Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

MIRA

A fter an intense workout at the gym I frequented when I was at home, I grabbed a shower, going over my plan mentally one last time before I picked up my phone. I needed to talk to Slate, and I wasn't entirely sure he was going to like what I had to say.

"Hey, you," he said when he answered. "How's it going? You aren't working, I hope. It's damn early and you're not on the rig, which means you should be either sleeping or relaxing. Are you relaxing?"

"Yes. I just got back from the gym, actually." I pressed the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I tightened the thick towel around my chest. "While I was working out, I had an idea that I wanted to run by you."

He groaned. "I hate those words. They always end up costing me a ton of money."

"This one won't, and you've always made at least double as much back," I said. "Either way, I really think you need to listen to me on this."

"Shoot," he said cautiously. "It makes me nervous that you started that way, though."

"Well, the alternative makes me nervous." I drew in a deep breath, centering myself and trying to quiet my thoughts and worries before I blew it out again. "While I'm here, I want to meet with Logan."

"Excuse me?" He scoffed. "Why?"

"If I see him on land while I'm already in town, then we won't have to bring him back to the rig," I rushed out. "He and I can review our proposals about the contractors and I can get his final signoff without him even having to leave his office."

Slate didn't say anything for a long, quiet minute, but at least that told me he was giving it some serious thought. I knew he didn't understand why I was so opposed to his friend being on the rig. Frankly, I didn't fully understand it either.

Sure, I hadn't expected to see the guy again—especially not at work. I also definitely hadn't expected it to turn out that we worked for him , but neither of those things were the end of the world. It also wasn't the end of the world if he did come out to the rig.

Honestly, I shouldn't have cared, but I had a bad feeling about it all, and the only thing I could think of doing to assuage it was to convince him not to go back to the rig. Besides, he'd never been out to it before and everything had been going just fine.

I didn't understand why he suddenly had to have all these plans about going back. Slate and I were in complete control over there. We didn't need his help. The remaining legal issues could be discussed via conference call and the only urgent matter we had to take care of was the drilling contractor team.

If I could get his signoff on that now, before I went back out there myself, then there was absolutely no reason for his feet to touch our decks again anytime soon. Eventually, I heard Slate release a deep breath, and the sound of it pulled me out of my thoughts.

"You do realize that he might want to leave his office, right? I know you didn't like having him on the rig, but we can't exactly tell him to stay away."

"No, I know, but what I'm proposing may even make things easier for him. If he wants to leave his office and go back out there, then fine. You're right. I can't stop him, but I'm home, in the same city he lives, and if I can get him to sign off on the team before I return, then why not? It'll save everybody time and money."

"I'll find out if he sees it that way," he said after another brief pause. "Give me a few minutes. Let me call him and pitch your idea."

"Be persuasive."

He laughed. "Always."

As he ended the call, I tossed the phone down on my bed, put my hands on my hips, and squeezed. My fingers flexed, and I focused on the feeling of having them there as I hung my head to breathe in and out slowly.

Please, let him agree to this. Please let him agree to this.

As promised, my phone rang a few minutes later with Slate calling me back. I grabbed the device, holding it tight and feeling way more on edge about his response than I should've. "What did he say?"

"He wants to meet for dinner tonight to talk business. I'll text you the details, and I'll be there."

"You're coming here?" My face scrunched up. "Why?"

"Because I need a break too and we're consultants. Technically, our presence isn't an absolute requirement for the rig to be able to operate. They've got a full crew onboard without us, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"You don't trust me to meet with Logan alone."

"No," he objected firmly. "It's not that. I do trust you. Obviously. I just want to be there to get things finalized with him and I've been putting off meeting with other clients who want to see me in person. This gives me the perfect opportunity to do that."

"So much for taking a break," I teased.

He sighed. "I'll do that, too. Promise, but only if you do the same thing."

"I'll think about it."

"Why don't I believe you?" he asked playfully, then promised me again that he'd text me the details for dinner tonight and hung up.

If I was being completely honest with myself, I'd admit that it was as much of a relief that Slate was going to be at dinner as it was that Logan had agreed to see me here. His presence guaranteed that no funny business could take place, and considering who we were meeting with, that was a darn good thing.

The biggest problem I had with Logan was that as much as he annoyed me, I was somehow still incredibly attracted to him. I spent the day trying to convince myself that it wasn't real, but once I started getting ready, I still found myself putting extra effort into my look.

