The news of Yunho's divorce had hit the newspapers a couple of days after jaejoong met him, his wife accusing him of adultery several times over. After jaejoong own experience with him jaejoong could quite well believe that Jung Jessica probably deserved the millions of dollars she received in settlement from him. Any woman who could stay married to such a man for four years deserved everything she could get out of him.

But jaejoong main worry now was whether or not he would recognise Kim Jaejoong, successful portrait painter, as Jae, the boy he had once paid for going to bed with him? God, that must have been a novel experience for him, he had probably never paid a man for in his life before! He would never need to.

But jaejoong was still worrying about whether yunho would recognise him as he waited for him and Kwon Yuri to arrive at his apartment the next afternoon. If yunho didn't remember him, jaejoong could carry out this meeting with some degree of dignity, but if he should remember jaejoong . .! The consequences of that didn't bear thinking about, and jaejoong tried not to.

When the doorbell rang promptly at two o'clock jaejoong took his time about answering it, checking his appearance in the mirror one last time. The denims and loose green top weren't an act of defiance on his part, more a need to be wearing something so completely different than the sophisticated black evening clotes he had been wearing the last time he met Jung Yunho

jaejoong outward appearance had changed the last seven years, his hair was styled shorter now, his once slightly rounded face smoothed out to high cheekbones and angled features, his whole bearing one of maturity now rather than a raw adolescence.

jaejoong deliberately trained his attention on Kwon Yuri as he opened the door, ignoring the man who stood arrogantly at her side, although jaejoong was instantly aware of him, sensing that same charged electricity jaejoong had known in him seven years ago.

Kwon yuri was as beautiful as her photographs proclaimed her to be, although the sharp brown eyes were narrowed assessingly on jaejoong, as if gauging his attractiveness, the brief contempt registered there dismissing jaejoong as unimportant. That suited jaejoong perfectly, he wanted as little tension and unpleasantness from this commission as possible.

Although jaejoong wasn't sure he could count on that to continue as he took the other couple through to the lounge, turning to find the brown eyes were no longer scornfully dismissing, snapping with anger now as kwon yuri saw and recognised her lover's open interest in jaejoong. Jaejoong was forced to recognise it too as he also met the warmth in narrowed black eyes.

yunho had changed little in the last seven years, the black hair showing flecks of grey, the cynicism in his expression deepened, but otherwise he was the same devastatingly attractive man jaejoong had once fallen instantly in love with. Jaejoong felt a similar leap of his senses to the one he had felt that night, although jaejoong remained outwardly cool and uninterested, maturity showing his how best to handle this meeting.

“Do you have any idea what sort of portrait you would like?” jaejoong addressed his question to kwon yuri, although he wasn't altogether surprised when jung yunho answered.

“We know exactly what sort of portrait we want, mister kim”, he told jaejoong smoothly. “It's a requirement of the play Miss kwon is in, and will be presented to her at the end of the play's run”

“Oh”, jaejoong nodded understanding, giving no indication that yunho's gravelly sensuous voice meant anything to him, jaejoong interest wholly professional as he listened to yunho

explain the details of the portrait needed.

“You have precisely one month to complete the portrait to our requirements, Mister kim”, yunho finally concluded. “We need it for the opening night”

“Of course”, jaejoong acknowledged stiltedly. ”I'll do my best.”

“And I'm sure that will be good enough” yunho returned huskily, his eyes darkly caressing.

Jaejoong refused to meet that gaze, deliberately turning to the actress who had sat quietly at his side on the sofa as he talked. “When would you like to begin your sittings, miss kwon?”

Anger still burned deep in the brown eyes. “Is that really necessary?'” she drawled in a bored voice. “Wouldn't a photograph do?”

jaejoong shook his head, all the time aware that narrowed black eyes never left his face. But they contained no grain of recognition of the past, jaejoong was sure of that, yunho saw jaejoong only as the beautiful man he was now. “i'm afraid I can't work that way”,he explained politely. “Although I could recommend someone else who—“

“No”, jung yunho cut in abruptly. “I want you to do the portrait”

“Really, yunho”, kwon yuri turned to him impatiently, her beautiful mouth pouting provocatively. “Do I have to sit around here for hours on end, bored out of my mind?”

“Yes”, his answer was uncompromising.

Her hand came to rest on his thigh. “I'd much rather spend the time with you.”

yunho looked at her without emotion. “You'll come here as often as Mister kim requires you to”

“But, yunho—“

“yuri!” He didn't raise his voice, he didn't need to, his tone enough to silence his mistress.

Jaejoong witnessed the exchange with a certain amount of embarrassment. That the fiery kwon yuri was about as 'tamed' as she could be when with this man was obvious, her expression now rebellious, although she raised no more objections.

Jaejoong did not like the other woman in the least, but he could feel sorry for her. '”I doubt I'll need to trouble you for more than one or two sittings”, again Jaejoong ignored jung yunhoas, talking to the actress. “And probably only for an hour or so at a time, perhaps on a

Saturday morning if that's convenient?'”

Brown eyes shot jung yunho a resentful glare, although he seemed immune to it. “I suppose Saturday is all right”, she agreed ungraciously. “Although it will have to be in the afternoon”, she gave her lover a smouldering look from beneath long lashes. “I don't like

to get out of bed early.”

