ACCORDING TO PLAN

by Barr, Sue

  “I love that tee shirt,” I heard him say. “We bought it in Cancun. Do you remember? That was the best two weeks ever.”

  Oh, I remembered all right. We went to Cancun for our honeymoon.

  Gritting my teeth, I concentrated hard and hit the white cue ball dead center. When I’d finished with the follow-through, only one ball dropped. The hit had been too hard.

  Tank was distracting me, not the other way around. Another yawn stretched through me as I chalked my cue stick and walked around, checking my options. He nursed his drink, looking like a guy who didn’t have a care in the world. Looking like a guy who only had to win one more game. Those stupid pills had better start working soon since I’d just delivered a lousy break.

  No matter which angle I tried, the balls were crowded too close together and there was no way to get a clean shot. As much as I hated playing ‘dirty pool’, I’d have to try and hook him without looking like I hooked him.

  Tank continued reminiscing. “Yup, Cancun was a good time, but Connecticut… Now that’s a holiday I’ll never forget.”

  Whew, was it hot in here?

  “I loved roughing it in Connecticut.”

  I gulped a big mouthful of my drink, and sucked in some ice to cool down. The heat intensified as I remembered how we ‘roughed it.’ After a long day hiking Tank said I’d walked through poison oak and insisted on checking me out, most thoroughly. While it turned out there had been no poison oak, not one spot on my body had been left untouched, kissed, or caressed.

  “Tune him out,” I muttered. “He’s trying to side track you.” And doing a good job.

  I rolled my shoulders in a vain attempt to loosen the muscles. We both knew it was a stall tactic. Finally, I had the shot lined up, but my hand was damp and the cue stick slipped, breaking the balls wide open. Not a single ball dropped. Defeated, I stared at the brightly scattered balls like Napoleon must have done with his troops at Waterloo.

  Tank pushed away from the bar and slid behind me, a solid package of heated testosterone and muscle. One large hand was placed on either side of my body, effectively boxing me in against the pool table.

  “Loosen your shirt babe, I think you’re time has come,” he drawled against my heated cheek and dropped a kiss behind my ear.

  Ripples of anticipation careened through my midsection and there wasn’t much I could do except watch in dumb horror while Tank moved around the table, making impossible shots like he’d done this all his life. Complete and utter silence followed the thunk of the eight ball landing on another ball in the side pocket.

  What went wrong? I have always played better pool than Tank and now because he won, he’d get whatever he wanted. He plucked the cue stick from my nerveless fingers and leaned it against the wall.

  “Come here,” he said and pulled me against his chest.

  Head lowered, my forehead touching his chest, I whispered. “How did this happen? I’ve always won at pool.”

  “Yes, because I let you. It was more fun that way,” he whispered against my neck as his fingers blazed a trail down my back. Warm hands pulled me close, branding me through the thin cotton. Pushing one leg between mine, there was no mistaking his intentions.

  “Do you want it hard and fast, or soft and slow?” His deep voice, thick and heavy with desire, flowed over me.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  God help me. I wanted it all.

  Chapter Six

  Tank ran a hand over my rounded hip. Every inch of my skin tingled and my need for him outweighed any disappointment I’d felt at losing the game. Any hurt I’d felt when he’d left.

  “Kiss me, Tank. Please.” I whispered.

  He lifted me onto my tiptoes and covered my mouth with his. His mouth was hungry and demanding and I kissed him back until my head swam and I was out of breath. He tore his lips from mine and lifted me onto the bar stool.

  “Don’t move,” he warned in a low voice.

  Are you kidding? I was a hot mess, quivering with need and he said don’t move.

  “Why?” I asked, and sucked in a breath when his fingertips feathered across my collarbone and down my arms.

  “This is the soft and slow part, sweetheart.”

  Something akin to remorse flickered behind his eyes. I’d changed my mind. I wanted it fast and hard. And now. Did he know I wanted it now? Finally, after an eternity of waiting, he cupped my face and pressed his lips against mine and I whimpered. This unbearable need, this thirst, could only be quenched by Tank.

