The Billionaire's Kiss (Scandal, Inc) (9 page)

"Good. You're going to lose this one." As Logan spoke, Callie watched trouble walk into the room, 5' 8" of trouble with dark brown hair, full lips and even fuller breasts. She wore a tight black dress that accentuated her curves. Half of the men in the bar were already drooling over her, and the other half simply hadn't seen her yet. It was like the whole center of gravity in the room had shifted to her. The woman took one look towards Logan and started heading over toward him. Callie's heart skipped a beat as she wondered what to do. The first step was to play it cool.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," she said.

"Nonsense," Logan replied. "You're only bailing on it because a hot woman just walked in. This bet is on."
 

Callie looked around the room some more and wondered what to do. She couldn't leave Logan alone with the brunette, and she couldn't back down on their little wager either. She just needed some time to figure out a plan.

"Well, I'm going to run to the bathroom before I find some unsuspecting man to wrap around my little finger."

"Take all the time you need. Your seat might be occupied when you get back though."

Callie grabbed her purse and headed off to the bathroom. She grabbed her phone and placed a call as she made her way across the restaurant. She needed advice, and she needed it quickly.
 

"Amy, it's me, I need to talk," she said. She pushed her way into the bathroom and leaned over the sink.

"What's up?" Amy asked. Callie could hear Ethan and Vi in the background talking loudly.
 

"Is this a bad time?"
 

"We're en route to a fundraiser, you have about two minutes."
 

"Logan is hitting on a brunette at the bar."
 

"Well, is that supposed to be news?"
 

"I think he's going to try to bring her home."
 

"So stop him. You're resourceful. Figure out some way to distract him."
 

Callie took a long, slow breath, counting as she inhaled and exhaled. "I've got it," she said. "I can handle this."
 

"Has he driven you crazy yet?"

"I've wanted to strangle him since I've gotten here. He just has a way of being so irritating."

Amy laughed. "As long as you're not falling for him, we're in good shape," she said.
 

"Any news on the legislation?"

"Still on schedule. We'll have you home in two weeks. Try to enjoy your time out of DC. Remember to stay low key. The less he notices you, the better."

"I'll try, but the way things are going, I feel like I'm going to need a vacation from my vacation."
 

"We'll see."
 

"Send Ethan and Vi my love," Callie said. She hung up the phone and looked at herself in the mirror. "You're just doing your job," she said. "There's nothing more to this." Then she slid her phone back into her purse and straightened her hair. It was time to end her contest with Logan and end his flirtation with the brunette. Callie couldn't believe what she was about to do.

She caught Logan's eye across the room as she walked over to him. He gave her a knowing smile, and he seemed quite pleased with himself. Things must have been going well with the brunette. He probably thought he was winning. He must have bought her a drink and laid on his charm. The poor guy had no idea what he had coming. Callie couldn't help but notice how he kept his eyes on her and not the brunette as she got closer.

Ignoring the other woman, Callie leaned into Logan and whispered, "I win."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Who?" he asked as he looked around the room. "You haven't even talked to anyone else."

 
"I didn't have to," Callie said. She leaned in closer and pressed her lips against his. She just had to kiss him long enough to scare off the brunette, but as she leaned into Logan and kissed him, something strange happened. Callie felt a thrill run through her body as Logan pulled her tighter against himself and returned her advances, sliding his tongue against hers, sending waves of warmth through her body. He kept his hand firm against her back and held her there. She didn't know what she had expected, but the tenderness of Logan's embrace had caught her off guard, and Callie forgot all about why she was kissing him and let herself melt into his arms.

She let out a little breath and kissed him again. She wanted more. Oh, God, she wanted more. This was bad. This was oh so very bad. And good. And bad. What in the world had made her think that kissing Logan was a good idea? She knew that she should pull back and make some witty remark, but she couldn't. She didn't want to do anything but keep herself locked against him. Somewhere, deep inside her mind a siren blared:
Get out! Get out before its too late!
Callie sighed and pulled back from the kiss, letting her nose rest against Logan's nose as she looked into his eyes. What was he going to say now?
 

Logan grinned. Maybe it was just Callie's imagination, but he looked half-dazed. "Now I have to think of something else to ask for when I win our other bet," he said.

Callie tried to snap back to reality. "I guess I'll have to think of something else too," she said. More than anything, she wanted to lean in for a second kiss, but she was afraid that if she did so, she'd never stop. "I have to go. Maybe I'll see you around," she said. She pushed herself back from Logan and turned for the door.

She had just done the one thing she had been warned not to do. She had kissed Logan Harris, and she had liked it. As she stepped out onto the sidewalk, Callie tried to catch her breath. There was no taking that kiss back, so what should she do next?

Six

The week had been a blur. The harder Logan tried to finish the last of his work at the brewery, the quicker new problems seemed to pop up. All he wanted was to step aside, hand over the business and turn his attention back to Callie. She was still a mystery. It had been almost a week since he had kissed her right there at the bar, and yet she acted like nothing had happened between them. She didn't act awkward or keep her distance. She just put on a cheerful face and pretended like they were simply good acquaintances.

Like hell they were.
Logan had kissed his fair share of women, and none of them, not one, had ever left him hanging the way Callie had. How she could act like she hadn't felt the electricity between them was beyond him. It was maddening. Maybe this was her thing, maybe she enjoyed making men want her, popping up here and there at random moments, just when they were able to put her out of their minds.
 

