Only a few days ago she had been so anxious and uncertain, and now suddenly she craved him like a drug.
No, I’m not craving him, she corrected. I’m craving it. The act, not the person. Don’t
confuse the two, Eva.
She refused to acknowledge the small thought tickling the back of her mind. That gentle, sweet side that was so uncharacteristic of Jack? It was lethal. Too much time with tender, adoring Jack, and not even the most experienced woman would be able to resist falling hard.
And Eva was far from experienced.
Eva wandered farther and farther from her offices, lost in her troubling thoughts.
It was a nice, sunny day in the city, with so many people out on their lunch breaks that the streets thronged with activity. Because the weather was so mild and her mind so confused, Eva managed to stroll right out of her neighborhood, letting her need for peace lead her away from the bustling main thoroughfares. Soon she found herself on a quiet, tree-lined residential street, far away from the usual midday bustle.
When she surfaced from her thoughts, something niggled at the back of her mind.
A disquieting sense of alarm.
She turned a corner as another car slowly rounded it. It was a black Cadillac with tinted windows. She’d seen a similar car idling outside her office building the week before.
Was someone watching her? Following her?
Her heartbeat quickened.
She walked faster, her heels clicking on the uneven pavement.
The car accelerated slightly, keeping close behind her. This time, whoever was in the car didn’t try to be cagey or stay hidden.
Cold nerves skated over her skin, and she tensed everywhere.
There could be no mistake.
She was being hunted.
Why, she couldn’t even imagine, but she didn’t intend to find out by allowing herself to get caught. She hastened her pace, feeling the sting of her patent leather heel rubbing her ankle raw.
Damn these high heels. She’d worn them because she knew they turned Jack on, but right now, she wished for her Adidas. The heels weren’t meant for athletic endeavors.
She peered over her shoulder, trying to get a look at the driver, but the windows were too dark. Seeing a sign for the subway across the street, she took a deep breath, trying to settle her pounding heart. Then, without giving any warning, she dashed into the street, narrowly evading the bumper of the Cadillac.
Oh, shit, she thought as she heard the car slam on its brakes. A door opened. She ran, eyes trained on the subway entrance.
Footsteps sped behind her.
She picked up the pace as she ducked down into the subway station, taking the steps two at a time, at a speed she’d never traveled before in her life, praying she wouldn’t twist an ankle in her high heels.
Breathing hard, she furiously flipped through her wristlet, trying to find her subway card. She picked through about a thousand credit cards, spilling some on the floor.
She bent low, frantically shoving the cards back into her purse. With so much in walking distance of her apartment, she rarely took the subway.
Where was the card? Where was the fucking card?
A shadow fell across her. Instinctively, Eva bolted.
Heart beating madly, she crawled under the turnstile and scrambled back to her feet, racing toward the empty platform, desperately searching for help. But the waiting area was deserted.
A city of nine-million people, and I’m the only one here?
She flattened herself on the other side of a column, praying the person who was chasing her would just go away.