I sat in an agonized daze as Mark and Mr.
Waters went over the fine points of the Kingsman Vodka ads, achingly aware of Gideon sitting at the head of the table in a black suit with white shirt and tie.
He was pointedly ignoring me, had been from the moment I walked into the Cross Industries conference room aside from a cursory handshake when Mr.
Waters introduced us.
That brief touch of his skin against mine had sent a charge of awareness through me, my body immediately recognizing his as the one that had pleasured it all night.
Gideon hadn't seemed to register the contact at all, his gaze trained above my head as he'd said, "Miss Tramell."
The contrast to the last time we'd been in the room was profound.
Then, he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off me.
His focus had been searing and blatant, and when we'd left the room he'd told me that he wanted to f**k me and would dispense with anything that got in the way of his doing so.
This time, he stood abruptly when the meeting was concluded, shook the hands of Mark and Mr.
Waters, and strode out the door with only a short, inscrutable glance at me.
His two directors scurried after him, both attractive brunettes.
Mark shot me a questioning look across the table.
I shook my head.
I made it back to my desk.
I worked industriously for the rest of the day.
During my lunch break, I stayed in and looked up things to do with my dad.
I decided on three possibilities - the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and a Broadway play, with the trip to Ellis Island reserved for if he really had a desire to go.
Otherwise, I figured we could skip the ferry and just check her out from the shore.
His time in the city was short, and I didn't want to overload it with a bunch of running around.
On my last break of the day, I called Gideon's office.
"Hi, Scott," I greeted his secretary.
"Is it possible for me to talk to your boss real quick?" "Hold on a minute and I'll see."
I half-expected to have my call rejected, but a couple of minutes later I was put through.
"Yes, Eva?" I took the length of a heartbeat to savor the sound of his voice.
"I'm sorry to bother you.
This is probably a stupid question, considering, but .
are you coming to dinner tomorrow to meet my father?" "I'll be there," he said gruffly.
"Are you bringing Ireland?" I was surprised there wasn't a tremor in my voice, considering the overwhelming relief I felt.
There was a pause.