Pain twisted in my chest. Gideon.
If we couldn’t work this out, would I ever stop thinking about him and wishing we had?
I struggled to pull myself together. Mark was meeting with Gideon today. Maybe that’s why Gideon hadn’t felt pressed to contact me. Or maybe he was just really busy. I knew he had to be, considering his business calendar. And as far as I knew, we still had plans to go to the gym after work. I exhaled in a rush and told myself that things would straighten out somehow. They just had to.
It was quarter to noon when my desk phone rang. Seeing from the readout that the call was coming from reception, I sighed with disappointment and answered.
“Hey, Eva,” Megumi said cheerily. “You have a Magdalene Perez here to see you.”
“Do I?” I stared at my monitor, confused and irritated. Had the Bryant Park photos lured Magdalene out from under whatever troll bridge she called home?
Regardless of the reason, I had no interest in talking to her. “Keep her up there for me, will you? I have to take care of something first.”
“Sure. I’ll tell her to have a seat.”
I hung up, then pulled out my smartphone and scrolled through the contact list until I found the number to Gideon’s office. I dialed and was relieved when Scott answered.
“Hey, Scott. It’s Eva Tramell.”
“Hi, Eva. Would you like to speak to Mr. Cross? He’s in a meeting at the moment, but I can buzz him.”
“No. No, don’t bother him.”
“It’s a standing order. He won’t mind.”
It soothed me immensely to hear that. “I hate to throw this in your lap, but I have a request for you.”
“Anything you need. That’s also a standing order.” The amusement in his voice relaxed me further.
“Magdalene Perez is down here on the twentieth floor. Frankly, the only thing she and I have in common is Gideon, and that’s not a good thing. If she has something to say, it’s your boss she should be talking to. Could you please have someone escort her up?”
“Absolutely. I’ll take care of it now.”
“Thanks, Scott. I appreciate you.”
“It’s my pleasure, Eva.”
I hung up the phone and sagged back in my seat, feeling better already and proud of myself for not letting jealousy get the better of me. While I still really hated the idea of her having any of Gideon’s time, I hadn’t lied when I’d said I trusted him. I believed he had strong, deep feelings for me. I just didn’t know if they were enough to override his survival instinct.
Megumi called me again.
“Oh my God,” she said, laughing. “You should’ve seen her face when whoever that was came to get her.”
“Good.” I grinned. “I figured she was up to no good. Is she gone, then?”
“Yep.”
“Thanks.” I crossed the narrow strip of hallway to Mark’s door and poked my head in to see if he wanted me to pick him up some lunch.
He frowned, thinking about it. “No, thanks. I’ll be too nervous to eat until after the presentation with Cross. By then whatever you pick up will be hours old.”
“How about a protein smoothie, then? It’ll give you some easy fuel until you can eat.”
“That’d be great.” His smile lit up his dark eyes. “Something that goes good with vodka, just to get me in the mood.”
“Anything you don’t like? Any allergies?”
“Nada.”
“Okay. See you in an hour.” I knew just the place to go. The deli I had in mind was a couple blocks up and offered smoothies, salads, and a variety of made-to-order paninis with quick service.
I headed downstairs and tried not to think about Gideon’s radio silence. I’d kind of expected to hear something after the Magdalene incident. Getting no reaction had me worrying all over again. I pushed out to the street through the revolving door and scarcely paid any attention to the man who climbed out of the back of a town car at the curb until he called my name.
Turning, I found myself facing Christopher Vidal.
“Oh…Hi,” I greeted him. “How are you?”
“Better, now that I’ve seen you. You look fantastic.”
“Thanks. I can say the same to you.”
As different as he was from Gideon, he was gorgeous in his own way with his mahogany waves, grayish-green eyes, and charming smile. He was dressed in loose-fitting jeans and a cream V-neck sweater, a very sexy look for him.
“Are you here to see your brother?” I asked.
“Yes, and you.”
“Me?”
“Heading to lunch? I’ll join you and explain.”
I was briefly reminded of Gideon’s warning to stay away from Christopher, but by now I figured he trusted me. Especially with his brother.
“I’m going to a deli up the street,” I said. “If you’re game.”
“Absolutely.”
We started walking.
“What did you want to see me about?” I asked, too curious to wait.
He reached into one of two large cargo pockets of his jeans and pulled out a formal invitation in a vellum envelope. “I came to invite you to a garden party we’re having at my parents’ estate on Sunday. A mix of business and pleasure. Many of the artists signed to Vidal Records will be there. I was thinking it’d be great networking for your roommate-he’s got the right look for music video.”
I brightened. “That would be wonderful!”
Christopher grinned and passed the invite over. “And you’ll both have fun. No one throws a party like my mother.”
I glanced briefly at the envelope in my hand. Why hadn’t Gideon said anything about the event?
“If you’re wondering why Gideon didn’t tell you about it,” he said, seemingly reading my mind, “it’s because he won’t come. He never does. Even though he’s the majority shareholder in the company, I think he finds the music industry and musicians too unpredictable for his tastes. By now, you know how he is.”
Dark and intense. Powerfully magnetic and hotly sexual. Yes, I knew how he was. And he preferred to know what he was getting into at all costs.
I gestured at the deli when we reached it, and we stepped inside and got in line.
“This place smells awesome,” Christopher said, his gaze on his phone as he typed out a quick text.
“The aroma delivers on its promise, trust me.”
He smiled a delightful boyish smile that I was sure knocked most women on their asses. “My parents are really looking forward to meeting you, Eva.”
“Oh?”
“Seeing the photos of you and Gideon over the last week has been a real surprise. A good surprise,” he qualified quickly when I winced. “It’s the first time we’ve seen him really into someone he’s dating.”
I sighed, thinking he wasn’t so into me right now. Had I made a terrible mistake by leaving him alone last night?
When we reached the counter, I ordered a grilled vegetable and cheese panini with two pomegranate smoothies, asking them to hold the one with a protein shot for thirty minutes so I could eat in. Christopher ordered the same, and we managed to find a table in the crowded deli.
We talked about work, laughing over both a recent baby food commercial faux-blooper that had gone viral and some backstage anecdotes about acts Christopher had worked with. The time passed swiftly, and when we parted ways at the entrance of the Crossfire, I said good-bye with genuine affection.
I headed up to the twentieth floor, and found Mark still at his desk. He offered me a quick smile despite his air of concentration.
“If you don’t really need me,” I said, “I think it’d be good for me to sit this presentation out.”
Although he tried to hide it, I saw the lightning quick flash of relief. It didn’t offend me. Stress was stress, and my volatile relationship with Gideon was something Mark didn’t need to think about while he was working on an important account.
“You’re golden, Eva. You know that?”