Bared to You: Chapters 10 to The End

Bared to You: Chapter 9

Somehow, I'm starting this post just 2 hours after posting my last. It's NFL season though, and I'm bored of The Sims, so here I am. I think we ended our last meeting with Eva being contemplated in the back of Gideon's Bentley. It may have been in the front seat, actually. Who really cares though?

They "hit the cellular store first," because this is 2001 and we're still calling them cellular phones. Eva and Gideon are currently making every staff member uncomfortable arguing over who's going to be paying for the phone. Eva thinks it should be her, since it's literally her phone and she's known Gideon for like 3 days now, so why does he already want to be financially accountable for her bills, and Gideon thinks it should be him because Eva is a woman and can't handle this responsibility.

Finally, Gideon relents. Eva stood her ground and said that because he picked the provider ("It's practical. We'll be on the same network, so calls to me are free." -- seriously, WHAT YEAR IS THIS?), she gets to pay for the phone. From there, they head to the gym and Eva is thrilled to discover that Gideon not only has two arms, but two legs as well! 

"He'd changed into long shorts and a tank, which gave me my first look at his bare arms and legs." -- and we're all pleased to discover that his limbs are covered in skin, and not scales, which could maybe have been the case.

Gideon was not nearly as pleased to see Eva though, because his love interests can only work out in snowsuits to ensure minimal flesh exposure. 

"'What the hell are you wearing?' he asked, looking marginally appeased by my enthusiastic greeting.

'Clothes.'

'You look naked in that top.'

'I thought you liked me naked.' ..... What Gideon objected to was the nude color, which coordinated with the racing stripes on the matching black yoga pants.

'I like you naked in private,' he muttered. 'I'll need to be with you whenever you go to the gym.'"

+

They work out for a while, keeping weirdly close eyes on each other the whole time, like if they look away for even a second, they'll find the other being pleasured in the middle of the free weights. While Eva is on a fitness ball for crunches, Daniel, a personal trainer and all-around Nice Guy, comes to say hello. He asks what kind of free smoothie she chose in her orientation, and she has no idea what he's talking about. He works out that she's not a member, and offers to give her the full experience to convince her to join. Gideon senses something's amiss, and interrupts the conversation.

"Gideon appeared at Daniel's side. 'The full experience is included,' he said, 'when you're the owner's girlfriend.'" -- Yes, well, apparently being the owner's girlfriend does not entitle you to a free smoothie. Sounds like a load of crap to me.

They decide to leave the gym because Gideon can't handle the way Daniel is looking at Eva. He tells her not to take long in the shower because she's just going to get sweaty again.

"'Wait.' I caught his forearm before he passed the women's locker room on the way toward the men's. 'Would it gross you out if I told you I didn't want you to shower? If I said I want to find someplace really close by where I could jump you while you're still dripping sweat?'"

Neither of them changed, and they were sprinting out of the gym in minutes. 

"Gideon walked briskly and I hurried to keep up. When he stopped abruptly, turned, and dipped me back in a lavish heated kiss on the crowded sidewalk, I was too stunned to do more than hold on." -- what a complete dick. What if someone was walking behind you? Did you ever think of that??

Apparently people applauded this, which I do not believe at all. They dart into a hotel that Gideon owns, and head into the elevator. While in the elevator, Gideon starts to wrestle with Eva's top, which is held together by velcro so really shouldn't be that difficult to figure out. Soon, the elevator doors open and Gideon uses a master key to get them into a seemingly random room. The door had barely closed when Eva told him to get naked.

"Oh my God . . . seeing him in the flesh - all of him, as his shorts hit the floor - was synapse frying. There wasn't an ounce of excess flesh on him anywhere, just hard slabs of honed muscle. He had washboard abs and that super sexy V of muscle on his pelvis that Cary called the Loin of Apollo. Gideon didn't wax his chest like Cary did, but he groomed with the same care he showed to the rest of his body. He was pure primal male, the embodiment of everything I coveted, fantasized about, and wished for." -- what on earth.

After declaring, out loud, that she'd died and gone to heaven, Gideon removes her clothes as well. Soon, they're rolling around on the bed, getting tangled in the sheets, which is supposed to sound sexy and passionate but really just comes off as hugely inconvenient.

"He kissed me deeply, licking into my mouth in that way of his. I thought he could really make me come with just a kiss, if we stayed at it long enough."

After 4 pages of foreplay and oral sex, I guess we're supposed to be looking forward to the sex. At least that means we're nearly done with this scene. 

"His eyes were so dark and dilated they were black, and I knew I was staring into the face of a man who'd passed the limits of his control. It was important to me that he'd made it that far for my benefit and that he'd done so to pleasure and prepare me for what I knew would be a hard ride.

My hands fisted in the bedspread, anticipation building. He'd made sure I got mine, over and over again. This would be for him.

'Fuck me,' I ordered, daring him with my eyes.

