While her business was doing okay, she wasn’t rolling in the dough. There was no way she could afford a trip to Japan. Gosh, she wished she could!
We would only be gone for five days. Fast trip. My treat.
She wished she could go. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Wait, what? She reread his last message. His treat? That was so tempting. She couldn’t let him do that…could she? No, she couldn’t. Tempting as it was, she couldn’t let Logan pay her airfare to go to Japan. How much would that cost? She didn’t know, but she knew it wouldn’t be cheap. Especially, if he was going to be heading there anytime soon.
Nice trips like that cost money and anything above what she paid for rent was more than she could afford.
But, oh, Japan.
It called to her like a flame called a moth. It was almost spring. The cherry blossoms would be in full swing soon enough. Lost in her thoughts of visiting Japan, she almost missed Logan’s call.
Chapter Ten
“Hello?”
Logan laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re sitting there pondering all the reasons you can’t accept my offer. While you are sitting there daydreaming about accepting my offer. You are, aren’t you, Gabriella?” As he waited for her answer, he could hear the telltale sound of water sloshing. “Are you in the bath?”
“I’m just getting out. Hang on.”
Fuck. As if flashbacks of her big lip-lock on him weren’t enough, now he had to sit through their phone call wondering if her nipples were hard from having gone from hot to cold. Or whether or not her hair was wet, dripping down her body. Or said nipples.
“I’m back. Now, yes you know me too well. I was daydreaming about going. But I can’t accept your offer.”
“Yes, you can. It’s number one on your bucket list.” The huskiness in his voice was thick as he spoke. He was trying really hard not to imagine what she looked like sans clothing.
“I know. But it would be too much. I could never repay you, Logan.”
“You wouldn’t repay me. It would be my treat. Truthfully, it’s being paid for by the company. I already negotiated for you to go—that was partly why I agreed to go on such short notice.”
“What? Logan, you can’t do that.”
“I already did it. Come on, Cinderella. You have absolutely no reason to say no, now.”
“You’re forgetting Lolita. That is the biggest reason of all.”
“I didn’t forget Lolita. I’ve already scheduled it to overlap with the two days you’re closed for the week. Technically, you will only miss three days of work. Four at the most.”
“Logan,” she sighed into the receiver. Was she still naked? “I know you mean well, but this isn’t a good idea. I’m not sure Brandi can cover for me. Especially for three days.”
“Don’t start stressing out, Gabriella. I will help you figure out whatever you need. Just imagine….Japan. With me. First Class. All paid for by REEVES.”
He pulled the phone away from his ear as Gabbie squealed in excitement. “This would be like a dream come true. And First Class? Are you serious?”
“You know Jack, only the best. You haven’t given me an answer though.”
“Logan, I have to talk to Brandi first before I can commit. What are the dates we would be gone?”
He told her the dates, once again pulling the phone away from his ear as she squealed in delight mentioning something about the cherry blossoms. Logan shook his head. It felt good to make her this excited. Honestly, hearing her excitement and knowing it was going to be him that got to share this monumental moment with her, turned him on. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to bring up their kiss the other night and her crazy idea. She assured him that she had meant what she said, but he still had reservations about the entire thing.
His problem was that he wanted to sleep with her because he was attracted to her, not just to feed her curiosity. He wanted to seduce her slowly, kissing every inch of her curvaceous body, sucking and biting every place his lips touched. He wanted to give it to her right. He wanted to give it to her so well that she, in turn, would desperately want him just as much. Enough so that she would forget about the best friend’s thing.
That led to the problem of their friendship. What if his great plan didn’t actually work that way? What if Gabriella still only thought of him as a friend? Never letting her feelings cloud her judgment of what could be between them? He had been thinking about her non-stop since he got to the City and the more he thought about it, the more being attracted to her made sense. He knew her, knew what she liked and didn’t like. He knew more about her than the chef ever would, and she knew everything about him. Hell, his family adored her. Maybe this trip to Japan would convince her they could be better together as a couple than as friends.
And what an exotic place to sleep together Japan would be.
He hadn’t consciously been thinking that when he negotiated for Jack to pay her way. Like a true gentleman, he had been thinking it was her number one place to visit in the whole world and knew he couldn’t go there without her.
However, sitting here on the phone with her while she was hopefully still…bare, he was having ungentlemanly thoughts. He adjusted his pants as he envisioned what her heavy tits looked like as she lay on her bed. Knowing that she would be okay sleeping with him because she “trusted him not to get her pregnant” and Japan was her number one, had been a smart idea. Brilliant on his part.
“So, do you want to go with me?” She asked.
“What? Go where?”
“Gee, daydreaming much? I just told you, Marilyn and Blake are having a picnic this weekend. Will you come with me? Do you think Lucy would mind?”
“I’ve already told you she is not my keeper. Yes, I’ll go.” He refrained from asking about the chef.
“Good. Tell me, how was your day at the firm?”
