11. First jobs, meetings and real identities

You are both my dreams and nightmares. It is bizarre. - Alex

~~~

(Alexandra)

She was stoked to meet her very first client and she was bouncing on her toes as she waited for Logan to get going already. She was full on coffee and nervousness.

She wore her black skirt and a suit she had bought for a presentation back in her college days, which she had worn only once in her life, and braided her hair down her back to make herself look mature and dependable. A little bit of lip gloss and she was done.

She wondered if Mathilda Shine would agree to take on a first-timer to redecorate her house, but Alex was prepared to blow Mathilda's mind off. She had so many plans and ideas buzzing in her head, and if she waited any longer, she was going to explode. Kaboom.

She looked at her watch and then at the stone of a man sitting in the couch, unmoving. His lips were pursed thin as his eyes scanned the paper.

He was reading the newspaper like the whole of the Universe's secret was hidden somewhere inside it.

What if she was late? She pushed a lock of her hair back as she tapped her shoes on the floor. Tap. Tap. Tap.

The man was deaf, as well.

She looked again at her watch. Was this watch made of snail?

He is getting his revenge for yesterday. That must be it. Alex thought with a frown.

It wasn't her fault that he just couldn't take a joke and had to be all so intense and serious, so damn much, all the time.

She still couldn't believe this was the man who had come to her and asked her to be his fake wife. He must have been pretty desperate that day.

Andy and Brian was fighting for her and that was when Logan had said something no one had expected then. It was as if he was really competing against his nephews or something. Alex was still befuddled when she thought about that.

"She is marrying me. You two, go get your own women." He had said as he crossed his arms across his chest and stared at his two nephews.

After that it was chaos. Pure mental.

Everyone was trying to talk over one another and Alex sat there, her mouth half opened in a gasp that she didn't finish. Couldn't. She was so bewildered to properly form a response. Even if she could, what would she say?

"Logan? What?" She stuttered after ten minutes of ensuing madness.

He shrugged. Shrugged. Really?

"Did you kind of blurt it out?" Emma had asked him, then and Eliza threw a towel at his face. "Moron."

"Where is your romance? I am almost ashamed to call you my brother." Emma tched and Logan glared at her.

"Shut up, Em."

"I am sure she is probably saying no." This was Eliza.

"It is for you, as well, Liz." He said in that brooding voice of his that Alex loved so much.

Then everyone stared at her and Logan was looking everywhere but at her. She chuckled like a dying goose, and looked away.

God. That was really awkward.

Andy who had ran outside after Logan blurted that he was marrying her came back with a bunch of wildflowers in his hands, and his cheeks were so red from all the running. He handed it to her with a smile that was so much like his uncle's.

"I have flowers. Girls like flowers. You should marry me." That was the most sweetest thing she had heard.

"Yes." Alex had smiled at him, and he kissed her cheeks, making her feel so full with the love that was so pure, without the dots of doubts and judgements. She almost cried from the sweetness of it all. This was family.

This was something she hadn't had for so long. Even when her dad was alive, it was just the two of them. Against the world.

But now as she looked at the smiling faces, she was almost grateful whatever force that had pushed Logan, the studious, logical guy to do something so illogical.

Because of it, here she was... Feeling overwhelmed with happiness and love. Because of it, she was getting a family. Though it would be temporary.

"Yes, she said yes." Andy jumped.

"But that is not fair." Brian said with a pout and Logan nodded his head in agreement.

"Can you marry both of us?" Andy asked then, and Alex stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Her heart hurt, too.

"You are really falling behind." Deke said as he patted Logan's back as they were finally done with the laughing. "Better luck next time, bro."

"Man, you lost to a little boy." Markus grinned. "My boy is like, really, charming. Like his father."

"Ah, poor baby, Logan. Logan was always getting rejected." Eliza had pinched his cheeks and he slapped her hands away with a grunt. Alex jerked upright. Did they know about Stacy?

She looked at him and almost imperceptibly he nodded. No. So this was another one of those Logan's childhood story.

"Who else rejected him?"

"It was our next door neighbor. She is a year older than Log and he had a crush on her."

"Ooh, older women, Logan." Alex grinned.

Logan glared up at his family and then he turned those hot eyes on her and God, Alex wished they were alone. All alone.

Bad girl Alex. Very bad.

"Guys, can you please shut up now? Lex, get up now. I think, we have overstayed our welcome here." He stood up with a frown.

"Oh, you guys, shut up and Logan, don't go. Sit down, you too Alexandra." His mom said and he grudgingly sat back down. She was glad he hadn't made his mom sad. She loved it about him. He was almost carefree with his family. Not so tightly guarded. His thorns were giving way to the rose in him.

It was so cheesy, but true.

"We were just kidding." Emma said and her mother had gave her a stern look which made her shut up. Logan gave her a victorious look. "Tattletale." She murmured under her breath.

After lunch, the men had walked to the game room and the women had sat in the backyard and talked and joked, but they steered clear of what Logan had said during the Lunch. The twins looked curious, but Alex was sure they kept quiet because of their mom's warning.

They left at mid noon. The way back home was tensed with silence. He didn't try to break it. She wanted to, but she didn't know how to start a small talk with a big elephant sitting in between them.

When they reached home, he asked her to get ready for her first job meeting in a bland voice before he drove back out.

Here they were, now.

She was ready. He was a moron, though not so much.

"You done with that?" She groaned.

"You asked that just a second ago and the answer is still the same. No. Relax, it is only 8 and your meeting starts at nine. Don't pester me, Alex." He said with a snooty look on his face. If only she could wipe that snooty look with an eraser or something...

