LN Cronan

Wow - lots of brand spanking new members jumped in overnight!!! Excellent!!! Â The sheer activity on this thread discussing Entwined with You must be some sort of new record. This thread has been full-fledged active since only 9 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time exactly one week ago today. Already there are more than 2,000 posts and approaching 39,000 views. Â To put those numbers in perspective, the thread started in April to discuss Bared to You and Reflected in You in great detail by re-reading the novels a chapter at a time has a little over 3,000 posts and almost 45,000.

Some favorite quotes: Â Gideon in his home office, now in full-power mode having just overheard the lies (and at least one truth) Deanna was planning to spread about Eva in order to paint him as violent. "The indolent, well-pleasured male I'd eaten dinner with was gone, replaced by an urban predator who dominated his competition." -- Yikes, Gideon the Dom of the Boardroom, Not Just the Bedroom. HAWT even without a three-piece suit. Er, hotter standing there in boxer briefs, already devising a strategy to take Deanna down. Oh if she could have only seen him at that moment. Â I'm just getting you back, Eva. I don't want all the time we spend together to be about what's wrong and f***** up in our lives." Â "Your insecurity made you blind," (Gideon to Eva explaining why everyone else near them at the functions they attended could see but she couldn't back in the early days when she was so insecure -- Gideon was crazy about her. Â Eva's refusal to accept a job doing public relations for Cross Industries, saying PR is "Too much like propaganda. At least with advertising, you know the bias right away." New Eva -- with her clothes on. She didn't go for the "I want you at Cross Industries" professional come-on like she ultimately did fall for Gideon's -- er -- opening for a pre-approved orifice a couple of months ago.

Various thoughts on Chapter 8  Getting some rest: So sweet that Eva told Gideon a bedtime story in a way to get him to fall asleep on the couch snuggled up with her, then she stayed up all night just holding him. Friday was only their third night back together. Wednesday had been practically an all-nighter, and Thursday had been only a little better. Add on top of that all the sleep he'd been losing while they had been apart more than two weeks. Page 106, " ... he looked so weary, with dark smudges under his eyes and deep groves framing that wickedly sensual mouth." The fact he slept in until 11 a.m. Saturday proves how overtired he'd been -- he always been the first one to wake up the mornings they did spend overnights together in their early relationship. Loved her joke the next morning reminding him what he was up against the coming night (pun intended). She had her girls' night, planning to drink too much, which makes her . "Oh yeah. You'll be lucky if you can crawl out of bed tomorrow, " (Eva) warned. (page 109) He's more worried than ever about the violent nightmares, because now he's got traumatic memories of killing a man on top of the stuff from childhood. But these past few nights, Eva consistently has taken naps with him -- baby steps, I think to rebuilding his ability to trust they can share a bedroom.  Needs to take her own advice!!! Now they know Deanna wants to try to hurt Gideon by painting him as some guy who flies into jealous rages, beating up other men because he keeps catching Eva with them. The fake story about Eva being in a threesome with Cary and another guy. The actually true story about her in a passionate embrace with Brett. When they talk about different public relationships strategies for defusing potential scandals threatening to erupt, Eva pointed out the usual safe strategy. "Stay away from me. That's what you'd be advised to do. Distancing yourself from the source of a scandal is Crisis Management 101." Um, Eva, hello .... Deanna Johnson actually has an eyewitness account of you getting caught passionately kissing Brett and then Gideon trying to beat the guy up. A true story that could become a scandal. And, um, don't you think you ought to back out of the promise you made Thursday to attend that Times Square event with Brett? Hmmmm? Duh.  More blanks filled in about Nathan We learned in this chapter that it had been Clancy (not Gideon's people) who had been heading up surveillance of Nathan. But Clancy had miscalculated Nathan as far as Cary went -- and thus Cary paid the price. So that connected the dots to the fact it was Monica that informed Gideon who Cary's assailant was, telling him that Monday morning at the hospital, which started the chain reaction that led to Gideon putting an entirely new set of plans in motion. Clancy's theory about Nathan hanging out near the Crossfire that day Clancy and Monica spotted him was that Nathan was there to be seen. "Once he made himself known, he kept the pressure up. Likely, he expected to frighten you and managed to scare Mrs. Stanton instead. Effective in either case." Clancy's theory about Nathan ratcheting up the pressure gibes with what Detective Graves believed was behind the beating. From Reflected, "I would say that Nathan Barker attacked Cary Taylor as a way to intimidate and threaten Gideon Cross." Yep, most certainly effective in that case -- Gideon felt threatened. Too bad for Nathan he went too far, revealing just how kah-ray-zee and dangerous he really was. At that point, it quit being about money and secrets -- and instead became about Eva's very life.

