by Lexy Timms
“No. Start making the calls now,” he said flatly. “Better yet, you go to lunch and I’ll do it myself.”
“But—”
“You heard me.” His narrowed his eyes. “I’m in charge here, Heather, not you. We can’t afford to negotiate right now. If I make a reasonable request, I need you to follow through with it. Now, go to lunch.”
“Okay.” She grabbed her laptop and brushed a stray strand of her dark hair out of her eyes.
Heather looked utterly beautiful in her glasses and her usual conservative dress. Her skirts always fell just below the knee, but memories of kissing her inner thigh made his blood run hot.
“If you’re sure,” she continued. She gazed at him, as if she was expecting him to relent and let her concern for him dictate his professional choices.
“I won’t repeat myself,” he warned.
Surprised sadness flickered in her eyes for a moment, but it disappeared so fast he wasn’t sure if he was imagining things.
What he wouldn’t give to be able to walk across the room and kiss her until her sadness vanished. Until she was melting in his arms and begging him to take her again.
Hell, he would even settle for a civil, friendly conversation. But they weren’t friends. Not anymore. And showing even a slight amount of concern for her beyond work was liable to destroy them both. He had to keep his reaction to her in check. No matter how mouthwatering her long legs looked in those heels this morning.
If she wanted to defy him, she didn’t. Her only response to his words was to lift her chin, avert her gaze, and march silently out of the conference room.
The only thing she left behind was the scent of her seductive perfume and the cold tension that had settled over them all morning.
SIMON WAS ICING HER out.
She could sense it. He had been distant all week, and now that the work week was winding down she only felt it more intensely.
“I’ve got the new reports you requested,” she said as she reluctantly stepped into his office.
He grunted an acknowledgement, barely looking up from signing his name on a stack of documents.
“Where do you want them?” Her arms were dull with pain as she held on tightly to the binders she had lugged up here.
“On my desk.” His face was still buried in the pile of papers.
Simon might not be the most social man, but usually he spoke more than a handful of works to her. At least, he had before they had come back from the conference. Ever since he had left her on her front porch the night they got back to Seattle, he had been cold and distant.
Heather knew it was best to keep things professional, but it still stung. With a sigh she set the binders down on the desk. His usually-ordered office was becoming a mess. Mostly because when she had offered to tidy the place up, he had refused the offer.
“Anything else?” she asked. “I have about an hour to spare, so just let me know if you need me to do something.”
“No, thank you.” He reached for a bottle of painkillers and opened it.
She watched him down a couple of pills. Probably for another one of his headaches. Usually she’d take care of something like that. Remind him to take some pills when he stubbornly tried to tough out the pain. Or she’d go to the medical station and get a stock of painkillers for him. Now he was taking the pills without her prompting. The way he had the day of her interview. On the day he had fired his previous assistant.
Damn, it felt like she wasn’t even here.
Even before she had first kissed him, they had been able to talk while they worked together. The silence that was enveloping his office just set her on edge.
“Simon, I’m here to help you. If you don’t want my help, then why am I still working here?” Where had that come from? It was probably better to keep her head down and collect a paycheck. Instead, here she was, reminding him of how useless he was making her feel.
“You’re here because you’re a good worker,” he said. “Come to think of it, I do need these documents filed away. A lot of them need to be filed in my office, and rest of the files need to go to different departments.”
“Then why didn’t you say so?” she asked.
He gave her a hard stare. “It’s best if we’re not alone together.”
The implication of his words made her face heat. That was why he kept pushing her away. Keeping her at arm’s length. He didn’t trust that they could work together in the same room.
And, considering the fact that all week she had actually missed him, she didn’t blame Simon for having zero confidence in her. They were supposed to be moving past their screw-ups, but that hadn’t stopped her from aching for him. All week she had longed for him to speak to her with the warmth that he used to. Look at her with that familiar heat in his gaze.
She would have settled for feigned politeness rather than this chill between them.
“I’ll start right away,” she said, ignoring the lump forming in her throat.
Another grunt of acknowledgement from him. She waited for a moment, to see if he might say something more, but there was nothing but cold silence.
Biting back a sigh, Heather gathered the documents in her arms and headed over to the file cabinet on the opposite side of his office. Before she started filing, she slipped off her pink sweater and rolled up the sleeves of her blouse. She’d probably be on her feet for the rest of the morning, so she might as well get comfortable.
By the time lunchtime rolled around, she was grateful to be able to take a break. She ate a chicken sandwich with some friendly colleagues. Simon might be cold and distant, but her new coworkers were easy to get along with. Even with her heart in turmoil she made sure she kept a fake smile on her face during lunch. If her colleagues knew what she had with Simon, they might be less friendly, so she did her best to look as normal and cheery as possible.
When she made it back to her office after lunch, she was exhausted from having to fake being happy in front of her coworkers. Keeping up this charade of looking normal was more tiring than actual work. As she sagged into the chair at her desk, she couldn’t wait to head home for the day.
