Club Destiny 1 Conviction (5 page)

“Very well, thank you. And you?”

For a second, Logan didn’t know
what she was saying, but then he realized where he was and what he was supposed
to be doing. This was a job interview. Sort of.

“I’ll be doing much better after
this conversation as long as it goes as well as I hope it will.” Logan engaged
her in conversation, hoping to try and ease some of his own anxiety.

It was strange this reaction he
was having to her.

Leaning back in his chair so as
not to be sitting right in front of the web cam, Logan tried to appear
nonchalant. He knew he was failing miserably.

Obviously, she had a difficult
time trying to appear poised and unaffected, if her blush was anything to go
by. When she sat up a little straighter in her chair, Logan realized she was
trying to get comfortable, as well. He wondered if she was having the same
reaction to him as he was to her. Hell, he hoped not because this was entirely
unprofessional.

“I’m not sure what your
definition of well is, but why don’t we just get down to business?” She stated
and then all pretenses were gone.

The woman looking back suddenly went
into complete, professional mode. Logan hoped to take some notes from her.
Instead of saying anything more, he waited for her to continue.

“I spoke with James earlier this
morning, and he filled me in. Albeit briefly.”

“Why don’t I shed some more light
on it then?” Logan said and leaned forward again in his chair. “As he might
have told you, we have an opening for a Vice President of Project Operations
position here in our Dallas office, and I’m hoping to persuade you to join my
team.”

“James wasn’t very forthcoming
with the details, but he shared your interest in talking to me.” Samantha
stated with more confidence than Logan anticipated. “I will let you know as I
did him, it’ll require a little bit of a sell to get me to make my final
decision.”

Logan couldn’t hold back the
laugh. He liked her immediately. Straight forward, honest. This woman was
exactly what his team needed.

“Is that right? Well, good thing,
that’s what they pay me for. I’m sure I have some information that will
interest you. Before we get into the heart of this call, do you have any
questions for me?”

“I actually have plenty, but
before I ask, I’d really like to hear more about the position and what it
entails.”

Spunky. That’s the word he’d use
to describe her personality. And he liked the fact she didn’t seem intimidated
by him. With the position he held within the company, not to mention his
tenure, Logan often found most of the people he encountered seemed to have
difficulty in carrying on a conversation with him. He leaned back in his chair
once more and contemplated his next move.

He never had the opportunity to
meet the woman in person; however, her reputation preceded her. Like Alex
reminded him, Xavier Thomas did seem to be enthralled with Samantha Kielty, and
if their encounter was anything compared to this one, Logan fully understood
why.

It seemed that almost the moment
he received the resignation from his current Vice President of Project
Operations, Xavier had been at his door asking who he planned to hire as his
replacement. Samantha’s name had come up in that conversation, so here he was.

As impressed as he was by her to
this point, Logan still had concerns over how she would be accepted within the
Dallas office. Not to mention, he was a bit put off by his own overwhelming
attraction to her. And the fact that he wouldn’t be the only male in the office
who would have this reaction to her.

She wasn’t just pretty, and she
couldn’t be classified as beautiful. No, those words were not powerful enough
for what he saw. She was breathtaking. Her light green, almond shaped eyes and
long, dark blond hair captivated him. And it had been a very long time since
he’d been captivated by anyone. Realizing they only had thirty minutes
scheduled, Logan decided to get right to the point.

“I’ll start by telling you why I
chose you for this opportunity.” He began, watching intently for any sort of
question in her expression. “Jeff Henson has chosen to leave the company, and
although he has made some impressive contributions to this position, I’m
looking for the person who can take this role to the next level. Based on my
research, all signs are pointing to you as being that person.

“And by research, I can tell you
we looked long and hard at the potential candidates. I’ve had conversations
with the managers and support personnel who report into you, and they sing your
praises quite loudly.”

“I appreciate the kind words,”
Sam began, “and it humbles me to know my employees keep me in high regards, but
that also has me questioning why I should take this position. Don’t get me
wrong, I’m interested. If I wasn’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,
but I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around what this job entails and
how it fits into my career path.” Samantha’s clearly articulated voice rang
through the speaker on his desk.

At this point, Samantha had only
said a few sentences, but Logan couldn’t help but like her even more for the
position. And Banten was right; she was going to be a tough sell.

“I know the title may sound a
little inflated, but I assure you, this is a key role in moving the company to
the next level.

“As you know already, our sales
teams are driving some of the highest revenue this company has ever seen. With
that being said, we’re in need of some upgrades to our current systems, both
our order management and our compensation systems the sales teams utilize on a
daily basis. This includes our software programs that supply our sales
representatives with the most up to date product information, capture our sales
as well as pay out our sales teams.

“The projects have been lined
out, the budgets have been established, and now we need to work to get them
underway. I have an extremely strict timeline in mind and need someone who can
drive them to completion.”

“How many other prospects have
you interviewed?”

Logan was surprised by her direct
question, but he was skilled at what he did and managed to answer her without
hesitation.

“Up to this point, I’ve
considered five in total, including you. I’ve interviewed two external candidates,
but you’re the only internal candidate I’ve spoken with.” Logan gave her the
information freely. He wasn’t sure where she was going with the question, but
he was interested in finding out. “Is that enough?”

