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Logan was in his office when I got back with lunch. I wanted to be upset with him—because of the way Margot had spoken to me—but I had no real reason to be. I felt a bit ridiculous for even wanting to be upset, because we hadn’t established anything officially. I was just being a woman. When I felt myself becoming attached to a man, I always got a little jealous about other women having access to him. Especially women he had already dealt with in the past.
Besides, he looked way too gorgeous for me to be mad at him. The way he casually strolled back and forth through his office while he handled business over the phone was such a turn-on for me. I wanted to sashay into his domain and make him end all calls for the rest of the day. That was wishful thinking, though. Logan was a man who put business at the forefront of his schedule and wouldn’t detour away from it until all was in place. I liked that about him.
Logan
I was impressed with Ariane’s speed that day. She had every task on the iPad out of the way before I even had time to double-check my schedule for my own sanity. It was a busy day for me—getting drafts done for three new clients and topping off the floor plan for my ex-wife's new expansion. I felt a little weird sending Ariane to meet with Margot that morning, but she was my assistant. And I was busy. For all of her extra efforts, I decided to give Ariane a hefty bonus on her first paycheck. Hoping she wouldn’t take it the wrong way or try to take advantage of my generosity; I crossed my fingers when I called her into my office.
“Yes, Mr. Taylor?”
I loved the ring my name had to it when it fell from her lips. When I heard her say my name, I felt the same way I did every time I completed a job to perfection. I wanted to hear it over and over again.
“Good afternoon.” I smiled. “Thanks for dropping off the floor plans this morning, I really appreciate it. I know it was a last-minute add. I hope it didn’t take up too much time from your day.”
“Not at all. I got a few things out of the way earlier this morning, so I had some free time to spare. Your meeting downtown is scheduled at four, unless you made changes to that too?”
“No. No changes there. I’ll be heading out shortly. I just wanted to personally give you your first paycheck, and ask if you’d like to have lunch with me?”
I didn’t know what had come over me that afternoon, but it was a feeling I couldn’t shake. As for my meeting, I wanted to skip that altogether and spend the rest of the day fooling around with Ariane. Judging by the look on her face, I knew she felt the same, and when she agreed to go to lunch with me it was confirmed.
“Sure. I mean, I stopped and grabbed your usual on the way, what should I do with it?”
“Leave it in the break room, I’m sure someone will help themselves. Go grab your coat and we can head over to whatever place you’d like to dine.”
When she left my office to close hers down for the lunch hour, I quickly stood up to freshen up my suit and make sure my hair was presentable, grabbing my own coat and heading to meet her at the elevator. I saw a few wondering eyes around us, but I didn’t pay much mind to them. I figured everyone would see us together and think we were just handling business. Little did I know, the kiddish grin on my face gave me away.
One of Ariane’s favorite places to eat was The Golden Apple. I had heard about the place from a few of my colleagues, but had never tried it myself. It was in the heart of Queens, tucked away in an alley that looked as though it held many secrets, but once we were inside all worries were met by smiling faces and the misty sound of jazz music.
“Wow,” I said as I pulled out her chair. “This isn’t what I expected at all.”
“It never is for most people,” she chuckled. “It wasn’t for me either, the first time I came. I honestly didn’t know what to expect; I was just testing the waters and ended up submerged in pure bliss.”
I really liked the restaurant. I liked that Ariane and I had similar tastes in music, food, and drinks. Having this time alone with her gave me a chance to admire her. She was so stunning and intelligent. So young and energetic. I wondered why she was still single. Any guy in his right mind would snatch her away at any moment. She must have noticed I was staring at her.
"Do I have something on my face?" Ariane inquired.
"Oh, no, you don't have anything on your face, just admiring how beautiful you are." I wanted to bring up what had happened in the bathroom at the party, but I didn’t want to ruin this moment.
"Thank you." She blushed and giggled, wiping her mouth with the napkin after taking a full bite of her sandwich. Hopefully I hadn’t made her feel uneasy by complimenting her directly.
"I see why you love this place," I said. "It's a nice setup. The people are nice and friendly. It's clean, and the food tastes amazing. I like the music too. I'll have to make this little joint a part of my lineup."
"It is nice." She smiled. "I'd eat here every day if I could."
I was perplexed by the way seeing her smile brought me so much delight. I felt flutters in my heart—a sensation I hadn’t felt since I’d been in love with Margot. Ariane was different from the other women I’d slept with. There had been something in her eyes that night, like she was hiding something, but her reluctance only heightened my yearning for her even more.
I was surrounded by women who threw themselves at me at every opportunity. She was different, however. And I found it alarming that I felt a persistent ache to have her, so much so that I’d broken my number one rule to not sleep with my employees.
"How do you like your sandwich?" she asked, breaking the silence between us.
"I enjoyed every bite," I chuckled.
Over the course of our lunch, we got a lot more acquainted. She told me about her experiences working as an assistant and life coach, and all the household names she’d had the pleasure of working with. And I told her about what had pushed me to start my own company and what had led to the ending of my marriage. To both of our surprise, we had a lot in common. She was just a little more reserved than I was about certain things.
“Thanks for having lunch with me,” I said. “I’m sorry to have to run off, but I have to catch this meeting. I'll have my car take you back to the office to finish up, if you don’t mind?”
“Oh, not at all. I halfway expected it. Thank you for this afternoon.”
“Maybe we can do it again sometime?” I asked, hoping she caught my drift.
