The Meet Cute

by Ellie Milhone

  Her friend wanted her to have dinner with a man she did not know, who she had plowed into with great fanfare this morning. And what’s more, one who tracked her down like a stalker, sent her a box of delicious pastries, and then asked her out. Though admittedly to the relative safety of a public restaurant.

  Quinn felt her head spinning from all these jumbled thoughts. What if he was on the level? Did he really want to talk about business? She badly needed help. What would he propose? And what would he want in return.

  “Quinn?” Logan’s voice brought her attention back to the phone as he asked. “Are you still there? I promise to have you home by ten. Strictly business, scouts honor.”

  Sarah looked as though she might actually pass out as Quinn replied. “Ok, tonight, seven o’clock. I will choose the restaurant and text you the details. You can meet me there.”

  She held her breath as she waited for his response.

  “Fair enough, have it your way.” Giving a low chuckle that made her shiver as he continued. “Until tonight then Quinn, looking forward to it.” Before hanging up.

  “Please tell me that was THE Logan?! Logan McKenzie? He sent you the box of goodies AND he asked you out to dinner?”

  Quinn looked at her in astonishment. “How on earth do you know who he is?”

  “Where have you been for the last few weeks Quinn?! He is only the most eligible new bachelor in town! Gorgeous and rich as Croesus, with the charm of the devil thrown in for good measure. Women have been throwing themselves at him since he got here.”

  “And last I heard, he was playing it very cool, politely refusing any offers for dinner or anything else for that matter. Until today that is. How did you meet him and why didn’t you tell me?” Sarah beamed at Quinn as though she had just won the lottery.

  Quinn flopped down on the chair again as her legs still felt a bit wobbly, before holding out her cup for more coffee. “I will tell you everything you want to know if you top me up.”

  Sarah laughed as she reached for the coffee pot and went over to pour some into Quinn’s cup. “Ok, spill the beans! And don’t leave anything out.” She demanded.

  “It really is no big deal Sarah. I accidentally bumped into him this morning on the way to my meeting.” Quinn blushed before continuing.

  “I have no idea why he wants to have dinner with me. We barely spoke and I certainly gave him no indication that I was remotely interested in seeing him again.”

  “Well, whether or not you did, he certainly seems keen to get better acquainted with you!” Sarah held out the bakery box to Quinn and then helped herself to another pastry as well before placing it back on the counter.

  “And you said yes to dinner. So that means you like him back.”

  Quinn frowned at her best friend. “Don’t be ridiculous. This is purely a business meeting. He wants to discuss Sexy Inc Lingerie and that’s all there is to it.”

  “Not sure who you are trying to convince there my dearest friend, but just keep in mind that you still need to pick a restaurant and send him the details.”

  Quinn groaned out load as Sarah laughed. What on earth had she been thinking? And where on earth is she going to tell him to meet her? She needed to think of a place that is quiet enough to discuss business but not quiet enough to appear too romantic.

  Sighing inwardly she got up to start processing orders, all the while mulling this over in her head. Hopefully she would come up with something by the end of the day!

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Logan smiled to himself as he re-read the text from Quinn. She left it quite late and he had started to worry that she had chickened out.

  Luckily, he still had time to run home for a quick shower and much needed drink before meeting her, as he didn't stay very far away from the office.

  Navigating his way through the afternoon traffic to the luxury apartment building that his company owned, he thought about the evening ahead.

  His curiosity was definitely peaked. It turns out Quinn’s personality was as fiery as her red hair. She would certainly have refused him if he asked her outright on a date, he was sure of it. His gut rarely let him down. Hence the lure of a business proposition to sweeten the deal.

  He needed to tread carefully with her though, or she could get skittish and run for the hills. Logan meant to enjoy his last few weeks in town and Quinn was just the right woman to enjoy it with.

  He would behave himself for now, be the perfect gentleman, seemingly intent on nothing but helping the damsel out of her business distress. Carefully laying the groundwork for what was to come.

  Just thinking about those mouthwatering curves almost hidden by the stark, severe business suit she had been wearing this morning, made him squirm around uncomfortably on the expensive leather of his car seat. He could wait though.

  Not sure for how long, but he was used to playing a long game in his business dealings. He would wait her out, make her come to him. In the end she would be begging him to take her to bed.

  Smiling wolfishly as he turned into the underground parking lot of his building, he imagined all the ways he would make her beg. On her hands and knees, wearing nothing but a pout.

  Getting out of the car he ruefully adjusted himself and gave a short bark of laughter that made the husband and wife walking past him to their car look up sharply. Well, this is what he got for acting like a horny teenager. He would have to have a strict talk with his libido if he was going to survive this night without embarrassing himself.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Quinn was early. She looked around at her fellow diners with interest as she sipped her sparkling mineral water. Since opening her new business, the hours she worked were long and it wasn’t often that she got to go out on a weeknight.

  She found herself enjoying the hustle and bustle of the small bistro she had chosen for her and Logan’s business meeting.

