“Good. Nine o’clock, then.” The Senator hung up on his personal adviser knowing full well the snake would devise several brilliant plans to shift the attention from the Winter Clan onto something even juicier. The court of public opinion on the matter would be adjourned as all heads would turn elsewhere.
He watched the girl for another while, dreaming of the small curve at the back of her knees. She had stripped off the stockings leaving her legs bare under the sweater dress. She was waiting for Michelle to return from shopping. Meg had sent her to buy comfortable clothing. Michelle was none too pleased at being the girl’s gopher, because however little Meg remembered of the Monarch slave, Michelle remembered her.
Deciding he needed to busy himself until dinner when he could insist on the girl’s company again, he walked to the sitting room and began playing the piano. The vibrations of the keys under his fingertips soothed him.
Chapter 63 The Punisher
Hearing the piano resume, Gideon took his chance. He tapped lightly on the closed door to the room he’d been guarding all morning. Before waiting for an answer, he slipped inside the room averting his eyes in case the girl wasn’t decent.
“Gideon?” Meg whispered from across the room.
“Can I talk with you?” He breathed, not at all surprised to hear himself slightly out of breath. He had started to notice being around her made his heart race like a thoroughbred’s.
“Are you okay?” Meg hopped off the bed and walked up to the soldier hiding his face from her. Even as she did, she projected her emotional feelers to search his kaleidoscope of a signature for the problem.
“Me? I’m worried about you!” His voice had taken on a raspy quality.
“I’m fine. Why don’t you turn around and talk with me?” she suggested.
“Are you decent?”
Meg stifled a giggle at the question. “Of course, I am.”
“I just didn’t want to overstep,” he murmured as he turned and looked into her dark eyes.
She had been bored enough to play with the makeup left in her powder room. Not sure how to use everything, she just chose a select few things, climbed on the sink so she could lean way into the mirror and read the simple instructions on the back of the containers. She especially had a difficult time with the mascara.
She’d never realized she had such long lashes until she tried to paint them. She was moderately happy with the results and besides, it had killed an hour of her morning after that exhausting breakfast. Besides, she knew she was safe from Arkdone’s spying camera in the powder room as the man hadn’t been so vulgar as to install a camera there. Meg had searched the small space thoroughly.
She knew he was watching her as she lounged on the bed reading, but what else could she do? She was about ready to scream waiting for Michelle to return with the clothing she’d requested. She needed her running clothes and shoes so she could at least get out and run.
“You’re not overstepping,” she smiled at him. Gideon felt a wave of dizziness and realized he’d been holding his breath.
“What happened this morning when he made me leave the room?”
“We made an agreement.”
Gideon’s honey eyes were expectantly wide.
“What kind of agreement?”
“The kind you needn’t worry about. But I will be staying here indefinitely.”
The news made the soldier want to leap for joy, but he maintained his composure and just nodded.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing? What about your family?”
“I know what I’m doing, and I’ve taken care of the family. Part of my conditions for employment was to make sure they’re all right.”
Gideon stood staring down at the beautiful girl whose eyes seemed to capture nuggets of light and trap them in her dark irises.
He stood, rocking on his feet for a moment, in silence.
“Was there something else, Gideon?” Meg asked, worried the music would stop playing before he had a chance to say what she sensed he wanted to say.
Gideon blushed deeply and opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes dropped to look at his callous hands. He breathed deeply before looking back up. Meg was now looking into the black eyes of Sirus.
“He should not be talking to you,” Sirus spat, stepping back away from Meg.
“Tell him that. He came to me.” Meg shrugged as though Sirus’ words didn’t hurt.
“I have told him that, but he’s not listening to me, and we’re all getting punished for his interest in you.”
“He’s interested in me?” Meg asked innocently.
“Don’t play with me, witch!” he stepped up to her and wrapped his thick hand around her neck.
Meg stood on tiptoe to keep from being dragged off the ground.
“You don’t want to do this, Sirus.” Meg’s eyes flashed with warning.
“What are you going to do, witch? Anything you do to me hurts Gideon, too.”