Best Friend’s Li’l Sis

by Kaylee, Katy

  “Knock, knock,” his secretary said, poking her head in.

  Logan looked over and smiled, handing her the envelope. “The projections you asked for.”

  The secretary hurried over and took them from him, sliding them out and reading as she walked toward the door. She slowed her pace and turned toward him. “Uh, Logan. These aren’t projections. This is a copy of the employee manual. You trying to tell me something?”

  Logan looked over at the packet she was holding up and then down at the desk. “Oh, shit, sorry.”

  She lifted an eyebrow and grabbed the paperwork. “Swimming in the clouds today, huh?”

  Logan shrugged. “Maybe a bit. If you could hold all non-emergency calls for me for about an hour, that would be great.”

  She nodded. “Yep.”

  When the door closed, he stood up from his desk and walked over to the window, looking out at the bright blue sky. To say that he was distracted would be an understatement. He hadn’t been able to get Amber off of his mind at all. Not only had it felt so right having her back in his arms, the sex was hotter than ever before. She took control, did what she wanted, and didn’t take any shit from him. It was hot. The way her skin moved across the palm of his hand, and the smell of her as her tits rubbed across his lips, it was enough to make his cock hard right then and there.

  The whole thing had been an accident. He’d had zero intentions of doing anything but trying to get her to come work for him. When she sat down next to him and he got a waft of that lavender and vanilla body spray she still wore, he had been done for. He had no control over the fact that his hands just leapt up and grabbed her. He had no control over his lips finding hers.

  He chuckled to himself, thinking about what he was thinking when he first sat down on the couch. It had nothing to do with fucking her and everything to do with just being happy that she looked to be comfortable. He was bracing himself for her wrath when she returned, fully expecting her to let him have it for just showing up unannounced. He had been wrong, though, and she seemed just as into it and just as needy toward him that he was to her. There was this sense of heat that just erupted and from that point forward there was no stopping either one of them. They were in it.

  The familiar twinge of heartbreak thumped in his chest and he shook his head, walking across the room and sitting behind the desk. He looked down at the picture of the three of them that he had put on his desk. They were young, happy, and carefree. Things had been so perfect between him and Amber when they had started seeing each other. It was something neither of them had expected to be so powerful, but he could remember not wanting to be anywhere out of her sight. He had wanted to protect her from the whole world, but instead he had thrown her head first into it and walked away. It had been the hardest moment of his life, and that pain had extended for years without her.

  A knock on the door brought his attention back to the present. His secretary stuck her head in. “Hey, I know you said hold everything, but I have an Amber Stark out here who says she needs to talk to you. She says it’s vital.”

  Logan straightened his shirt and took in a deep breath, trying not to show the distress that he knew was all over his face. He had gotten caught up in his thoughts and they were driving him back into a depression he had already fought off years before. “Okay. Of course. Please send her in.”

  He sat up tall in the chair and turned the picture away so that she wouldn’t see it. Amber poked her head around the corner, looking just as beautiful as when he had left her at her apartment, only a little more dressed. “Amber, it’s good to see you. Please, shut the door and have a seat.”

  She nodded and shut the door behind her, walking over and ringing her hands as she sat down in the chair across from him. “Thanks for seeing me, I know you’re busy.”

  Logan lifted an eyebrow. “Not too busy to talk with you. What’s up?”

  Amber took in a deep breath. “I’ll be quick, I have to drop some things off at Bradley’s daycare, so I can’t stay long. Look, like I said at the apartment, I should have shown a lot more constraint last night. In fact, I should have shown full restraint. If I am going to work here with you, or even if I’m not, things between us need to stay strictly professional. There can’t be flirting, googly eyes, none of it.”

  Logan chuckled. “Googly eyes? Do I do that?”

  Amber smiled. “Yes, yes you do. And you can’t anymore. We have taken chances in our past that could have ruined our relationships with the people that we love the most. And we both ended up hurt and bitter over it. And before you fight me, yes, Jordan told me about some girl that broke your heart and you were half of a man…”

  Logan wrinkled his nose. “I wouldn’t say half. Sheesh. He never knew it was you, or the fact that I guess I broke my own heart by leaving you. I was a mess, though, so I get what he was saying. But, I know what you mean about keeping it professional. Unfortunately, one of the things that comes with owning a company like this is having to worry about the public’s opinion of me so that we continue to sell shares. The media cannot find out that we are sleeping together. When I decided to take this company public, the board told me straight up they wouldn’t deal with an owner or CEO that couldn’t handle his own personal life. They didn’t want a playboy, and they were concerned because I was so young. I didn’t want that image either, but ever since then I have been really careful with the way I am perceived in public. For them to find out I’m sleeping with one of my employees, that would definitely kick me in the teeth later.”

  Amber narrowed her eyes and put her finger up. “Let me just clarify something for you. We are not sleeping together. We slept together one time, that is it. This is not some major love affair or relationship that you have to contend with the media about. We literally went at it and now we are finished. That is another thing I wanted to reiterate to you. I was not playing around with you last night. I have made some bad choices in the past and they came back to bite me, changing everything about my life. I won’t do that again and, in fact, I can’t. I have someone else very important that I have to think about first.”

