Beginning: A PAVAD Prequel Novella (PAVAD: FBI Romantic Suspense) by Calle J. Brookes Page A

grandson, Matthew. Georgia was a single mother, and Ed and his housekeeper often watched the kid. Jasmine had babysat a time or two herself. She loved the kid just as much as she loved the grandfather.
    Ed smiled again. “That will make this night a little easier to get through. We’ll make chocolate pancakes in the morning.”
    “You’ll wind him up before preschool.”
    “He likes them, though.”
    “You, Deputy Director, are an old softie.”
    “With those I love I am.” He tugged at the bowtie again, hopelessly messing it up. Jasmine straightened it, completely disregarding the room full of people surrounding them. Ed Dennis was her favorite person in the world, and her closest friend. “Agent Len, would you care to dance with an old man? Help make him feel less like a damned monkey or a fool?”
    “I won’t dance with an old man, but I will dance with you.” She accompanied him to the dance floor and stepped easily into his arms. After a few moments, she asked the question she knew was burning in both their minds. “So how long are we stuck here?”
    “Until the end, dammit. I still have sixteen more idiots to hobnob with.”
    “Torture. I know.”
    “Once this is over, how about we share a pizza? Then I’ll give you a lift home. You don’t need to be driving home this late.”
    “I can take care of myself, Ed. Fully trained FBI agent here.”
    “Just humor this old fool. Just once.” She hated dresses that were cut almost down to the navel. She hated the looks she received when wearing the damned things.  She hated how naked and exposed she felt.
    Special Agent Jasmine Len fought the urge to tug the red silk up over her chest once more, as she smiled the pretty at the politician at her left, while artfully dodging the groping hand of the drunken idiot at her right. Her eyes were trained just past the politician’s shoulder on the reason she was stuck dressed like a fifty dollar hooker. Assistant Deputy Director Edward Dennis. Her date. Her boss. She’d been looking for him in the crowd for well over ten minutes.
    He was so handsome in his tuxedo, though she had no trouble seeing the four times he pulled on his bow tie in under a minute. He might be good at the schmoozing, but the man definitely hated it.
    All of his dreams hinged on getting The Powers That Be up the FBI food chain to champion his cause, his creation. And the division he’d proposed was definitely needed. Jasmine felt privileged to be a part of its beginning. How many hours of research had the two of them put in? Compiling statistics for each type of case the division would handle? Reviewing personnel files on the agents currently assigned to St. Louis, under Edward? It had been some seriously exhausting work, but it was done.
    Now all that was needed was the money to get the Prevention & Analysis of Violent Acts Division–the title she herself had originated–up and running. If her dressing in red silk and letting middle-aged perverts look down her cleavage would help get that money, she would do it. But nothing said she had to like it.
    Ed finished speaking with the small group surrounding him and walked toward her. Jasmine felt a genuine smile touch her lips. She loved working with the older man, as his assistant and general go-to girl. It wasn’t what she had imagined when she’d graduated from the Academy at Quantico, but she’d found she was extremely good at what she did. And she did everything he asked of her. She stepped away from the drunken idiots surrounding her and joined him part way.
    “Once again, my dear, thank you for agreeing to accompany me. Especially on such short notice.” His hand was warm on her arm, supportive. “And you look quite stunning in red.”
    Jasmine smiled again. “It’s your daughter’s dress, Ed. Straight out of Georgia’s closet.”
    Ed’s only child, Georgia, was a year or two older than Jasmine, and close to the same size. A bit curvier, though–the main reason why the dress