  He drew back from the kiss and looked straight into my eyes. Hypnotized at the sight of his tongue moistening his lips, I gripped the arms of the chair and swallowed hard. He stepped back and began to unzip his jeans, then stopped.

  “Is this what you were playing for?” His voice was cold, devoid of his usual humor.

  A coil of unease snaked its way down my back at the question, but I was too far gone to care. I wanted him. I hopped off the bar stool and reached for his jeans.

  In a blur of motion, I found myself on the pool table, large hands holding me against the rich felt cloth. With his full weight on one hand, he cradled the back of my head with the other. Raising me, he covered my mouth with his, a frantic meshing of lips, teeth and tongue, broken only when we came up for air. Then he lifted his head and looked at me. I smiled and raised my hand to caress his face, but his diamond hard eyes pierced my soul.

  “Don’t ever screw with me again. You want sex, just ask nice.”

  My hand dropped to the pool table and another part of me died, burrowing deep within my inner humiliation. He left me on the pool table and his quiet voice filtered down as he made his way to the main level. “I switched drinks with you. Sweet dreams.”

  Reality slammed into me as his dead tone washed me over like cold water. What had I done? Why did I think I could treat him like that? I’d take it all back if I could. Gathering my clothing, I headed upstairs. How did he know? Any dreams that he could love me again were shattered and I had no one to blame but myself.

  My head felt fuzzy, I could barely put one foot in front of the other and my tongue began to swell in my mouth. I made it to the bedroom, dragged off my jeans and tee shirt, leaving them in a pile by the door. When I reached the bed I fell face down and was asleep before I could even crawl under the covers.

  ****

  When I awoke, I found myself under the blankets, spooned against Tank’s warm front, his arm flung over me. This was how we always slept and for a brief, quiet moment I savored the feel of his arm around me. Grit filled my eyes and I had a headache which made me wish I were dead.

  Thankfully, I’d drunk only half of the doctored rum or I might have slept the whole day away. The room, bright with sunshine gave me sinking feeling I’d missed my alarm. Or Tank had turned it off. Either way not good, as my flight was at noon.

  I eased out of Tank’s grip in an attempt to see the alarm clock. If he woke before I could slip away, I’d never get out of bed. There was never a morning he hadn’t awakened with an intimate agenda. And when we were still together, I’d happily shared. Finally, I’d inched close enough to see the time.

  It was almost ten o’clock. There was no way I’d get to the airport, clear security and make my plane. Now I’d have to take a later flight or go tomorrow. First thing I had to do was call Polly, reschedule the flight, then—Tank’s hand tightened.

  Any plans to escape were doomed. He pulled me back against his solid chest, making me lose my hard-earned space and rocked his hips. I froze in place and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

  “I know you’re awake.” He nuzzled my neck. “And I’m sorry about last night.”

  Tears pricked the back of my eyelids. Even though I was the one who tried to drug him, he was apologizing. Turning my head, ever so slightly, Tank captured my mouth with his.

  “I’m sorry, too.” I whispered against his mouth.

  Time slowed as he gathered me close and smoothed his hand down my back.

  “
I need you, Shelby. Will you let me show you?”

  Mute, I nodded yes. I wanted this as much, if not more than him. Firm lips brushed along my collarbone and then moved lower. Much later, he covered us both with the duvet and held me tight.

  Chapter Seven

  I’m not sure how long I’d slept, but when I finally awakened, I stretched like a content cat in the sun, completely sated. The killer headache lingered. I rolled out of bed and almost fell. The inside of my thighs burned and my legs felt like rubber. Exercising with a Thigh Master for days wouldn’t hurt as bad.

  Yoga, I should take yoga classes. Stay flexible and bendy. Of course, I’d have to sign Polly up with me. I wanted her tortured too.

  On autopilot, I gathered my jeans and underwear draped over a chair and tossed them into the laundry basket. The black tee shirt Tank had on last night lay crumpled at the foot of my bed and I stooped to pick it up. Torn between tossing it in the room he was staying in or chucking it in the garbage, I paused. Almost against my will, I brought the shirt to my nose and inhaled his scent. I loved his cologne. In fact, I avoided the men’s areas in department stores, because if I smelled this particular brand, I missed him even more.