 Gideon checked to make sure Eva was on birth control that first weekend. It was on Saturday afternoon, between the time they negotiated their Friends-With-Benefits deal (Friday night) before their first date coming up that night (Gideon asked Eva to accompany him to the advocacy center fundraiser.)  He stopped by Eva's apartment to ask her out for Saturday night -- and he ended up working his magic fingers and tongue on her. While he had her all hot and bothered, they had the birth control and the safe sex conversation (he mentioned wanting to swap paperwork proving they both were clean.)  It was obvious Gideon's original plans for the night were to take Eva to the f*** pad after the the fundraiser. He even told her to leave on a diamond ankle bracelet she already was wearing, because he wanted to f*** her while she was wearing nothing but that anklet.Â

 I've got a theory on that ... Monica figured out who killed Nathan, and she was eager to distance all of them -- Eva, Stanton and her -- from Gideon, lest they get accused of murder conspiracy. Maybe she hoped that it would be for the best if Gideon paid as a price for his own safety marrying Corrine instead.  When Nathan showed up with those rape photos of Eva, trying to extort money from both Gideon and the Stantons, all of them were working together. But then the Cary beating came, and Gideon decided the danger level had become too high. On his own, he planned and then carried out the killing. Suddenly it made sense to Monica why Gideon had gone from so tender to Eva at Cary's bedside on Monday morning to a romantic dinner for two with Corrine on Monday night. And then never lifted a finger to stop the tabloids for going wild about him and Corrine getting back together again. Not the next day. Not the next week. Stories that mentioned Eva, apparently, reported she was history. So naturally now, she's still nervous about the cops taking Gideon down and her/Stanton/Eva possibility ending up accused too. Enter Clancy and the bracelet???? The Stanton/Monica insurance plan to protect themselves by sending the cops running off on a different direction???? Maybe the cops have now quit hounding Stanton too (they'd still been at it supposedly only one day before Entwined began.) So maybe now Monica thinks it's "safe to come out" and would be even more eager than ever for Eva to marry Gideon. Because among other things, the marriage would be an insurance policy for the Stantons.  Monica may do idiotic things sometimes, but the woman is no fool.

Opps, Chapter 8 thoughts went in the wrong thread -- the overall spoiler thread instead of the chapter a day thread. Â This rawrrrrrrr hottie photos just got me so flustered I didn't know which was which!! Â ::: fanning myself :::

