Chapter Four

On Monday morning, Cat arrived at her new job early and finding as the day progressed, she didn’t have any trouble with the tasks given to her. Allison was more than happy with her standard of work. It was only just before lunch Cat gave a silent giggle.. Oh! She felt so much happier not having to worry about being asked to stay late or being left only with her boss. 

When the lunch hour did arrive, the friend who had told her about the position who happened to be a secretary on the same floor asked her to lunch to celebrate getting the job. 

“Julie! let’s not celebrate just yet. l’m still on probation and I don’t want to go out for lunch on my first day. What would Allison think?” 

Allison walked out from her office at that moment, saying. “Don’t be silly, Katherine. We have worked hard this morning, and you arrived early. Go enjoy a nice lunch. No need to watch the clock.” 

Allison liked to use Cat’s full name even after she had told her Cat was ok. Cat jumped up smiling.

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes, please go. It’s no problem.” Allison reassured her. 

Cat grabbed her handbag from her desk drawer, asking Allison on the way out, “Can I bring anything back for you?”

“No dear, thank you. I’m about to head out myself and not sure if I will be back until 2pm, so don’t rush back from your lunch.”

Cat grinned “Ok, thanks.” and left with a smiling Julie.  

Once they were seated at an outside table in the local café, closest to their office building and lunch was ordered.

Julie asked. “So how is the new job, Kitty?” Julie used Cat’s pet name her foster father had given her and Julie seemed to like using it even though she had long since grown out of such a childish name.

Cat laughed. It was a genuinely beautiful sound making men turn to look at her, not that she noticed. 

Cat had never been into attracting a man’s attention on purpose. It always seemed to make her uncomfortable.

“Oh...it’s only been a few hours but I can tell you I love working for Mrs Logan” Julie herself had not applied for the job even though it would have been a step up.

Because her family had planned to move back home to Cowra in the near future to be with Julie’s mother. Who had no family close by and hadn’t been well lately. Julie worried about her mum all the time and her living alone outside of town. Julie’s family are long-time friends of Cat’s foster parents. 

So they both came from the same town in New South Wales. Julie smiled and got a mischievous glint in her eye that she always got before saying something outrageous, “It’s got its perks, I’m sure.” Julie laughed. 

Cat was sure she was missing something, maybe an inside joke that she wasn’t aware of yet. “Sorry?” raising her left eyebrow in question.

“Come on, Kitty, I know you haven’t had much to do with men, but Mr Logan is one yummy piece of man and you get to enjoy that view of him every time he sees his mother. God, now he has what I call a body to die for.... I wish David had a body like that.”

“Julie!” Cat laughed at Julie when she started fanning herself with her hand. Julie and David had been married for four years. They had been high school sweethearts and married straight after high school. They had all been in the same year together. 

David had a great body from want she knew, not like she had ever seen him naked, only ever in swim trunks. He had been very popular at school as well, school president, played the guitar in the school rock band and was captain of the football team, very athletic, joining in with anything the least bit sporty. Every girl wanted him with his sun bleached hair and tanned and toned body, but he only ever had eyes for Julie.

David might have put on a good show, but in fact had been very shy around the girl he really wanted... Julie. Who was a take the bull by the horns, take-charge person nobody stood in front of Julie’s way, she had a great personality and could hold a room full of peoples interest in whatever she was saying no matter the topic, she just had a persona that made people gravitate towards her. Julie had told her once it made up for her lack of looks.

Julie believed she was plain, but David didn’t think so and Cat herself had never thought it. With a curvy build and blonde hair and intelligent brown eyes, standing at only 5.2.

David had never cared about what others had said. He had wanted Julie that much. He had come to Cat for help, because Julie was her friend and Cat had never shown any interest in him herself. She had helped them come together. 

“I love David with all my heart and would never cheat on the big guy, but that doesn’t mean I have turned blind and can’t appreciate the appeal of a hot man when I see one. What am I to do? Walk around with my eyes closed.” She said, laughing. She had a point, and Julie would never cheat on David.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Julie. I haven’t met Mr Logan yet. I only started this morning.” She reminded Julie.

“Well true, wait until you do..” she started fanning herself again. “No wonder he has every woman he wants.” 

For the rest of lunch, she heard everything. There was to hear about Eric Logan and his string of girlfriends, lovers, and mistresses. something she had no intention of becoming to any man, no matter what they looked like or how charming they might very well be. 