'Eva.' He snapped out my name as he rammed into me, sinking balls-deep in one fierce drive." -- this conjures up the most ridiculous mental image. But not as ridiculous as the next bit.

"He buried his face in my neck and held me tightly in place, plunging hard and fast, gasping raw, heated sex words that made me crazed with desire. 'I've never been so hard and thick. I'm so deep in you . . . I can feel it against my stomach . . . feel my dick pounding into you." -- Sex words. Sex. Words. Ohmygod.

Sex ends well for both, and Gideon suggests a shower, food, and a repeat. Once he's in the bathroom, Eva sits up and is concerned.

"My gaze caught on the slightly open bedside drawer and I saw condoms through the gap. 

My stomach twisted. The hotel was too upscale to be the kind that provided condoms along with the requisite Bible. 

With a slightly trembling hand, I pulled the drawer out further and found a sizeable quantity of prophylactics, including a bottle of feminine lubrication and spermicidal gel. My heart started pounding all over again. In my mind, I backtracked through our lust-fueled trip to the hotel. Gideon hadn't asked which rooms were available. Whether he had a master key or not, he'd need to know which rooms were occupied before he took one . . . unless he'd known beforehand that this particular suite would be empty.

Clearly it was his suite - a fuck pad outfitted with everything he'd need to have a good time with the women who served that purpose in his life.

.....

The right-side dresser drawers held neatly folded T-shirts, boxer briefs, and socks. The top one on the left side held sex toys still in their packages. I didn't look in the drawers below that one. I'd seen enough." -- I mean... at least you know no one's used those sex toys before? Right? No, that wouldn't be enough consolation for me, either.

"I pulled on my pants and stole one of Gideon's shirts. ..... What I felt was slightly dirty, a little bit used, and a whole lot hurt. This particular revelation had hit me with excruciating force, and like a child, I wanted to hurt him back.

I scooped up the condoms, lube, and toys, and tossed them on the bed. Then, just as he called out my name in an amused and teasing voice, I picked up my bag and left him." -- DUN DUN DUN ( don't worry, there are 203 pages and 4 more books left of this series - she's not left him forever.)

Bared to You: Chapters 7 and 8

Too upset and hurt over Gideon treating their first sexual encounter exactly the way he told her he would, Eva seems to leave her body during the charity event and remembers very little of it. At least that's what the first sentence of this chapter says, before we get 5 whole pages detailing an entire recount of the night. Get ready for some angst, bitches.

"I don't remember much of what happened after we arrived."

The second they get into the building, Eva manages to slip away when Gideon gets distracted by other wealthy people. She makes her way over to a table where her mother, Cary, and Stanton are, downing a glass of champagne on the way and quickly grabbing a second. Her mother compliments her on her dress, and Cary gets her yet another glass of champagne. It's not long until Gideon has found her. He's angry she disappeared and she's angry that he's still breathing. After excruciating pleasantries, he leads her away from the table. Dinner passed in what I assume was a blur, Eva just picking at her food and drinking her weight in wine.

Gideon stands to give a speech about child sexual abuse in North America, and closes to a loud applause. As soon as the clapping settles, Eva turns to leave and runs into Gideon's brother, Christopher Vidal. He asks her to dance, and she hesitates.
"I glance over to where Gideon was standing at the foot of the stairs that led to the stage. He was surrounded by people eager to talk to him, many of whom were women.
'You can see he'll be a while,' Christopher said, with a note of amusement.
'Yes.' I was about to look away when I recognized the woman standing next to Gideon - Magdalene Perez." -- I have read every page up to this point and I have no idea who this is or why she matters.

She and Christopher dance for a while, and she ends up having a nice time. When her dance with Christopher ends, Cary steps in to take his place. They discuss how much Cary loves Eva, and how he told Gideon that he'd hurt him if he ever hurt her.

"Gideon appeared beside us. 'I'm cutting in.'

It wasn't a request.

Cary stopped and looked at me. I nodded. He backed away with a bow, his gaze hot and fierce on Gideon's face." -- go away, Gideon. No one wants you here.

While they're dancing, Gideon tells Eva to stay away from his brother, which is a weird demand to make. The only explanation he gives is, 'because I said so,' which is the shittiest explanation ever. She counters, and tells him to stay away from Magdalene, and he's upset by this, declaring they're just friends. We establish he's not slept with her yet and that Gideon apparently doesn't want to anyway. He tells her he needs to go, but it seems like she's having a great time and he doesn't want to drag her away. She's confused, because she's having a terrible time, and this makes her even more angry.

"Enjoying myself? Was he kidding or clueless? Or worse. Maybe he'd written me off so completely that he wasn't paying attention to me at all. 

I pushed myself away from him, needing the distance. His scent was messing with my head. 'I'll be fine. Forget about me.'" -- how does his scent mess with your head? I like a good cologne as much as the next girl, but the only scent that has ever been pleasurable enough to actually distract me is pizza.

Tell me that's not the most sensual thing you've seen all day.

