"Yes, well it looked so comfortable and I wasn't sure if you'd be in today to sit in it yourself," Sue stood up and offered the seat back to its rightful owner.
Rory rolled her eyes as she sat behind her desk. "And why wouldn't I come to work today?" she asked even though she had a very good idea of the type of comment that was headed her way.
"Oh well I heard that you and Logan hopped on his private jet and flew off to Cancun to live in a beautiful villa overlooking the Caribbean Sea."
Rory's head fell defeatedly on her desk as she let out a sigh. "Please tell me you're making that up. They can't really be that bad can they?" she mumbled into the wood surface.
Sue laughed. "What did you expect Rory? You left the party with the new boss..."
Rory lifted her head back up to interrupt Sue, "I didn't leave with him, he just walked me out."
Sue continued on as though the interruption had never occurred, "After spending the whole night dancing with him like your head was glued to his chest..."
"My head was not glued, literally or figuratively," she argued.
"And let's not forget the proverbial thrown gauntlet. I'll have to admit I would have loved to have seen a fencing match for your honor. That would have been highly entertaining. As it was I had to settle for entertaining myself with listening to all the gossip."
"And I'm sure you threw some more fuel into that fire; you're Generation Y's version of Miss Patty," Rory accused with mock seriousness.
"Oh, well of course, I told them all about how you, Jess, and Logan had a threesome a while back and Jess was upset because he was so enamored with Logan but Logan only had eyes for you," Sue joked.
Rory gave Sue a hateful look and once again dropped her head to her desk, burying her face in her arm. "You're evil."
Sue smiled and shook her head. "When people asked me what I knew, I just told them that you mentioned working with Logan back at Yale and then I assured them that you were happy with Jess and that there was nothing going on between you and Huntzberger. Of course I omitted the Aerosmith incident."
"Aerosmith?" Rory asked, not catching on to the reference.
"Love in an Elevator," Sue smiled a little at the knowledge that she had stumped the pop culture reference Queen.
"Right, I should have gotten that one."
"So I didn't lie, did I?" Sue asked in a hushed voice
"Lie about what?"
"You and the boss man. No good night smootchies or other illicit activities to speak of? You can tell me you know."
Rory rolled her eyes. "Nothing happened. He walked me out, helped me hail a cab, and then I got in alone and went home to Jess. End of story."
"So how'd that go?"
"Oh, well there was some yelling followed by some screaming which preceded the harsh bitter accusations and then came the less than sincere apologies on both sides, and finally there was some actual civil conversation and then we made up," Rory sumated.
"And when you say 'made up'..." Sue prodded.
"We had sex," Rory blushed and looked away.
"Now I know you're still a little shy about your sex life and all but that there was just plain pathetic. You want to explain the overly dramatic look of shame?" Sue, always the observationalist, asked.
Rory sighed and looked around her to make sure no one was too near by. "This is really bad Sue..." she began in a hushed tone.
"What's bad? The sex was bad?"
"No, actually the sex was pretty damn amazing. In fact, I think it was the best sex I've had since..." Rory trailed off.
"Since Logan?" Sue asked pointedly. Rory shook her head to confirm. "So I'm guessing there's more to this than the fact that the sex was good?"
Rory cast her eyes down in shame. "Logan said something to me the other day...on the elevator."
"You mean something other than 'let me shove my tongue down your throat and feel you up'?"
Rory glared at the red head for a moment before continuing. "He said something about whether or not I ever thought about him...when I was with Jess," she whispered quickly.
"So it was the best sex since Logan because you were imagining having sex with Logan." It wasn't a question, Sue knew exactly what her friend was telling her.
Rory nodded her head shamefully. "I literally had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming the wrong name," she admitted, sticking out her tongue to show Sue the bite mark.
"Well there's an easy solution to that," Sue informed Rory.
"Oh really? And what would that be?"
"Sleep with Logan, then it won't be the wrong name anymore," Sue replied matter-of-factly.
"No, I'm not going to cheat on Jess."
"Hun, you made out with your ex on an elevator, got all touchy-feely on the dance floor, and almost called out the wrong name in the sack. I think it's time to face the facts."
"And what facts would those be?" Rory asked defensively.
"You're still in love with Logan."
"I never denied that. But that's besides the point."
"How can that possibly be besides the point?"
"Because I also love Jess."
"You love Logan more."
"You don't know that. I don't even know that."
"Rory, the way you looked at Logan last night, I've never seen you look at Jess that way."
"So you think I should just throw away one of the most important relationships in my life because I was making goo-goo eyes?" Rory asked incredulously.
"I think you should listen to what your heart is telling you and if you're not going to listen to your heart, I think you better have a damn good reason not to."
"I have my reasons Sue," Rory responded, getting annoyed. Sue was getting treacherously close to crossing the line.
