Eclipse of the Heart (10 page)

"So far, his bark is worse than his bite." Amanda
smiled. "Let's hope I never learn differently."

"I've been here five years. As long as you work your
tail off and never screw up, he's fine to work for."

"That's reassuring." She couldn't help the wry
twist to her smile.

"Hey, on another subject."
Josh raised his brows. "Some of us go out for a drink on Friday after
work. Care to join us?"

"Sure." She smiled. Perfect.

"You too, Rosie."
Josh
nodded at her.

"I'm busy," she answered, "but you all have a
good time."

"Join us if you change your mind." The elevator
dinged and Josh moved toward it. "Six o'clock.
The Zebra
Bar.
Right here in the building."

Amanda nodded her acceptance.

Excellent.
Josh was a perfect
candidate for temporary boyfriend. Not only was he friendly and personable, she
actually liked him. It was an added bonus that she'd be seeing him in the
company of their co-workers. That should help to squash any rumors about her
and Logan.

Rosie raised her eyebrows, and nodded at Josh's receding
back. "You could do worse."

"Nice guy." Amanda leaned over to speak quietly.
"But it's time to think weddings, Rosie."

"Already?"
Rosie's eyes
turned as round as Christmas balls.

"Already?"
Amanda
repeated. "What the heck do you mean?"

"You and Logan—"

Amanda's gasp was followed by a giggle. "You couldn't
possibly think—" She waved back at the office she'd just left.

"I certainly could." Rosie narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not blind,
ya
know."

"You haven't heard his lines?" Amanda lowered her
voice to the deepest range she could manage. "'I don't date. I don't do
relationships.'" They laughed together.

"He doesn't need those lines with me," Rosie said.
"I'm certainly not his type."

"Me neither," Amanda agreed. "But a wedding
might be the kind of event you don't take your hired sex buddy to, so I'm
elected to be the sacrificial victim."

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it."

Amanda laughed. "It's the only way. My problem now is
finding something appropriate to wear."

Rosie pursed her lips. "You need a wedding dress."

"A dress for a wedding, Rosie."
Amanda shook her head. "Not a wedding dress."

Rosie grinned, unrepentant.
"Just
amusing myself."

Amanda sighed, repressing the thoughts Rosie's words
conjured. "It's a Saturday night wedding," she said.
"Black tie.
I can go simple."

"Negative." Rosie thumped a hand on her desk.
"You're going to go smashing."

The wedding, Logan had told her, was being held at an estate
in Westchester County. With Rosie's help, Amanda had found the perfect gown at
a resale shop downtown. The bias cut and careful tailoring of the blue gown
transformed her body into something both svelte and curvaceous. Rosie had
decreed no jewelry other than earrings.

"The way that dress displays your
tatas
,"
Rosie said, "you don't want any other distractions."

Amanda clapped a hand to her chest. "It's not too
revealing, is it?"

Rosie shook her head.
"Suggestive,
not revealing.
If Logan doesn't want you for himself, he's gonna have to
fight off other guys."

Amanda laughed. "You're good for my ego, anyway."

"You call me no matter what time you get home and spill
all the details."

But as soon as Logan arrived to pick her up, Amanda had no
time to think of anything but the magic of the unfolding evening. When Logan
had buzzed her apartment, she hadn't let him in, instead telling him through the
intercom that she'd be right down. She didn't want to give the impression that
she thought this might be a date.

He was standing in the small lobby when the elevator opened,
a slight frown between his brows. "I would have come up," he said.

"No problem." She breezed by him, though not
before she saw the quick up and down glance he gave her. Her feet tingled in
the high-heeled sandals she'd splurged on. She refused to think about her
motivation for spending the money, because she was determined not to address
the issue of why she wanted to look sexy for him.

He followed close behind, reaching around her to push open
the front door.

"It's so pretty," she exclaimed. A light snow was
falling, with an inch or two of white glitter softening the hard lines of the
city.

"Those shoes will get ruined in the snow." Logan
scooped her up and carried her through the door.

"Hey!" She was too surprised to do more than grab
him and hang on. With a half dozen long strides, they'd reached the car door
held open by Felipe. Logan leaned in and deposited her neatly in the middle of
the back seat. When he climbed in and settled beside her, she realized that she
should have moved aside. His broad shoulders nudged hers, and his left thigh
was dangerously close to her right.

The door closed behind him with a soft click, cocooning them
in darkness. She could smell him, hot and male. Something fluttered in her
stomach.

"You look lovely," he said, his deep voice low and
somehow intimate in the luxurious confines of the car. He raised his arm and
placed it on the seat back behind her, not touching her, but shielding her
within the frame of his body.

She couldn't move now. It would be too obvious and awkward.
But she didn't lean back either. He was her boss, not her date. She had to remember
that.

"Relax," he said.

They traveled through the brightly lit city and into the
darker countryside. She managed to ask him about the bride and groom, how he
knew them, and who she might expect to meet. He answered all of her frantic
questions, the amused note in his calm voice the only sign that she wasn't
fooling him about her nervousness.

Luckily, when they reached the mansion, an awning stretched
out from the front door to the enormous sweep of the driveway. She was able to
alight from the car with only the assistance of Logan's hand. But her fingers
tingled, even through their gloves, when he drew her hand into his grasp.

He placed her hand on his bent arm. "Better hold
on," he said.
"Might be icy."

They walked up a short flight of broad, shallow steps lined
with miniature fir trees twinkling with golden fairy lights. The grand entrance
foyer sparkled with more lights from a huge Waterford chandelier, wall sconces
and numerous, flickering white candles.  Huge bouquets of colorful flowers
decorated and perfumed the space. An unseen quartet played background music.

Logan was hailed on all sides by men whose black and white
formality set off the colorful beauty of their perfectly polished women.

