Teasing The Boss

Mallory Crowe

Teasing The Boss

Mallory Crowe

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Mallory Crowe (2015-03-28). Teasing The Boss (Billionaires in the City Book Two) Kindle Edition.

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CHAPTER ONE

“So you’re a stalker now?”
Grace’s eyes widened behind her oversized sunglasses. “I’m not stalking anyone!” she said into

the phone as she navigated through the busy morning sidewalks, trying her best not to bring attention
to herself. Though it was hard to remain inconspicuous when she banged into the pedestrians walking
by.

She’d give anything to take off the damn glasses, but she couldn’t risk being recognized. The long

shadows cast by the skyscrapers on either side of her kept the streets dark, and she could hardly see
where she was going.

“I’m never going to wear sunglasses again,” she promised as a heel caught in the crack of the

sidewalk. Letting out a rather unladylike grunt, she pulled the shoe free and scanned the busy street for
her target.

“For what it’s worth, I think they looked fierce.” The smile in Andre’s voice was evident, and

she was sure he was enjoying this all too much.

“I think I lost him,” she breathed. Body after body brushed past her, but she didn’t budge from her

spot as she looked for any sign of the short red hair she’d followed all morning.

Andre scoffed on the other end of the line. “You lost your one chance at cleaning up your image?

You gotta want it, honey.”

Grace pursed her lips. “He’s not my only chance,” she muttered. She moved forward, glanced in

the windows of the buildings and hoped he’d ducked into one when she’d been distracted. “He’s just
my best chance.”

“Well, the paparazzi are still following me around, so you might be able to take off your

incognito wear.”

“I can’t believe that worked.” She passed by a bakery. The scent of pastries fresh out of the oven

wafted through the air, and she was half tempted to give up her chase and drown her sorrows in sugar.
At least if she was fat, no one would recognize her.

“The press are smart enough when they’re trying to track you down, but the second they think

they’ve got a lock, they get blinded by their own greed. I could’ve been five inches shorter with a
beer gut, but as long as I was wearing your outfit and that wig, they’d follow me to the ends of the
earth.”

The corner of her mouth ticked up at the memory of Andre wearing the blond wig that slightly

resembled Grace’s own long locks. “I really appreciate all you did this morning.”

“Just because I like boys doesn’t mean I dress in drag for fun. You owe me.”
A trickle of guilt snaked its way through her. Andre had done so much for her, and not just by

distracting the press. He’d been the first employee at Bell Planning, her event coordination business.
She owed him so much, and at this rate, Bell Planning would be closing doors within the month.

“Don’t worry,” she told him with false confidence. “I’m going to find this guy, and he’s going to

fix everything.”

Andre was silent, and that sent a shiver through her. If he didn’t think she could turn this around,

what shot did she really have?

The defeat didn’t have time to settle in her gut. Her target turned out of the coffeehouse a few

doors away and started down the street. Right toward her.

Every instinct within her told her to turn and hide, but it was too late. Simon West stared intently

at her as he cut his way through the crowds. His gaze managed to keep her frozen in place.

Simon West didn’t fit the mental image she had cooked up in her mind. She expected the

consulting prodigy to wear oversized glasses and have a haircut from the eighties. She’d worked with
a lot of the high-powered elite during her few years in New York City, and she’d come to realize that
most successful businessmen fit into one of two categories: the smooth movers and the number men.
From all the articles and stories she’d read, Simon West was one of the best number men in the
business.

Except the man who walked toward her, the one she’d followed since he left his apartment

twenty minutes ago, was a drool-worthy example of a smooth mover. His gray suit was perfectly
tailored to his toned body, and his dusty red hair was kept almost as short as the neatly trimmed beard
that covered his face. It was just long enough so his strong jaw and killer cheekbones were evident.
And, at the moment, his deep chestnut eyes were focused solely on her. She could tell by looking at
him that Simon was the type who got what he wanted, when he wanted it.

With all that energy focused squarely on her, Grace suddenly wished she could be like a turtle

and hide inside her shell when threatened.

But before she could snap herself out of her frightened daze, Simon had reached her and come to

a halt about a foot away. “You were outside my apartment this morning,” he said abruptly.

“Uh,” she murmured. Only then did she realize she still clutched her phone. Unable to think

straight under his scrutiny, she shoved the phone into her purse and did the first thing she could think
of. She lied. “Was I? It’s been a crazy morning and I’ve been walking around for a while.” She said a
quick prayer of thanks for the sunglasses she’d been cursing just moments before. They might be the
only thing keeping Simon from seeing just how full of crap she was.

He narrowed his eyes. “Do I know you from somewhere?”
She felt the blood drain from her face. “No! I don’t think so. I mean, I would remember someone

like you.”

He cocked his head. A grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Someone like me?”
Damn it! She was better than this. She had hobnobbed with some of the richest people in the city.

She could get through one conversation without tripping over her words like a smitten schoolgirl, but
she wasn’t quite as used to being so desperate going into business talks, and it threw her off-kilter.

“Let me start over,” she said in her “let’s get down to business” voice that always seemed to

calm her clients down.

“Okay then.” Simon held out his hand. “I’m Simon. Nice to meet you, and why are you following

me?”

This time she kept her cool as she met his handshake. The warmth of his touch was a sharp

contrast from the cool shadows of the late summer morning. Goose bumps went up her arm. “I’m not
following you, and my name is Grace Bell.”

If she hadn’t been studying him so closely, she might have missed the flash of recognition in his

features. “I can’t think of many reasons for an attractive woman to be hunting me down at seven

o’clock in the morning, but if you really want a date, I would be open to it.” He planted a smile firmly
on his face.

Grace stiffened, torn between flattery and annoyance at his proposition. “I’m not here to hit on

you,” she clarified.

His lips drew together. “That’s a shame. Because you offering to go to bed with me is about the

only thing you could say right now that I would say yes to.”

She ripped her hand out of his. “Mr. West. I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I

promise you I’m not the type to hit on strangers in the street.”

His dark eyes quickly moved up and down her body. The glance was quick enough that she didn’t

have time to fidget, but slow enough to let her know he didn’t care whether she knew what he was
doing.

Grace mentally took stock of her outfit. Her jeans were dressed up with the high-heeled boots

she’d normally never wear for walking through the city, but she’d wanted to make a good impression
on Simon.

“Let me save you some time, Ms. Bell. I’m not taking on new clients. I’m attracted to you and

would love nothing better than to get a chance to impress you, but I just don’t have the time or
inclination to get pulled into the mess you’ve found yourself in.”

Grace gritted her teeth as he slammed the metaphorical door in her face. “Mr. West, please hear

me out. I never did a thing with Robert Bar. He’s setting me up, and I have no idea why. I just need
someone to make sure my business survives until this all blows over.”

He raised a brow. “From what I heard, you and the senator were already doing plenty of

‘blowing over.’”

Her cheeks tingled as they filled with the blush that hadn’t gone away in the week since the

scandal broke. She had no idea where it went wrong! One second, she was sharing an elevator with a
senator in the swanky Hanson Hotel, and the next she’d tripped on a heel and fell right into the arms
of the silver fox Robert Bar. Normally she’d just giggle off the embarrassing incident, apologize and
move on, but when the doors opened, she’d been blinded by camera flashes.

“I never slept with Robert Bar,” she said through clenched teeth. At this point, she should just

have those six words printed on the back of her business cards to hand out to the accusing public.

Simon arched a red brow. “That’s not how the good senator tells it.”
“That’s the problem! He’s running around every media outlet he can find, apologizing for

cheating on his wife with me, and I only met the guy that one time in the elevator. I am an event
planner for a very elite clientele, Mr. West. No one will hire me if they think I’m going to boink their
husbands. I need to clear my name.”

He carefully looked her up and down. “I’m no public relations expert.”
Her confidence was bolstered when he didn’t immediately shoot her down again. She took a

small step closer. “I know. But I’ve heard about you. You’re talked about in all circles and your
instinct for reading people is practically legendary.”

His mouth ticked up at the flattery. “Funny, I thought most people thought I was a prick.”
“Oh, they totally do. But a prick they admire and respect. People, especially powerful ones,

don’t want anyone to be able to see in their heads, but they need you. Mr. West—Simon—I need you.
This man is destroying my reputation and my business. I’ve already been dropped by two clients this
week. If I don’t move fast, I’m going to be closing doors within the month.” She held her breath as she

waited for his features to soften even the slightest bit.

“Ms. Bell, I admit you’ve found yourself in a tight situation, but unfortunately I’m not taking on

new clients.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued. “And to be honest, you probably couldn’t

afford my fee anyway. Good luck with your problem.” And just like that, any chance she had of
putting her life back together turned his back on her and continued down the busy street.

CHAPTER TWO

Simon’s legs ached as he pounded up the stairs, but he didn’t mind the exertion. Days like today,

when his mind raced with various probabilities and outcomes, he enjoyed the opportunity to zone out
until all he could see, think, or feel was his body. Luckily his current consulting job, pulling Green &
Sons out of the red, was challenging enough for him to mostly push his troubling thoughts away.

When he reached the tenth floor, he took a few seconds to catch his breath. The climb worked up

a bit of a sweat, but he would be back to normal by the time he’d checked his email at his desk. He
wasn’t a formal employee, so he was mostly left alone when at the corporate office of the hardware
store chain he was helping to restore to its former glory.

Simon didn’t really give a damn about hammers and nails, but he thrived on the challenge of

being in a completely new environment. Starting a puzzle unlike any he’d ever done before and
putting all the pieces back into place.

Breathing at a normal pace again, he pushed the door open and strode past the receptionist and a

few rows of cubicles until he reached the small office he’d been given for the duration of the project.
Not his favorite setup, but his fee was high enough that he didn’t complain.

As he waited for the laptop to boot up, he scrolled through his mobile email that had accumulated

during the forty-minute walk from his Manhattan apartment to the office. He used to take cabs to his
clients every morning, but he found a walk in the morning was so much more beneficial than getting a
few emails taken care of.

Once his computer booted up, he opened up the latest earnings report and studied the numbers

and percentages. His mind made note of inferences and conclusions with each new page. Something
was off. Simon’s brow crinkled as he tried to pinpoint what was bothering him. The numbers on the
screen could be better, but were a hell of an improvement over the balances a year ago.

He glanced around, trying to locate what was nagging at him. Everything seemed fine in his

office. He didn’t have any pictures or personal items in the temporary work space, but the red pen and
pencil he always had handy still sat neatly and perpendicular to the edge of the desk.

What else could be throwing him off? He thought back earlier to the desperate pleas of Grace

Bell.

Simon couldn’t forget the image of Grace looking utterly defeated as he’d turned her down. But

what the hell was he supposed to do with her? The idea that a respected, at least formerly respected,
senator ran out to every news outlet that would take him to declare his infidelity was almost
impossible to swallow. The idea that he was lying about having an affair made no sense.

But Grace hadn’t seemed as though she was bullshitting him. Simon had dealt with enough shady

characters in his time to recognize the warning signs. Besides, desperation like that was hard to fake.

He tried his best to forget about her, lose himself in the patterns and figures in front of him. No

matter what he did, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he was missing something.

He considered himself a logical man, more logical than most probably, but he’d learned to trust

his gut long ago. So when those big blue eyes popped into his head for the thousandth or so time, he

stopped trying to ignore it. Instead, he brought up the Internet browser and typed in Grace Bell.

As expected, the screen was filled with the recent stories about her affair: speculation about

when it had started, whether she was the senator’s first mistress, and whether the affair would stop
now that it was in the open. The picture that accompanied the article was one Simon was familiar
with. Robert held Grace in his arms as she stared wide-eyed at the cameras. There were also other
pictures of him keeping his face hidden as he moved past the paparazzi, holding Grace close the
entire time.

She sure as hell looked confused, but that didn’t mean she was telling the truth. Even if she and

Bar were together, she probably wasn’t expecting that when the doors opened.

He stared at those wide eyes, so different from the composed woman he’d just met. A deer in the

headlights of the car that was about to run her over. He ripped himself from the spell and decided to
take a different tactic. He typed her name again, but this time set an image search.

