For Kicks

by Jenna Bayley-Burke

  “Excuse me?”

  “You’re a manager for Mendelssohn’s department store. I’m a brand manager at Nitrous. We work for separate companies.”

  “Companies with a tenuous agreement at the moment. One which I’d like to convince you we can honor.” An undeniable spark of enthusiasm lit her baby blues.

  “I have no doubt in your abilities, Breeze. But you have no bearing on a business agreement. So we’re free to explore whatever we’d like.”

  “I’m not interested.” She set down her fork and gave him a sympathetic smile. “I would never jeopardize my career by mixing my professional and private life.”

  “I’m not asking you to do that.” He set down his own fork and stared into her eyes until she dropped her gaze.

  “I’ve worked too hard to have people think my success is due to anything other than my professional abilities. And when you’re a woman, that’s exactly where people’s minds go.”

  “But we don’t work together.”

  “People will assume the Nitrous account ebbs and flows with how we’d be doing personally.”

  He dropped his head back and cursed the part of himself that found her protests charming. “Then you’d better give me your home number and address.” Her eyes were wide when he gazed down at her and squared his shoulders.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “If work is the only place I can get a hold of you, people will talk. If you want to keep things private, we can.”

  “I’m flattered, really. But there’s no room in my life for what you’re offering. I’m focused on my career. I work over a hundred hours a week.”

  His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “Why would you do that?”

  “To be the youngest store manager in Mendelssohn’s history.” She picked up her fork again, smug satisfaction lighting her face.

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-six.”

  “And how old was the youngest store manager?”

  “My grandmother was twenty-eight when she got her first store.”

  So she was trying to follow a family tradition. Still, that was no excuse. “Aren’t you worried about burnout? Exhaustion?”

  “I manage my time very efficiently. I try not to waste a moment.” She returned to her food, obviously not wanting to waste a nanosecond debating the issue with him.

  What she needed was someone to show her there was more to life than work, breaking records, living up to someone else’s expectations. That living life in fast forward meant missing all the good parts.

  What she needed was him.

  He ate carefully, watching her every move. Planning how he’d launch his sensual strike on her. There was so much more to life, so many wonderful things he could teach her to enjoy. And exotic food was just the beginning.

  But it was a start.

  “You have to eat.” He set his fork next to his empty plate.

  “I couldn’t have another bite.” She pushed her plate away, a satiated grin playing at her lips.

  “No, I meant dinner tomorrow. If you really do make the most of every moment, then you can find a way to work us into your agenda.” Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he dropped some bills on the table and found his feet.

  “I thought I was paying,” she said, reaching for her purse.

  “Then it wouldn’t be a date.” He took her hand and pulled her up beside him. With her body flush against his, a feverish awareness heated his blood. How he wanted to take advantage of the situation. But he knew if he moved too fast, it would be the last he ever saw of Breeze Cohen.

  “This is not a date.” Her statement made him grin. Keeping her hand in his, he led her out of the restaurant and back to her car.

  “It is a date, Breeze.” He backed her up to her side of the car, stepping closer so she couldn’t duck away.

  “No, it’s not.” A hint of laughter danced in her eyes.

  “Then why am I doing this?” He ran his finger along her jawbone and her breath hitched as he tipped her chin up. Her eyes darkened to a cobalt blue as he neared, long lashes fluttering closed as he lowered his mouth over hers.

  All her resistance evaporated. In the kiss he only tasted intuitive surrender. She melted into him just as she had when she’d fallen into his arms that morning. Wholly and without the slightest reservation.

  His lips glided softly against hers, gently coaxing her into far more forbidden territory. He threaded his hand into her thick curls and slanted her mouth more securely against his.

  Her purse dropped to the ground with a distant thud and her hands reached for him. One hand rested on the arm he had braced against the car door. The other moved between them. She touched his chest tentatively with her fingertips, her palm, then flattened against him. Logan felt the imprint of her splayed hand through the thin fabric of his shirt as if she’d branded him without ever touching his skin.

