Conviction (Club Destiny 1)

Sam knew he was dragging it out, and she couldn’t seem to turn her head and look at him, fearful of what she would see in his eyes. The way he spoke of her, the confidence he seemed to have, made her heart swell and tears form behind her eyelids.

“Sam will continue on in the same capacity as she has for the last few months, fulfilling the contractual obligation between CISS and XTX.”

Sam did turn her head then, and what she saw nearly choked her. Logan, along with his no nonsense tone, offered the crowd a piercing stare that dared any one of them to make a comment.

“Congratulations, Sam.” Jim called from behind Alex. “That’s great news for us.”

Abigail shot her a death glare, but Sam forced a smile back at her. “Thank you, Jim.” She said, directing her attention over to her project manager.

“And just so we are very clear,” Logan continued, his voice now reflecting the professional tone he used in the office, “when I say that we will continue with business as usual, that’s exactly what I mean. Sam will report directly to Xavier Thomas, offering our organization more visibility to the President and CEO. That means we need to continue to work with the upmost professionalism and cooperation as we have always been known for.”

Sam watched the faces around her, seeing some smiles, some grim looks, but all in all, she was up for the challenge. It wasn’t every day that you were offered a second chance. Somehow, she’d been offered a second chance at so many things, and she knew when not to look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak.

Apparently finished with his speech, Logan signaled for the bartender to bring another round of drinks and then he turned his attention to Sam, making her blood pressure spike and her hands sweat.

“Congratulations, baby.” With that, he leaned down and kissed her, a soft melding of lips, a sweet brush of his fingers along her cheek. “You don’t know how happy this makes me.”

Chapter Thirty

The night dragged on, most of the employees remaining for two hours or more before they said their goodbyes and ventured home. Logan was satisfied with the way the announcement went, and from the sound of it, most of his team was happy with the news. The only one who seemed exceptionally disappointed was Abigail, but Logan couldn’t do anything to help that.

Even Tricia congratulated Sam, seemingly calling a truce. Alex managed to add that Tricia should take the opportunity to benefit from such a successful mentor. Telling her that if she wanted to get to the next level, she needed to learn as much as she could from Sam and use that to her advantage.

Sam seemed to be taking all of this in stride. He could only hope the simple change wouldn’t be a huge distraction to her. The last thing he could afford at the moment was for Sam to continue to dwell on the changes happening around her.

Since the morning he told her he loved her, the same morning he told her about Alex and Xavier’s plan to make things work, she had done what she needed to do to insert a gap the size of the Grand Canyon between them.

At first, Logan had been worried; scared Sam would change her mind or talk herself out of her feelings for him. Then, he’d just been pissed.

He was damn proficient at hiding his true feelings because at the moment, he wanted to be anywhere but here. He wanted to take Sam somewhere private and show her exactly what her actions sparked in him. Having built his life and his career by going after exactly what he wanted, and not stopping until he got them, Logan had had to remind himself that the same would go for Sam.

He’d made a monumental miscalculation with her. The day on the boat, she’d introduced him to the seductress that he knew her to be. The night when he’d blindfolded her, watching as Luke took her to places she’d never been, Sam giving herself completely over to both of them, he’d seen a side of her she probably hadn’t known existed. The night by the hot tub, when he’d done wicked things to her body, Sam had instilled in him a trust she likely didn’t know she had in her. Then, the morning in his shower, when he’d all but tortured and tormented her, pushing her past the limits she had set for herself, Logan thought she had finally conceded to what they shared.

Then, she’d up and left him for two solid weeks while she talked herself out of her feelings for him. Neither of them had referenced love since that morning when they made love, both of them caught up in the moment. But Logan still felt the same.

His love for her wasn’t imaginary, and it wouldn’t just go away. He sensed she felt the same way, though she was harder on herself than he was.

Logan was comfortable with himself, both in his professional life and in his personal life. He tested the boundaries every day, pushing himself harder, farther, only to remind himself that he wanted more out of life. The same went with his sexuality. Logan knew he was a dominating man, knew he tended to border on the rougher side of things.