Once again he was confronted with the plethora of elevator paparazzi pictures. But as he scrolled

down farther and farther, there were more of her posing with various high rollers of the city. She must
really have a strong business if these were the guests at her events.

She didn’t look old enough to have made all these connections on her own. Maybe late twenties,

early thirties. She must’ve inherited someone’s book of business worth millions. He could see how
the scandal would ruin her in more ways than one. If the elite of the city truly thought she was a tramp,
she’d never book a high-end party like she was used to again.

These were election fundraisers, grand opening galas for big businesses, and high-end charity

events. Not weddings and sweet sixteens.

Simon rubbed at his eyes. Even if he felt for the girl, he’d told the truth earlier in the morning. He

was busy, and she wouldn’t have the money to afford him anyway.

But for some reason, he scrolled down once more, trying to get a better sense of this woman’s

life before it was in shambles. His heart froze in his chest as he immediately recognized a man in one
of the images.

The picture was innocent enough. Grace stared intently at a man; a smile tugged at her red lips.

But it was the man who had his full attention this time. Mark DuFord. The con artist of Wall Street.

The same man who’d eluded Simon for six years. Constantly one step ahead or getting a lucky

break at the last moment. Simon had been so close to getting DuFord behind bars a few months ago
that he’d already had the FBI on speed dial.

But at the last minute, Simon’s perfect bait backed out, tipped DuFord off that Simon wasn’t on

the up-and-up and ruined any chance he had to catch the con artist again.

Until now. Grace might not have enough cash lying around to afford his normal rates, but if she

could somehow get him in touch with DuFord, he might have a chance to get his revenge after all.

His fingers scrambled over the keyboard, and in seconds, he had the Bell Planning website up

and scribbled down the address. It was about half an hour drive by cab. Without hesitation, he shut his
laptop and collected his things.

Grace Bell could be the key he’d been searching for.

CHAPTER THREE

“I’m sorry. I tried. I really, really did.”
Andre set an arm around Grace’s shoulders. “And you’re not done trying,” he said.
“Thanks,” she muttered. She’d spent the morning huddled in her office, frantically researching the

superstars of public relations that she might be able to reach out to, but she couldn’t shake the sinking
feeling that she was screwed.

And not in the way Robert Bar claimed.
The phone on Andre’s desk rang and he pulled away from her. “What are the chances it’s good

news?” he asked with a grin.

She shook her head. She supposed it was better to smile through the pain. If this call was

anything like the hundred other calls they’d fielded, it was another reporter thinking they could get the
interview that no one else had been granted.

Or worse. A client calling to release her. She’d stop answering the phone altogether, but the

slight chance that it was new or returning business compelled her to listen to every voicemail and
answer those damn rings.

“Bell Planning. This is Andre. How can I help you?” he asked in a cheery voice.
Grace pushed her shrimp fried rice around in the cardboard carton it came in as she moved to the

window. She leaned a hip against the sill, making sure to stay mostly in the shadow of the building, so
no one could see in.

There weren’t as many reporters as there’d been initially. They hadn’t tracked her down after her

talk with Simon, so no one officially knew she was at the office, and she’d worn her suddenly useful
auburn wig as she’d entered through the back.

But she’d have to go home eventually. Hell, she’d have to walk her dog eventually. Poor thing

had stayed with her neighbors for five days already. For the first time in years, she yearned for a
private yard to call her own. She and Princess had been so content with the eight-hundred-square-
foot, one-bedroom apartment for almost half a decade, but now they were being pushed out. Viewed
as an intruder and interrupter of the peace.

“I’m sorry; Grace isn’t in at the moment. Can I help you with anything or take a message?” said

Andre from behind her.

A cab stopped in front of the building. Grace ducked back a bit farther and peeked an eye out. It

was hard to make out details from the tenth floor, but she could see well enough as long as she had her
glasses on. The man didn’t exactly look like a reporter, but she’d learned that the press came in all
shapes and sizes in the past few days. She couldn’t see his face as he was paying the driver but she
didn’t mind the view.

Grace took another bite of rice as she saw the play of muscles through a nicely fitted gray suit.

One of the benefits of living in a major city was that there was never a shortage of attractive men.
And another redhead.

What were the chances she’d see two hot redheads in one day?

The hottie turned and Grace’s carton of rice tumbled to the ground. Simon West.
“It’s him,” she breathed.
“Nah, I think it was a reporter. They didn’t say much, but totally flaked when asked what kind of

event it was. One of these days they’re going to have an entire gala completely planned out and we
won’t realize we’ve been had until they get through the door.”

Grace blinked a few times as she stared at him. “No. Not who was on the phone. I mean, it’s him.

Simon West just walked into the building.”

A smile covered Andre’s face. “He’s going to help us!”
“Shit,” she muttered as she ran to the other side of the office and snatched some paper towel. She

frantically wiped at the spilled rice. Luckily a good portion stayed in the carton, but she didn’t need
Simon walking into a pigsty.

“Don’t you worry about that.” Andre leaned down to help. “Security is probably going to kick

him out when he says he’s here to see you. Now you better get down there and work your magic on
that man.”

Funny, she didn’t feel very magical at the moment. Andre picked up right where she left off and

cleaned up her mess. Her heart clenched at the sight of such a talented, smart man on his hands and
knees, cleaning up spilled food. He deserved to keep his job, and she owed it to him to fight her
hardest to keep the business going.

“Okay. Snag a Simon, take two.” She pushed herself up and smoothed the front of her jeans, a

habit burned into her from wearing skirts on almost a daily basis. She rushed out of the office and then
ran to the elevator, impatiently waiting for it to climb the ten stories to her.

Her mind filled with images of Simon West changing his mind. Deciding he was crazy for even

coming and retreating back into the summer heat to flag down a car. Or maybe security had kicked him
out already, and he’d re-convinced himself she wasn’t worth the trouble.

Doubt crept deeper in her mind as she got on the elevator and it started its descent. What had

changed since that morning? He’d seemed so sure that he wanted nothing to do with her. Maybe he
wasn’t even there for her. He could just have another appointment in the building.

Or she could’ve seen wrong. Her wishful thinking had convinced her that the handsome redhead

below her was exactly the redhead she’d wanted to see.

But as soon as the doors opened, there was no mistaking Simon West talking in a hushed voice

with the security guard who stood next to the receptionist.

“Mr. West,” she called, making sure the guard knew he was an acceptable guest.
He turned; his dark eyes found hers, and Grace took a deep gulp. She had the distinct impression

that he could’ve talked his way past the guard if given enough time. Quite a feat considering hundreds
had tried to get past in the last few days.

“Ms. Bell,” said the guard. “I’m sorry for any misunderstanding.”
She tore her gaze from Simon as she approached the desk. “It’s not your fault at all, Jared. I

didn’t realize Mr. West was stopping by today, or else I would’ve told you.” She focused on Simon
once again, but, if anything, his scrutiny had only intensified. “Um,” she muttered. “I’m sure you
understand that things have been a bit…hectic recently. Jared has been instrumental in keeping the
vultures out of my office.”

“I completely understand. It’s great that you’re going through such lengths to help out Grace,” he

said as he moved in closer to her.

The use of her first name seemed somehow off…too intimate. But she let it slide as she shot

Jared one last smile. “Thanks again.”

Before she could lead Simon to the elevators, he was already ahead of her, as though he’d been

there plenty of times before. She quickened her pace to catch up with him as he hit the up arrow. “I’m
so happy you reconsidered.”

The doors opened and he held a hand out to signal her to get on first. He followed her in and the

elevator climbed. “I did a bit of research on your case, and I think there might be more to this story
than meets the eye.”

She let out a sigh of relief. Finally! Someone who believed she wasn’t a home-wrecking trollop

and would help her convince the world. “Did you get a good look at those atrocious photos? I thought
it was pretty obvious that nothing was going on between us.”

His brows drew together. “He was holding you in his arms.”
Grace deflated a bit. If the pictures hadn’t convinced him, what had? “I admit the position was a

bit compromising, but there was absolutely no chemistry in those photos.”

“I didn’t realize that it was possible to keep the ‘spark’ when being mobbed by the press.”
The doors opened, and this time, Simon let her take the lead as she maneuvered through the drab

hallway to her office. “One of the services I offer is photo coaching.”

He halted and frowned down at her. “Really?”
“It’s unofficial, but the clients love it. People who’ve never taken a good photo in their life

suddenly can look at any camera with the right head tilt and smile. The events I work on only last a
night, but if there are photos taken, those are what will stay with the client. So it’s win-win if they
happen to look fantastic in the photos. Trust me, I can take a look at a panoramic shot of a crowded
room and probably point out who’s doing it, who’s getting divorced, and, lately, I’ve even developed
a rather impressive gaydar.”

He nodded, and his thick red brows drew together again.
“You think I’m crazy now,” she muttered. Darn it. She should’ve played her cards closer. Kept

her more outlandish business tricks and secrets to herself. Now he was probably sure she was some
vain floozy who’d been caught red-handed with the senator.

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” he assured her. “I just had to reassess your intelligence.” She opened

her mouth to ask what the hell he was talking about, but he answered before she spoke. “I mean you’re
smarter than I thought.”

She brought her fingers to her temple as the stress headache she was becoming all too used to

came back. “Better than the other direction, I suppose.” She crossed the last few feet to her office and
punched in the code in the keypad to open the door.

He followed her in. “How many people have the code?”
She frowned. That didn’t really seem like pertinent information for what she was hiring him for.

“Um, just me and Andre, my assistant.”

“You called?” said Andre from his desk.
“Andre, this is Simon West. Simon, meet Andre Sullivan.” She let the men shake hands as she

pushed the door shut and gave her office a quick once-over. Andre had made sure there was no sign of
her clumsiness, and they always strived to keep the office in tip-top shape. Even though she could do
a decent amount of work from her apartment, the calm, earthy color palette of greens and browns was
a great atmosphere for bringing in new clients. The ability to get potential new clients away from

unpredictable restaurant meetings and stress triggers from meeting them in their own home or office
more than paid the exorbitant amount for city office space.

Well, it had before she’d lost five clients in one fell swoop. Now her beautiful little sanctuary

was one more expensive noose around her neck.

“You can take off for the day,” she told Andre as she pulled out a chair for Simon.
“Call me if you need anything.” He grabbed a leather jacket much too heavy for the June weather.

But she noticed the glinting sliver spikes detailing the shoulders and remembered him telling her how
“big” spikes were at the moment. Anything for fashion, she supposed.

“Will do. Thanks again.” As the door closed, she pulled the other chair out from the front of the

desk and sat across from Simon, pulling a yellow legal pad and a pen from the desk to take notes
with.

“Do you always sit on the same side of the desk as your clients?” His dark eyes roamed over her.
Suddenly self-conscious, Grace sat straighter and crossed her legs as an extra layer of armor. “I

think it adds a sense of informality to everything,” she said. “I tend to sit behind the desk for the initial
meeting, but once I’m booked, I like to make sure they know their event is a collaboration that they
can be as involved in, or as removed from, as they want. I suppose I was hoping we could have the
same type of working relationship.”

“Hmm.” His face didn’t give away anything.
Grace fiddled with the pen in her hands and fought the urge to doodle on the paper. Why wouldn’t

he just say something already?

Eventually, he seemed to agree with her suggestion of informality, as he shrugged off his suit

jacket and twisted to neatly set it on the back of his chair. Grace took a deep gulp as he turned back.
What was it about a handsome man in a white dress shirt? She was used to dealing with the
workaholics who drank one too many beers and ate delivery food too often. Simon’s toned, powerful
physique was not what she expected.

“One thing you’ll come to know about me is that I’m blunt. I say what I mean as soon as I think it,

and I expect my advice to be taken.”

She blinked a few times and pushed out all her mental images of unbuttoning his shirt button by

button. “I can respect that,” she said.

“Good.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Now tell me everything you

know about Mark DuFord.”

The pen slipped out of her hand and clattered to the tile floor. “Shit,” she muttered as she quickly

snatched it. “I’m sorry, did you just ask about Mark?”