  A breathy moan parted her lips, opening her to him. He dipped inside, tasting her, drowning in a softness that seemed to go on forever. Knowing this was as far as she’d let things go, he took his time. Sampling, learning, enjoying.

  Greed and lust had him stepping closer still, pressing the length of her body against his, and she froze, stiffening beneath his hands. Sensing her doubts, he drew his mouth away but couldn’t bring himself to lose contact yet. He brushed his thumbs along her jaw and pressed his forehead to hers.

  “Dinner, tomorrow.”

  “Logan.” She frowned, her finger tracing her slick bottom lip. “I don’t think—”

  “Breeze, if I have to kiss you again to convince you I’m not sure I can stop there.”

  She nodded. “Dinner. Tomorrow.”

  Chapter Three

  Breeze floated into her office the next morning and grabbed the black pantsuit from the back of the door. Exhaustion should have set in after her marathon day yesterday, the restless sleep filled with echoes of Logan’s kiss, and arriving at the store by five to work new freight to the sales floor. But long days were nothing new. And that kiss still had her walking on air.

  Not to mention her dreams. As she changed, her skin prickled with heat at the memory of some of the things her unchecked mind had come up with. The thrill that Logan liked her and she liked him warmed her from within. And really, they weren’t working together.

  Technically.

  She groaned and twisted her unruly curls into submission. It was a terrible idea to get involved with him during such an important project. She knew that. Both times she’d tried to balance dating and her career had ended badly. Before a second date, at the moment they got grabby or demanding.

  This was the part she enjoyed. Before she was disappointed and pressured. While he was still enough of a stranger to be everything she needed. Before reality set in.

  “Breeze?” The intercom crackled. “Judy’s on line two.”

  The vice president of stores might be one of her grandmother’s closest friends, but she’d never called directly before. Pressing the buttons to find the call, Breeze greeted her.

  “I can’t believe this.” Judy’s anger seethed through the line. “They cancelled my flight. There’s no way I can make it there in time for the meeting with Nitrous. Michael flew home last night, so Nancy is the closest. Does she have the product knowledge to take this meeting?”

  “Judy, I’m not sure I can—”

  “I take it that’s a no. You’ll need to be there.”

  “Me?” Blood pounded in her ears and her stomach twisted. The potential of spending time with Logan disappeared faster than doorbusters the day after Thanksgiving. “I’m still an assistant. Don’t you think a store manager would have more clout with them?”

  “Michael said no one knows the program better than you.”

  Her pulse raced. This was exactly the kind of opportunity she needed to earn a promotion. She wished it didn’t have to be at the expense of a chance with Logan. “I’ll be there for whatever you need.”

&nbs
p; “Thank you. Nancy will pick you up for the meeting to present our training program to their retail group, and then there’s lunch with a few of their project leads.”

  “I’ll be ready.” Another day of floor time lost to this project. She’d have to cancel dinner with Logan to make up for it. But since she’d become so involved in the project, she should do that anyway.

  “We appreciate all you’re doing, Breeze. How prepared you were right out of the gate. It doesn’t go unnoticed.”

  Then promote me already. “Thank you.”

  “If we lose the Kicks account, Mendelssohn’s will have less than a week to redo the entire back-to-school advertising campaign. Promise what you have to in there to make this work.”

  “Whatever it takes.” She forced a smile over the fear. This was her shot. It could launch her or crush her.

  Either way, her career would never be the same.

  Breeze let Nancy monopolize the conversation all through lunch. That way she could focus on pushing her baby lettuce leaves around her plate. And try not to think about how her boss had nearly blown the entire campaign. About how she’d had to promise to personally train staff throughout the country in the next three weeks.

  She hated lunching with Nancy. Nancy was always on some obscure diet that required detailed ordering, and then every waiter was berated for messing up her instructions. She’d then delve into a proselytizing explanation of how this eating plan had changed her life.