When she smiled back at him,
Logan’s heart kicked into high gear. The woman was gorgeous, and when she
smiled, she lit up the room. He wasn’t sure if she had expected him to evade
her question, but she seemed to be satisfied with his response. For some
reason, that made him feel good.

“I think that’s a decent start.
From what you’re telling me, the others didn’t fare as well as I did in the
consideration process? At least not the internal candidates?”

Brazen and bold. He’d add those
two adjectives to his list of things he liked about this woman. “That is what
I’m telling you.”

Logan had heard others describe
her as honest and even ruthless. At this point, he’d have to agree with their
feedback.

“How many projects are we talking
about and when you refer to a strict timeline, what is your estimate? I ask
that because I would have to be able to see the project outlines, full
timelines and speak to some of the staff before I could fully commit to any
amount of time. As you’ve probably heard, I’m extremely inflexible in my
deadlines; however, I’m immensely thorough before outlining my expectations.
It’s crucial to set my team up for success.”

“My timeline is aggressive, and I
don’t mind telling you that up front. I’m looking for a full implementation
within twelve months, and stabilization to take no more than one quarter after
that. I expect the rollouts to be incremental, since we have multiple systems
that must be integrated in order to accomplish the ultimate goal.”

If the expression on her face was
anything to go by, Samantha was a little surprised by his timeline. He wasn’t
sure if she thought it was too much time or too little.

“I admit I hadn’t expected quite
that much time. And you’re stating that’s aggressive, so I’m curious as to the
details of the project plan. I’m always up for a challenge, but again, before I
can commit to any sort of timeline, I must have discussions with my team so I
can better understand the requirements.”

Logan definitely liked her, and
he was even more convinced she was the right person for the job. Either that or
she just knew the right things to say.

“Jeff has had the opportunity to
address some of the requirements, which he and the team have documented. I
would expect you to take a look at the project plan, discuss with the
programmers and your team and provide me with your final requirements.”

“Since you’re talking more than a
year, do you have the details of the relocation package?”

Logan noticed the confused look
on her face, and he suspected she was just as surprised by her own question as
he was.

Logan bit back the smile that
threatened.

Score
.

“Under normal circumstances, we’d
consider corporate housing, but that is generally for six months or so. Since
you’ll be living in the Dallas area for an undisclosed amount of time, we’ll
provide you with a substantial relo package that should get you settled.
Assuming you own your own home, we’ll offer to purchase it from you or we’ll
pay the mortgage payments while you’re here, if you prefer. That’s about all of
the details I have, but the recruiter will be able to provide you with the
specifics.” Logan paused to see if she would comment. When she didn’t, he
continued. “I’m also prepared to offer you a permanent relocation package.”

“Permanent?”

“Samantha, I realize you may need
to discuss this with your husband before you make a final decision.” Logan
finished.

“Since I don’t have one of those,
I’ll be making the final decision on my own.” She grinned sweetly. “I would
like the opportunity to meet with my potential staff prior to making my final
decision. Oh, and, please call me Sam. Only my mother still calls me Samantha,
and that’s when she’s upset with me for something.”

Logan hadn’t expected the flood
of relief that came with her answer. He hadn’t even realized he’d set her up
for an answer until after the words had come out, but there it was. Rather than
dwell on his personal interest, which couldn’t make it any further than his
darkest fantasies anyway, Logan decided to seal the deal.

“I’d like for you to be in the
position no later than June 1
^st
. That gives you three weeks to tie
up loose ends there, as well as come up here for a couple of days to speak with
the team.”

“Three weeks? Are you always that
aggressive with your deadlines?” This time she laughed and Logan liked the
sound of it. “Mr. McCoy –”

Logan cut her off before she
could go any further. “Please, call me Logan. There are no formalities here.”
He responded, watching as she wrote something on a sheet of paper sitting in
front of her. Whatever it was, she appeared intent on jotting down the
information.

“Logan,” Samantha began a little
reluctantly, “as you may know, I have a couple of very large projects in the
works here, and I’d like the opportunity to transition them successfully to my
replacement, should I choose to accept the position.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.
The next step would be for you to come to Dallas, I would suggest you do this
sooner rather than later and then you can hire your replacement and pass on
your current responsibilities. I fully understand if you need a little extra
time, but I will request that you do this as quickly as possible during the
next few weeks.”

“Yes sir. If James is in
agreement, I’ll plan to be in Dallas on Monday, then I’ll return later in the
week to interview and hire my replacement.”

Logan couldn’t help but feel the
excitement in the way she seemed to be accepting the position, even if she
didn’t realize she was. “Samantha, I appreciate you taking the time to
entertain this offer, and as I have informed James, I believe this is a
mutually beneficial opportunity. I hope you’ll consider it.”

“Mr. McC—, I mean Logan, you have
my word that I’ll do what it takes to ensure this is the right step for the
company as well as for me. I’m flattered that you’ve considered me for the
position, and I look forward to meeting you in person while I’m in Dallas next
week.”

Logan looked forward to meeting
her more than he probably should, but he couldn’t entertain that idea. “Have a
great weekend, Sam and I look forward to meeting you as well.”

And that was probably a bigger
problem than he ever anticipated.

Sam watched the screen turn
black. She was momentarily dumbstruck. For the last thirty minutes, she’d put
on the most noteworthy performance of her career thus far. And she had been
totally out of her element, but somehow she’d put on a professional smile and
muddled her way through the important details.