Thankfully, Cary comes to the rescue like the best friend we all need.

"'Eva.' He reached for me and I stepped back quickly.

An arm came around my back and Cary spoke. 'I've got her, Cross.'

'Don't get in my way, Taylor,' Gideon warned.

Cary snorted. 'I get the impression you're doing a smokin' job of that all by yourself.'

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. 'You gave a wonderful speech, Gideon. It was the highlight of my night.'" -- considering the other part of her night included really good limo sex, I'm am SO HERE for this kind of insult. A+, my dear. Make him cry.

Gideon has to leave and tells Eva that he'll call her. Cary offers to take Eva home, but she wants to be alone, so Cary has Stanton's limo brought to the front while she goes to the bathroom. When she walks out of the stall, she comes face to face with Magdalene for a really bizarre conversation.

"'Oh, dear,' she murmured, the moment the attendant stepped out of earshot. She made a tsking noise that scraped over my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. 'You've fucked him already.'

'And you haven't.' 

That seemed to surprise her. 'You're right, I haven't. You know why?'

I pulled a five-spot out of my clutch and dropped it in the silver tip tray. 'Because he doesn't want to.'

'And I don't want to either, because he can't commit. He's young, gorgeous, rich, and he's enjoying it.'

'Yes.' I nodded. 'He certainly did.'

Her gaze narrowed, her pleasant expression slipping slightly. 'He doesn't respect the women he fucks. The minute he shoved his dick in you, you were done. Just like all the others. But I'm still here, because I'm the one he wants to keep around for the long haul.'

I maintained my cool even though the blow had been a perfect hit right where the most damage could be done. 'That's pathetic.'

I walked out and didn't stop until I reached Stanton's limousine. Squeezing Cary's hand as I got in, I managed to wait until the car pulled away from the curb to start crying." -- what even is this.

The next morning, Eva wakes up to find Cary lounging on the couch and a large arrangement of roses on the counter. They've been delivered on a Sunday, which is apparently expensive - I don't know, I've never ordered roses - and there's a small plastic card attached:

I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT YOU.

GIDEON

Eva contemplates his handwriting, which is bold and masculine and sexy. Must be the way he writes with the caps lock on permanently. Cary comments that she doesn't seem impressed by the flowers and she says he's no good for her.

"'He's bad news for me. He's like one giant trigger. I just need to stay away from him.' Cary had been through therapy with me, and he knew the drill. He didn't look at me funny when I broke things down into therapeutic jargon, and he didn't have any trouble shooting it back to me the same way." -- there is literally zero therapeutic jargon here? I'm so confused. And also, I'm seriously irritated that it appears this series will centre around a woman recovering from sexual assault constantly putting her well-being at risk for some dude's junk. Value yourself, girl. You're worth more than that.

Cary tells her the phone's been ringing all morning so he turned the volume off. They decide to leave it off all day, and Eva fills Cary in on the previous night's disaster. She begins with the limo sex, which Gideon apparently had never had before. Cary is confused by this. 

"I shrugged. 'I guess car banging makes me a slut.'

Cary grew very still. 'Is that what he said?'

'No. He didn't say shit. I got that from his "friend," Magdalene. You know, that chick in most of the photos you printed off the Internet? She decided to sharpen her claws with a little catty girl chat in the bathroom.'

'The bitch is jealous.'

'Sexual frustration. She can't fuck him, because apparently girls who fuck him go into the discard pile.'" -- Or maybe Magdalene really isn't interested? Don't go getting all superior just because you're Gideon's flavour of the week.

Eva got to work 20 minutes early on Monday so she could avoid running into Gideon, and she's relieved when she makes it to her desk without incident. The morning goes quickly until her phone rings.

"'How's your morning been so far?' he asked, his voice sending a shiver of awareness through me. 

'Hectic.' I glanced at the clock and was startled to see it was twenty minutes to noon.

'Good.' There was a pause. 'I tried calling you yesterday. I left a couple messages. I wanted to hear your voice.'

...........

His chair creaked as if he'd pushed to his feet. 'I thought about stopping by . . . I wanted to.'

I sighed, surrendering to my confusion. 'I'm glad you didn't.'

There was another long pause. 'I deserved that.'

'I didn't say it to be a bitch. It's just the truth.'

'I know. Listen . . . I arranged for lunch up here in my office so we don't waste any of the hour leaving and getting back.'

........

'Gideon, we don't have any reason to have lunch together. We hashed things out Friday night, and we . . . took care of business Saturday. Let's just leave it at that.'

'Eva.' His voice turned gruff. 'I know I fucked up. Let me explain.'

'You don't have to. It's okay.'

'It's not. I need to see you.'

'I don't want —'

'We can do this the easy way, Eva. Or you can make it difficult.' His tone took on a hard edge that made my pulse quicken. 'Either way, you'll hear me out.'" -- I mean, or not? It's pretty clear she wants you to leave her alone. Maybe do that instead of being you for once.

