He was sitting in the meeting room looking at the people gathering for the morning meeting. He didn't feel like he had to sit through these meetings at all, but somehow this morning he just didn't want to miss it. It was past 7 already, she was late. He wondered if she even managed to get up at all. He snickered at the thought.

Suddenly she walked through the door. She was hungover alright, she looked pale, her skin a shade of grey and the circles under her eyes were a clear cut indication of what she had been doing last night. She probably had a massive headache as well, judging by the look of it. Plus the aspirin she just gulped down with a little help from her oversized coffee.

Still, she was a sight. Her eyes as blue as ever, and hair flowing around her face, he found himself staring as she began the meeting barely even noticing anyone in the room.

Her expressions throughout the whole meeting proved her headache has not subsided much. She finished the meeting and let everyone go with a wave of her hand. For a moment she seemed like she was going to collapse into a chair as the room slowly emptied, but she took a deep breath and started collecting her stuff.

Logan stepped up to her.

"Rough night last night, Ace?" he said not able to hide his signature smirk

Rory rolled her eyes

"Have I told you you're the devil? Because it's true, I am absolutely positive" she rambled while heading for the door.

Logan joined her on her way to the newsroom

She suddenly stopped dead in her track and turned to him closing her eyes, placing her hands on them absent-minded

"You wouldn't happen to know how I got to bed last night, would you?

She opened one eye, peeking through her fingers. She was adorable

"Last thing I remember was me reenacting Old Man and the Sea standing on top of a table at the pub" she said embarrassed

He stood there with a wide smile remembering the scene

"Yeah, you are quite the drunk

"Oh God, please tell me that was the most embarrassing scene of the evening and I didn't do anything else" she said turning away from him and continuing her walk down the hall.

He smiled at this and presumed walking by her, looking down on the floor. Obviously she didn't recall telling him she fantasized about him while pleasuring herself. And that was probably a good thing, she probably wouldn't have the guts to look him in the eyes ever again. He decided to play it coy

"I think that's about as embarrassing as it can get

"So how DID I get home?" she said dragging out her words as though pronouncing them was a huge feat in her miserable state

"Why editor Gilmore, I wouldn't know that, now would I?" he said, his grin in place as he gave her a look and passed her by heading off towards his office

She stood there smiling and cursing her hangover.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He walked back into his office and slumped into his chair. The latest edition of the paper lay on his desk and he started flipping through it.

Suddenly something caught his eye.

His mood sunk quickly and he took a deep breath. He felt like he was making a progress, a connection and that this whole ordeal wasn't going to be such a hassle like he thought the first time he got here.

That feeling was gone now. He picked up the phone

"Kate, can you ask the editor to come to my office?

He put the receiver back still staring at the page that has caught his attention. He walked to his favorite spot by the window and prepared himself mentally for another, no doubt hostile, confrontation.

He sighed. To say he was sick of them was an understatement.

As he waited his anger rose. It pissed him off to feel like they were doing things behind his back. He heard the door open.

"If you asked me to come in here so you can make fun of my hangover I suggest you find something better to do, I have a job to do, you know" she joked as she walked into the room closing the door behind her.

She looked at him staring out of the window with his back towards her.

"I thought we had an agreement on the serial" he said, his voice low and cold, in stark contrast to his playful tone out in the hallway just a couple of minutes ago.

Rory sighed and glanced at his desk, seeing the paper spread out.

"Logan, I can..."

He cut her off by turning around. His expression shocked her and made her stop dead in her track. Something dark was boiling in his eyes, masked anger and tension building up on his face. She almost stepped back from the surprise. But she quickly changed her composure as well meeting his fierce gaze.

"I thought we could discuss it again, I really don't see the point in discarding something that's been almost like a foundation for the past, I don't know, 8 years at this paper. I realize that doesn't mean much to you...

He cut her off, his tone unchanged forcing her to raise her voice to try to finish her sentence.

"That is not the point. The point is we agreed to drop it. I stated my reasons for it, we negotiated and you agreed"

"Yes I did, but what does it matter if we do it for another week or not..."

"It matters because you are constantly revising my decisions and I think it's not clear for you that I am in charge now..."

"How am I constantly revising your decisions? You are the one making hasty choices without consulting me"

The two were approaching each other with the tension building in the room around them. His eyes were shooting sparks and she was more and more enraged by every word he said.

"I am making choices that will help this paper" his voice was strong, commanding.

"You are taking over"

"It's what I am here to do" he spat.

"If you want to run the paper all by yourself, then go ahead and fire me but I am not just gonna nod and agree to every single decision that YOU think is right" she was yelling now, her eyes fiery.

He stood there in silence for a split second studying her feature and furrowing his eyebrows as if he were trying to comprehend something.

"Is this about keeping some useless old bloke on staff just for the sake of family again, because if it is..." he glared at her.

"You don't know what the hell you are talking about" she screamed at him losing her cool.

She turned and took a step towards the door opening it to walk out.

She gasped as she felt a resistance and then heard the door slammed in front of her as he shut it with a powerful slam of his hand.

She spun around seeing him right in front of her, his face only inches away from hers and his hand still firmly on the door making sure she couldn't open it again. She stared at him with a look of confusion and shock, her chest quickly rising and falling.

"I am sick of you running when you are losing an argument" he said his voice low and mixed with something she hasn't heard in it before.

He was leaning against the door and focusing on the floor but still towering over her and pausing as though he was trying to regain his composure.

Moments passed.

Rory opened her mouth as if to say something but he cut her off before she could start.

"I am sick and tired of you pushing your luck. I told you before but I am gonna tell you one more time. Right now, I am the only thing keeping this paper from being shut down" he spoke slowly, stressing every word and lifting his gaze to look in her eyes, "I am the only one on your side, so I suggest you appreciate that fact and don't try to screw me over every chance you get".

