Conviction (Club Destiny 1)

“Permanent?”

“Samantha, I realize you may need to discuss this with your husband before you make a final decision.” Logan finished.

“Since I don’t have one of those, I’ll be making the final decision on my own.” She grinned sweetly. “I would like the opportunity to meet with my potential staff prior to making my final decision. Oh, and, please call me Sam. Only my mother still calls me Samantha, and that’s when she’s upset with me for something.”

Logan hadn’t expected the flood of relief that came with her answer. He hadn’t even realized he’d set her up for an answer until after the words had come out, but there it was. Rather than dwell on his personal interest, which couldn’t make it any further than his darkest fantasies anyway, Logan decided to seal the deal.

“I’d like for you to be in the position no later than June 1st. That gives you three weeks to tie up loose ends there, as well as come up here for a couple of days to speak with the team.”

“Three weeks? Are you always that aggressive with your deadlines?” This time she laughed and Logan liked the sound of it. “Mr. McCoy –”

Logan cut her off before she could go any further. “Please, call me Logan. There are no formalities here.” He responded, watching as she wrote something on a sheet of paper sitting in front of her. Whatever it was, she appeared intent on jotting down the information.

“Logan,” Samantha began a little reluctantly, “as you may know, I have a couple of very large projects in the works here, and I’d like the opportunity to transition them successfully to my replacement, should I choose to accept the position.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less. The next step would be for you to come to Dallas, I would suggest you do this sooner rather than later and then you can hire your replacement and pass on your current responsibilities. I fully understand if you need a little extra time, but I will request that you do this as quickly as possible during the next few weeks.”

“Yes sir. If James is in agreement, I’ll plan to be in Dallas on Monday, then I’ll return later in the week to interview and hire my replacement.”

Logan couldn’t help but feel the excitement in the way she seemed to be accepting the position, even if she didn’t realize she was. “Samantha, I appreciate you taking the time to entertain this offer, and as I have informed James, I believe this is a mutually beneficial opportunity. I hope you’ll consider it.”

“Mr. McC—, I mean Logan, you have my word that I’ll do what it takes to ensure this is the right step for the company as well as for me. I’m flattered that you’ve considered me for the position, and I look forward to meeting you in person while I’m in Dallas next week.”

Logan looked forward to meeting her more than he probably should, but he couldn’t entertain that idea. “Have a great weekend, Sam and I look forward to meeting you as well.”

And that was probably a bigger problem than he ever anticipated.

Sam watched the screen turn black. She was momentarily dumbstruck. For the last thirty minutes, she’d put on the most noteworthy performance of her career thus far. And she had been totally out of her element, but somehow she’d put on a professional smile and muddled her way through the important details.

She was still taken aback by the attraction she felt for the man she had just spent half an hour staring at. Right or wrong – and it was oh, so definitely wrong – she was surprised at her reaction and she couldn’t push back the anxiety that overtook her. She was anxious to get to Dallas. And for the first time in years, it wasn’t just work related.

Chapter Five

“Good morning, Mr. McCoy.” Deanna O’Brien’s cheerful voice greeted Logan as he made his way toward his office.

Glancing at his watch, Logan noticed it was only six thirty, yet somehow his assistant managed to beat him into the office. Come to think of it, Deanna always got in before he did on Monday mornings. He suspected she liked to get everything outlined for his week before he made it in. For that, he appreciated her.

“Good morning, Deanna. How was your weekend?” As busy as his schedule always was, Logan tried to be as personable as possible. Especially when it came to the woman who kept his schedule flowing as smoothly as it did.

Deanna had worked for him for the last seven or eight years, following him through several promotions. Since day one, they’d gotten along brilliantly, sort of like a brother and sister relationship, even involving some friendly banter expected between siblings. He genuinely liked her, and he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.