“Will that be all?” she asked Logan with a raised brow.
“Yes, we won’t need anything else,” he said pointedly. When she reached her computer, she received an e-mail from her dear old boss.
Go out to lunch today on the company. Come back around 2 PM. She smirked and collected her laptop to do some work from lunch. Perhaps she could walk around and find a quiet coffee shop after lunch. She hummed happily all the way down to the bottom floor in the elevator.
Logan
“You dog!” Sylvan cried. “Annie won’t let me have a pretty assistant.”
“That’s because you’re married and your wife knows you too well,” Logan fired back drily. “And maybe she could handle you cheating with another Shifter, but a human?”
“Like you can talk. Humans are fun,” his brother sniffed.
“I never promised forever unlike you,” Logan said defensively. “I’m quite upfront with my lady friends.”
“Fair enough,” Sylvan said with a shrug and then glanced around the office. “Dad’s set you up in a pretty nice place. The Chicago office is a bit stuffier.”
“Rent is cheaper here,” Logan said with a shrug.
“So, when are you going to ask out Miss Ginger?” Sylvan asked with twinkling eyes.
Logan buried his face into his hand with an exasperated groan. “Never.” It was firm. Sylvan raised his eyebrows but said nothing. A sneaky smile seemed to remain on his face though for the rest of the meeting. Logan noted that his brother was quite disappointed to see that Ginger was nowhere to be found.
It was just before two o’clock in the afternoon when he heard a knock from his desk. His half-eaten lunch was spread around him on his desk. Ginger smiled from the doorway.
“I’m back,” she said. “Thanks for the lunch.”
“You’re welcome. My brother is a brute,” he said with a sigh. She smiled sympathetically. There was one dimple in her face when she smiled, he noticed. It was nice. His fatigue seemed to leave his body. He cleared his throat and sat up. “Would you be available to go over some accounts in an hour?”
“Absolutely,” she said and departed without another word. He stared at his closed office door. Odd. He’d never felt such a sensation in his chest. Not since his first high school girlfriend, a gorgeous rugby player that cheated on him with half of the lacrosse team. He put his chin in his hand and let out a groan.
This couldn’t be good. He needed a break. His eyes went to his gym bag thrown in the corner. The company gym … He quickly changed. Ginger glanced at him as he made his way to the elevator.
“I’ll be back for our meeting,” he said as he slipped in his wireless headphones. Hard rock music poured into his ears. He went a few floors below, where the company gym was located. It was mostly deserted at this time. He warmed up for a few minutes and then went over to the weights. The burn in his arms greeted him with pleasure. He charged on relentlessly, losing himself in the music and his own movements. Although he didn’t work out as much as he did in college, his body was still relatively fit. None of his dates complained. His wristwatch beeped, and he hurried to the locker room to shower off.
When he came back, he didn’t see Ginger at her desk. He went to his office and threw his bag to the ground. He’d hurriedly put on just his white tank top with his slacks and went to grab one of the fresh hanging shirts from a small closet near the window. The door opened.
“Oh,” Ginger said with a surprised squeak. He watched her eyes rove his powerful muscles hungrily. His lips quirked upwards. “Sorry, I should’ve knocked.” She went to leave, but he shook his head.
“I’m just pulling on a clean shirt,” he said and took his sweet time stretching as he pulled on the pressed oxford. He could’ve cut the tension between them with his own hand. He smirked to himself before turning around and slowly button his shirt.
“I’ll get us some water,” she muttered quickly and rushed out. He watched the open door with a satisfied grin. So, he still had it. And it wasn’t like she’d been quick to turn her eyes away from his hard-won physique.
When she came back, only after a few moments, he could’ve sworn that her cheeks were dusted pink. She set down a tray of two water glasses and a separate icy carafe. He took a grateful gulp of his. He glanced at her with a friendly smile. “You know, you’re free to use the company gym.”
