Sin Bin

by Maureen Smith

  As Meadow’s heart turned to complete mush, it was all she could do not to swoon to the floor.

  “A secret admirer?” Dirk teased.

  She blushed, biting her lip. “It’s from Logan.”

  “Logan?” Phoebe’s eyes morphed into heart emojis. “You mean Logan Brassard?”

  Dirk grinned. “That’s the one.”

  Phoebe beamed at Meadow. “What a lucky girl!”

  “I know.” Meadow smiled softly. “I am.”

  The huge bouquet had lured several curious onlookers from their offices. Among them was a bespectacled brunette in her twenties. She shyly greeted Meadow and introduced herself as Cassidy, one of the company’s UI artists.

  “UI stands for user interface,” Dirk explained to Meadow. “Cassidy designs and implements interfaces for our video games. We’re very lucky to have her on our team.”

  Meadow smiled at Cassidy. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

  “You, too,” Cassidy said, less shy now. “Welcome aboard. Maybe we can go to lunch sometime.”

  “I’d like that,” Meadow said warmly.

  Dirk introduced her to the others, whose job titles ranged from product manager to senior game developer.

  “Is it true that you’re dating Logan Brassard?” someone asked with bold curiosity.

  Heat flooded her cheeks. “Um…”

  Dirk laughed to cover the awkward moment. “All right, everybody. Back to work.” As the crowd slowly dispersed, he gave Meadow an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. The Denver Rebels are kind of a big deal around here.”

  “I figured as much,” she said wryly.

  His blue eyes twinkled. “Let me show you to your office.” He reached for her bouquet of flowers. “I’ll carry this for you—it looks heavy.”

  As he escorted her down the labyrinthine hallway, he reminded her that the company’s amenities included a coffee bar, cafeteria, lounge room and state-of-the-art gym. She’d been there before to sign paperwork, so she didn’t need another tour.

  On the way to her office, they passed several employees in T-shirts and jeans, prompting Meadow to glance down at her fitted skirt suit and ask, “Am I overdressed?”

  “No, you’re fine,” Dirk assured her as they headed down a corridor of glass-fronted offices. “You’re gonna be interacting with the public and meeting with local business leaders. As a company representative, it’s good for you to look as professional as possible.” He smiled. “But you get a reprieve on Casual Fridays. We also have Wacky Wednesdays, where employees are allowed to wear crazy outfits. You’re welcome to participate if you don’t have any offsite meetings that day. Oh, and we also observe Team Spirit Day twice a month, where people wear Denver Rebels jerseys.”

  “Only Denver Rebels?” Meadow asked teasingly. “What about Denver Broncos or Denver Nuggets? And what if I’m a Golden Knights fan? Will I get in trouble for wearing their jersey?”

  “No.” Dirk grinned. “But you might be shunned.”

  She laughed, shaking her head.

  Dirk stopped at the end of a long corridor. “Here we are.”

  She followed him into a glass-fronted corner office with large windows that overlooked the sprawling business park. The sleek décor featured an adjustable desk, two visitor’s chairs, a glass worktable and an orange beanbag chair in the corner.

  Following the direction of her gaze, Dirk explained, “That’s your thinking chair. Every office and cubicle has one. It’s supposed to help stimulate creativity.” He grinned sheepishly. “Like many tech companies, we’ve drawn a bit of inspiration from Google’s workplace design.”

  Meadow grinned. “Everything looks awesome, and I’m sure I’ll make good use of my thinking chair.”

  “Excellent.” Dirk set her massive bouquet on the worktable as she dropped her purse and attaché case in a storage bin next to the desk.

  There was a large Apple iMac computer and wireless keyboard. As she rounded the desk, she saw a welcome basket filled with fruit, candy and cookies.

  “That’s from us.” Dirk grinned sheepishly. “Sorry it’s not as, uh, impressive as Logan’s gift.”

  “It’s perfect,” Meadow assured him with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

  “We’re excited to have you onboard. We want to give you as many reasons as possible to stick around.” He grinned. “The corner office is part of the bribe.”