For just a moment, Amanda regretted her decision to come.
She wouldn't know anyone and had no hope of fitting in with this sophisticated
crowd.

But then Logan placed his warm hands on her shoulders,
removed her coat and handed it to one of the staff. When she turned to face
him, she sucked in a breath of wonder. She'd never seen him in a tuxedo, of
course, but he wore the formal dress as if born to it. The jacket was perfectly
tailored to his broad shoulders, and the snow white shirt contrasted elegantly
with his dark good looks.

But the real ego booster was the warmth in his eyes when he
looked at her. He slipped an arm around her waist, warming her in the hall,
which was cooled by the constantly opening front door. He leaned closer to be
heard over the high noise level. "You'll be meeting a large number of
people. I'll let you know when it's someone I'd really like you to know."
He squeezed her waist gently, but did not pull away, even when she nodded.

"
Mmmm
," he said,
"you smell good."

"Thanks," she muttered. He shouldn't be making
personal comments. But now he was threading them through the crowd, his firm
arm around her making her feel secure in a totally inappropriate way.

Angry with her own response, more than with him, she issued
a low-voiced warning. "You should remove your arm."

His fingers tightened a bit. "I don't want all these
men to think you're available."

"I
am
available."

"Not tonight."

She couldn't respond since a beautiful couple was hailing
Logan.

One warning squeeze and then Logan was introducing her to
the tall, fair-haired man, who turned out to be his roommate from college.
David and his equally fair wife, June, looked at Amanda with bright
curiosity.  "I'm so pleased to meet you," June said with a
smile. "We never see Logan with a date."

"I'm not exactly—"

"June," Logan broke in. "Amanda is new to
this group. Please help her feel comfortable."

"Of course."
June drew
her to the side as the men headed for one of the bars. "How do you know
Logan?"

"We work together."

"You do?" June's blue eyes widened. "I never would
have expected Logan to date someone who works for him."

"We're not dating." Amanda had to make it clear.
Who knows, maybe she really could meet someone interesting here. But no one
would approach her if they thought she was on a date.

"Okay." June didn't try to hide her skepticism.
"But don't tell Logan that." She winked at Amanda as the two men
approached with champagne for everyone.

Amanda took one of the delicate flutes, but resolved to sip
very slowly. Even though the champagne was delicious, bright and sparkly, she
couldn't afford to get tipsy. Luckily, they moved soon into the large reception
room where the vows were being said. She was able to leave the champagne
behind.

The ceremony was short, but beautiful. The auburn-haired
bride wore a stunningly simple, cream gown, and the groom looked almost as
handsome as Logan in his black tux. Amanda had to suppress a slight pang of
envy toward a couple who seemed to have everything. But she was able to
sincerely wish them well in the reception line, and then she and Logan, still
in the company of David and June, moved into a grand ballroom lined with tables
for dinner. A dozen musicians were playing there, and a large crowd was dancing
and enjoying the fast rock beat and the smoky-voiced singer.

"We're at table two," David announced. "I'm
sure you are as well."

Once they found their seats, David and June excused
themselves. "Got to do my duty on the dance floor," David joked.

"Let's join them." Logan held out a hand.

"We really shouldn't dance. You're my boss."

"Not tonight." He swept her into his arms.
"We're going to dance."

She wanted to argue. She knew she should argue. But she
loved to dance, and his arms possessed a magic she was helpless to resist.

Within minutes, she knew that Logan was an excellent dancer.
No matter what she did, even if she missed a step, he was there. Catching here,
twirling her in dizzying circles, pulling her close when the movement allowed.

His expertise made them conspicuous, and people were
watching. The band played all kinds of popular tunes, and the crowd jumped and
gyrated, often in time to the music, often randomly. But Logan managed to find
the beat in every song.

"Rumba?" he'd ask, smiling down at her and she'd
move into his arms, each time with a little more comfort.

"Salsa?"

She could do the
basics,
courtesy
of a ballroom dance class she'd taken in college to fulfill the gym
requirement. But she wished she could stop and merely watch him. His hips
mesmerized her, gyrating to the music while his upper body held a still frame
perfectly, so that he didn't thrash about as so many men did when dancing.

"You like to dance?" he asked when the band
stopped for a moment.

"Love it."

And never more so than tonight.
She
didn't know if she'd ever danced to such a good live band. Of course, she knew
that was money talking, but she might as well enjoy it. She'd definitely never
had such an accomplished partner.

"Where'd you learn to dance so well?" she asked.
"Doesn't really go with the corporate image."

"I have a good sense of rhythm." He began to move
as the band started a new song.

"Someone taught you the steps." His refusal to
answer personal questions was so frustrating.

"Girlfriend," he said briefly, his tone
discouraging further questions.
"A long time ago."

"Of course."
She stepped
back from him. "Could we sit down for a minute? I need to catch my
breath."

"Certainly."
He followed
her over to the table where June sat alone now, talking on her phone. But
before they could sit down, a sexy brunette swished up to Logan and flung her
arms around him.

"Dance with me," she
invited,
her tone sure, her eyes laughing. Her Christmas-red silk sheath identified her
as one of the bridesmaids, a sophisticated, glamorous attendant, not the kind
who had to dress in pale ruffles so as not to outshine the bride.

"Excuse me for just a moment." Logan held out a
chair for Amanda. After pushing it in, he leaned over, his warm male scent
washing over her. "I'll be back shortly," he said.

June clicked off her phone. "Babysitter," she said
with a small grimace.

"Problems?"

"Nothing serious.
My twins
thought it would be fun to go sledding in the dark. They almost had the sitter
convinced we do that all the time." Her dry tone was belied by her smile.

"How old are they?"

"Eight going on four."
She laughed. "They're cute, but not half as much fun to watch as a grown
man."