  Today was no exception. Logan listened politely as Nancy instructed on the necessity of flax seed oil and then ordered a bacon double cheeseburger and devoured it with flourish.

  “Of course, Breeze is one of those who eats whatever she wants,” Nancy fired her way, wakening her to the conversation. Breeze had explained to Nancy over a dozen times she’d been raised a strict vegetarian. But Nancy never remembered a word said to her unless it could be used to get her something.

  Breeze shrugged, glad for the reprieve from her imagination. Her sensual fantasies of the man across the table were plaguing her thoughts. Having to cancel dinner was one thing, but having to end everything completely didn’t sit as well. Not even Nancy’s presence or the nutrition lesson could bring her out of the fog. Which was exactly why she needed to end things. She couldn’t afford to be this distracted.

  She felt Logan’s eyes on her, yet she didn’t dare meet them. What happened to her body when she looked at him was so strong it felt tangible, and she didn’t dare give herself away. No denying they were working together now, which meant everything outside of their professional relationship was out of the question.

  She reached for a roll and realized why she hated business lunches. Sharing a meal had always been an intimate affair with her family, no matter how many were at the table. Everyone would hold hands for the blessing, breathing in her mother’s latest creation, the hearty aroma of freshly baked bread and the crisp scent of fresh herbs sprinkled over everything. There were no walls between people, no judgments. Just conversation and laughter. Exactly the atmosphere Logan had tried for last night at dinner.

  A nudge under the table brought her back to work. “Don’t you agree, Breeze?” Nancy asked.

  Logan shook his head slightly, but not wanting to look directly at him she couldn’t guess why.

  “Well,” Breeze began, wondering just what she was to be agreeing or disagreeing with.

  “Of course you do,” Nancy finished for her. “Carbohydrates are killing Americans. High protein is the only way.”

  It took every fiber of her being not to roll her eyes. “I’ve never tried it.”

  “You should. It will be so much easier for you when you’re on the road.”

  A sharp kick in the shin had her looking up, finally meeting Logan’s gaze. His brown eyes were smiling, but his face remained stoically calm. Not a hint of the perpetual flirting from yesterday. But then, he was kicking her under the table.

  “How will you handle being away for so long?” Logan asked, lifting a french fry. “A project of this magnitude is bound to cause some inconvenience.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.” Her mental to-do list swirled. She needed to revise the schedule at work, put a month of plans in place for all her department managers, and talk Anthony into feeding her fish.

  She swallowed hard. The last time she’d been away, she’d come home to two of her precious goldfish floating.

  They were just goldfish, she knew. But the fifty-gallon tank brought a sense of tranquility to her life. No matter how many snails she put in to keep it clean or plants she loaded it up with before she left, they’d still need to be fed.

  She’d bought two dozen fish four years ago when she bought her condo. A few didn’t make it the first month, and now she was down to nine overgrown fish blowing bubbles when she wandered in after dark each night. She blinked back to the conversation. It was ridiculous to be getting sentimental about fish.

  Breeze caught Logan watching her from the corner of his eye. Did he realize this month-long project meant not just the end to dinner, but to anything more? Did he care?

  Forcing the indulgences from her mind, she sat up straighter and listened attentively to the conversation. Until Logan’s warm sock-covered foot began to slowly creep past the strap of her heel and beneath her pant leg. Not daring to kick him away lest she hit Nancy, she did her best to ignore him. At least in her mind. Her body seemed incapable of ignoring Logan Chandler.

  “I’d like a copy of your itinerary when you have it worked out.” Logan lifted his napkin from his lap, laid it on the table and folded it into quarters. “We have in-store marketing representatives in every state who’ll be able to give us feedback. I wouldn’t want to rate your improvement in an area you haven’t visited yet.”