Various thoughts on Chapter 8  Getting some rest: So sweet that Eva told Gideon a bedtime story in a way to get him to fall asleep on the couch snuggled up with her, then she stayed up all night just holding him. Friday was only their third night back together. Wednesday had been practically an all-nighter, and Thursday had been only a little better. Add on top of that all the sleep he'd been losing while they had been apart more than two weeks. Page 106, " ... he looked so weary, with dark smudges under his eyes and deep groves framing that wickedly sensual mouth." The fact he slept in until 11 a.m. Saturday proves how overtired he'd been -- he always been the first one to wake up the mornings they did spend overnights together in their early relationship. Loved her joke the next morning reminding him what he was up against the coming night (pun intended). She had her girls' night, planning to drink too much, which makes her . "Oh yeah. You'll be lucky if you can crawl out of bed tomorrow, " (Eva) warned. (page 109) He's more worried than ever about the violent nightmares, because now he's got traumatic memories of killing a man on top of the stuff from childhood. But these past few nights, Eva consistently has taken naps with him -- baby steps, I think to rebuilding his ability to trust they can share a bedroom.  Needs to take her own advice Now they know Deanna wants to try to hurt Gideon by painting him as some guy who flies into jealous rages, beating up other men because he keeps catching Eva with them. The fake story about Eva being in a threesome with Cary and another guy. The actually true story about her in a passionate embrace with Brett. When they talk about different public relationships strategies for defusing potential scandals threatening to erupt, Eva pointed out the usual safe strategy. "Stay away from me. That's what you'd be advised to do. Distancing yourself from the source of a scandal is Crisis Management 101." Um, Eva, hello .... Deanna Johnson actually has an eyewitness account of you getting caught passionately kissing Brett and then Gideon trying to beat the guy up. A true story that could become a scandal. And, um, don't you think you ought to back out of the promise you made Thursday to attend that Times Square event with Brett? Hmmmm? Duh!!!!  More blanks filled in about Nathan We learned that it had been Clancy (not Gideon's people) who had been heading up surveillance of Nathan. But Clancy had miscalculated Nathan as far as Cary went -- and thus Cary paid the price. So that connected the dots to the fact it was Monica that informed Gideon who Cary's assailant was, telling him that Monday morning at the hospital, which started the chain reaction that led to Gideon putting an entirely new set of plans in motion. Clancy's theory about Nathan hanging out near the Crossfire that day Clancy and Monica spotted him was that Nathan was there to be seen. "Once he made himself known, he kept the pressure up. Likely, he expected to frighten you and managed to scare Mrs. Stanton instead. Effective in either case." Clancy's theory about Nathan ratcheting up the pressure gibes with what Detective Graves believed was behind the beating. From Reflected, "I would say that Nathan Barker attacked Cary Taylor as a way to intimidate and threaten Gideon Cross." Er, effective in that case -- Gideon felt threatened. Too bad for Nathan he went too far, revealing just how kah-ray-zee and dangerous he really was. At that point, it quit being about money and secrets -- and instead became about Eva's very life.

Tying in the Clancy line "How far wouldn't I go?" (to keep his wife safe) to some things Sylvia herself explained to the fandom earlier this spring ....  The very end of Reflected in You made clear "Gideon did it" as did the Entwined with You excerpt that came out months ago. But still there was some fan disbelief it actually was the case. That got put to rest in April when she definitively said in a live interview Gideon killed Nathan.  A bit of uproar ensued, and so she weighed on the topic with some interesting thoughts -- one of which was the truth that when it comes to keeping their children safe from harm, it's conceivable parents would be willing to do almost anything to save children (she herself is a parent.) That example makes a lot of sense.  Gideon is who is his, a character that walked fully formed into her amazing imagination. He did what he did because of who he is, willing to go as far as it took to keep Eva safe forever from a mortal threat that wasn't ever going to go away permanently as long as Nathan was alive. Clancy apparently is cut from the same cloth. I believe Angus is too.

 Perhaps it might be best for Corrine to find out the truth -- Gideon already was married to Eva even before Corrine swallowed that bottle of pills -- while Corrine is still hospitalized. She'll find out anyway, so maybe it's best she do so while she's locked up for her own safety. Because whether it was a desperate gesture to get Gideon's attention or genuine "nervous breakdown" engineered by Dr. Anne Lucas, Corrine is a danger to herself at present.

 She's jealous of Eva, though not in the straight forward sexual jealousy that Eva might take Cary away. Tat knows that's never going to happen -- and thus Eva has a power over Cary that Tat will never have. Even Trey envies the easiness that exists between Cary and Eva. Trey told Eva as much. Eva advised him to be patient with Cary, explaining it took a long time for her (Eva) to earn Cary's trust.  She probably envies, too, that Eva is glamorous in a different way than her (Tat) -- Eva is a classy lady, a socialite, one who moves in philanthropy circles. No wonder Tat wants to try to help Deanna tarnish Eva as a s.l.u.t. (if Tatiana is, in fact, one of Deanna's sources, and some members have made pretty good arguments that the Tat situation is fishy.)  And what woman wouldn't be jealous of any woman currently Gideon's girlfriend (Hah!! If she only knew Eva's true status.)