"And what reasons would those be?" the red head pushed on. Her voice was harsh but she kept the volume low so as to not attract the attention of the others in the rapidly filling newsroom "You don't want to hurt Jess? You don't want to lose him or your relationship with him? You don't trust Logan? Which one of the many excuses you've been throwing around for the last month is your good solid reason?"
"I don't have to justify my love life to you Sue. I've confided this stuff to you because you're my friend and I was looking for a little support but if you can't even offer me that..."
"I'm trying to support you Rory, I really am." Sue's voice softened. "I just want you to be happy and after last night it seems so obvious who's going to make you happy. It's so obvious that you want to be with him. You just need to figure out what it is you're really scared of and deal with it, Rory. Otherwise these conflicting feelings are never going to go away. Think about it." And with that the red head headed off across the newsroom.
Rory glanced furtively at the desk on her left. Logan was there, talking to Cory, the occupant of said desk. He had spent the morning introducing himself to the staff one on one and familiarizing himself with current projects. It was clear that she was his next stop.
She took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. Why was she so nervous anyhow? She'd already had several run ins with him and she certainly hadn't been nervous around him last night. Maybe that was the problem; maybe she was concerned about the fact that she was too comfortable around him. Maybe it had something to do with her "make-up" session with Jess the previous night. Or maybe it was the conversation she'd had with Sue that morning; no that couldn't be it, Sue was wrong. Rory wasn't making up excuses, she had good reason. She was engaged, that was in fact, a pretty damn good reason to not engage in sexual relations with her boss/ex-boyfriend.
Rory's eyes darted to her left once again and she noted that Logan had straightened up and was shaking Cory's hand She forced he gaze back to the computer screen in front of her and tried to at least pretend to work on her article.
"Hey there Ace," she shouldn't have been startled by his presence yet she jumped at the sound of his voice and the feel of his hand on her back.
"Oh, Mr. Huntzberger," she greeted him formally.
Logan laughed a little. "Did you just call me Mr. Huntzberger?"
"Yes, well we're at..." she started but he cut her off.
"You know, I kind of like hearing you call me that. It's no 'Master and Commander' but it still has that certain sense of...authority about it," he smirked.
"Logan," she said sternly.
"That's Mr. Huntzberger to you," he said with mock seriousness.
Rory turned her head to glare at Logan but when she did she found that their faces were uncomfortably close and she quickly turned back.
Logan spoke again. "I'm supposed to be introducing myself but we already know each other, and I do mean that in the biblical sense of the word, so we can skip that step...unless you have any objections."
She still wasn't looking at him but she could tell that he finished that statement with a smirk. Why did he have to be so insufferably arrogant? Worse yet, why did it have to be such a turn on?. God, she wanted to jump his...NO! No jumping. She was engaged- engaged to Jess. She couldn't do that to him, wouldn't. She could control herself, she had to.
"Now, now Mr. Huntzberger," she cooed. "I hope you have a good memory because there will be no more getting to know me in your future.
What had he gotten himself into? Maybe Honor had been right. This was dangerous territory for him. It was taking all of his strength to toe the line, heck it was taking all of his strength to keep from knocking everything off her desk, throwing her on top of it and taking her right there in the crowded newsroom. He couldn't do that though, she wasn't his for the taking, though that wouldn't stop him from using every ounce of his charms to win her back. In the mean time he'd just have to control himself.
"Very well Miss Gilmore. Why don't you show me what you're working on?" He motioned to her computer screen then rested his hand on her desk while the other hand remained on her back where it had been since he'd first approached her. He leaned in to read over her shoulder.
He was so close and she could feel the heat radiating off his body. It wasn't fair, not fair at all. How was she supposed to concentrate? She took a deep breath and tried to speak. "OK well right now I'm..." she trailed off. This was just not going to work while he was practically breathing down her neck. "...Logan?"
"Yeah Ace?"
"Could you maybe not stand so close?"
"Nope, sorry. Forgot my glasses. I can't read what you've written unless I get up reeeeal close."
She rolled her eyes. "You don't wear glasses Logan."
"No? Hmm, maybe I need to get some," he replied, nonchalantly.
"Seriously Logan. You need to take a couple of steps back. People are going to get the wrong idea," she tried again.
"What? Like that we're having sex in the break room?" He didn't move.
"Yes, like that," she sighed.
"Too late Ace. People already have that idea."
"What?"
Logan shrugged his shoulders as best he could without moving his hands from her desk or her back. "That's the rumor I head on my way in this morning."
Rory shook her head frustratedly. "When would we possibly have had sex in the break room? It's only your first day."
"And yet we found time to almost have sex in the elevator."
"We did NOT almost have sex in the elevator. She said sternly. "It was just a kiss...one which will not be repeated."
"You keep telling yourself that, Ace."
Rory randomly let out a little laugh. "What's so funny?" Logan asked, truly curious.
"I heard that people thought we'd run off to Mexico to live in your villa by the sea," Rory recounted Sue's earlier story.
"That would never happen," Logan replied seriously. "I don't own a Mexican villa. I do however have a chateau in the French Riviera with its own vineyard. We could shack up there for a while if you were so inclined."