“You do know him?”
Her brow crinkled. “I suppose. We dated last summer. How on earth did you find out about that?”
“I did an image search on you. Now tell me everything about how you and DuFord met. How

long you dated, how serious it was, how involved you were in his business. Everything.”

The hairs on the back of her neck stood as he focused all his attention on her, and she realized she

might be getting into something bigger than she’d intended. “Well, I was hosting an event last season,
and Mark was a neighbor of my client. He asked me out at the end of the party and we had a few
casual dates. We were together for about a month before we realized we weren’t right for each other
and split on amicable terms.”

“What about his business? Did he ever mention his clients to you?”

Grace shook her head. “He was a very private man. Now, what on earth does Mark have to do

with my situation?”

Simon took a deep breath. “I have a,” he paused as though searching for the word, “complex

relationship with him. And by complex, I mean I want him in prison and he doesn’t know I exist.”

Grace leaned back in her chair and considered him. “Prison? What did he ever do to you?”
He shook his head. “No details yet. I can help you and your business survive whatever the hell

Robert Bar is doing, but only if you help me bring down Mark DuFord.”

She thought back to her short time with Mark. He’d been funny and charming and a perfect

gentleman. She’d probably still be with him if her work schedule hadn’t been so erratic, but after a
few too many missed dates, they’d called it quits. Now she was supposed to help send him to prison?
“I don’t know how I can help. I haven’t even spoken to him in over a year, and we were never that
serious.”

“This is my offer, and you need to understand what a deal I’m cutting you. I will dig you out of

this hole until your business is just as good, if not better off, than it was before me. All I ask is that
you be there for me when I call in a favor.”

A shiver snaked down her spine and Grace stood, crossing to stand behind her desk. The look

Simon gave her as his eyes followed her every move told her that he knew exactly what she was
thinking. That moving to her position of power would somehow make her feel like she had control
over the situation.

“Any favor?” There had to be some sort of boundary. She felt less as if she were negotiating with

a respectable businessman and more as though she was making a deal with the devil.

“Any favor that can get me closer to nailing DuFord.” His scrutiny never let up.
She crossed her arms. “I can’t agree to that. It’s way too open-ended.” As tempting as his offer

was, she knew all too well how delicate her situation was. She was backed into a corner, and that
made her vulnerable to getting screwed over.

And Simon West seemed like the type who could sniff out vulnerability from five miles away.
He stood, and any peace of mind hiding behind her desk gave her was ripped away as his

presence seemed to fill the entire office. “Why don’t you tell me what boundaries you want?”

Grace took another deep gulp. She hadn’t expected him to leave that up to her, and she was

underprepared for a negotiation of this caliber. “Can I have a day to think about it?”

Simon took a few steps forward and set his palms on the desk. “My fee usually runs well over

six figures, Ms. Bell.”

She tightened her lips. Apparently she wasn’t “Grace” to him anymore.
“I hate to sound arrogant, but you’re extremely lucky to be getting the opportunity for me to waive

my normal fee. So, no. You don’t get until tomorrow. You have until ten seconds from now to start
listing your demands and I’ll tell you if they’re acceptable.”

Everything inside her screamed for her to kick him out. To tell him where he could shove it and

declare she’d never work with such a devious, conceited man. But she couldn’t. Once again, she
mentally listed off all the other public relations specialists and consultants. But her mind always went
back to the same one: Simon West.

“You can help me? Guaranteed?”
“I have a plan,” he said simply.
“Then here are my terms.” She tried to get the words out as quick as possible, not wanting to test

his “ten second” limit. “I’m not sleeping with anyone to get you anything.” She paused, waiting for the
shock to play across his face that she’d even considered he’d ask that of her.

No hint of surprise.
“Also, I’m not doing anything illegal. No breaking and entering, no stealing.”
He nodded. “I can work with the no sex or breaking and entering. I can’t promise I won’t want a

better look at his files.” She started to order him out, but he continued, “I can assure you that you’ll be
taken care of. I promised to get your company in the same, if not better, condition. I can’t do that with
you behind bars.”

Grace took another deep breath. So she had the word of a man she’d just met that she wouldn’t

end up in jail. Whenever she’d been faced with decisions like this in the past, her gut had been her
guide. It told her who to trust and when to bail on a job.

But her gut seemed to be turning summersaults at the moment and couldn’t make up its damn

mind. Her brain wasn’t much help either. Logically, she knew this was a shady deal and she should
run as fast and far as she could. But she also knew that Simon West was the best in the business, and if
he said he could dig her out of this hole, he could. His word was worth more than gold in the city.

“Okay, Mr. West.” She allowed her hands to fall to her side. “I’m at your service. What’s the

plan?”

A satisfied grin twisted his mouth and she couldn’t help but feel that she’d been had.
“Well, first I have to figure out what the good senator is hiding.”
“The press and reporters have dug through every aspect of his life. What makes you think they

haven’t already found everything there is to find?” She was happy Simon had the same thought
process she had when it came to the senator’s lies. If he was willing to admit to adultery with her, he
had to be hiding something much worse.

“I’m still going to dig around. Whoever he was with, she was probably at that hotel the same

night the two of you were caught.”

Grace’s eyes widened. “We weren’t caught. He was caught. I just happened to be there.”
He nodded, but didn’t appear at all concerned about the slip. “While I’m looking into him, I’m

going to try to see where DuFord’s been staying.”

“I’m not sure where his main residence is, but I know he’s out in the Hamptons every weekend.”

She practically beamed when she saw the surprise flash over his features. Finally! She got the robot
to show some sign of humanity. “I have an event there this weekend. One of the caterers I’m working
with mentioned he was still in the same house.”

His brows drew together. “You asked about him?”
She couldn’t tell whether he was happy or upset that she was already one step ahead of him. “I

wanted to make sure there were no important new neighbors who were left off the guest list. So, yes, I
asked about him. You’re more than welcome to come out with me this Saturday. I know Mark was
invited, but I’m not sure if he RSVPd.”

He ran his fingers through his short hair. “Saturday,” he murmured to himself, as though he ran

schedules and timetables in his mind. Finally, he looked back to her. “That will work.”

“Great. Now how about Bell Planning? When can we start crunching numbers and making

plans?”

He blinked a few times and she tried her hardest not to worry. Hadn’t he already mentioned he

was working a job? Combine his actual paying gig with her mess and his beef with DuFord, and

Simon might be one of the busiest men in the city. Hopefully her company wouldn’t get pushed to the
bottom of his priorities.

“I’m heading to my apartment to get some balls rolling on researching Robert Bar. Until then,

keep up as normal. Why don’t we meet for dinner tonight to talk over a few things once I have more of
a plan in place?”

Relief swept through her. He wasn’t going to hang her out to dry. He just wanted to get a plan

first. “Just tell me where and when,” she said with a smile.

He shot his watch a quick glance. “Probably around six thirty or seven.” Without asking whether

that worked for her, he picked up his jacket off the chair and moved to the door. “Don’t worry, Grace.
We’ll figure all this out.”

She frowned. The comforting words seemed so out of place for him. As though he’d suddenly

remembered to be thoughtful as he was leaving.

“Ditto,” she said. He was obviously dealing with his own demons when it came to DuFord. As

long as they both got what they wanted, this would be a partnership made in heaven.

But Grace had a sinking feeling they’d both end up in hell if things didn’t go their way.

CHAPTER FOUR

Simon shut his computer and stretched his arms up. With a roll of his shoulders, he stood and

moved out of the office and into the bedroom.

Ever since he’d left the Bell Planning offices, he’d been itching to have a serious brainstorming

session about his plan of attack. But first things first. He’d promised Victoria he’d get her the
financial projections by the end of the week, showing the various effects of buying the midsize tool
manufacturer out in the Midwest.

Now that he’d gotten one of the possible scenarios plotted out, he was ready to start seriously

thinking about the DuFord situation. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He still had two hours
before he was scheduled to meet with Grace. That would give him just enough time to get a run in.

He quickly changed into shorts, T-shirt, and his sneakers designed especially for city streets.

Forgoing the elevator, he took the steps two at a time as he descended the fifteen stories to ground
level. He scrolled through his MP3 player, and settled on an up-tempo rock playlist that would keep
him at a pace of at least six miles per hour.

The drumbeat started as he reached the warm summer air and he started into his slow jog. As the

pavement moved beneath him and he dodged pedestrians, he thought back to his meeting with Grace.

She would be an interesting one to work with. He’d misjudged her and that wasn’t like him. She

was smart and calculating, each decision thought out and weighed against the options. Somehow he’d
assumed the party planner would be an artistic free spirit. Not a structured businesswoman.

A stereotype, sure, but some stereotypes were there for a reason.
She was probably fantastic at what she did. Able to slide into a room and immediately be best

friends with everyone around her. Simon preferred to walk into a room and convince everyone they’d
either be screwed or much less rich without his help. Friendship could only get a person so far.
Money could get them everywhere.

He’d have to get a copy of her latest income statement as soon as possible and her assessment of

her customers already lost. This really would be new territory for him. He’d dealt with press releases
before, and done a few interviews, but she was in the middle of a media shitstorm. It would take a
hell of a lot to restore her pristine image, but he’d dealt with companies worse off than hers who
were led by idiots. She was street savvy and could think on her feet. If he could play this right, saving
her company might be the easiest job on his plate.

DuFord…now that bastard was a complete different story. Simon’s jaw clenched as he pictured

the cocky son of a bitch, and he picked up the pace until his feet pounded on the pavement. He’d
ruined the element of surprise. The last time he’d tried to land DuFord behind bars, one of the key
pieces to his plan had backed out last minute. DuFord might not suspect anything, but Simon was
definitely not on his list of favorite people.

As far as DuFord was concerned, thanks to Simon’s advice, he’d wasted months trying to get a

big mark that bailed. But it had been a good plan.

DuFord made a name for himself by getting massive returns for his clients, but Simon knew he

played dirty. The investments he made were risky, and illegal, overseas development projects. The
returns could be massive, but when the government got wind of it, DuFord was gone and there was no
sign he’d ever facilitated the investment. But the poor sucker who’d assumed the broker put their
money in perfectly legit funds was suddenly the center of an investigation, sometimes even ending up
in jail.

Simon had tried for years to get his hands on DuFord’s money. The highest form of leverage there

was. But now he had something that could be just as enticing. He had a woman to lure DuFord out
with.

