If Only for Tonight

by Sherelle Green

  “I’ll inform the men.”

  “Thanks. Did you hear anything from the private investigator?”

  “They haven’t found anything yet.”

  Shawn wasn’t familiar with some of the newer members of the agency so he knew he needed to reach out to people he knew outside the agency if he was going to solve the case. “I need to make a few calls before the party tonight, including calling your brother,” Shawn said as he stood to leave the room. “I also need you to head back to Chicago after we leave Carbondale to make sure we cover all of our bases.” Micah nodded his head in understanding.

  Jim Pearson was originally only appearing on two stops of the appreciation tour, but he had conveniently asked Mr. Vallant if he could attend all the events. After clearing it with Shawn and his team first, Mr. Vallant had obliged Jim’s request.

  As Shawn walked down the hallway toward his hotel room, he tried to shake the feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something just didn’t sit right with him regarding the case. He knew as well as any law enforcement officer that sometimes the culprit was right in front of you, so Jim Pearson could definitely be their guy since he was the only executive team member who appeared to be into some shady side business. His demeanor during the investigation said as much. What he didn’t know was whether Jim was the only Vallant employee who was involved in the drug case or if he was working with an accomplice outside of the company.

  When Shawn reached his room, he went to the safe and took out all the paperwork he had on the case. Jim Pearson just didn’t seem to have the mind-set of a criminal. He was guilty for sure, but was he the brains behind the transiting of the drugs?

  As Shawn sat on the sofa and shuffled through stacks of paperwork, he thought back to that fateful day years ago when his life had changed. He’d been an FBI agent serving as a special deputy United States Marshal at the time. Not a day passed when he didn’t wish he could rewind that entire day. So many more pertinent cases had surfaced since then, and FBI resources were needed elsewhere. But since that case was still open, Shawn was determined to do everything he could to find the person responsible. Although they’d captured Detroit’s largest drug lord three years ago, the same marked drugs that were circulating through Detroit and Chicago back then were still circulating today. The DEA and P.D. in both cities were on the case, but Shawn needed to do more than solve the current drug situation. He needed answers that he’d been trying to get for the past three years.

  He took out his Android and called his trusted friend and ex-FBI agent, private investigator Malik Madden. He answered on the first ring. “Hey, Malik, I need your help.”

  “Hey, man, what’s up? Micah didn’t mess up, did he?”

  “Naw, man,” Shawn said with a laugh. “You need to cool it on this big-brother kick. Micah’s not that much younger than you.” He heard Malik laugh. “I’m sending you a list of names that I need you to research as soon as you can. The FBI is coming up short and I think someone paid a lot of money to cover up their indiscretions.”

  “Say no more. Send me the list and give me at least a week, maybe two, to work with my connections.” Malik was one of the FBI’s finest and had been recruited while he was still attending Harvard University. But like Shawn, he’d always dreamed of operating his own business. After a little shy of ten years with the FBI, Malik had retired and opened his own private investigator firm.

  “Thanks, man,” Shawn said as he ended his call. “The FBI will do their research, and I’ll do mine,” Shawn said aloud before packing up his paperwork to begin getting ready for the party.

  * * *

  Once again, Shawn knew the exact moment that Cydney entered the banquet hall. He’d seen her hours prior directing the setup of the room and speaking with the banquet hall staff. When Shawn had originally seen Game Night: Come Represent Your Favorite Team! on the agenda, he hadn’t known what to expect. Looking around at the pool tables, dartboards, mini basketball hoops, Ping-Pong tables and other games staggered around the large main room, he was greatly impressed. Cydney had managed to turn a sporting event into a classy production. There was even a section for hardcore casino players that included roulette and poker tables as well as several slot machines. Everyone had on their favorite jerseys, team T-shirts or hoodies, but no one looked as sexy as Cydney, who wore a clingy Bulls jersey. Shawn took another swig of his beer as he observed her outfit a little more closely. She’d tied a knot in the back, successfully showing off her amazing body shape. Her dark blue jeans hugged her apple behind in ways that made him jealous he wasn’t denim material. When she bent over to pick up something she’d dropped on the floor, her shirt inched up, exposing the soft, creamy skin around her midriff.

