Chapter 7
Logan
Logan couldn’t help but smile as he watched Gabby walk down the hallway slowly, cautiously looking around to make sure she was not being watched or followed. Oh, but she was being watched. Logan was sitting in his office with his feet up on his desk watching the security monitors and observing the angelically beautiful girl entering through the doors that resided to your left as you exited the elevator, the same doors that she had been expressly forbidden to enter.
She was a fun one. Logan admired a woman who had guts like that. She’d passed his little test with flying colors so far. Since briefly meeting her in the restaurant yesterday, where he had made a fool out of himself he hadn’t been able to get the beautiful young woman out of his mind. There was something that he felt in her presence, something that pulled him to her. A woman who could make him feel these kinds of emotions that extended far beyond mere sexual attraction was interesting. A woman like that had to possess much more than meets the eye and he was determined to find out exactly what.
Logan had sat up late last night doing a bit of research about her using an online background checker that he used with all of his employees, and he did in fact consider her an employee even though she was not being paid directly. She was just working off a debt she owed, a debt her father had accrued by ruining his Armani suit. Logan realized after he’d cooled down that he didn’t give a toss about the suit. It was just some pieces of thread to him and he had a closet full of the same suits of varying colors that ranged between dark gray, to light gray, to white, black, and even navy blue. He even had a few reds and purples for times when it paid him to be ostentatious such as social events and gatherings which he hated, but attended anyway because it was great for business.
He was surprised to find out that she went to a community college, had a practically worthless two-year degree, seemed directionless yet ambitious, and from what he could ascertain she’d moved here very recently to take care of her ailing father; her address was still listed as the same address her mother lived at.
Logan found it a little difficult to get to sleep last night. It had been so long since a woman had touched his heart and made him feel something, since a woman had made him truly want her.
And he’d barely even laid eyes on this woman.
Now she was here and she was being naughty. This was turning him on greatly. He loved a strong-willed woman. The defiance, the fiery personality, and deep inner strength that came from hard experiences. He felt like he already knew Gabby, but yet he felt he was just starting to scratch the service with her.
He’d started watching her when she first arrived that morning. He’d instructed Brian and Trevor to let Gabby think she’d been told to go to the wrong place. It was interesting to see how she handled the idea that she’d either made a mistake or that someone was intentionally messing with her.
Logan was impressed by her outfit and seeing her a second time. She was so gorgeous and so natural. She wore minimal makeup, if any as far as he could tell because she did not need it, and she was dressed in a sexy but conservative blouse and a black skirt that was form fitting but not tight. She looked perfect and he found himself becoming quite aroused from watching her working all alone in that dingy cubicle.
She’d actually achieved quite a bit of work since she’d been there, flying through the stack of work they’d laid out for her. As long as he could remember he’d always loved to see a woman hard at work, using her mind to solve problems. For whatever reason Logan found independent, strong women very sexy.
And now she was standing in front of his door debating about what she should do. She seemed determined to find out some truth, yet she was also very timid about doing it. That combination was adorable to watch. He wondered how long it would take her to disobey direct orders and do something she knew was expressly forbidden. He was pleased to see it was almost right away. There was no keeping this girl in some kind of a box. She was going to do what she wanted when she wanted just because she felt she should. That was the way he’d always lived his own life.
Gabby’s beautiful face was large and close up on the monitors in front of him. She was nervous, licking her lips several times and taking in deep breaths to blow out quickly as her eyes still darted left and right because she knew she was not supposed to do this.
He decided it was time to put her out of her misery.
Logan walked over to the door and opened it up to reveal a horror-stricken woman standing in front of him her hand outstretched where the door handle had been only a moment before. He’d cut her off it seemed.
Now she was caught. Her eyes darted left and right. She backed up a few steps. Logan could see her mind furiously working to come up with a plausible excuse as her eyes focused on him full of fear constantly looking directly at him and then darting away frantically.
“Hello,” Logan said.
“Um, hi… I was just…um, this is really not…” Gabby began to sputter.
Logan laughed and stepped back motioning for her to follow him.
“Relax and come inside,” Logan said.
He entered his office walked over to the mini bar and poured them both a couple large glasses of merlot.
Gabby was still standing in the doorway with a shocked expression on her face, obviously scared to step forward.
“Come in. Close the door behind you.”
Gabby jumped into the room, closing the door. She stood there a moment and glanced around the room.
“Look, I’m really sorry…” Gabby began.
“Forget it,” Logan replied. “I’ve been expecting you.” He handed her the glass of wine which she took cautiously with both hands as if it might bite her at some point.
“You have?”
Logan laughed as he made his way to his desk and plopped down in his leather chair. He gestured for Gabby to sit across from him.
She promptly did so.
“Yes, I have. I knew you would come here sooner or later. I’m glad to see it was sooner.”
Gabby looked at him confused. “Why did you think that?”
“Well, I would have come here. I was hoping that you and I were alike,” Logan said.
“Um… ok… Am I allowed to drink this? I mean it’s only noon and you are my boss…”
“It’s perfectly alright,” Logan replied. “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”
Gabby took a sip. Her face lit up.
“Wow, that’s good,” she said.
“It’s a good year,” Logan replied. “I only drink expensive wine.”
“Expensive? How much did this cost?” Gabby asked.
“Wow, some might consider that rude,” Logan said.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That was stupid of me,” Gabby apologized quickly.
Logan smiled. “I like rude.”
Gabby smiled but she still looked confused.
“You see too many people just don’t say what they feel. They hide away who they are, what they are thinking, stifle their most basic impulses… and for what? Because they are too preoccupied with what other people think and what society deems acceptable.” Logan shook his head slowly back and forth. “No, no, no… that is a tragedy. You know what that makes most people?”
