“I do have to ask something, though,” he said. “Do you have any other investors who will complicate a transition to Travel, Inc.?”
I shook my head. “Not currently. There are a couple of other companies that I have met with, much like this one, but no forms have been signed yet.” I didn't tell him just how interested a couple of them really had been. I had two other companies completely ready to combine my business with theirs, but Travel, Inc.'s budget blew all of them out of the water. The business prospects of joining with the biggest travel company in the world were the best I could hope for at this point. Logan and Travel, Inc. were the ones I wanted.
“That's good to hear.” His smiled widened, and my heartbeat sped up. I couldn't imagine a sexier smile than the one lighting up his face. He played with a pen on his desk, his eyes never leaving mine. “If you want to continue to be a part of this project, I have some ideas for improvement, if you have the time.”
“That would be wonderful,” I gushed. “I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I have some plans that I think Travel, Inc. would really benefit from.” I'd have rescheduled a date with Brad Pitt for this opportunity. One of the most successful men in business, specifically my field, was offering to go over ideas for improvement. Not to mention the effect he was having on my pulse. I wouldn't have missed this for the world.
He chuckled softly and pressed a key on the phone resting on his desk. “Virginia, hold my calls.”
“Yes, sir,” a voice replied through the intercom.
Logan stood and straightened his jacket as he came around the desk. He sat in the chair next to me, and my heart rate shot up again. By the end of this meeting, I would have had my cardio for the day
“It's easier to talk to you over here. The desk just gets in the way,” he explained nonchalantly. I nodded nervously. Our knees were almost touching here. My mind was imagining all the wonderful things I wanted to do with him. Tangling my fingers in those honey curls. The way those broad shoulders would look without clothes on. The touch of his skin against mine.
“Right,” I stuttered.
Focus, I told myself. He's a billionaire. He could have anyone. He's had supermodels. He's not interested in you. This is just a business tactic.
Flirting and charm were as deadly of weapons in the business world as swords and arrows.
He smiled again, and those brown eyes threatened to swallow me whole. “So, how do you plan on keeping work hours down? Personalizing someone's travel is difficult and time-consuming.”
“I have a form for prospective clients to fill out. I then run it through a computer program that I created specifically with travel customization in mind. The program is actually the basis for my company. Using the customer entries, user ratings, pricing, and some other variables, I created the program to come up with a number of basic vacation plans,” I explained. I tried not to blush when he nodded encouragingly. “Then, with that base, it's easy to customize the trip as needed. Most people actually want very similar vacations, so it's not as much of a time sink as you might think.”
“I see,” he said, nodding once more. A curl fell across his forehead. “Is the program’s vacation planning offered for free initially? Or is there a cost involved?”
“Right now, I'm offering it for free just to gain word of mouth. I'm working on a modified version that will allow very basic trip-planning services for free, with the option of upgrading to the better packages,” I told him. I loved talking about my company. I’d taken such a leap of faith to quit my day job and take this risk, but I was happier than I had been in months. I knew success was within my grasp.
“Interesting,” he said. His knee bumped mine, and I felt an electric rush into my lower belly. I wanted to brush that curl off his forehead so badly my fingers ached. “What else do you have in the works?”
I grinned and proceeded to explain my plans for the future. Logan listened attentively and asked questions that made me stop and think. He was incredibly astute, and his business reputation was undeniably well deserved. In the course of an hour, he had found several small flaws and offered solutions to problems I hadn't foreseen in addition to ones I was struggling with.
“That is the perfect solution,” I said for the umpteenth time. He saw the holes in my fledgling business with an eagle eye, pointing them out and helping me think of the solution. I was in awe and completely crushing on him. Not only was he good-looking, smart, and rich—he was sweet too. I never once felt he was picking on me; rather, I felt he was going out of his way to help me.
The intercom buzzed, diverting his attention away from me. He smiled apologetically and pressed the button.
“I'm very sorry, sir, but Aiden Hayes is here,” the woman on the on the other end stated. Logan looked disappointed.
“Of course he is,” he replied. He let go of the button and sighed. “Well, Olivia, it was a pleasure meeting with you.”
“Likewise,” I said, rising from my seat. My legs felt heavy. I wondered just how long we had been sitting there.
The door to his office opened, and a slicker version of Logan walked in. He was just as tall with a similar build, but with a slightly leaner frame. His hair was the same warm honey-gold color, but instead of Logan's wild curls, he had smoothed his back. He looked richer, if that were possible.
“Logan, you missed the meeting,” he said, giving me the once-over. I smiled nervously, but his face stayed blank. He turned to Logan and gave him a look that I couldn't read.
“I'm aware.” Logan put his hand on my shoulder and walked me to the door of his office. It was a sweet gesture, but his touch made my body sing with want. I was dying for him to touch me all over. He paused with his hand on the door. “Perhaps we can get drinks later? I'd love to continue our discussion.”
I grinned, feeling a blush settle in my cheeks. I felt like the captain of the football team had just asked me to homecoming. “That would be great. You have my number on the proposal.”
He beamed, letting go of my shoulder to shake my hand. We both held it a second longer than was necessary. I giggled as I realize neither of us had let go, then ducked out the door before I could embarrass myself further. He couldn't possibly be interested in me. He just liked my business idea and was a natural flirt.
“Drinks, Logan?” I heard his brother through the door. “You never take clients out for drinks.”
“Not now, Aiden,” came Logan's reply. The secretary guarding his office was giving me the evil eye, so I stepped away from the door before I could hear more. I couldn't stop the grin from spreading across my face as I walked back to the elevator to get to the lobby. I was going to have drinks with Logan Hayes tonight. Things were going better than I could have possibly hoped.
Chapter 3