She had heard it all, and she wasn’t interested. Katherine was happy on her own. She had great friends, less now she lived in the city away from home. The love of her foster parents Jack and Dawn Nelson, who she tried to see at least once a month on a trip home.

Back at the office, Cat had just sat down behind her desk when a tall, dark, breathtakingly gorgeous man came storming through the door, a face like thunder. “Where the hell is she?” he demanded from her. 

Cat didn’t speak for a few seconds as she just looked at the beautiful man in front of her mouth open... then, realising what she was doing, said almost mindlessly, “Who?” Cat questioned.

“Mrs Logan, who else? This is her office, isn’t it?” Came his sarcastic reply. Cat quickly looked at her watch.

“I’m sorry sir, but Mrs Logan had a lunch meeting and isn’t due back until around 2pm. Is there anything I can help you with?” Cat replied sweetly. There was no point being rude in return, even though secretly she would love to knee him in the balls. Cat raised an eyebrow at him with a small smile. 

The man only then really looked at her for the first time since storming into the office, he took his sweet time taking in her red gold hair, pulled back into a neat up-do, her emerald green eyes and full lips set perfectly into her heart-shaped face and everything else he could see from the desk top up... thank god she was sitting down. 

Cat knew what she looked like. She saw herself in the mirror every morning. Even trying to play down her looks, had not stopped the male attention she received even from a very early age, short of cutting and dying her hair mud brown and wearing glasses. Which she believed she would have to do to be taken seriously. Her foster mother would kill her for even considering cutting, let alone colouring her hair. 

So she had become used to the way she looked and the effect it had on the opposite sex. It didn’t mean she liked it.

Turning her full attention back to the man standing in front of her desk. She noticed his face had softened, his gaze heated and his eyes flicked to her left hand for a second. Checking, she was sure to see if she bore any rings indicating her availability to him. Liking what he saw, his lips turned up into a full 100 watt smile, Cat groaned inwardly 

“Hi, you must be new around here? sweetheart,” He said as if butter would melt-in his mouth. What did he think she was an easy half-wit? Cat silently cursed herself because she knew that when she opened her mouth, it wouldn’t be nice, but she just couldn’t help herself 

“I have a given name, and it isn’t sweetheart, babe, or honey! Now may I help you, sir?” The man standing before her started to laugh. Cat frowned at him... well, it looks like I made his day. Who did he think he was, anyway?

“Okay, sweetheart before you lose your temper, which I’m sure goes with that red hair, I think I’d better tell you who I am....” he held his hand out towards Cat, which she took slowly, still not trusting this man. 

“Eric Logan and you are, Miss?” The instant their hands touched, Cat got an electric shock which ran through her entire body and a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. This man made her uneasy in a way she had never experienced before. 

“Miss?” Eric prompted again.

“Sinclair... Katherine Sinclair, I’m your mother’s new secretary.” Cat stated evenly, not really sure how when she was shaking on the inside, she dropped Eric’s hand. Trying not to make a big deal out of it because this man made her feel uncomfortable and unsure of herself. 

She was going to have to keep away from him because she didn’t like how she was feeling one bit. Plus, from what Julie had told her today at lunch, this man didn’t do long term. 

“That’s right, mum’s old secretary made a complete spectacle and a bloody nuisance of herself during my visits.”

Wow... boy, was this guy in love with himself or what? Oops Cat hoped she hadn’t just said that out loud. Sometimes she did that when emotions got the better of her, but looking at his face, she figured she was safe, but from now on she would have to watch herself. 

Cat said nothing to his last comment and went on with, “Well Mr Logan, if there is nothing I can help you with, Mrs Logan has left me plenty of work to do!” Silently adding, please go away..

He didn’t move, then asked, “There is something you can do for me.” His smile was dazzling. Cat raised an eyebrow at him, feeling like she could guess what was coming, but hoping she was wrong.

“Yes, will you have dinner with me tonight?”

“No” before adding. “thank you” not really sure why she was thanking him. 

He seemed genuinely surprised at her reply, probably used to getting whatever he wanted and women being no exception with his looks and money, well not in this case. 

“Tomorrow then,”

“No, thank you,”

“Any day this week?” 

“No” her answer was shorter but no different to her last two answers, hoping he would get the hint. 

He laughed as if this was a novelty to him. “Sometime this year?” Cat didn’t reply 

Smiling, he said, “Sometime this lifetime.”