  “I’ll be sure to get you a copy.” Nancy swirled the ice in her glass. “Our travel department is already hard at work coordinating everything.”

  “When will you be leaving?” Logan asked, stalling her heart.

  “We’re hoping tomorrow,” Nancy chimed in. “There is a regional set in Minnesota, and she’d start the program there.”

  “Your dedication to your job is amazing.” He finished his cola and set the glass down with a thud. “I hope Mendelssohn’s appreciates your sacrifice.”

  “Absolutely,” Nancy answered. “Breeze will be compensated with vacation time for all the extra hours she’ll be working. And being visible in so many markets will open her up to new avenues for promotion. Though of course, I plan on keeping her close.”

  Breeze merely quirked an eyebrow as her thoughts spun in a new direction. She hadn’t taken a vacation since she’d been hired, always opting to take the cash payout and sock the money away in her bank account, so that promise held little appeal. But more avenues for promotion? Now that was something to hold on to.

  Becoming the youngest store manager had always been her focus, and she’d volunteered for this project in hopes of securing that spot.

  So why did the thought of it happening anywhere outside her district seem so bittersweet?

  Chapter Four

  “What do they expect me to wear?” Breeze tossed clothes about the room. “How in the world am I supposed to look presentable for thirty days on one suitcase? How?”

  “You could take two,” Anthony offered, sorting outfits on the bed.

  “Have you seen that itinerary?” Lonnie, Anthony’s partner, yawned and stretched his thin arms over his head. “She’s in an airport almost every day. That’s a lot of lugging. Plus, they usually have her going from the airport to the store, and not checking into her hotel until after, if at all. She doesn’t even get to stay in Utah. Back-to-back red-eye flights. I get tired just thinking about it.”

  Breeze leaned against the wall, closed her eyes and shook her head. At Lonnie, at the situation, at the time. She hadn’t made it home from the store until ten, and even with Anthony and Lonnie helping her pack for her pre-dawn flight tomorrow, it was nearly midnight.

 
“Just buy something new each day, Breeze,” Anthony offered, unzipping her garment bag. “Charge it to the store.”

  “I don’t want to buy clothes I already own at home.” She pulled open a drawer and began to count. “I don’t even have thirty pairs of underwear.”

  “Hotels have cleaning services.”

  “Not same day, I don’t think.” She grabbed up as many pairs of white cotton panties as she owned.

  “Where are the ones we bought you?” Lonnie asked, eyeing her underwear choice.

  “They were a joke, and I knew it.” She stuffed each pair into the zippered compartment of her rolling suitcase.

  “But will they get you to thirty?” Anthony quirked an eyebrow.

  With a huff, Breeze marched to her closet and retrieved the box of lacy underthings that had been her holiday gift from her closest friends. Her only friends if she wanted to think about it.

  She didn’t.

  “You girls fight it out. I’ll be on the couch when you’re done in here.” Lonnie retreated from the doorway.

  “I’m sorry I’m keeping you both up so late.” Pulling the scraps of silk and lace from the box, Breeze was chagrined to find she did in fact own thirty pairs of panties.

  “That’s what friends are for. And besides, what’s good for you is good for me. Thanks for recommending I fill in for you.”

  “There’s no one else I trust. This way they’ll have no reason not to promote you when my slot opens up.” She smiled and stepped back to her closet. “Can I get away with only two pairs of shoes?”

  “Sneakers, the black slingbacks, cream sandals and the navy heels.”

  “That’s four.” She picked up the shoes he’d indicated.

  He shrugged. “It’s not like you’re packing boots.”

  “Your boyfriend is on his way over,” Lonnie said from the doorway, grinning from ear to ear.

  Breeze froze halfway between the closet and the bed. “Excuse me?”

  “Logan,” Lonnie answered. “Do we know Logan?”

  “He’s from Nitrous,” Anthony explained. “Why is he calling you at home, at midnight? Breeze, honey. That’s a booty call.”