Because she'd a window seat her head was too fuzzy to read, Joy spent most of the four and half hour flight to Darwin staring down at the landscape below. With no clouds in the sky, there was nothing to hinder her view of what was really an incredible sight. The landing seemed to take forever, but exiting the plane was relatively quick, thank goodness as her seat was right down the back, not far from the exist. She walked across the tarmac towards the terminal building, her only thought at that moment being that every step brought her closer to John. 

John stood at a window in the arrivals area, scanning the passengers as they left the plane. He spotted Joy immediately, the rays of the setting sun bouncing gold off her blonde hair which was down and blowing in the breeze. She was wearing jeans and a white jacket, with a white and blue top underneath.

Clearly, she didn't see him standing nearby, although her eyes were farting around the place. When he stepped forward to make his presence known, she gave him a tight smile.

There was only one word to describe the way he was feeling.

Thankfully, his eyes had by then moved in the direction of the nearby carousel where the luggage was coming out.

"What does your bag look like?" He asked, glancing back over his shoulder at her.

It's black with a big pink ribbon tied to the handle. There it is now," she said, pointing.

John strode over and scooped her bag off the carousel, his eyebrows lifting when he felt the weight of it. "I only asked you to come for ten days, Joy," he said with dry amusement as he steered her towards the exit, dragging the bag behind them. "Not for life."

"I hate going away anywhere and getting caught with either not enough clothes or all the wrong ones."

"Can't say it's a problem I have often."

"You're not a female."

"Which is rather a good thing," he said with a wry little smile.

Joy ground to a halt and stared up at him.

"What?" He said.

"Do I know you at all, John Davis? I thought I did. I thought I had you pegged as that introverted, antisocial pain in the neck kid from across the street who'd grown up into an irritatingly gorgeous but pain in the neck adult. Instead, suddenly, I find out you're nothing like that at all. You're actually quite witty and charming and .......and....."

"Maybe you never knew the real John Davis," he countered.

"Obviously I didn't. What other surprises do you have in store for me?"

"Shall we go find ou?" He said, taking her elbow again and leading her out to the visitors' car park.

His SUV didn't surprise her, despite being relatively new and relatively unused. It was the printout of a medical bill of health.

She shook her head from side to side as she read it. "It was very thoughtful of you to do this, John," she said.

"I just didn't want you to worry about anything at any stage. I wasn't going to offer you less than what you were getting at that clinic. I'm quite sure your anonymous donor had a similar clearance."

"Yes. Yes, he did," she said , frowning. "I should have thought to ask you, but i didn't. It was silly of me."

"Not silly. Just human. You've been upset lately. And you would have worried. Now, you don't have to."

"No," she said and smiled over at him. "I don't. Thank you again, John. For everything."

"Don't start canonizing me yet, Joy."

"I see," she said, and gave him a much more typical Joy look. Very doll. "I'll try not to jump to saintly conclusions about you in future."

"That would be wise."

His apartment was towards the southerly end of the street in a multi store yes building whose walls were cement rendered in an attractive grey blue color. There were lots of balconies facing the water, all of them enclosed with glass panels and black railings. The gutterings, trim and windows frames were all black which looked extremely smart indeed. The garage were in the basement, with John having two allotted spaces for himself and guests. He parked in one, then helped Joy out before removing her bag from the back. She didn't say a word as he led her over to the lift. Maybe she was worrying that he would pounce the moment they were alone.

Her head whipped round to stare at him when he pressed the top floor button.

"You live in a penthouse?" She asked, taken aback.

"Not exactly. Penthouse usually occupy the whole top floor. There are two top floor apartments of equal size, one of which is mine."

She fell silent once more till John showed her into the apartment, at which point she stared at him again, shaking her head at the same time. "You really are very rich, aren't you?"

"Rich enough."

"For what?"

He shrugged. "I don't have to work for the rest of my life if I don't want to. Though of course I will."

Again she shook her head. "This place must have cost a small fortune."

"Not quit that much. I bought it off plan a few years ago."

"Did you choose the furniture?"

"Lord, no. I have absolutely no taste whatever in that regard. I had it professionally decorated and furnished.

