straps crisscrossed from
neck to waist. They seemed to hold the whole thing together like magic.
“Fire engine red,” he said with obvious appreciation. “That
has got to be the best dress I have ever seen. I’ve never seen you wear
anything like that.”
“It’s carnelian,” Eva corrected him, “and thank you. I may
have to put my coat back on until it warms up in here though.”
“Please don’t.”
“I was feeling a little more daring in the store than I am
at the moment, actually. I don’t want to look skanky.”
With a considering frown, Drew stood and rounded the
counter, taking Eva’s hands in his and holding them wide to reveal the dress
again. He pondered her as seriously as if he weren’t just taking the
opportunity to ogle her again. He thought about the fact that all the other men
in the room would also be ogling her, for how could they do otherwise? But on
balance, he decided he was all right with that if it meant he got to look at
her in the dress all night then take her home and do deliciously naughty things
to her with the dress pushed up around her waist.
“Not skanky at all. Very tasteful. Classy, but sexy as
hell.”
She giggled as he stole the predictable kiss. Giggles turned
to sighs as he lingered, letting his lips brush against hers, savoring her.
“Get a room, you guys,” Danny said from the back of the
room. He had come through the service entrance, and now joined them at the
desk. He had apparently conned the bartender out of some wine, because he set a
plastic glass down next to Eva before sipping at his own.
“We’re in a room. A room with nice, sturdy exposed rafters
too. Great for suspensions…” Drew cocked his head, scanning the high ceiling as
though scouting for the best location to mount a pulley.
“Enough!” Eva was laughing with the guys, but with a nervous
edge. “I’m anxious enough about the picture. Stop talking about that stuff,
you’ll make it worse.” She swigged some wine and tried to look stern, which
Drew found adorable.
“Actually,” Danny said, “I came over here to say a toast to
your bravery. I really can’t thank you enough, Evie. That photo will be the
making of the show.”
He raised his glass and she tapped hers against it, just as
the caterers arrived.
Drew sneaked in one last hug for reassurance before Eva
started up her usual whirlwind of organizing, greeting and mingling. He gave
her an unmistakably possessive boyfriend kiss, and was unable to resist
slipping one hand under the shawl to stroke the expanse of exposed skin at her
waist.
“You’ll be fine.”
And she was.
Right up until her cell phone rang again an hour later, and
her eyes found Drew’s over a tight knot of revelers who were all exclaiming
over the very picture in question. She had to mouth it twice before he could
make out the words. “My dad is coming.”
* * * * *
Bob Godfrey was of average height and average build, with
thinning hair of pure white that was obviously once as blond as Eva’s, a slight
gut, and a dark suit with a red paisley tie. In short, he looked wholly
unremarkable. But when he walked across the room to greet his daughter, Drew
could feel her react as though all the air had been sucked from the room. Her
slender hand froze on his upper arm, gripping almost hard enough to hurt, and
her tension telegraphed itself so clearly that he had an urge to step between
her and the encroaching danger.
But there was no monster, no horror, only a middle-aged man
with a genial handshake. He greeted Drew with the careful civility of any man
who knows he’s meeting the guy his grown daughter is most likely having sex
with. The slightly too firm, lingering grip with its implicit promise to crush
Drew like a bug if his little girl came to any harm. Nothing out of the
ordinary.
Close up, Drew could see the man Mr. Godfrey must have been
in his prime. Trim, blond, with ice-chip blue eyes and features so sharp they
looked etched. Age had softened his
neck to waist. They seemed to hold the whole thing together like magic.
“Fire engine red,” he said with obvious appreciation. “That
has got to be the best dress I have ever seen. I’ve never seen you wear
anything like that.”
“It’s carnelian,” Eva corrected him, “and thank you. I may
have to put my coat back on until it warms up in here though.”
“Please don’t.”
“I was feeling a little more daring in the store than I am
at the moment, actually. I don’t want to look skanky.”
With a considering frown, Drew stood and rounded the
counter, taking Eva’s hands in his and holding them wide to reveal the dress
again. He pondered her as seriously as if he weren’t just taking the
opportunity to ogle her again. He thought about the fact that all the other men
in the room would also be ogling her, for how could they do otherwise? But on
balance, he decided he was all right with that if it meant he got to look at
her in the dress all night then take her home and do deliciously naughty things
to her with the dress pushed up around her waist.
“Not skanky at all. Very tasteful. Classy, but sexy as
hell.”
She giggled as he stole the predictable kiss. Giggles turned
to sighs as he lingered, letting his lips brush against hers, savoring her.
“Get a room, you guys,” Danny said from the back of the
room. He had come through the service entrance, and now joined them at the
desk. He had apparently conned the bartender out of some wine, because he set a
plastic glass down next to Eva before sipping at his own.
“We’re in a room. A room with nice, sturdy exposed rafters
too. Great for suspensions…” Drew cocked his head, scanning the high ceiling as
though scouting for the best location to mount a pulley.
“Enough!” Eva was laughing with the guys, but with a nervous
edge. “I’m anxious enough about the picture. Stop talking about that stuff,
you’ll make it worse.” She swigged some wine and tried to look stern, which
Drew found adorable.
“Actually,” Danny said, “I came over here to say a toast to
your bravery. I really can’t thank you enough, Evie. That photo will be the
making of the show.”
He raised his glass and she tapped hers against it, just as
the caterers arrived.
Drew sneaked in one last hug for reassurance before Eva
started up her usual whirlwind of organizing, greeting and mingling. He gave
her an unmistakably possessive boyfriend kiss, and was unable to resist
slipping one hand under the shawl to stroke the expanse of exposed skin at her
waist.
“You’ll be fine.”
And she was.
Right up until her cell phone rang again an hour later, and
her eyes found Drew’s over a tight knot of revelers who were all exclaiming
over the very picture in question. She had to mouth it twice before he could
make out the words. “My dad is coming.”
* * * * *
Bob Godfrey was of average height and average build, with
thinning hair of pure white that was obviously once as blond as Eva’s, a slight
gut, and a dark suit with a red paisley tie. In short, he looked wholly
unremarkable. But when he walked across the room to greet his daughter, Drew
could feel her react as though all the air had been sucked from the room. Her
slender hand froze on his upper arm, gripping almost hard enough to hurt, and
her tension telegraphed itself so clearly that he had an urge to step between
her and the encroaching danger.
But there was no monster, no horror, only a middle-aged man
with a genial handshake. He greeted Drew with the careful civility of any man
who knows he’s meeting the guy his grown daughter is most likely having sex
with. The slightly too firm, lingering grip with its implicit promise to crush
Drew like a bug if his little girl came to any harm. Nothing out of the
ordinary.
Close up, Drew could see the man Mr. Godfrey must have been
in his prime. Trim, blond, with ice-chip blue eyes and features so sharp they
looked etched. Age had softened his
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