Page 25 of Blind Date with the Boss

‘But you can’t dance. You told me last week that you’re absolutely hopeless.’

The waiter chose that exact moment to arrive with their wine and Sally blushed when she realised that he must have overheard her comment.When will I ever learn to watch what I say?

Logan, however, looked more amused than angry and the very discreet waiter showed no sign that he’d heard her.

When they were alone again, Logan smiled and raised his glass. ‘Here’s to teambuilding.’

‘To teambuilding.’ Sally’s faint response betrayed her confusion. She took a small sip of the wine, which was very dark and full-bodied and smooth. She was sure it had cost a small fortune. ‘Lovely,’ she said.

‘It’s not a bad drop.’

She still had no idea where this conversation was heading, so she set the glass down. She had to keep her wits about her.

Logan said, ‘As you so rightly remembered, I’m absolutely clueless about dancing.’ With a rueful smile, he took another sip of his wine.

‘I don’t suppose you can wriggle out of this?’

‘Not without upsetting a lot of people, including my brother-in-law on the Hospital Board.’

‘Well, the Children’s Hospital is a very good cause,’ Sally said, thinking of little Oliver and his problems with asthma. ‘And I’m sure you’ll be fine. No one will expect you to perform like Fred Astaire.’

Logan laughed. ‘There’s absolutely no chance of that.’

Sally smiled. But then she made the mistake of picturing Logan Black on a dance floor, and then, more foolishly, sheimagined herself in his arms. And suddenly, the bad memories were back – Kyle Francis holding her down, the smell and the taste of the earth and male sweat. His hands hurting her. She felt a rush of panic and struggled to breathe as fear gripped her throat.

Fortunately, Logan didn’t appear to notice her distress. ‘Even without the burden of great expectations,’ he said smoothly, ‘I’d rather not trample all over Diana Devenish’s expert toes.’

Sally nodded stiffly.

Logan’s long fingers twisted the stem of his wineglass. ‘I don’t cherish the idea of making a complete and utter fool of myself in front of Sydney’s finest.’

‘You could have lessons,’ Sally suggested, feeling more nervous by the second. She was uncomfortably confused too. She still had no idea why her boss was taking her into his confidence.

Watching her, he said, ‘I’ll certainly need lessons. That’s where you come in, Sally.’

‘Me?’

‘I was hoping to call on your expertise.’

‘I – I don’t understand.’ A pulse in her throat began to beat like the wings of a trapped bird.

‘When we were talking the other day, you told me that you were barely out of the cradle before you started dancing at outback balls with all your brothers.’

‘Oh – w-well, yes, that’s true.’

‘So I assume you’re a very good ballroom dancer?’

Sally’s eyes widened with shock. ‘I – I’m not bad.’

‘I was hoping you could teach me.’

Whack.

The impact of his words exploded inside her, shooting sparks like a fire cracker.

‘I’ve shocked you,’ Logan said, watching her carefully.

Sally reached for her wine. ‘You’ve certainly surprised me.’ Surprised? She was fighting panic. To teach her boss to dance would be stressful enough, without the horrible memories that haunted her.

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