She cleared her throat. “Perhaps. I usually work out at home.” She closed her mouth as if she wanted to stop saying something. “I…I prefer to work out at home. With my schedule.”
He nodded. “Well, as long as you don’t fall behind in your work, you can feel free to go during the day whenever you want.”
She smiled, small but genuine. “Thank you, Logan. Shall we go over the accounts?” He nodded, always business with his sexy assistant. She opened up her laptop as they began their work together. It was surprising, pleasantly surprising, how bright she was. He wasn’t used to always being around the smartest people…men and women included. But, she was as sharp as a tack. He enjoyed the way her eyes lit up as they talked about interesting things within Venture Industries.
She looked beautiful today. So beautiful that he had a hard time focusing on his work. Had her eyes always been that wide and gorgeous? He blinked and tried to collect himself as she went to grab a file. His gaze landed on her backside, looking tight and fit in her pencil skirt. He cleared his throat and tried to focus on his computer. The animal inside him begged to differ. There were so many hazy memories coming to the front of his mind. Of her, naked skin wet with sweat, panting.
“Sir?” Ginger’s voice broke through. He looked up to see her standing there expectantly. “I’ve been calling your name, sorry.”
If he’d had the ability to blush, he would’ve. He cleared his throat and sat up, his pants feeling exceedingly confining. “Sorry. Just focused.” If she suspected anything, she didn’t say it. She sat down, and they finished their work. It was the longest half hour of his life. As they wrapped up, she glanced at him from her clipboard.
“Oh, Natalia called and said she made a reservation for you two at the new sushi restaurant opening tonight.”
He blanked. “Who?:
She smirked. “She mentioned that you two saw each other last night.”
“Oh, yes, of course.” He smoothed out his tie. “Thank you, Ginger.” She exited, shaking her head a bit with a small laugh. He stared at the closed door. Good. He could distract himself with Natalia. Natasha. Whatever her name was.
And yet…the scent of Ginger’s perfume hung in the air. Enticing.
Ginger
She was busy scanning contracts when a head of silky brown hair walked in. The woman’s straightened locks fell down to an impossibly small waist. Ginger nearly lost her words when she looked up from the scanner.
“Hello, can I help you?” she managed. It wasn’t every day that she saw a supermodel! The woman was nice enough, but her returning smile was chilly. Entirely too polite. She seemed to be looking Ginger up and down as if she was a rival.
“Is Logan in?” she asked, her voice tinged with a slight accent. Ginger glanced at his closed door.
“Who’s asking?” she asked.
The woman sniffed. “Natalia.”
“Oh, let me page him,” she said. “He may be in a meeting.” She picked up the phone and dialed his extension. He answered, and she tried to think of the sneakiest way to word her message. “Logan, Natalia is here. Are you still on your call?” He wasn’t on a call … but Natalia didn’t need to know that. In fact, her coming here, long legs and all, was a bit of surprise. Since Logan mentioned that their date hadn’t ended as expected last night …
“If she calls again, put her to my voicemail. She reeks of gold digging,” he informed Ginger this morning on his way in. She’d only raised a single eyebrow but did as he asked.
Logan cleared his throat on the other line. “She’s here? God. A stage-five clinger. Very well. Show her in.”
Natalia wa
s watching her very closely on the phone. If Ginger didn’t know better, she’d pegged the model as a Shifter herself with that hunting look in her eyes. Ginger looked up from the phone with a neutral smile. “He’s available, I’ll show you in.”
“I can show myself,” she replied smoothly. Ginger watched her march in stiletto heels into Logan’s office. She’d never wanted to go home and hug her baby more. She shivered and ran her arms up and down. What a witch! And she didn’t like criticizing other women on principle usually.
The door was shut for a full five minutes. As the seconds ticked on, a rising wave of jealousy washed over Ginger. So strong that she fought to stay in her chair. Jealous? How could she be jealous over a man that was never hers? She walked to get a coffee and came back. The door was still closed. She began playing some light jazz music, trying to drown out the sound of her own noisy thoughts.