Instead of waiting for her to make her way up to his office, Gideon shows up unannounced in hers. As they're waiting for the elevator, Gideon decides that 'where anyone can overhear' is the perfect place to be inappropriate.

"He faced me as we waited for the car, running his fingertips down the sleeves of my satin blouse. 'Every time I close my eyes, I see you in that red dress. I hear the sounds you make when you're turned on. I feel you sliding over my cock, squeezing me like a fist, making me come so hard it hurts.' (ew.)

'Don't.' I looked away, unable to bear the intimate way he was looking at me. 

'I can't help it.'

The arrival of the elevator was a relief. He caught my hand and pulled me inside. After he put his key in the panel, he tugged me closer. 'I'm going to kiss you, Eva.'

'I don't —'

He pulled me into him and sealed his mouth over mine." -- I just. Ugh.

She ends up kissing him back after he makes no move to end the kiss, and then the elevator reaches its destination. He takes her purse and hangs it on the coat rack. 

"I handed him my purse and moved away, needing the space. He hung his coat and my purse on the coatrack, then moved to the bar.

I crossed my arms. 'Let's just get this over with. I don't want to see you anymore.'"

CHAPTER 8

Gideon runs his hand through his hair and tells Eva she doesn't mean that, and she exhaustedly replies that she does. They're not good for each other, and what happened between them was a mistake. Gideon refuses to believe that, and asks Eva if she wants to be with him. She doesn't know what he's talking about and he explains that he's used to having control and when she took control for like half a second in the limo, it got him all screwy and he didn't react very well to it. Cue shock. Cue awe. 

"'It's just sex, Gideon. Super awesome sex, but that can seriously screw with your head when the two people doing it aren't good for each other.' (this doesn't make sense - if it's just sex, why is it screwing with your head?)

'Bullshit. I've admitted I fucked up. I can't change what happened, but I can sure as shit get pissed that you want to cut me off because of it. You laid out your rules and I adjusted to accommodate them, but you won't make even a tiny adjustment for me. You have to meet me halfway.' His face was hard with frustration. 'At least give me an inch. ...... I want to keep feeling the way I feel when I'm with you. Just tell me what I have to do. And give me some room to screw up. I've never done this before. There's a learning curve.'"

There's a little more back and forth and they finally decide to enter into a RELATIONSHIP. Eva asks about exclusivity and Gideon firmly tells her she's not to be with anyone else. He doesn't bring up his own monogamy until Eva says 'yeah but you don't get to fuck anyone else either' or something along those lines. They make plans to meet after work and go to the gym and then to have "mind-blowing sex" afterwards.

"'I'll be sure to clear my schedule by five.' He resumed eating, completely at ease with the fact that we'd both just penciled mind-blowing sex into our mental day calendars." -- I mean, I know you've already had sex with him, so your expectations are high, but maybe don't call it 'mind-blowing' before it happens. What if it's lukewarm? Or you end up headbutting each other in the heat of the moment? Or you try to get too adventurous and fall off the bed? What if a foreign object gets lost somewhere? THESE ARE THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN, PEOPLE. 

He suggests he accompany her to the gym and they work out together. 

"'Really?' I turned the bottle [of ketchup] upside down and thumped the bottom with my palm.

He took it from me and used his knife to coax the ketchup onto my plate. 'It's probably best for me to work off some energy before I get you naked. I'm sure you'd like to be able to walk tomorrow.'

I stared at him, astonished by the casualness with which he'd made the statement and the rueful amusement on his face that told me he wasn't entirely kidding. My sex clenched in delicious anticipation. I could easily picture becoming seriously addicted to Gideon Cross."

Eva then kills whatever moment was unfolding by mentioning Magdalene and telling Gideon that she'll be a problem. She retells the bizarre conversation in the bathroom, and Gideon promises to talk to her. After two more pages of banal dialogue, lunch is over and it's time for Eva to leave.

"He shrugged into his jacket and I wanted to bite him, he looked so delectable.

Instead, I hopped up to sit directly in front of his chair. According to my watch I had five minutes. Barely enough time to get back to work, but still. I couldn't resist exercising my new rights. I pointed at his chair. 'Sit.'

His brows rose, but he came over without argument and settled gracefully into the seat.

I spread my legs and crooked my finger. 'Closer.'

..........

'One day soon,' I repeated against his lips, 'I'm going to kneel beneath this desk and suck you off. Maybe while you're on the phone playing with your millions like Monopoly. You, Mr. Cross, will pass Go and collect your two hundred dollars.'

His mouth curved against mine. 'I can see how this is going to go. You're going to make me lose my mind coming everywhere I can in your tight, sexy body.'"

Finally, she returns back to her office and Mark, her boss, needs to speak with her about Gideon. He's concerned that because Gideon is so attractive, Eva will be drawn into him very quickly. And, since Gideon also tends to go through women the way normal people go through toilet paper, Mark doesn't want her to get hurt and then decide she can't work there anymore. She assures him that she's a big girl and can take care of herself and isn't going to let a little thing like Gideon Cross force her out of a job she loves.

