A Man Worth Shaving For: A Sweet Romantic Comedy

by Michelle Pennington

  Melinda dropped her coat and purse onto one of the chairs in front of Logan’s desk and sat down in the other. “Logan, you’ve had an information leak.”

  I glanced over at him to see his reaction. He stood frozen, his suit coat in his hands. But after a moment of deep concentration, he shook his head and put his coat on. “Impossible.”

  Dear heavens. How was he so sexy even while putting clothes on? Even as annoyed with him as I was, I couldn’t help but gape at him as he worked it on over his shoulders—at the way the muscles in his neck flexed as he straightened the collar and adjusted the sleeves. Perhaps that’s why I turned snarky as I said to Melinda, “Didn’t you know he’s perfect?”

  Logan shot me a glance that spoke volumes about his own annoyance. “The only information of mine that can be leaked is in this notebook,” he said, pulling it out of his inner suit pocket. “And it never leaves me.”

  “Then what’s this?” Melinda said, handing him her phone. “Dawn, the Operations Manager, sent that to me this morning. Apparently, it’s gone around the whole office staff and conjecture is running rampant.”

  Logan glanced down at the screen, his jaw flexing.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He looked up at me as he handed Melinda’s phone back. “That list you gave me yesterday with the names highlighted. He flicked a warning glance towards Melinda, and I understood immediately that he didn’t want her to know exactly what the list was.

  “Weird,” I said. “I brought that straight to you as soon as I finished it.”

  “I didn’t think you were the leak.”

  With the mood I was in, his dry tone was nearly enough to make me blow up at him, but I kept myself in check.

  “What do the highlighted names mean?” Melinda asked. “Apparently, everyone is trying to decide if the highlights are for people being fired.”

  Logan huffed and sat down. “Since I’ve hardly begun my assessment, any conjecture at this point would be foolish on their part.”

  “No,” I argued. “They’re all justifiably anxious right now. None of us know how this works or what will happen.”

  “You’re right, sorry.” He sighed and held my gaze. “I also don’t know what’s going to happen. But that’s why it’s too soon to make decisions. I’m still collecting data and analyzing it.”

  My traitorous heart raced at the kind of data he might be collecting.

  Melinda looked between us. “Why do I feel like there are two conversations going on here?”

  I caught my breath. “I don’t know. Look, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bree was behind this. She’s the only one I can think of who had access to this office. “

  Logan nodded. “That’s my thought too.”

  “Well, what do we do about it?” Melinda asked. Luckily, she hadn’t realized that neither of us answered her question about the list.

  I straightened from my stance against the filing cabinet and stretched my tense neck and shoulders. “I’ve already arranged for a replacement for her. The new hire will be arriving any minute. I’ll see if I can find any proof about who sent this out and deal with her appropriately. Regardless, she’ll be transferred to a different department, so she won’t have access to sensitive material anymore.”

  Melinda smiled at me. “I’ll leave it in your capable hands then.” She gathered her belongings as she stood and headed for the door. “I’ll be in my office when you’re ready, Logan.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  If he thought I was going to hang behind to finish our conversation, he was wrong.

  “Tessa?”

  I paused in the doorway, my hand already on the knob to pull the door shut behind me. “Yes?”

  “Touch base with me later.”

  “About Bree? Certainly. But nothing else.”

  He smirked at me then, and I had to admit, it didn’t detract from his looks any. “That’s all I meant. I’ve already made a decision on that other matter.”

  I glared at him and his sexy, smug expression. There was no way I was going to give him the satisfaction of asking what he meant. “Good luck with that.”

  “Awww. Tessa. That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me all morning.”

  Fortunately, there was no one around to witness me slamming his door shut.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Still seething, I didn’t even know how to get started with my workday. No matter what I told myself, I knew I’d feel unsettled all day. And now I had to deal with a tricky personnel problem with an employee I didn’t like. Unfortunately, I couldn’t deal with her the way I longed to—by telling her off for throwing herself at Logan and then betraying the trust of her position before tossing her out on her butt.

  I needed something positive to focus on.

  And like another sign of her perfect competence, Krista Bennett stepped off the elevator like a freaking superhero. My hero at least.

  With a wide smile, I rushed to meet her and lead her to my office. I didn’t usually greet new employees with such enthusiasm, but Krista’s expression didn’t register any reaction to it.

  “I’m so excited you’re here,” I gushed.

  “Thank you,” she said in her somber way.

  It just made me love her more. Her calm, competent presence eased my stress and made me feel more in control—something I needed. Especially lately.

  I invited her to sit in a chair and handed her a clipboard. “I just need you to fill out this paperwork. Once you’ve done that, I’ll introduce you to Mr. Jennings and show you around your workspace. We’ll spend the morning getting you settled in and organized, but there will be a few training videos you’ll need to watch throughout the week. Most of those you can do at your desk.”

  “No problem, Ms. Young.”

  “Call me Tessa. We keep things pretty casual around here.” But I paused, thinking that over. “Although, for the next few weeks, you probably need to be as severe and formal as possible. Your number one priority is to keep all the lovelorn women around here away from Mr. Jennings’s office unless they’re scheduled to be there. Think you can do that?”

