Chapter Three

 

"Happy Valentine’s Day!" Sabrina said breezily as she entered Logan's office. A sweet flowery scent preceded her that had Logan sniffing the air, trying to capture the essence of it. He liked it. He would find out from her what perfume brand she was wearing and then buy one for Melody.

“Thanks," Logan said, responding to her greeting. "Same to you." He watched as she sauntered over to his desk with a shiny red package with a bow on top of it.

He groaned inwardly. He did not feel that it was appropriate for Sabrina to be giving him Valentine’s gifts. He had naively thought that though she was young, she was extremely efficient and not given to insane crushes like the legal secretary before her, the ditzy and certifiable Barbie, who had been a case and a half.

Sabrina had been a breath of fresh air after Barbie. Just turned nineteen, she had gotten the job while doing evening classes, studying for her law degree. One of the partners was her teacher in some course or the other and he had vouched for her, that she showed promise.

She sat across from his desk and put the present down.

"This is for you."

Logan eyed the present suspiciously, as if the thing was out to bite him. "You really shouldn't have." He shook his head for emphasis.

"It's nothing," Sabrina said breezily, flicking her hair over her shoulders. "I got one for all the managing partners."

"Oh," Logan said, relaxing a little. "Hedging your bets?"

Sabrina laughed. "More like I want to be remembered. When I finish law school I really hope that I can get an internship here. I want to do family law just like you."

Logan scratched his chin and rested back in his chair. "It is not as exciting as criminal law, as you can see from this case."

Sabrina crossed her hands under her ample chest. The gesture drew Logan's eyes to that area and then he realized that she was in a low-cut red silky blouse which was bordering on the indecent.

When he focused back on her face, Sabrina was looking at him knowingly. "You are a great role model. I really appreciate your patience with me, Mr. Moore, as I settle in here."

Logan cleared his throat. "You are welcome." He felt uncomfortable as the sexual attraction between them rose. He hadn't felt that way toward her before. He looked back down at his papers in confusion.

Was it the one look at her chest that alerted him to the fact that she was a woman? He never felt attracted to his secretaries. Well, usually they were much older and extremely dour. He thought of Myrtle, whom he had worked with for close to six years, until her retirement. The succession of secretaries since then, both young and old, weren't noteworthy.

"Mr. Moore." Sabrina got up and leaned closer to him, picking up a file slowly and deliberately. Her perfume again wafted across his nostrils and Logan looked down at his desk. He needed to appear busy; this was a bit much.

"Are you and your wife doing anything for Valentine’s Day? I have two tickets to a movie if you want to take her."

Logan looked at Sabrina. "No thanks. I think I am going to pull an all-nighter again and Melody is going to an event she organized at the nursing home where she is a sponsor."

"Oh," Sabrina said, "that sucks, both of you working on lover's day."

Logan nodded. "It does, but it's not so bad when we have three anniversaries. You don't have to stay late if you have somewhere to go."

"Oh," Sabrina laughed deprecatingly, "I have nobody in my life currently. I broke up with my last boyfriend when I came to live in Mobay. So I am young, single and free to mingle." She licked her lips.

Logan stared at her wet lips for a spellbinding moment and then that feeling came back. No she wasn't trying to come on to him; he was overreacting, hyperaware of anything sexual. It was Valentine’s Day. He was bombarded with a whole lot of love stuff. She was in that low-cut red blouse and she was very well-endowed. It was a shock to see that. He had never really taken note before.

Licking one’s lips was not illegal, nor did it indicate seduction; he was tired and short-circuiting. So he reasoned.

"So I'll be setting up that interview for you with Millicent Bayer," Sabrina said.

Logan realized that he hadn’t heard a word she said while he was ruminating in his head.

“Okay," he said absently, dragging his thoughts to the here and now. She slowly walked out of the office in her stilettos with a whole lot of hip movement. Had she always walked that way?

He shook his head; he couldn't remember. She turned back and looked at him with an innocent smile and that was when it finally hit Logan, who was slow on the uptake, that Sabrina was seducing him. That smile was coy and knowing.

When she closed the door behind her he realized that he had been holding his breath.

He exhaled slowly and then inhaled the remnants of her perfume that lingered in the air. He picked up the gift and opened the box. Inside was a padded handcuff with pink feathers.

