Reaching for the Moon by ThePekingNoodle

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Chapter Seventeen: Hands in the Cookie Jar

In which the proverbial s*** hits the fan…

Max spent a restless night in Logan's guestroom. At first she had been half afraid and half hopeful that he would follow her to continue what they had started, but when moments passed with no sign of him, she began to relax. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. She had been in love with him since she was fifteen years old but she didn't deceive herself that he felt the same way. What had happened had been nothing more than hormones talking. Max had a feeling that if things had progressed to their natural conclusion, it would have been the worst thing in the world for what she hoped for with Logan. Sleeping with him would be too easy, and what he expected from women. Max was not going to be one of Logan Cale's play toys. She wanted more from him, and she was determined that she would get it. Strategy was her forte. Logan wasn't exactly a military objective but she could adapt, and he wasn't going to know what had hit him by the time she was through.

She glanced around the room, but there was nothing there to give her any clues about what kind of a man Logan Cale really was. It was a simple guest room, as elegantly furnished as the rest of the apartment, but impersonal.  There were no pictures or knick knacks, other than things some designer had probably sent over with the furnishings.

There was a connecting bathroom but it was not nearly as elaborate as the one she had made use of. There was no whirlpool in this one, only a shower and single sink even though the countertop was marble and the fixtures a gleaming brass. She opened the cabinet above the sink and found it stocked with all of the products that one might find necessary – soaps, shampoos and hair care products, razors and shaving creams, tooth brushes in their packages, and toothpaste. Again, there was nothing that seemed personal or even as if it had been used. It might have been an expensive hotel bathroom.

When she returned to the room she idly opened the drawers of the bureau but they were all empty. It was the closet that finally revealed a clue about Logan's life. She opened it up only so she could know that she had been thorough in her reconnaissance of the room, a habit engrained in her since childhood.  Instead of the empty hangars she expected to see, several garments hung there. Women's garments. 

She pulled out a hangar and ran her hands over a long pink silk gown. It was clearly meant for lounging at home, not for outerwear. The gown was simple, almost like a slip, with a plunging neckline and a back that she guessed would dip slightly below the wearer's waist.  The fabric was the softest silk and Max guessed that wearing the gown would feel almost like wearing nothing at all. Not to mention that the fabric was so fine that it was nearly transparent. She held it up to herself and the hem trailed inches on the floor indicating its owner was taller than Max. Making a face she hung it back up and looked over the other garments hanging there. There was a robe that clearly was the match to the gown, a short black cocktail dress, a pair of light blue slacks, and a sheer white blouse with a silk camisole that went under it. The slacks were too long for her but the blouse appeared as if it would be too tight; its owner was obviously not only taller than Max but thinner, at least in the bust line.

Max closed the closet with a snap. All she could think, was that it was lucky the phone call had come when it had. Logan was clearly involved with someone. No woman left clothes at a man's place if she wasn't there to use them, and these clothes appeared to be here in the event that whoever she was, was with Logan and needed to change in order to accompany him out without going back to her own place. Or if she decided to spend a cozy evening here with him after some event they had attended together. 

Max supposed she should be grateful that at least the cosmetic products in the bathroom appeared to all be new and sealed. She guessed that Logan had forgotten to check the closet and move the clothing out while she was bathing earlier.  She yawned and she realized that she was tired. She never needed much sleep, but she hadn't had any for a few days now and it was catching up with her. She glanced at the gown in the closet, but she refused to wear another woman's clothing especially something like that. Instead she stripped off the clothes Logan had given her earlier and climbed into the bed, pulling the soft cotton sheets and blankets up over her. Within moments she had dropped into a restless sleep only to dream of blue eyes staring into hers and warm lips exploring her mouth…

* * * *

Logan stood staring after Max. His first instinct was to go after her. His blood was still racing through his veins, and the taste of her was permeating his mouth. His body was screaming for more, urging him on to continue what they had started and take it to its logical conclusion.

He had actually taken several steps toward the guest room when sanity returned. He remembered who she was and his promise to Nathan. Lust was replaced with anger and self disgust. He was supposed to be rescuing her from her ordeal and helping her deal with the loss of her parents, and all he could think of was getting her into his bed. He shook his head wondering what in the hell was wrong with him. He never let himself be ruled by his physical wants. He enjoyed women but his emotions were never involved, and he made sure to keep complete control over his relationships. In one day Max had managed to turn his ordered world upside down, a knack she had possessed since she was only fifteen years old.

