Page 23 of Blind Date with the Boss

CHAPTER TEN

FORTUNATELY, it was a busy Monday morning. Sally was too occupied with telephone calls, courier deliveries, bags of mail and visitors arriving for important meetings to spend much time wondering what kind of help the boss could possibly require from her.

But the question was there, lurking in the back of her mind, along with an uneasy suspicion. Why the boss’s sudden interest in her? She knew enough about human nature to understand that when someone changed from being aloof and dismissive to attentive and charming there had to be a hidden agenda.

Logan Black wanted something. From her.

But why did he need a special meeting? Why couldn’t he have asked her straight out, or sent an email?

At lunch time in the park, while pigeons hovered, eyeing sandwich crusts, Sally wished she could share the boss’s puzzling request with Kim. Instead she fished for information about his white roses.

‘I suppose they must be for someone special,’ she suggested.

Kim pulled a face as she threw a crust that brought pigeons fluttering and swooping like paper in a whirlwind. ‘I doubt it.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘He seems to have a string of women. All high fliers – businesswomen, politicians, lawyers. Every time his photo’s in the paper he’s with someone different. The white roses must be for his current favourite.’

‘You mean they all get the same treatment? How unimaginative!’ Sally’s vehemence surprised her.

Kim laughed. ‘Give the man a break. He’s a mere male. We can’t expect too much.’

‘So true,’ Sally said with a sigh. But now she felt more confused than ever. At the workshop last week, when she had suggested to Logan that there was someone special in his life, he hadn’t denied it. But Kim was confident that he had a procession of women.

She should be pleased about either possibility, of course. At least she now knew exactly where she stood.

Completely out of the picture.

Maria Paige rang shortly after lunch. ‘Are you very busy, Sally?’

‘Not especially.’

‘Mr Black would like an up-to-date file of all the media coverage of Blackcorp’s activities. It’s a matter of searching the web for articles in newspapers and mining magazines published over the last couple of months. Do you think you could manage that?’

‘Sure. I can do it now if you like.’

‘Wonderful. Could you make a file of the articles and then email them through to me?’

‘No problem.’

As Sally turned to her computer and clicked on a search engine, she wondered if this was the “help” Logan had wanted to discuss with her. Perhaps he’d mentioned it to Maria Paige, suggesting that it was a task suitable for Sally. Perhaps Mariahad jumped in and asked Sally first to prove how super-efficient she was?

Sally was happy to do the task, but the possibility that there wouldn’t be anything left to discuss with Logan at five o’clock took the shine off her afternoon.

It was interesting, however, to discover how many news stories and articles had been written about Blackcorp. By the end of the day, she had a much better grasp of the huge range of new minerals ventures the company supported, as well as Blackcorp’s role in many industry innovations, their outstanding annual profits and the soaring value of BMC shares. It was all a little overwhelming.

Shortly before five, she sent an email with the file she’d created through to Maria, then waited nervously for the boss. He arrived at her desk at four and a half minutes past the hour.

‘I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.’

‘No, not at all. I’ve just sent the media file through to Maria.’

Logan looked puzzled. ‘What media file?’

‘The one you wanted. The last few months’ media coverage of Blackcorp.’

‘Really? Maria askedyouto compile that?’

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