Blind Date with the Boss (Heads or Hearts #6)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

OUTSIDE the restaurant, a chilling breeze whipped at Sally’s hair and she wished she felt happier after such a magical evening. She’d adored every moment of Logan’s company, and she’d watched him relax, had seen the way his gorgeous smile lingered more and more often, had seen the glow in his eyes when he’d looked at her.

It had seemed such a fitting sequel to earlier this evening, when Logan had taken her to meet Hattie and he’d shown her the softer side she’d always suspected. Better still, he hadn’t tried to hide his pleasure that his grandmother liked Sally. And now it appeared that he wasn’t in a serious relationship with another woman.

Barriers had been tumbling left and right, and at some deeply intuitive level, Sally had sensed that this evening had been special for both of them. No matter how loudly they tried to deny it, strong threads of attraction had been drawing them closer and closer.

But at the end, with the chef’s arrival, the delicate balance had been upset. It was as if she’d been weaving a wonderful fiction, but had been suddenly forced to face bald facts. Wake up, Sally Finch! Tonight has been a fairy tale. The boss and his front desk girl are not going to have a meaningful romance .

Now, as the lights of the restaurant narrowed to yellow dots in the distance, the truth of her situation became plainer to Sally. She’d finally become relaxed and confident around her boss, but somehow, in the process, she’d forgotten that he was unattainable. She was playing out of her league.

The annoying thing was that deep down she had known that. She and Logan were poles apart and a country bumpkin newly arrived in the big smoke could not expect to capture the heart of a high-flying corporate executive. Sydney was overflowing with women who operated on Logan’s wavelength, business and professional women with a great deal more to offer a man than mere chatting and dancing skills.

Sally had no chance of competing. It would take years and years of city life before she developed the finely honed sophistication and fashion know-how of the women who’d been born and bred here.

So what if Logan had been relaxed and happy this evening? Dinner and pleasant conversation did not mean that she and the boss were an item.

Now, as they walked beside the harbour to the parked car, their tense silence seemed to magnify the sounds of the night. Footsteps on paving stones. Waves from the wake of a boat slap-slapping against the harbour’s rock wall. The blast of a ferry’s horn, warning that it was about to leave Circular Quay.

A fresh burst of wind gusted across the inky water making Sally shiver.

‘You’re cold,’ Logan said. ‘Here, have my coat.’ Gallantly, he ignored her protests that it wasn’t far to the car and he slipped his jacket around her shoulders.

‘Thanks,’ she whispered and a high voltage thrill zapped through her when the silky lining settled intimately over her shoulders. The silk was warm from Logan’s body heat and the very thought that his hunky torso had been inside this garment robbed her breath and made her head spin.

Running footsteps erupted on the pavement behind them and Logan, immediately alert, kept his arm protectively around her. But their pursuers turned out to be a group of young people, running and laughing to catch the last ferry. Logan’s arm remained there and Sally thought there was every chance her knees might give way before they reached the car.

‘Keep the jacket on,’ he said as he opened the car door for her.

She looked up and her breathing faltered when she saw his face in the faint moonlight.

This isn’t a date. He’s out of my league .

Nevertheless, the emotion shimmering in Logan’s eyes stole Sally’s breath. A shadow fell as he dipped his head closer and she knew that he was going to kiss her.

Her senses reached out to him. Instinctively, she lifted her lips just a fraction…

‘Sally,’ he whispered and his dark gaze devoured her, roving from her hair to her eyes, to her mouth, her white throat.

His hand lifted to touch her hair and Sally held her breath. Her blood hummed with anticipation. Every cell in her waited...

But then she saw sadness – unmistakably – in his eyes. With a gruff, thick-throated sound, he dropped his hand and stepped back abruptly.

Mortified, Sally scrambled into the car and pulled the door shut before Logan could attend to it. Fighting silly tears of disappointment, she scolded herself for being so foolish. Of course she understood that Logan couldn’t kiss her. How could he when they’d both spent the entire evening making a song and dance about the fact that he was her boss and this was not a date?