He ran a hand through his hair and turned to his computers. He wasn't tired and he needed a distraction from thoughts of Max and what he would like to do to and with her. Bling had said he had left him a few messages about his current Eyes Only investigation and now was a good time to read them. He was going to have to be careful what he did when Max was around, so he might as well take care of business while she was asleep.  He thought about dealing with the paperwork from their "marriage" at the airport earlier but decided that that would be an easy task and one that he could openly do in front of Max the next day. Soon he was buried in files as he read what his informants had sent him, and began to plan out how to obtain the last bits of information he was going to need to blow the current investigation wide open with a Streaming Freedom Video cast.

* * * *

Logan was in the kitchen the next morning preparing breakfast when he heard the door open and close, and Bling's familiar footsteps.

"I'm in here," he called out and Bling changed direction and came into view. He was holding a folded newspaper under one arm and he had an unholy grin on his face.

"Morning, Logan." He greeted him cheerfully. "How'd the rescue of the fair maiden in distress come off?"

Logan looked at him puzzled by the air of suppressed amusement that Bling was positively radiating.  "One small glitch, but nothing I can't take care of."

"When do I get to meet her?" Bling asked still holding in some kind of amusement.

"What's the joke?" Logan asked him.

"Is there something you forgot to tell me?" Bling asked him. "Part of the plan I wasn't privy to?"

"Bling, what are you talking about?" Logan was getting impatient.

"Don't blame me for not getting you a gift." Bling tossed the newspaper down in front of Logan. Logan glanced at the name of it and looked away.

"Since when do you read the Weekly World News?" he asked in disgust. Then the headline registered and he turned back to the paper, a look of complete shock on his face.

SEATTLE SOCIALITE WEDS EUROPEAN HEIRESS!!! SECRET LOVE MATCH EXPOSED!!!

screamed out at him from the headlines. Underneath it was a grainy picture of him with an arm around Max helping her into his Lamborghini at the airport. Beneath that was a picture of him taken at some society event and a separate picture of Max, He recognized her picture as one Nathan had inserted into the background files he had created for Max. It was the same one he had shown to Bling two nights earlier.

"Oh my god," was all Logan could get out.

"Gotta hand it to you man, when you say you're gonna create a cover you go all out. So when do I get to meet the blushing bride?" Bling wasn't letting up.

"Damn it Bling, it was all a mistake. They closed the border and it was the only way I could get her through. I was going to make the paperwork vanish today. That slimy bastard at the airport must have recognized my name and decided to make a few more bucks by selling the story to this rag."

"Yeah well, it's all over the society section of the other papers as well, so I guess he made some bucks from them too. No way can you pretend it didn't happen."

Logan continued to stare at Bling.

"Look at it this way. You wanted a cover for her, you sure got one. No one's gonna connect her with anyone but you now. Give's you time to figure out what to do with her."

"Yeah I guess so." Logan started to say more but the doorbell chimed and Bling went to answer it.  Logan heard voices and footsteps coming from the front door. Then he realized that the second voice was a female one and it didn't sound happy. "Omigod. Ashley. Her party…" he groaned.

Ashley made a dramatic entrance into the kitchen, eyes shooting out sparks. "How dare you stand me up?" she stormed over to Logan. Bling raised his hands behind her back as if to say "I wasn't about to get in her way" and Logan glared at him.

Logan stepped back from the blonde's tirade and glanced around as if looking for some kind of support. Instead his eyes met a pair of snapping dark brown ones.  Max stood there holding something pink in her hand and glaring at Ashley.

Ashley followed Logan's look and took in Max, dressed once again in Logan's t-shirt and boxers, legs and feet bare, and hair tousled as if she had just climbed out of bed with a lover. Her mouth dropped open.

"Did you happen to forget something last time you were here?" Max asked her sweetly as she tossed the pink thing at her. It landed on Ashley's head and she spent several sputtering moments untangling herself from it.

"Logan Cale you are a two timing cheating bastard." Ashley took the pink thing and threw it at Logan, then turned and stormed out. Logan found himself enveloped in yards of clinging pink fabric and frantically pulled it off and let it drop to the floor. When he finally freed himself and looked around, it was to see Bling doubled over in laughter, the newspaper lying face up on the floor its incriminating headline glaring at him, and Max nowhere to be seen.

"Man oh man, you sure know how to handle women…" Bling managed to get out between chokes of laughter.

Just then the smell of burning pancakes hit both of their noses and the smoke detector went off. "Clean it up." Logan directed curtly as he turned and fled to the peace and quiet of a hot shower.

End of Chapter Seventeen…TBC…