  Logan nodded. “Bradley.”

  Amber looked down at her hands. “That’s right, Bradley. His life is extremely important to me. The way he looks at me, thinks about me, and learns from me. I am his mother and his father, and that means I have to be extra careful on my decisions and how they will impact him. So, there won't be any more. No more kissing, no more showing up at my condo, no more sex, and no more thought of any of this. I want this to be put behind us. We can chalk it up to something that we needed to get out of our systems after the way things were left, and that is it.”

  Logan looked at her for a moment, his heart hurting in his chest. He wanted to scream at her, tell her no, that he loved her, that he wanted her. He wanted to make a grand romantic gesture and sweep her and Bradley off their feet. Every bit of emotional attachment Logan had for Amber came flooding back to him. He realized in that moment that because of that, he had to make the choice that she wanted. He couldn’t do to her what he had done before. It was so difficult, though, because he loved her, he had never stopped, and she was even more magnificent than before.

  He took in a deep breath and nodded. “I get it. I accept what you are saying, and I will respect your request. I can’t ask you to do something that you don’t want to do. At the same time, I hope this means that you have decided to come to work for me.”

  Amber stared at him thoughtfully for a few moments. “I think so. I think that you are right about this place being a perfect fit for me, and I want to start my life. I’m tired of being left in a sort of limbo.”

  Logan knew that statement not only had to do with her graduation and job hunt, but it had to do with him, too. He wondered if that was what she had felt like all those years, stuck in a limbo, an in between place where she wanted to scream and cry at the same time. He wondered if that had helped her move forward without him, because he wasn’t in limbo at all, he was just plai
n unhappy.

  Logan flipped open his calendar. “Good. Take the rest of the week and the weekend, and then start on Monday. That will give you time to get things in order, so you don’t have to rush around doing it.”

  She smiled and put her hands down, lifting herself from the chair. “I appreciate it. I’ll see you Monday, then. And Logan, I just want you to know… actually, you know what? Never mind, strictly professional starting… now.”

  Logan gave a fake smile and waved at her, watching her leave his office. He had to admit, the fact that she didn’t want to continue anything with him any longer was a bit hard to hear. Sure, what he had told her was true, but he had never found himself in the hot seat with the media and he doubted dating an employee would do that. He just wanted her to feel secure in the decision that she was making. It was obvious from her expression and the fact that she came all the way out just to say it, that she had put quite a bit of thought into the subject.

  Logan sighed and clicked the computer back on, scanning through his emails but not really reading. He wasn’t sure what to do anymore. He wanted to be there for her, to be there with her, but what could he do? Force her to let him in? He knew for damn sure, with as stubborn as she was, he wasn’t going to be able to force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and he knew that it wouldn’t be as simple as putting her out of his mind. He had been trying that for five years without her working just down the hall from him. Doing it at this point would be an impossibility. Either way, she was resolute, or at least seemed that way, and Logan was going to have to come to terms with it.

  Amber

  “The itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again…” Amber and Bradley sang in the car.

  Bradley clapped his hands. “Again!”

  Amber smiled and shook her head. “We’re almost to school, baby. You have daycare today, remember?”

  He kicked his feet up and down. “I know. We’re making macaroni houses with Ms. Brown. She likes to do art stuffs.”

  Amber chuckled. “I had better get that for the fridge.”

  “There’s no more room.”

  Amber looked at him in the rearview mirror. “Then I guess we’re going to have to buy a whole other fridge.”

  Bradley giggled. “Nooo, that would be silly.”

  Amber laughed. “It would, wouldn’t it? Well, we can hang them up in the other places in the house. I love it when you make me art.”

  Bradley got quiet as they pulled into the daycare, he always did. No matter how excited he was to do whatever was planned for the day, he had a hard time leaving Amber’s side. She just went with the flow, though, recognizing early on that if she made a big deal about it, he would struggle even harder. She parked the car and got out, going to his side and unbuckling him from his car seat. He jumped down and grabbed her hand, walking along in his little shoes with his adorable tiny curls at the nape of his neck.

  When they got to the door, Ms. Brown was standing ready to warmly welcome him. Amber took a knee in front of him and put his backpack on, handing him his teddy. “You have a fun and fantastic day today, okay? I’ll be here later to pick you up. I love you, monster.”

  He smiled and kissed her. “I love you too, Mommy.”

  Ms. Brown put out her hand and Bradley took it, running off into the house to greet the other kids. Amber sighed and headed out to the car, texting Taylor that she was on her way. They had made lunch plans, and Amber desperately needed to talk to her. As she drove along, she thought about Logan, and how much she missed him when he was gone. She wondered why it was so hard for her after all these years.

  Amber arrived at the restaurant and met Taylor, who was already seated, inside. Her friend kissed her on the cheek. “You look bright eyed today. Was Bradley wide awake?”

  Amber laughed. “Yeah. We sang Itsy Bitsy Spider like eight times.”