 Snark alert:  Tatiana might actually believe Gideon really is what some people suspect he is -- a billionaire playboy. One who used to be famous for a fetish for willowy brunettes but has recently had tried a taste of curvy blonde. Tat could give him the best of both -- tall and blonde. She'd like a shot at being his Friend With Benefits.  Well, at least she's willing to be upfront about the fact she (supposedly) is with child. Unlike Mrs. Giroux.  Seriously, though -- I'll bet she's combined the tabloid coverage of Gideon's love life over the summer: Magdalene! Eva! Corrine! combined with dragging enough pillow talk out of Cary to gather that Eva's relationship has been off-again-on-again with Gideon (and in a way, that is true.) Throw Brett into the mix, and Tat might be deluding herself into thinking GidEva might be "off" again any time now. Cary's not going to mind if she's sleeping with two people -- who's he to criticize that. So Tat made absolutely certain Gideon got a look at the whole Tatiana package without any clothes on.  Thank goodness Eva is probably going to be moving any day now. She and Cary will still be close, literally and figuratively, but they'll no longer be roommates. So Eva doesn't have to worry about Tatiana wandering around her (Eva's) place.

 All things considered, too, Eva was really smart to keep a leash on her temper and her hands off Corrine -- because a scene in that crowded lobby with lots of witnesses plus security cameras -- could have created legal peril (at the time it still wasn't safe for Gideon and Eva to be seen together).  What's worse, it could have also created a tabloid scandal. Someone would have gotten cell phone pictures and video of Corrine Giroux and Eva Trammell literally fighting over Gideon Cross - imagine that going viral over the Internet. It could have easily been an especially spectacular mess, because Corrine was now literally crazy and so who knows how postal she would have gone.

 Gabri, you do a great job of expressing yourself, especially given that English is a second language for you. So cool that you are thinking and writing while using bilingual skills.  I sensed what you meant too, that maybe some sort of legal punishment could wash Gideon's conscience clean. I think what really needs to clear his conscience is to finally believe in his heart that what he actually did was to save the life of an innocent person (Eva) from becoming a murder victim herself. Because sooner or later, Eva would have been murdered -- even Detective Graves herself believed that to be true. And Nathan, who was a sadist, likely would have tortured her first. Most certainly would have raped her again. Probably captured it all on video. She'd have died an agonizing death.  By contrast, Nathan all things considered got a quick death. Gideon stabbed him directly in the heart, which would have quickly caused cardiac arrest.  Gideon was willing to lay down his own life figuratively if it came to that. In many states within the United States, including the state of New York, the prison sentence for pre-meditated murder (also called first-degree murder) is life without the possibility of parole. There wouldn't have been any serving a certain number of years and then getting out -- he'd have spent the rest of his life behind bars.

 I loved the Crossfire lobby scene where Corrine stalker had managed to bug him enough to make him come down to the lobby in order to deal with her. In walks Eva, coming back from grabbing lunch, seeing Corrine with a hand on Gideon's chest. Then and there, Eva entertained thoughts of yanking her away from him by grabbing Corrine's stunning waist-length hair.  BUT THEN ....  Gideon turned to look at Eva there, Corrine turned to see who he was looking at ... and spotting Eva there, tried yet another one of her stunts by grabbing Gideon's jaw and moving to try to kiss his mouth. Eva actually took one step toward the pair of them, seriously considering a hair grab.  Fortunately, Gideon instantly physically fended off Corrine, so Eva had no need to disentangle her from him. And as she walked away, she discovered no more was she hit with panic -- like the sick feeling she'd had the night of the Fundraiser Fiasco, when Corrine was touching Gideon, and even worse, the Nooner Stunt.

 Poor Megumi thought she was going to get to see hissing and scratching between Eva and Maggie -- but she was out of luck, because Maggie's actually an OK person.