The pieces started to click in his mind, and Simon relaxed his pace. He was going to nail the

bastard once and for all, and Grace was the key.

~~~~~

Grace stared at the bag and back to the driver. “He said what?”
The driver shifted his weight, obviously not enjoying the position Simon put him in. “Sorry,

ma’am. Mr. West said you might want to dress up for dinner.”

She shook her head. “He’s out of his mind.” She pulled out her phone. She brought up his text

instructing her to meet his car in the front of her building at six o’clock and clicked the Call Send
button.

Grace half expected him to blow her off after the stunt he was pulling, but he actually answered

on the second ring. “Grace. Are you on your way?”

“What the hell is going on, West?” she demanded.
He was silent for a moment. “I told the driver to tell you. There’s a dress in the back of the car.

Change into it and come meet me for dinner.”

She rubbed the back of her neck, wondering how she could’ve ever been so stupid as to believe

this idiot could save her company. “This is a work dinner. I’m not getting dressed up for you.”

“Did you at least take a look at the dress?”
“I already said—”
“Just look at it. Please.”
Her brows drew together at his plea. She doubted he was the type to use the word “please” a lot,

and she couldn’t shake the image of him smirking as he said it. Even as she thought up a suitable insult
to throw at him, she pulled the garment from the bag, and smoothed the layer of plastic protecting it.
“What the hell?” she breathed.

“Look familiar?” he asked.
“How did you get this?” She pulled the dress out of the plastic protector and ran the familiar

fabric between her fingers.

“Ever since you were plastered on the face of every newspaper in the country wearing it, all the

major retailers have made sure to keep it in stock. You’re officially a model now.”

She felt heat creep into her cheeks at the sudden reminder of her newfound popularity. Even so,

she couldn’t deny the slight boost in her ego at the thought that she’d convinced the public to buy
something because she looked good in it.

“Why?” she asked, barely able to form words.
“I told you, I’m going to get you out of this mess. But we need to do it fast and right. Now change

into the dress and meet me for dinner. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”

“This had better be good,” she muttered.
“Just make sure to change in the car. If anyone sees you wearing that tonight and snaps a pic, this

isn’t going to work.”

Grace sighed. “I can’t change in the car. The driver’s here.”
She could already imagine him rolling his eyes at her modesty. “I’ve seen women change in

public before. Just do it quickly and keep the important bits covered. It will be worth it. No one can
see you wearing that dress tonight. It’s important.”

She narrowed her eyes. Sure, she wasn’t the most modest person in the world, but that didn’t

mean he could dictate where and when she took her top off. “You’d better be buying me dinner.”

He scoffed. “It’s the driver who you’re flashing. Why isn’t he buying?”
In spite of herself, Grace let out a giggle. She covered her mouth and hoped he didn’t hear her

laughter. “You’re a dick.”

“See you in half an hour. I promise you lots and lots of wine.” He hung up.
Grace shook her head again and set the phone down. What a strange man. “We can head to the

restaurant,” she said to the driver. The windows were darkly tinted, so she’d have freedom to change
rather easily.

The only one who could see her would be the driver, but she’d have to bite that bullet. She

wouldn’t need to change her bra, and she could keep her pants on until the dress was covering those
important parts. So it would only be her bra that was exposed for a few moments. Considering how
crazy the city traffic was at rush hour, it wasn’t like he could ogle her the entire time.

But Simon had never answered her question. Obviously, if she was wearing the same dress, he

was rigging something to look like she’d done it the night she’d been caught with the senator. She
could do without the secrets, though. They were supposed to be partners, solving this problem
together.

She’d been her own boss for years. She wasn’t used to taking orders from anyone. Even when

her clients made demands, she could usually talk them out of anything unreasonable. Ordering her to
change clothes in the back of a car was definitely unreasonable.

Even so, Grace was desperate. If she thought it would get it out of her hole, she’d do a hell of a

lot more than flash her bra to a stranger. And Simon knew it.

A delicate position to be in, and not one she was used to. She wasn’t exactly powerless, though.

He wanted Mark, and she could give him access. She just needed to figure out a way to use that to her
advantage and give herself some semblance of power back.

Grace pulled her shirt over her head in a smooth move and bunched the material in front of

herself to cover her bra. Then, with her shirt held over her breasts, she maneuvered her arms into the
dress and pulled it on in one quick move. She shimmied it down her hips before she pulled off her
boots. Undoing her pants, she slid them off and smoothed the dress on her legs.

There. Dressed in thirty seconds. Her makeup wasn’t the same as that disastrous night, and she

ran her fingers through her hair, trying to give the flat, straight strands as much body as possible. The
driver managed to avoid the worst of the traffic, and after lots of red lights and congestion, he pulled
into an alley.

“This is where I’m meeting him?” she asked the driver.
The young man shot her an apologetic look. “Sorry, ma’am. He said to text him when I got here.”

She rolled her eyes and sat back against the seat, gathering her clothes into the bag the dress had

originally been in. “Do you drive Mr. West often?” He’d taken a cab to her office earlier, so this kid
probably wasn’t a permanent driver. But she had a feeling, no matter how casual Simon had made it
sound, he wouldn’t have her undress in front of a complete stranger.

“A few times a week. He and the boss are buddies, so Mr. West gets a good discount.”
“Hmm…” Even with a discount, private cars were expensive. But Simon had already informed

her exactly how exorbitant his fee was. Even for a small job like hers, he’d make over six figures.
Well, she sure wasn’t going to feel guilty about all the wine she was going to put on his tab.

The door to the left of the car opened and Simon poked his head out. He gave a little wave to the

driver and Grace gathered her belongings.

Simon opened the door. “Glad you made it.” He held a hand out to her and she stared at it for a

moment. Somehow chivalry hadn’t seemed like his thing. To avoid being rude, she put her hand in his
and allowed him to help her out of the car.

The warmth sunk into her as his strong fingers pulled her up. A bolt of electricity shot through

her. The sudden, unexpected heat shocked her.

As she reached her full height in heels, she was only a few inches from Simon, and suddenly the

heat from his fingers wasn’t the only warmth she felt. She stood so close that she could feel his body
heat through her dress. Even as her mind told her it was time to back away, her eyes drifted up to meet
his. As she made eye contact, she realized he stared at her just as intently. The shock broke the spell
and Grace took a step back.

“Don’t worry about bringing your other clothes in,” said Simon. “Jason will take care of it.”
Grace frowned and set the bag back in the vehicle. “Take care of it how?” she asked as he turned

and went back to the door he’d emerged from. He held it for her as she walked into some sort of nice
kitchen area.

“I told him to package it up and send it to your apartment,” he said nonchalantly as though that

was a normal task to assign a driver.

He weaved between furiously working sous chefs who were busy cutting vegetables and stirring

various pots and pans. She matched his brisk pace, doing her best not to get in anyone’s way. She
tried to get a peek at what was being served, but it was hard to focus on anything for too long while
also following Simon and making sure she didn’t bump into anyone.

She let out a sigh of relief as Simon held the swinging door open for her, immediately comforted

by the calm, quiet ambiance of the main dining room.

Simon continued to walk to one of the dimly lit corners of the room. “Right here.”
Her brows drew together as she got a good look at the booth. It wasn’t two separate sections, but

a romantic, scalloped set up. The deep red cushioned seats were in the shape of a semi-circle with
both plate settings very close together in the center.

She opened her mouth to ask him what exactly he was expecting, but he spoke first. “Trust me,”

he said with a subtle tilt of his head.

She thought back to their first meeting. He’d flat out refused to help her, but had the audacity to

ask her out. Was this his sick way of getting her on a date? Pretend he was going to help her and then
try to seduce her instead?

She mentally shook her head. Of course not. No one would go through that much trouble just to

sneak a date with her.

Well…maybe one of those incessant reporters, but not the eccentric, rich consultant she’d

approached first.

He held his arm out for her as she slid into the scalloped booth. As she reached the center, he

entered from the opposite side, sliding down until he was only a few inches away. Once they were
both finally settled, Grace started to ask what exactly he thought he was doing when the all too prompt
waiter appeared.

As the waiter dutifully listed off the wine specials and handed out the menus, Grace became

aware of exactly how expensive this place probably was. Her eyes shot to the name branded at the
top of the menu and her heart nearly stopped. Lucia’s. Good grief.

Simon confidently said his wine order and looked to Grace. “Did you have a preference?”
She took a deep gulp. “That sounds good,” she squeaked out. Although she could appreciate a

good glass at the end of the day, her wine knowledge was sorely limited.

The waiter nodded. “I’ll have that right out,” he said with a smile before he whirled away and

disappeared behind the swinging kitchen doors.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Grace turned to Simon. “What the hell, West?”
He leaned closer to her, and she was once again inundated with his body heat. Half of her wanted

to lean back to regain her personal space, but the other half had the strangest urge to lean closer and
soak it in.

“I didn’t mean to put you through all this. I had meant to call you, but it took a bit of time to set

this all up.”

She compromised by not moving closer or farther. “What did you set up? What does this have to

do with my problem?”

He took a sip of the water. “Well, let’s be honest. You’ve already been tried and convicted in the

court of public opinion. You’re a home wrecker and man stealer.”

Grace gritted her teeth but didn’t disagree.
“But there’s one thing the public can respect after years of endless law shows. An alibi.”
“I don’t have anything. I was up in my room working for five hours straight. Me running into

Robert Bar before my event that evening was one of the only times I left my room.”

He nodded. “And there’s security camera footage to show that.”
Her eyes widened. “So all we need to do is get that footage?”
“Not so fast. Your senator boyfriend thought of that first. The hotel has ‘lost’ the security tapes

from that day. Now you can bet your ass that if the press had them, they would’ve called Bar out on
the lie. So my guess is he got to them first.”

Her heart beat faster in her chest, and she found herself leaning in closer to Simon. The guy was

insane, but he might’ve actually stumbled on some sort of proof that she was being framed. “How can
we get them back?”

“There’s the kicker. If Bar has them, they’re probably destroyed. I was on the phone with the

head of security for a while, trying to figure out if there were any copies or backups, but we’re shit
out of luck. So now we have to play on his level.”

“What’s his level?”
“Dirty,” he said simply. She blinked a few times in confusion, so Simon continued. “If he stole

your real alibi, we’re going to make a new one. So instead of doing an honest day’s work in the hotel,
you were on a date instead. With me.”

“You’re kidding,” she murmured. She didn’t know whether she should be excited to hear his

reasoning or pissed.

“I helped the owner of Lucia’s out of a jam a few years back and she’s always been fond of me.

So I asked if we could fiddle with the security feed in the store for the day. Now any tapes pulled will
show the timestamp for a week ago up until about twenty minutes before you and Bar had your little
run-in.”

“But why wouldn’t I have released these tapes right away? Why wouldn’t I tell them about our

relationship? I tried defending myself before. Nothing worked.”

He waved a hand carelessly in the air as though her concerns were nothing. “People love video

evidence. That’s why you got screwed over. They had a few photos that could possibly put you in a
compromising position and jumped on it. So I’m going to leak this video tomorrow along with a
statement that we were trying to keep our relationship under wraps, but I decided to come public once
the lies Bar was putting out affected your reputation. Paint you as the victim and Bar as the asshole he
is.”

Grace leaned back in her seat, debating the merits of his plan. She wasn’t too fond of playing a

victim, but she’d love Senator Bar to have his ass pinned to the wall and exposed for all his lies.
“What about our relationship? The nonexistent one?”

The waiter appeared and made a big show of uncorking the wine bottle and allowing Simon and

Grace to both sniff for approval. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Really, all she wanted was her
wine and some privacy. But she went through the motions and thanked the waiter as he went off to
fulfill other duties.

Simon set his glass down and turned back to her. “Our fake relationship won’t last long. The

press has never cared much about me, and, to them at least, your most interesting attribute was your
affair with Bar. So once they realize you’re not a home wrecker, they’ll stop paying you much
attention. But everyone thinking we’re together will help me get closer to DuFord. It will give me a
reason to be following you around.”

Grace almost forgot Simon’s true motive in her rush of excitement. His hatred of her ex. “I’m

driving out there Thursday evening. The client has a small guesthouse about a mile from the event site
that I stay at. I’ll be finalizing a bunch of things that Friday, but maybe you could meet me Friday night
or early Saturday? It won’t be hard to get the client to agree to offer you an invitation, since your
reputation precedes you.”

She took a sip of wine and studied his reaction. He didn’t seem overjoyed at the talk of his

stellar reputation. So professional flattery wasn’t a weak spot. Always good to know.

“I figure we can drive together. It will strengthen our relationship story and give me some time to

scope out DuFord while you’re working.”

Grace felt the blood rush from her face. “Scope out? I thought I wasn’t doing anything illegal.”
“Well, I never said I wouldn’t be doing anything illegal. But to clarify, I meant checking out

where he lives and who he sees while he’s living the high life in the Hamptons.”

She nodded, relieved to hear his answer. “I think we should drive separately. I’m bringing my

dog, and the alone time lets me focus on work.”

He raised a brow. “You bring your dog?”
“Yeah. Princess is well behaved, and with everything that’s been going on, I’ve barely seen her. I

was looking forward to the two of us getting away for a few days, even if it is a work trip.”

“Alone as in not with me?” asked Simon with a grin.
Grace refused to regret her choice of words. They weren’t dating, and she didn’t need to feel bad

about not wanting him around.

“So you have a dog named Princess, huh?” His eyes narrowed as though he was judging her

reaction to him judging her.