She ignored the last part of that comment. "You're not serious are you?" He nodded his head in confirmation. "So you have that palace of your parents' in Hartford, a summer home on Martha's Vineyard and a french chateau?" she replied disbelievingly.
"Uh huh," he confirmed. "Plus the penthouse in Manhattan, a ski cabin in Aspen and another one of those in the Swiss Alps. Oh and then there's the island in the Bahamas."
"You have a house in the Bahamas?"
"No, I have an island in the Bahamas."
She turned her head to give him a pointed look, letting him know that she didn't believe him before turning away again. "OK, fine. I lied about the island but the rest is true."
Rory didn't respond and after a few seconds he finally followed her gaze across the room to see why. Jess was striding towards them. Shit! he thought. That guy showed up everywhere. Logan realized he was still incredibly close to Rory and that the hand he had placed on her back had somehow tangled itself in her hair. He drew his hand back and straightened up.
"Hi Jess," Rory squeaked. "What are you doing here?"
Jess's gaze had been stuck suspiciously on Logan but he moved his eyes to Rory and smiled. "I thought I'd come by and take you out to lunch."
"Oh, well that's sweet but I'm kind of working and I don't know..." Logan stepped forward and cut her off.
"Don't be ridiculous, of course you can go to lunch," he said with a forced smile.
"Are you sure?" she asked Logan.
"Don't argue with me. I'm the boss and I say go to lunch, so you should go to lunch. Just be sure to send me that article so I can finish reading it," he pointed to her computer.
"Sure, I'll do that as soon as get back." Rory agreed. She grabbed her purse and stood up. "I'll be back in an hour," she promised as she walked off with Jess, sending a quick, apologetic look Logan's way.
He stood there tensely, jaw clenched tightly as he watched them walk off. Fuck! What had he just done? He'd encouraged her to go to lunch with Jess. Jess could have her whenever he wanted. He shuddered at the thought. Work hours were supposed to be his to see her, to be near her, to try and charm his way back into her good graces. He could have easily told her she couldn't go to lunch, the power of being the boss. He could have told her to stay and finish her work and sent Jess off alone. But deep down he knew that would never work. Deep down he knew that he didn't have the liberty of acting jealous and possessive over her, it would probably just piss her off and push her farther away. Still, this, seeing her with him, it wasn't really working for him either. Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck! What had he gotten himself into? How could he make her see that Jess wasn't right for her? He had hoped that the results of the previous night's show down would have been a bit more profound, or at least a little longer lasting. Apparently, though, they had worked things out. He was broken out of his reverie by the sound of someone scoffing at him. He turned around to face Sue.
"Oh yeah, they've got it all worked out," she replied sarcastically.
"Huh?" he was confused.
"You said that they apparently worked it out."
"I did?" he wasn't aware that he'd said anything at all.
"Man, you've got it bad," Sue shook her head and gave him a pathetic look.
What the hell, he didn't need this woman telling him about his feelings for Rory, he was pretty clear on how he felt about her. "I'm sorry, I don't..."
"I know, I know. You don't think this is appropriate. I know it's not, you're my new boss after all and we've only actually met once. But she's my best friend and I care about her a lot so I'm going to step out on a limb here," Sue replied.
Ahh, now he remembered who she was. She was the strange girl he'd met in the break room that first day. The one who'd apparently spilled the beans to Rory about his being there. She obviously knew about their past. He calmed down a bit. He respected anybody who cared enough for Rory to risk their job. "Ahh, well any friend of Rory's..." he began. "...But if you're going to give me the 'if you really care about her you'll leave her alone and let her fix things with Jess' speech I'm going to tell you now that I can't do that."
"Good."
"I gave up on us once and it was... wait a minute did you say 'good'?"
Sue sighed. "Sometimes it amazes me how unobservant people are, especially people in our line of work. I'm very observant, I notice everything. I notice the way she talks about you and how her voice is different than the one she uses to talk about Jess. I noticed the way she looked at you last night and again a few minutes ago. I noticed the way you look at her. You're going to tell me how much you regret what happened in your past. You don't have to, its written all over your face."
Logan wasn't really sure how to respond to this, he just stood there.
Sue continued. "I'm not going to ask you to leave her alone because I know that despite how much she refuses to admit it, she doesn't want you to leave her alone. She's just scared."
"Of what?" Logan asked, despite himself.
"That, I can honestly say I don't know. Maybe she's hanging onto something she has with Jess or something that their relationship represents. Maybe she's hiding from something you represent. Sadly, I haven't come even close to figuring it out, I doubt even she's figured it out yet. Just give her time, she will," Sue turned to walk away but stopped. "Oh, and this little chat...it never happened."
Logan laughed. "You're secret is safe with me." Yep, that girl was still as strange as he'd thought in the break room that day but he kind of liked it. It was a shame Rory said she had a boyfriend; she really would be perfect for Finn.