"Is this some kind of revenge?" She threw her head back with a sigh.

"Do you deserve a revenge?" His voice was so-so full of arrogance. God. He knew all her switches and knew exactly where to push.

She just want to pound his head with a baseball bat.

"Ass." She mutters under her breath. "If your head grows any bigger, you won't fit in inside this house." He looked like he was enjoying it as he leaned back in his seat, more comfortable and quirked his brows. Those gray eyes, they were shining.

"You are really enjoying it, aren't you?" She said and then went back to begging. "Please, please, Logan. What if we got stuck in the traffic? Come on. Get up. Oh, you... Move your lazy ass, Logan."

He groaned as if he was in pain.

"Just two day ago, you were giving me the silent treatment and now you are talking like a broken tape recorder. Are you talking now, for all of the two days you hadn't?" He shook his head and his hair fell over his forehead.

This was really not the time to think about how sexy it looked like that, all messy and bedraggled, but the thought sneaked in like a thief. She couldn't help it. Her heart and body were working against her brain.

Traitors. The whole lot of them.

"Oh," She bared her teeth at him in a smile. "So, now you are complaining about talking with me, huh? Have you seen that guy who begged me to talk with him and sent me a new table just to bribe me in to talking, Logan? He is nowhere to be found." She said.

"Please stop smiling like that. It is so creepy. You look like a piranha."

"Are you calling me a creep?"

"I am not calling you a creep. I am calling your smile creepy."

"You are an abomination. You are-you are..." She picked up another cup of coffee. It was probably a bad idea.

"If you ever find anything to finish that retort, give me a call." He smirked and shrugged. "Better yet, don't. It will be blah."

He was saying exactly what she had said when they were fighting at his home.

"Haha. Super cute. Not." She said as she threw a pencil at him and he ducked.

"You are so annoying." He said as he threw his papers down. Finally. Success.

"You are annoying. You are the king of annoying." She poked her tongue out.

"God, Alex, I will read the damn paper tomorrow for God's sake. Come on, lets go now before you decide to throw a pan or something." He said with a frown as he stood up with an exasperated look on his face.

She was fast to get his coat and when she handed it to him, his frown became a beautiful smile.

His smile was all magical. Mesmerizing. It would first, erase the brooding look in his eyes --which was getting lesser every passing day, except when he was really angry-- and then the winking dimple would come out on his right side like some well hidden secret and then his grey eyes would join his stretching lips. The slight crinkle at the side of his eyes would make an appearance,then and no one could stop themselves from smiling back.

She smiled back.

It was like a magnificent art. Truly enthralling to look at. Captivating.

But, I am not looking. I can not look.

She took another gulp of the coffee.

Ok, we get it girl. But we are looking. We are feasting. Who the hell was it? Was it her evil, wanton twin who lived inside her?

"You got your files and the laptop?"

He bought her a laptop when he came back later that night. He didn't forgot that even when he was angry. Her laptop was sleek, silver and totally her style.

It was these small things, small totally unexpected deeds and kindness that made Logan who he was.

Rose and thorn.

Granite and velvet.

Hard and soft.

He was a weird combination of the both. And it made her head spin and heart stumble.

"Yep. Done and done. I feel like... Oh, my head is spinning. Really."

This time it wasn't because of Logan. No shit.

"How many cups of coffee did you have?" He looked at her with wariness.

"Only three." She rolled her eyes. He didn't need to know it was the largest mug they had in the kitchen and it excluded the one she was drinking now."And it is all good. I am so, so good. Fantastic. I am freat, I mean, gine. I mean, fine. So geeling freat. Feeling great."

"Ugh. Stop talking. Three? God! You don't sound good. You don't look like you are geeling freat." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You sound high. You sound giddy and tipsy. I mean, can you really get drunk on coffee?" He rubbed his cheeks. "Lex. Did you eat anything at all?"

"Umm, the thing is, coffee is amazingly wonderful and I don't get high from them. And I can't eat. My stomach is pregnant, shit, I mean, p-popping-"

"Sure, you are not high." He scoffed. "You are such a child, Lex. Put it away." He grabbed her sleek black leather bag off her hand and put it on the table. Then he grabbed her hands and dragged her like she was a sack of potato to their new table that still made Alex heart ache with tenderness for him.

And it was so wrong, the feeling. But so, so right.

But she couldn't feel like that, could she?

Wrong.

Party A and Party B should never contest the agreement.

And that was almost like the wake-up call she so gravely needed, but then the next moment, she looked into his gray eyes and it felt like all the reasons and justification for not being sucked in by the pools of his eyes were a pale comparison to what she truly wanted.

To be with him. Even if it was just temporary. She wanted that. But could she, even after knowing the heartbreak would be the ultimate destination?

She wasn't that strong.

He grabbed the plate eggs she had put away and a glass of juice and placed it in front of her. She shook her head.

"I really can't, Logan." I really can't fall for you. She felt tired. She felt drained. Crashing from sugar high?

"You are strung so tight. You need to eat or you are going to mess it up. You can not run on coffee."

"Please." Please, don't be like this to me. "Please, Logan."

If only he could hear her thoughts.

"You are eating or we are not moving away from the table." He warned as he looked at his watch. "And it looked like you only have forty five minutes left." He looked at her pointedly.

"Bossy." She grabbed a fork. "Smug, arrogant little..."

"That again?"

"You going to ask for creativity?"

"No, thank you. Please, just eat. "

"Hah, that is my boy." She said with a cheeky smile, trying to hide whatever mess that was brewing underside her heart. She couldn't give in.

When she finished eating, Logan drove her towards Mathilda Shine's new guest house.

Here I come, Mathilda.