OK, dragging over into the main spoiler thread from chapter-per-day some silliness spinning of Tatiana .... who came up in the course of discussion about Eva's skills in Krav Maga but has yet to do any b.u.t.t kicking (probably won't either, though some of us can dream.) Â Â Eva's gotten in two good verbal catfights already (Magdalene in the ladies room in Bared to You and Corrine outside her apartment in Reflected in You). But none of the wenches (well, Maggie was a wench at the time but turned out to be a good person) has tried laying a hand on Ms. Trammell (er, Mrs. Cross but-that's-a-secret). Â If anyone is capable though, of getting physical with Eva, it's Baby Mama from h.e.l.l. Probably when Tat finds out Cary is moving into a one-bedroom penthouse unit the Crosses have on Fifth Avenue, and Tat is NOT welcome to move too. Â Tat would be d.a.m.n lucky Eva knows about the (supposed) pregnancy, because it'd be the one thing that would make Eva halt at one fast self-defensive move instead of kicking Tat's b.u.t.t. Â Ah, lunchtime silly fantasies. Feel free, ladies, to expand on visions of Tat-on-Eva showdown. Blood Thirsty Thursday is now in session and all the bad guys and girls are up for dishing.

 Oh she still might. I can see Tatiana starting a literal catfight that Eva finish in one move that'd throw Tat flat on her back.  We've got Frisky Friday, Sassy Saturday and Wild Wednesday. How about Blood Thirsty Thursday, where we indulge in fantasies of GidEva fending off villians/villianesses?  I'm going to drag Tat over to the main spoiler thread though, because otherwise we'd be jumping way far in advance beyond Chapter 8 about some plot twists involving Cary's Friend-With-Benefits.

 I've got this vision of somewhere in the first few chapters of Book Four, the sensational news breaking "Gideon Cross Marries Eva Trammell In Private Ceremony On A Caribbean Beach!!!!" Exclusive photos from freelance journalist Deanna Johnson!!!!!  Thus the December wedding is going to be a moot point. The only reason Eva wanted to keep up a front We're-Engaged is to appease Mommica and head off her (Monica) pitching one of her emotional tantrums over the fact her daughter up and eloped. Eva's still regressing sometimes when it comes to knee-jerk appeasing of her mother, but fortunately, New Eva is learning how to stand up to Monica.  Think about what Gideon and Eva talked about in Chapter 8, once they both figured out that part of Deanna's evil idea to paint Gideon as a violent crazy was going to involve painting Eva as a s.l.u.t caught in bed with two men (a lie) and caught in the arms of Brett Kline (true). Eva pointed out that Crisis Management 101 would be for Gideon to defuse a brewing scandal by distancing himself from Eva. Gideon's counterpoint to that was to point out the other option would be to marry Eva.  So now as Book Four opens: Eva and Cary are supposed to go to San Diego for the weekend. Brett's scheduled to be in concert in San Diego that weekend. Gideon is still scrambling to defuse the sex tape situation.  Show the world proof Eva is everything in his eyes (so even if the worst happens with that tape, it won't matter in the end)  -- and -- make Brett once and for all give up on trying to woo Eva? Let the story "slip" that she's Mrs. Gideon Cross. Kills two birds with one stone.  It'd come full circle from that first thing he did the day they became a full-fledged couple: arranged for a paparazzi "candid" picture of them kissing followed by a news release from Cross Industries identifying Eva by name as a socialite who definitely is his significant other. Think about how he deliberately manipulated the media too, for his own ends (desperate ones in this case) to make everyone believe he'd dumped Eva for Corrine.

 When we're in our silly blood-thirsty moods here, we spin fantasies about Eva using her Krav Maga skills to kick someone's a** -- every villain or villainess in the book (in fact just yesterday, I ended up going down the road of a hospital waiting room fight between Lizzie and Eva mere moments after the fight between JFG and Gideon.)  But seriously, Eva has actually used her self-defensive skills Parker taught her once -- against Gideon. She successfully fought him off the second time he erupted into one of his aggressor-role parasomnia episodes in her bed and had actually begun assaulting her. I think the real reason for the Krav Maga in the story is that eventually, Gideon will believe that Eva won't ever be a helpless victim in bed with him. She can "stop" an assault at any time even though he's bigger and stronger and unaware of what he's doing. She's got the moves to block him even while he's still asleep.  Sorta like her safeword "Crossfire" that can halt a sexual exploration situation if things go beyond her mental safety zone. Krav Maga  skills can halt a sexual parasomnia situation and in doing so protect her physical safety zone.

