Logan Ch. 01

She was walking down the beach, watching her footprints appear in the sand and then seconds later be washed away into nothing. It's funny how fast things can happen in only a matter of seconds. Her life had changed on that October night, only months after her eighteenth birthday. She had loved her dad, she had loved him a lot and had always stayed true to him, but there were just certain things that they argued about constantly. One of those issues was college, something she didn't want to do, something he thought was a necessity, and something that she had never thought back on again.

Her father was a millionaire from the day he was born. His father, her grandfather, had bought all of the land on a strip of beach, built houses on them, and had rented them out. The place around it boomed, but the beach itself was private which made it popular and demanded. The amount people paid to be on a private beach was ungodly, and it started soaring when her father was about fifteen. From then on, his father learned the ins and outs of the business and eventually completely took over for his father.

His father had loved every aspect of the business and became the poster-child for all workaholics. That had been the main reasoning for his wife leaving him and her daughter when her daughter was only one. She had been raised on the business, learning it and playing it as well as her father. They got along well when they worked together, and she missed the busy days. But her father had also been an alcoholic and an abusive one at that, so although she missed him, part of her was glad he was gone. He had been hit by a train and died instantly when she was only three months past eighteen, leaving his business to her as she was his only child, making her a millionaire and leaving her in charge of a little over sixty houses. Her father had hired a maid service to come and clean the house when renters left, and had walked the beach himself for most of the time, picking it up.

It didn't take long for her to switch it around, and hire people to not only help her clean the house after the renters left- the maids were not satisfactory in that they would often stay the weekend and not do a reasonable job cleaning- but also to help her pick up the beach. For a while she had had an assistant who helped her choose the people, but then found that she could do it herself and needed no one's help in doing so. She hadn't really liked the assistant because she often began her advice with:well, your father would have... I don't care what the hell my father would have done, she'd think. That, and she found that often times she couldn't trust people. Her right hand man- he had the same title as the rest of the workers, but she found he was easier to talk to then the rest and so spent most of her time with him- was one of the few that she could trust and could always count for a laugh.

About ten yards up the beach she saw a can floating in and out of the surf, looking new as if someone had just thrown it there. She looked up to the house, making a mental note that people were walking up the boardwalk, chairs in hand. She wasn't carrying a bag with her or else she would have picked it up to throw it away later.No, she thought to herself,I'm on my break. So she picked the can out of the surf and threw it up on the beach, thinking she would grab it again when she walked later, or maybe tomorrow morning when she ran at six.Although if it's still there by six, then maybe I need to hire someone that can do their job. No sooner had the can landed then she heard a voice behind her.

"Excuse me," he said. She turned and smiled on the inside. It was a new kid she had just hired, Will: he was nineteen, had just dropped out of LSU. They had never met, but she had seen his picture in his application and had talked to him over the phone.

"Yes?" she asked innocently.

"Aren't you going to take your can with you?"

"Oh, it's not mine."

"Are you kidding? I just saw you throw it up there."

"Right," she said, taking her time and trying to keep from laughing, "I pulled it out of the surf and threw it up on the beach so no one would step on it." He just nodded and raised his eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think it belongs to those people," she said, nodding towards the house.

"Well thank you, but I believe I can do my job sufficiently." She lost it then and started laughing. He began to look pissed and more full of himself. She just turned and kept walking; he didn't pursue her.

That night she arrived back at the house, a huge white one in the most choice location, one that all of the people she worked with stayed in; she had the top floor all to herself. She was sitting in her living room area with Jacob, her right hand man, when his cell phone rang. It was a regular thing for all of the new workers to have an older worker buddy. This gave them someone they could immediately talk to and connect with, with someone to teach them how to do their jobs correctly. They were required to check in with their elder every night before they went to sleep, and they could talk about anything and everything.

Jacob answered and put him on speaker phone.

"Hello?"

"Jacob?"

"Yeah?"

"It's Will."

"Hey, Will, how did your first day go?"

"Really well, actually."

"Have any trouble with any of the renters?" Jacob asked, having already heard the story between the two earlier in the day.

"Actually there was this one girl. About my age, tall, reddish blonde hair, pretty blue eyes," he said.