  Carefully I folded and tucked the shirt into a corner of my closet. This would be my guilty pleasure when he left.

  I padded into the bathroom and had a shower, which went cold because I stood in there so long trying to shake off the effects of three sleeping pills and a couple hits of rum. When I started to brush my teeth I noticed a post-it note stuck on the mirror with Tank’s distinctive handwriting scrawled across the page.

  Coffee made. Omelet in microwave. T.

  This show of kindness still didn’t make me change my mind about letting him in on my plan. I had to find Harrison before he did. The Grants hired me to do a job and I couldn’t let my personal life get in the way.

  Sure enough, there was coffee in the thermos and I sat down to a well-balanced breakfast of a cheese omelet, coffee and painkillers. I took my food out to the back deck and enjoyed the fresh air. A twinge of regret flowed through me again as I remembered how cold his eyes had been. I couldn’t remember a time, ever, when Tank lost his temper with me.

  Not that we didn’t have our differences and argue. You can’t live with someone for over a year and not have some disagreements. But we’d never had a down and out fight. We didn’t even raise our voices when he left me for another woman. He just walked out, leaving me stunned at the door.

  The painkillers kicked in, so feeling somewhat human again, I called Polly while I grabbed a scrunchie out of my junk drawer and tied back my hair. She’d have to reschedule my flight time. The phone rang a couple of times before she answered.

  “Stewart Investigations, can you hold please?”

  In disbelief, I held the phone away from my ear and stared at it. When did we get a ‘hold’ button on our phone? And just how busy was Polly that she put me on hold? In less than a minute she came back on the line.

  “What happened, hon? You missed your flight. Was it cancelled?”

  “No, Tank happened.” I continued to twist my hair into a ponytail. “Long story, Polly. Did the Grants phone back after Tank visited them?”

  “No, but Regis did. You need to have a talk with him. He’s becoming a nuisance, again.”

  “Okay, I’ll take care of it. Let me know when you’ve got a new flight time.”

  “No problem. Good luck with Regis.”

  Regis made my skin crawl, but out of respect for my late Aunt Tillie, who for some unknown reason had liked his mother, I called. His answering machine kicked in, so I left a brief message along the lines of—I’m busy, never call back and get out of my life.

  Regis wasn’t the only missing person today. Where could Tank have gone? I must have slept through him getting up and showering. No surprise there. Sleeping pills, rum and morning calisthenics would tire out any girl. I carefully opened my blinds and peeked through the front window. Tank’s bike wasn’t parked out front and without knowing what time he’d awakened, he could be anywhere.

  In some ways I was relieved. What happened last night was downright embarrassing and I didn’t want to face him yet. If he was still here when I got back from L.A., maybe we’d talk and sort a few things out. Ground rules were needed in our relationship, or whatever it was we had.

  Polly called back with a rescheduled flight time and e-mailed me my electronic boarding pass. She’d managed to book an afternoon flight and because of the time difference, it would be four o’clock local time when I arrived. Before I hung up, I gave Polly a task. I was still trying to figure out Harrison and his parent’s activities prior, during and after Lulu’s murder.

  “I need you to check the Grant’s phone records. Touch base with your contacts. See if they placed or received any calls to L.A. for the last six weeks. I also want Harrison’s cell phone records for the past three months. I’ll call you later tonight.”

  Polly’s contacts throughout town were golden. She had men all over the county who loved doing favors for her. She oozed southern charm as naturally as a maple tree drips syrup. But a proverbial steel fist lay tucked inside her velvety-gloved persona. Just ask Carl Worthington, Jr. She walloped him hard when he groped her at a barn dance. I still think he swallowed the tooth that went missing.