But Grace didn’t mind. Everyone laughed at Princess’s name to begin with, but the second they

met her, they realized it made total sense. “She’s been with me for six years and is spoiled rotten.
Princess just fits her.”

He nodded. “Well, I don’t mind dogs and I’m a quiet driver. Why don’t I pick you up Thursday

and that way you won’t even have driving to distract you from work?”

She sighed, not sure she could say no. This was her end of the deal and she wasn’t about to

renege. “Don’t you have work to do yourself?”

“More than I want to think about at the moment, but that’s my own fault since I’m my own boss. I

can do a majority of my work remotely, and I’m paid by the hour, so as long as I don’t bill for the time
I’m running around with you, I’ll be okay.”

“We’re not running around together,” she insisted.
“That’s what it will look like. Me and my hot new girl escaping to the Hamptons for ‘work.’”
She tried to stop the grin that formed. “Great. I’m going to go from a home wrecker to a trollop

who puts her lovers over her job.”

“You are the one who brought up my reputation. What exactly have you heard about me before

this morning?”

Grace let out a laugh. “I’m sure you know. Can turn any business around, but is, um, lacking in

people skills even though he can read almost anyone.”

“So tell me, Ms. Bell, how do you think someone with a reputation for being a dick gets as much

work as I do?”

She scoffed. “Tell me your secrets.”
“I have the reputation for being a brilliant dick. As long as you do your job better than everyone

around you, you can get away with murder. So no one will care you’re screwing your boyfriend
senseless this weekend as long as your event goes off without a hitch.”

Grace felt the blush climb up her cheeks. “It’s all an act, though. There won’t be any screwing

happening.”

Instead of laughing at the thought, Simon only considered her with those dark eyes of his that

made her wonder how much of this crazy scheme was an act.

“Why not?” His voice was low even though there was no one around within hearing distance.
Her mouth went dry. “We’re working together,” she sputtered as she inched away.
His hand covered hers. “Don’t forget the cameras,” he whispered. “And please don’t get freaked

out. It was a simple question. I find you attractive, and, correct me if I’m wrong, I think you don’t
mind looking at me. If we’re going to be working in close proximity, why not have fun?”

She obligingly slid in closer, but pulled her hand from his. She didn’t think she could speak

clearly with his hands on her and didn’t even want to delve into her psyche to figure out what that
meant. “I only met you today, and, to be honest, you’ve pissed me off more times in that one day than
people I’ve known for years have done in the past decade. So you’re not on the top of my list.”

He smiled at her, not seemingly affected by the rejection. “I appreciate the honesty.”

The waiter and some assistants arrived with the food, and Grace beamed up at the waiter for

giving her an excuse to change the topic.

Once the salads were set in front of them, Simon eagerly started to dig in. “On to more important

topics. Tell me everything you think I need to know about Bell Planning.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Simon pulled his Cadillac to a halt at a spot about a block away from Grace’s Brooklyn

apartment. The street appeared well kept and he didn’t notice a ton of bars on the lower windows.
Most of the apartments had pretty flower pots lining the windowsills to add color and a pleasant feel
to the street.

He thought back to the financials she’d sent over. Grace sunk a lot of the profits back into the

company, but she still ended up with a decent wage. It had been slowly climbing the past few years as
she’d made a bigger name for herself and her reputation grew. She’d lucked out by scoring an
apprenticeship with Renard Chapin. After she’d learned all his secrets and tricks, he’d retired to go
live in France with his family and recommended that all his clients use her as their consultant.

Simon sent her a text message to tell her where he was parked and stared in the direction of her

apartment. She didn’t seem like the type to be late, but this was a woman getting ready for a huge
work function and a weekend away. If stereotypes proved accurate, he might be waiting awhile.

The corner of his mouth ticked up when he saw Grace push open the door to her building. The

sun made her blonde hair, tucked back into a ponytail, shine, and her navy and white striped shirt and
khaki shorts were the perfect nautical theme for the Hamptons.

She definitely liked to dress the part. Which probably explained her luggage. Although she was

on time, she sure packed a lot. She had an oversized suitcase rolling behind her, with another duffel
packed to the point of practically bursting on top of the bag. And walking on her left was the oddest
dog he’d ever seen.

She was muscular and stout; her tiny legs worked to move her big torso and keep up with Grace.

Her ears were almost nonexistent, and he could see that whoever had cropped them had no clue what
they were doing, but her massive grin and bright eyes gave her that slight twinge of cute that most
dogs seemed to have.

Grace set her luggage down outside the car and he hopped out to help, popping the trunk as he

moved. “Morning.” He lifted the large bag and tried not to grunt at the weight.

“Good morning.” Her cheerful voice and wide grin were good signs. “Oh, you didn’t have to do

that.” She pulled out a blanket out of the duffel to lay over his backseat.

He bent to pick up the bag once she’d closed it. “What’s that for?”
“To keep dog hair off your car. Are you sure you don’t mind driving Princess? I can go pick up

my car. It’s really no hassle.”

“We both have to drive out there this weekend. Might as well go together.” He knelt in front of

Princess. “So this is my co-pilot?” She wiggled over to him. Her entire body vibrated with the force
of her wagging tail.

Grace set her purse in the front seat. “That’s Princess. I think she’s looking forward to spending

some more quality time with me.”

She lathered him with kisses and Simon pushed her away. One or two licks were acceptable, but

at the rate she was going, he was going to drown if he let her continue. “Come on, girl.” He took her

leash and led her to jump in the car. He shut the door and crossed over to the driver’s side.

As soon as he saw a break in traffic, he pulled the car out. He kept his focus on the city traffic,

making sure he was aware of any possible merging car or pedestrian who decided to play chicken
with his car. “So your email the other day said the press was leaving you alone?”

Grace laid her head against the seat. “It was like magic, Simon! One second I had a hundred

stalkers, but they were all gone once you gave your statement and I confirmed it. Did you see that
interview with Robert Bar last night? I think I need to give that interviewer a gift basket.”

He let out a laugh. He’d caught some of the highlights of the interviewer grilling Bar on why he’d

lied and what he was really hiding, and it had been extremely gratifying to watch the senator squirm.
“Have you gotten any of the clients who canceled back yet?”

Her smile wavered a bit. “Not yet. But it’s still early. Even if they never come crawling back and

begging for forgiveness, Bell Planning should make it. This year’s financials might be a bit tight, but
I’ve had worse years.” She looked him over. “You better beware of Andre. He told me that the
second he sees you, he’s giving you the biggest hug of your life.”

“Oh really? I didn’t realize I made such an impact.” He thought back to the minute he’d spent

with Grace’s right-hand man. The young, well-kept man hadn’t seemed like the hugging strangers type.

“You saved his job. He was already sending out applications when I convinced you to help. I

think he was terrified of going to another company.”

Simon frowned. “Terrified? What would he be afraid of?”
“The event coordinating world is equal parts creativity and business. It’s hard to find two

creative minds that mesh. Andre and I are perfect together. We don’t always agree but we can talk
through our disagreements fairly easily. You don’t always know if you’re going to get that.”

He grunted. “I feel the same way about some of my clients.”
“Really?” she asked. “I was under the impression you don’t have disagreements. You’re just

always right.”

He maneuvered the car onto the freeway and shot Grace a quick grin. “Well, I know that and you

know that. It’s convincing the client that can be the challenge.”

“I know the feeling,” she muttered, turning to look out the window as they fell into a

companionable silence.

After a few miles, Princess shuffled in the backseat, trying to get more comfortable.
“What’s the deal with Princess?” he asked.
She raised a brow. “What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “You’re a cute blonde party planner. She’s a pit bull who looks like she’s seen shit.

How did you two end up together?”

She frowned at his quick analysis. “I’m not a party planner, FYI. I’m an event coordinator. And

Princess found me.”

“She showed up at your door?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Six years ago, my father and I got into a really bad fight. He’s always

thought I’d make a better housewife than businesswoman, and on top of that he’s fully convinced you
can’t have a career as a ‘party planner.’ In the thick of it, he said he was a pit bull and I was an ankle
biter. Well, I stormed out of the house and promptly binged on my favorite fast food. I drove around
for a few hours, not really paying attention to where. I ended up in a bad neighborhood and what did I
see? A Chihuahua chewing on some scraps on the street while she chased away a starving pit bull.”

“Really?” Simon tried to keep the skepticism out of his voice.
“Oh yeah. Chihuahuas can be bad ass. And that’s when I realized that I might be blonde and

spend way too long getting ready in the morning, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be good at my job,
business owner or not. I am a bad ass Chihuahua.”

“And I’m assuming the pit was Princess?”
“Yep. They’d both obviously been on their own for a while, so I took them home on a whim. I

really didn’t plan to keep either. I’d never had a dog and never saw the point. I was able to find
Duchess a home right away, but I couldn’t bring myself to try too hard for Princess. I just connected
with her. We both found each other at our worst.”

Simon glanced in the rearview mirror at the now sleeping dog. He’d never really bought into that

whole man’s best friend thing. They were the illusion of unconditional love when really all they
wanted was a full belly and a warm place to sleep. Nothing was truly unconditional. “So you have a
pet friendly place you’re staying at?”

She crossed her legs as she shifted in her seat. “Well, the event is a Summer Blowout Bash held

by State Financial First Bank. They invite all their executives and pretty much anyone who owns
shares or sits on the board of a Fortune 100 and higher company. It’s employee appreciation and
marketing all at the same time. I work mostly with Sarah Cliff, who’s married to the chief operating
officer, Dennis Cliff. They have this massive place on the beach that’s probably a bazillion times
bigger than my apartment.”

She shifted again, recrossed her legs, and Simon struggled to keep his eyes on the road instead of

the toned thighs revealed as the shorts rode higher and higher. “Is that a scientific measurement?”

“Very scientific. Anyway, since she pays our travel costs and happens to like me, she lets me and

Princess use her guesthouse. It’s two bedrooms, so it’s plenty of room for Andre and me.”

His hands tightened on the wheel. “Andre is staying with us?” He didn’t know why it bothered

him. The few times he’d mentioned making their fake relationship not so fake, Grace had recoiled
faster than a bullet. He supposed he was a bit too used to getting the women he showed interest in.

But it made no sense. She was an attractive, single woman. He knew she at least approved of his

looks, even if she might not feel the same way about his personality. But she was a modern woman.
She could appreciate no-strings attached sex.

“We’re getting a free cottage on the beach in the Hamptons, Simon. If you want to complain to

Sarah, be my guest.”

He set the cruise control and relaxed a bit into the seat. “So if there are two bedrooms, where am

I sleeping?”

She shrugged. “That sounds like a question you should’ve asked before you invited yourself over.

But don’t worry. The couch is extremely comfortable.”

“You’re enjoying this too much,” he said with a smirk.
“You’re not upset?” She lowered the seat to a reclining position.
“I’m not such a big snob that I can’t sleep on a sofa.” He’d been accused of a lot of things, but

snobbish was a new one. He was able to walk on the factory floor or in the executive offices and get
anyone to talk to him. What else did Grace think about him?

Damn it. He didn’t care what she thought. She already agreed to help with DuFord and refused to

sleep with him. What the hell did he need her approval for? “As long as the dog doesn’t try to sleep
with me, we’re good,” he added for good measure.

“Don’t worry about Princess.” She set her notebook on her lap and pulled out a pen. “Let me

know when we get closer and I can tell you how to get to the cottage.”

He nodded, eyes once again shooting to her toned legs. It was going to be a long ride.

CHAPTER SIX

“Grace! You poor thing! I can’t believe all those horrible things the news was saying about you!”
Grace forced herself to smile at the high-pitched, screeching voice. Normally she didn’t mind

Sarah Cliff, but she’d rather not talk about her recent events.

Sarah stood from the rocking chair that rested to the right of the front door of the cottage, and

Grace tried to guess how long she’d been waiting. “It’s been a crazy few days,” she said as she
hooked Princess’s leash on and guided the dog out of the backseat.

Simon was already out of the car and walking up to Sarah, hand outstretched. “Mrs. Cliff. It’s a

pleasure to meet you. I’m Simon West.”

Sarah eyed Simon as if he were a juicy steak and she hadn’t eaten in days. Grace couldn’t blame

her. Simon filled out his shirt like an athlete who spent a few too many hours at the gym.

“Mr. West,” Sarah whispered as she met his hand. Sarah was older than Simon, but probably

spent a great deal of time and money on maintaining her beauty. Her dyed red hair was the perfect,
rosy color to make her pale skin glow, and the few wrinkles the surgery and creams couldn’t hide
only served to give her face more character. Grace genuinely liked the woman and was eternally
grateful that Sarah hadn’t dropped Bell Planning the second the scandal broke.

But that generosity might have more to do with the Summer Blowout being in a few weeks and

less to do with loyalty.

“Grace, dear,” she called. “I knew you had good taste, but you’ve outdone yourself with this

one.”

Simon looked over his shoulder to Grace. His cocky grin spoke volumes.
“He’s somethin’ else.” She shot Simon the most loving smile she could manage. Grace climbed

up the steps to stand next to him as Princess gleefully greeted Sarah.

Simon wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her in close, and her body went stiff as a board.
He leaned in and Grace’s heart did somersaults in her chest. “Relax,” he whispered. His warm

breath skated along the sensitive skin of her neck.

“Has Andre gotten in yet?” she blurted out, trying her best not to focus on his big fingers that

moved back and forth along the hem of her shirt.

Sarah looked up from her cuddle fest with the dog. “Oh yes. I sent him over to the Seaside Inn.”
“Sent him where?” Oh no…
“Well, once I heard you were bringing Mr. West…” She looked up at him. “May I call you

Simon?”

“Of course, Sarah.” His voice somehow managed to make anyone’s name sound sexy. When was

the last time he said her name?

Sarah beamed. “So once I heard Simon was coming with you, I had to make sure you had your

