“I agree.” He shifted his weight slightly, giving me more space but still staying within me. I never wanted him to leave me. The corners of his mouth quirked up in a cocky grin. “Can I call you again? I know this great little Italian restaurant with an even better parking lot.”
I giggled. “That would be great.”
He kissed me gently before slowly moving away. I ached for more as he left me, wanting to be close to him forever. He rummaged through the bar until he found some napkins. Together we cleaned up and slowly put our clothes back on. I wondered if the limo driver was in the front seat yet or if he was still flirting with the waitress.
“Do you want to go back in?” Logan asked, helping me zip my dress.
I opened my mouth to answer, but instead a jaw-cracking yawn escaped. I pressed my hand to my mouth. “Sorry.”
He smiled. “No, you're fine.”
“I was nervous about our meeting, so I didn't sleep very well last night. I guess it's catching up with me. It's just been a busy day,” I admitted.
“It's been a great day,” he corrected.
I grinned at him. “Better than great.” And then I yawned again. “I'm so sorry!”
“Don't be,” he reassured me. “Let me take you home.”
“Okay,” I said, settling into one of the seats of the limo, suddenly very sleepy. “Who knows, maybe I'll even invite you up.”
Logan went to the door and opened it, sticking his head out and waving to the limo driver. It took a moment, but I soon heard the door open and shut as the driver returned. Logan lowered the privacy screen.
“Where to, sir?” the driver asked as soon as it was down.
The limo's engine purred to life as I recited my address. The lights dimmed, and Logan wrapped his arm around me as we started moving. Everything was comfortable and warm. I felt protected and wanted. Maybe even loved. I had never felt this strongly about someone before, nor had I ever imagined I could feel so deeply so soon. I actually felt happy instead of guilty about our horizontal tango, which was a first for me. I really, really liked him. It surprised me, but it felt right. Logan felt right. We belonged together.
I rested my head against Logan's shoulder, unable to stay upright. The day's events had finally caught up to me. Throw in some mind-blowing sex, and I was amazed I still had the energy to breathe. Even though I didn't mean to, I couldn't help dozing off, lulled by the engine and Logan's warmth.
“Where are your keys?” Logan asked gently, waking me as we arrived at my apartment.
“Purse,” I murmured, my tongue thick with sleep. “The gold key's for the front door and the silver one undoes the deadbolt on my apartment... 2B...”
I heard the jingle of my keys and then I was in Logan's arms. He lifted me as though I were a child, carrying me out of the limo and up the stairs to my apartment. I could hear the driver mumbling my instructions of gold and silver keys as he opened the doors ahead of us. I was glad Logan was carrying me. I was so tired, I fell asleep again in his arms on the way up the stairs.
The next thing I knew was the soft, welcoming embrace of my mattress. Logan carefully took off my shoes and neatly placed them on the floor by my bed before pulling the covers up to my chin. Deep sleep was beckoning me forward, but I struggled to stay awake to say goodnight. A beam of light from the living room shone on his handsome face.
“Shh,” Logan whispered, soothing me back to sleep. He smoothed my hair from my face and gently kissed my forehead. “Sweet dreams, Olivia.”
He closed the door behind him, taking the light with him, and I quickly lost myself again to dreams.
Chapter 14
Present Day
––––––––
“Coming up at seven, news from the Middle East...”
I clicked the TV off. I had exactly fifteen minutes before Logan was supposed to arrive. Butterflies danced in my stomach, and I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I slid on my favorite cotton sundress. It was a deep red that darkened to purple as it descended to just above my knees. I had no reason to look forward to dinner with Logan, but I couldn't help it. My body and brain remembered two very different Logans, and right now, my body was remembering harder. I could almost feel his fingers on my skin again, the way his body had felt pressed against mine. I wanted to believe he hadn't meant to hurt me, that all the heartache had been an accident. I wanted to believe that it could turn out better this time.
My cellphone started to ring on my nightstand. Since this was a business trip, I had left it on. I was intending to leave it in my room for dinner, but as I still had a few minutes to wait, I picked it up.
“Olivia? It's me, Susan,” the voice on the other line said. Susan was my best consultant and the manager of the other five home consultants. She was in charge of running things while Maddy and I were on vacation. My smile faded. She was only supposed to call if there were problems.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, hoping that she was just overreacting to something that didn't matter.
“I'm really sorry to bother you on your vacation, but...” Susan hesitated, and I could practically hear her biting her lip.
“What is it, Susan?” Panic was starting to rise in my throat, and the butterflies in my stomach were now dancing to a very different beat.
“Four of our consultants just quit,” she blurted out. It took me a moment, but my knees figured out this was bad news before my brain did and I sank onto the bed.
“What?” I asked, not because I didn't hear her, but because I couldn't believe what I’d heard. “Why?”
“I asked, and they said they weren't supposed to say, but I leaned on Melissa, and she spilled.” Susan took a deep breath. I knew I wasn't going to like what she was going to say. “They were offered positions at Travel, Inc. Same job, but way more money.”
“Are you serious?” This couldn't be happening. I couldn't wrap my head around it. I paid more than average because I wanted to retain the best travel consultants. I couldn't believe Travel, Inc. would stoop this low.
“Yeah. I wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, but then I got a phone call about thirty minutes ago offering the same thing to me. The pay is substantially more, and they wanted us to start right away. No two weeks’ notice or anything,” she told me. I could hear the stress in her voice. “I want you to know, I didn't take it. You have been the best boss I've ever had, and I didn't feel right about it.”
“Thank you, Susan. I really appreciate that,” I replied mechanically. I was reeling. This couldn't be happening.