  Amber looked down at her hands and Taylor narrowed her eyes. “Okay… and what else?”

  “So, you know how I told you that it was Logan’s company?”

  Taylor nodded.

  Amber took a deep breath. “Well, what I didn’t say was that the night after my interview, Logan showed up at the house. He came to talk to me about taking the job because he said it would be perfect for me. Well, one thing turned to another and….”

  Taylor squealed. “You did it! Oh my God, that is so cute.”

  Amber scoffed. “I do not think it is cute in the least. Actually, I think it’s horrible. I think I made a mistake of mass proportions, and I’m hoping it doesn’t bite me in the ass.”

  Taylor grimaced. “Yeah, that happened once already.”

  Amber sighed and rubbed her face. “I just can’t believe I let my guard down like that. I mean seriously, he came over and with him standing next to Bradley there was just something that clicked inside of me. I know he doesn’t know Bradley is his, but the two could be damn twins. The way he talked to him softened me up, and then I sat on the couch, he kissed me, and I lost all control over myself. I was yelling at myself to stop but I just didn’t listen.”

  Taylor shrugged her shoulders. “I think it’s a good thing. If something comes of it great, if not, you got it out of your system.”

  Amber stared at the glass of water. “Whether I did or not, that means nothing. I will not let that happen ever again. Seriously. The last thing I need is for him and me to get attached again. I mean, how would I ever find a way to tell him I had his child and just never told him about it? I seriously thought I would never see the man again, and now I’m working for him.”

  Taylor took a bite of her salad. “Personally, I would bet money on the fact that you two will hook up again. There is something between the two of you that is just absolutely insane. You’re like magnets. You just have to be near each other. You can see it in both of your eyes. I mean, I don’t know about now, but if you slept together already, then I can only assume that it is still there. I think your heart is stronger than your mind on this issue. I think that no matter what you do, you will always end up back in each other’s vicinity.”

  Amber shook her head. “I think you’re wrong. In fact, I know you are wrong, because I am personally vowing to never even put myself in a situation where that could have the slightest possibility of happening. If I’m weak, then I just need to go back to the tactic of completely avoiding him. Then, when I build my courage back up, I will be able to fight it off on my own. There’s too much at stake in my life, and I am not going to go throw everything into a whirlwind of drama because Logan came back to town. Besides, he isn’t even going to stay in town. He’s going to work out of the New York office. He is just here to get things set up, and then back on a plane he goes.”

  Just then, Amber’s phone rang, and she looked at the screen. “Ugh, it’s my mother.”

  Taylor waved. “Tell her I said hi.”

  Amber put the phone to her ear. “Hey Mom. It’s good to hear from you.”

  Her mom was peppy. “Hi, my sweet. What are you doing?”

  Amber glanced up at Taylor. “Having lunch with Taylor, talking about work.”

  “Oh, tell Taylor I said hello.”

  Amber waved back at Taylor. “Is everything okay? I don’t usually hear from you this time of day.”

  Her mom chuckled. “Yeah, I’m putting together the menu for tomorrow.”

  “What’s tomorrow?”

  Amber’s mom sighed. “We’re having a family dinner, something we haven’t done in a long time. I was calling to tell you about it because I really want you and Bradley to be there. I know you have a lot going on, but you will be starting your new job soon and things will get even busier for you. I think it would be nice to have us all together again. I thought about demanding it, but then I remembered you aren’t a child, so I figured asking nicely might work better.”

  Amber chuckled, glancing up at Taylor. “A family dinner, huh? Is this because Logan is in town?”

  “Well, that doesn’
t hurt. I love having you all together, and we have Melissa now, too,” her mom said with a pouty voice.”

  Amber rolled her eyes. “Let me see how daycare goes today, okay? I’m not promising you anything, but I will call you tomorrow and let you know.”

  Lisa clapped her hands and cheered into Amber’s ear. “You had and better come spend time with your old mother. I might not be able to cook anymore in a few years, and you’ll have to blend my dinner.”

  Amber smirked. “Mom, you aren’t old, relax. Blended food comes way later, but I’ll keep it in mind, don’t you worry.”

  Lisa snorted. “My only daughter, already planning my senility.”

  “You know it. Anyway, let me jump off of here. Taylor is sitting here staring at me. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Lisa blew Amber kisses, as she always did. “Of course, love. Give Bradley a huge squeeze from Grammie.”

  Amber got off the phone and stared over at Taylor with annoyance. Taylor swallowed hard and laughed loudly. “Hey, you’re the one who bucked at the universe saying you were going to go back to avoiding him completely. It heard you, and it answered with a vengeance. Besides, you should have known that was coming soon. Your mom is a dinner party whore.”

  Amber wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like it when whore and my mother are in the same sentence, but you’re right. It is one of her favorite things to do and, with Logan back, it was about that time. I managed to get out of them for the last four years. I don’t know how I did it, but I did. I haven’t been to one full family dinner in four freaking years. I am a pro.”

  Taylor shook her head. “You can’t just run away from heartbreak and uncomfortable things for the rest of your life.”