  “Can’t take your eyes off her, right?” said a male voice standing behind Shawn. Shawn turned just as Paul Jensen was approaching him.

  “Excuse me?” Shawn asked, pretending he didn’t hear the question as he took another swig of his beer. Paul laughed as he shook the ice in his drink to break apart the cubes.

  “Cydney Rayne? She looks damn good in that outfit, right?” Paul asked. “Although she looks great every time I see her.”

  Before he could stop himself, Shawn cut his eyes at Paul.

  “Hey, man, I was just saying,” Paul said, shrugging his shoulders and laughing once again. Keep your cool, Miles. She’s not your woman. Instead of responding he just smiled and initiated small talk about sports.

  Ten minutes into their conversation, Brittany Higgins and Kim Lathers joined them.

  “Hello, gentlemen,” Brittany said, focusing all her attention on Shawn. While Kim led a conversation about the current status of the stock market, Brittany seductively sipped her wine, stealing glances at Shawn throughout the entire conversation. She was definitely an attractive woman and if Shawn wasn’t so occupied with Cydney at the moment, he may have been inclined to return her flirtation.

  “Shawn, what are your thoughts on the situation?” Brittany asked. Shawn didn’t know if they were still talking about the stock market, or if they had moved on to another topic all together. He’d been too busy watching Cydney, who’d tried to watch their group discreetly ever since the women had joined them.

  Shawn looked back at the group awaiting his response. “Ladies first,” he said as he nodded his head toward Brittany, hoping she hadn’t already answered.

  “Oh, Shawn,” Brittany said as she gently touched his arm. “You’re too sweet.” She tightly squeezed one of his muscles before she dropped her hand and answered the question, which luckily was still regarding the stock market.

  As he pretended to listen to Brittany’s response, he heard Micah’s voice in his earpiece. “Jim Pearson has entered. East wing.”

  Shawn glanced discreetly at the east-wing entrance of the room in time to see Jim look around before his eyes landed fully on Cydney. Shawn wished the look he was giving her didn’t aggravate him, but it did. Jim began making his way to her, but not before glancing over to where Shawn and the others stood. Jim’s eyes zoned in on Paul and the two shared a look that didn’t go unseen by Shawn. Both women had their backs turned to Jim, but there was no mistaking the contact between Jim and Paul.

  Hmm. Interesting. Shawn was great at reading people, but he couldn’t quite read the look on Paul’s face. Was Paul involved in the transiting of drugs, as well? Was he the missing piece? Paul had never been on the FBI’s radar, but then again, neither was Jim before Shawn began the investigation. A sideways glance at Micah proved that he was already taking note of both men’s reactions to one another and had observed the exchange, as well.

  * * *

  Cyd straightened out the tablecloths draping the high tables as she tried to ignore the tinge of jealousy she felt. Watching Brittany Higgins flirt with Shawn was making her sick to her stomach. From where she was in the room, she couldn’t tell if he was flirting back or not, but she
was sure he was. What man wouldn’t flirt with someone as attractive as Brittany? Cyd quickly glimpsed at the group again, just as Brittany laughed and flirtatiously leaned into Shawn.

  Goodness, how tight is her jersey dress? Cyd thought. Better yet, it looks like she just took a large jersey and tied it around her waist with a belt. It didn’t matter at that moment that she was just as guilty of wearing shirts as dresses just as tight, if not tighter herself. What did matter was that she hadn’t foreseen Brittany’s interest in Shawn and chose to wear one of her scandalous dresses tonight.

  “Cydney?” She turned around at the sound of her name and instantly wished she’d just ignored the person.

  “Hello, Jim,” she replied as she moved from straightening the tablecloths to fixing the centerpieces.

