ive
~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~
“Good morning, Mr. McCoy.” Deanna O’Brien’s cheerful voice greeted Logan as he made his way toward his office.
Glancing at his watch, Logan noticed it was only six thirty, yet somehow his assistant managed to beat him into the office. Come to think of it, Deanna always got in before he did on Monday mornings. He suspected she liked to get everything outlined for his week before he made it in. For that, he appreciated her.
“Good morning, Deanna. How was your weekend?” As busy as his schedule always was, Logan tried to be as personable as possible. Especially when it came to the woman who kept his schedule flowing as smoothly as it did.
Deanna had worked for him for the last seven or eight years, following him through several promotions. Since day one, they’d gotten along brilliantly, sort of like a brother and sister relationship, even involving some friendly banter expected between siblings. He genuinely liked her, and he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.
“Maybe a little short, but good. I was able to get some much needed cleaning done at the house and was able to take the kids to the pool for a little while yesterday. It was such a beautiful day. Tommy and I actually had a date night on Saturday, too. Definitely a fantastic weekend.”
Logan laughed. Deanna was known for her ability to talk. She was also known for her always upbeat attitude. How she juggled fifty or so hours in the office with a husband and three kids was beyond him.
For himself, he had all but given up on having a family. At thirty nine, Logan didn’t think those things were meant for him. That didn’t mean he didn’t respect those who did have the family thing going for them, because he did.
“Glad to hear it.” Before stepping into his large corner office, illuminated by the rising Texas sun, he asked the question that had plagued him all weekend. “Any word on Ms. Kielty’s arrival?”
Although Logan said there were no formalities in the office, he knew Deanna liked to refer to each person formally, and with her, he managed to do the same.
“Yes, sir. I spoke with her on Friday and I was able to book her hotel room for her. She arrived yesterday afternoon and will remain through Wednesday. Would you like to be notified when she arrives this morning?”
Yes. “No need. I’m sure I’ll see her at some point this morning.” Logan hadn’t been able to get the woman out of his head since the moment he hung up with her on Friday. He had even begun to wonder if he was making the right decision in hiring her.
His reaction to her was too sudden and too intense – especially since it had been a single, video conference call – and he knew deep down hiring her might lead to something he wasn’t quite ready for. Or maybe she wasn’t quite ready for him.
Shit, this was probably really bad. He could almost see the HR violation looming overhead.
When Deanna nodded, Logan proceeded to his office. Shutting the door behind him, he headed for the coffee maker on the counter. He’d already been up for two hours, and as usual, he was anxious for his morning caffeine fix.
As he waited for the coffee to brew, he logged into his computer. It would require considerable restraint for him to make it through the day without getting distracted. Somewhere in the building, he was certain there was a woman he desperately wanted to talk to. He was also convinced his thoughts were straying toward the very unprofessional, and he had yet to meet her face to face.
Logan knew how to keep business separated from his personal life, yet for some reason, he had the damnedest time when it came to Samantha Kielty.
Logan forced himself to engage in his email. He would worry about Sam later. He had some business to attend to which included several back to back meetings.
~*~*~
Sam felt as though she just walked into a museum or something. Standing in the large, open foyer, she took in the modern decor, the warm tones on the wall, the oversized plush rug that sat perfectly straight in front of what appeared to be a security desk. The sounds of people talking, greeting one another after the weekend was comforting.
She watched as swarms of people came and went from the coffee shop located just inside the main doors. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and breakfast pastries had her remembering she had bypassed breakfast on her way out of the hotel.
The differences between the posh Dallas offices and that of her small San Antonio branch were vast. This was the hub of the company, scattered with thousands of people amongst the three buildings, each with three floors. That was probably the biggest difference between here and San Antonio, with the fifty or so employees in total. Hell, there were probably as many people at the coffee shop at that moment as there were in the entire office back home.
With a few minutes to spare, Sam opted to join the rest of the caffeine deprived, and stood in line to order a small coffee before she headed up to the third floor, where Deanna, Logan’s uncommonly hyper assistant, had instructed her to go. Since her stomach was still churning with nerves, she decided to skip the temptation of blueberry muffins though.
Her last conversation with Deanna had been on Sunday, shortly after she arrived at the hotel. The brief phone call lasted for nearly half an hour as Deanna gave her an overview of what was what within the Dallas offices.
