Jae's Assignment Read Online Free Page A

Marine. He could take care of himself.
    He shouldn’t have had the beer. He was getting sleepy already. Leaving his barstool, he strolled closer to the dance floor and leaned lazily against one of the four columns. He wasn’t watching the couples dancing, he was admiring the skills of the saxophone player and listening to the singers whose beautiful voices drew him into the lovely melody. He was losing himself in the music, but when the hair on the back of his neck rose, he let his eyes do a slow pan of the room.
    Standing a few feet away was the woman he’d spotted coming in earlier. Like him, she was leaning against a column at the edge of the dance floor, but she was several feet away.
    And she watched him with the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes he’d ever seen.
    Jae came into the lounge to find Dr. Trevor Grant.
    After several minutes of searching, she saw him as he left the bar. She didn’t recognize him immediately. Actually, she wouldn’t have recognized him at all if she hadn’t caught his penetrating blue gaze in the mirror behind the bar. Then she picked up on his carefree, yet confident strides when he walked toward the dance floor.
    Gone was the ponytail, the full beard, the scraggly-looking mustache and nerdy wire-rimmed eyeglasses.
    Who knew he had full lips and a strong squared chin underneath all of that? His long dark brown hair was now short, straight, and fell slightly over his forehead. But it was his blue eyes she’d caught when he glanced in her direction that she remembered the most.
    Recalling how she had looked and dressed when she was undercover in his office, Jae was positive he didn’t recognize her. She’d been totally incognito in those bulky thrift store clothes she had worn. But it was more than that. She’d also worn hazel contact lenses over her chocolate brown eyes. The wigs she’d had to wear were three shades lighter than her own chestnut brown hair, and the artfully applied makeup, including eyebrow enhancements, all blended very well. She hadn’t even recognized herself. She didn’t want to think about the extra padding she’d worn beneath her clothes to make her appear heavier. But tonight, she’d donned black satin capri slacks, a black crop top exposing a portion of her midriff, and strappy sandals. It was an outfit befitting a Friday night happy hour. Not accustomed to wearing lipstick, she resisted wiping it off in her palm and pulling out her tube of ChapStick.
    At five feet, six inches tall with a thin build and clear mocha complexion, Jae always drew looks from men. But tonight she was looking for a date. Her chestnut brown hair hung in loose waves, barely grazing her shoulders as she circled the outer perimeter of the dance floor like a panther stalking its meal for the day.
    All the while she kept one eye on the doctor and the other eye on her surroundings. She’d already mentally noted the locations of the exits and suspicious-looking patrons. She’d also committed to memory the faces of the four lounge staff and the six members of the band.
    So far nothing and no one stood out as a potential threat.
    After a quick glance at her watch, she saw it was time to make her approach. She would express interest in hooking up with him. It was the ruse to get him out of there.
    But he was enjoying the music and smiling. Good Lord! His head bobbed along with the saxophone player. Jae guessed he liked jazz as she caught the occasional movements of his fingers.
    Jae assessed him as he moved closer to the edge of the dance floor. She also noticed the heads of several women following him appreciatively as he passed by their tables.
    He’s not bad looking , she thought cynically. He was even sexy one might say and he caught her eye and captured her attention in a way that sent a rush of heat to her face. But that definitely hadn’t been the case a couple of months ago. Then, he’d been a hairy, nerdy, dry wheat toast researcher. He’d never cracked a smile and