A knock on her open door caught her attention.
“Good afternoon. Is Mr. Diesel here?” A striking redhead with long legs and supermodel-good-looks stepped into her office.
“May I ask your name please?” Heather pushed her glasses up her nose, suddenly feeling utterly drab in her ordinary blouse, gray skirt, and low heels.
“I’m Kylie.” The redhead flashed the most dazzling smile, her green eyes lighting up. “If you tell him my name, he’ll want to see me,” she said in a sultry tone. “He’s expecting me.”
Heather frowned. “He never told me he was expecting a visitor.”
“I’m more than just a visitor.” Kylie smiled again, and then winked knowingly.
Jealousy settled over Heather. It was irrational to be jealous of a woman she barely knew, but the familiar way Kylie talked about Simon was making Heather curious. Curious and jumping to all kinds of conclusions.
Had Simon moved on already?
Heather thought back to all the things he had said on that final night in the hotel. He had all but admitted that he regretted their breakup. He’d even flat out said he was jealous of her ex-husband.
But if he was that jealous, he might have found a quick way to get over it by moving on. Heather didn’t blame him. After all, she had been hesitant to pursue anything more with him. Keeping up an affair with her boss was out of the question.
“I’ll let him know you’re here,” Heather finally said.
She quickly dialed Simon’s number, informing him about his visitor.
“I’ll be right out to see her,” he said.
That was definitely unusual. Simon wasn’t the type to come out of his office to meet anyone. Which must have meant that Kylie was important to him.
Moments later Simon appeared in her office and swept Kylie into his arms.
“There you are,” he
said.
Without a second glance they both stepped out of her office, Kylie’s arms entwined with his.
Jealousy was making Heather think all sorts of awful thoughts. They had barely even noticed she was there.
Dejected and miserable, Heather reached for her cell phone, the urge to text her mother overwhelming. She couldn’t tell her mother the truth, but at least there was someone to reach out to.
Already her eyes were burning with tears. It was so foolish to be jealous of a woman she barely knew. It wasn’t Kylie’s fault that Simon was single, handsome, sexy, and intense. And it wasn’t Kylie’s fault that her ex-husband had made her feel undesirable and insecure.
She mentally kicked herself. All she had done with Simon was have sex. It hadn’t been serious. But that fact couldn’t stop the ache in her heart.
Chapter 17
“Jeez, Simon, have you moved into your office?”
He looked up from his laptop sometime after five. “Hey, Linda.” He checked his watch. It was actually seven. Damn, where had the time gone?
“You don’t look so good.” His media relations officer paused, then stepped up to his desk. “Actually, I mean, you’re less handsome than usual. You still look better than ninety-nine percent of the population, but you look less like you.”
“Is that your way of telling me I should go home?” He rubbed some of the exhaustion from his eyes. It had been a long day. Made longer by the distance that kept growing between him and Heather.
“Nobody can tell you anything,” Linda said with a scoff. “Except for your assistant, who is probably the only person around here who you sometimes listen to. I hear you had a discussion with an investor at the conference?”
“Yes, I had a meeting with Santo Mattis. He’s interested in partnering with Dover. But that meeting was mostly Heather’s doing, to tell the truth,” he murmured. “She’s very good at her job.”
“So, why are you still here on a Friday night?” Linda asked pointedly.
“Because work is my life,” he admitted.
“That’s awfully lonely,” Linda said. “You’re young. You should be out having the time of your life.”
“I’m not the only one who works overtime,” he said.
“Well, I’m about to head out. Which means you’re the last one here,” she said. “Aren’t you tired of being the last one to go home?”
“You know me,” he replied. “Nothing makes me tired.”
“You’re not a machine, Simon.” Linda sighed.
It was as close to friendly advice as he was ever going to get, but there was no point in listening to Linda. Not if she didn’t know the real reason why he kept staying at work later and later. He was working harder than ever to keep his mind off Heather.
Which had been even harder to do today because he was sure he’d offended her. His former employee, Kylie, was back in town, and she’d come to visit. It had probably made Heather think Kylie was after her job. Which wasn’t the case at all. He might have been hesitant to even want something serious with Heather after the secrets she had kept from him, but he trusted that she was a good worker.
Right now they needed a cooling-off period, and the best way to make sure they cooled off was for him to put some distance between them.
“I’ll stay for another fifteen minutes and then head out,” he said. “How about that?”
“Okay, boss.” Linda smiled and then turned around to head out. She glanced over at the file cabinet across the office and said, “Nice sweater. Pink really is your color.”
Simon stared after her, bewildered. When she headed out of his office he walked over to the file cabinet, curious about Linda’s odd statement.
Right there on the cabinet was Heather’s familiar pink sweater. She’s been wearing it for most of the day. He groaned when memories of how she looked in it came flooding back. It had been a tight fit, the soft fabric accentuating her breasts.
