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  She wiggled them liking the shine the polish created. She had pretty feet. No scars or misshapen toes. Each one aligned perfectly down to the baby toe. It was definitely a sandal day to show off the professional pedicure.

  She leaned over and opened the dresser drawer removing a pair of red cotton shorts and a red and white candy-striped V-neck shirt. Slipping on the clothes, she tucked the shit inside her shorts and put on a wide belt that emphasized her waistline.

  Admiring her reflection in the mirror, Nikki smiled thinking she turned the heads of men because she was naturally attractive. Judith tried hard to kill any self-esteem by saying derogatory things to her as a child, but it failed to make her hate herself as an adult. If she could break her shy shell and be more outgoing as a woman her should be, then she’d feel complete and not have so much anxiety when it came to meeting men.

  Nikki turned on the CD player and music filled the bedroom as she continued to get dressed. She opened the jewelry box and removed a pair of gold stud earrings and the gold cultured freshwater pearl and diamond pendant necklace that matched the ring she always wore. Her father had given it to her as a high school graduation gift. One of the many gifts that he’d given her that made Judith hate him that much more.

  Not sure if the restaurant would be cool or stifling hot, Nikki went easy on the perfume and sprayed just a tiny bit behind each ear. She fingered the curls of her hair and applied a soft layer of makeup and then some red gloss to her lips.

  “Okay, I’m ready to meet with Chef Yummy,” she said and then released a deep breath.

  She slipped her feet into the canvas wedged-heeled sandals that she had specifically purchased for the cruise pleased how well they set off the outfit. She got her tool bag from the closet. It did not actually contain hardware tools but computer related items. Nikki turned off the CD player and left the bedroom.

  The humidity hit her instantly as she walked out of the apartment building. It was definitely going to be hot, but rain was in the forecast for later. Mrs. Miller stood by the gate of the parking lot with her dog as Nikki walked toward her.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Miller.”

  “Good morning, Nikki. You are out early this morning. Are you going to work?”

  “I’m going to repair a computer for a friend.” She didn’t know why she added friend. Logan Sloan was not a friend, but a Brand client.

  “Oh, well you look very pretty; dressed comfortably for a hot day like this.”

  “Thank you, and it is hot. Please don’t stay outside too long without hydrating,” Nikki advised. She walked around Cupcake who was sniffing at her feet.

  “I’m headed back inside after Cupcake does her business. Good luck with your friend’s computer. I hope he appreciates the trouble you went through for him.”

  Stunned, Nikki asked. “Why do you think my friend is a man?”

  “I didn’t mean anything offensive. I hope he appreciates your illusion of glamor.”

  My illusion of glamor? Did she look trashy?

  Suddenly, Nikki felt uncomfortable and the need to cover herself. “They are just shorts. There is nothing special about them, Mrs. Miller.”

  “I’m sorry, dear; disregard the ramblings of an old woman.” Gently, she tugged on the dog’s leash. “Come on, Cupcake; it’s time to go inside and get out of the heat.”

  Nikki looked down at herself; the shorts were higher up the thigh than she realized. However, they were not Daisy Duke’s that revealed the bottom of her ass cheeks from behind or gave her a camel toe in the front; but plain cotton shorts from Target.

  She unlocked the car and tossed the tool bag inside; it was too late to change, and she refused to let what Mrs. Miller said go to her head. There was nothing provocative about her, and even if her outfit was the slightest bit risqué, she did not need to interact with Logan to fix the computer. As long as he left the information she requested, she’d be in and out, making only minimal contact with him.

  Walking down Fourth Street, it was quiet and empty for a Sunday game day. People would eventually fill the restaurants and bars before the start of the baseball game if it weren't delayed because of weather. The Cleveland Indians ended last season with a high and fans were still riding the wave by pumping up the franchise to take it all the way this year.

  Nikki was a sports wave rider. She’d wear the gear of the winning teams but did not follow the sport or know the names of the athletes unless it was one often mentioned in the media.

  At the front door of Neeò, she pulled the brass handle to find the door locked. Peeking inside the window, the dining room of the restaurant was dark, but the area around the kitchen had lights on.

  “Great!” she huffed. She paced back and forth, appreciating the blisters forming on the back of her heels. Note to self: never buy shoes from a discount store again. However, the new shoes did wonders for distracting her from the jitters.

  Knocking on the glass with the edge of her phone, the shadow of a man emerged from the kitchen. The closer he got Nikki’s heart took a drop; it was Logan. She did not want him to be here.

  “Good morning, Ms. Graham,” he said when he opened the door to let her inside.

  She’d barely taken half a step when she bumped against his hard body. The accompanying jolt sent a chill down her spine.

  “Good morning, Mr. Sloan.” She teetered on her wedges, and a warm hand grasped her elbow, steadying her. She gathered herself and looked up at him. His dark eyes had a hint of something hidden in the depths and wouldn’t let her look away.

  He smiled. “I told you to call me Logan.”

  She blinked, finally breaking the gravitational pull. Her eyes scanned over the rest of him, taking him in. His dark hair brushed his shoulders, cheekbones perfectly carved, and a strong jaw completed the package. Nikki noticed the large tattoo that covered his left shoulder and most of his upper arm. Intense heat emanated from his touch as he held on to her making her feel weak in the knees.

