Rhyme

by Lexy Timms

  “It’s both.” Logan tilted his head, a frown crossing his face. “I asked for you, you know. You’re the only one I trust with this, and not just because we had a one-night stand. You have an excellent reputation. Marshall wanted to represent me himself, but I insisted it be you.”

  Olivia tapped her pen on the table, frowning. Ryan had said nothing about Logan’s request. Nothing was making sense. The only solid thing she had to hold onto at the moment was the case, and even that seemed nebulous. She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. “Okay. First, let’s get started on the case. That’s here, in front of us. Something tangible. We can sort out the rest later.”

  Logan smiled. “Later. I guess I can deal with that.”

  Despite her worry, Olivia found herself smiling back at him. Logan was nothing if not charming and charismatic. That she remembered all too clearly from their night together. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  She shook her head. Concentrate, Olivia. You’re working here, not planning a date.

  They spent the next hour going over the details of Ashton’s tenure as Logan’s manager, the relationship between Ashton and the band, and Logan’s solo career. She’d filled several pages of her legal pad with notes before she was satisfied.

  Olivia finally tossed her pen on the table, sitting back in her chair, and glanced over the case file. “I think we have enough to get started. I’ll have Melissa send you a list of documents you’ll need to produce, and we’ll need to contact Ashton’s legal counsel.”

  She absently rubbed her left hand, easing the writer’s cramp she always got from gripping her pen. Logan reached out, taking it in his, and gently massaged her palm with strong fingers. This time she didn’t pull away. Didn’t want to pull away. She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the back of the chair.

  His touch felt right. It shouldn’t have, but it did. Here, in the bright light of day, after listening to his solemn recital of Jack Ashton’s business dealings, she somehow felt closer to him than she had during their night together. You’re supposed to be angry with him, she reminded herself. Not enjoying this. And you can’t sleep with a client.

  She opened her eyes, watching him as he concentrated on her hand.

  “Have dinner with me tonight,” he said, still looking down, his touch sliding over her bare ring finger. “No pressure. Just to talk. Call it a business meeting, if you must.” He looked up, then, with a grin. “Although I’d rather it be more than that. I want to talk about anything except Jack Ashton after all this.”

  Logan had stopped massaging her hand, but still held it, drawing slow circles on her palm. She wanted to still be mad at him, but she couldn’t hold onto the anger. He was here, in the flesh, apparently sincere and honest in his intentions toward her. And, apparently, still able to kindle a flame inside her with the merest touch of his hand on hers, even in the staid environment of the conference room. She sighed.

  “Okay. Dinner. But that’s all. And no Macallan.” She flashed a smile at him to let him know she was teasing. Mostly. “I think it’s some kind of... secret Scottish magic.”

  Logan shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning up in a roguish grin that made his eyes brighten. It was infectious. She rolled her eyes, but her own smile deepened in response. “Aye. You discovered my secret then. But I’ll not ply you with Macallan tonight. I’ll let you order your own drinks and try not to influence you unduly.”

  Olivia laughed. “Fine. Dinner tonight, then.”

  There was a knock at the door and Olivia swirled her chair around to find Ryan on the other side of it. He stopped abruptly on the threshold, looking back and forth between Logan and Olivia. A muscle twitched in his jaw. She felt Logan’s grip tighten on her hand as an undercurrent of tension sprang up in the room.

  Then Ryan smiled, his face relaxing, and the tension was gone. He walked the rest of the way into the room, resting his hands on the back of a nearby chair. “I see you’re done with the initial interview, Olivia. I’ll need to meet with you so we can formulate our initial game plan.”

  Olivia realized Logan was still holding her hand, and she extricated herself from his grasp, pushing away from the table. The look on Ryan’s face had startled her. It was an odd mixture of anger and what she thought must have been jealousy. But it had been replaced so quickly with his smooth professional demeanor that she wasn’t entirely sure what she had seen.