  She smiled—easily the warmest expression I’d ever seen from her. “Not a problem. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not here to make friends.”

  I rubbed my lips together, considering her words. “If you ever need one, remember I’m in your corner.”

  “I still don’t understand how this all happened, but I want you to know, despite how crazy it is, I’m grateful for this opportunity.”

  At that moment, Bree came down the hall, her hips in full sway as if the hallway was a catwalk. “I hope you still feel that way at the end of the day. Now, I’ll leave you to get that done while I go take care of another matter.”

  As I turned the doorknob to go out, I tugged the hem of my shirt—a reflex of nervousness I hadn’t been able to shake since junior high. As always when dealing with a woman like Bree, who was both slim and pretty, I had to steel myself to be the strong, confident version of myself.

  Her desk was a short walk from mine. As I passed by Logan’s office, I refused to look in his direction, in case he was watching me. Bree sat at her desk, settling in for the day. When she noticed me approaching, she looked up with raised brows.

  “Good morning,” she said. The words were pleasant, but I didn’t miss the sour note in her tone.

  “Good morning, Bree. Can you come with me for a minute?” Since her desk sat in a wide alcove between Logan’s office and Melinda’s office, we wouldn’t have any privacy here.

  “Can’t we use your office?”

  “I’m afraid not. I have a new employee filling out paperwork right now.”

  She eyed me suspiciously but stood up and followed me down the hall, past the elevator and around the corner to the small meeting room I’d used for my hideout yesterday. Inside, I sat across from her at the small table.

  “Bree, can you tell me how a photo of confidential information came to be sent out to the w
hole office?”

  I’d carefully worded my question to avoid accusing her outright, since finding proof would be impossible without getting access to her phone, which I couldn’t. I certainly didn’t expect her to confess, but I also wanted her to understand that I knew she was behind it so I met her narrowed eyes steadily.

  “No. I have no idea. I didn’t get it.”

  I crossed my arms and leaned back in my seat. “Before we go any further, I want you to understand something. I know exactly who had access to Mr. Jennings’s office during the timeframe this was stolen.” I paused and looked at her, letting my words sink in.

  Her only response was to tip her chin up. “I don’t know why you’re talking to me about it.”

  I nodded slowly and shrugged. It didn’t matter at the moment. She had no idea that the information she’d risked her job to share had very little real meaning. It was more the intent that was the problem. “Due to this and other concerns, I’ve made the decision to put someone else in the executive secretary position.”

  “What?” she asked, her arrogance shattering.

  “As of now, you’re assigned to work in operations.”

  “With Dawn? Am I being punished?”

  I allowed myself to smile, just a bit. “This is merely an opportunity for you to learn another aspect of our business. I recommend that you take advantage of it. Dawn will report to me in four weeks to tell me how you’re doing, and we’ll review your employment at that time.”

  Bree’s eyes blazed. “I know what this is really about,” she said.

  Flicking an eyebrow at her, I considered whether or not to let her impale herself on her own anger. “Do you? And what is that?”

  “Do you think I didn’t notice how often you look at Logan? You just don’t want any competition.”

  “I wondered how ridiculous your guess would be.” I stood up. “We’ll just consider this to be off the record, shall we? And consider that a kindness you don’t deserve. Not only are you wrong, but it was Mr. Jennings himself who requested a change be made. Why don’t you take a moment to consider that and collect yourself before leaving this room? In the meantime, I’ll arrange everything with Dawn. Please collect your personal belongings and report to her.”

  I left with my composure completely intact but walked straight to the women’s bathroom. I needed a moment to collect myself—especially after Breeher comment about how often I looked at Logan. It stung because it was true, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

  Find some self-control, girl. You heard him. Dating is out of the question. And when did you ever think it wasn’t? Just because you have some weird connection with him?

  My internal lecture might have gone on longer, but a toilet flushed in the stall behind me. Time to go before someone saw me staring at myself in the mirror like a psycho.

  It didn’t take long to walk over to Dawn’s desk and explain the situation to her. The exact qualities that made Dawn so good at getting our products from the factory to the customers’ hands were the exact reasons I worried she’d hate having Bree in her department. Dawn was an austere and meticulous workaholic who was slavishly devoted to both Melinda and the company. I wouldn’t have blamed her for being upset to have to manage a careless, unmotivated social butterfly like Bree. But the older woman actually smiled with glee.

  “I’m on it, Tessa. Don’t worry. I’ll chase her off in no time.”

  “What? No…that’s not what I—”

  Dawn held up her hand. “I know you can’t come right out and say it. I’ll take it from here. And maybe she’ll surprise us and actually put in a good day’s work here and there.”

  Sometimes being a professional was so hard. I wanted to laugh and high five the woman. Instead I said, “I’m sure you’ll do your best with her.”

  “You can bet on it,” Dawn said in a cheerful voice.

  By the time I got back to the executive hallway, Bree had cleared out her things. I didn’t know where she’d gone, since I hadn’t passed her on the way, but I didn’t have the energy to care—especially since I was able to get Krista moved into her new desk.