"She doesn't sound familiar. Did you get a name or a house she was living in?"

"No, I didn't ask."

"Next time you should."

"Oh, okay."

"Don't worry about it though, you didn't know."

"Okay."

"What did she do exactly?"

"She threw a can up on the beach and then tried to tell me it wasn't hers. I mean I saw her throw the thing up; she was lying to my face."

"Are you positive? Did you see her take a sip out of it?"

"No, but I saw her toss it up."

"Maybe it wasn't hers."

"Maybe," Will said, giving up.

"Have you met the boss yet?" Jacob asked.

"No, but I heard one of the guys say she was hot." She heard this and stifled a giggle as she raised her eyebrow in surprise.I need to hire older guys, she thought to herself.

"Well I'm up here with her right now, we'll come down and meet you in the kitchen."

"Alright, cool," he said. They walked down the stairs and turned the corner, pushing the swinging doors in; Will was sitting at the table, drinking a glass of OJ. He turned and looked up as his jaw hit the table.

"Hey, Will, nice to meet you," she said, laughing as she extended her hand.

"You're...?" She nodded.

"You're rough. I can't wait to start working with you."

"She likes it rough," Jacob whispered behind his hand. She punched him in the arm and he rubbed it. "Ow."

"I swear," she said, shaking her head, "You would think that he was the boss."

"Well I am your boss," he said, grabbing her and swinging her around. Just then the doorbell rang and she ran- like a child- to answer it.

"Mr. Languest requests your presence tonight for dinner." She looked annoyed at the butler that had been sent to tell her this news.

"Tell Jack that if he wants me to come to dinner he'll have to ask me himself."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Johnson, call me Lo," she said, smiling at the man then waving goodbye as he climbed back into the car. She turned around to see Jacob and Will standing there. She just shook her head at Jacob and walked into his open arms.

"You sure you don't want me to burn down his house?"

"You mean houses?" He chuckled.

"Yeah."

"Nah, he can keep them all to his lonely ass self."

"You know he's not going to stop."

"I know," she said, then turned to meet Will's confused look. "Inform your child- he deserves to know seeing as how the rest of the house does." She started walking up the stairs then turned around. "Actually, Will, let's take us a little walk." Will just nodded and followed her out of the house.

As soon as they were outside Will said, "About earlier- I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry, Will, I was just having fun with you. I enjoy using men to entertain me." She laughed and he grinned at her, realizing how much he was beginning to love that laugh. She met his gaze and just sighed. His eyes were a beautiful blue, his hair dark- almost black- and shaggy, wavy. He was gorgeous to say the least. Tall, dark and handsome- just the way she liked them.

Over the period of the walk, they got more and more intimate with each other, physically teasing and then seconds later having a serious conversation. She began to realize that she hadn't had this much fun or opened up this much in years. She explained to Will everything about her dad. Then she went on to explain just exactly who Jack Languest was.

He was pretty much her counterpart. What part of the little strip of land she didn't own, he did. He was 27 and had been pursuing her since her father died last October.

"Of course," she said, "My father promised him that he could marry me whenever he wanted. He almost had me at sixteen," she said, shaking her head, "But I somehow convinced my dad to at least let me graduate high school. Then my dad died and Jack's just been hovering over my head every since, trying to get a hold of me so that somehow the two businesses will merge with our marriage. I've been thinking about accepting lately though, just to get him off my back."

"You shouldn't marry because it's a good business proposition. You should marry for love."

"I'm not so sure I believe in love, Will," she said, smiling gently at him.

"It just seems to me that marrying for the money can only go downhill."

"I know, but I don't know what else to do."

"Keep saying no?" She laughed.

"I guess that'll just have to do." They turned and started back, and then Logan turned to him.

"Hey, I was thinking I would go clubbing tonight, wanna come with me?"

"Of course," he said and he was shocked when she reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Meet you downstairs at seven thirty?" she asked, and he nodded.

Will was so excited that he was down there at seven. He sat down on the couch, coke in hand, to wait for her and just talk with Jacob.

"Watch out for her, alright?" Jacob was asking.

"Alright," Will answered, nervously.

