Entwined With You

it and my stepdad wouldn’t choose sides.”
    “So you did what had to be done.” I kissed his jaw. “Thank you for telling me.”
    “That’s it?”
    I smiled. “No.”
    I was about to ask him more when I heard my phone ringing with my mother’s ring tone. I was surprised it had taken her so long to call; I’d taken my smartphone off mute around ten o’clock. Groaning, I said, “I have to get that.”
    He let me up, his hand stroking over my butt as I walked away. When I turned at the doorway to look back, he was poring over my notes and suggestions. I smiled.
    By the time I reached my phone on the breakfast bar, it had stopped ringing, but it immediately started up again. “Mom,” I answered, jumping in before she started flipping out. “I’m going to come over today, okay? And we’ll talk.”
    “Eva. You have no idea how worried I’ve been! You can’t do this to me!”
    “I’ll be over in an hour,” I interjected. “I just need to get dressed.”
    “I couldn’t sleep last night, I was so upset.”
    “Yeah, well, I didn’t sleep much, either,” I retorted. “It’s not just about you all the time, Mom. I’m the one who had her privacy violated. You’re just the one who got caught doing it.”
    Silence.
    It was rare for me to be assertive with my mother because she always seemed so fragile, but it was time to redefine our relationship or we’d end up not having one. I looked to my wrist for the time, remembered I didn’t have a watch anymore, and glanced at the cable box by the television instead. “I’ll be over around one.”
    “I’ll send a car for you,” she said quietly.
    “Thank you. See you soon.” I hung up.
    I was about to drop my phone back into my purse when it beeped with a text from Shawna: What r u wearing 2nite?
    A number of ideas ran through my mind, from casual to outrageous. Even though I was inclined toward outrageous, I was checked by thoughts of Deanna. I had to think about what I’d look like in the tabloids. LBD, I replied, thinking the little black dress was a classic for a reason. Wild heels. Too much jewelry.
    Got it! See u at 7, she texted back.
    On the way to the bedroom, I paused by Gideon’s office and lounged against the doorjamb to watch him. I could watch him for hours; he was such a joy to look at. And I found him very sexy when he was focused.
    He glanced up at me with a soft curve to his lips, and I knew he’d been aware of my staring. “This is all very good,” he praised, gesturing at his desktop. “Especially considering you pulled this together in a matter of hours.”
    I preened a little, thrilled to have impressed a businessman whose acumen had made him one of the most successful individuals in the world.
    “I want you at Cross Industries, Eva.”
    My body reacted to the unwavering determination in his voice, which reminded me of when he’d said,
I want to fuck you, Eva
, when he’d first come on to me.
    “I want you there, too,” I said. “On your desk.”
    His eyes gleamed. “We can celebrate that way.”
    “I like my job. I like my co-workers. I like knowing I’ve earned every milestone I reach.”
    “I can give you that and more.” His fingers tapped against the side of his coffee mug. “I’m guessing you went with advertising because you like the spin. Why not public relations?”
    “Too much like propaganda. At least with advertising, you know the bias right away.”
    “You mentioned crisis management this morning. And clearly”—he gestured at his desk—“you have an aptitude for it. Let me exploit it.”
    I crossed my arms. “Crisis management is PR and you know it.”
    “You’re a problem solver. I can make you a fixer. Give you real, time-sensitive problems to solve. Keep you challenged and active.”
    “Seriously.” I tapped my foot. “How many crises do you have in a given week?”
    “Several,” he said cheerfully. “Come on, you’re intrigued. I can see it on your face.”
    Straightening, I pointed out, “You have people to handle that kind of stuff already.”
    Gideon leaned back in his chair and smiled. “I want more. So do you. Let’s have it together.”
    “You’re like the devil himself, you know that? And you’re stubborn as hell. I’m telling you, working together would be a bad idea.”
    “We’re working together just fine now.”
    I shook my head. “Because you agreed with my assessment and suggestions, plus you had me sitting in your lap and you copped a feel ofmy ass.