Five o'clock rolls around, and Gideon is waiting for Eva. They decide to go to Gideon's gym - the one he owns - and get in the car. On the way, Eva is introspective.

"It was a whole new world. A new city, new apartment, new job, and new man. It was a lot to take on at once. I supposed it was understandable that I felt off-balance.

I glanced at Gideon and found him staring at me with an unreadable expression. Everything inside me twisted into a mess of wild lust and vibrating anxiety. I had no idea what I was doing with him, onlyl that I couldn't stop myself even if I wanted to."

Bared to You: Chapters 5 and 6

It's NFL season, so you know what that means! Suddenly I have like 5 hours every Sunday to spend on trashy literature! WOOOOO!!

Picking up where we left off:

Eva wakes up the next morning with a raging hangover, makes some coffee, and joins Cary in the living room. When she arrives on the couch, Cary motions to a package that had come for her that morning.
"It was wrapped with brown paper and twine and had my name handwritten diagonally across the top with a decorative calligraphic flourish. Inside was an amber glass bottle with HANGOVER CURE painted on it in a white old-fashioned font and a note tied with raffia to the bottle's neck that said, Drink me. Gideon's business card was nestled in the cushioning tissue paper." -- I would not drink this.

She drinks it.

"I pried the cork out and drank the contents without thinking twice about it. It tasted like sickly sweet cough syrup. My stomach quivered in distaste for a moment and then heated.
...
'What was that?' Cary asked.
'From the burn, it's hair of the dog.'" -- I've done a brief survey of one person (husband) to think of sickly-sweet-cough-syrupy alcohol you could send someone, and we came up with Jagermeister or Sambucca. I've had Sambucca and it is NOT pleasant. You are an actual dick if you tell someone to drink this. Not as big of a dick though, as the person who blindly drinks a liquid that appeared at their house overnight.

Cary asks her if she wants to call Gideon, and she declines. She's still too fuzzy to deal with him and she needs to have a sharp mind to deal with him. He jokes that maybe their casual-but-physically-intense sex will turn into something serious and she scoffs. She doesn't want anything serious and Gideon's money turns her off. And it reminds her of her mom. 

"Love wasn't a requisite for marriage in Monica Stanton's opinion, and since her sultry-eyed, breathy-voiced beauty was irresistible to most men, she'd never had to settle for less than whatever she wanted. Unfortunately she hadn't wanted my dad for the long haul." -- your mom sounds like a dick. This must be where you get it.

Eva and Cary go out for a spa day with Eva's mother. Nothing happens except for three pages of needlessly detailed interior design. Cary casually mentions to Monica that Eva may or may not be the object of a certain millionaire's affections, and Monica, gold digger that she is, can't believe Eva hasn't married the man already. 

After the spa, Cary and Monica go shopping for cuff-links for Stanton Richard/Richard Stanton and Eva goes home to call Gideon.

"He answered on the first ring. 'Eva.'

Startled that he'd know who was calling, my mind scrambled for a moment. How did he have my  name and number in his contact list? (Honestly, how many times is she going to need reminding that he OWNS THE COMPANY SHE WORKS FOR). 'Uh . . . hi, Gideon.'

'I'm a block away. Let the front desk know I'm coming.'

'What?' I felt like I'd miss part of the conversation. 'Coming where?'

'To your place. I'm rounding the corner now. Call the desk, Eva.'" -- actually how about you get yourself to fuck and she keeps her goddamn doors locked. Who does this? He was just going to her place? Not knowing if she was home? Although he owns the building she lives in so maybe he knows that too. This guy is gross. 

She decides to let the crazy man inside. He says he's there because she took too long to call him. It has not yet been 24 hours. He tells her she looks beautiful and that he "can't remember wanting anything this much." Not someone. Like she's one of those amazing Samsung Food Showcase Refrigerators I've been pining after. 

He tells her to go with him to this charity dinner thing that night, which he already knows she's attending since her parents will be there. She doesn't want to go together because it's a high profile thing and she doesn't want to hear it from her mom, and lots of excuses, but most important, the answer was no.

"'I'll pick you up at seven.' His tongue traced the wildly throbbing vein in my throat and I melted into him, my body going lax as he pulled me close.

Still, I managed to say, 'I haven't said yes.'

'But you won't say no.' He caught my earlobe between his teeth. 'I won't let you.'" 

Will this gif be the new Buzz Lightyear?

Gideon somehow takes 'I haven't said yes,' as an invitation to untie her robe, and surprise surprise, she's naked. There is almost zero time in between naked Eva and uncomfortable Reader.

"His mouth surrounded the tip of my breast, the wash of heat bringing a mist of perspiration to my skin. 

My gaze darted frantically to the clock on the cable box. 'Gideon, no.'