  I threw my hairbrush, moisturizer, and a change of clothes into a back pack and drove to the airport, continuously looking over my shoulder for Tank. It was downright eerie how he hadn’t been around. He always popped up where I least expected. A huge sigh of relief escaped me when I arrived at the terminal and boarded the plane. It was only when the doors closed and we pushed back that I realized I’d been waiting for him to come down the aisle and plunk down beside me saying something cocky, like, ‘Going somewhere, darlin’?’

  I’d gotten away clean and grinned like a Cheshire cat. Finally, something had gone according to plan.

  ****

  Tank pulled to a stop outside of Shelby’s office. He’d have liked nothing better than to spend a whole day loving her. He’d lain in bed for over an hour, holding her close before she’d awakened.

  I’m a fool

  Last night she’d wanted him as much as he did her. There was no denying that the physical side of their marriage hadn’t suffered. His only regret was that she’d started the whole strip pool game to drug him.

  A small, sinking blob of undissolved powder alerted him to her plan. Switching their drinks while Shelby chose a pool cue had been simple enough. He could have easily faked drinking the rum and then pretended to sleep, but he’d been angry enough to want to teach her a lesson. He still regretted losing his temper. She didn’t deserve that.

  Entering the reception room of the office, the bell jangled above his head. Polly looked up and grinned. “Hi Tank. Shelby’s not here.”

  “I know. She’s back home, sleeping.” He caught her quick glance at the clock and then a small frown puckered her brow. He knew Polly almost as well as he knew Shelby. Whatever plans Shelby had for today, she wasn’t on time.

  He’d met the two girls the same night at a local beach party. They were an unlikely pair. Polly came from old money, Shelby from need money. Polly’s old man, Thaddeus B. Walker, didn’t think anyone was good enough for his Southern princess. But Polly had taken to Shelby, and vice versa, their first day of school.

  His difficult mission this morning was to find out what Shelby had going on. Why did she want him sound asleep? A mental kick in the pants is what he deserved, almost falling for her ruse. She’d become more devious since he’d left.

  Pulling information from Polly wouldn’t be easy. Although Tank kept his lines of communication open with her during the break up with Shelby, if push came to shove, Polly would side with Shelby in a heartbeat.

  The phone rang and Polly looked at the call display. She answered the phone, “Stewart Investigations, can you hold please?” With a perfect smile and turning on her famed southern charm, she gushed, “
Tank, would you be a doll and get me a coffee…from Hal’s?”

  Tank shrugged. He recognized it as a ploy to get him out of the office while she took the call. Hal’s was at least four blocks away, while a perfectly good take out place was only two doors down. As the door to the office closed, he heard, “What happened, hon, you missed your flight. Was it cancelled?”

  That’s interesting. Shelby was flying somewhere. Now all he had to do was discover the where and when. While at Hal’s, Tank bought a fresh Boston Cream donut, Polly’s favorite, to go with her coffee, tossing the complimentary napkins into the garbage. The front office was empty when he got back so he placed both the donut and the coffee on her desk and snuck a glance in her tray. Seeing the top tray was empty, he rifled through papers in the second tray, yet found nothing that would tell him where Shelby was going. The only other logical place to look would have to be on the computer.

  He heard Polly closing file drawers and moving around Shelby’s office. Quickly he slid around and planted himself in front of her desk.

  Polly, filing in her arms, came back into the reception area. “Oh, you’re back. Thanks for getting me the coffee.” Spotting the cream-filled treat on her desk, her eyes lit up. “Ooooh, Boston Cream.” She put the files on the edge of her desk, sat down and picked the donut up.

  Tank watched her take a big bite, her eyes closing as she savored the morsel.

  Licking some chocolate off the corner of her mouth, she turned her keen gaze on him.

  “When are you going to tell her you didn’t cheat?”

  Her question surprised him.

  One drunken, barhopping, fight-filled night he’d confessed to Polly there had been no other woman. She’d come across him picking fights in a bar and took him home to sober up.

  “Funny you should ask that. The guy, who almost blew my cover, he…uh, well… Let’s just say he came into his own.”

  “Did you kill him?” Polly’s wide-eyed stare made him laugh aloud.