He picked up the sweater, ready to leave it in her office, but there was something in the pocket. Curious, he reached for it and retrieved her ID. She would need it to get back into work on Monday. For security reasons Dover had very strict policies about employee IDs, and she’d probably be frantic all weekend without it.
It was probably best to drop off the ID and sweater at her place, so he grabbed his phone and dialed her. The phone rang without an answer. With relief, he hung up and sent her a text.
He’d still drop off her sweater, but not having to have an awkward conversation on the phone with her was probably a blessing in disguise.
Fifteen minutes later, Simon got behind the wheel of his electric car and headed to Heather’s place. If she wasn’t home, he’d just leave her ID and sweater in her mailbox. She was bound to find it when she got home.
When he pulled up to her house he found that the lights were on. So, somebody was home. Maybe she was ignoring his calls. He didn’t blame her. Who would want to take a Friday night phone call from their boss?
Simon grabbed the sweater and jogged out up to her front door. He rang the doorbell and Heather answered, dressed in nothing by an oversized shirt and the tiniest pair of shorts he had ever seen. Her hair was down, and she wasn’t wearing her glasses. He hadn’t ever seen her look so casual. It was sexy. Well, she was always sexy, but this time he was taken by surprise.
“H-Hi.” He did his best to sound casual, but the sight of her bare legs was making it hard to think straight.
She narrowed her hazel eyes suspiciously. “Simon? What’re you doing here?”
“You left your sweater at the office,” he replied.
“Right,” she said, sounding totally unconvinced by his explanation.
“Your ID was inside the pocket,” he said.
“Oh.” She reached for the sweater. “Thank you. I can’t believe I forgot it.”
“Work was hectic today,” he said. “It was probably easy to forget.”
She paused. “Would you like a drink or something?”
No. Say no. Turn her down.
“Sure,” he said. Because that was what he truly wanted to say. The rational part of his brain that he always listened to was shouting at him to walk away, but every other part of him just wanted to be near her. “But I can’t stay long.”
“Of course.” She led him inside and he followed her into the kitchen.
The house was small, but extremely neat and organized. Cozy even. A bit like Heather herself.
She motioned for him to sit at the island and he obliged while she put a kettle on.
“Got any weekend plans?” he blurted out. Small talk had never been his strong suit, but he’d do anything to make sure there weren’t any uncomfortable lulls in the conversation.
She took some mugs from the cabinet and set them down on the island. “I might go catch a movie with some friends, but I’m pretty much a homebody.”
“Home is good.” After a pause he asked, “Need any help?”
“No, thank you,” she said as she grabbed a couple of teabags out of a box and placed one in each mug. “How do muffins sound?”
“Great,” he said.
She grabbed some muffins from a tray on the kitchen counter and placed them on a small plate. Then she handed it over. “They’re banana nut.”
He reached for one and took a bite. Delicious. “This is good. Did you make these?”
Heather nodded. “I’m not much of a cook, but I love to bake. There was a bake sale at Finn’s school and I made one batch too many.”
“Finn is lucky to have you for a mom,” he said.
Her cheeks turned pink. “Thank you. And Kylie is lucky to have you.”
“Kylie?” He took another bite and thought over Heather’s words. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he nearly laughed out loud. “You think Kylie and I are an item?”
“You looked very nice together.” She nodded her head vigorously, like she was trying to convince herself that what she was saying was true.
“I’m not dat
ing Kylie,” he said. “I mean, she’s lovely, but she’s not my type. And she’s happily married.”
“Oh.” She stared down at her hands. “So, is she like your friend... or something?”
“Kylie was an engineer at Dover,” he said. “We were the first company she worked for when she was just starting out. She moved on to a smaller startup because it was a better fit for her. Kylie just visited the office today because her company wants to partner with Dover on a small side project. You really thought we were dating?”
“Well, you hugged her and seemed so happy to see her—”
“I was happy to see her,” he said. “I’m always happy to see former employees doing well.”
She made a face. “Right. It’s just that you’re not like that with many people.”
“Kylie and I both went to Stanford. She was a few years behind me, but I was kind of a mentor to her,” he said. “There’s nothing romantic between us at all.”
“So she’s your friend?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t go that far. It’s a cordial, professional relationship. Nothing more.”
A relieved sigh made her shoulders heave.
“Were you jealous of Kylie?” he asked, barely able to contain a laugh.
“What? No.” She bit her lip and then clasped her hands. “Okay. Maybe a little. But you were jealous of Gary.”
“You were married to Gary,” he argued.
The kettle started to boil, and she rushed over to grab it and started pouring hot water into their mugs. “It was nice of you to bring my sweater. Thank you.”
“You’ve already thanked me,” he reminded her.
“Right. I have.” She set the kettle back down and sat down across from him.
“Do you want me to go?” he asked. “If you don’t want me here, I don’t know why you’d bother inviting me in for a drink—”
“I thought you were dating Kylie. That’s the only reason I let you in here,” she said breathlessly.
