by Lexy Timms
Agnes grimaced. “Well, we’ve been getting battered from all sides lately.”
“I know Dover stock hasn’t been doing well, but surely that’s just temporary,” Roberto said.
“We hope it will be temporary,” Agnes said carefully. “But we can’t rely on hope. We need concrete action. After last week’s unfortunate events we need to come up with a plan of action. I propose that we come up with a plan to get our stock back on sound footing.”
“The best way to do that is to get back control of the media narrative,” Linda murmured from her seat. “That’s why Simon is here, correct? If he shows his face, then investors will have more confidence in Dover and things will stabilize.”
“Showing his face for one day is fine in the short term, but that won’t help us in the long run.” Agnes turned to Simon, a serious expression on her face. “Simon, you cannot resign. I’m going to encourage the board to refuse to accept your resignation.”
A gasp sounded in the room, and everyone started talking at once.
Simon clenched his jaw. He didn’t like being put on the spot like this. Didn’t like being questioned or challenged.
His resignation might have been abrupt, but he had meant it. In the chaos after Everett’s arrest, Heather had told Simon that she loved him and everything had fallen into place for him. Her love was his second chance. The second chance to be in a relationship with her after all these years apart.
Their affair had caused a scandal long before the arrest because Heather had been his assistant. His subordinate. That scandal had created huge problems for Dover, so when Heather had confessed that she loved him he had known that the only choice he had was to resign. Now that he was no longer her boss, they were free to start a relationship without a cloud of scandal hanging over them.
“Everyone, please be quiet,” Agnes said sternly.
“Agnes, I’ve already made my decision,” Simon said. “My contract allows me to resign at any time.”
“Yes, but we need you,” Agnes said. “After this fiasco with Everett, Dover needs stable leadership. We could barely survive with our most senior board member getting arrested for sabotage. With Everett in jail, we cannot survive our CEO resigning right after.”
“You expect me to undo my decision?” Simon demanded.
“We haven’t revealed that you resigned,” Agnes said. “Only the people in this room and a handful of investors know that you stepped down. If you decide to come back, the public will never know and we can get things moving again.”
“Why should I come back?” he asked. “The board has been trying to control me for years. What do I have to gain from returning?”
“We haven’t been trying to control you,” Agnes insisted. “All we’ve ever done is what’s best for Dover.”
“Is that why one of your senior members gave insider secrets to our rivals and hacked into my personal computer system? Was that what was best for Dover?” He frowned, unable to suppress the annoyance that was washing over him.
“That was an unfortunate event that we will not be replicating. You can trust the board,” Agnes said.
“Like hell I can,” Simon said. “I started this company with a completely different idea than what has happened. I built this company from the ground up. Now, instead of being able to enjoy the fruits of my hard labor, and those I hired and trusted, I’m left with only a bad taste in my mouth. Give me one good reason why I should come back.”
“Well, I suspect your resignation had to do with how Ms. Hall was treated.” Agnes pursed her lips. “What if we were to give her a promotion? An increased salary?”
“No,” Heather said sharply. “I’m not going to get by on favoritism.”
Simon knew that Heather would be stubborn enough to refuse whatever Dover gave her. And while he admired her integrity, he couldn’t sit by and watch her throw away an opportunity like this. “It’s not favoritism, Heather—it’s what Dover owes you. After the board practically accused you of spying and sabotage, you deserve to be compensated.”
“I don’t know...” Heather bit her lip.
“Let me put it this way: it’s in the board’s interest to do this because they’ve opened Dover up to a lawsuit. Accusing you of a crime was bad enough, but now that a senior board member was the actual culprit? You have grounds to sue, and I believe Agnes and the rest of the board are aware of this.” He narrowed his eyes at Agnes and shook his head. “I know that the board is trying to cover its ass right now, so don’t bother trying to deny it.”
“I won’t deny it,” Agnes said. “If you return as CEO, Simon, I can guarantee a better position and better pay for Ms. Hall.”
“What if I agree to come back? Can Ms. Hall and I pursue a relationship?” he asked. “It was none of the board’s damn business in the first place.”
Heather gasped and lowered her eyes, her embarrassment obvious.
He hadn’t meant to embarrass her, but many of them problems had stemmed from them not being direct with the board. They might have to hide from the media, but he wasn’t about to return to Dover to end up having to hide his love at the very place he worked.
“The rules are clear,” Agnes said. “Dover’s commitment to ethics will always stand. The company only permits mutual romantic relationships. Both parties have to agree to pursue a relationship and must follow the rules of conduct.”
“Of course,” he said. “I would never pursue something with Heather or anyone else without a mutual agreement.”
Heather lifted her gaze and smiled at him. “I agree.” A soft laugh escaped her throat and the sound went straight to his heart. After all this time fighting for a chance to be with her, he finally felt at peace.
He returned her smile. “In that case, I might agree to come back as CEO—”
Agnes beamed. “That’s wonderful!”
