Oh, Cyn-th-ia
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!
Summary: A Challenge fic. Jackson thought he was good at being inconspicuous, but he slipped one night and ended up much closer to his target then he intended, which results in a change of feelings and plans. JacksonxCynthia
He kept a dark pair of shades over his blinding blue eyes. He had been told by many people – mainly his victims – how haunting and bone-chillingly cold his eyes could be. He was trying to play down the creepy factor and blend in. His ability to be charming and to disappear would be his saving grace in his latest job.
He had been hired to arrange the assassination of Charles Keefe, the Deputy Director of Homeland Security. Mr. Keefe was coming to Miami for a meeting and it was his job to make sure that he missed this meeting, as well as any future meetings.
His key to completing the job was the hotel manager, a petite woman named Lisa Reisert. He had been following her for nearly eight weeks and it was growing rather old. She was a boring woman and too eager to please for his liking. Admittedly, he had been increasingly distracted by one of her underlings, a redhead woman named Cynthia. Cynthia was fairly new at the Lux Atlantic and made plenty of mistakes. She was also short tempered, unlike the calm and reserved Lisa.
The two women were as different as night and day, and they both fascinated him. Perhaps that was why he had let his guard down and why he had drawn near to them. So near in fact, that he was currently sitting in the lobby of the grand hotel. He could easily observe them from his relaxed position on a couch with a newspaper to entertain him.
It was 7pm on a quiet evening. He was due to take an early morning flight out to Texas, where Lisa Reisert was headed to attend the funeral of her grandmother. At least, that was the plan.
"See you at the corner!" Cynthia called cheerfully, waving at Lisa as her boss exited the hotel. "8pm!"
The corner café was their infamous hangout. Cynthia's shift had yet to end; therefore their meeting time wasn't until later. He was suddenly torn between lingering to watch the redhead at work, or to follow his vanishing target. They will be meeting up later, so what's the rush?
He decided to observe Cynthia, his gaze tracking her as she noisily skittered over towards the coffee pot to refill her mug. Sure, her shift was almost over, but her senses were dulling. She needed the stimulation, much like he did.
He eyed her carefully. The hem of her white staff-issued Lux Atlantic dress was rising slightly as she bent over to mix sugar and cream into her coffee. He mentally berated himself, but he could not help it. His entire life revolved around Lisa and her hotel life, and it was entirely plausible that the one person she would end up calling was Cynthia, therefore he needed to observe her as well.
Yeah, right. Nice try on that one.
8 o'clock rolled around and Cynthia bolted for the door. She had apparently stopped in the back long enough to slip into a different dress and grab her purse before rushing for the door. He followed at a respectful distance and climbed into his rental car. He tailed her to the corner café, even though he knew exactly where he was going.
She strode confidently in and joined Lisa at the bar. His target was already sipping her favorite drink – a Sea Breeze – and her face lit up when Cynthia slid onto the stool beside her. The two women chatted and shared an occasional laugh.
He watched them from afar, where he slowly sipped his own drink. He knew better than to drink on the job, but technically, tonight was his night off anyways. As long as he made his flight tomorrow morning, it did not matter in the slightest. The job was nearly completed as it was.
The minutes turned into hours and he became rather inebriated. He kept on drinking anyways, silently congratulating himself on a job well-done. He barely noticed the other people in the café. He even forgot about Lisa and Cynthia, until the later slipped into the booth across from him.
"Hey stranger," the redhead woman greeted him joyously. "Drinking away your sorrows?"
"Not really," he sighed, stirring his drink.
"Oh, well you looked lonely. My friend's leaving – early flight out – and I was about to head home when I saw you. What's a nice guy like you doing here alone anyway?"
"Work. It brought me here and I'm now on a holiday for the next three days. A paid holiday, but I had nothing better to do."
"No girlfriend?" she inquired curiously.
"Nope."
"What a shame."
They chatted for at least an hour, until Cynthia could obviously no longer stand up from the alcohol that she had consumed. He went to help her and offered to drive her home, even though he was hardly better off than she was.
"Thank you," she slurred as they stumbled into her apartment.
"Not a problem," he replied with a smile.
"Stay awhile?"
"Sure."
Together, they wobbled into Cynthia's bedroom, with her fumbling with his clothes along the way. He shed his jacket and she stripped off his polo shirt. As she reached for his belt, his fingers found their way to her dress zipper. The reminder of their clothing fell to the floor as they climbed onto the bed.
"Make love to me, Jack," Cynthia asked him, releasing a soft moan as his hands roamed her body.
Their inhibitions had been shed at the café. They were not shy or self-conscious. They were acting solely on impulse.
He captured her mouth with his and carefully situated himself on top of her as they lost themselves to the alcohol.
The following morning, he woke with a start to find his head pounding and Cynthia lying beside him. He almost jumped out of the bed and ran to gather his clothes when he realized that the job might work out better this way. Cynthia could change the room for him. He did not need Lisa at all.
Besides, he had definitely missed his plane flight.
"Jackson," mumbled Cynthia, snuggling closer to him. "Thank you for staying."
"Anytime, Cynthia, anytime."
He could not deny how pleased he was to end up with Cynthia. From the start, she had been more fun to watch than Lisa had. He had wanted to switch to her early on, but his boss had been insistent upon Lisa making the call. Now, there was no choice.
"Oh, Cyn-th-ia, can you do me a favor?"
"Anything…"
He smiled slightly.
"Can you book me a room at the hotel? Number 3825?"
"Sure, anything else?"
"Make sure that anyone else who wants that room goes to 4080 instead."
"I can do that," she murmured.
"Good girl," he whispered, giving her a kiss.
Suddenly, Cynthia faded as a dinging sound interrupted his thoughts.
"Welcome to Texas," a flight attendant was saying as the fasten seatbelt sign flashed off.
He rubbed his bleary eyes and glanced down at his watch. It was early in the morning. He had somehow made his flight. He stood up and slowly realized that his usually crisp clothes were wrinkled and the same clothes that he had worn to the hotel the day before. Now, why would that be?
He thrust his hands into his pockets as he joined the surging crowd on the airplane. His right hand brushed against a slip of paper. He pulled it out and read it. It was his own handwriting and it was hastily scrawled. It had been rewritten several times as well, so most likely it was a first draft.
Cynthia,
Last night was amazing. I'm sorry to have left you like I did, but my boss left a message saying that I had to catch a plane. I'm sorry. The next time I'm in town, we'll get together, okay?
Jackson
He shook his head. Last night must have really happened then. But now he had to shove all thoughts of the redheaded desk assistant out of his head. He had a job to do before he could return to her.
Finish the job and kill Keefe. Then you can have Cynthia.
With a sprig in his step, Jackson exited the airplane and entered the terminal. The next three days were going to be long and boring, but at least he could reflect on spending time with Cynthia. He had been dreaming about her for weeks. Now he could focus on the lovely Lisa Reisert and his work.
I'll be back soon… don't worry. I still have to kill your boss.
Author's Notes:
Okay, this was an odd one-shot and I doubt I'll continue it. I'm running on so many deadlines that it's not even funny. I wrote it in response to a challenge on the forums. Enjoy!