  “Right; I forgot. Call me Nikki. No use in us being formal.” She sounded like a dorky schoolgirl, but his masculine, woodsy scent turned her insides to mush.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Despite the fact that he wasn’t ogling her, the intensity of his gaze had her shivering and the breath catching in her lungs. “I’m fine.” She would be if he’d release her so she could think straight.

  “You certainly are,” he murmured.

  A heated flush rushed to her cheeks at the compliment. She needed to move away from him before he read every emotion crawling out of her. She found strength in her legs to walk over to a table and leaned against the back of the chair.

  “I’m sorry you had to bang on the door. I meant to unlock the door, but I got busy in the kitchen,” he said.

  “That’s okay; I should have called first.” She clapped her hands together, the sound echoing in the empty room. “Should we get started on the computer?”

  “Let’s get started,” he said putting out his hand to guide her to the office.

  Oh God, what was it about the man that caused her body to work overtime? He pressed his hand against the small of her back. She could swear she felt the pulse of his fingertips beat against her skin.

  “I didn’t think you’d be here today,” she said.

  “I’m always here. The beauty of owning a business.”

  The smell of whatever was cooking in the kitchen kicked up her hunger pangs. She should have left herself enough time to eat. She placed a hand on her stomach to ease the growling and said, “I’ve read that restaurant owners get very little time to themselves. How do you manage to keep it going day after day?”

  “It’s my passion for cooking that keeps me going. When I get tired of slaving over a hot stove, then I’ll find something else to do.”

  He turned on the lights in the office; nothing had been touched since she left it yesterday. She set the tool bag on the desk. “Alright, let me get cracking on the computer,” Nikki sat down and turned
it on. He was standing over her shoulder making it awkward for her to work. She swiveled the chair around to face him. “If you have work to do in the kitchen, I’m fine here.”

  He seemed to recoil at her words, before shoving his hands into his pockets. The world seemed to stop spinning as they stared each other down. “Do I make you nervous, Nikki?”

  She brushed her hair away from her face. “No. I work better alone; to concentrate on what I’m doing.”

  “Understandable. It’s hell having people breathe down your neck while you’re working.”

  “It is nerve-wrecking,” she said. She tried to concentrate on the prompts on the screen and wished he would walk away.

  “Hey, have you had breakfast?”

  Did he hear my stomach growl? She thought internally. “Um, coffee would be great.”

  “Coffee coming up in a second.”

  Nikki’s fingers stopped moving on the keyboard. They were shaking too much to continue. She wiped her brow, focusing on the screen looking for a solution to fix the problem and get the hell out of Dodge. Taking a few deep breaths, she was able to steady her fast beating heart and think like a trained professional.

  The mental checklist clicked causing her fingers to fly across the keyboard looking for a cause to the system failure.

  A grin graced her face. Once she located the problem and removed the malware, she rebooted the computer crossing two fingers. “Yes!” Excited, she dug deeper into the computer’s system files finding more sources of everything wrong. “Gotcha; thought you could hide from me?”

  Logan returned to the office carrying a tray. The aroma of coffee and something cinnamon filled the small room causing her stomach to roar again. “You’re smiling; must be good news or you’re glad to see me,” he said putting the tray on the desk.

  “I have news but some bad news as well,” she replied over the loud grumble of her stomach.

  “Bad news first, please. Should I sit down?”

  Nikki rolled her eyes. “The news is not death-sentence bad. The reason your computer crashed is simple; a virus shut you down. Logan, you can’t run the computer on the same Wi-Fi connection that’s offered to the customers.”

  Logan handed her a cup of coffee. “I had no idea. I spent a fortune on that damn computer system. You’d think that would be in the instructions somewhere.” His eyes held enough steel to warn her that she needed to tread carefully and speak in terms he could understand.

  “The Wi-Fi is through the cable company, not the people that sold you the computer.” She leaned back in her chair and sipped her coffee. She still hadn’t figured out why he got her blood so riled. He wasn’t the first man she’d spent time alone in an office. The men at work probably didn’t count since none of them interested her.

  He raised a brow. “So, I got hacked?”

  “Yes. I found where you have two Wi-Fi accounts, so I put the computer on one and secured it with a firewall and password. I’ll write down the instructions on changing the passwords. Oh, the tenants upstairs are probably jacking free Wi-Fi from you too.”

  “That would be me… I live upstairs.”

  Logan handed her a warm cinnamon scone. “How convenient. Although it could be a minus too.” She bit into it, and the warm burst of flavor flooded her mouth. It was heavenly delicious, and his two hands made it.

  “I agree. Means I’m here all the time, though,” he said sitting on the edge of the desk.

  “But you’re on top of everything, right?” Nikki took another bite trying not to shove the entire scone into her mouth. When she got hungry, her appetite became enormous. Eating two more of those scones would be easy if he wasn’t in the room.

  “From an ambitious point of view, yes.” He sighed, “However, it sucks when I want to take a day off. Staying away is hard since I have to know what’s going on downstairs.”

