“I’ll take a cosmo.” I shout above the music, and he nods before turning to gather ingredients.
I realize I didn’t re-pack my newly returned purse as I unzip it in preparation to cover my bill.
My eyes widen as I grab the cash he’s inserted into the clutch — ten crisp one-hundred-dollar bills, with a pristine white business card with the words Logan Draper imprinted in gold ink. Beneath his name, there is his number and an email address.
Replaying our earlier interaction in my mind, I try to recall his demeanor, wondering just what he could possibly see happening between us, especially with this type of move. What type of girl would be happy to have a thousand dollars slipped in her purse by a stranger?
A gold digger, that’s who, and I bet he’s used to that type, but that’s not me. There’s no way I’m accepting this money, or this type of behavior from him, and I’ll be sure to make that clear over dinner.
“Here you are,” the bartender hands me a pink drink and I smile, handing him a twenty-dollar bill that actually belongs to me.
“It’s on the house,” he yells before turning to help someone else.
What’s up with everyone showering me with gifts today? Although, a free drink at a bar is understandable, a stack of cash in a returned purse is not. What type of response did he expect to receive?
No wonder he didn’t bother exchanging information.
Chapter 5
Logan
“I’ve finalized preparations for your upcoming trip. I think you’ll have a good time, Istanbul is one of my favorite cities,” Jenn says while checking off things on her clipboard.
She’s so focused she’s yet to look up during our meeting, which is basically her updating me on my life. I have to go to Europe.
Traveling is one of my favorite things to do, but not as much when work is involved. My parents never really thought I’d do anything with my trust fund, but through a few smart investments, I’ve more than tripled my wealth in just over a decade.
Business is now more for sport than anything else, and it’s grown to be a bit mundane. Jenn tries to find a way of spicing it up by packing business meetings and luncheons along my travels, but all it really does is ruin a perfectly good opportunity for a vacation.
“Have you ever considered bringing along one of your, uhh…” Jenn trails off as she blushes.
“One of my what?” I pretend to be confused.
“You know what I mean, Logan. A little company could make your trip more… pleasurable,” she says, her face reddening even further.
“Just what I need — another woman thinking I could be her prince charming.”
“Mr. Draper, I honestly don’t think you need to worry about women confusing you with Prince Charming,” she says with a smile, but I know she’s right.
From the way I run through women, and the reputation I’ve earned, it seems they all know what they’re walking into. The way I see it, that’s a good thing. At least there are no surprises. That also means that women feel the need to take advantage of my availability — trying to leech on and take as much as they can since they know I won’t be around long.
“I guess you’re right,” I say with a smirk.
I see Jenn reach for the cordless phone she uses to answer calls remotely, before switching her voice to the more professional tone she uses with clients.
“Good afternoon. You’ve reached Mr. Draper’s desk. This is Jennifer speaking, how may I help you?” she says.
My mind wanders to the idea of taking a woman along on my business trip. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d traveled with a date, but I can’t see myself enjoying company after those long meetings. Typically, I just need a little time to myself to make up for the boring exchanges.
“Mr. Draper. I have an Ava Batcher on the line for you,” Jenn says in her formal tone, and dare I say, I get nervous.
I wave my hand, signaling Jenn to leave me alone in my office. I force a deep breath before picking up the phone and pressing the blinking button, indicating the occupied line.
“Ms. Batcher,” I answer with the arrogance I’m known for.
“Oh, hi,” she says quietly. “I was calling to see if you were available.”
“Available for what?” I ask with a smirk.
“Well,” her voice changes and she begins to speak with confidence, “I did tell you I would call to set up our dinner, so I wanted to see what evening worked for you,” she says smoothly, her voice is soft but stern at the same time.
“Are you free tonight?” The words rush out of my mouth before I can check my thirst to see her again. There’s something about her that’s clouded my thoughts since I saw her. I haven’t decided whether I can believe that she could possibly not know who I am, but the thought is rather alluring. I can’t remember the last time I slept with a woman without her requesting I follow her on social media afterwards. But I’m famous, and rich, so women seemed to learn all about me during their first semester of undergrad at UCLA.
“Well, yeah, I guess I can do tonight,” she answers after a brief pause.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at eight,” I say.
“Oh? You don’t want to ride in my Mini Cooper?” she teases.
The corners of my mouth bend upwards.
“I told you I’m not riding in that. I’ll see you tonight, Ava,” I say as I start to move to hang up the phone.
“Wait!” She says, halting my movements.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Don’t you need my address?”
“I had your license, Ava. I know where you live. See you soon.” I chuckle just before I end the call.
Excitement is an understatement for how I feel about our dinner, which makes it difficult to focus in the rest of my meetings throughout the day.