Logan expelled a deep breath. “Good. Our meetings went pretty well. Hiroshi is one of my father’s longest and most affluent clients. He would be offended if I declined the invitation to his country. I just don’t know, Gabbie. Aside from the job, I’m not sure I could live here. It’s crowded—everywhere you turn, there are people. I’m not sure there is ever a lull of tourists. The constant honking and cars weaving in and out of traffic—when they can even move, it’s crazy. It’s not Windsor. Not by a long shot. And I’ve told you before how the people are different here. Much more blunt than home. They don’t smile and wave here.”
She laughed. “That’s the Midwest for you, we’re a friendly bunch!”
“It’s going to take a lot of hands-on work on my part in order to run his company successfully.”
“So, you are going to take the job?”
He paced back and forth; looking out the same window he’d looked out so many times before when he’d come back for summer break. He watched as a little old lady stepped out of her brownstone across the street carrying a plastic bag in one hand and holding a leash that was attached to a small white dog in the other hand. “I don’t know. Financially, it would be smart on my part. With this trip coming up, I’m seriously considering it. More so than I was before. It’s easy to get pulled into it and see the benefits when I’m standing inside his office versus being in my office in Colorado and just thinking about it. What do you think?”
“I think if you give it some time, an answer will come to you. You will know soon enough.”
“That wasn’t helpful advice, Gabriella,” he teased.
She laughed. “Sorry! I just have my own issues with you moving away.”
His interest was piqued. He sat down. “You do? Such as?”
“I would miss you terribly. I know that’s not a real good reason, but I would be lonely without you. I would miss Sundays.”
“You would still go to Donna’s house on Sundays, my spot would just be empty. They wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“But you wouldn’t be there. Which doesn’t mean I don’t want you to go, I do want you to have the best life…the best opportuniti
es, you know? I better get going, I need to get some clothes on. Logan, thank you for the amazing invitation. There are no words to describe the gratefulness I feel about you asking me to go.”
She was still naked. Yummy. “Don’t go getting all mushy on me. I knew I couldn’t go there without you joining me. Talk to Brandi. I’ll call you sometime tomorrow to find out what she says.”
Even if he had to bribe Brandi himself, he had to get her to cover. Come hell or high water, Logan was going to do everything in his power to get Gabriella on a First-Class seat with him to Japan.
Chapter Eleven
Brandi walked into Lolita’s, carrying take-out food in one hand and trying to tighten her ponytail with her other hand. Her red hair stuck out with massive curls in all directions. “This is why I can’t stand ponytails. How in the fuck is it supposed to hold all of these damn curls?”
Gabriella smiled at her friend—who had a mouth like a sailor. True to stereotypes, Brandi was a red head on a rampage. She exuded more energy, all of the time, than Gabbie ever had half of the time. Brandi set the take-out down on Gabbie’s counter and pulled out the ponytail band. Shaking her head, all of her curls sprang free, creating a vivid firestorm around her pale white face.
Gabriella had never seen anyone more beautiful.
Blessed with bountiful hair, the Gods hadn’t stopped there. Her eyes were turquoise. Not blue or green, but both. Drowning in her eyes was not a metaphor. You just did. They were the color of an exotic island’s ocean—the color you see only in magazines unless you were lucky enough to have visited such a place. The mole above her lip made her look like a Pin-Up girl—like some sexy vixen that walked right off a movie set into Gabbie’s store. Some women had all the luck.
“Yum, Ginger, are these the fish tacos I’ve been telling you to try?”
“Hell yeah, they are. I’m no slouch when it comes to food.”
The girls dug into the bag and began eating. Gabbie wiped the side of her mouth with her hand. “I have a huge favor to ask you.”
“What? These are delicious.”
“I knew you’d love’em. Would you be able to cover the store for me for a few days while I go to Japan with Logan?”
Brandi stopped chewing and spoke with her mouth full of food. “What?”
Gabriella smiled and nodded her head. “Yup. He asked me to go with him. He has to go because of his father’s law firm, blah blah blah. He knows I’ve always wanted to go. It’s all been bought and paid for. I just need you to run the store while I’m gone.” Gabbie squinted her eyes shut, opening just one. “What do you think?”
“Logan did that for you? Jesus Christ. Are you sure you guys aren’t more than friends and you aren’t telling anyone? Fuck buddies?”
Gabbie cocked her head to the side and thought of the look he’d given her that day when she came out of the fitting room wearing the red lingerie. She got that same feeling in the pit of her stomach as she had gotten then.
“Yes, I’m sure. We have always been just friends.”
“What were you just contemplating? I saw the wheels turning.”
“Nothing! I would tell you if something was going on between Logan and me. Can we please not talk about us like we’re a couple or something?”
“Well, I’m just saying. I don’t have friends like that.”
“What about me?” Gabbie asked.
“You’ve never taken me to Japan. Who does that? Friends don’t do that for friends.”
“You’re crazy. Sure, they do. Logan is a sweetheart. We’ve been friends forever and he’s known I’ve always wanted to go there. It’s nothing more than that.”
“Oh, whatever. Mark my words, friends don’t do that. When would you need me?”
Gabbie opened her calendar and showed her the dates she wanted her to cover. “What do you think? Could you do it? Are you free then?”