“There will be other conditions, so please listen to my demands before you make your final decision,” he said firmly.
“Let’s hear your other conditions,” Roberto said.
“First of all, I want a temporary leave of absence before I come back as CEO,” Simon said. “Call it a well-deserved holiday. I haven’t taken a vacation in over ten years.”
“Leave of absence? What are we supposed to do while you’re gone?” Agnes demanded, panic lacing her tone.
“Linda Schaffer can represent me in my absence,” he replied.
“What?” Agnes widened her eyes. “Linda? She isn’t even on the board—”
“Make her a temporary board member, then,” he said. “She can be acting CEO in my absence, with a significant increase in pay of course.” He cocked his head, suppressing a grin. “You can simply write my paycheck to her while I’m away if it’s an issue.” The snorts and coughs of the other board members gave him some satisfaction.
“Has Linda agreed to this?” Agnes asked.
“I don’t know,” Simon said. “Do you agree, Linda?”
“As surprised as I am by this, I’d be honored to fill the position,” Linda said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get Simon back.”
“But what are her qualifications?” Agnes sputtered. “She works in the media department, for heaven’s sake.”
“She’s the head of the media relations department, which means she has executive and managerial experience,” Simon pointed out. “Plus, Linda has been here longer than any of you. I trust her to make decisions that are in Dover’s interests.”
“This is crazy,” Agnes said.
“You don’t really have a choice,” Simon said. “You need me. I don’t need you. I can sell my shares of the company. Or hold them. Even give them away.”
“I’m afraid to ask, but are there other conditions?” Agnes asked weakly.
He focused his attention back to Heather. She looked so beautiful. Now that her name was cleared, she didn’t have to worry about getting fired or arrested. More than anything, Simon had come in this morning wanting to give Heather peace of mind. Maybe h
e couldn’t solve all her problems, but he could make her life better. He wasn’t one to throw his money around, but he would do anything to make Heather happy. “Actually, it’s just one more condition. I believe it’s time for Heather to get a vacation. I’d like her to also get a leave of absence.”
Chapter 2
Sitting in on this board meeting was surreal. Like some silly dream that made no sense.
Heather stared at Simon, totally amazed at how easily he was controlling the situation with the board. A week ago, his demands would have been unreasonable. Now, he could probably get the board to do anything.
“A vacation?” Heather forced out.
“You don’t want time off?” Simon asked.
“I would love a holiday, who wouldn’t? But it seems so sudden,” she said.
“This vacation won’t be counted as part of the vacation time Dover owes you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he said. “Consider it part of your promotion.”
“We haven’t agreed to these terms,” Agnes said sharply.
“That’s your problem.” Simon chuckled as he stood up and buttoned his jacket, not bothering to look at any of the board members. He was clearly in control here. “I’ve given you my terms, and you can take them or leave them.” He sauntered towards the door.
“Wait.” Agnes let out a sigh. “Can you give us a week to think it over?”
He shook his head. “You have until the end of the day. After that, the offer is off the table for good.”
Agnes turned her focus to Heather. “Do you agree to these conditions, Ms. Hall?”
Heather swallowed hard. The tension in the room was putting her on edge. After Simon had resigned she thought things might go back to normal. At least, as normal as they could. But now she was being handed a promotion, a raise, and a vacation. Last week she had been facing the prospect of going to prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Now, Dover seemed ready to reward her because Simon had demanded it.
As badly as the board had handled the spying and hacking scandal, Heather knew she wouldn’t have been able to get a better deal if she had pursued a lawsuit on her own. Simon’s power was so expansive that he still called the shots even after he had resigned.
If she refused everything he was offering, Dover would lose him. Which would put all their jobs in serious jeopardy, including hers. There was no way Dover could survive over the long term without Simon’s leadership. Not after a senior board member getting arrested for hacking and stealing ideas from Simon.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I agree to these conditions.”
“In that case, the board is going to need a few hours to discuss this,” Agnes said. “In the meantime, perhaps you can return to your office while we deliberate, Ms. Hall.”
Heather could sense the board’s resentment, but there was nothing she could do about it now. This was corporate politics at the highest level, and she didn’t have the skills for it.
With a nod, Heather headed over to the door and stepped out when Simon opened it for her.
“That went well.” He shut the door behind him and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Simon, why didn’t you tell me that you planned to do all that?” she asked.
“Because you would have tried to talk me out of it.” He took a step towards her, now standing so close that the heat of his solid body practically burned through her clothing.
She craned her neck to look up at him, but she didn’t have the heart to give him the glare he deserved. Not now that they were alone together for the first time in days. They hadn’t seen each other since the arrest, and just standing near him made her heart flutter.
After days away from him, she had to remind herself that they were at work. He might not be the CEO at the moment, but she still had to be professional.
Heather held up her hands between them, trying to create a boundary so she didn’t do something rash like kiss him. “Do you think they’ll agree to your terms?”