  “I wanted to apologize for last night. I was extremely rude and I’m very embarrassed for the way the night went.”

  He’s sorry? That’s all he has to say after that hellish night? I’m sorry, too. Sorry for even going out with him in the first place.

  “I understand,” Cyd said politely. “I accept your apology.” Not!

  “Thank you,” Jim replied. “I received an important phone call yesterday that needed my immediate attention. You know how it is when people want you to drop everything to help them....”

  Cyd temporarily blocked him out as he went on another rampage about himself. Ever since Jim had arrived, Shawn had been looking her way a lot more.

  “Am I right?” Jim asked, commanding her attention. She had no clue what he was talking about, but since it appeared she had Shawn’s attention, she played into the doting-listener role.

  “Yes, Jim,” Cyd said with a slight giggle. “You are so right.” She even playfully placed her hand on his shoulder, completely forgetting that she was supposed to despise him after the night from hell. She had to change their conversation to something even remotely interesting so she could keep playing her part.

  “So why were you so angry on the phone yesterday?” Cyd asked, interrupting whatever he had previously been talking about.

  “Just business,” he said as he stuck his hands in his pockets. His jawline tightened and his eyes grew darker as if he were getting angry all over again. Why the sudden change? He brought up yesterday first.

  “What kind of business?” Cyd asked. “Peter Vallant Company business?”

  He shifted from the heels of his feet to the balls of his feet, his hands still in his pockets. He didn’t answer right away so Cyd wasn’t sure he’d heard the question. “What kind of bus—”

  “Yeah, I heard you,” he said gruffly, cutting her off. “I mean, yes, I heard you,” Jim continued as he flipped his blond hair out of his face and flashed another all-teeth smile.

  “Not Peter Vallant business, other business. I’m a man of many trades,” he said, smiling once again. She wasn’t sure if other women found his behavior attractive, but she definitely did not.

  “Oh, really,” Cyd said, ignoring his strange behavior. “Like what?”

  He gave her a look that she couldn’t quite read before answering, “Let’s just say that my family is very wealthy and successful in the pharmaceutical business.” By the way he responded, she assumed he thought she would be impressed. Not likely, she thought.

  “That’s nice,” Cyd exclaimed. “Who owns the business?”

  “Uh, my father does.”

  “Interesting. What’s the name of the business?”

  “Uh...it’s Pearson Pharmaceuticals. I mean, Pearson and Company. I forgot they changed the name.”

  “Wow, interesting.” And by interesting I do mean the fact that you seem to be lying is what I find interesting. “Why did they change the name?”

  “You know, you sure do ask a lot of questions for someone who just met me.”

  Uh, DUH! That’s typically what people do when they first meet.

  “Just curious, I guess,” she said instead. “I know people in that line of work. I was trying to figure out if we knew some of the same people.”

  “Babe, trust me. We don’t know the same people,” he said, as he stepped closer to her.

  Cyd took it one step further and stepped even closer to him. “I’m not your babe,” she said between her teeth as she tried to keep a smile on her face when all she really wanted to do was cringe.

  “Not yet,” he said, attempting to take another step toward her. Cyd stepped back before he got the chance. Oh, man, he’s so weird, she thought as she observed his strange behavior.

  “Okay, well, I have to get back to work,” Cyd said as she turned to retreat to another part of the room. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

  “Definitely,” she heard him say after she had already turned her back to him. She went past the casino section of the room and out into a small hallway that led to the bathrooms. When she was alone, away from the crowd, she took out her iPhone and pulled up a Google web page to search Jim Pearson. Nothing popped up but the Peter Vallant Company website and articles associated with the company. Then she searched Jim Pearson, Omaha, Nebraska, after she remembered that was Jim’s hometown. “Hmm, okay, that’s strange,” she said quietly to herself when nothing popped up in that Google search, either. She continued by typing in Pearson Pharmaceuticals in Omaha, Nebraska. Then she just typed in Pearson Pharmaceuticals. Followed by Pearson and Company. Zilch.