His head lifted and he looked at me with stormy blue eyes. 'It's insane, I know. I don't - I can't explain it, Eva, but I have to make you come. I've been thinking about it constantly for days now.'" -- Do you want to know what I've been thinking about constantly for days now? Having more money. But you don't see me off robbing a fucking bank. Also, how cold is your skin that his breath creates condensation? I asked Craig (husband) to breathe on the back of my hand, and nothing happened. Gideon spit on you, Eva. 

"'You're wet for me,' he murmured, his gaze sliding down my body to where he was parting me with his fingers. 'You're beautiful here, too. Plush and pink. So soft.'"

Run, Eva. Before he tries to skin you alive.

Following this, Eva has three orgasms in as many sentences, which, honestly, just sounds painful. After, Gideon gets up to leave.

"'Seven o'clock, Eva.' He reached down to touch my ankle, his fingertips caressing the diamond anklet I'd put on in preparation for the evening. 'And keep this on. I want to fuck you while you're wearing nothing else.'"

And, scene.

CHAPTER 6

The chapter opens with Eva on the phone to her dad - the guy her mom never married. She tells him about her new job and going out the previous night with Cary, but deftly leaves out Gideon. Her dad asks about her mom, and she tells him she's fine.

"My chest hurt and I rubbed at it. I thought my dad might still love my mom. He'd never married. That was one of the reasons I never told him about what happened to me. As a cop, he would've insisted on pressing charges and the scandal would have destroyed my mother." -- the first half of this has literally nothing to do with the second half. You never told him what happened because he isn't married? And what does him not being married have to do with him being a cop? Also, as I think I've said before, your mother is a dick.

She gets off the phone and starts getting dressed. Her mom has sent her a dress, it's red and one-shouldered and ruched on the hip with a slit up the side. Literally everyone in the world has seen this dress. Cary tells her to wear her diamond earrings, and they spend 2 pages complimenting each other. Cary tells her he's printed out Gideon's past and left it in a folder on her desk. While he goes downstairs to let him in, Eva starts to read.

"It was like watching a train wreck to read that he was the son of Geoffrey Cross, former chairman of an investment securities firm later found to be a front for a massive Ponzi scheme. Gideon was just five years old when his dad committed suicide with a gunshot to the head rather than face prison time." -- Excellent. I was wondering when we'd get his melodramatic backstory.

She leaves her bedroom and heads to the living room to meet Gideon. He's standing at the window.

"His reflection revealed a contemplative mood. His gaze was unfocused and his mouth grim. His crossed arms betrayed an inherent unease, as if he were out of his element. He looked remote and removed, a man who was inherently alone.

He sensed my presence, or maybe he felt my yearning." -- or maybe he saw your reflection in the fucking window.

The three of them take the elevator down from Eva's apartment, Cary whistling merrily with his hands in his pockets. When the doors opened, two women waiting for the elevator gaped obviously at Cary and Gideon, something seems to happen all the time in romance novels and not at all in real life. Eva and Gideon get into his limo, and Eva decides that that's the time for sex.

"I sucked on his tongue, having learned how much he liked it, having learned how much I liked it, how much it made me want to suck him elsewhere with the same eagerness." -- This sentence just made me laugh, really.

"When he fell heavily into my palms, he groaned, the sound both pained and erotic. I squeezed him gently, my touch deliberately tender as I sized him with my hands. He was so hard, like stone, and hot." -- Edward Cullen's body felt like marble. Fifty Shades was Twilight fanfic. Bared to You is a Fifty Shades rip-off. I feel we've really come full circle here. No pun intended.

They have sex for three pages, and then Gideon kills the mood.

"He looked stunned and . . . grateful, his eyes warm and tender. 'I don't want to break up this moment.'

Because I could hear it hanging in the air, I filled it in. 'But . . . ?'

'But I can't blow off this dinner. I have a speech to give.'

'Oh.' The moment was effectively broken." -- yes, well, you can't stay in his limo all night, can you? 

They continue the drive in silence, Eva feeling more and more uncomfortable. 

"He didn't move a muscle as I shifted beside him and put my compact away, as if he weren't even aware I was there.

Abruptly, Gideon opened the bar and pulled out a bottle. Without looking at me, he asked, 'Brandy?'

'No, thank you.' My voice was small, but he didn't seem to notice. Or maybe he didn't care. He poured a drink and tossed it back.

Confused and stung, I pulled on my gloves and tried to figure out what had gone wrong." -- I'm gonna spend an entire book waiting for yet another woman who agrees to a romance-less, purely physical relationship to realise what exactly "purely physical" means, aren't I? Women who write books like this owe it to the women who read them to give their Leading Ladies more than half a brain. We are smarter than this.

Bared to You: Chapter 4

Ah, yes. I am officially on holiday from work for a whole wonderful, stress-free week. It's really a stay-cation though, which means I'll have plenty of time to spend here, sharing the joys of Sylvia Day with all of you. Whether I'll have the energy for such a task remains to be seen, but I'm feeling good just now so let's get into it.