  Meadow laughed. “I’m definitely not complaining,” she said, sitting in the leather swivel chair.

  “It’s ergonomically correct,” Dirk said.

  “And very comfy.”

  “Awesome.” Dirk grinned and sat in one of the visitor’s chairs. “Hey, I saw you at the game in Vegas.”

  “Really?” Meadow said in surprise. “You were there?”

  “I wish.” He laughed. “No, they showed you on TV when Logan scored.”

  Her throat went dry. “Oh?”

  He nodded. “I was at a watch party with the management team and some of our friends. We got super excited when we saw you sitting with Reid and Viggo’s fiancées. Boy, you make friends fast.”

  “Not really,” she murmured.

  Dirk didn’t seem to hear her. “That was a great game, wasn’t it?” he enthused, leaning back in the chair with a delighted grin. “What a way to close out the regular season.”

  “Totally.” Friday night had been amazing for reasons she wouldn’t dare confide to her boss.

  “The guys and I were telling our friends about the night you and Logan reunited at the team meet-and-greet. We all agreed that he would have showed up sooner if he’d known you were there.” Dirk laughed. “You’re one of the best things that could have ever happened to the Rebels.”

  She gave him a curious look. “How so?”

  “The Rebels are a phenomenal team. Everyone’s picking them to win the Cup, but they need all their big guns firing to make that happen. Logan’s massively talented, but he can be volatile and unpredictable at times.” Dirk smiled at Meadow. “He looked really happy with you that night. The way we figure it, if he’s happy, he’ll play his best hockey and have less meltdowns.”

  “Ahh, now I see,” Meadow said, nodding slowly. “You guys think I’m some sort of Logan-whisperer. Like I’m the only one who can keep him under control.”

  Dirk’s grin floundered. “Well, I mean, you were at the last game and he stayed out of trouble. He didn’t get into a single fight. He didn’t even receive any penalties for roughing, crosschecking, slashing—nothing. That’s pretty rare for him.”

  Meadow stared at Dirk, struck by an unsettling thought. “You didn’t hire me because of my friendship with Logan, did you?”

  “What?” Dirk looked stricken. “Of course not!”

  Meadow frowned, not entirely convinced.

  Dirk sat forward in the chair, looking her in the eye. “You were hands down the best candidate for the job, Meadow. For starters, your background in social work satisfied our first prerequisite. You have an advanced degree with valuable internships under your belt, most notably your important relief work in Botswana. You have eight years of proven experience fundraising, coordinating events, working with disadvantaged youth and serving the community. Believe me, Meadow, you bring immense value to the table. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”

  She felt herself relaxing into her chair. “I just wanted to make sure. I mean, the night of my interview, Logan told you guys to hire me.”

  “He did,” Dirk acknowledged with a smile. “But you already had the job at that point. You were our top candidate even before you arrived at the arena. By the first intermission, it was unanimous.” His smile turned sheepish. “Are we super stoked about your relationship with Logan? You bet we are. But it’s just an added bonus, something we can brag about to our peers. And, yes, we have been bragging. A lot. But I can assure you that you got this job on your own merit. So please put your doubts to rest.”

  Meadow studied him a moment longer, then nodded slowly an
d smiled. “Thank you for the reassurance.”

  “Of course. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. You’re here because of you and no one else.”

  “Glad to hear it.” She cleared her throat. “Um, if you don’t mind, I’d like to share some ideas that will require fairly aggressive deadlines—”

  “Wow.” Dirk looked pleased. “Sounds like you’re ready to hit the ground running.”

  “I told you I would be.”

  “Yes, you certainly did.” Dirk grinned and glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting in twenty minutes. So maybe you could just go over one idea and then we can discuss the rest later this week.”

