cardigan. "I am surprised as to how you got my clothes size,Jovon." She paused and glanced at him. "Is it okay if I call you that?"

He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's okay."

And Annie couldn't resist asking: "your house is pretty big for you to be alone,Don't you think?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're mighty curious about my personal life."

"Men love to talk about themselves."

He jabbed his thumb at his chest. "Well,this man don't. Who made you and expert about men,anyway?"

"I have two brothers. And living with them gave me a lot of insights about men. Cassie and Ella would definitely agree with me."

The kettle began to whistle. At the same time,bread popped out of the toaster.

"Dishes?" She asked out of habit.

She was about to apologize for her faux-pas when he pointed to a row of cabinets. It took her only two tries to find small plates. She put the toast on a plate and popped in two more slices,while Jovon poured water into a tea pot. She glanced over his shoulder and saw fresh tea leaves in a little basket.

"Very fancy," She said. "Yours?"

"Apparently. I e-mailed my housekeeper last night and asked her if I had any tea. She said I did and told me where to find everything."

Imagine having so much stuff,you didn't even know what you owned or where it was. Different worlds,Annie thought. Very different worlds.

They sat at the round table by the large window. She nibbled on a piece of toast,then took the mug of tea offered.

"Interesting house," she said after she'd sipped the steaming liquid. "Kind of intimidating,though."

"It does leave an impression. But you shouldn't be surprised. If your clothes and car are anything to go by, you're wealthy too."

His air of masculine superiority set her teeth on edge. "In the twenty-four hours we met,you've managed to break the record of the world's biggest jerk in a short period of time. Do you have a problem with me?"

Firecrackers went off in his eyes as they narrowed on her. He crossed his arms over his chest,a fully protective stance. It reinforced her sense that Jovon was hiding some pretty strong emotions behind those stunning eyes.

Then he glanced at his watch. "I'm afraid I can't drag this out any longer. I'm overdue for several phone calls."

In other words,he politely told her to get lost. And they said chivalry was dead.

Ha!

Pushing her chair back,Annie surged to her feet,glaring daggers at him. "At first,I thought I crossed some boundaries with my questions,but now I know the truth."

He smiled smugly. "And that would be?"

"You're trying to push me away because you're afraid of me finding out some of your ugliest and dirty secrets. What are you afraid of anyway?"

His smile fell away to be replaced by a scowl. "Get out."

Annie flashed him her own smug smile. "I will. But I have a feeling I would be back very soon."

Before he could throw back a retort,Annie pivoted on her heels,and walked out of the house,without the smile. Her head began to formulate a plan to come back here again,but she couldn't find any.

It wasn't until she was out of the large gate did she remember something. Her lips drew back in a smug smile.

Jovon was mistaken if he thought he'd gotten rid of her that easily.

* * *

Jovon rubbed a hand over his stubbled chin with a sigh. For the first time in two years, he met someone who brought out that bastard side of him he reserved for the boardroom. Something about Annie got under his skin,more than he liked or would ever admit.

With those full link lips of hers,and those eyes that expressed whatever emotion she was feeling. She was definitely tall,maybe five-six. Her head came up to his shoulders and he couldn't help thinking about how she fitted his side as if that place was meant for her. And those legs...

Jovon felt a stir in his lower region,which surprised him.

He's swore off women forever and now a spoiled brat,who thought she could always get what she wanted,with a sassy mouth that stirred emotions, he didn't even want to put a name to,in him.

Damn her!

"Good Afternoon,sir."

Jovon looked up from his teacup to see his housekeeper, Kassinda Murray, standing in the doorway with a warm smile on her face.

"Kass." He nodded at her. "How is your son?"

"He is better now,thank you." Her black eyes took in the cup and half-eaten toast across from him. "Miss Phim is around?"

"No." He got his his feet. "I would be in the office if you need me."

Jovon had barely gotten to the entrance when a loud sound cracked through the air and lighting flashed. Trees swayed left and right as heavy breeze swept through them. Rain came down hard,slapping hard against the windows.

Muttering profanities that would make any sailor proud,Jovon started for the main door,but stopped in the nick of time. He didn't want to give her any hair brained notion that he cared. Besides, she stormed out of the house without waiting for him to ask Cyson to take her home.

If the girl had enough sense, she'd suck it up and return to the house.

Oh yeah? A voice in his head taunted. So that you can be more of a bastard than you were to her before?

He gritted his teeth together,his fist bunching up at his sides. He hates feeling this way. He hated pity and he hated guilt.

"Is anything the matter,sir?" Kassinda asked worriedly.

Jovon took several breaths to calm his nerves,and when he had it under control,he faced her with a blank expression.

"No." He started for the stairs but stopped at the landing. "If a lady, a brunette,by the name of Annie knocks,let her in."

Kassinda nodded,but watched him with curious eyes. He gave her a nod before disappearing up the stairs. He went to stand by the window of his study,gazing at the dark sky.

Maybe Annie didn't have any sense after all,because she didn't return to the house that day.