goddamn invitation with neon lights since the moment I transferred here. If I wasn’t afraid she’d get attached, jeopardizing our professional relationship, I’d indulge her. But I don’t trust her.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when a familiar, decadent scent wafts into my office. I look up just as Logan sits herself in the seat in front of my desk with a huff. She’s irritated about something; I can tell by the little wrinkle in her brow. For a second, I don’t speak. I just stare. I still find her incredibly beautiful, even when she’s upset.
Logan is a lot of things. She’s intelligent, well-spoken, talented, and driven. She’s got an eye for detail, a mind that’s always anxious to acquire more knowledge, and a small obsession with decorative light fixtures. She’s one of my best associates and, admittedly, my star pupil. But she’s also one of the only women who has ever told me no .
By rule, not by chance or circumstance, but by rule , I don’t allow women to tell me no . If I want her, I shall have her. Often times, the chase is just as rewarding as the catch. I am not a manipulator or a liar, and neither will I be manipulated or lied to. I’m fully aware of what I can offer a woman, and I am the master of my fate. When a woman tries to tell me no, I simply play the hand I’ve been dealt, knowing my victory is forthcoming.
Seduction is not a feat, but a byproduct of being in my presence. I’m not an arrogant man; neither am I a fool. My awareness of the effect I have on the female population is simply a fact proven by the countless number of conquests I’ve managed to seduce. I fail very infrequently. When I do, it is not something I forget easily.
Logan is my failure.
When I first met her, she was a challenge, devoted to another. I remembered her rejection often and looked forward to a rematch when I relocated to this office, over a year after I had seen her last. Only, when I returned, she was no longer the Logan Schwartz of old; rather, she had become Logan Holloway —a forbidden temptation.
For reasons I still can’t explain, something about her made me want to break the one rule that makes a woman off limits. Matrimony . I don’t fuck with other men’s wives. I’ve experienced the repercussions of playing out of bounds. I’ve taken the matrimonial whore before, and that bitch fucked me over. The fact that I was willing to cross that line with Logan should have been enough warning for me to stay away. Though, she took care of that on my behalf—when she proposed that we be friends .
It’s been months since she made the suggestion. I’m still mulling it over.
“Logan,” I mutter when she doesn’t speak. “Were you planning on saying something, or are you just here to tease me?”
“Sorry,” she says with a sigh, resting her hand over her stomach. “I did come in here to tell you something, and then my stomach suddenly felt funny. I just needed to breathe for a moment.”
“Are you ill?”
“No, no. I’m fine. Maybe I got dizzy or something. The nausea has passed.” She waves her hands at me, as if begging me to not be concerned. “What I wanted to tell you is that our client, dear Mr. Dixon, has been bugging the shit out of me all weekend . He would not stop emailing me!”
“Right,” I reply, furrowing my brow, now just as irritated as she. “I put in a few hours working on the design for his new office space over the weekend. Hopefully, he’ll be satisfied with my changes.”
“Oh, perfect. I did a little work, too. Remember how we were having a small issue with making his ridiculous budget work with some wall pieces?” I nod once, giving her the go-ahead to continue. “I completely forgot that I know the perfect place for us to look. Earlier this summer, a friend of a friend told me I should check out this gallery on Mountain Avenue. I guess you got me so hooked on Frederick’s place in Denver, I often times forget to look locally. Anyway—I thought we