  In the end she had settled on La Boheme, a lovely little Italian restaurant near the center of town. It was not as noisy as a bar or club but still busy and vibrant enough not to be too intimate and romantic.

  Feeling suddenly nervous, she glanced down at the little black dress she was wearing. It was quite chaste in the front with lace capped sleeves and the bodice was not low cut by anyone’s standards, but the skirt was very tight fitting and it had a low plunging back.

  Quinn had spent more time than she cared to admit getting ready and in the end could not resist dressing up a little. Shivering lightly she looked up to find a familiar pair of pale blue eyes smoldering at her from across the room.

  Never breaking eye contact, Logan walked unhurriedly to Quinn’s table and slowly lifted her hand to his lips before placing a soft kiss on her finger tips.

  Sitting down opposite her with a rakish grin, he refused to release her hand when she tugged on it gently, softly rubbing the back with his thumb instead.

  “Hello again Quinn Cunningham. You are looking particularly ravishing this evening.”

  The way he said the word ravishing made her shiver again. The expression in his eyes clearly saying that this was exactly what he wanted to do. Ravish her.

  When Quinn finally managed to pull her tingling hand away, she cleared her throat before reaching for her water. She felt very parched all of a sudden.

  Squaring her shoulders and telling herself not to be such a ninny, Quinn looked him up and down before replying, “You don’t scrub up too badly yourself.” She refused to be cowed. Two could play at that game and she was made of sterner stuff.

  An amused chuckle escaped his lips as he laughed appreciatively at her comeback. Opening the menu handed to him by the waiter, he looked inquiringly up at Quinn before studying it more closely.

  “So what’s good here?”

  “Well, I must confess. This is my first time eating here, but I hear everything is delicious.”

  Logan looked a little surprised at this but placed his order after a quick glance, closing the menu and handing it back to the waiter.

  “
And a bottle of Champagne please, whatever you have that is best.”

  Quinn looked at him enquiringly but Logan just smiled winningly.

  “I think the occasion calls for a toast.”

  After placing her order and handing her menu to the departing waiter, she turned to ask Logan what exactly the occasion was but he had already anticipated her question.

  “Why, we are celebrating our business collaboration of course. I think you will be unable to resist once you hear my proposal.” Gesturing between the two of them with one hand.

  “Ok.” Quinn nodded slowly. “I will give it some serious consideration, but I don’t make any promises. What do you have in mind?”

  Smiling to himself before leaning back in his chair and studying her face, Logan mused that if Quinn knew what he really had in mind - namely the two of them alone with a lot less clothing on - she would run a mile.

  She looked mouthwateringly beautiful tonight. The front of her dress so prim and proper but clinging to every curve. It was all he could do to look her in the eye and not stare at the tantalizing glimpses of cleavage peeping out every so often as she moved, driving him crazy.

  “Well, let me start by giving you a little background information. My family has many business interests all over the world. And part of my job is to source and secure new investments for our company from various industry sectors.”

  Pausing to allow the waiter to open and pour their champagne, he smiled at Quinn while she tried not to appear too impatient at the interruption.

  After all, it was only her entire livelihood as well as all her hopes and dreams on the line here. Nothing serious at all.

  “I really enjoyed reading the proposal you put together for the council and I think your ideas are on point. According to my research there is a demand locally for tailor made lingerie services."

  "It could be a small gold mine, if you had the right partner to back you. I would like to put together a proposal that would benefit both of us and give you the capital needed to do it properly.”

  Quinn gasped. Surprised and more than a little suspicious of such a generous offer. It almost seemed too good to be true. Her business was a very small one and from what she had heard, Logan’s family had built a veritable empire over the last twenty years.

  Why would they be interested in helping her when they could buy her shop ten times over or simply open a competing store and put her out of business entirely? They certainly had the resources for it.

  She thought about it for a few seconds before responding slowly.

  “Wow, that sounds amazing! But what would the terms be? I am assuming there would be conditions attached to the investment of such a large sum?”

  Taking him a little by surprise with her direct question, Logan chuckled and leaned back in his seat looking amused.

  “I applaud your caution. You can never be too careful when it comes to the business of making money. I assure you that I do not have any intention of stealing from you or backing you into a corner with exclusivity clauses or demands for creative control. I simply want to help.”

  He appeared very sincere, but a small niggling little voice in her head wondered if that really was all he was interested in?

  At the end of the day there was very little choice in the matter for her if she wanted to continue with her business. She was running out of cash fast and with no other backers on the horizon and the council shooting her down like that earlier, it was only a matter of time before everything came crashing down around her.

  Quinn would have to at least consider the proposal.

  “I would have to get my lawyer to look at the proposal of course, - damn, she would have to find a lawyer a.s.a.p. - but if what you say is true, it really does sound like an amazing offer. How did you get a hold of my proposal for the council by the way?”

  He simply shrugged before replying, “Like I said before, information is a commodity that is easy to come by at the right price, when you are motivated enough that is.”

