“Three,” she replies.
My mouth falls open, again causing her laughter to fill the room.
“Are you shocked at the number or at the fact I knew what you were going to ask me?” she asks.
“Both,” I say with no hesitation. “Logan, you’re an attractive girl. How is that even possible?”
“Well, Mr. Rock Star, I was in a long-term relationship with Daniel for three years, regardless of breaks between us, I was faithful to him. I believed he just needed room to breathe. My first was my date to my senior prom. It was more of a pull the Band-Aid off kind of situation. We both wanted to. There were no expectations of love or forever, just two kids who had gone to school together their entire lives not wanting to head off to college as virgins. Number three was this guy who swept me off my feet while on vacation with my best friend Stacy. It was a fling that gave me memories I will always cherish,” she says shyly.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t. We’ve not really discussed that night much, but here she is throwing it out there like a casual greeting. I’m floored even more so by what it meant to her. I’m relieved I’m not going crazy when I think about the connection we seem to share.
“So, Kacen, what about you? Care to give me a number?” She smirks.
My eyes meet hers and I hold her stare until I get the courage to speak. “My number is higher than yours. Not outrageously so, but compared to yours, yeah, it’s higher,” I confess. I cannot believe we are having this conversation. She’s my PA now. This should not be happening.
“So what are we talking fifty, one-hundred?” she prods.
“Fuck no!” I say, my voice louder than what I expected it to be. Did she really think that of me? “You were number ten,” I say, my tone quiet.
“Ten, hmmm . . . not so bad. Of course, it shouldn’t matter what I think. You’ve already sampled the goods.”
“Jesus, Logan! Would you stop talking like that.”
“What? It’s the truth. You could have said one thousand and it would not have made a bit of difference. We’ve already been down that road.”
“Five of them were long-term relationships, and five of them were casual one-time things,” I confess.
I watch her as she raises her hand. “Put me in the casual column.” She grins.
She can tell this conversation is uncomfortable for me, and she’s loving every damn minute of it.
“It didn’t feel casual,” I say and the smile falls from her lips. Take that. Only it’s the truth. Nothing from that week with her felt casual.
The iPhone lying on her desk rings. Picking it up, she says, “This is Logan.”
“Sure, I’ll be right out,” she says to the caller as she hits end and places the phone back on her desk.
“Who was that?”
“Gavin, they’re hungry. I told them I would make lunch.”
“Just call something in and have it delivered.”
“Nah, I’m good with cooking. Are we good, or did you need something else from me?” she asks.
No, we are not good. I need . . . Fuck! I don’t know what I need. “No, we’re good,” I grumble and follow her out of her office and into the kitchen.
My mind told me to go hang out with the guys, but my feet carried me right along behind her. Speaking of behind, I’m sitting at the island watching as Logan is bent over in that skirt and those heels, pulling ingredients for tacos out of the fridge.
“You know, we really just hang out here all day. You don’t need to dress up. I’m good with you wearing jeans and a t-shirt. No need for formality unless it’s for an event. You can’t be comfortable being dressed up all day just hanging around the house.”
“It doesn’t bother me. I’ll confess, it feels strange to cook in a skirt and heels. Usually at home I’m in yoga pants and a tank with my hair all pulled back.”
“Then wear that here. If you’re going to be spoiling us by cooking us meals instead of just ordering takeout, you need to be comfortable. Besides, this isn’t exactly a formal job.”
I’m trying to convince her, but it’s solely for selfish reasons. I don’t know if I can keep my hands off her in those sexy-as-hell getups she’s been wearing. This is only day two and I feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle with my dick. He doesn’t seem to understand that we can no longer have her.
“Thanks, maybe I’ll keep a dressier outfit in my office in case the need arises.”
Thank you. My dick thanks you. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter 15
Logan
“Come and get it,” I yell so the guys can hear me. Kacen stayed in the kitchen the entire time. He kept the conversation flowing, but I could feel his eyes on me every time I turned away.
“All right, well, I have to stop at the post office and pick up the fan mail, and then I’m headed home. I’ll be back in the morning. Is nine okay?” I direct the question to Kacen.
“Yeah, nine is fine,” he assures me.
“See you all in the morning.” I wave over my shoulder and rush to my office. Quickly, I shut down my computer, grab both cell phones, my purse, and keys, and I’m out of the house. Day two has been a weird one at best.
The post office opens at eight, so I decide to leave that for first thing in the morning. There always seems to be a long line at closing time. Everyone is rushing to get in last minute business.
I beat Stacy home, so I start making us dinner. We’re having macaroni and cheese with bacon and broccoli. It’s one of Stacy’s favorite dishes, and it’s easy to make. Once that’s in the oven to bake, I grab my Kindle and settle on the couch. I try to read, but the effort is pointless as my earlier conversation with Kacen is on replay.
He’s a great guy. I can tell just from the conversations we have, not only here but in Hawaii, that he’s loyal. He really doesn’t give off the ‘I’m a rock star and the master of the universe’ vibe that one might expect. None of them do really. They’re just a group of friends who found fortune and fame doing what they love. I admire them for not falling to the dark side of fame, as many do.
Stacy walks in just as the timer goes off on the oven. “Perfect timing. Dinner’s ready.”
“You are the best!” She throws her purse and keys onto the table and follows me into the kitchen.
“So how was your second day?” I inquire.
“Good, it’s a lot to learn as far as the material. One of the physicians who we called on today was a jerk. He refused eye contact, and just as I was about to finish the spiel, he interrupted me saying he was out of time and had patients. I mean, I get that the guy saves lives, but he could have said it a little nicer. Lisa, she’s the rep I’m shadowing, says I need to get used to it. She said over 50 percent of the physicians I call on will react that way. She says it’s just the nature of the business.”
“Wow, I mean, like you said, you know they’re busy saving lives, but being rude is unnecessary,” I agree.
“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll get used to it. How about you? How was day number two with the boys?” She giggles.