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“How about a glass of white wine?”
He returned a moment later carrying two glasses. White wine for her, scotch on the rocks for himself.
She took the one he offered and sat down at the very end of the sofa, close to the arm. “Thanks.”
He smiled. “You don’t have to look so terrified, Julia. I’m not going to attack you.”
For a moment she was caught by the low, soft tone of his voice and the blue of his eyes. It was a little spark, barely anything, but it made her angry. She needed to get back on solid ground. “Let me guess again, Dr. Cerrasin. If I went out to the garage, I’d find a Porsche or a Corvette.”
“Nope. Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Upstairs I’d find a king-sized bed with expensive silk sheets, maybe a faux fur coverlet, and a nightstand drawer full of condoms that are ribbed for her pleasure.”
A frown pulled at his forehead. She got the distinct feeling that he was toying with her. “Her pleasure is always important to me.”
“I’m sure it is. As long as her pleasure doesn’t require any real emotion on your part, or—God forbid—a commitment. Believe me, Max, I’ve known men like you before. As appealing as the Peter Pan syndrome is to some women, it’s lost its charm for me.”
“Who was he?”
“Who?”
“The man who hurt you so badly.”
Julia was surprised by the perceptiveness of the question. Even more surprising was how it made her feel. Almost as if he knew her.
But he didn’t. He was just fishing, casting the kind of line that only men like him could handle. His gift was the appearance of sincerity, of depth. For some bizarre reason, when she looked at him now, she saw a kind of loneliness in his gaze, an understanding that made her want to answer him.
And then she would be caught.
“May we please keep ourselves on track?”
“Ah. Business. Tell me about the girl.” He went to the fireplace and built a fire, then returned to the sofa and sat down.
“I’m calling her Alice for now. From Alice in Wonderland. She responded to the story.”
“Seems like a good choice.”
He waited for more.
Suddenly she wished she weren’t here. He might be a player and a flirt, but he was also a colleague, and as such, he could ruin her with a word.
“Julia?”
She started slowly. “When you first examined her, did you see any evidence of what her diet had been?”
“You mean beyond the dehydration and malnutrition?”
“Yes.”
“Facts, no. Ideas; I have a few. I’d say some meat and fish and fruit. I would guess she ate no dairy and no grains at all.”
Julia looked at him. “In other words, the kind of diet that would come from living off the land for a long time.”
“Maybe. How long do you think she was out there?”
There it was. The question whose answer could both make and break her.
“You’ll think I’m crazy,” she said after too long a silence.