  Slightly unsettled by this loaded reply and needing to clear the air once and for all, Quinn picked up her flute of Champagne, taking a sip before speaking.

  “There is one other thing I feel we should discuss if we are going to be working together.” Smoothing the napkin on her lap nervously she looked up at Logan’s enquiring gaze and tried to explain.

  “I feel like we should keep things on a strictly professional level if we are going to be… um… working together.”

  Stammering to a halt and feeling a little silly, Quinn immediately regretted saying anything at all. There was no way he was interested in her romantically, her gut was obviously wrong.

  Logan had just been flirting casually with her. The man was clearly used to dating much more glamorous, skinny women who probably had legs up to their armpits.

  Convinced now that she had made a terrible mistake, she stared in agonized, embarrassed silence at the linen napkin in her lap, crumpled beyond all repair into a tight ball in her hand.

  “Wow, you really know how to boost a guy’s ego. To be rejected before I even get a chance to make any inappropriate advances is a new one for me.” Surprised at his teasing tone, Quinn looked up to find Logan smiling at her indulgently.

  “That said, I would like to reassure you that your instincts were completely correct and that I have been thinking about the two of us in what you called a “romantic” way.

  “So please do not hold it against me if I admit that I find you very attractive. I am happy to keep things strictly professional though if that is what you want. For now, anyway.”

  Blushing furiously, Quinn simply stared at Logan’s handsome face and piercing blue gaze, trying desperately to string two sensible words together. What now? This was a little more honesty than she expected.

  Feeling out of her depth, Quinn took a deep breath and fought to control her emotions. This was crazy! She would have to be careful or she could get herself into serious trouble with Logan. Somehow she knew that this was not the type of casual fling she could indulge in and walk away from unscathed.

  And he certainly would, walk away that is. They were from completely different worlds. Hers very small and predictable and his the complete opposite of that.

  On the other side of the table Logan was staring at the multitude of emotions crossing Quinn’s face, and wondering if he had made a mistake and pushed her too far too soon. She was a cautious person and though he felt sure that she was attracted to him as well, she may not be ready to admit it to herself.

  He was relieved when she finally seemed to compose herself, taking another sip of her drink before answering.

  “Ok, so… glad that we cleared everything up. You find me attractive, I find you… attractive. Now we can move forward and concentrate on business.” Clearing her throat nervously Quinn looked at Logan and wished she hadn’t.

  He was smiling from ear to ear.

  “So, you find me attractive? Good to know. A man’s self-esteem can only take so much.”

  Blushing again, Quinn threw a quelling glance at Logan across the table before clearing her throat.

  “Well, if you are done gloating. Let me just say that although I appreciate your honesty about the er… fact that you find me attractive and all. I hope that it won’t influence our future business dealings together.”

  Logan smiled to himself as he watched Quinn’s obvious discomfort. He needed to be more careful. If she did not feel comfortable enough to be around him, the game was up. And where was the fun in that?

  Smiling sweetly at her, Logan leaned back in a non-threatening gesture and picking up his glass, raised it in a toast. “Agreed. To our future business endeavors. May they be successful and lucrative.”

  Feeling a bit more relaxed and with excitement now beginning to build at the thought of taking Sexy Inc. Lingerie to the next level, Quinn smiled and tapped her glass lightly against his.

  “To our business endeavor. I promise not to let you down and to work hard
in making it a success.”

  “Oh you could never disappoint me Quinn. I have complete faith in your ability to dazzle me with your many talents.” Hoping that he hadn’t overplayed his hand, Logan kept his expression neutral and serious. It wouldn’t do to rock the boat again so soon.

  Quinn stared at him suspiciously but he just smiled politely. Slightly reassured, Quinn smiled back, feeling a little sad.

  She hadn’t had much time for relationships in the last few years and watching the couples around them laugh and talk, obviously enjoying each other’s company, had made her feel a bit lonely.

  Anyhow, romance was completely off the table now and she would just have to learn to control herself around Logan. This was about saving her beloved business after all.

  Resolving firmly to stop over thinking things so much and enjoy her evening out, Quinn gave herself up to the excellent meal and allowed herself to be charmed by Logan’s witty and thoroughly charming company.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The next morning Quinn was awake earlier than usual. Her mind was racing and unable to go back to sleep, she decided to get up and go to work early.

  Maybe she could get a head start on everything that needed to be done. It was going to be a long day and she needed to keep her wits about her.

  Thoughts of Logan and their dinner the previous night kept distracting her as she drove the short distance to Sexy Inc. and by the time she arrived she had made up her mind to firmly put him out of hers. Business first, daydreams later.

  She had a ton of stuff to get done at the shop on top of which she needed to find an affordable lawyer to look over Logan's proposal. Where on earth would she find one of those?

  Maybe Sarah could help. She was studying part time at a local college and she might know some almost lawyers who do freelance consulting.

  Switching on lights and opening the blinds as she made her way to the back of the shop, Quinn was surprised by a knock on the front door.