Would you like to see the rest of it?

"Yes, please."

Joy quickly noted that the same colour palate had been used throughout the whole apartment, ranging from white, to white with a greyish tinge, to various shades of grey right through to black, splashes of turquoise brightening up what could otherwise have been a dull decor. Which no doubt was why the designer had chosen glass surfaces for the various tables in the living area, to lift the heaviness of the black leather sofas and chairs.

When she commented on how spotless everything was, John informed her that he had the apartment serviced every few days when he was in town.

"Housekeeping," he added, "is not my forte."

Joy didn't imagine that it would be. He was a man's man, with an outdoors job and outdoors hobbies such as surfing and camping.

The last room John showed her was the master bedroom, which blew her away even more than the kitchen. The black quilt on the king sized bed contrasted beautifully with the white lacquered bed head and side tables.

Joy suddenly saw herself sitting stark naked in that decadent looking bed, propped up against a mountain of pillows whilst John was doing unimaginable things to her.

Once again, heat zoomed into her cheeks.

Thankfully, her back was to John.

"You've gone rather quiet," he said from just behind her. Is there something wrong?"

By the time she turned around, Joy had her blushing under control. She even managed a polite smile. "Not at all. This place is lovely, John."

"But.....?"

"But what?"

"I was sure I heard a "but" in there somewhere."

Joy decided to take the bull by the horns in an  attempt to defuse the nervous tension which was building up inside her. "I was wondering if you expected me to join you in here tonight."

In spite of his earlier plans, John was tempted to say yes, by God , of course i am.

"I thought you'd be too tired," he said, doing his best to ignore his body, which shouted in protest.

She smiled. A rather odd smile, but a smile nevertheless.

"When I'm nervous about something, I like to get it over and done with as soon as possible."

"There's no reason for you to be nervous."

Joy laughed. "You have no idea."

"I have no idea about what?"

Her face twisted into a grimace. "I should have told you earlier."

"Told me what?

"I think I might be a little bit frigid."

Je deliberated for a moment, then reached out to take gentle possession of her chin and turn her face back to his.

He doubted very much that she was frigid he'd seen passion in her too many times.

"Lest just take this one step at a time," he said softly, his eyes holding hers. "You like to be kissed, don't you? When you're with a man you're attracted to, that is."

She blinked, then nodded.

Joy thought he was going to kiss her. But he didn't. Instead, he released her chin then lifted his hand to rub two of his fingertips back and forth along her lower lip, before tracing the full circle of her mouth over and over. Soon, her lips were tingling, her heart was pounding madly in her chest and she was dying for him to kiss her. Her mouth fell open as she struggled for breath, her tongue drying as she sucker in much needed air. At which point he finally did what she craved, removed his fingers and replaced them with his lips.

It was a kiss such as she had never experienced before. Perversely restrained, but incredibly exciting. He cupped her face as he gently caressed her swollen lips, till a frustrated Moab escaped her throat. Only then did he deepen the kiss, his lips applying more pressure, holding her lips far enough apart for his tongue to slide into her mouth.

Joy's head whirled. She could not think straight. Neither did she care. All she wanted was for John to keep on kissing her.

But he didn't.

She made some sort of protest when his mouth lifted abruptly from hers. A Moan. A groan. She could not be sure which.

When she stared up at John she saw that he didn't seem at all rattled.

"I take it then," he said coolly, " that you find me attractive?"

Her state became a glare. "You're an arrogant bastard, John Davis."

His smile widened. "And you're incredibly beautiful,Joy Mike."

She purses her lips in defiance at the involuntary pleasure his compliment gave her.

"You're also not even a little bit frigid."

"Oh!" She exclaimed frustratedly. "You really are the most annoying man."

"But an attractive one,"he reminded her with a perfectly straight face.

She couldn't help it. She laughed. "Whatever am i going to do with you?" She said without thinking.

John's eyebrows arched, his eyes twinkling suggestively. Joy's own blue eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare say anything. Now, I'm going to go unpack in one of the guest bedrooms. I'd love the one with the turquoise flowers, if it's okay with you? Meanwhile, I don't suppose there's any food about?"