Brandi was looking at her calendar on her phone. “That’s the same week as the kids’ spring break… Hell yes. I can do it. Do I get to play dress-up?”
“Yea!” Gabbie clapped her hands. “I’m so excited. Thank you so much. Yes, you can play dress-up. In fact, I will give you a store credit and you can get whatever your heart desires—well, within reason. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like I’m gonna need to line up a man to show off my newly acquired goods to! I like getting a break from the kids and playing adult once in a while. I can’t believe you’re going to Japan. With Logan.”
“I know. I’m so excited. In First Class, even.”
“What? Get the fuck out of here? First Class to Japan? You know how much money that must cost? He is definitely not thinking friends. No way. He wants in your panties.”
“Would you stop? You are being ridiculous. Honestly, no he doesn’t. It’s the law firm paying, not Logan personally. But yeah, First Class. Probably the only time in my life I will get to sit in First Class. Here, hugs!”
“Hugs!” Brandi hugged her back. “Are you going to Blake and Marilyn’s picnic? Should we ride over together? Did you hear that Blaze Bryant is supposedly moving to Windsor? He is so damn good-looking but at Marilyn’s wedding, he seemed like such an ass. Why do men do that?”
“Nooo, I hadn’t heard that yet. He is hot as hell, in a looks-like-Blake-but-doesn’t kind of way. You can ride with us, Logan’s driving. It will be great to see everyone for longer than five minutes.” Her phone buzzed in her pocket. “Here. It’s Logan, I gotta take it.”
“Hello?”
“Did you have a chance to talk to Ginger?”
“I did. She’s here now.”
“What’d she say? Can she do it?”
“I talked to her—” She stifled a laugh as Brandi pointed to her crotch and mouthed “in your panties.”
“She said yes, didn’t she? I can hear it in your voice.”
Gabbie let out a mix between a laugh and a squeal. “She said yes. We’re going to Japan! I’m going to Japan! Oh my gosh, I’ll have to check the weather and see what kind of clothes I need. I might have to go shopping. I can’t be—”
“Calm down, Cinderella. We can figure that out later. A rather pressing issue at the moment is getting you a passport that arrives in time.”
Chapter Twelve
Logan got out of his truck, trying to ignore Brandi and Gabbie chattering on about the children Brandi watches for a living. When they were little Gabbie had wanted kids and once they had become juniors in high school, something changed, and she swore that she would never have children of her own. At that age, what had they been, seventeen? They started to become more aware of the life they lived. He always thought her change had to do with her parents. Tammy Crawford hadn’t been a great mom. Hell, she hadn’t even been a present mom. She was too busy doing God-knows-what to give a damn about Gabriella and Genevieve and what they might need. He assumed around that age, Gabbie began to realize that her friends had wonderful moms and she and her sister never did. She didn’t ever want to be like Tammy.
Listening to the ladies talk now, about the youngest sibling Brandi nannied for—she was four years old—had him questioning Gabbie’s decision to never have kids. She talked like she loved them. The ohhs and ahhs had him itching to turn the radio up to drown out their coos. Her nurturing side proved she would be great at parenting. She was easy-going and patient. A true lover this gal was, and it always surprised him that she didn’t want kids. He never pushed the topic. He respected her decisions and would never question her to the point of rudeness. But that didn’t stop him from hoping someday she would change her mind.
Logan had always wanted children. There were times where he thought that was the ‘thing’ to do because everyone did it, but as he’d gotten older, he’d realized he wanted children to enjoy. He didn’t know how many but at least one boy and one girl—the best of both worlds, his mother would always say. He would be unlike his father in the fact that he would not devote his life to work. He would devote his life to his family and then to work.
Growing up, his life was grand even though his parents had separated. He grew up with family, love and discipline, which balanced him into a well-rounded person. He grew up in a healthy lifestyle—dinner at the table, Sunday meals with his family, Gabbie and his grandparents, in bed by nine on school nights, had to complete his homework the second he got home from school—all things he didn’t necessarily like doing at the time. But things that made him who he is today.
Every summer he would spend two weeks with his uncle Chuck in a rural town in Western Kansas. His uncle was the town attorney. With a town as small as that, there was generally one of everything: one lawyer, one veterinary clinic, one pharmacy, and one used car lot. He practiced general law for anyone and everyone who needed his services. Every summer Logan would walk with him in the mornings to his small office that sat on the corner of the main street in town. With less than a thousand people, all of the businesses were centrally located on that one street. He and Uncle Chuck would walk there every morning, stop at the local gas station and buy their breakfast, usually a homemade cinnamon roll and the special fifty-nine cent fountain soda. And every single time anyone saw his uncle, they would greet him and thank him for the services he performed for them.
At thirteen years old, Logan was in awe by the number of people who would always stop and thank his uncle for helping with their parents’ estate after they’d passed away, thus allowing the family to keep the farm within the family. Or, sometimes it was something simple people would thank him for, like preparing documents to purchase a home or land. But every single time Logan watched these folks come up to his uncle and thank him, Logan had been impressed.
Pistol Whipped (Love on Target Book 3) Page 5