According to the overly charming woman, many people were overwhelmed on their first visit and Deanna wanted Sam to be fully prepared. She was thankful for the assistant’s foresight, even if the other woman insisted on calling her Ms. Kielty.
With coffee in hand, Sam headed for the staircase on the north side of the front entrance. As she took the stairs slowly, realizing she was a few minutes early still, she was relieved to be back at work.
The weekend had been one of the longest in recent history. Long and frustrating. She hadn’t been able to keep her mind off of her conversation with Logan. Ok, so not necessarily the conversation, more so the view, but that was all in the details.
In an effort to bring the job opportunity into perspective, Sam spent most of Saturday at her parents’ house. After sharing the details with her father, a corporate man himself, she hadn’t felt any more prepared for this trip than before she spoke to him. But, he urged her to keep an open mind, and somehow she managed to do just that.
Saturday night, Sam spent hours tossing and turning in her bed, her mind whirling with images of Logan McCoy. The instant attraction she felt toward him was utterly inappropriate, yet she hadn’t been able to erase him from her thoughts.
After a particularly restless night, Sam had woken with a renewed sense of determination. She needed to get her social life in gear, and lusting after the boss, regardless of how appealing the man was, would not be a good way to start.
Hell, random sex with a complete stranger would be better than… ok, maybe not, but at this point, she would give anything for just a fraction of time to focus.
By the time she reached the third floor, Samantha realized she should have taken the elevator. As active as she was, even after her hour workout in the hotel’s fully equipped gym that morning, she felt a little winded. And quite frankly, the stress snacking she’d indulged in over the weekend had her wondering if she ought to go back to the gym after work too. She wasn’t generally prone to eating junk food, but the way her mind continued to dwell on images of Logan, she had been forced to deviate from her regular, rigid diet. It hadn’t helped.
The third floor of the Dallas office was less flashy than the entry of the building, but not by much. The floor was lined with chest high cubicles held together with standard grey lined walls but that was where the similarities with the San Antonio office ended.
Samantha oriented herself with her directions and headed toward the northwest corner as Deanna instructed.
Her heels clicked on the tiled floor as she ventured down the long, narrow corridor making her feel like she was announcing her arrival. Unfortunately, there was no way for her to reduce the amount of noise she was making, so Sam held her head high and continued on.
Halfway to her destination, her eyes took notice of two men walking her way. Based on her erotic dreams over the weekend, she was pretty sure the taller of the two men was Logan McCoy. This man had the same dark eyebrows slanted in thought, the same strong jaw line and short, black hair that rested just on the top of his shirt collar.
Her body heated, and her stomach flipped repeatedly. Definitely her soon to be new boss, and there went her hope that his rugged appeal had been a trick of the computer screen.
What she hadn’t expected was for him to be so big. She estimated him to be approximately six and a half feet tall, with a large build that complimented his height perfectly. Based on the well-defined forearms that she could see beneath his rolled up shirt sleeves, Logan McCoy was extremely active.
Despite his size, he had a confident, almost graceful stride. She held her head high and continued on her path, trying not to trip over her own two feet as she held her breath.
As she passed him, their eyes locked on one another, and he gave her the same crooked, devilish smile she had seen during their call on Friday. Her body shuddered, and she prayed that it was only an internal reaction – wouldn’t that be a fantastic way to greet your new boss for the first time.
Hi, I’m Samantha Kielty and apparently my body has a thing for yours.
She gave a polite smile and continued making her way to the area Deanna had said to go. She forced herself not to look back, but she felt the heat of someone’s eyes on the back of her neck. She came upon the admin’s desk and noticed the very petite, pretty, blonde woman sitting in front of her computer monitor, staring intently at the screen and talking into her headset. When Deanna noticed her, she gave a bright white smile and held up one finger letting Sam know she would be just a minute.
Sam positioned her bag on her shoulder and walked over to the window behind Deanna’s desk, staring out at the rolling hills that went as far as the eye could see.
It was a lovely view with the soft, green grass blowing gently in the morning breeze, also something remarkably different from the San Antonio office where the views were of the surrounding concrete jungle, just square buildings and parking lots.
