Match made in a boardroom

Chapter 12: Scheming

"Rory, Logan, so good to see you two this evening,"

"It's lovely to see you as well, Mitchum, Shira.  Hi, Grandma, Grandpa.  And it's lovely to see you as well, Grandma Francine," Rory greeted.

"You two look like you're getting along quite well," Emily gushed, looking back and forth between the young couple. 

"Yes well, that is what you guys wanted it to look like, is it not?" Logan asked tersely.

"Now now, there's no need for that," Richard cut in.  "We simply wanted what's best for you two."

"We're both intelligent adults; certainly we could figure that out for ourselves, no?" Logan shot back.  "Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe that I see some friends."  With that, Logan led Rory across the room to the bar where Colin, Steph and Finn were waiting for drinks. 

"Ah, if it isn't Hartford's newest power couple," Colin teased as they approached.

"Ooh, yes!  They need a name," Stephanie jumped in.  "You know, like Brangelina?  Yes!  We'll call them Rogan!"

"Oh, God," Rory groaned as she rolled her eyes.  "Your friends are crazy, Logan."

"They are, but I've known then too long to trade them in.  Besides, they always keep things interesting."

"That's the truth," Rory scoffed in mock exasperation.

The group of friends took their drinks and settled into conversation finally.  Of course, Logan's friends had to continue to lightly tease him about their status as a power couple, but if they were honest they were all happy to see Logan in this relationship.  It was a shock at first when he'd introduced Rory, but it was glaringly obvious to those around him that Rory was really good for him.  She called him on his crap and could actually keep up with him.  Rory and Logan finally broke away to mingle, as their families expected of them.

Logan proudly introduced Rory to those he spoke with, and he was particularly gratified to note the look of shock on his father's business associates' faces as Rory not only kept up with the conversations about the family business, but actually shared brilliant insight and ideas.  She wasn't just stunning; she was brilliant as well.  Damn his parents.  She was a perfect match, but he would never admit that to them.  He and Rory had decided to keep the elder Gilmores, the Huntzbergers and Francine Hayden in the dark about the actual status of their relationship for as long as possible.  The last thing they needed was additional pressure from their families; that's why they had come up with the hair-brained idea of turning the tables on their families in the first place.

Frankly, watching Rory charm everyone in the room with her beauty, wit and intelligence left Logan dying to kiss her, so eventually he excused them from their current company and led her out into the gardens behind the Gilmore estate.  As they reached the garden, he pulled her into his arms.  He held her close and whispered to her.

"You have been amazing in there tonight, Ace.  If I'd known that you could have made these events tolerable I would have wooed you long ago," he teased.

"Ah, but you lost out, my good man.  You'll just have to settle for having me at them now.  Look on the bright side, you're guaranteed that I'll be there next to you at all of them for the next year and a half."

"Damn, I should have had the foresight to try to sneak in a later expiration date for the arrangement in there," Logan tutted.

"Hindsight is 20/20, Huntzberger," she replied as she curled closer into him, inhaling his intoxicating scent and enjoying being in his arms. 

They could hear the music from inside, and Logan began swaying quietly with her in his arms.  This wasn't a waltz for show; this was a quiet, intimate moment with his girlfriend.  Rory closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder, content to be in this moment.

"You know," Logan finally whispered, "I've been dying to kiss you since we walked into the party."

"Well, there's nothing stopping you now, is there?  I mean, we're outside all by ourselves..."

Logan didn't let her finish her sentence before he leaned down and kissed her tenderly.  He placed his hands on either side of her face and held her gently as his lips found hers.  They melted together for a few minutes before reluctantly breaking apart and walking through the gardens hand-in-hand for a bit.  Neither knew that their families had seen exactly what had happened since they walked outside.

"Yes, I think things are coming along quite nicely," Mitchum said as he saw the young couple embrace and interact tenderly with each other.

"Indeed, much better than we could have anticipated.  I thought it would take them much longer to form a relationship," Richard replied.

"Oh, Shira!  Can't you just see our grandbabies now - with his blonde hair and her blue eyes?  They'll be just stunning," Emily cooed.

"That they will, Emily," Shira responded warmly.

"Now, ladies, let's not let them get wind of our plans.  If we want to have any hope of getting them to agree to the arranged marriage we need to let them get to know each other without pressure from us.  Our jobs will be much easier if they begin to have feelings for each other.  We mustn't interfere," Richard warned.

"Richard is correct; we must proceed as we discussed.  Let's leave them alone as much as possible.  Let them be college students and sow their wild oats together now.  We'll just gently encourage them to enjoy things for now, jetting around the world or living kept lives.  We need them to get that all out of their system now so they'll agree to the marriage contract and business mergers when Logan graduates," Mitchum continued.

It was a night with many secrets, and neither party had any idea what the other was up to at the moment.