 Former journalists like me often end up going over to the "dark side" of public relations and advertising. In real life, I've seen people compete in the RFP process, which can get pretty cut throat -- newbies trying to undercut existing agencies in order to steal away clients.

 Similar concept to "cattle-call" acting auditions. Cattle call is a slang expression for "open" auditions -- pretty much any actor/actress or even wanna-be could be encouraged to audition for a role.  With the RFP, it's an open bidding situation -- putting the word out anyone is invited to submit a bid. It's different from what happened when Eva's agency got the Kingsman account -- they were specifically invited to submit an RFP. They weren't competing against other agencies.

 He's even more worried now about the possibility of a whole new class of nightmare - him committing murder. What sort of violence acting out might that cause.  If he had it to do all over again, he'd still kill Nathan in order to save Eva's life. I dare say if it came down to it and someone else posed mortal peril to her, he'd use extreme force again. But the fact he saved Eva does not erase natural guilt he'd have about taking a life with his own hands. He'll have nightmares for the rest of his life involving plunging the blade into Nathan's heart.  Look at how he's felt in the past about being embarrassed later after he's been a real d*** to some women (like Deanna). It rises to the level of shame in the case of having repeatedly revenge f***** Anne Lucas.  Even worse were years of unresolved guilt so bad over not being able to give Corrine the love and the life she desperately wanted from him that he ended up blinded to the fact she was using his feelings of guilt to manipulate him.  In Chapter 8, he told Eva "Your insecurity made you blind" (to the fact he had eyes only for her). The same could be said about his insecurity made him blind to the truth about Corrine.  But as far as the guilt over having blood on his hands (literally) he'll survive it -- survive anything if he has Eva.

 SIGH  (wiping away a tear)

 The scene in Chapter 8 about what happens between Gideon and Eva when he wakes up from the nightmare is even more important when put into the context of their early history.  Background: The first time Eva and Gideon ever slept alongside one another was their first night as full-fledged boyfriend/girlfriend, and he'd taken her home with him (making up to her for the f*** pad fiasco). In the middle of the night, he started to have a bad dream, the first one she ever witnessed. She woke him up, and she comforted him by trusting him enough to have unprotected sex (he didn't stock condoms any other place but the f*** pad.) Two nights later in Gideon's bed, for the second time, Eva witnesses a nightmare, but one far more serious. It was an episode of atypical sexual parasomnia, with Gideon jerking off. (He was in his role as victim instead of aggressor, apparently trying to climax as soon as possible, because in real life his abuser -- still not yet named; that's coming yet -- forced him to come every time.) Eva woke him up. Based on what little she'd heard him say in the first nightmare, she began suspecting a sexual trauma issue (she ought to know the signs). The second incident confirmed her suspicions. Earlier that night, she'd already revealed her own ugly past as Nathan's victim. She tried to get Gideon to open up about what was bothering him. Gideon claimed he couldn't remember what he was dreaming about -- and this made Eva very angry under the circumstances, that he would lie to her mere hours after she'd been so brutally honest with him. In response, she stormed out of his place clad only in a bathrobe, taking a cab home. He believed she'd left because she was disgusted by what she'd witnessed; he didn't get it the real problem was his secret-keeping. The next day, he sent her the Dear Jane note. Their brand-new relationship fell apart (temporarily, thank goodness) only three days after it began, all because Eva thought Gideon lied when he said he didn't remember what he'd been dreaming about.  So now, months later, she learned he had told the truth back then -- he really doesn't remember, once he wakes up, what the nightmare was about.  And it's so sweet what she did for him, even sweeter than the first time she comforted him after a nightmare. She held him and talked to him until he fell asleep.

 OMG Sharon, that gif is a riot!!! Or as our Lovely Ladies across "The Pond" in the U.K. would say, it's "bloody brilliant!"