  Gathering her legal pad, she rose from her chair. Logan stood as well, and she felt his hand on the small of her back, a warm, solid pressure. Or was it him staking a claim?

  “Yes. We’ve finished for now.” She turned to Logan. “I’ll have Melissa contact you about the documents and I’ll be in touch in a couple of days.”

  She saw Logan’s brows pull together and held his gaze a moment longer. “Why don’t you give me your contact number as well, so I’ll be able to reach you if I need anything before that?” She took a business card from her pocket and slid it toward Logan.

  He took her pen and scribbled across the back before returning it to her. She glanced down at it, recognizing the name of a restaurant and a time put down along with the phone number, then tucked it into her pocket.

  Ryan inserted himself between Logan and Olivia, sliding his arm around Logan’s shoulders and ushering him toward the door. “Let me walk you out, Mr. Graham.”

  “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Michaels,” Logan called over his shoulder.

  Ryan turned back. “Olivia, meet me in my office and we’ll see where we’re at.”

  Olivia nodded. She followed the men out of the conference room. Ryan steered Logan toward the elevator, deep in conversation. Instead of heading to Ryan’s office, Olivia took the stairs to her own floor, slipping into her office and closing the door. She fished the card out of her pocket and counted to a hundred, then the dialed the number. It rang once and she heard Logan’s voice on the other end.

  “Are you alone?” she whispered, and instantly felt silly.

  Logan laughed. “Seems he was in a hurry to have me gone. Will you meet me tonight, then?”

  “Yes. I’ll be there at eight. But I have to go now. I’ll see you tonight.” She hung up, gathering her legal pad, and headed back up to Ryan’s office.

  “There you are.” Ryan was at Lori’s desk when she came around the corner. “Come on. We’ve got things to discuss.”

  He motioned Olivia into his office, closing the door behind her. She took a seat and opened her notes.

  Ryan sat down across from her. “First, let me start by saying we’re not getting off on a good foot here. I’m not sure I was clear earlier, but I’m going out on a limb here by giving you this case. The other partners don’t feel you’re ready for this and, frankly, after your actions today, I think I might agree with them.”

  Olivia felt as though someone had thrown cold water in her face. “I’m not sure what you mean, Ryan. It was your idea to give me this case, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. Based on your performance here, particularly in the Fontaine case. But today, between your arriving at the meeting late and your inappropriate behavior with the client, I have my doubts.”

  Ryan stood, moving around the desk toward her. He sat on the edge, blocking Olivia from standing. He seemed to loom there. She felt pinned in her chair, trapped as he leaned in toward her, his face close to hers.

  “Same page, remember? I’m going to have a hard time explaining your behavior to the other partners.” He paused. “Unless we can come to an understanding...” He reached out, his fingers beneath Olivia’s chin, tilting her face to his. Her breath caught. Before she could react, his lips were on hers, hard and insistent. She tried pulling away, but his fingers gripped her hard, holding her fast.

  When he broke the kiss, he still held her. “I do want you to succeed, Olivia. And I think you know how to make sure that happens.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “There’s a lot I can do for you here. Not just with this
case. I can help you make partner.”

  Olivia looked up at him, hoping she had somehow misunderstood. He leaned back, finally letting go of her chin, and calmly folded his hands on his leg.

  “You...” Her throat was dry, and the words seemed to stick in it. “You want me to sleep with you to keep the case?” She pressed herself back into the leather chair, away from the heat of his body.

  “Are you telling me that’s not what you want, Olivia? Because you’ve been making advances toward me, remember? In the bar. Here in my office. It isn’t just obvious to me, either. Lori even commented on your behavior.”

  “What?” Olivia shook her head. “I didn’t—That’s not how it happened.” Her memories were fuzzy, but she was sure. “You kissed me!”