  “I’m afraid I don’t know when Mr. Jennings will be out of his meeting, but as soon as he is, I’ll come introduce you.”

  “What should I do in the meantime?”

  “Go ahead and log into your training videos. And keep people away from his office with that intimidation thing you do so well.”

  “On it,” Krista said.

  My office was only steps away, but by the time I got inside and shut the door, I felt like I’d run a marathon.

  Which is why I didn’t feel at all bad making myself a cup of coffee with my personal Keurig, kicking my shoes off under my desk, and turning my back to the glass wall so I could stare out the window in peace. Break time.

  But then my phone trilled with a notification. It was a text from Bossy Man.

  You hired the hit man for my secretary?

  Darn. I wished I could have seen Logan’s face when he passed her desk. I’m impressed you recognized her. And she’s a woman.

  Okay. Hit woman. Hit person. Whatever. I’m terrified.

  Don’t worry. She’ll keep people away from your office.

  Yeah. Including me.

  That made me laugh so hard I had to turn around to see if Logan was in his office. Sure enough, he sat at his desk, staring at me with the most adorable scowl I’d ever seen.

  So even though I was still mad at him for reasons that seemed oddly unclear now, I texted him back one more time. I expect an extravagant gesture of gratitude when you realize I got you the perfect secretary. Oh, and I’m bringing her in to meet with you, so stop being a baby.

  And that one beautiful victory made everything better.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It only took a few hours before Krista validated my faith in her.

  I’d purposefully kept the door to my office open to keep an eye on how she was doing, in case she needed help after her meeting with Logan—which he did survive, even though he threw me a long, level look as Krista went back to her own desk.

  Since Logan left his office for a couple of hours, she didn’t have much to do until he came back close to lunchtime. Sure enough, like clockwork, Angela and Rian once again paused together outside of his office to talk. Since they could have gone to Angela’s office just down the hall, their intentions were so transparent it was laughable. After only a minute, however, Krista came out from behind her desk and tackled them head on.

  “Hello. I’m Krista Bennett, the new secretary. Do either of you need to schedule an appointment with Mr. Jennings?”

  I watched, holding my breath as Angela looked down at her. Somehow even though Angela stood as tall and confident as ever and Krista only came to her shoulder, Krista seemed to dominate the space. Angela frowned, clearly trying to figure out what was going on.

  “What? Oh, no. We’re just talking.”

  “I see,” Krista said politely, her face set into perfect impassivity, watching them patiently.

  “I’m the brand manager,” Angela said, her voice both uncertain and annoyed. “My office is right down there.”

  But despite Angela’s attempt to stake out her right to be in the hallway, Krista just waited in unflinching stillness.

  Rian broke first. “Um…I’d better get going. I’ll talk to you later, Angela.”

  And once Rian walked away, Angela spent all of three seconds in a silent standoff with Krista before rolling her eyes and walking to her office.

  I had no idea how Krista felt about her first victory, since she merely walked back to her desk, but I couldn’t stop grinning as I went back to work.

  That didn’t last for long, however, since Logan crossed over to my office and shut the door behind him. I flicked a glance at him when he dropped his leather notebook on my desk but kept working. “Did you come to admit I was right about her?”

  “Is she human?”

  I chuckled and sent the email I’d
been typing. “Yes—deep down inside there somewhere. Hopefully, that means she won’t succumb to your devastating beauty.”

  When he was silent for a moment, I gave in and looked up at him. That was a mistake.

  Leaning over my desk the way he was, braced on his muscular arms and his head less than a foot over mine, I fell into the snare of his tender expression. “What?”

  “I didn’t know I’d enjoy being called beautiful—but I do.”

  “Shut up. I know why you came in here with your suit coat off and your sleeves rolled up.”

  “You caught me.” He sat down in a chair and pulled out his notebook. “This experiment was definitely a success.”

  “What are you writing?”

  He flashed a smile and read, “My sexy arms made her blush.”

  “No, they didn’t.”

  Logan’s eyebrow lifted. “Since you can’t see your face and I can, your argument has no weight.”

  “You’re imagining things. And you’d better not actually be writing that down.”

  He turned it toward me to let me see the page. Sure enough, he’d written exactly that. And on the other page was a short list. He’d written: spicy Pad Thai, Thor, Texas University, Donkey Kong, Mexican food, the beach, massages, and lace.

  My eyes widened as I read each item, realizing they were all about me. “What are you doing?”

  “I told you—gathering data.”

  “How on earth did you figure out the massage thing?”

  “It was on a poster on your fridge that night I went to your apartment. It just said Worth It with a bunch of things listed underneath it—mostly male celebrities. I’ve been wondering ever since what it meant but I figured if the things on there were ‘worth it,’ you must really like them.”

  I didn’t really believe him that I’d blushed earlier, but there was no question I was now. I could feel the heat like a furnace in my cheeks and neck. “Do you notice everything?”

  He crossed his ankle over his knee as if he had no intention of leaving any time soon and tapped his pen against his chin. After a few seconds of deep thought, he pointed it at me and grinned. “Yes. So, tell me…should I cross out Thor on my list and change it to Chris Hemsworth, since he was on the Worth It list?”