The attorney’s hand held hers for a moment longer, and he smiled as if he knew her thoughts. Chestnut colored eyes showed a teasing glint. “Don’t let my being an attorney intimidate you,” he said, with a wink. “I’m really harmless.”
She laughed. His lean, angular face seemed kinder than Logan’s and his smile came quick and easy. He took a chair near the window and settled a legal pad on his lap.
Chandler managed to give one leg a quick scratch, and her skirt a discreet tug as she sat back down. She re-focused her attention back to Logan.
“You’ve made some good points but still didn’t answer my question.” Logan handed the proposal to his attorney, then tapped his gold pen against the arm of his leather chair. “Why funnel money into a program that can’t guarantee a profit?”
Chandler dug bronze fingernails into the seat cushion, and reigned in her frustration. Businessmen only liked the bottom line—money. People didn’t interest Logan Grant. Profit did.
She concealed her rising irritation and gave Logan her most convincing business smile. “When employees suffer from stress, job performance also suffers. My workshop will teach them to be calm under pressure, and attack problems with a clear mind. Employees will show a more positive attitude toward their jobs. Maybe my workshop won’t make you a million dollars, but investing in people always brings profit in the long run.”
She almost bit her tongue when she caught the hard steel gleam in his eyes. Damn, she wasn’t softening him up. In fact, he looked a little angry. She tried to casually re-cross her legs. Perfect. Both mens’ eyes went immediately to her hemline. The meeting was becoming a disaster, and she was definitely allergic to wool.
“Interesting point,” Logan said, his gaze rising to her face. “But you don’t sound as if you approve of million dollar profits.”
“Oh, but I do. As long as people aren’t sacrificed.”
He nodded. “Spoken like a true yoga teacher.” His gray gaze drilled into her. “I’m curious how you became involved in this field of work. Your proposal is impressive. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you graduated with a business degree.”
“I hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in business.” She tried to keep a straight face when she saw his surprise. “I confess I’m a vegetarian—or at least I try to be—but I hate green sprouts and tofu. I still have trouble standing on my head. But I do take a multi-vitamin daily.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “Am I that bad?”
Chandler nodded her head and laughed. “Most people equate the term yoga with an image of a guru in a turban. I was equally doubtful the first time I took a class. I completed a paper in college on the effect of meditation on society. I researched yoga, and became hooked. Learning to focus so clearly gave me the feeling I could accomplish anything. It also gave me the freedom to be comfortable doing nothing at all.”
She shook her head at the memory. “Everyone is so caught up in the rat race. Complete a degree, make loads of money, support a family.” She leaned forward. “We start to forget the feel of sunshine on our face, the salty smell of the ocean, the taste of chocolate. We sleep through the sunrise and ignore the sunset. We don’t know how to stand still and enjoy the moment.”
She watched as a slight frown creased his brow.
Logan studied her for a moment, saying nothing. When he’d first heard he was scheduled to speak with a yoga teacher, he’d been ready to wring his secretary’s neck. The last thing he wanted was to waste time discussing proposals with a flower child of the new millennium, so he’d decided to cut the meeting short.
He changed his mind the moment she entered the room. Maybe it was the banked flame he saw in her emerald eyes; or all that dark honey hair begging to be set free of her severe spinster bun. He wondered how far it would tumble down her back.
She moved with a natural grace and had greeted him in a low, husky voice that soothed his ears. As they exchanged pleasantries, he’d decided to humor her for a while and look over the proposal. After all, the time was blocked on his calendar, and he’d have the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.
He hadn’t expected her business plan to be good.
But what was even worse, Logan decided as he watched her fidget beneath his stare, was his reaction to the woman herself. Her passion for her plan caused an odd hunger to stir deep in his gut. When was the last time he'd gotten impassioned over a sunset, or even thought of something other than his next business deal? Maybe, Chandler Santell lived moment to moment, with no intentions of settling down with a husband and family. Logan ignored the faint prickle of unease that shot through him at the image of her making love to anyone but him.
“You sound like you decided to give up the kind of life most people strive for,” he said.
A shadow passed over her face as she dealt with the memories. Then she forced a smile. “There’s a certain amount of reality in that world. I follow a different path. I’d like to see people made more aware of the simple daily pleasures, then they can make their own choice.”
“Sometimes there are no choices, Chandler. Sometimes people do the best they can.”
She blinked in surprise at her body’s sudden, feminine reaction to his words. Her mouth became dry. Her stomach clenched into a tight, silken fist. Funny, how the sound of her name from this man’s lips evoked a sensation she’d never experienced before. Her body seemed to vibrate, humming to a tune she couldn’t quite catch. Maybe it was just the way his voice caressed, deepening to a low, dark pitch as he spoke. Maybe it was the sudden glint of regret she caught in his eyes, that made her wonder what events had shaped this powerful man’s life. Or maybe she was finally losing her mind.
This time she caught her hand in mid-air before she pushed away honey brown strands that weren’t there. She tried to re-direct the conversation back to business. “This program will keep you on the cutting edge.”
“How would you implement the workshops?” he asked. “To be perfectly blunt, I can’t see my executives seeking out a stress reduction class.”
She nodded. This was the delicate part of the negotiations. She tried to keep her mind clear and calm her nerves. “I’ve given the matter some thought. When a seminar is offered in a company the employees take note of which groups attend and how important their function is. For example, if top management signs up for a seminar, the lower level managers usually follow, until it works its way down the hierarchy.”
She clasped her hands together and knew she had his full attention. “So, if we institute a stress reduction workshop, there’s only one way every employee will attend.” Chandler paused. “You have to be the first person to enroll.”
A short silence fell as her words hung in the air. Then he smiled. Chandler pulled in her breath at the sight of his dangerous, masculine smile which displayed a row of straight, white teeth. Logan Grant looked as if he’d found an interesting prey and wanted to toy with his catch. She shivered at the thought.
“You want me to go to these classes personally?”
Chandler gathered her courage and took the plunge. “Yes, I do, Mr. Grant. It’s the only way this program will work and—”
“Logan,” he interrupted softly.
“I think this class will be the best thing for you.”
“How so?” he drawled, leaning back in his chair.
She crossed her arms in front of her and vowed not to be intimidated by his tone. The words bubbled out of her mouth before she stopped to think.