? When they reached her house, he walked her to the door, but she didn’t ask him in.

‘Thanks for your coat,’ she said as she handed it to him. ‘And thanks for a lovely evening.’

‘My pleasure, Sally. Thanks for your company.’ About to return to his car, he said, ‘I should have checked my diary. I’ll let you know on Monday about the next lesson. Is that all right?’

If she was sensible she would have told him that she couldn’t manage any more dancing lessons. She was quite sure she couldn’t endure more time alone with him. But he’d just bought her a lavish meal. And honestly, even though she knew it was pointless to love him, how could she bear to give him up?

‘Sure,’ she said softly. ‘You still need some more polish. Let me know on Monday.’

When he reached her front gate, she called, ‘Have a good weekend.’

‘Thanks, Sally. You, too.’

As she went inside, she thought, I’m not sure that’s possible.

Memories of that moment when Logan had almost kissed her reverberated in Sally’s awareness all weekend. As a distraction, she invited Anna and the children over for Sunday lunch and afterwards they all went to a park by the harbour, played on the swings, fed the ducks and generally had a good time. Sally fought off memories of that time she’d seen her boss playing in the park with his nephews.

On Monday morning, Logan arrived at Blackcorp with his phone welded to his ear. He gave Sally a hurried nod as he sped past her, then disappeared.

So… it was business as usual. What else did I expect?

She was a fool to be disappointed.

Maeve bounced in with a smile that spread from ear to ear. She and her geologist had spent a weekend away in the Blue Mountains and it had been so-o-o romantic. Sally tried not to feel jealous, with little success.

Maeve was in the middle of describing a marble spa bath set in a bay window overlooking the Megalong Valley when Maria Paige swept through the security door.

Sally couldn’t explain why, but something about the boss’s PA bothered her. She always felt on edge whenever Maria was around.

Pushing past Maeve, as if she were invisible, Maria set a USB on the desk in front of Sally. ‘Can you be a darling, Sally, and download this onto a file on your computer?’

A darling? Sally choked back an exclamation. What was this about? She knew her job description didn’t include working under the direction of Logan’s personal assistant. Just the same, she wanted to please this woman. Maria was the only person in the company who sent off negative vibes and Sally certainly didn’t want to make an enemy of her.

‘Don’t look so worried, Sally. I just need a back up. For security.’

‘Of course. I’ll get onto it straight away.’

With a thin smile, Maria spun around and, ignoring Maeve again, marched back through the security door.

? Maeve watched in silence until she’d gone, then gave an expressive roll of her eyes. ‘It might be wise to remember that you’re a very small finch.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘That one’s a predator, and a dangerous one at that.’

? ‘Oh, come on, Maeve. That’s a bit mean. Maria’s a bit sharp, but I suspect she’s under a lot of pressure, working for someone like Logan – I – I mean Mr. Black.’

Maeve shook her head slowly. ‘I’ve been watching that woman for two years and I’m still waiting for her to pounce. You be careful with her, my girl.’

She tapped her nose knowingly and walked on, but her warning echoed like a menacing alarm bell as Sally inserted the USB and started saving Maria’s files.

In the middle of the afternoon, however, any niggles of disquiet about Maria’s request flew out of her head when the boss telephoned.

‘I hope this isn’t too late notice, but would tomorrow evening suit you for another dancing lesson?’

Sally knew she should give him an excuse. Could she really go through another night of self-torture? Perhaps she should tell him she was baby-sitting Oliver and Rose.

But it would be a lie and Sally was terminally honest and Logan needed at least one more lesson. How could she let him down?

Miserably aware that she was inviting another round of heartache, she assured him that Tuesday evening was fine.

? CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THIS wasn’t working.

Halfway through the second dancing lesson, Logan’s concentration was shot to pieces.

It was crazy really, because tonight’s session should have been so much easier than the first one. Not only had he one or two clues about waltzing now, but Sally had been considerate enough to abandon the dangerous, low-backed yellow dress in favour of a simple T shirt and boyish jeans.