When we left Eva and Gideon (is it just me or are these names not as good as Ana and Christian? Oh no - I've gotten attached), they were about to have sex in the middle of Gideon's office in the middle of a work day, even though Gideon had been super aggressive and predatory (I swear, if this book ends up being a bunch of rape-fantasy sex, I quit). They were startled out of their ardour by the voice of Gideon's receptionist who, thankfully, was not actually in the room (I mean *think* of the HR problems).

"'Cross stood at the far end of the sofa, flushed and scowling, his chest heaving. His tie was loosened and the fly of his slacks strained against a very impressive erection."

"'Christ.' He shoved both hands through his hair. 'It's the middle of the fucking day. In my goddamn fucking office!'" -- I know, right?

They adjust their clothes and attempt to look more like colleagues and less like the embarrassments they are. Eva reaches for her purse and Gideon takes her chin in his hand and asks if she's okay.

"I jerk my chin away. 'Do I look okay?'

'You look beautiful and fuckable. I want you so badly it hurts. (that's just your optical illusion straining against your slacks) I'm dangerously close to taking you back to the couch and making you come 'til you beg me to stop.'" -- Is this where I'm supposed to swoon?

Gideon tells her that he'll move what he has to around and come get her at 5, something she has not previously agreed to. 

"'No, you won't. This doesn't change anything.'

'The hell it doesn't.'

'Don't be arrogant, Cross. I lost my head for a second, but I still don't want what you want.'

His fingers curled around the door handle. 'Yes, you do. You just don't want it the way I want to give it to you. So, we'll revisit and revise.'" -- Be still, my heart.

He's so romantic.

"He stood calmly and hit the call button. 'Five o'clock, Eva.'

I stared at the lighted button. 'I'm busy.'

'Tomorrow, then.'

'I'm busy all weekend.'

Stepping in front of me, he asked tightly, 'With whom?'

'That's none of your —'

His hand covered my mouth. 'Don't. Tell me when, then. And before you say never, take a good look at me and tell me if you see a man who's easily deterred.'

..........

Just before the doors closed, he said, 'We're going to happen, Eva.'

It sounded as much like a threat as a promise."

For perspective, I am on Day Four of trying to blog this one chapter. The goal is to finish it before I start work again. Here we go.

Eva gets back to work late, because her lunch/erotic rendezvous ran a little long. She feels bad but her boss tells her not to worry because he also had a late lunch. They get back to work, and before she knows it, it's 5pm and her stalker is probably lurking somewhere in the building waiting to ambush her before she goes home. And they say romance is dead.

The office phone rings and it's her mother, calling to inform her she left her cell phone at Stanton Richard's (Richard Stanton's?) office. She knows this, since she tracks it. Eva asks her mother what her therapist thinks about her tracking her phone, and it sort of seems like she hasn't told him. Surprising. Eva suggests a joint session, and her mother agrees. They exchange platitudes: how Eva really likes her job, how her boss is great, and absolutely nothing about the walking restraining order waiting to happen. They make a date to have a spa day, and Eva leaves for home. Not five minutes after she's hung up the phone, it rings again. Thinking it's her very distracted mother again, she answers.

"'I'm still thinking about you.'

The velvet rasp of Cross's voice flooded me with such relief that I realized I'd been hoping to hear it again. Today.

God. The craving was so acute I knew he'd become a drug to my body, the prime source of some very intense highs.

'I can still feel you, Eva. Still taste you. I've been hard since you left, through two meetings and one teleconference...'" -- You might want to see a doctor, dude. I'm pretty sure that isn't supposed to happen. Also, it sounds like you're not paying enough attention to running your business. Unless that really does it for you.

She tells him she still doesn't want to sleep with him (honestly I've lost track of how many times this poor woman has had to say 'no'), and suggests that instead he should "Go spend time with a woman who salivates at your feet and makes you feel like a god. Fuck her until neither of you can walk." The theory behind this is that the next time he sees her, he'll not be interested anymore. Which is not, I don't think, how sexual attraction works at all, but okay. 

"The creak of leather sounded over the phone and I imagined him leaning back in his desk chair. 'That was your one free pass. The next time you insult my intelligence, I'll take you over my knee.'" -- WEALTHY MAN IN POSITION OF POWER THREATENS TO HIT SUBORDINATE: FULL STORY AT 9. Seriously, though, is there an HR department at this place or is that literally just Gideon and a whip?

Instead of telling him to fuck off, Eva says she needs to go because she has a date with her vibrator, which, if anything, will just encourage this behaviour. To prove my point, Gideon's next question is: "What will it take to talk you into a threesome with B.O.B.?" Now, perhaps due to my own ignorance, but more likely due to the fact that absolutely NO ONE calls a vibrator 'B.O.B.', my first thought at that question was not "Battery-Operated Boyfriend", but instead that Gideon was suggesting a threesome with a mediocre rap artist who hadn't even been consulted to gauge his interest.