~~~

(Logan)

Alex was twitching in her seat all the way to Mathilda's house and he couldn't help but chuckle. She gave him a glare when she noticed him.

"Shut up."

The skirt and the suit fit her. It was perfection. She was perfection.

It made her look mature and sleek. Sharp. Like she could do it all and some more.

He hoped that Mathilda would see Lex' passion and her talent. Would give her a chance to prove herself.

He stopped the car in front of the tall house and called Mathilda. She buzzed him in and he parked in front of the huge house that looked like it was from Victorian era. It was old, rustic and majestic, a symbol of time and art. A symbol of creative genius.

He sighed. This was not just a building. This was art. And he strived to create art like this.

Building a home is not just about stone and concrete and plans and pillars. It is also about feelings, creativity and imagination.

Logan strongly believed in making every single building he built, a memory of his skill. His creativity. His emotions. His passion.

That was why he was here now, in the top. But he wanted to go farther up. Where not many had gone.

And he was sure he would go there. One day.

"This is so beautiful." Alex whispered, her voice reverent. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were flushed as her eyes swivelled around, as she took in everything. "A masterpiece. I don't know whether I can do justice to it."

But she could. Only she would do justice to this masterpiece. He didn't say that. He just said, "you will."

She nodded her head. Bit her lips as she studied the house again.

She looked breathtaking. His hands had mind of their own. He watched with confusion as his fingers made a trail on her red cheeks.

"W-what are you-you d-doing?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"A good luck kiss?" He said before he pulled her to him. She responded, like how a matchstick would respond to kerosene. Almost immediately. They made fire together. They would burn together.

He touched her tongue with his, gently, softly and she gasped and moaned. His breath mingled with hers and he felt alive. He felt something he had never felt in a long time.

He felt young. And free.

Her hands made a beeline to his back and she pushed it inside his suit jacket. The moment her skin touched his naked skin, he wanted to pull her to him and explode together. It would be so easy. So easy to let emotions overtake him. Control him. To destroy him. Them.

His body went tighter. Her fingers pulled him by his hair. Closer still. And as he let his mouth trail lower, he could hear her muttering.

"What am I doing?" He had asked himself the same, but he just knew he couldn't stop, now. Maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow he wouldn't be so feeble to resist her.

But emotions were always dangerous. Emotions would make you lose your sight. Lose your way.

"You shouldn't do this." She said as she pushed him away. But her hand stayed in his chest.

"It was for luck." He said with a coolness he didn't really feel.

Emotions weaken you.

