“Be careful,” Trigger told her. “I don’t want to lose you now that I’ve found you.”
Her face gentled. “I will.”
“I had a good time,” he told her, prolonging their goodbye.
“Me too.”
“Okay, before I get too sappy, I’m gonna go.” Then he leaned forward, thrilled with how quickly Gillian went up on her tiptoes to meet his mouth. He kissed her, not as hard or as long as he wanted, but long enough for his toes to curl and his cock to harden.
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay. See you later.”
“Bye, Di.”
Trigger backed away, then turned and strode for the stairwell with a purpose. He needed to go before he forgot about his “going slow” edict.
Chapter Ten
Gillian smiled as she hung up the phone. She’d just finished reserving the ballroom at a nearby hotel for a fiftieth anniversary party for a truly wonderful couple. Their daughter wanted to have a huge party for her parents, and Gillian was more than happy to help give the couple an over-the-top celebration.
The last month had been amazing. Even with the hijacking still fresh in her mind two months later, she’d never been happier.
Walker was better than she’d ever imagined a boyfriend could be. Of course she’d dated in the past, but she’d never felt as content with another man as she did with Walker. On the days they didn’t see each other, he texted, emailed, and called. She’d communicated more with him in the last month than she did her last boyfriend in all the months they’d been so-called dating.
She knew Walker was very close to his parents, even though they lived up in Maine. They enjoyed their solitude and had no problem with the long, cold winters in the northeastern state they’d made their home. It was funny how different their parents were, since hers moved to Florida because they’d hated the cold. Barbara and Thomas Romano were also very social. They lived on a golf course, and every day her mom drove the golf cart for her dad while he played nine holes. Of course, she did so only so she could see and gossip with the other wives who drove their husbands around.
Gillian had spent every weekend with Walker. Ever since that first night when she’d fallen asleep on his couch, it had been an unspoken agreement that when he took her out, she’d stay overnight with him. He’d been nothing but a gentleman, going no further in their physical relationship than some very intense kisses. She’d wake up in his arms on his couch and couldn’t remember ever sleeping better.
Last weekend, Ann, Wendy, and Clarissa had insisted they wanted to spend time with Walker, so, along with their significant others, they’d all gone out to eat. Gillian had been thrilled when Walker had fit in easily with Tom, Wyatt, and Johnathan. By the end of the night, the men had all exchanged numbers, and Walker had somehow gotten the others to all agree to keep their eye on her…just in case.
The seventh hijacker still hadn’t been identified, and the next day, she was meeting with a Drug Enforcement Administration employee and someone from the FBI to discuss, in detail, what she could remember about each of the passengers she’d been stranded with.
Gillian wasn’t looking forward to the meeting, but Walker had said he’d accompany her, which made her feel ten times better about the whole thing. A part of her felt weak, as if she was no longer the independent business owner she’d spent the majority of her adult life working to make people see her as…but another part didn’t care.
She liked being with Walker. And meeting with the two agencies made her nervous as hell. She wasn’t a troublemaker. Hadn’t even gotten a speeding ticket before. Hell, the first time she’d received a parking ticket she’d nearly had a panic attack because it felt as if she’d broken a major law.
Gillian realized she’d been sitting in her apartment staring off into space as she thought about Walker when her phone vibrated in her hand. Looking down, she saw a text from Andrea.
Over the last few weeks, the other woman had slowly started messaging more frequently, and Gillian was relieved to see that she was starting to heal from her ordeal. Gillian knew she’d gotten off way easier than Andrea had. Luis had taken a liking to the other woman and had forced himself on her. It was hard enough for Gillian to come to terms with what had happened…she wasn’t also trying to deal with the aftermath of sexual abuse on top of everything else.
Andrea: Hey. How’d your day go? Did you get the hotel nailed down for that party?
Gillian: Yeah. The Marriott turned out to be too expensive, but The Driskill worked out perfectly.
Andrea: Cool!
Gillian: Any chance you’d want to meet up soon for coffee or something?
Gillian really wanted to see Andrea in person. So far, every time she’d suggested meeting, the other woman had balked, saying she just wasn’t ready. That things were still fresh in her mind and she was afraid seeing any of the other hostages would bring back too many unwelcome memories. While Gillian hated that the sight of her could make Andrea unhappy in any way, she totally understood.
Andrea: Soon.
Gillian: Good. I have a meeting with the DEA and FBI tomorrow. I’m not looking forward to it.
Andrea: Can’t blame you. They would intimidate the hell out of me.
Gillian: Exactly!
Andrea: What do they want to know?
Gillian: I guess they’re still trying to identify the seventh hijacker and they want me to go over everything I can remember about everyone.
Andrea: Jeez, they’re not asking much, are they?
Gillian: Right? I keep telling them that I didn’t spend much time with the men since they kept us separated, I can’t imagine who the other hijacker is. Honestly, I’m trying to put it all behind me, but when the FBI asks you to meet with them it’s kinda hard to say no.
Andrea: True. Anyway, glad you got that party worked out. When is it again?
Gillian: Less than two months away.
Andrea: Isn’t it late in the game to be reserving the ballroom?
Gillian: lol. Yes! The daughter had a hard time deciding on a venue. She’s just lucky The Driskill had a cancellation. If there hadn’t been, the party might’ve had to be held at the Super 8 motel or something.
Andrea: I’m sure if that happened, you still would’ve made it awesome.
Gillian: Thanks.
Andrea: I’ll give you a shout later about getting together.
Gillian: I’d like that. Take care and be kind to yourself, Andrea. What happened wasn’t your fault, and you couldn’t have done anything differently without putting yourself in great danger.
Andrea: I’ll try. Later.