"Of course." She turned to go. "Oh! Hello, Ms. Martin!"
Jane?
Instinctively, his hand went to shut his laptop, then he tucked it and the Wi-Fi router into his desk. Gin would either not notice or not ask--most likely she assumed he was circumventing the office network so he could surf porn sites.
Jane would ask.
"Gin, it's so good to see you. And I've told you a million times to call me Jane."
From his perspective at the desk, Dallas could see Jane give the older woman a hug. When they pulled apart, Jane stepped into the room.
She wore a tight black skirt that hugged her hips, red stilettos, and a low cut sleeveless blouse that showed off her more than adequate cleavage. The outfit alone put him on notice that something was up with her. She looked hot. Like head-to-a-bar-pick-up-a-guy-and-fuck-him-in-the-hallway hot. She never dressed that way when she knew she was going to see him. Too dangerous, as evidenced by the way parts south of his brain were springing to attention.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He kept his voice light, but he was a little concerned by the look in her eye--a combination of terror and fierce determination.
"We need to talk." She shut the door, locked it, then turned back to look at him.
He sat down slowly. "All right," he said evenly. "Talk."
"Right." She sat, then smoothed her skirt, the motion probably camouflaging her nerves. "Right," she said again. Her throat moved as she swallowed, and he found himself remembering that the indentation at the base of her throat had once tasted as sweet as honey. "It's just that--"
The buzz of the intercom interrupted her. "Mr. Sykes, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Crowley's party is in one week. Next Friday."
"That's fine, Gin. Just put it on the calendar." He frowned. She didn't usually trouble him with the details.
"I would, but you have a conflict. You're supposed to be in Montreal with your father. You're completely booked Friday through Sunday for a number of events related to the opening of the new hotel and retail center."
"Of course," he said and silently cursed. He'd promised his father he'd make this trip, and while his irresponsible heir routine worked well as a cover for Deliverance, the truth was he loved his dad and really didn't want the last ounce of respect the man had for him to be washed away.
But about this, he had no choice. This wasn't just a Deliverance job, this was about
Ortega. This was about the kidnapping. This was about Jane.
"Tell my father I won't be able to make the trip," he said, then watched as Jane's eyes widened.
He waited for Gin to answer. "Gin?" he prompted.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said after a moment. "I'm afraid that's something you're going to have to tell him yourself."
The connection broke, and Jane tilted her head, as if trying to get a read on him. "You're blowing off Dad in favor of a party?"
"Crowley throws excellent parties," he said. "You never know who you might meet."
"Right. Of course." She dragged her fingers through her hair, mussing it a bit and making him think of what she'd look like with her head against a pillow and her dark hair spread wide.
But those thoughts vanished when she looked back up at him. All he saw was disappointment, and he wanted so badly to tell her that he wasn't the asshole bad boy she thought he was.
Instead, he said, "So are you going to tell me why you're here?"
For a moment, he thought she wasn't. Then she gave a sad little shake of her head. "Sometimes I wonder why I want so badly to be close again, you know?"
"Jane--" The word came out strangled.
"No. Let me finish or I'll never get this out. I don't know why sometimes, but that doesn't matter, because I do want it, Dallas. I miss you so much it hurts. And I'm not even talking about the sex, although god knows I miss that, too."
Her cheeks took on an adorable pink tone and she didn't quite meet his eyes.
"But mostly I just miss you. Every day. All the time." She stood up, clearly uncomfortable simply sitting still. "Maybe it's just me--is it just me?" She cast pleading eyes on him. "Because if it is, I'll let it go. But I can't ignore this--I don't know--this need between us."