“What time is most convenient for you, Mister kim?” Jung Yunho ignored the actress's effort to flirt with him, removing her hand pointedly from his thigh, his mouth a thin straight line of disapproval at the intimacy.

Jaejoong was beginning to get the feeling he had been brought in on the middle of a lovers' tiff. Or perhaps this was the way yunho always treated his mistress? He had been cruel and unfeeling in the past, perhaps those emotions had just intensified with the passing of the years.

“The afternoon will be fine”, Jaejoong said coolly. “About two o'clock?”

yunho nodded. “I believe Mr shim has told you the details of your fee?” he raised dark brows in challenge, as if he already knew of Jaejoong refusal to accept the amount he had offered.

“It's too much”, Jaejoong met his challenge. “You will get the bill for the usual amount once the portrait is completed. If my work is satisfactory”

The black eyes rekindled with interest. “I'm sure it will be.”

“Only time will tell” Jaejoong had a feeling kwon yuri wasn't going to be an easy subject to paint.

Besides the fact that Jaejoong didn't actually like the other woman, there was the problem of his brittle hardness to contend with, a quality they didn't want in the portrait, jaejoong felt sure.

“I—“ jaejoong broke off as the telephone began to ring, surmising it to be changmin wanting to know how the meeting had gone. He was a little premature. “Excuse me”, jaejoong gave a bright meaningless smile in the other couple's direction before picking up the receiver.

“jae?”

jaejoong instantly recognised his father's voice, some of the tension leaving him. “How are you?” jaejoong asked warmly, listening as his father went on to tell jaejoong briefly about

the holiday he and his mother had just taken. “Dinner tonight?” jaejoong repeated his suggestion. “That would be lovely”

jaejoong rang off a few minutes later, turning to find narrowed black eyes levelled on him, displeasure etched into the harsh features. '

“Sorry about that”, jaejoong felt compelled to make the apology. “Now where were we?'”

“I believe we had just about concluded the meeting”, jung yunho rasped harshly, standing up, the threepiece suit in charcoal grey fitting his lithe masculinity to

perfection. “Miss kwon will be here at two o'clock on Saturday.”

The other couple left so abruptly jaejoong was left with a sense of anti-, although he had to admit to a certain amount of relief too. The meeting had been as much of a strain as he had thought it would be, although at least jaejoong had been spared the humiliation of

recognition. Yunho had seen him only as Kim Jaejoong, although there could be no doubt that he found jaejoong attractive in that capacity. Yunho was a dangerous man for any one to find attractive, had been lethal for him all those years ago.

When the telephone rang half an hour later jaejoong felt sure that this time it had to be changmin. It was not.

“jaejoong , will you have dinner with me this evening?”

There was no need for him to identify himself, jaejoong recognised his voice immediately. “I'm sorry, Mr Jung, I already have an appointment this evening,” he refused frostily, a telephone call from him so soon after he had left the last thing jaejoong had been expecting.

“So I heard”, he bit out. “I want you to break it”

Now jaejoong knew the reason for his abruptness before he left. jaejoong had thought he had been annoyed that jaejoong had taken the telephone call while he was here, instead

he had been eager to drop off his mistress so that he could ask jaejoong for a date! The cold-blooded arrogance of the man.

“I'm afraid that's out of the question” jaejoong thought back on the conversation he had overheard, realising that not once had jaejoong identified his caller as his father. “I really couldn't let my friend down at such short notice”, jaejoong added with throaty insinuation.

For a moment there was angry silence on the other end of the telephone.

“Tomorrow?” yunho finally rasped.

“I 'm afraid not”

“You're seeing the same man again then?”

“Possibly”, jaejoong evaded lying.

“In other words you don't wish to go out with me?” yunho said dryly.

“That's right”, jaejoong acknowledged coldly.

Yunho gave a throaty laugh at jaejoong honesty. “But I always get what I want, jaejoong. And I wanted you the moment I set eyes on you”

“Wouldn't Miss kwon have something to say about this?” jaejoong taunted with sarcasm.

“No”, he answered abruptly. “She wouldn't. She doesn't own me, no woman does”

'

“I'm really very sorry, Mr jung “, jaejoong snapped. “But I really have no desire to go out with you, either now or in the forseeable future.”

“I can be very persistent when I want something”, yunho warned throatily.

“And I can be just as determined myself. Goodbye, Mrjung “, jaejoong rang off before yunho could say anymore, sitting down abruptly. Yunho hadn't changed at all, was still the arrogant bastard who had once paid jaejoong to go to bed with him.

Jaejoong moved dazedly into his bedroom, going straight to the green onyx jewellery box that stood on his dressing-table, lifting the lid with shaking fingers. The two two hundred thousands won notes inside instantly unfolded, as crisply new as the day jaejoong had received them.

jaejoong had no need to count them, jaejoong already knew exactly how much money there was there. After yunho had gone into the shower that night jaejoong had dressed in a daze before leaving, not realising until he reached home and the sanctuary of his bedroom

that he had stuffed the two hudreds thousands won notes which yunho had so contemptuously tossed at jaejoong in his handbag. At first jaejoong had wanted to take it straight back, but the thought of facing his mocking derision for a second time that night hadn't appealed to jaejoong at all in his still shocked state.

Jaejoong decided to post it back to him. By morning jaejoong had changed his mind about that, deciding to keep the money as a reminder of the man who had paid him for his ity. And jaejoong had never forgotten him, hated yunho now as jaejoong had hated him then.