by Lexy Timms
“That’s for me to know,” Xander said coldly.
“Fine, keep it to yourself,” Simon said, his voice hard. “You can leave. Police will escort you if you can’t figure out how to leave without so much as a paperclip in your hand. You’ll get your severance pay and I’ll say you resigned.”
It was a better deal than Xander deserved, but it looked like sentiment was about to win out after all.
“I’ll clear out my stuff and then leave,” Xander said.
“No. You leave your stuff. Just leave.”
His former assistant marched towards the door and turned the knob.
“Xander?” Simon said as he opened the door.
Xander turned to him, his eyebrow raised in a question.
“I hope it was worth it,” Simon said darkly.
“Damn right it was.” With that, Xander stepped out of his office without another word in response, slamming the door behind him.
Simon leaned forward, held his head in his hands, and let out a groan. Frustration was already taking its toll. He had no room for distractions like this. Anytime someone was let go, it was messy. To be avoided. Dover, Inc. ran like a well- oiled machine. Having a wrench tossed into the works like this set him on edge. One thing Simon hated more than anything was surprises. Unpredictability and he did not mix well. He hated the unexpected.
A knock on his office door made him lift his head. “Come in.”
Linda poked her head it. “It was Xander, wasn’t it?”
“Close the door,” Simon instructed.
She did as she was told and walked over to him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she exhaled loudly. “You did the right thing.”
“Did I?” He grimaced, feeling the twinge of one of his famous headaches coming on. “I know it had to be done, but it felt damn awful.”
“Now you know what it feels like,” she murmured.
“Part of me wanted to slug him. The other part wanted to shake him and ask why. I just can’t believe it,” Simon said. “Xander has been a loyal employee for years.”
“How long has he been giving out company secrets?”
Simon shrugged. “I’ve got a lawyer on the case now who is digging into it. I hope to hell it hasn’t been from the beginning.” He sighed, feeling older than he should. “I’m sure the police will come down hard on him soon enough.”
“How’re you feeling?” Linda asked. “Want to take the morning off? How about the whole day?”
Truth was, if he had time to do irritating things like process emotions he would have to admit that the discovery was devastating. And he wasn’t exactly friends with Xander. Simon didn’t have time for friends. Didn’t have time for relationships in general.
Sure, there were a few women here and there, but he liked being a bachelor just fine. There wasn’t enough room in his head or his life for anything other than running Dover, Inc. Besides, if he hadn’t met the woman he was supposed to settle down with by now, he figured it was never going to happen.
His temples throbbed. The headache was coming on fast. Simon shot to his feet. Discovering that Xander had been disloyal was one hell of a blow, but he had to put it behind him. Push forward. Find a replacement for his personal assistant. Someone he could trust. How the hell was he going to that? And fast? “I don’t have time to slow down. My big speech at the inter-company conference is next week and I’ve just lost my PA.”
“Are you ready to hire somebody?” Linda asked.
“I need to, but how am I going to get someone on such short notice? Someone qualified and trustworthy. Before the news hits the press on who was responsible.”
Lindo grinned knowingly.
Actually, kind of smugly. Simon knew that look. She was up to something. “What?”
Her grin expanded into a smile. “I’m interviewing candidates for my own personal assistant. Remember how we discussed that I now need someone since the company’s grown? I’ve gone through about thirty applicants and narrowed it down to three. Of all days, and scheduled times, I have them today,” Linda replied. “Interview my three candidates and pick one of them. I can choose from the other two.”
“Sounds a bit too convenient if you ask me.”
She laughed. “You don’t have to interview them. I’d rather pick first, but since you’re in a bit of a rut...”
“I’ll interview them. But I can’t promise you anything. Chances are—”
“Chances are, one of them might just work for you,” she interrupted.
Simon sighed. It was going to be one hell of a long day. “Thanks, Linda. I appreciate it.” Thanking anyone this profusely was rare for him. Linda was a bit of a mother figure for him, though he would never admit such a thing out loud. She was the closest thing he had to a friend, and he had probably scared the hell out of her earlier. “I’m sorry I had to be so hard on you. You understand, don’t you? I can’t play favorites.”
Linda waved her hand dismissively. “Water under the bridge. It’s time to get back to work. I’ll email you the list of the PA candidates and send the first one in to be interviewed within the hour.”
“Great. Thanks again.”
She ducked out of the room, and within minutes Simon checked his email for Linda’s message. He scanned the list of names, his eyes falling on one.
Heather Hall. He had no idea who that was, but the name Heather always stirred something in him. Reminded him of a girl back in high school. Simon had thought of her often. Just fleeting memories of good times. He was grateful she’d been the one person during his childhood who had seen something in him that he didn’t even know he had.
Memories flashed through his mind. Heather had been his first serious girlfriend. Well, as serious as a high school girlfriend could be anyway. Though he suspected their breakup had been more devastating for her than she had let on. Then again, it was high school. What did he know?
There had been other women since Heather, but they all sort of blurred together in his mind. Not Heather. She wasn’t a blur at all. Even now he could see her laughing hazel eyes. Her freckles. Those braces she had sported all through middle school.