The door opened. “Well, thank you for stopping by,” Logan said with an even voice. It was about as cold as she’d ever heard him with other women. Natalia shot her a dirty look as she stormed over to the elevator.
“Have a good day,” Ginger called weakly as the doors closed. Logan shook his head and leaned against his doorframe.
“The prettiest ones are the craziest,” he bemoaned.
“Isn’t that a bit sexist?”
“Did she strike you as nice as apple pie?” he asked with a raised brow. She let out a dark laugh.
“Not really, but perhaps she’d mad about your dating trends.”
He crossed his arms. “And what’s this about my dating trends?”
She blushed fiercely. “Nothing…nothing at all.”
He smirked. “Have you been reading about me in those terrible online gossip columns?”
“Not at all,” she lied and turned back to her computer. He was still hovering in his doorway, looking delightfully sexy and pleased with himself. He rolled up his shirt sleeves to the elbow. His face was positively kissable, she decided. As he opened his mouth to say something, the elevator doors opened. Thankfully, it wasn’t Natalia, but Vivian from HR. She was an older woman with a tight top-bun and a no-nonsense blazer. She came up to the counter.
“Good afternoon,” she said and handed a thick file to Ginger. “This is your new health insurance packet.” She turned to leave and then thought of something. Over her shoulder, she mentioned, “And Ginger, we’ve begun a new childcare initiative. You’re welcome to bring your child to weekday childcare after she turns two.”
Vivian left before Ginger could squeak out her thank you. She felt Logan’s eyes on her suddenly.
“I didn’t know you had a baby,” he said after blinking dumbly a few times. She felt heat spread up her neck as her mouth became suddenly dry.
“I like to keep my personal life private,” she managed to say. His nostrils flared.
“Fear. I smell fear,” he told her. Her heart seized. Could Shifters smell fear? She tried to will herself to calm down, but it was no use. Her mind was reeling. A flash of kindness and confusion flickered in his gorgeous eyes. “What’s wrong, Ginger?”
“Nothing,” she lied. Her voice broke. His eyes narrowed, but not unkindly.
“Your daughter…she’s how old?”
“Seven months,” she said quietly. “She’s already good at crawling though.”
“Seven months,” he repeated with a smile. “I suppose you met your Mr. Right after our meeting?” He meant it in jest, a playful joke, but her shoulders stiffened. She couldn’t hide the look on her face. He stopped smiling. “Ginger.”
“It’s none of your business,” she said and stood up. She collected her bag. “I’ll work from home for the rest of the day.” She turned on her heel and into the elevator. The last look she had was at his shocked face.
Logan
Logan Venture was severely lacking in his social life. In fact, he began to turn off his personal phone when he went home, to the ire of his girlfriends and old fraternity buddies. He hit his home-gym after work until he worked himself into exhaustion. He Shifted once a day, anything to completely drain his energy. It would be around midnight when he, soaked in sweat, finally collapsed on the cold tiles of his bathroom floor and slept like a corpse.
Wake up and then do it again.
Ginger refused to talk to him about the baby. His baby! Possibly. He dragged a hand over his face. He’d always been so careful with all of his girlfriends and hookups. But, Ginger … that night … well, it had been different, hadn’t it?
He threw himself on his bed, still wet from his shower. Jared had called him today, asking what was wrong, that he hadn’t seen his younger brother out in the paparazzi photos for a full week.
“Leave me alone,” Logan told him. He hung up and went home. His luxury car held little pleasure for him. It couldn’t seem to drive fast enough. His face was chiseled from ice in his own reflection. He groaned. And worse, he couldn’t seem to shake the haunting scent of Ginger’s perfume.
None of his brothers had children, yet. Perhaps Sylvan, the oldest, was closest. And Logan never imagined that he wanted them. He never thought that he wanted to hold a tiny product of himself. And yet, his nights were haunted with Ginger’s cold face and the sounds of a baby from somewhere in the distance.