“Good morning, Ms. Kielty. I’m so glad you made it. Did you have any trouble finding us?” Deanna’s voice was light and gentle and extremely friendly.
“Not at all. You give excellent directions.” Samantha turned back to the woman, giving her full attention, quite pleased with herself and the fact she had managed not to ogle Logan any more than she already had.
“You just missed Mr. McCoy. He had to go to a meeting.” Deanna stated and sounded rather apologetic.
Oh, she hadn’t missed him by any means.
“That’s ok. I’m scheduled to meet with Jeff first thing anyway. Can you point me in his direction?”
“Let me call him and have him come meet you. I don’t want to send you wandering through here by yourself. Wouldn’t want you to get lost.”
Sam smiled back at the woman. She was cute. Her smile brightened her entire face and Sam could see the sincerity written across her features. She glanced down and noticed a long line of art deco picture frames decorating her work area. She picked up one picture of Deanna holding a very small infant.
“That’s my youngest. He just turned eight months old.”
“He’s precious. How many kids do you have?”
“Three. We’re hoping for more, but we don’t know if it’s the best time. There’s so much going on. My oldest just started kindergarten this year, and it has been a positive learning experience for me and Tommy.”
Wow, three kids? “You must be busy.” Sam stared at the other pictures, envying how happy Deanna looked in each of them.
As she turned back to say something, she noticed a heavy set man with a receding hairline – the epitome of what Sam expected Logan to look like – heading in her direction. This man looked tired. She only hoped it wasn’t related to the job.
“Samantha? Jeff Henson. Good morning.”
“Good morning, Jeff. How are you?” Surprised with his brief nod, in lieu of an actual response, Sam waited for him to continue.
“Follow me.” Jeff turned abruptly and walked back toward the way he had come.
Sam turned back to Deanna as if waiting for her approval, her eyebrow rising in question, as if to say “Is this guy for real?” Deanna returned her look with a frown and a shrug of her shoulders.
This man wasn’t exceedingly pleasant, and Sam was a little nervous about what had put him in that mood. Again, hoping it wasn’t the job.
“I’m to show you what I do so you can take over.” Jeff stated rather flatly as he sat down at his desk, which was cluttered with papers and old coffee cups.
Sam stared back at him incredulously. Was he for real?
When she thought about her boss, James Banten, she couldn’t imagine him looking so defeated or treating someone so rigidly. Sam hadn’t thought it was possible to deflate her excitement regarding this opportunity, but this guy was well on his way to making her turn back the way she’d come and tell Logan McCoy, thanks but no thanks.
Relying on her basic professionalism and her inability to beat around the bush, Sam didn’t see any other way to get to the bottom of his apparent hostility than to confront it head on. Her philosophy had always been to get right to the heart of the matter.
“Jeff, I appreciate you taking the time to give me some of the details of your responsibilities. I’m not quite certain we’re on the same page though. Am I overstepping my bounds by being here?”
“Whatever gave you that idea?” He asked without an ounce of emotion, turning to the oversized filing cabinet standing behind his desk. “I have all of the information on the projects for the last year in here.” He pointed toward the open file drawer that was in desperate need of some organization. “All of my soft copies are stored on a shared drive, and I’ll make sure you get access to them. What else do you need to know?”
Ummm what?
“Are you serious?” Wow – uncontrollable mouth!
The words came out before she could stop them. She prided herself on her professionalism, but this man was pushing her to her limits. Sam instructed her lungs to inhale deeply as she sat her bag on a nearby chair, cluttered with paper. Taking in a deep, cleansing breath, she turned and faced Jeff.
“I apologize, Jeff. That was highly inappropriate of me. I think we should just start over. Maybe we should talk for a few minutes?” She walked slowly to an adjacent chair, and after moving a couple of binders, she sat down. “Logan tells me you’ve been with the company for quite some time, and I’d like to get your take on the organization, the people, as well as the projects. Based on the information I’ve received, you’re the most knowledgeable in regards to project management and others look to you for your expertise.”
Ok, so she was laying it on a bit thick, but obviously this man needed something to boost his attitude. Sam watched as his eyebrows raised and she thought she could almost see the signs of a smile tilting the corner of his thin lips.