The sheer anger radiating from him as he spat out the words silenced her. She felt like she was shrinking, like she was losing her ground. His presence was overwhelming and there was something in the way he talked, the way he was almost shaking with this intense feeling.

"I hope we're clear" he said, his voice low and husky.

For a moment she felt like her head was spinning with the incredible tension coming from his face only inches away from hers. She felt her anger turning into anxiety and expectation. Her breath was caught and she could swear he was moving towards her, all she could concentrate on were his lips coming closer.

Suddenly she heard the doorknob turn as he opened the door for her and turned his back, walking back to his spot by the window.

"You can go now" he said, his voice so low, it almost cracked.

He took a deep breath as he heard the door close behind him.

Fuck, he couldn't believe the effect this woman had on him.

He steadied himself on the window frame, leaning against it and closing his eyes.

Pissing him off was one thing, contradicting him was another, and the fact that arguing with her turned him on uncontrollably didn't help much either.

He stood there bewildered.

He had an erection.

An actual erection just from having her scream in his face.

Something is seriously wrong with you, he thought as he tried to calm himself and regain control over certain parts of his body.

What the hell is wrong with you, he asked himself, is it sex? Is it fucking sex? Because if it is you need to get laid quick and get a friggin' grip on yourself, because this is getting ridiculous.

Of course he knew it wasn't just wanting sex. It was wanting her. Ever since that insane dream, he felt himself drawn towards her, wanting to touch her and kiss her and have all of her.

Okay, these thoughts certainly didn't help him get rid of his erection. Once again he concentrated on calming himself. It was not easy, with her perfume still lingering in the air almost as if she was still in the room.

"Logan" her voice was small and soft, barely audible, but it made him spin around in a dizzy.

Had she been in the room all along? She closed the door but never left?

She stood there, her expression breaking his heart and stirring his feelings again and he felt like he had trouble breathing again.

With her face full of remorse and hurt she took a step towards him.

"I am sorry. I really am, it's just hard okay? I am trying, I swear"

He felt as though he's been hit in the head, the room was spinning and his desire rushed back to him with a vengeance. He couldn't think straight, all he knew was that he needed her to be somewhere else or he would lose his mind just looking at her.

His words came as though it took him a horrible amount of effort to get them out and this stunned her.

"Please just stop" he closed his eyes, almost pleading "shut up, just shut up" the air coming out in shallow breaths.

She took another step amazed by what she saw, the need, the want in his eyes, his uncertainty as though he had trouble controlling himself or his actions and would lose it any second. He noticed her aproaching him slowly.

"Don't" his voice still pleading in vain, he looked up at her again.

She timidly closed the gap between them and continued to stare at him, her breathing starting to match his rapid one.

He closed his eyes again as if finally giving up and with one hand reaching out grabbed her arm and pulled her in.

His lips crashed into hers meeting them in a bruising kiss. His hands moved up from her arms to her neck, to her head, her hair, pulling her face close to his tasting her like she was salvation.

She tasted incredible. Her soft lips parting in need and her tongue welcoming his own in her mouth. He kissed her with a need that seemed like it had been suppressed forever.

Her fragile frame pressed into his body as his hands once again fell down onto the small of her back pulling her into his strong hug. Her hips pressed against his and she gasped as she felt his erection.

Her eyes flew open as he broke their kiss to catch his breath.

He didn't open his eyes, but rested his forehead against hers inhaling her incredible smell and holding her in his arms. He didn't dare open his eyes. He was afraid it would mean having to explain himself or see her expression questioning him.

He dove into another kiss instead and groaned in pleasure as he felt her respond.

It was making him crazy. All he could concentrate on was that she was finally in his arms, he was finally touching her, tasting her, kissing her, roaming her body with his hands. Their kiss was full of need, frustration and passion, violent and unappeasable, their bodies both wanting the other in a suddenly aroused desire.

The sound of the phone ringing broke the moment.

He felt her jump back and she stared at him wide-eyed, her chest still heavily rising and falling.

Breaking contact felt horrible, like a wound opening, like he has lost something that was crucial to being.

He panted and ran his hand through his hair turning his attention to the phone.

He walked over to the desk trying to regain his composure.

He stood behind his desk for a moment, steadying his breathing then picked up the phone

"Yeah?

As he listened he looked back at her, still standing there in the same spot, looking shaken. That was a bad idea, because it made trying to calm down almost impossible. He looked down on his desk as he concentrated on what he was being informed about. He frowned.

"Yeah, I'll take it, patch him through".

It was his father, and Logan already knew what he wanted to talk about.

He looked back at Rory, who was now feeling more awkward by the second. She motioned towards the door and he nodded silently realizing it was probably better if she was not in close proximity anymore. He wasn't sure he could think straight with her in the room.

He sighed as he watched her exit and slumped back into his chair.

"Hey Dad" he said, trying to sound casual.

He listened to his father and replied concentrating on the matter at hand.

"Yeah, I did arrange to have it dropped... it's going to be dropped...Yeah, there was a misunderstanding... I'll handle it, it's under control... I think it is, let's just give it a bit more time".

He replaced the receiver and leaned back in his chair closing his eyes.

He needed to clear his head, think straight, calm down. But all he could see and think of was her in his arms.

Fuck, that woman turned him on.

He was astonished. Yeah, he's been affected by women before, he couldn't say he was never turned on so much before, but it never prevented him from doing his job, from concentrating on things that were important. He could always separate the two. He felt it was harder and harder for him to be a professional around her. There was too much desire and want and ... emotions even.

I don't need a bed in here, I need a fucking bathroom to take a cold shower, he thought to himself groaning out loud.