"Unfortunately, cooking is not my forte either, he returned. "So the best I can offer you is takeaway for tonight. But I know lots of local Asian style restaurants who'll deliver within half an hour. What would you prefer? Chinese? Thai? Vietnamese?"

"I'm not fussy," she said. "You choose."

"Thai it is, then," he said as they both turned and walked back into the living room. "Join me back in here when you're ready. I bought some snacks and some wine in anticipation of your visit."

Joy almost told him that she didn't usually drink much; that she'd just been upset that day. But she didn't want to bring up the subject of her ongoing failure to conceive a child. For a while there, she'd forgotten about that.

She'd forgotten to ring her mother as well. Oh dear.

"I'll have to ring my mother first before I do another thing," she said, feeling terrible guilty. "Let her know I've arrived safely."

"Fine. You do that. I'll go ring the restaurant. And Joy.....?"

"What?"

"You can relax; I promise i won't be making you to do anything you don't want to." His mouth curled up in a wicked smile. "Not unless you beg me, anyway."

A worried Janet Mike jumped to answer the phone as soon as it rang, relief flooding through her when she saw it was her daughter’s mobile number on the display. 

‘Hi, mum,’ Joy said before she could utter a word.

‘You can relax now. The plane didn’t crash and I’m safely at the hotel.’

‘I wish you’d rung me from the airport,’ Janet said plaintively. ‘I’ve been worried sick.’

Joy smothered a sigh. ‘Sorry. I thought I’d wait till I got to the hotel so that i could tell you about it.’

‘I’m the one who’s sorry, darling. You’ve gone up there for a rest and here i am, putting guilt trips on you already i promise not to keep on being a pain. Or to expect you to ring me all the time. But, yes, I would like to know about the hotel. Is your room nice?”

Joy moved over to sit on one of the huge black leather sofas, amazed at how soft and comfortable it was. ‘Very,’ she said as she leant back into its squashy depths. ‘Has all the mod cons and a view of the harbor.’

‘You never did tell me how much you paid for it.’

‘Actually I didn’t just book a room, mum. It’s an apartment.’

‘Goodness! It’s not like you be so extravagant, Joy, except perhaps when it comes to clothes. Not that I’m complaining, mind. You deserve some spoiling after all you’ve been through.’

It was ironic that, right at the moment, John came into the living room carrying a frosted glass of white wine which he handed to Joy, who mouthed, “Thank you,” before lifting the glass to her lips. She had a feeling she was going to need a drink or two before this night was out.

‘You’ll have to send me some photos of the place,’ her mother added.

Joy took a sip of the deliciously chilled wine whilst wondering how she could avoid doing that. Perhaps she could just send photos of the view, the guest bedroom, half the main bathroom and about a quarter of the humongous kitchen. But not right now.

‘Can i leave that till tomorrow morning, Mum? I’m pretty bushed tonight. I just want to have a shower and go straight to bed.’

‘Without eating anything?’

‘I won’t starve,Mum. There’s a small stick of essentials in the kitchen,’ she said truthfully. John had shown her the floor to ceiling pantry. ‘It’s lovely. There’s even a complimentary bottle of very good white wine in the fridge.’ She raised her glass in a toast like gesture to John who’d settled himself on the sofa adjacent to hers. He smiled back whilst stretching his long arms along the back of the sofa, looking ridiculously sexy.

Joy reefed her eyes away and focused firmly on her conversation with her mother.

‘So how did you cope today without me?’ She asked.

‘Fine. Though none of the other girls ate a patch on you when it comes to colour. I suspect a few of the our clients will wait till you come back before getting theirs done again. Still, you’ll only be gone ten days. It’s not an eternity . I’m sure they’ll survive.’

‘I’m sure they will. I’d better go now, Mum. I keep on yawning. I’ll give you a call again tomorrow night.’

‘I’d like that. You can tell me what you’ve been up to all day.’

Joy swallowed, then glanced over at John. Would he want to make love in the morning, in board daylight? Or would he wait till tomorrow night?