privacy. You’re coming to the Blowout, aren’t you, Simon?”

Of course Sarah would want the most in-demand consultant in the city to be at the Blowout.

Simon West truly was a good catch, thought Grace. Why did that only make her more grumpy? “So

Andre’s not staying here?” she squeaked out.

“Oh no. I know both of you are workaholics, so the little bit of downtime you have, I want you to

enjoy together. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous this weekend. Now, I’ll be right at the main
house if you need anything. Don’t hesitate to call or stop by. Now I’ll let you two settle in,” she said
with a wink at Grace.

Heat crept up Grace’s cheeks as she stepped aside for the woman. The half a dozen or so times

she’d stayed here with Andre, Sarah had never once told Grace to come up to the main house if she
needed anything. She had the head butler’s cellphone on speed dial for that very reason.

No. This was Simon. No wonder he was so spoiled. The rich elite of the city bent backwards to

make him comfortable.

“I can’t believe it,” she muttered once Sarah was out of earshot.
“So which bedroom is yours?” Simon let her go and pushed open the screen door.
Grace shook her head as she followed him in and let Princess off the leash. The cottage was a

beautiful, modern home. The side facing the beach was floor to ceiling windows, and the open living
and kitchen area was filled with light. The entertainment center was located in a smaller basement,
which kept the light from reflecting off the television, and the two bedrooms were pretty equal in size.

“I normally take the one on the right.” She walked past Simon to set her purse in her room,

thereby not giving him a chance to take it.

He walked between the two rooms, glanced in both before he moved to stand in her doorway.

“So you get the big bed then?”

“I’m the boss. The boss gets the big bed.”
Simon looked her over. “You’re not my boss,” he pointed out.
“You’re my consultant. That makes me your boss.”
“You owe me. That makes me your boss.”
Grace stared him down, trying to decide whether he was messing with her or whether he really

wanted the bigger bed. The slight grin said playing, but his big frame taking up the doorway definitely
said he was serious. For a brief moment, her mind flashed with all the things she could do to him in
that big bed…

She took a deep breath. No wonder Sarah was all giggly over him. The man was walking sex.

Sure, his normal business attire was attractive, but the full force of that masculine body shown off by
a tight T-shirt and perfectly fitting jeans was way too much for a mortal woman to bear.

“You can’t have this room,” she said firmly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
He tilted his head toward her in defeat. “If you say so.”
She stared at his muscular back as he walked away, half expecting him to turn around and put up

more of a fight. When was the last time he hadn’t gotten his way?

As soon as he was out of sight, she shut the door, thankful for the privacy. She needed to unpack

and then get Andre back here. It was great that Sarah thought she was doing her a favor and all, but
this wasn’t a vacation for her. She and Andre had fifteen thousand things to take care of before
Saturday, and she needed him with her.

After seeing that Andre hadn’t called, she left him a quick voicemail to head to the cottage as

soon as he could. When she left the bedroom to grab her oversized bag from the back of Simon’s
Cadillac, she found it right outside her bedroom door. She looked around to thank Simon, but didn’t
see him anywhere.

Grace tightened her lips. Just pretend he isn’t there, she told herself. It was almost noon and she

had to confirm all the vendors, review the guest list, tell the caterer the final final count. After that,
she might just have a few hours to head to the country club the Blowout was being held at and get
started on preparations.

Grace pulled her laptop and charger out of the case and ventured into the living area. She set her

station up on the table that faced the wall of windows so she could take in all the beauty of the sea.
Apparently she wasn’t the only one with the bright idea to appreciate the scenery. Simon came out
with a jam-packed folder of paper and his own laptop. He set his computer up on the other side of the
table, still facing the water, and she tried not to stare.

She pulled up her email and quickly responded to anything pressing. Then she opened up the

giant cheat sheet she used for events. Each checklist started out the same, but during the course of
planning, the list got longer and longer. Once she could visualize everything that needed to be done,
she mentally calculated priorities and what to tackle first.

After that, she got into her zone. Time seemed to slip away as she checked things off the list. The

knock on the front door pulled her out of whatever semblance of efficiency she’d found, and her head
jerked up.

Simon stood and crossed over to the front door. She silently watched him. Strange. He had such a

commanding presence, yet she was still able to work. She’d expected him to be on the phone all
morning or pounding away at the keyboard constantly. Working with him was almost as easy as
working with Andre.

Speaking of, her assistant walked through the door, looking between Grace and Simon with a

wicked grin on his face. “How are the lovebirds doing?”

Grace looked around for something to throw at him, but there was nothing within reach. She

debated crumpling up a piece of paper, but decided against it. “Laugh all you want. You’re the one
who got kicked off the beach.”

He smirked at her as he set his work bag across from where she was set up, his back to the

windows. “Please. My new place has a pool, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say there was a hockey
convention in town. The guys at this place are built.”

She snorted. “It’s not hockey season.”
“It’s somethin’ season,” he said with a wink.
Grace pushed her stuff toward the middle of the table and moved closer to Simon. “You can’t sit

there. The light is going to block out everything on your monitor.”

He eyed the small amount of space available. “Are you sure there’s room?”
“If there’s not, I’m sure Simon can find somewhere else to work.” She gave Simon a pointed

glance.

He narrowed his eyes. “I thought we were getting along.”
“We are,” she agreed with a smile. “But there’s only room for two of us here, so…”
He snapped his laptop shut. “Fine.”
Grace’s eyes widened at the sudden action. Was he upset?
“But we need to talk tonight.” He stood.
She blinked a few times. She’d already told him what she knew about Mark. What more was

there to talk about? “Why?”

“In public. We should be seen together,” he said as he finished collecting his things.

“Oh.” She’d already forgotten that they were supposed to be an item. Probably one of the reasons

she was so bad at real relationships. Once work popped up, nothing else seemed to exist. “Yeah.
Sure.”

“There’s a cute little bar next to where I’m staying that the concierge recommended. We can all

go out together.” Andre gave Grace a worried glance.

Great. If Andre thought they needed a babysitter, what chance did they have of convincing the

entire Hamptons that they were a happy couple? They should’ve left it with the video and public
announcement that they were together. She hadn’t seen a reporter in over a day. The whole blitz was
dying down, and now they were pushing their luck.

But she made a deal. She’d promised she’d help Simon bring down Mark, and if that happened to

make this work weekend a bit more complicated, it was worth it.

“That sounds good.” She tried to be a bit nicer to make up for her snippy attitude.
He nodded. “I’m going out for a walk. Want me to take Princess?”
Her jaw dropped. Was he serious? No, it was all for the act. Of course it would look good to

have him walking her dog. It was a normal couple thing and they were a normal couple.

“She’d, um, she’d love it,” he stuttered as she pushed away from the table. “I’ll grab her leash

for you.”

Simon reached for the leash lying on the coffee table at the same time Grace did; their fingers just

brushed. She jerked away as though she’d been shocked.

“You didn’t have to get up,” he said with a grin. “I was right here.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she breathed. Princess must’ve heard the leash, because she barreled out of

Grace’s bedroom and skidded into Simon’s legs. “Um, her pulling days are behind her, but if she sees
a squirrel, she still might tug.”

“Don’t worry about anything.” Simon hooked the dog up and headed toward the door. “I’ll be

back in an hour or so.”

He was gone before she could even squeak out a goodbye.
“What the hell was that?”
Grace ran to the window to watch Simon walk with Princess keeping perfect pace with him.

“What was what?”

“I thought the thing between you two was fake?” He came up behind her to spy on Simon as well.
As far as she knew, Andre was the one person who knew she and Simon weren’t actually

together, and he was in love with the intrigue of it all. The last thing she needed was Andre working
his hardest to get her and Simon together.

Somehow he couldn’t get it through his head that Grace didn’t want a boyfriend. What did she

need one for anyway? She had a good job that took up almost all her free time and a dog to cuddle
with and who didn’t talk back. Sure a little sex here and there would be nice, but they made battery-
operated boyfriends for that. No man necessary.

She made a mental note to go out and buy that particular type of boyfriend. It had been much too

long for her, and if she was going to be spending so much time with Simon, she’d need relief.

She was a rational, logical woman. She was attracted to his body, not his mind, and it only made

sense that she’d want to take the edge off. “It is fake,” she said with determination as she turned away
from the window. “Simon’s just…annoying.” She went back to her work space, moving everything
over once again to make room for Andre.

Andre sat down and pulled his stuff closer. “Annoying and hot are different than plain annoying.

A guy like that can be as annoying as he wants.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

“You’d better not poop,” Simon said to Princess.
She looked over her shoulder at him; the tongue hanging out of her mouth added a note of

absurdity to her appearance. He got the distinct impression she was laughing at him.

“You heard me. I’m not picking up your shit.”
Apparently unfazed, she turned back to sniff after all the beachy smells. He narrowed his eyes,

but decided to leave the dog alone. He’d wanted to get a good look at the neighborhood, and a grown
man walking alone tended to raise eyebrows. However, a grown man walking a dog fit right in.

The Cliffs’ beach mansion was at the end of an alcove and was completely surrounded by ocean,

which put them on a dead end street. As he moved farther and farther from their little paradise, the
houses, though still lavish, were closer together. The ocean sent a cool breeze down the street and
made the humid, summer air much more bearable.

Grace seemed happy to get him out of the house. That might be an issue. He’d written off her

approval on the drive up, but if people were going to believe they were together, he needed her to
look at him with something other than annoyance once in a while. Maybe he could sway her opinion a
bit when they went out with Andre. He’d never really spent casual time with her. She barely spoke to
him on the car ride up, and he hadn’t had a chance to speak to her during the week unless it was
strictly work related.

But what the hell did he know about getting someone to like him? The women he spent time with

usually asked him to pay more attention to them or spend more time in the relationship and less on
work. And that was when he asked them to leave.

He made enough that he could take plenty of time off during the year, but he rarely did. What was

the point? Half the reason he was so good at his job was because he loved it. Lived and breathed
financials. What most people saw as boring, he saw as a puzzle just waiting to be cracked and
solved.

And he’d yet to find a woman who could hold his attention that long.
He and Princess turned down a few streets, always staying along the oceanfront property. As they

approached a modern looking building made almost completely out of glass, Princess kicked it up a
notch and pulled against the collar as she tried to head up the driveway.

Simon gave the leash a few quick tugs. “You’re not going anywhere,” he muttered, but she didn’t

seem to care. She pulled again and he gave the leash a quick yank. “Seriously, I’m stronger than you.”

Of course, the one moment Princess wasn’t perfectly behaved, the shiny, red BMW pulled into

the driveway. Simon backed up and waved an apology to the driver.

But as the car rolled past him, Simon got his first good look at the man behind the wheel. His

heart pounded in his chest as recognition hit him. DuFord.

No wonder the damn dog was pulling. She knew the owner.
DuFord climbed out of the low riding driver’s seat and smiled over to Simon.
It took everything in Simon to not throw up in his mouth.

“Hey, Princess,” the bastard called as he strode over to Simon and the dog. He wore khakis and a

pale blue polo shirt. A walking, talking, preppy stereotype.

So what if Simon had the exact same shirt? He would burn it as soon as he got back to his

apartment.

DuFord patted the dog’s head and looked up to Simon. “You’re not Grace,” he said with a grin.
Simon searched for any hint of jealousy, but couldn’t tell much through the sunglasses DuFord

had on. “No. I’m just taking her dog for a little walk.” He held out a hand. “Simon West. Nice to meet
you.”

DuFord stood and met Simon’s hand with a firm shake. “Oh, hey. We’ve actually talked on the

phone a few times. I’m Mark DuFord.”

Simon did his best impression of a shocked face. Usually he was ten steps ahead of everyone

else and waiting for them at the top. He wasn’t used to hiding his cards. “Mark! I didn’t realize you’d
be out here this week. I came up to spend some time with Grace, but apparently she works just as
hard surrounded by the gorgeous scenery as she does back in the city.”

Mark barked out a laugh. “Grace is glued to that laptop, isn’t she? I couldn’t believe her face

was plastered all over the news. Even putting aside the matter of ethics, Grace doesn’t have time to
go running around with a married man.”

“Funny,” said Simon. “She’s always made time for me.”
If he hadn’t been looking for any sign of a reaction, he might’ve missed the tension that crept into

DuFord’s shoulders. A swell of satisfaction ran over Simon. DuFord still had some sort of feelings
toward Grace.

And that was something he could use.
DuFord put his smile back on, keeping his calm and collected persona on. “So how long are you

two in town for? I hope you’re not leaving right after the Blowout.”

“I think we’re driving back to the city Sunday morning.”
DuFord shook his head. “You have to stay longer. I’m having a barbeque at my place Sunday

afternoon. You can stop by, have some of the best steak in your life, and still make it back to town
before it’s too late.”

And he was in.
“That’s tempting. I’ll make sure to mention it to Grace. How did you know her again?”
“Grace has been doing the Summer Blowout for years now. She’s hard to miss, you know?”
Simon took a step back and nodded. “I noticed. It was great seeing you in person, but I have to be

getting back.”

“I’m so glad we ran into each other. It’s a shame the Hunt deal didn’t work out. I’m looking

forward to see if you have any more referrals.”

Simon nodded. “We’ll talk. You have a great day, Mark.” No one was more pissed about the Hunt

deal falling through than Simon. If that deal had worked, DuFord would be in jail and Simon
would’ve been working on Victoria’s projections like he was supposed to be.

“I’ll see you around,” shouted DuFord as Simon turned away.
A grin spread across Simon’s face. DuFord had no idea what was coming.