“I apologize for my attitude, Ms. Kielty. I don’t mean to be like this. It’s just that I… I don’t want to leave the company, but my wife is insistent that I do something to help fix our marriage, and this was her suggestion. She complains that I work too much, and she feels I put my career before her. I don’t think I do, but apparently, according to our therapist, that’s his conclusion.”
Well hell. That was a bit of personal information she didn’t know if she needed. Sitting up straight in the chair and crossing her legs, Sam decided she had to appease him.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t understand the situation.” Sam stated directly, her eyes focused on the hard lines around his eyes and his mouth. The man looked as though he was under a tremendous amount of stress.
“I know you didn’t come here to listen to me whine, but I haven’t told anyone else. The closer I get to walking out that door for the last time, the harder it seems to get.” He took a deep breath and then collapsed into his desk chair. “I’ll be honest with you. I love my job, I love the… I even enjoy coming in every day. This has been my life for the last twenty years and apparently I have my priorities all wrong.”
Sam heard the sadness in his voice and could feel the underlying tension in Jeff’s words. He clearly was making a decision he didn’t feel was the best for him, but since she wasn’t in a position to help him, she wasn’t comfortable offering empty platitudes just for the sake of speaking.
“I appreciate your honesty. Have you spoken with Logan about this?” She asked, trying to indulge him a bit.
She felt genuinely sorry for this man and despite her need to get the information she had set out to get, Samantha wasn’t a robot. She couldn’t just jump right into the meat of the matter when he was so apparently distraught.
“I haven’t. I don’t want to burden him with my problems. Logan’s a great guy. He’d try his best to do something to fix this and I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the company for me to stay at this point.”
They had something in common. Always looking out for the best interests of others, despite the heavy load they might burden.
“I don’t know him all that well, but I urge you to at least share this with him. In the meantime, I’m grateful for your expertise and the opportunity to pick your brain before you leave.” Ok, just a little ego boost, and this time Sam definitely saw the lines in his face shift. “Since we’re officially starting over,” she followed that with a smile of encouragement, “maybe you could tell me about the people who work for you?”
The right buttons must’ve been pushed because Jeff began talking and he couldn’t seem to stop. He offered her his professional and personal opinion on the people that worked for him, sounding more and more like a proud parent.
According to him, they were the most competent group of people within the company. It didn’t hurt that he hired most of them himself. He didn’t just have praise; he also gave her some insight into the personal issues he would occasionally encounter with a few of them, but nothing she hadn’t already had experience with. New families, single employees who liked to party sometimes too much, one still in school trying to juggle too many things. Yep, she had seen these before.
They spent the next two hours outlining the projects, which manager owned each, as well as timelines and specific requirements. He saved the biggest for last, and just as he started to give her the details she’d been waiting patiently to hear, there was a knock on the door. Sam shifted in her chair to look behind her, and her heart almost leapt out of her chest.
“Excuse me. I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I wanted to see if I could borrow Ms. Kielty for a little while.”
“Yes, sir.” Jeff stated with less tension in his voice than he had just a couple of hours before. “Sam, I look forward to talking to you later. We’ll need some additional time to go over the upcoming project, but I think we can cover it in a couple of hours.”
“Thank you for your time this morning, Jeff. Will this afternoon work for you? I promise not to keep you too late.” She smiled back at him and noticed his eyes brighten a little. “Then, tomorrow you can introduce me to the team, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to go over some things with them.”
“I’ll make sure to set aside the time.” Jeff stood from his chair and took Sam’s outstretched hand, shaking it firmly. “I’ll see you this afternoon. She’s all yours, Logan.”
Oh hell. Sam felt her face redden from the comment even though Jeff had meant it in the most innocent of ways. She worked hard to get Jeff over his current anger and moving on to the task at hand, and she felt as though she had been successful, but the last comment wiped away all of her confidence in one fail swoop.
“Thanks, Jeff.” Logan motioned for Sam to precede him out of the office. As she headed toward his office, he cleared his throat causing her to turn to look at him.
When their eyes met, Sam felt the heat envelope her from head to toe. They were the sexiest eyes she had ever seen. Intense, intelligent. Eyes that made her want to just lean into him and…
“I was thinking more of a lunch meeting. Are you hungry?” Logan asked as he motioned in the opposite direction of his office.
“I could eat.” She commented and then turned to follow him. Good grief, what the hell was she thinking? “You lead the way.”