They had both been so similar. All through his childhood he had been the awkward, bullied nerd. Meanwhile, geeky, shy Heather Monroe had been his childhood neighbor. His only friend. Hell, she had even been his first kiss back when they were in middle school. A sloppy, awkward kiss that he could never forget because she had smiled right after it. A stupid party game.
Then, he’d had a growth spurt in high school, played sports, and the dynamics of his social life changed. Girls had started to pay attention to him. But Heather had paid attention long before the growth spurt, and they briefly dated. She’d been the one to encourage him to follow his dreams of getting into tech. Hell, he had even lost his virginity to her. That’s probably why he’d always remember her. What a night that was.
“What are you smiling about?”
Linda’s voice dragged him from his thoughts. His media relations officer had stepped back into his office.
He cleared his throat. “Nothing.”
“Xander has left the premises,” Linda said. “So, I can let in the first interview candidate in if you’d like.”
“Yes, do that. Let’s get this over and done with.” It was going to take weeks to train someone to keep up with him. That’s probably what peeved him off more than Xander being a turncoat.
Minutes later, the first candidate stepped into his office and introduced herself. Simon sat across from her, glancing over her resumé. Nothing stood out, but she still seemed like a solid enough candidate. After conducting the short interview he led her out of his office, promising to get in touch if he decided to hire her.
As soon as he resumed his seat there was a knock on his office door.
“Come in,” he said as he scribbled down notes about the interview he’d just finished.
His eyes still focused on the notepad on his desk, he heard the office door swing open. The sound of high h
eels clicking on the floor made him look up.
Holy. The woman walking into his room was a knockout. Long legs. Auburn hair tied up in a severe bun. Glasses perched primly on her delicate nose. A splash of freckles on her face. She didn’t look like a model or anything. It was just...something about her.
She had a natural beauty that no enhancement could ever improve upon. She reminded him of a librarian. All business. No nonsense. There was a chilly air about her. Her hazel eyes reminded him of a cool autumn day. But then her eyes flashed, revealing that beneath the chill, something hot smoldered underneath.
Beauty aside, her looks weren’t the reason his heart had suddenly stopped. To Simon, looks were often irrelevant. What was relevant was the fact that he recognized her. Standing right in front of him was Heather. His Heather.
He got to his feet and walked over to her. Took her soft, warm hand in his and shook it. “It’s you.” The touch of her hand sent an unexpected jolt of electricity through him. He almost lost his train of thought. “What have you been doing with yourself all these years?”
Heather’s eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry?”
Simon paused. “Heather? Heather Monroe?”
She pursed her lips and pulled her hand back. “Actually, it’s Heather Hall.”
“You don’t recognize me?”
“Of course, I do.” She laughed. “You’re Simon Diesel. There might not be many public photos of you, but just about anyone would know you on sight.”
“What high school did you go to?” he asked.
“Roosevelt Prep.” She pulled out a print out from the folder in her hands. “It’s right here on my resumé.”
He frowned. Roosevelt Prep was one of the most elite high schools in the city. It was where people with money sent their children. Growing up, his parents had absolutely no money, so he had never had a hope in hell of going to a school like that.
Simon took her folder and her resumé from her and looked it over. She really had graduated from Roosevelt Prep. So, they hadn’t gone to the same high school. But, she looked exactly like Heather Monroe. Well, the grown-up version of his Heather. He shook his head. He had to stop calling her that. She was a little bit taller and slimmer, but it had to be her. Otherwise, the physical similarities would have been extraordinary.
She stared at him, her face totally blank. Was it possible? Did she really not remember him?
Maybe he had been mistaken, and this woman wasn’t the girl he’d grown up with. Wasn’t the first girl who had ever taken an interest in him.
No. It was her. Had to be. Simon didn’t make mistakes. It was her.
“So, you’re not Heather Monroe?” he prodded. “You didn’t live next door to me?” He could always bring up the fact that they had dated, but what purpose would that serve? Hey, remember me, the fumbling idiot you lost your virginity to?
During that first night of sex on prom night, he had come a little too early. Fuck it. Way too damn early. Poor girl never stood a chance. No way in hell was he going to remind her of that.
Heather blinked and shook her head. “I think I’d remember living next door to Simon Diesel. I’m sorry, but I really don’t know you.”
Chapter 2
Of course, she remembered him.
Heather Hall knew exactly who this gorgeous specimen of a man was. And it wasn’t just because he was one of the world’s most recognizable billionaires. She and Simon had grown up as neighbors. Went to school together. Even dated, until he unceremoniously broke her heart.
Right now, Simon Diesel was staring at her. His breathtaking blue eyes darkening with confusion. Frustration. The way his eyes always did when he got like this when they were kids.
“Do you need a moment?” she asked. “I can always wait while you...” Her voice trailed off. While you what? Compose yourself from the shock of seeing the girl you dumped years ago?
“Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the chair across from his desk.
She obliged and sank down into the plush leather swivel chair. Her eyes followed him as he resumed his seat behind his huge desk. Even sitting down, a distance away from her, she noticed that he was impossibly tall. And broad-shouldered.