  Ryan laughed softly. “You think anyone will believe you? I have an impeccable record, and a lot more years in this firm than you do. You’re in a vulnerable place right now... this big case just handed to you, and already your actions seem to be proving that you can’t handle it. Let’s just say we can help each other. You want something from me; I can give that to you. And I can make sure the partners don’t hear anything you wouldn’t want them to know. So really, I’m doing you a whole lot of favors here.”

  “No.” Olivia tried to stand, but Ryan remained perched on the edge of the desk, not giving her room. “I’m not playing this game.”

  “I think we should schedule some time to go over the file, don’t you?” She might as well have said nothing, for all the attention he gave her protest. He glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. Almost quitting time. How about you go grab something to eat and come back later tonight. We could go over your notes.”

  “No...” Olivia repeated, shaking her head again. Where was the man she’d known, the mentor she’d grown to trust? “Why are you doing this?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  “I want you to succeed.” Ryan smiled at her again and slid off the desk, opening the door to his office. “Think about it, Olivia. Let me know how you want to proceed.”

  Olivia shuffled her papers together with shaking hands, dropping her pen in her haste to scramble up from the chair and get out of Ryan’s office. He bent to retrieve it, holding it out to her. She clutched her files to her chest and looked warily at it and his outstretched hand—the same hand that had held her chin in place as he kissed her. Ryan laughed and set the pen on the desk.

  “We’ll start tomorrow, then,” he said. “I see you’re not in the right mind-set for my help right now. I want a willing partner on my team, not someone who’s indecisive.” He placed a hand on her back, guiding her toward the open door. For a brief moment, his fingers slid lower, running over the curve of her hip.

  She was suddenly aware of the sounds of the office beyond his door, the others who were leaving for the day. Lori was standing at her desk with her purse in her hand, watching as Ryan and Olivia walked past her cubicle.

  “See you tomorrow, Ryan.” Lori caught Olivia’s eye, a frown passing over her face. “Good night, Olivia.”

  “See you bright and early, Lori,” Ryan answered. “We’ll have the Graham case to work on tomorrow, so you can plan for that.”

  Olivia couldn’t bring herself to speak. She just nodded at the other woman, feeling frozen in Ryan’s grasp.

  He walked her to the elevators. “You know, I’ve been thinking. We should use Lori for this case, not Melissa.”

  Olivia opened her mouth, but Ryan went on before she could speak.

  “She’s more experienced. And lately, well, Melissa’s been all over the place. She’s clearly ineffective when it comes to working with someone of Logan’s magnitude.” Ryan shook his head. “It’s sad. I thought she had promise.”

  The elevator arrived, and Olivia hurried into the car, pressing the button for her floor. She wanted to slam her hand on the button that would close the doors, but it wouldn’t stop Ryan if he wanted to join her. Thankfully, he remained on his floor. She watched him disappear as she was sealed into the elevator, and finally took a deep breath.

  What on earth had just happened?

  Her hands were shaking. Olivia stared at them. They didn’t feel like a part of her body. The elevator dinged to announce her floor, and she stepped out as the doors slid open.

  Melissa was already gone when she got back to her office. It was probably lucky. One less confrontation for the night. How was Olivia going to tell her that she was off the case? Her head was spinning. Numb, she sat down at her desk, her case file spread in front of her.

  Logan’s case. “Oh, shit. Logan. Dinner.” Olivia glanced down at her watch. It was still early; she had time to get home, change out of her business clothes, and get a cab back to meet Logan. Concentrate on that for now.

  Everything else would just have to wait.

  Chapter Six

  Despite leaving work on time, Olivia was still late. She’d gone home and changed, just as she’d planned, but the minutes had somehow slipped away from her. Now, she stood at maître d’ station, restless scanning the dark restaurant, looking for Logan among the seated diners. She jumped when someone touched her arm, when a warm breath ghosted against her cheek. A hot flush ran through her.

  “Late and all, you’re still a welcome sight.” Logan’s accent sent a shock down her spine.

  “You scared me,” Olivia accused, turning around to look at him.