  “Have you always wanted to be a chef?” Making small talk was not her forte, but she had to say something or risk a dull silence between the two of them.

  “I was bred to be a chef. What about you? What drove you to love computers?”

  She wiped her mouth, sure that the remainder of her lip gloss was now on the napkin. Talking about her life to a stranger was off-limits, but she didn’t mind talking about her work. “Well, it started as a hobby. I love electronics and figuring out how they worked always fascinated me. But, one day my laptop died, and I was devastated; it was like losing my best friend.”

  Logan spoke up. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but a computer was your best friend? Do you have any siblings?”

  He had to interrupt to ask a question. A question that made her sound like a nut case for admitting she loved a computer.

  She cleared her throat. “I have an older sister. Listen, what I said sounds crazy but in reality, my computer kept me sane.” Her response seemed only to intrigue him. Instead of responding, he didn’t say a word, didn’t even move a muscle. All he did was stare, but it was okay because she was busy staring right back.

  Chapter Six

  Logan pushed away from the desk and moved to the doorway. It was smarter to focus on something other than the stunning woman currently in the room with him. Even as he concentrated on his workload for the restaurant, his mind drifted back to Nikki: how damn beautiful her legs looked in those shorts and how lovely her feet looked in those bright red shoes. Hell, everything about her screamed sexy.

  He tried to force his lust-filled visions away when he heard her say that computers started out as a hobby.

  He stood up straight. “Cooking started out that way for me too.” Logan couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so on edge with a woman. Ron was right; he had to step away from work for a day of fun and relaxation with a woman not looking for a commitment.

  Logan cut his eyes away when she changed the subject. “The scones are delicious. Thank you for those and the coffee. Both hit the spot,” she said.

  Nikki turned her attention back to the computer. He watched her load a CD into the disk drive. “What are you doing now?”

  “I’m reloading the software. Since you purchased it from Brand, I’ll install an extra layer of protection to prevent you from getting hacked again.”

  “Nice. Will I need a lesson on using the software again?” He hoped she would say yes. However, having Ms. Graham teach him would be a big distraction.

  “Nothing has changed, so you’ll be okay. If you have questions about the software, call Brand’s helpdesk; not the computer people. You seem to get the two mixed up,” she said and then laughed.

  Her laughter filled the room, but it felt forced. They were alone in the office. She was sitting close enough for him to lean in and kiss her, to see if she tasted as good as she looked. But he didn’t know her and he couldn’t touch her.

  He chuckled. “The infamous helpdesk. Is that department in danger of being outsourced if it is not utilized?”

  Her dark brown eyes gave him a sideways glance. “No that is the department people like you are to call instead of me.”

  “I see. If I call that department, will you pick up?”

  “Not likely.”

  “Why?” He had to clear the lust from his throat. “Will you purposely avoid taking my call?”

  His eyes drew to her ample breasts when she angled the chair to face him. This woman was not the type he normally went for, but he’d be willing to forego his wants just to bury his head between those two gorgeous mountains.

  “Logan, I’m the senior programmer at Brand and developed the software you’re using to operate your business. I graduated from working the helpdesk a long time ago.”

  Her voice held a husky tone and he felt hornier than a teenage boy. “I apologize.” As her lips curled into a smile, he nearly lost hold of his control.

  Nikki smiled and said, “I forgive you since you made me scones. After I test the software and defrag the hard drive, I’ll be out of your hair.”

  Logan didn’t want Nikki out of his hair, but upstair
s in his bedroom where he could do unspeakable things to her. Maybe defrag her hard drive. His mouth watered and his groin ached. He picked up his coffee mug drinking the cold coffee in one long gulp before he could answer her. “I’m in no rush. So, how long have you been working at Brand?”

  “About six years. How long have you been a chef?”

  “About the same. After college, I went abroad to study with chefs who helped me hone my skills. What college did you attend?” He assumed she had a college degree because of the title she held.

  “I graduated from Ohio State University. I didn’t have to study abroad to work with computers. So, is your restaurant part of your family business?”

  Logan drew a blank. His mind was too busy visualizing getting into trouble with her body. He had to get back on track. Being this close to Nikki threw off his focus on anything except how pretty she was, how soft her skin would feel under his fingers, how sweet her mouth would taste. It was sensual watching her manipulate the keyboard with her long, sexy fingers.

  Damn!

  What was her question again? Oh yeah, the restaurant. “No connection. My style of cooking differs from that of my parents. They are more home-style cooking while I go a little above that by incorporating blends from other countries. Did you only major in computers?”

  “Besides my master’s in computer science, I have a master’s degree in mathematics. At first, I thought I wanted to teach. So many American kids struggle understanding basic mathematics.”

  Not only was she gorgeous but smart. “Impressive. Very impressive. Did you toss a coin on which career path to take?”

  “God, that choice was easy after I shadowed a teacher for one week. Computers will shut down but they don’t talk back.”

  “You had the opportunity to shape young minds and gave it up to work with computers?”

  She raised a brow. “Honestly, I’ll deal with computers rather than with unruly kids who make you want to yank them by the neck.”

  “That’s another way to look at it,” he said enjoying listening to her talk.