Her shirt was high necked with long sleeves, so Logan was spared the distraction of her bare, soft and silky skin. But even though she was clothed from neck to toe, Sally Finch still provided far too many distractions. Logan’s fingers could sense the supple warmth of her through the T shirt’s thin fabric, could smell her clean hair, her fresh, fragrant skin.

This close, she made him too painfully conscious of the lush invitation of her lips, smiling mere inches from his.

But the worst torment came from his own clumsiness, which caused him to bump, every so often, against her. Each brush against Sally was like a teasing promise, each brief point of contact a burning fiery brand.

If this went on much longer, Logan feared he might self-combust.

In the past, if he’d been aroused by a woman, he would have moved swiftly to seduce her. In the past, he’d always been able to steer his desires towards suitable women who were as pragmatic as he was about balancing their desires with the demands of their careers.

In the past, Logan had not met Sally.

Sweet, warm and dangerous Sally.

He feared, at some deeply primitive level, that if he took Sally to his bed, he would want to keep her there forever. And that wasn’t part of the game plan. It would be at least five years before he could afford complications like that.

‘Logan, lead with your body, not with your feet,’ Sally’s voice commanded from somewhere below his ear.

Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. If he led with his body, he would bump into her again.

‘Look to the left to watch where you’re going.’

Logan looked to his left and he twirled her as lightly and deftly as he could.

‘Smile!’ cried Sally.

‘I can’t.’

That was asking too much.

To his relief the music they’d been dancing to came to an end and Sally stopped. ‘That was great, wasn’t it?

‘Do you think so?’ He was sure he’d made next to no progress.

‘Oh, yes.’ She spoke soothingly – a teacher calming an overanxious pupil. ‘I think you’ve almost mastered the waltz.’

She was using her own phone this evening and now she scanned through the palylist. ‘Have you thought about any other dances you’d like to learn?’

‘Other dances?’

‘You’re going to spend an entire evening at the ball and you can’t waltz the whole time.’

‘But I’m only dancing the one dance for the charity.’

‘Oh, Logan, don’t be silly. You can’t stand out for the whole evening.’

‘Can’t I?’

‘Everyone else will be dancing. Your partner will expect you to dance with her. That’s what balls are all about.’

Exactly. And he’d been tardy about finding a partner for this function. Apart from the fact that he thought of it as an ordeal that had to be endured, he delayed his invitation because no one on his usual list of female companions had felt right. Carissa had rung on the weekend to warn him, somewhat heatedly, that he was running out of time.

Sally made a selection. A bright and modern and up-tempo sound erupted, filling the room with its brassy, foot-tapping beat.

Swaying and nodding in time to it, she sent him a cheeky grin. ‘What about trying a little of the old disco shuffle? Just to loosen up? You’ve been to nightclubs surely?’

‘Occasionally, but do they allow that kind of dancing at balls?’ He had to raise his voice to reach her above the thumping noise.

‘They certainly do in the bush. I know this is a sophisticated city event, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t include some modern music.’ Arms above her head, Sally jiggled and shook, making her bright curls bounce. ‘Come on, Logan. Let me see what you’ve got.’

He would have liked to simply stand there and watch Sally. She was so lively and pretty, so graceful and glowing. She shimmied up to him, swaying her lithe body and holding her hands out in front of her. ‘Just move. You can stay in one spot if you like, but get those feet going.’

Logan nodded his head and started to move self-consciously.

‘Close your eyes,’ she instructed. ‘Forget I’m here. Just listen to the music and feel that beat.’

It certainly helped to close his eyes. Without the distraction of Sally in front of him, he could hear the pumping rhythm, the throb of the base, pounding in time to his accelerated heartbeats.

‘Now let yourself go,’ Sally urged. ‘Loosen your shoulders and go with the flow.’

Her voice was surprisingly close and when he opened his eyes, he found her bobbing and swaying beside him. ‘Come on,’ she coaxed, with another glowing smile. ‘Forget you’re the boss and just hang loose.’

Taking his hands in hers, Sally drew him gently towards her. That did it. The temptation was too much. Forget dancing! Logan closed the gap between them, gathered Sally in and kissed her.