  “All right.” Meadow folded her hands on top of her desk, her expression sobering as she began speaking. “When children in foster care move from home to home, they carry everything they own in black trash bags. As a former foster child, I remember what it was like to have my social worker show up and tell me that I had to go to another foster home. I remember feeling confused and unwanted as I stuffed my belongings in a trash bag, lugged it outside and placed it in the trunk of my social worker’s car. I remember climbing into the backseat, staring out the window and wondering how long it would be before I had to move again. Being repeatedly displaced is traumatic and devastating to foster children. You start believing that you don’t deserve a permanent home like normal kids. Not only that, but carrying your belongings in a trash bag sends the message that you’re worthless. That your life has no more value than garbage.”

  Dirk’s expression softened with compassion. “I’ve never thought of that.”

  Meadow nodded. “Most people aren’t aware of the practice. When I worked for DFS, I used to buy duffel bags for the children in my care. I’m grateful that a growing number of nonprofit organizations are providing duffel bags and supplies to foster kids. I’d like to launch our own community initiative to start donating what I call ‘care bags,’ which will be stocked with a warm blanket, socks, hygiene products, a stuffed animal, a coloring book and crayons. We can hold a community fair where volunteers show up to decorate the bags that will be distributed to local children in foster care. During my interview, you told me that we have a generous budget for social outreach programs—”

  “We do,” Dirk enthusiastically confirmed. “We don’t have to raise funds for the duffel bags and supplies. We can purchase those with no problem.”

  “Perfect.” Meadow beamed. “I was thinking we could have carnival rides, cotton candy, popcorn, funnel cake, snow cones—the works. We could give out fun prizes for the most creatively decorated care bags, and maybe we could set up a demo booth to let people play one of our upcoming video games that hasn’t been released yet.”

  “Like they do at E3 and Comic Con.” Dirk’s eyes were shining with excitement, making him look downright boyish. “That’s a fantastic idea!”

  Meadow grinned, encouraged by his response. “I shared my ideas with Logan and he was totally stoked. Like me, he remembers carrying his trash bag from place to place, and he wholeheartedly agrees that foster children deserve better. He said he and his teammates will come to the community fair and show their support.”

  Dirk’s face lit up even brighter. “Their presence would pretty much guarantee a huge turnout.”

  “That’s what I told him.” Meadow’s grin softened to a smile. “The fair will provide great publicity for the company while allowing us to give back to the most vulnerable children in our community.”

  “I agree one thousand percent, and I must say that I’m thoroughly impressed.” Dirk leaned forward and gave her an enthusiastic high five. “See, that’s why we hired you. Don’t ever doubt it.”

  She smiled.

  Dirk clapped his hands together. “Speaking of publicity, we need to get you set up on Twitter and Facebook.”

  Her smile faltered, nerves tightening.

  Dirk gave her a rueful look. “I know you explained during the interview that you’re not fond of social media. Honestly, that was the only concern we had about hiring you. We totally respect your views, but the reality is that we live in a tech-driven world that demands global connectivity. Our corporate social responsibility manager has to have a strong social media presence. There’s just no way to get around that.”

  Meadow forced a smile. “Of course. I completely understand.”

  “I knew you would.” Dirk gave her an approving grin. “Welcome aboard, Meadow. I can’t wait to see what other brilliant ideas you’ve got up your sleeve.” He slapped his thighs lightly and stood up. “And now I’m off to my meeting. By the way, we’re taking you to lunch at eleven, so don’t make any plans.”

  “I won’t.” She smiled at him. “Thank you again for this great opportunity.”

  “Thank you for accepting the challenge.” He winked and headed for the door. “Oh, before I forget. You have new employee orientation tomorrow. It’s at Venue 221 in Cherry Creek North. I’ll have Phoebe send you the address. It’s close to downtown. You’ll be there until three and lunch will be provided.”

  “So I won’t be coming into the office tomorrow?”

  “Nope. We’ll see you on Wednesday.” Dirk’s eyes twinkled. “Don’t forget to call you-know-who to thank him for the flowers.”

  Meadow quirked a teasing brow. “Is that an order?”

  Dirk just laughed and went out the door.

  Smiling to herself, Meadow took out her phone and called Logan.

  He answered on the second ring, his deep voice flooding her veins with delicious heat. “Hey, you.”