For most of the years she had known him, Simon had been gangly. Awkward and pimple-faced. Then, sometime in high school, he had bulked up and gotten even taller. Now he was tall, lean. Even with his sweater vest and jacket on, she noticed the definition of the muscles underneath as his clothes clung to him. There was stubble on his square jaw, now clenched as he silently appraised her.
He pushed his messy black hair out of his face. “It’s just so uncanny.”
Heat crept up her cheeks. Damn it, she was actually checking out her potential boss like she was still a silly schoolgirl. Throwing her shoulders back, she asked, “What is?”
“You look exactly like this girl I grew up with,” he replied. “Her name was Heather, too.”
“Well, it’s a pretty common name,” she said. “And I’ve got a pretty common face.”
“No. Your face is anything but common. Pretty, but not common.” His gaze locked on hers. There wasn’t anything disconcerting about the way her potential boss was looking at her. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Through his eyes, she was seeing herself in a different way. Like she was a whole person he wanted to understand. A puzzle to solve.
Simon gazed at her like he was carefully studying her. Trying to take the measure of her before he rendered judgment. Whatever underlying heat she might have seen in his eyes had to be pure imagination on her part. The secret part that wanted Simon to look at her like he regretted breaking up with her all those years ago. “I apologize. That was completely unprofessional. I thought you were someone else.” He waved his hand. “Never mind.”
She blinked. Pushed her glasses up her nose. “I’m sorry to have disappointed you.”
“Yes, well, it was all a very long time ago,” he said. “I guess I’ve held on to memories a little bit more tightly than I should have.” He grimaced, like he was embarrassed at how personal the conversation had gotten.
Suddenly an alarm from his watch went off. “Could you give me a second?”
“Would you like me to leave?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, getting up and moving to his desk. “I get headaches sometimes. Comes with the stress of the job.” He opened a drawer in his desk and retrieved a bottle of medication.
“Does everyone around here get headaches?” It was the nicest way she could think of asking just how much work she’d be doing if she worked under him.
Under him...
Oh shit.
Her palms were beginning to sweat. Imagining Dover, Inc.’s CEO without his clothes had to be all kinds of wrong.
“I mean, I’m used to hard work,” she said. “It’s just that I want to be prepared for any issues.”
He opened the bottle, shook out some pills onto his hand, and popped them into his mouth. “I’m not going to lie to you...Miss?”
“Mrs. Hall,” she said. “I’ve recently gotten divorced, but I think I’ve more than earned that title.” She tried to keep her tone light, but it was hard to keep some of the bitterness out of it.
Gary, her ex-husband, hadn’t exactly been her ideal match. They’d only gotten married because she’d gotten pregnant, but the final months of their marriage had taken such a toll. Gary had been so cold. Refused to try to fix their marriage. Not to mention he was a master manipulator and, if Heather admitted it now, probably verbally abusive.
Her confidence and self-esteem had been low for years because of Gary’s treatment. Okay, so she was just a bit mousy and uptight. She was a mother. With a son to think about. Of course, she wasn’t going to be some spontaneous sex kitten every day of the week.
Now that she was free of her ex-husband, she was going to finally live her life on her own terms. Revamp her career. Try new things. And none of those things could happen if she was rehashing the past with Simon. Better to keep on pret
ending she didn’t recognize him or know him.
“If I’m being honest, we’re on first-name terms here at Dover,” Simon said. “But if you’d rather I refer to you as Mrs. Hall—”
“No. First names are fine,” she interrupted. “You can call me Heather.”
“And you can call me Simon.”
The deep baritone of his voice sent a tingle down her spine. For months after he had dumped her and went to college, she had played his name over and over in her head. Then, the heartache had subsided, and she started to follow his career in the press.
Simon had gotten into Stanford University on a scholarship—half academic, half athletic. He had played hockey. Graduated with top honors. By the time he had graduated he had already invested in Dover, Inc. At the time it had just been a little tech start-up he invested his minimal savings in. Then, he had taken over the company, and within seven years had turned it into a billion-dollar empire.
“Simon,” she finally said softly, enjoying the sound of his name on her tongue. Enjoying it more than a little too much.
No. Focus.
If she was going to finally start living her life, she had to make the most of this opportunity.
He leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk as he looked over her resumé. “You used to work at VLA Technologies.” Simon raised his eyebrow. “They’re our rival.”
“Yes,” she said.
“Why did you leave them?” he pressed.
“It was part of a company restructuring,” she said. “About ten percent of the workforce was offered a pretty good financial package if they agreed to resign.” She wasn’t exactly rich, certainly not by billionaire Simon Diesel’s standards, but the money she had gotten from VLA meant she wasn’t hard up for cash. Plus, she had inherited a tidy sum from her grandfather now that he had passed away.
She had been out of work for several months, and she was getting back into things because she wanted to make something of her life. Working at another prestigious company like Dover, Inc. would be a dream come true. She’d get to meet interesting people. Travel the world. Learn about new technology before anybody else did. The employee discounts were to die for. And she’d prove to her rotten ex-husband that she could make it without him. Didn’t need him to have a fulfilling life and contribute.