He’d hired a detective. Just to find out some information. After all, it was his child, too. He got a picture of a beautiful baby girl back. Her name was Charlotte. Ginger’s parents took care of her while she was at work. Her health was good. Her eyes … like chocolate brown yet dotted with gold. She had Shifter blood in her. His own daughter.
The next Monday, he steeled himself for battle. He worked out all weekend and ate like the beast inside him. He walked in early to see Ginger at her desk. He locked his eyes with hers.
“Let’s talk in my office,” he told her. She glanced up at him, startled by his serious tone. She trailed after him, clutching her clipboard to her chest like a shield.
“Yes?” she asked as she sat down. He’d seen wild deer that were less skittish than her. He leaned on his hand and leveled his gaze towards her.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he told her. She dropped the clipboard, and it clattered to the ground. She stared with wide eyes.
“Excuse me?”
“Your perfume,” he said. “I smell it everywhere. I can’t go on my dates. I can’t get you out of my head. I can’t forget about our daughter. I’m haunted every single second of the day.” He’d told himself that he was going to be honest, for once in his life, with a woman that he cared about. “I’ve spent the last two weeks driving myself crazy. I can’t lie to you anymore.”
She sucked in a quick breath. Her hands were balled into fists on her skirts. Her mascara was barely smudged beneath her left eye. How he wanted to brush it away. To touch her again. His entire body begged for it. Her perfume hit him and enthralled every neuron inside his brain.
“Let me take you out,” he said. “Let me take you out on a proper date as Logan Venture. Not the man you slept with, not the father of your child. Just Logan.”
She bit her lip, and her fingers fidgeted together. “Logan.”
“Give me a chance, Ginger. Please,” he begged. She glanced up at him with glassy eyes. A small smile appeared on her face.
“You have one chance,” she told him. He grinned.
He wouldn’t waste it.
Ginger
It was the longest few hours that she could remember in her life. She had Lauren on speaker phone the entire time.
“Do I wear the red or the black dress?”
“Black screams sexy, red screams have sex with me.”
“He’s already had sex with me,” she pointed out. Lauren laughed.
“Well, I figured you’d want it again, right?” her friend asked with a laugh. “You should wear that black lace bra we bought last year.”
Ginger blushed, putting her hand over her face. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I want all the details!” Lauren sa
id before hanging up. Ginger glanced at her vanity mirror, admiring the rollers she’d placed in half an hour ago. Surely, she could just show up like this. She rolled her eyes and smiled, applying a layer of powder. She looked older somehow in her mirror, matured like a fine bottle of wine. Her bra and panty set were, in fact, the black pair that she’d bought with Lauren last year. Had she already made her mind about letting him back in her life? She flushed, a rush of excitement running through her.
Soft acoustic music played from the small speaker on her dresser. She ended up choosing the black dress that hit her knees and a low-cut neckline. With a skilled hand, she began to unravel her curls. After finishing her makeup, she glanced at the framed photo of her and Charlotte. It was shortly after she’d been born. Ginger was cradling her, shielding her from the bright sun that day underneath a shady tree.
Would Charlotte have a father soon? Ginger’s heart skipped a beat.
She was ready after half an hour. He was right on time, at her doorstep around seven-fifteen. He nearly couldn’t see her from the giant bouquet of roses blocking his face, but when he finally did, he let out a low whistle.
“You look ravishing,” his husky voice said. She shivered, knowing he meant it. His expression changed as he glanced behind her into the apartment. “Is Charlotte here?”
She smiled. “No, with my parents, they’re taking care of her tonight.”
He nodded, although there was a tiny twinge of disappointment on his face if she squinted hard enough to look. But, his handsome expression was back, and he stepped aside to make a wide gesture towards his luxury car. “After you, darling.”
She rolled her eyes but let her fingers hover over the tops of the flowers. “Thank you, Logan. They’re gorgeous.”
The Baby Shift- Indiana Page 2