‘I….we….I doubt I’ll be doing too much tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I might just walk around the city and get my bearings. Do a little shopping for food. I don’t fancy going out to restaurants on my own so I’ll probably cook.’

‘Sound nice. Night nights, darling. Love you.’

‘Love you too, Mum. Bye.’ After she hung up, Joy took a deep swallow of the wine before glancing over at John.

‘Mothers!’ She said with a mixture of exasperation and affection.

‘They mean well,’ he replied.

‘But?’ Joy prompted with a wry little smile. ‘I’m sure i heard a but I’m there somewhere,’ she added, echoing the words he’d used earlier.

His smile carried amusement. ‘I think you’re the witty one here, Joy, not me. But, no, no buts. Mothers will be mothers, no matter how old their children get. You just have to learn how to circumnavigate their tendency to cling and control without their knowing how much you hate it.’

‘But I don’t hate it,’ she said. ‘Not the way you do. I think of my mother’s concern for me as caring, not clinging and controlling.’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Not all mothers are equal.  Yours, I have to admit, is especially nice.’

‘So is yours.’

‘True. But mine is married to my father.’

Joy tipped her head slightly to one side as she searched his face. ‘I’ve always wanted to ask you why you hate your father so much. I mean…. I know he’s not the happiest of souls but he’s still your father.’

‘Please don’t go down that road, Joy.’

‘What road?’

‘The third degree road.’

‘I was just curious about the relationship between you and your father. I have no intention of asking you a whole heap of questions about your life.’

‘Good. Because I have no intention of answering them,’ he growled as he crossed his arms in a belligerent fashion.

Joy added ‘defensive’ and ‘secretive’ to John’s list of personality flaws, along with arrogant and rude.

‘Charming,’ she muttered.

‘No. I’m actually not at all charming,’ he admitted drily. I’m exactly what you called me earlier introverted and antisocial.’

‘For pity’s sake, let’s not go down that road, either!’

‘And what road is that, might i ask?’ He snapped.

‘The back to the future childish road, where we fight all the time and end up spoiling what i came up here for. Trust me when i say i no longer wish to know the ins and out of your life story. I know I originally said I did but I’ve changed my mind on that score. I don’t give a damn where you’ve been all these years, what you’ve done or who you’ve slept with, safely or otherwise. I also don’t give a damn how bloody rich you are. All I care about is whether this works and we can actually make a baby!’

She was still glaring at him several seconds later when the beginning of a smile tugged at the corners of his tightly pressed lips. Before long he was smiling broadly at her.

‘You always were good at tongue lashings.’

Joy refused to smile back at him. She was still way too angry. Instead, she took another gulp of wine. When it went straight to her head, she realized she really needed to eat something. And soon.

As if on cue, the buzzer to the apartment’s security system went off, indicating that someone required enter to the building. Hopefully it was someone delivering the Thai food.

‘Saved by the bell,’ John quipped and stood up. ‘That should be dinner,’ he said as he walked to the front door where he flipped a switch on the wall console and asked who it was.

‘Dinner delivery for John Davis.’

‘I’ll come down and get it.’

Joy sat and worried a little about the future while he was downstairs, then decided she had to stop thinking. She drained her glass, then went out to the kitchen where she refilled from the opened wine bottle she found in the fridge door and returned to sit, sipping in silence, as she waited for John’s return.

He arrived with some delicious smelling containers.

‘Let’s go eat this in the kitchen. Unless of course you want me to set the dining table?’ He added.

‘I don’t think we have time for that,’ Joy said when she stood up and the room spun round. ‘If I don’t eat something in the next five minutes, I’m going to become seriously tipsy.’

‘On one glass of wine?’

‘I refilled whilst you were downstairs.’

‘You drunkard, you!’

‘Stop mocking me and go serve up that food!’

‘Can you make it to the kitchen on your own or do you want me to carry you?’she rolled her eyes at him. ‘I think i can make it that far alone.’

‘What a shame. I’ve always wanted to sweep you up into my arms.’

‘You liar, you!’

He sighed melodramatically. ‘Oh, Joy, whatever am i going to do with you?’

‘Hopefully, you’re going to feed me.’