She seemed to have a special talent for that, just appearing whenever he thought of her, which was often. If she hadn't so steadfastly declined his invitations to join him, he would have suspected she had been following him. Maybe it had all been a coincidence, and this was the universe's way of telling him to get out of his own damn way and just open up to someone for once. Or maybe it had been her very reluctance to join him that had interested him so much. Unobtainable women fell over themselves to spend time with him. Callie on the other hand, was maddeningly within his reach, and yet he couldn't have her. When she accepted his invitation to join him at the brewery for a private tour, he had almost fallen over in surprise. Maybe there was hope after all.
 

Now she was sitting across from him at the bar, sampling a few of the better lagers and ales on tap. He had rushed through the tour to get to this point. For whatever reason, Logan always felt most comfortable with bar before him and a pint glass in his hand. It made him feel like he was in his element. He had spent enough time talking about the brew kettles and the production process. He was eager to turn the conversation back to Callie, and why she had finally decided to join him at the brewery.

"Ok, hotshot, show me what you've got."

"Right here in front of all these people?" Logan asked.
 

"I meant the beer," Callie said. "I told you that I was ready to take you up on your offer. So teach me."

Logan hopped behind the bar and grabbed a glass, pouring half a pint of amber liquid. "Prepare to be amazed by the best beer you've ever had," he said as he slid the glass over to her.

Callie took one sip and scrunched up her face. "What was that?" she asked.
 

"That's an IPA.”

“What does that mean?”
 

“India pale ale.” Logan watched Callie scrunch up her nose and pucker her lips like she had just bitten into a lemon. “Let me guess, you weren’t a fan.” Logan took note.
 

Callie finished her sip and shook her head. “Maybe something sweeter next?” she offered. “It got really bitter at the end.”
 

"That would be the hops. Every beer is made with the same base ingredients. Malted barley, yeast, water and hops. The barley provides the sugar for fermentation, the hops give the beer flavor. You can figure what the water is for.”
 

"I don't think I'm a fan of hops,” Callie said. She took another sip and shook her head. "What's next?"
 

"Try this one." Logan poured a lighter beer and handed it to her.

Callie took a sip and smiled. Logan watched as she tried to figure out the different tastes in the beer. "Is that citrus?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's our summer lager, one of my favorites. It's perfect with a little bit of orange."

Callie took another sip. She smiled. Logan was relieved for her to find one she actually liked. "So you handpicked each of these?"

"Along with a few friends," he said, "I had the tough job of drinking beer this winter. You can imagine how hard it was on me."
 

"Yeah, you poor thing."
 

Logan slid the next beer over to her and another after that. Over the next hour, he had given her small samples of each of the twelve he had on tap. Callie could feel her head buzzing as she took a sip of the final, a coffee stout. "I give in!" she said, "I mean, maybe I could concede that a few of these are actually good."

"Which one was the winner?" Logan asked.

 
"The summer," Callie said, "I think it was the summer. They've all kind of blurred together in my mind."

"Well, if you keep drinking, everything will blur together. A table just opened up on the deck, how about I pour you a summer and I'll meet you out there in a minute?"

"Sounds good to me," Callie said. She headed out and took a seat at the corner of the deck. Logan watched her sitting there in the soft evening sun, the wind blowing her hair just off of her shoulders. She looked so beautiful, so perfect. Logan tried to imagine what she must have been thinking out there as that gentle breeze washed over her skin, the ocean air mixing with the sounds of the restaurant from inside. Was she enjoying herself? When he brought the drinks out, he was surprised to find that Callie had leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

"It's so beautiful here," she said as he placed the pints down. "This is exactly what I wanted from this trip, a chance to lean back and relax."

Callie's words ran together just a little bit, enough for Logan to tell that she was starting to get drunk. A full tasting was probably a bit too much. "Maybe I should get you a water or something," he said, heading slowly towards the bar with his eyes still on Callie. He had been looking forward to learning more about her, and that wasn't going to happen if she got fall-down drunk.

"I've been thinking about that kiss the other night," Callie said.
 

"Yeah?" Logan said. He stopped walking. "I guess I have, too. What about it?" As much as he tried to downplay it, Logan hadn't been able to stop thinking about Callie or that kiss since she had leaned into him and planted her lips on his. The kiss had been a complete surprise, the last thing he had expected from her. Logan was usually deft at reading women, but Callie had him completely confused. He couldn't tell what she was going to do from one moment to the next, and he liked the thrill and surprise he felt whenever she made her next move.
 

More than the surprise of it, he couldn't stop thinking about the kiss itself. Callie had kissed him for maybe fifteen seconds, just long enough for him to lean back into her and slide his tongue against hers, just long enough for that wonderful, dizzy feeling to fill his head and his chest and make him feel like he was falling. Then, almost as soon as Callie had kissed him, she had pulled away, leaving him wanting more.
 

"Can you keep a secret?" Callie asked, motioning with her finger for him to come closer.
 

"It depends on whether or not it's one worth keeping."
 

"I've been thinking about kissing you again."
 

"Oh, really?" Logan asked. He looked down at Callie's pint glass. She had already finished off half of her beer, and he was beginning to wonder if she were buzzed.
"And why would you do a thing like that? I seem to remember you saying something about being my father's houseguest and not wanting to cause any trouble."
 

Callie's grin widened. "Maybe I need to figure out if I want to kiss you again."