He flung the cuffs back in the box as if they had burned him. He had used cuffs like this before with Melody in a number of their fantasy sessions. This gift was a message, a very blatant and sexually explicit message. He would have to fire her, like he did Barbie, who had thrown herself at him couple months ago.

He tapped his fingers on the desk. He would need to speak to her before calling HR. She needed to know that flirting was inappropriate but this gift was extremely distasteful. It was unfortunate that he would have to let her go since he really needed a secretary right now. His last case had bombed because he fired Barbie in the middle of the thing.

"Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Moore,” Sabrina said with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Yes," Logan said stiffly.

"This is your gift." She pushed another red box at him and scooped up the first one. "This one is for Keena in accounting. Bridal shower this evening."

Logan was relieved. "I wondered..."

"Sorry again," she said, almost tripping over her own feet to get out of the office. No sexy hip movement this time, just a very embarrassed girl who had given her boss an inappropriate gift.

Logan opened the new gift with caution and was pleased to see that the contents were more appropriate, his and her cologne for him and Melody.

He breathed a sigh of relief, pushed the box with the gift in his drawer and closed it. It would be interesting to hear what she bought for the other partners.

 

*****

 

Melody was dressing for the Valentine’s dinner when Zack pushed his head through the door.

"Wow, Mommy! You look nice."

"Thank you, honey," she said, applying the mascara to her eyelashes. She liked how it made her lashes appear longer. Zack came into the room fully and sat on the bed. Melody looked at him through the mirror. "What's on your mind?"

He scrunched up his little face, which looked so much like his grandmother it was uncanny. Zack resembled Camille from his little bow lips to his dimples and his honey brown complexion. He was going to be a heartbreaker, Melody thought fondly, looking at her almost pretty son. He always corrected her and told her it was handsome. Girls were pretty; boys were handsome.

She smiled at him now. "What is the matter?"

"I was thinking," he said, clearing his throat and imitating his father, "that I should have a piece of pie, even though it is way after dinner and I already had one slice."

Melody chuckled. "No."

"I will be good all day tomorrow," Zack said, an urgency to his tone.

Melody put down the makeup wand and pretended to consider his suggestion. "That's a tempting offer but I really don't think you should have pie now. Maybe some chocolate milk?"

Zack got off the bed. "Mom, that's a lousy counter offer. Pie has apples, which are healthy. Milk has chocolate—not the same."

Melody laughed. Logan had been teaching him and Lauren the art of negotiating. Both her children were scarily good at it. She shuddered to think what she would have to deal with in the coming years.

"That's a good comeback, son,” she said firmly, "but pie also has ingredients that will not sit well on your stomach tonight. Best to have it tomorrow."

"For breakfast?" Zack asked swiftly.

Melody nodded. "But only a small slice."

Zack grinned and bounded to the door.

Melody followed him sedately. She was dressed in the clichéd red for Valentine’s. It was a modest dress with a hint of cleavage, which she mercifully stuffed her push-up bra to enhance.

She headed downstairs to the hall where Jayce and Haley were watching a comedy on television.

"I could have dropped them off at your house, you know," she said to them. "Thank you for volunteering to baby-sit."

Haley looked around at her and grinned. "Nope, thank you. I love the opportunity to have access to your fridge. You are the best cook in the entire world."

She was eating a coconut cream-based ice cream that Melody had experimented with earlier in the week.

"I can't believe this is homemade."

Melody laughed. "It was an experiment. I am happy you are enjoying it."

"You look great," Jayce said, looking at her appreciatively. "You should stop by the office and let Logan see you. Make him lose concentration for a few hours."

Melody pondered that suggestion; Logan’s office was on the way to the elderly care home.

Jayce had his hand around Haley and Lauren was lying in their laps. Lauren looked up at her mother lazily with her big brown eyes so much like Logan's.

“Bye Mommy," Lauren said, so comfortable in her uncle Jayce's lap that she hardly budged.

"You know, Jayce, I think I'll stop by his office. Bye pumpkin." She kissed Lauren. "Guys, are you sure that I am not keeping you away from something?"

"Very sure," Haley said, smacking her lips. "Everyday with Jayce is Valentine’s Day. Your guest room is quite comfortable, a home away from home, just in case we need to sleep over. You go and do your thing."

"Okay." Melody straightened up. "Keep Zack away from the pie."

"Done." Haley giggled. "But I will make no such concessions. I am eating for two. I am going to let loose on the pie."

Melody grinned, almost wishing that she could hang out with them instead of going to the party that she had arranged.