He shrugged. “That depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“It depends on whether they want me as badly as I want you.” His gaze lowered to her mouth, the hungry look in his breathtakingly blue eyes sending a thrill through her. It wasn’t like him to be so intense at work. Simon usually kept his desires in check, maintaining an air of professionalism.
But now that his future at Dover was up in the air, he was looking at her like he was ready to tear her clothes off and devour her.
“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed. “Simon, we’re at work.”
“I’ve missed you.” His voice was a low, seductive growl that turned her insides to jelly.
A soft sigh escaped her and suddenly his hand lifted to the nape of her neck and he guided her closer to him.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she said breathlessly.
His lips hovered so close to hers that they were only a hair’s breadth from actually kissing.
A delicious heat settled in her stomach and all she wanted was to fall into his arms.
“Come away with me,” he said.
Surprise made her head jerk back. “What? What are you talking about?”
“Your vacation,” he said. “If the board lets you take time off and grants me a leave of absence, why can’t we spend that time together?”
Her heart was racing at the thought of finally spending real time with him. Only...
She tilted her head, scrutinizing him. “Simon, what are we?”
His eyebrows went up in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“I mean...” She blushed again and chewed on her bottom lip as she grappled to find the words. “I mean, after everything we said to each other last week and over the weekend, I want to know what our relationship is. Are we friends? Are we dating?”
“I thought we’d already settled that.” He frowned, his brow furrowing. “Heather, I love you. I adore you. Can’t you guess what that means?”
“I don’t want to guess, I want to hear you say it,” she chided. They had finally found the courage to bare their souls to each other and declare their love. But she still had to know exactly what he wanted. “I need to know your intentions.”
He pulled his hand away from her neck, the absence of his touch making her heart ache terribly. “My intentions are to love you the way you deserve. But I guess it makes sense for you to ask. We’ve had to face so many obstacles that this chance hardly feels real.” Simon leaned towards her and pressed a warm, tender kiss on her forehead. “I didn’t say anything about our relationship because I figured saying ‘I love you’ meant we were in one.”
“We’re in a relationship?”
“We are if you’ll have me.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. “Heather, I want you to be my girlfriend. I want us to be together. Just us.”
“Is this your way of asking me to go steady?” She laughed softly, happy memories of their relationship in high school drifting back to her.
He nodded. “Yes. I want us to be exclusive. I want you to be the only woman in my life. And I want to be the only man in yours.”
She smiled coyly. “Which means—”
“Which means you can tell Drew to get lost,” he said gruffly.
“For the last time, there’s nothing going on between me and Drew,” she said. “Anyway, I can’t agree to you being the only man in my life.”
His eyes narrowed dangerously. There was a stark intensity radiating off him that she had never seen before. It was so powerful. So masculine. Clearly, now that he had made up his mind to be with her, he was never going to take no for an answer. “Why the hell not?”
“Because Finn is a big part of my life,” she said gently.
The hard expression on his face vanished. “Heather, I would never come between you and your son. I know he’s the most important person in your life, and there’s no way I’d ever ask you to change that. Finn comes first, and I promise I’ll always honor that.”
His
words were making her heart swell with happiness. She let out a sigh of relief and smiled at him. “In that case, I happily accept. Of course I’ll be your girlfriend.” She giggled. “And now I officially feel like I’m a freshman in high school again.”
Simon leaned forward and let his hands slide down to her waist. His touch scorched through the fabric of her blouse, heating her all over. “I want to kiss you right now,” he said in a low voice.
Shock made her eyes go wide. “Simon, we can’t do that. We’re at work.”
Without responding, he took her hand in his and started to lead her down the hall.
“Where are we going?” she demanded with a gasp.
“To my office.” He grinned at her, something devilish glinting in his blue eyes. “You don’t think they’ve given it away already, do you?”
Minutes later they were in his office, and the first thing Simon did was wrap his strong, muscular arms around her. “How about that kiss?”
She giggled in spite of herself and pressed a quick peck on his lips. “How’s that?”
He pulled away from her, but an inferno still raged in his eyes. Simon’s desire was as undeniable as her own. Resisting his charms took so much effort that she struggled to breathe.
“I seem to remember you kissing me backstage at a work conference not too long ago,” he said.
“We weren’t at Dover headquarters,” she reminded him. “I’ve never been that reckless at the office.”
He tipped her chin back with his hand, letting this thumb brush across her lips. “You’re beautiful, you know that? How did I survive all these years without you?”
Heather didn’t know what to say to that. Because she had no idea how she had done the same thing. All those years in a loveless marriage to her ex-husband. Gary had never looked at her the way Simon was now. For most of her marriage, Gary had treated her like something to be merely tolerated. Like a burden he had been saddled with.
But with Simon it was like he couldn’t get enough of her. Every stolen glance between them, every word they had ever exchanged at work, had been charged with an electricity that she and Gary never had.