As I changed out of my third dress into the fourth, I narrowed my eyes at my reflection. It's not for him, though. I'm not putting extra effort in for him. I'm doing it for me.

It'd been months since I'd last felt feminine and pretty. Not since Jude and Mickey's wedding. Besides, it was nice being able to dress up and feel confident when I wasn't working on the rig.

Even as I cycled through all these excuses in my mind though, I knew that none of them were completely true. Wanting to feel feminine and confident was absolutely part of it, but I also just wanted to look good for Logan.

I cursed myself quietly when I finally realized the truth. I'm so fucking weak.

He wasn't even my type, for heaven's sake. Okay, maybe in the looks department he was everyone's type, but personality-wise, I wasn't into shallow guys with their heads up their asses. Logan styled his hair, wore bespoke suits, and had probably been for a manicure at least once in his life.

What I needed was a real man. A guy who knew how to get his hands dirty and who wasn't afraid of knuckling down. A man who wasn't more concerned about what he wore than I was and who wouldn't fight me for the bathroom mirror in the mornings.

Someone like Bradson , I decided with finality.

The safety officer on the rig had always carried himself with dignity and pride in his position. He was smart, had a kind smile, and he understood the risks of his career. As an added benefit, he was also fairly attractive, with jet-black hair and soft brown eyes.

While Logan was a hell of a lot more than fairly attractive, he wasn't the guy for me. I'd always known that, so I gave my reflection a pep talk and decided I wasn't changing again. Fuck that .

"Mira Spiers is not on this earth to find a man to fall head over heels for," I told myself firmly, looking right into my own eyes. "I'm here for other purposes, like growing my own empire, making my late father proud, and being the best person I can be. For everything else, there are men like Bradson to satisfy any urges that might threaten to break my resolve."

Bradson, who had never given me a second look, but still. He's the real man I need to focus on if I have any needs.

Not entirely convinced my pep talk had worked, I pulled up the zipper at my side and decided that the purple sheath dress would do just fine. Even if it wasn't, I've already decided that I'm not changing again, so there.

As I spun and walked away from the full-length mirror on my wall, I had to admit that I didn't not notice how figure-hugging this dress was. Or that it gave my cleavage a nice little pop. Sigh. I really am hopeless.

I walked over to my ornate dresser and sat down, picking up my hairdryer and tossing my hair forward to get started. Logan was on my mind constantly as I gave my hair that extra bit of oomph, and I also couldn't stop thinking about him while I applied some natural makeup.

I wasn't the kind of girl who allowed her body to betray her. I was perfectly capable of wanting a man from afar and never acting upon it. If I slept with a man, I did it knowing fully what I was doing and making the conscious decision to go ahead.

Just like I had done with Logan that night.

Unfortunately, that also meant that I knew exactly how good he was in bed—and on dining-room tables. Physically, I couldn't deny that I did want him. Between the eyes, the thick hair that was just long enough to push my fingers through, and his extremely defined physique, I doubted there was a woman on this planet who wouldn't want him.

The way I saw it, the best thing about it was that while we might want him, we couldn't have him. It wasn't that I liked the chase or when people played hard to get. Instead, for me, it was about the fact that I didn't want anything serious.

With Logan, it would always just be fun—and fun was practically guaranteed. That was what I wanted, but I wouldn't let myself have it again.

It was too complicated now, so as I finished my makeup and gathered my things, I promised myself that I would not give in. Slate would have a heart attack if he ever found out about us anyway. Even if I liked Logan, which I didn't, messing around with him would only lead to trouble when my brother found out.

And he would find out.

So it was better this way.

On the street, I dragged in a deep breath of air to steady myself. Then I put my hand up to hail a passing cab. The driver pulled over for me and I climbed in, willing my body to stick to the plan and to remain calm once I saw him.

It didn't work.

As soon as I walked into the restaurant, looking across the crowded dining room and seeing that he was already there waiting for me—with no Slate in sight—my nerve endings suddenly came to life. Logan locked eyes with me from across the room, making no secret of it when he looked me up and down as I approached.

When I reached him, he even gave me a sly smile. "Damn, you look good, Mira. And it's my lucky night. Your brother is running late. It's just you and me."

My heart skipped, my nipples practically tingling already, and in that moment I knew that if I wasn't careful, there was just no way I wasn't going to be leaving here with him tonight.