  “Sorry.” Logan smiled at her. She couldn’t help but compare it to the same expression on Ryan’s face. “You’re a bit skittish, aren’t you? Is it me, or something else?” He nodded over her head as he spoke, steering her after the retreating back of the maître d’.

  She waited until they were seated before she answered. “Surprisingly, it’s not just you.”

  Logan glanced at the wine list, ordering something Olivia didn’t catch. “Want to tell me what it is, then?” he asked when the waiter had gone.

  She wasn’t particularly sure she did. She glanced down at her menu instead of answering immediately, and was saved by the reappearance of the waiter, who poured Logan a swallow of the deep red wine he’d brought to the table. Logan took a sip, lingering over it a moment before he nodded. The waiter topped up his glass, then poured one for Olivia and took their dinner orders.

  “If you go and get yourself drunk,” Logan said when the waiter had gone. “I’ll not be held responsible this time.”

  She scowled at him and took a very deliberate drink of wine. “It’s been a long, strange day. I need a drink. But I’m not going to get drunk.” She set the glass on the table and promised herself she wouldn’t take another swallow until the food came.

  “I suspect I was the start of it.” Logan gave her a searching look. “It couldn’t have been easy for you to find me at your office.”

  “Seeing you at the office was certainly a surprise, yes.” She took a deep breath, feeling the warmth of the wine radiating through her limbs. For the first time since she’d arrived at the office she felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. “But I got over it.”

  Olivia waved his concern away with the words. There was no way she could explain Ryan’s behavior to Logan. She didn’t think even she quite understood what was happening.

  “The rest is work stuff, and you said you didn’t want to talk about that.” She reached for her wine glass, then stopped as she started to lift it to her lips, toying with it instead. “Tell me about your band, Logan. I don’t know much about the type of music you play. I’ve only heard the one song on the radio since... Well. Since that night.”

  Logan laughed. “That’s what you call our evening of passion together? Just ‘that night’?”

  Olivia grimaced. “I don’t know what to call it, because I don’t know what it was.” She pulled her glass closer, finally giving in and taking another swallow.

  Logan sat back, watching her for a moment. “All right. The band, Revival... We’d been mates in school, messing around in garages and playing for our friends. Got the idea that we were good.
So we started playing for free in the pubs, although we got in more than one stramash.” Logan caught Olivia’s puzzled look and grinned. “Bar fight, you’d call it. But failing means you’re playing, so we kept playing. And we got better. Enough so we were getting paid.”

  There was a wistful smile on Logan’s face as he went on. “It was good back then. Sleeping on the road, writing songs in the wee hours of the morning and playing them that night, the words on a piece of paper stuck to the floor so I wouldn’t forget them. But it was us then, only us, and we were happy.”

  “And all that’s gone now? Because of Jack Ashton?”

  “Aye. It is. Or it’s going. And fast. Me striking out on my own wasn’t so bad, but Jack’s made it seem as though I’m leaving the band. And that’s not what I’m doing. The band is my heart; the solo stuff is just messing about. I’d leave that in a heartbeat, to be honest. But Jack’s driven a wedge between us and I don’t know if it can be pulled out.” He looked across the table at Olivia. “And then you. Not knowing if you’re mad at me or hate me or what. It’s been tearing at me, Olivia. I thought I’d lost you before I even had you.”

  Olivia shook her head, laughing without any real amusement. “You haven’t ‘had’ me, Logan. You slept with me. Once. That doesn’t make for a relationship. And now you’re my client.”

  A charming smile played around the corners of Logan’s mouth. He reached across the table to take her hands in his. “I know. But I’d like the chance to make it something more.”

  “You would?” Olivia stared at him. “After just one night?”

  “Don’t you believe in love at first sight?” Logan rubbed his thumb briefly across her knuckles.

  “Do you?” she whispered. It seemed to her that the room had gone completely still, leaving just her and Logan in the silence where activity had been.