~~~~~

Grace threw the shirt on the bed where it joined the ten other outfits she’d passed on already.

Which was not good, considering she only brought a finite number of clothes with her.

She was happy with her bottom half, though. Tight, black leggings and knee-high, brown boots. It

went with almost everything she owned. But no shirt was right. They either showed too much boob
and back, or they were much too matronly for a supposed “date.”

Between thinking about the Blowout and dealing with the aftermath of her scandal, she hadn’t

stopped to think about proper date-but-not-a-date attire. She riffled through all the options she’d
already disregarded. The sequin one wasn’t too bad. It was fun and bright and she got compliments on
it every time she wore it.

But it wasn’t Simon’s style at all. He’d probably want someone who was elegant and classic. A

tall, waify type who would look beautiful on his arm and know when to shut up and put out.

She frowned. Good grief. The man wasn’t that bad. But the shirt would work. It might not be

Simon’s style, but most people here probably wouldn’t get suspicious over a sparkly shirt. She was
putting way too much thought into this.

Grace pulled off her T-shirt and shrugged into the loose tank. The weight of the sequins and

beading pulled the fabric in a flattering way around her breasts and waist. She let her ponytail down
and ran her fingers through her hair, getting a messy, cute look. If they were going to be dancing, she
couldn’t do anything too spectacular with it.

She snuck into the one bathroom of the cottage to make her eye makeup a bit more dramatic and

put on a bright pink lipstick. As she stood back to assess the results, she let out a breath she hadn’t
realized she’d been holding. This would be fine. Go out, laugh at all Simon’s jokes, have a drink,
maybe even dance, and get home before ten. Easy peasy.

A knock on the bathroom door sounded and Grace jumped. “Yes?”
“Are you almost finished? I wanted a few minutes in the bathroom before we left.”
“I’m done.” She pushed the door open and her heart skipped a beat.
Good Lord, the man was gorgeous. He’d traded the T-shirt for a muscle-hugging black sweater.

The dark fabric made his brown eyes seem impossibly large, and Grace had to force herself to stop
staring. How was she supposed to fake anything with him?

She blinked away her thoughts and stumbled out of his way. “Go for it,” she muttered as she

disappeared into her bedroom again. She sat on the bed where Princess had made herself at home on
Grace’s pile of clothes. That’s what she got for not cleaning up, she thought as she ran her fingers
through Princess’s fur.

Go out, drink, dance, come home. She repeated the list in her mind over and over, not quite

knowing why she was so nervous about the whole thing. It was basically drinks with friends. Nothing
mind-blowing.

But there was nothing ordinary about Simon West. When he walked into a room, men bowed

down in respect and women practically fainted with desire. She was small potatoes compared to his
normal crowd.

That must be what put her so on edge. Everything about him somehow made her feel so

inadequate. The people she’d spent years with, slowly gaining their trust and respect, fawned over the
business prodigy as if he were the second coming of Christ. She rested her head in her hands.
Jealousy! It made so much sense, though! Except for their first meeting, and the clothing incident in the
car on the way to their dinner, he’d been nothing but a respectful gentleman, and he’d saved her

company and reputation in a matter of days. She owed him more than petty emotions.

She stood, determined to start over. They were colleagues and roommates for the next few days.

There was no reason they shouldn’t be friends.

Energized with her newfound realization, she swung the door open and ran straight into Simon’s

hard, warm chest. “Shit,” she whispered. Her newfound confidence plummeted right to the floor.

Simon laughed; his warm breath caressed her neck and sent a shiver down her spine. “It’s okay,”

he said. “Are you ready to go?”

She pulled herself from his grasp, suddenly cold without his touch. “I’m ready. Let’s get out of