Gabby didn’t respond for a second. She seemed unaware he’d asked her a question. Finally, noticing the silence she chimed in realizing the question as directed at her.
“Oh, I don’t know.”
“Liars. Hypocrites. Dishonest basically. People are dishonest because they hide who they are to almost everybody. I couldn’t imagine going through life like that. I mean, people dislike me a lot because I say what I feel and I am not preoccupied with how it hurts others. Why should I be? I’m being honest. I have my own thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Who are you to tell me I’m wrong just because it conflicts with what you feel to the point that it insults you?”
Gabby sipped her wine. She was silent for a moment. He could see that all of this was really having a strange effect on her, which he anticipated. It wasn’t often your boss caught you doing something against the orders he’d just given you and then rewarded you for it with a glass of wine and a philosophy lesson.
“I agree,” Gabby said.
“Do you?”
Gabby was surprised by the follow up.
“Yeah, I do. I mean I hate having to be someone for someone else, pretending to be who others expect me to be or allow me to be. I’ve done that my whole life, growing up where I did that is expected. You know, the small-town mindset. But I’ve had enough; that’s why I came here.”
Logan was pleased to hear that his original assumption about this girl based on his research was correct. She was running from something; herself. She was running from who she hated being. That was something he could relate to.
“So, where did you grow up?” Logan asked.
“Rosewood Falls,” Gabby replied. “I doubt you’ve heard of it.”
Logan nodded. “You’re right, I am not familiar. But I gather by your tone the town is a bit stifling?”
“That’s an understatement. It’s just a very old fashioned town that is about seventy years behind the rest of the world despite being just a few hour’s drive from the city.”
“Ah, I know what that’s like. Believe it or not I’ve spent some time in small towns before.”
“Really? I wasn’t aware.”
“You are probably not aware of much about me, other than what is in the media but as we’ve both pointed out people want you to be something for them. When you have money and status you have an unnatural limelight focused on you where every single thing about you is scrutinized to make sure you measure up to the expectations. And if you fall even a little bit then the people will be all over it. People are so inherently jealous of others’ good fortune that they love to see the heroes they worship do something human and mundane, like making a small mistake. It helps them to feel that they are not so different and the only thing separating you from them is luck.”
Gabby smiled and sipped her wine. “Wow, I didn’t realize that all billionaire real estate moguls were such astute observers of human nature. You should write a book.”
Logan laughed. “Wow, maybe I will one day, but a wealthy businessman like myself has to be a keen student of human nature. You see people might think my primary business is real estate, but that is incorrect.”
“Really?”
“My primary business is sales. And the object of sales is not to sell products; it is to sell yourself. That must be done first before anyone will buy anything else that goes along with you. It’s just that simple.”
“Yeah, I think I’ve heard something like that before,” Gabby said. “I don’t’ think I am much of a sales person though.”
“Oh, but you are. You just don’t realize it.”
“How do you mean?”
Logan chose to ignore her question. He often got bored with topics too quickly and he felt they were getting off on a tangent he did not want to.
He paused and sipped his wine.
“What do you want to do?”
Gabby looked at him inquisitively. “What do you mean?”
“What do you want to do with your life? You moved to the big city from the small town, took that leap through time to arrive at the twenty first century, and you did it for a reason. What is it?”
“Um, well my father is sick. I came here to take care of him.”
“Why did you come here? Why did you come here, really?”
Gabby glanced down as if her answer was going to embarrass her. Her expression reflected a bit of hostility towards him, most likely because he caught her in a lie. She was embarrassed of the selfish reason she had really come to the city.
“I want to live my dreams,” Gabby said. “I want to experience the stories that I have been reading about for years. I want to try things and find myself, to really see what I want out of life. I couldn’t do that back home.”
“You are telling me the basics. I know all of this. But you didn’t come here just to see what happened; a woman like you had a specific goal in mind. What was it?”
“I want to be start my own business,” she said meekly.
“Why does that embarrass you?”
“It doesn’t,” Gabby defended herself.
“Then why did you say it so quietly, as if you are terrified to let anyone know about it?”
“Because it makes me feel like crap to know I used the excuse of taking care of my father to put me in a position to go after my dreams.”
“Why do you need an excuse to go for your dreams? Why couldn’t you just tell everyone back home that you were leaving and be done with it?”
“I don’t know,” Gabby said. “I just couldn’t.”
Logan leaned forward and looked her in the eye.
“There is nothing wrong with that. You should stop feeling guilty. I know you care about your father and you would be here to take care of him anyway, but you have nothing to apologize about for going after what you want in life either.”
“I’m not. I’m not apologizing. I’m fine with it.”
Logan did not fully believe her but perhaps she was starting to see it all clearly.
“Good.”
“Well, I should probably be heading back. My lunch is going to be over soon,” Gabby said.
“Have dinner with me tonight,” Logan said.
Gabby stared at him, a dazed expression on her sweet face.
She smiled. “What?”
“You and I are having dinner together tonight. Wear something semi-formal. I’ll pick you up at seven. It will be a great evening.”
“Um, ok…” Gabby said. She appeared to be trying to hide a giggle. He could tell her head was spinning around a bit at the moment. It had been a while since he’d bothered to have that effect on a woman. It felt good.
Gabby sat her glass on the desk and left the office, glancing back briefly with a smile when she got to the door.
Logan watched the monitors behind him as Gabby moved back down the hall. He couldn’t help but be drawn to her ass as it swayed back and forth gently with her strong, determined walk. He loved to see a woman move like that.
And he was looking forward to seeing Gabby moving her hips tonight.