"Why don't I believe for a moment that you are not a man who believes in luck? You believe in hard work. In talent. In opportunities, Logan Forte. Not in luck and yet here you are, kissing me for luck?"

It was true.

He was also the man who believed in keeping calm no matter what. A man who believed that level-headed decisions and fire for more, could bring you to the top.

"Ok. Maybe I just wanted to remind you about our contract?"

"What the hell does that mean? You are so absurdly random." Her cute nose was all scrunched up like a dried grape. He wanted to kiss it.

"I am not. You see, you may or may not find Leo Shine wandering the..." The thought of Leo Shine was like a prickly heat on his skin.

"Oh God, oh, God, will he really be here?" She gushed.

He gripped the steering wheel tighter and his knuckles turned white. He stared at her, his eyes a narrow slit.

"See. This is why, you have to remember you are supposed to be mine for a year." Mine.

"God, how the heck can I forget that, when your grumpy face is so in my face all the time." And then she flushed. "Not in my face like in my face. Just.. So, ugh. You make me crazy."

"I get it." He smirked at her. "I make you crazy." She threw a rolled up tissue at him.

"Shut up and get down." He did as she said and she followed him, muttering something.

His phone pinged and he pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was Tom reminding him of his morning schedule.

Logan really have to be in the site, but he wanted to be here for Alex if she needed him. He sent a quick text to Tom, asking him to send Amelia and Rafael to the site.

Tom: Boss, u in a coma?

Logan: Tom, one day or other, I'm going to fire your ass.

Tom: Just checking... U want me 2 send Amelia & Raf to the site. So? U dead? R u a ghost?

Logan: I am not dignifying that with a response. I'm here at Mathilda's house.

Tom: Ah! With that cute new interior decorator? Hah! Now I know. U r not in an ordinary coma �, u r in a love coma.

Logan: Tom, do me a favor. Please, type a dismissal letter for one Tom Geoffrey. Goodbye.

Tom: how will u live after that?

Logan: Go & find yourself another job.

He pushed his phone back inside his pocket when he saw Mathilda walking towards them.

"She looks so regal. I think I am going to puke."

"Please don't. This one is a new shirt."

"Gee. Thanks so much for your concern, for your dumb shirt."

"Come on, you had already wasted one, you couldn't another."

"That one was your fault. You were the one who was lazy enough to seperate the laundry."

"Uh-huh, I keep you in house for that."

"What? How dare you... You you monster of a man. I am not your slave."

"Ah. You are not?"

"The nerve. I am going to... I want to gouge your eyes out."

"Such cruelty. Violence is bad, Alexandra. Ahimsa is the only way to go." He chuckled as he made a peace pose with his hands and she slapped it away, a smile hiding in her lips.

"What? You are suddenly a follower of Gandhi? Do I look stupid enough?"

"Uh-uh."

"Logan. I am going to-"

"Hello Logan Forte. And this must be Alexandra? Alexandra...?"

"Umm."

"No last names? It is fine with me, if you don't want to."

"I-I mean, no?" He looked at her. He wished she would say it, but he didn't want to force it out of her.

"It's okay." Mathilda Shine said as she signed them to walk with her. Alex avoided his eyes as they walked.

"Alexandra Steele." She said.

Logan's eyes widened as he came to a halt. Steele. Steele. Robert Steele?

How did he not know that? How could he not?

"What?"

"I-I..."

"You are Rob Steele's daughter?" Mathilda asked with a smile. "You are. Aren't you? You were so young when we met"

"Mom, is your interior decorator already here?" It was unmistakably the nasally voice --ok, maybe not so much-- of Leo.

He came bounding towards them, like an overeager puppy, a big, blinding smile on his face and a halo over his blonde head.

He is disgustingly handsome. Logan narrowed his eyes at the man.

There was another woman standing with him, her black hair in a power ponytail. Her sharp eyes narrowed when she saw him and Alex.

He stopped in front of Logan, looked at him and smirked. "Oh, it is Forte. How is Daniel?"

"I am good, thank you. He is good, too." Logan said with a sarcastic smile.

"It is very amazing how Danny can survive you without popping all his blood vessels. He is like a cockroach, withstanding every situation and weather."

"Yeah, he is amazing like that. You, on the other hand... You are a feeble...puny..."

"Umm?" Alex looked at them. "Logan?" He looked at her puzzled eyes.

"They have always been like that. Don't mind them." Mathilda said to Alex.

Logan's body went rigid as Leo stepped in front of Alex. His Alex.

He pushed a hand to her.

She took it.

"You are an interior designer? Are you sure you are not a model? Don't pull my legs."

"No."

Alexandra Steele, giggled. Really giggled.

Dammit.