  “Hi.” She sounded breathy. “I had the most wonderful surprise waiting for me at work this morning.”

  “Yeah?” Logan drawled. “What kind of surprise?”

  “The kind of surprise that makes a girl feel unbelievably special and cherished.”

  “You are unbelievably special and cherished.”

  “Apparently so.” She was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. “Thank you for the gorgeous flowers, Logan. What you wrote was beautiful, and the Belgian chocolates are also very much appreciated.”

  He chuckled. “You know I gotta look out for my fellow chocoholic.”

  She grinned. “I’ll try to save you a few truffles, but I make no promises.”

  He laughed. “Damn. So it’s like that?”

  “Yup,” she giggled, leaning back in her chair. “So what’re you doing? Getting ready for practice?”

  “Yeah.” His voice went low and husky. “I miss you.”

  Her belly quivered as a flood of seductive memories swamped her senses. His touch still lingered on her body and she wanted more. So much more.

  “I miss you, too,” she said softly.

  “I missed waking up with you this morning.”

  “Same,” she confessed. “I sleep better with you holding me.”

  His tortured groan made her smile as she swiveled her chair around to stare out the window. “So what’re you doing tonight?”

  He sighed deeply before answering. “The guys and I are getting in some extra ice time. With playoffs starting on Friday, we’re kicking into high gear with more practices and workouts.”

  “Gotcha.” Meadow smiled.

  “Why don’t you meet me at the practice arena after work?” Logan suggested. “By the time you get there, we should be finishing up. Then you and I can go to dinner before heading back to my place.”

  “Dinner sounds good,” she hedged. “Not sure about the sleepover.”

  He groaned. “C’mon, baby. It’s bad enough I didn’t get to see you yesterday when we got back from Vegas—”

  “I know,” she said with a guilty sigh. “I wanted to see you, but Cameron missed me while I was gone, and he asked me to stay home for dinner and watch a movie with him. You know I couldn’t disappoint my Bear. He’s hardly seen me since I moved to Denver.”

  Logan chuckled. “I’m definitely not trying to get on the little guy’s bad side. But I really want you to stay over tonight, Jupe. I wanna be with
you.”

  “I wanna be with you, too,” she almost whimpered.

  “Then spend the night. In fact, spend the week with me—”

  “The whole week?”

  “At least until playoffs start.” His voice became soft and cajoling. “C’mon, baby. Tell the little guy I need to borrow you for a while.”

  She laughed. “Borrow me? What am I, a library card?”

  He chuckled softly. “Just say yes.”

  She stared out the window, chewing her bottom lip.

  “Say yes,” Logan cajoled.

  She sighed helplessly. “Okay. I’ll stay over.”

  “Awesome.” She could hear the satisfied grin in his voice. “Tell Cam I’ll make it up to him.”

  She smiled. “Let him beat you at the hockey game and he’ll call it even.”

  Logan laughed. “Deal.”

  * * *

  Later that morning, cassidy showed up at Meadow’s office with a beautiful twentysomething Indian woman named Priya, who worked as a lead software engineer.

  “We’re taking a coffee break,” Priya said after she and Meadow exchanged warm pleasantries. “Wanna join us?”

  “Sure,” Meadow agreed.

  They headed to the coffee bar, ordered lattes and sat at a small table with a bright orange top. It didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to Meadow’s love life.

  “You’re so lucky to be dating a hot guy like Logan Brassard,” Priya said enviously.

  “Totally lucky.” Cassidy stared at Meadow, looking awed. “What’s he like?”

  Meadow tucked her hair behind her ear. “Well, um—”

  “We’re not asking about his bedroom skills.” Priya winked. “We’ll save that for our next coffee break.”

  Cassidy laughed as Meadow blushed.

  “Is he a good kisser? I bet he’s an amazing kisser,” Priya gushed.

  “Totally,” Cassidy agreed with a dreamy sigh. “His lips look so soft and sexy.”

  “Very.” Priya looked ready to swoon. “I bet he smells good, too. He looks like he smells good.”