  “So you’re an ass and a liar,” she quietly said aloud as she stuck her phone in the back pocket of her jeans. Since Shawn was ignoring her and she had two more cities of events before they returned to Chicago, she had to figure out what to do with her free time. The way she saw it, she only had one option. “Let’s see who you and your family really are, Jim Pearson.” Men lied to impress women all the time, but there was something about Jim Pearson that really got under her skin.

  Chapter 7

  Cyd dived into the hotel swimming pool and began doing laps. The day had been a long one, consisting of several family-oriented activities, relay races and many Halloween-themed events. Running after little children all day was exhausting and way beyond the duties of an event planner. She had so much built-up tension she could barely function.

  It was day seven of her investigation on Jim Pearson and Cyd hadn’t been able to track him down. Why does he only bother me when I don’t want to be bothered, yet when I’m trying to find him, he is nowhere to be found? The Peter Vallant Company had arrived in Carbondale, Illinois, a couple days ago and Cyd hadn’t seen Jim since they arrived, although he’d told her he would be here when they were still in Springfield.

  Getting out of the pool, Cyd made her way to the whirlpool, anxious to relax after swimming several laps. She turned on the jets and submerged herself in the hot water, closing her eyes and soaking in the moment.

  “Aah.” She needed this. The water felt better than she’d expected. She stretched out her legs and arched her back, preparing to take a quick nap in the water.

  “May I join you?” she heard the deep voice say and prayed that she wasn’t imagining him. Shawn hadn’t been paying much attention to her since they’d started the tour so she knew it couldn’t be him in the flesh, although she hoped it would be. She opened one eye first, expecting to see an empty space.

  “Cydney...” He said her name breathlessly in a way she hadn’t heard in weeks. She opened her other eye, taking in the complete sight of the man before her. She tried to speak, but she couldn’t. His body had no business looking that magnificent. His swimming trunks were riding low on his hips. The indent of his pelvis bone was clearly visible. He’d grown a goatee that he hadn’t originally had and goodness if that goatee didn’t look sexy on him. His hair had grown out a little, too, so his fade was now a short crop of curls atop his head. She was taking too long to give him a response so he took it upon himself to get into the whirlpool with her. She felt
like she was watching him in slow motion as he made the act of entering the water a truly provocative production.

  When he was fully submerged in the water he looked up into the corner of the poolroom at the security camera before grabbing her waist and bringing her to the side of the pool not visible by the device. His back hit the opposite side of the whirlpool and she landed in between his legs, making a soft gasp when their bodies collided. He took one hand and tenderly brushed her wet hair out of her face.

  “This is the other swimsuit you bought in Anguilla, right?” he asked as he played with the side of her purple bikini. It was getting harder for her to breathe under his unwavering stare. Although he looked sexier than ever, he also looked tired and a bit stressed.

  So he sought me out instead of Brittany...interesting. Shawn and Brittany had been as thick as thieves lately and although Cyd tried not to be bothered by it, she was. But no matter how much Brittany flirted with Shawn and he flirted back, Cyd never saw him look at Brittany the way he looked at her. It was those moments that Cyd held on to.

  “How did you know I bought this swimsuit in Anguilla?” she asked, finally finding her voice. Shawn gave her a killer smile before he answered.

  “After I left the store that day, I watched you from the window to see if you would buy the other swimsuit I told you to purchase. I couldn’t resist watching you.”

  Had any other man said those words to her, Cyd would have probably thought that it was creepy. But the fact that it was Shawn made her even wetter than the water they were immersed in. She leaned in a little closer and whispered into his mouth. “You watched me?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said, his voice slightly cracking with desire.

  “So you like watching me?” Cyd asked as she ran her fingers through his curls, breathing on his neck as she caressed his scalp.

  “Yes,” he said even deeper than before. His hands moved to cup her bottom, but she moved away from his grasp, careful to remember to stay out of the line of the camera. She leisurely untied the top of her bathing suit and placed the piece on the side of the whirlpool.