"She doesn't take people out with her, not even me. Just take care of her- she deserves it." Will was shocked at what he had just heard but didn't have to think of a response to that as Logan was walking down the stairs. She looked amazing in her short black flowy skirt and an orange and yellow striped tube top, her reddish blonde hair flowing down around her shoulders. Without either of them thinking about it, they had met in the middle of the room and joined hands, sending flames through each other with their touch. Jacob raised an eyebrow at Logan and Will.

"Have fun you two, I'll lock up." Logan just smiled and said a quick thank you before practically dragging Will outside. They were climbing into her car, a Porsche Turbo, when a town car pulled up and Johnson, the butler, got out to open the back door. Logan groaned as she stood up and leaned on the car.

"Johnson, he doesn't deserve to have that door opened for him," she said to the butler, "I don't see why you do it."

"Six children, ma'am," he said quietly before opening the door. A tall, lean, well-dressed man appeared from the car. He was wearing a gray suit and tie, was obviously tanned from the beach and had perfect gold hair, not one piece was out of place. Will suddenly became very aware as to the power of this man and shuddered. He was commanding, rich and handsome, none of those Will had ever experienced first hand, much less had the confidence to walk around like that.

"Hello, Logan," Jack said, closing the distance between the two quite fast as he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Jack," she spoke, her tone harsh, as she pulled her hand back from his grip.

"I came to pick you up for dinner, darling."

"Jack you can't keep just showing up and expecting me to drop everything to be with you."

"You wouldn't have to drop everything if you would be my wife."

"Jack I'm not going to marry you," she said, taking a quick glance over at Will before adding, "Ever."

"Don't be silly, darling. It was your father's dying wish to see us merge."

"Let him roll in his grave," she said, scoffing.

"You're father was a great man."

"My father was an arrogant, conceited, selfish bastard."

"It pains me when you talk of your father like that after all the good things he wanted for you."

"Jack, we're not going through this again. He wasn't a good man."

"At least he had enough good since to know that we were meant for each other," Jack retaliated, and Will became aware of just how good the two would look together as a couple. Not quite though, he thought to himself, she's too wild to be with someone like that, she's got too much spunk, too much flame to her.

"I rest my case," she said, throwing her arms out, "Something that was never ever going to happen in the first place."

"I should have had you at sixteen," Jack growled, stepping forward and taking her wrist into his hand, "Then you would have learned a thing or two from me."

"Oh good, statutory rape."

"Not rape if you're my wife."

"I wasn't. I'm not. I never will be," she almost yelled, pulling her arm free.

"I will have you whether you want me to or not."

"I'm not some prize, Jack. Good God!"

"You are beautiful and you belong at my side."

"At your side like some pet," she spat, "Go fuck yourself."

"Oh how very adult of you- resorting to name calling now are we?"

"Unbelievable," she breathed.

"What's unbelievable is the fact that you have millions and millions, yet you live in this hole in the wall with other... other...common people... like him..." he said, pointing to Will.

"First of all this is not a hole in the wall. And second of all- and more importantly- I love spending my life around people like him. I'm not superior to anyone and neither are you."

"I most certainly am superior to... tothat," he said, pointing again as his face twisted into that of sheer disgust.

"Pull your head out of your fucking ass, Jack! The only thing different between you and him, is the fact that he not only has manners but he has decency and class that far surpass yours."

"You can't be serious," he said, looking Will over. "I've got millions, he doesn't."

"Money. Isn't. Everything."

"It is in our world."

"He," she said, pointing to Will, "Andthat," she said pointing to the house, "Is my world."

"I'm here to save you from...him," he said, spiting in Will's direction. Logan took one look at how pale and flushed Will looked and without thinking had punched Jack. He spun around, holding his nose as it dripped with blood. "Shit, Logan!" he said, looking bewildered.

"Grow. Up," she said, getting into the car as Will did the same, then speeding away towards town. There was a good minute of silence before Logan started laughing. "I can't believe I did that. Nothing has ever felt so good in my life." She looked over and saw torment and embarrassment on Will's face.

"Yeah," he said, barely audible and without looking up, "Good job."

"Will, I never would have said any of that stuff or done anything like that if it wasn't for you- you gave me the strength to do that."

