These are modern times. Times in which women can stand on equal footing with men. If you surveyed most women in the Western world, you would likely find that very few of them are looking for a white knight in shining armor to rescue them. The concept of a "damsel in distress" no longer exists, I am sure most women would tell you that.
Javier James King would never have thought of himself as a knight. In fact, he was a bit terrified of horses. The first (and only) time he had gone riding as a youngster, he had been thrown from the horse. From that day forward, he refused to go riding again. His brothers and sisters loved to ride, but for JJ, the only horse he ever wanted to ride was manufactured by Harley Davidson.
Aside from beasts with four legs, there were very few things that frightened JJ. From his late teens until today, he had lived a life of adventure. He had been white water rafting, gone to the Antarctic on an expedition, climbed most of the way up Mount Everest and was an accomplished sky diver. The only two things that had given him any trepidation were leaving his secure job -- and marriage.
The two were somewhat linked. He had been a professor of English Literature at Hudson for almost twenty years, the youngest they had ever hired. Just past his 40th birthday, his on-the-go lifestyle kept him looking several years younger. He admitted to being a rogue and a lady's man, so whenever a willing professor or attractive teaching assistant made an offer, JJ -- with discretion -- indulged himself. Why would he ever want to marry when there was a bevy of beauties out there to choose from? The women offered and JJ Kirby took. He knew what to say and he dressed nicely and he prided himself on being in good shape and good in bed.
The catalyst that spurred the change in his life was when a less-qualified professor was promoted to the head of the department before JJ. He was not one to remain silent. He was not a man who suffered fools gladly. He spoke up -- quite vocally -- and then he learned how things rolled in the world of academia in which he toiled. It was all about appearance. The new "boss" didn't make waves; he was as bland as a piece of Melba Toast. There were no rumors flying around about Seymour Hollingsworth III. He was a good academian who did what was required of him. He never bucked the system.
JJ was livid. Rather than burning his bridges behind him, he took a six month leave of absence and hammered out a manuscript he thought was superb. He never downplayed his own abilities. The first publisher that it reached bought it. With a $35,000 advance in hand, he walked into the Dean's office and told him to shove his job where the sun didn't shine. It was almost 6 years later and he still had never looked back. Sometimes, you know when you've reached the end of a journey and JJ had reached his.
His first book started out as a slow climb, but after a few positive reviews, sales started on an upward climb. By the end of the first year, it had sold well enough for the publishers to ask for a second book and earned him a larger advance. With his earnings from the first book and the advance, he was able to put a down payment on a home and start to live nicely. He was becoming popular and got invited to a lot of parties and functions as a guest. Women were enchanted by his career and he started to write -- a lot. Slowly, he developed a following and when he released a novel with erotic overtones, sales went through the roof. He became the flavor of the day, although that day lasted for several years. His editors were thrilled with him and his advances were only outweighed by his royalty checks.
In the early days of his career, JJ didn't much like book tours. Too much travel, too much bad food, too much inane chatter with people who had only skimmed the book. Some of the fans were a bit -- weird, to say the least. On one book tour, however, destiny took him by the hand. He was barely looking up as he signed copy upon copy of his books. When a soft, chiming voice spoke to him, he looked up and saw -
her.
JJ's first impressions of the younger woman were mixed, to say the least. She was beautiful, you could see that. With little or no makeup, her face was gleaming with youthful vitality. Her eyes were the palest blue he had ever seen and her blonde hair was almost silver. She was lovely and slender and seemed to have a nice figure.
That was the incongruity of it all. Despite her good looks, she was wearing very plain clothing, a gingham dress. Did anyone still dress that way? No high heels, just flat Mary Janes and she didn't seem to be wearing any jewelry. To JJ, it was as if someone had thrown a tarpaulin around the Venus De Milo.
Why
would anyone want to make someone this stunning look so -- dull?
He could barely hear her speaking, her voice was just
that
delicate. She pushed two of his novels in front of him, asking if it would be too much trouble for him to sign both. The young lady told him that her name was Mona Miles. Her name didn't seem to suit such a vision. She declined to have them personalized, so JJ signed the books for her and she smiled sweetly. "My mother would kill me if she knew I read books like
these
," she giggled nervously. "They're my little secret, but they're so
thrilling!
"
Javier wondered what it was about this pretty young thing that charmed him so. "I'm glad to hear that you like them," he said to her. On an impulse that came out of nowhere, he piped up "Would you like to have a cup of coffee with the author when the book signing is done?"
The girl's blue eyes seemed to take on a sign of life for the very first time. "Oh no, thank you -- I couldn't do
that!
" She seemed to be in a panic. "I don't even know you and my family will wonder where I am, they think I'm at the library."
"Only way to know someone is to talk with them," JJ said to the girl. "Just tell your family that you wanted a cup of coffee before you came home."
