Page 43 of One Night in Paris
As far as this job was concerned, of course, I wanted to do well. The pay was amazing, the company was amazing, and the boss was the best part. Not only because I was beginning to have feelings for Logan but because he was such an inspiring leader who did so much for all of his employees.
My mind wandered back to how scared he’d been standing on the edge of that bridge looking down at the crystal blue waters of the Atlantic. I’d never seen Logan hesitate to do anything, but for some reason, bungee jumping had been a challenge for him. I was so grateful I’d been there to help him when he needed me most. In a similar situation, I knew he’d be there for me.
“Well, I’m glad your boss is such a nice young man,” Mom said, pushing back from the table in a gesture that told me she was full. I still had a few bites on my plate, but I was getting there. “He seems like a great guy, Harper.”
I knew what Mom was getting at. She was aware that Logan and I had gone on a couple of dates, but she had no idea just how far we’d gone, and I wasn’t planning on telling her—ever. To my mother, this was more like an innocent crush than hot sex that made my toes curl just thinking about it.
Perhaps I should try to start seeing the situation more like my mom did. Fucking Logan was amazing, and I wanted to do it every day. Sometimes, in the office, I’d have to run to the ladies’ room and splash cool water on my face just from being too close to him for too long. The scent of his cologne alone was enough to make me have to sit in meetings with my legs crossed.
But now that we worked together, I shouldn’t be dreaming about fucking his brains out every night.
Besides, I knew that there was so much more to him now than I had been aware of the first time we’d gone to bed together. In Paris, I’d been thrilled to meet a hot guy and have a passionate night in the bedroom with him. In reality, I was luckier to meet an amazing mentor who was willing to take me under his wing and show me the ropes while paying me to work in his office.
With a deep breath, I pushed my hair back from my face, deciding I was done with dinner. Mom would probably want to watch a movie, which was always fun. How lucky was I that my mom was my best friend?
“What are you thinking about, Harper?” Mom’s eyes were full of curiosity as she took me in.
“Oh, just… what we might do in San Francisco.” I could hardly tell my mom I’d been picturing my boss’s sweaty naked torso as he hovered above me in bed, could I?
“It’ll be so much fun.” Her eyes lit up again, just thinking about it. “You’ll need to go to bed early. I doubt you’ll want to sleep on the plane. You might drool on Logan’s shoulder.”
The two of us had a laugh about that, but she had a good point. Getting a good night’s sleep would be a good way to avoid that fiasco.
“I hope you get to see the Golden Gate.” A far-off look took over Mom’s face as she gazed into the distance, just imaginingthe structure in all its glory, I was sure. She looked the same way when she spoke of the Eiffel Tower.
“I think I will, Mom.” Reaching over, I patted her arm. “I’ll find a way.” She smiled at me, and I smiled back.
The last time I’d been standing on a bridge with Logan, we’d jumped off. Maybe this time, we’d be jumping off in a proverbial way, into a new level of our relationship—whatever that might be. Whether we slowed things down or moved on at full speed, I was there for it, as long as Logan was by my side.
23
LOGAN
“You do understand that our flight leaves at eight, right?” Harper asked as the driver opened the door to let us out of the back of the town car. He popped the trunk so I could grab our luggage. Since it was just a one-night trip, I’d only brought a carry-on suitcase. Harper had that and a purse big enough to beat someone over the head with. It’d made me laugh when I’d helped her into the car earlier.
“Don’t worry, Harper,” I told her, thanking the driver and leading her into the busy airport. “We’ve got plenty of time.” It was only 7:15. We’d make it.
“But we have to get through security and get to the right gate.” She hurried to catch up with me, my strides naturally longer than hers. Both of us were dressed for our meeting, so she had on heels. The moment I’d seen her standing there in front of her mother’s house in a smart black skirt and a leopard-print top, my mouth had begun to water. Not that she didn’t look professional. She did. But it was Harper. I always wanted her.
“Don’t worry.” The security checkpoint came into view in front of us. This early in the morning on a Saturday, it wasn’t toobad. The regular line was long, but not the TSA Pre-Check line. “Pre-Check is always fast.”
“Pre what?” Harper asked, stopping for a second to adjust her shoe.
Looking over my shoulder, I said, “TSA Pre-Check. The short line. For frequent flyers.”
Harper’s face was blank. “I don’t know what that is, Logan. I’m not a frequent flyer.”
My eyes widened as I realized she hadn’t been working for the company long enough to get that done. We asked all of our employees to sign up for the program so that they could travel more easily. But she hadn’t gotten there yet. “Shit. You didn’t get it to go to Paris?”
“Does it cost money, Logan? I don’t get anything that costs money.” She arched an eyebrow at me.
My first response was to say it was something cheap, like a hundred bucks, but then I realized that wasn’t cheap to her. My eyes fell on the other security line, which was pretty long. “Okay. No problem.” I headed in that direction.
When we got close enough to see the signs, Harper said, “You should go through the rich people line, Logan. At least you’ll be sure to make the flight.”
Turning to look at her, I said, “It’s not for rich people, Harper. It’s fine. If you miss the flight, then I’m not going.”
“But this is an important meeting.” I could see in her eyes she felt bad about this.