"No," he said, looking at her, "You could have done it all along. I was just the scapegoat of an already heated argument and thus provided a reason for you to hit him."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is," Will said, finally looking at her. Frustrated, she pulled the car over and unbuckled. "What-?" She cut him off as she quickly climbed into his lap and started kissing him. She teased his lower lip, gently biting it before rubbing her tongue along his teeth until he allowed her access, opening his mouth as his tongue came out to meet hers. His hands roamed up and down her back, stroking and pulling. They had their tongues down each other's throats for a good fifteen minutes before they finally broke.

"That's not true and don't you forget it," she said, smiling as she kissed him one last time and slid back into her seat, fixing her tube top and skirt, smiling at her reflection in the mirror, her lips red from being well kissed.

"That was so not fair," he said, looking over at her and grinning.

"Complaints, Mr. Robinson?" she teased

"None at all," he said, beaming.

They parked in the lot and walked up to the building of a club called The 411. It was about eight thirty now and there was a decent size line outside of the building. Will was about to point this out to her and suggest that they go elsewhere so that they don't spend their whole night waiting in line, when she pulled him to the front of the line to talk with the bouncer.

"Hey, Fred," she said, giving the big man a hug and peck on the cheek.

"Beautiful, where have you been? You almost made it one whole week." She laughed.

"Almost."

"You in another fight with Jack?" he said, nodding towards Will.

"Freddie," she said, shaking her head, "No pullin' my strings tonight. I kinda like this one, so no scaring him off, okay?"

"You mean no 'hey I saw your wedding announcement in the paper this morning' jokes?"

"That's not even funny," she said, tightening her grip on Will's hand.

"You better watch out, beautiful, he's gonna do it one day."

"Yeah but then I've got people like you to kick his ass."

"And get a million dolla' lawsuit on my hands? You best be finding you some better protectors," he said laughing.

"You know I've always got your back, Fred. Tell Jenna I said hi. How's little Fred doing?"

"Got his first tooth in now."

"Aw that's awesome. Hey- anytime you all want a night on the town, my offer for babysitting is always open. On the house."

"Beautiful, you know that we already did that once. We can't impose on you again like that, but thank you."

"Freddie listen. You let me into this place anytime I want in- I'm the one that owes you. I love little Fred to death, it's my pleasure to baby-sit him."

"If you insist," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Call me sometime this week and we'll set up a play date." They laughed, hugged, and then parted ways. "What do you want to drink?" she asked Will as they headed towards the bar.

"Someone's gotta be responsible and drive. Water's good."

"Water is good," she said, leaning over the bar to get the bartenders attention, "Hey Carl!"

"Girl how are you doin'?" a man in his late thirties asked, coming to their side of the bar. "Long time, no see!"

"Carl this is my..." she turned to Will, whispered something in his ear making his eyes go as wide as saucers, then continued, "Boyfriend, Will. Will this is my good friend Carl."

"I think you got the better end of the deal," Carl said, shaking hands with Will. Logan grinned.

"Enough of that, we'll have two waters."

"Two waters it is- on the tab?"

"As always."

"One of these days I really am going to make you pay it."

"Keep talkin', Carl, keep talkin'." He handed the two waters across the bar and it was Will's turn to pull Logan somewhere. He leaded them to a booth in the corner and sat, pulling Logan into his lap, gently kissing her shoulder.

"Now about this boyfriend stuff," he said, grinning.

"I mean it," she said, pulling away and looking at him seriously, "I wouldn't have said it if I hadn't meant it." He pulled her head down to his and let his tongue roam around with hers.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me," he said, stroking her hair lovingly, "Now shall we dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she said, laughing as they stood and made their way to the center of the dance floor. They danced nonstop for three hours, through every song. They barely heard the music as they held each other's attention, each noticing every movement and shift in the others body. In the fast songs they'd bump and grind and kiss, but in the slow songs they would hold each other tenderly, hiding the inner beast that had been released on the last song. Looking down at his watch and seeing it said 12:04, Will suggested that they take a break and have some water. She sat on his lap again, drinking water, holding his bottle for him while he drank, swapping water back and forth between each other's mouths. When he looked down at his watch again he saw that it read 12:30.