And the thing - the really painful thing - is that her comeback is good! It is! But. ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I just can't take her seriously. 

"'B.O.B. and I have a longtime understanding — when we're done with each other, we know exactly which one of us has been used, and it isn't me. Good night, Gideon.'" -- BAM! YES! That is how it's done! Is what I would say if I believed for a second it was going to make an ounce of difference.

Upon arriving home, Eva is so happy to be away from Gideon that she dances through the door and interrupts a private, though non-compromising, moment between Cary and his maybe boyfriend, Trey. Seeing them together makes Eva bitter about how clinical and impersonal Gideon wants their sexy time to be. Eva takes a bottle of wine out of the fridge and Parker (the Krav Maga guy) calls. Richard-Stanton has decided to fund some safety improvements to the studio, and Parker is super excited about it. Trey leaves for class and after complaining about Gideon and her mother, Eva and Cary decide to go to a club to get her mind off of things.

They bounce around from club to club until they come across some dude near a Walgreens promoting a lounge. It's very fancy and all they have to do is show the card he gives them and they get in free. They're just settling in and ordering drinks when surprise surprise, Gideon shows up and plants a domineering hand on Eva's shoulder. Cary abandons Eva, like a good friend, and goes to dance. Throughout the course of the painfully forced dialogue, we learn a few things about Gideon and the night Eva's been having that, honestly, are too ridiculous to even be fiction.

"'Do you come here often?'

Shit. Where did that cliched line come from?

His hand dropped to my lap and caught one of mine, his fingers curling into my palm. 'When necessary.'

......

Gideon's mouth curved into a genuine smile that hit me hard. 

'When expensive decisions need to be made. I own this club, Eva.'

Of course he did. Jeez."  -- Yes. Of course he does.

The waitress comes around with two vodka cranberries, which Gideon ordered, and which Eva has been drinking all night. Suspicious.

"'Not bad,' he murmured. 'Tell me if we made it right.'

He kissed me. He moved in fast, but I saw it coming and didn't turn away. His mouth was cold and flavored with alcohol-laced cranberry. ..... I shoved a hand in his glorious hair and clenched it tight, holding him still as I sucked on his tongue (ew?). His groan was the most erotic sound I'd ever heard, making the flesh between my legs tighten viciously.

Shocked by the fury of my reaction, I wrenched away, gasping.

Gideon followed, nuzzling the side of my face, his lips brushing over my ear. He was breathing hard, too, and the sound of the ice in his tumbler clinking against the glass skittered across my inflamed senses.

'I need to be inside you, Eva,' he whispered roughly. 'I'm aching for you.'"

Strained though her brain is at the moment, Eva manages to remember that he bought her the drink she'd been downing all night without asking her what she'd been drinking, and thinks it's weird. She asks him how he knew her drink and Cary's name (yeah he knew who he was too, I just didn't think it was important enough to write about), and the conversation just falls apart from there.

"'You visited another of my clubs earlier. Your credit card popped and your drinks were recorded. And Cary Taylor is listed on the rental agreement for your apartment.'

The room spun. No way . . . My cell phone. My credit card. My fucking apartment. I couldn't breath. Between my mother and Gideon, I felt claustrophobic.

'Eva. Jesus. You're white as a ghost.' He shoved a glass into my hand. 'Drink.'

It was the Stoli and cranberry. I pounded it, draining the tumbler. My stomach churned for a moment, then settled. 'You own the building I live in?' I gasped.

'Oddly enough, yes.'" -- fucking seriously?

"'Is that why you're here in this club right now? Because of me? And don't say what you think I want to hear.'

His gaze was clear and steady. 'I'm here for you, yes. I arranged it.'

Suddenly the threads the street hawker had been wearing made sense. We'd been hustled by someone on Cross Industries' payroll. 'Did you figure that getting me here would get you laid?'

His mouth twitched with suppressed amusement. 'There's always the hope, but I expected it would take more work than a chance meeting over drinks.'

'You're right. So why do it? Why not wait until Monday lunch?'

'Because you're out trolling. I can't do anything about B.O.B., but I can stop you from picking up some asshole in a bar. You want to score, Eva, I'm right here.'" -- Is this supposed to be endearing? Am I honestly supposed to swoon over a petulant manchild literally declaring IF I CAN'T HAVE SEX WITH YOU THEN YOU CAN'T HAVE SEX WITH ANYONE ELSE! 

They spend the rest of the evening, believe it or not, literally negotiating the terms of their inevitable sexual adventures. She needs more than an 'emotionless transaction,' and he cannot even begin to understand why. They decide that, occasionally, when they're not having sex, they'll spend time together not having sex, and Eva promises she won't ever think it's a date, so I guess that's their sex life sorted for the foreseeable future.

"Duffy began begging for mercy, her voice drifting up from the dance floor below. An unwelcome ache developed in my chest and I rubbed at it. 

I'd already had enough, but I heard myself saying, 'I need another drink.'" -- Don't we all, Eva.