here.”

~~~~~

Andre definitely needed a raise, thought Grace as she took another sip of her…something. The

waitress had said what the fruity concoction was, but for some reason drinks that didn’t have dirty
names never stuck with her.

And her memory probably would’ve been better if she wasn’t three drinks in already. She

bobbed her head to the pop music that played from the other room and debated heading out to the
dance floor.

“Are you okay?” shouted a voice from behind her.
Grace twisted around and saw Simon behind her, a fresh drink of his own in hand. Some sort of

brown liquid and ice. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to guess what it was. He was rich enough to
be an aged Scotch or brandy man, but her gut said whiskey.

His warm hand landed on her arm. “Grace? What’s up?”
She tilted her head back and stared up at his eyes. “I was guessing your drink!” she yelled over

the music.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk!” she protested, but even as the words came out, he pulled on her arm to lead

her…somewhere. “Where are we going?” she yelled.

He didn’t answer, but she supposed she wouldn’t have been able to hear him over the pounding

pop music anyway. She bobbed her head, but she apparently couldn’t do that and walk at the same
time, and tripped over her own feet. She stumbled a few steps but was able to steady herself while
only spilling a few drops of her drink.

Simon whipped around to stare at her, and she held her glass up in victory. “Did you see that?”

she asked with a big grin.

He shook his head and once again led her across the dance floor and through a set of double

doors.

The cool night breeze brushed through her hair, and Grace took a deep breath of the salt tinted

air. “What are we doing out here?” She took one of the empty seats on the balcony and took in the
beautiful nighttime ocean view.

“I figured you could use some air.” He took the seat next to her.
She laughed. “I kind of thought you wanted people to think we were sneaking out to do things.”
He raised a brow. “Flings run off to do things. Couples go to where it’s quiet to talk.”
Grace slouched down in the chair and laid her head back to stare up at the stars. “Hmm,” she

muttered. “I guess I forgot that. It’s been awhile since I had one of those talks.”

Simon leaned back a bit, too, and took a sip of his drink. “Between DuFord and Bar, I thought

you’d be a relationship expert.”

She snorted. “Please. Bar never happened and Mark was…I don’t know what the hell Mark was.

He was great, you know? Handsome. Charming. Sweet. Good for business,” she added, pointing her
glass toward Simon; she knew he’d understand. He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement as he
took another sip. “But it wasn’t right. I don’t think either of us was really feeling it. I was working all
the time and he wanted to go on all these trips. I think we were on two different paths.” She let out a
sigh, and for a few moments, the only sound was the waves as they crashed on the soft, sandy beach.
“What about you? Do you leave a long trail of broken hearts everywhere you go?” She looked to him.
The moonlight made his pale skin seem to glow and his eyes seem even darker.

He shrugged. “Women and me have never been on the same page. I was too geeky in school, and

by the time I grew out of it, I was too busy.”

She smirked. “Are you a forty-year-old virgin then?”
He gave her chair a playful kick. “I never said that. I’ve just never been in anything that I’d call

serious.”

“I knew it,” she muttered. “A trail of broken hearts.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she

stopped him. “The true heartbreakers are the ones who don’t even know they’re doing it.”

“Is that right?”
She nodded. “Those poor women,” she whispered. As she gazed out over the ocean, she

mustered up the courage to ask the one question she’d been avoiding. “What’s the deal with you and
Mark?”

The silence stretched between them, and she glanced back to him. But he didn’t look angry at the

question. More pensive than anything else.

“If I tell you, this has to be between us. No one else can know.”
She sat up a bit straighter. Somehow she’d expected something like Mark had stolen his

girlfriend or something. “Our secret. I promise.”

“DuFord is a really smart guy. He can sniff out money like a bloodhound and knows exactly what

to say and when.”

Grace thought back to the parties she’d gone to with Mark, and she couldn’t disagree. She’d seen

him talk business with complete strangers numerous times, and on each occasion, he was smooth,
calm, and collected. She’d always admired that about him.

“But if you want the truth, he’s not the best investor.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about? Everyone I’ve talked to who’s worked with him

raves about his instinct.”

Simon nodded. “Oh, he’s good at making money. He takes on high-risk projects that have a hard

to impossible time getting funding from the normal channels.”

Grace leaned forward. “You’re saying he invests illegally? That’s impossible.”
“He invests offshore and makes twenty percent on every dollar. He gives the client ten and keeps

the rest as his fee, which he tells his clients is about one percent. “

“But he’d get caught eventually. He couldn’t have been doing that all these years without the

government noticing.”

“As far as I know, he’s only gotten caught once.”

Grace raised her brows. “And…”
“And he erased any hint that he had anything to do with it. His signature wasn’t on any of the

documents and the funds never touched an account that he handled. It was his client’s word against
his.”

“So what happened to the client?”
Simon looked away from her and to the ocean. “He was facing years of jail time and lost all his

money. The guy killed himself.”

She covered her mouth with her palm. “You’re serious?”
His lips tightened and he nodded. “Dead serious, Grace. The guy’s dirty and he needs to be

stopped. He’s been playing the same game for years now, and no matter how often I’ve tried to tip off
any type of authority, DuFord somehow manages to cover his tracks. I almost was able to catch him in
the act of transferring money to the Middle East, but the backer pulled out at the last minute.”

“You have money. Why can’t you be the backer?” He tilted his head, and it clicked. “Because if it

went wrong, you’d be on the line,” she said, answering her own question.

He leaned forward and brought his face only inches from hers. “So do you believe me now when

I tell you he needs to go down?”

Memories of her time with Mark flashed through her mind, but now they were cast in a sinister,

dark glow. Could she really believe that friendly guy she’d known for years was some sort of
monster?

“Yes,” she whispered. Monsters came in all forms, and she could tell this was important to

Simon. He wouldn’t waive his entire fee if he didn’t truly believe Mark was one of the bad ones. “So
how can we stop him if he’s been so squeaky clean in the past?”

“Unfortunately, I have no idea.”
Grace’s brow furrowed. “What? I thought you had a plan for everything. And if that failed, you’d

have a backup plan.” She thought about it for a moment. “Scratch that. I thought your plans don’t fail.”

He scoffed and took another sip. “I’m glad you have so much faith in me.”
She scooched her chair closer. The screeching of the metal on concrete broke the calm of the

night, and she cringed. “Damn it,” she muttered as she set the chair back and set a hand on his leg.
“Simon. You’re one of the most brilliant men in the city. Everywhere you go, people throw
themselves at you, trying to get even a second of your time. You have to have some sort of plan.”

His eyes fell to where her fingers rested on his knee and she fought the urge to pull away. Now it

would be too obvious if she jerked back to her safety zone. Besides, her touching him was all part of
the act.

Except there was no one watching now. Why had she moved so close? She’d wanted to give him

comfort. Support. And who the hell was she to tell Simon West that he was awesome? Now she was
one of the thousands stroking his ego.

“I have a plan to get a plan, if it makes you feel better.” He leaned forward the tiniest bit.
“What’s that?” she breathed, ever aware how close he was to her now.
A big hand reached out and caught a stray strand of hair that rested against her face. She held her

breath as he got even closer, not sure whether she wanted to lean forward or away.

“I ran into DuFord when I was walking Princess today,” Simon said softly, still moving her hair

between his fingers. “When I told him we were together, he got interested and invited us to some sort
of barbeque. If you can keep him distracted, I should have enough time to dig through some of the files

in his office. No guarantee I’ll find anything, but it’s a start.”

Grace let out a sigh and started to pull away. Simon’s hand shot out and his fingers wrapped

around her bare arm. She glanced to where his skin touched hers; their arms now formed a strange
circle with her hand on his knee and his on her arm.

“Don’t go,” he whispered.
“I don’t know about this, Simon. There are too many chances for things to get messy.”
“Messy with DuFord? Or messy with us?” He leaned closer; his thumb ran back and forth along

her skin. The touch seemed to set off a domino effect within her, like an electric shock raced through
her and signaled her heart to beat faster and for heat to pool low in her belly.

Struggling to keep her breathing at a normal pace, she said, “There is no us.”
“Why not?” he breathed.
She let her eyes drift closed as she focused on all the reasons she didn’t want to be with him.

And came up empty. She lifted her lids and looked him in the eye. “I don’t even like you.”

He scooched closer until his knees brushed hers and her breath caught. “I think you do. At least a

little. And I like you. What’s stopping you? You’re a grown, beautiful woman who knows what she
wants. I sure as hell know what I want. Why can’t we share the big bedroom?”

“Simon, I—”
His mouth covered hers in one swift motion. She was completely ready to push him away and

explain in explicit detail how wrong his actions were when his lips moved over hers. Warm and soft,
his kiss was the exact opposite of everything she’d come to expect from him. His free hand came up
to cup the back of her head and angled her face just right for his tongue to tease the seam of her lips.

Grace moaned at the unexpected playfulness of his kiss. The cool, calm, and collected consultant

king was a fun kisser. Right when she thought she had Simon figured out, he’d throw another curveball
that would push her off her feet.

Even as the confusion swept through her, the heat within her grew to a steady burn. He deepened

the kiss even more, and she felt the logical part of her brain slip away. Her fingers curled in the soft
fabric of his sweater and pulled him in closer; one hand moved up to run along the short strands of
hair on his neck.

He let out a primitive growl, and in one sudden movement, he wrapped his hands around her

waist and pulled her into his lap. She squeaked at the unexpected action, but he never released her
mouth.

He settled her over his lap, her legs straddling his, and she could feel the hard evidence that she

wasn’t the only one excited by the kiss. Emboldened by his reaction, she rubbed against his erection.
The friction sent shivers of pleasure through her.

He growled once again. His lips finally left hers to trail kisses down her neck. He nipped and

licked his way to her collarbone; his hands slipped under the hem of the sparkly tank to run along her
back. He was everywhere: rubbed in exactly the right spot between her legs. His hands sent sparks of
pleasure up and down her spine. His lips kissed the tops of her breasts as he pushed deeper and
deeper into her shirt.

Grace moved faster against him and all at once the sensations built into a nuclear explosion

within her. Her head fell back; she let out a primitive sound somewhere between a moan and scream
as the climax ripped through her.

As her quaking body calmed, Simon moved his hands out from under her shirt and pulled her

close. Her shaking muscles couldn’t work on their own, and she let him pull her into him and happily
rested her weight against him.

He stroked her hair and she tucked her face into his neck, happy she could use his body as a

shield. That was…bad. And amazing. But the fact that it was amazing was bad. Very bad. She never
should’ve gotten herself in this mess!

“Are you okay?” His breath came in quick pants.
A part of her was satisfied that she wasn’t the only one thrown off-kilter by what just happened.

But it wasn’t as if he was throwing her down and ripping her clothes off. If it weren’t for his erection
and deep breaths, she’d think he was some sort of robot.

A robot she’d never be able to look in the eye again. What would happen when they got back to

the cottage? After what happened, he’d probably want sex. After the orgasm he’d given her, how
could he not expect a little bit in return?

“Grace. Are you okay?” he asked again.
She blinked a few times and snuggled in closer. “Huh? Um, I don’t know.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He continued to stroke her hair. And damn if that didn’t feel amazing too.
“Worry about what?” She tried to sound as cool as possible even as she was still quivering on

top of him.

“I know you didn’t expect that.”
She pushed away and pulled herself closer to his knees so his cock didn’t press against her

anymore. “Did you?” She knew he’d wanted to be with her. Had he decided to give her the orgasm of
her life without so much as taking off her shirt in order to prove it? This was Simon West. He never
did a thing without thinking of fifteen different outcomes.

“I expected something,” he said. “But not that.”
The door to the balcony pushed open and some boisterous partiers spilled onto the balcony.

Grace jumped off Simon’s lap as if he were poison and looked toward the ocean, too embarrassed to
face anyone at the moment.

“Hey, this is a private party,” yelled Simon. The screeching of the chair let Grace know he stood

to deliver the message.

A few women laughed at his message, and she knew everyone knew exactly what she and Simon

had been doing. “Sorry, dude,” said a male voice. “The door was unlocked.”

“You have to talk to Jason if you want to come out here,” said Simon.
A chorus of sorrys echoed as the footsteps retreated until the silence settled back in.
“Who’s Jason?” She wrapped her arms around herself. Damn, it was cold without having Simon

wrapped around her.

“He owns this place. I asked if we could have the balcony to ourselves for a bit and he said no

problem. They have to have it closed if there’s no bouncer on duty to make sure patrons don’t decide
to go sand diving.”

Grace glanced down and grimaced at the thirty-foot drop down. “I knew it. You planned this.”
“You knew I wanted you.” He stood beside her.
“No,” she breathed, refusing to look at him. “You’re playing me.”
She shuddered as his fingers brushed the side of her face and pulled her hair over one of her

shoulders to leave one side of her neck bare and exposed.

“Is me playing you really so bad?” he asked softly from behind her. He moved in close enough so

that his heat seemed to reach out and envelop her without any touch needed. Even so, she had to fight
the urge to lean into his strength and get lost in the same sensual tornado he’d just swept her away in.

For the first time, it occurred to her that she might not be able to escape Simon West with her

sanity intact.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Grace pulled away from him and Simon finally admitted defeat. At least temporary defeat. He

probably could convince her to give him another chance if there wasn’t still the fifteen-minute drive
back to the cottage to factor in. By then, any lingering pleasure would’ve worn off and he’d be
starting from ground zero again.

Shit. The night wasn’t supposed to go like this. To be honest, he’d never expected to do anything

more than kiss her, but somehow everything had gotten out of control.

He shouldn’t even be pressuring her for more. It was too likely to push her further away, yet

somehow he found himself getting sucked into her. She’d laughed with Andre and bounced around on
the dance floor in her ridiculous shirt that practically blinded him when she turned just so to face the
lights. But every once in a while, she’d given him a subtle glance that told him she knew exactly how
ludicrous he found her and dared him to say something.

He’d kept his mouth shut, but once he noticed her tripping over her feet and laughing

exceptionally loud at Andre’s less funny jokes, he’d arranged their private moment on the balcony.

He made a mental note to send Jason a thank-you basket, or some other way to show his

appreciation of the balcony time.

“Why don’t we head back in? Andre will be wondering where we are by now,” he offered,

reminding her of the real life waiting inside.

Grace nodded. “That’s probably a good id—”
The balcony door opened again and Simon fought the urge to roll his eyes. “This is private.”
“Dean?” asked Grace.
Simon twisted around and grimaced at the man who approached them. “Andre was looking for

you,” he said with a smile. “You must be Simon. Dean Carey. Nice to meet you.”

Dean gave Simon a firm handshake and Simon looked the man over. He was probably early to

mid-thirties, and he wasn’t dressed for clubbing or partying. His black T-shirt and worn jeans had
seen better days, and he had the dusting of stubble of a man who didn’t care about his appearance.
“Nice to meet you, Dean. How do you and Grace know each other?”

Grace moved to stand closer to Dean. “We work together.”
“I’m her carpenter,” said Dean with a crooked grin.
“Please.” Grace rolled her eyes. “Dean is my carpenter, electrician, architect, and overall

mastermind.”

Simon glanced between the two, sensing the deep friendship between them, and, for reasons he

couldn’t quite pin down, the realization of how close they were pissed him off. “I thought you and
Andre were the masterminds.”

“Trust me. If I could afford Dean full-time, I’d hire him in a second. But I take whatever help I

can get in the meantime.” She smiled up at Dean, and Simon clenched his fists.

“So you’re an expensive handyman?” he asked.
Dean’s smile stayed firmly in place, but his eyes darkened enough to let Simon know he caught

the bite in the question. “Money’s tight. My sister is starting college in a few years, and I’m trying to
save as much as possible.”

Fuck. Now Simon liked the bastard and that somehow made him hate Dean more. “I think Grace

and I were about to leave.” He wished he could go back to five minutes ago when he had Grace
moaning on top of him.

They collectively moved back to the door, but Grace still stayed close to Dean. “I really can’t

stay late.”

Simon wrapped his hand around Grace’s arm and pulled her back to him as gently as possible.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked.
He leaned in close. “For the duration we’re in public, at least pretend you like me.” Even he

couldn’t deny the jealousy that dripped off the words. But he wasn’t going to apologize for the order.
It was for her own good anyway.

She seemed to understand that too, as her agitated expression softened. “Right.” She pulled free

from his grasp and put an arm around his waist. “Better?” Her bright eyes turned to his, and he tried
to determine whether she was mocking him or actually asking his opinion.

“Better,” he said with a forced grin, and the laughter in her eyes answered his previous question.
Dean stared at them with narrowed eyes. He could be a serious problem. A man who needed

money was always unpredictable, but Grace seemed to trust him. Simon filed it away in his list of
things to deal with tomorrow.

For now, his sole focus was to make sure Grace stayed reasonably sober and avoided cursing

him out in public.

“Okay then. I’ve got a full day tomorrow, so let’s soak in all the fun we can tonight, boys!” With

that, she pulled Simon forward and back into the crowded bar and booming music.

CHAPTER NINE

Simon rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. Five a.m. Who the hell was up and running

around at five in the damn morning?

He pushed the covers down. He didn’t drink more than two glasses of whiskey and they’d gotten

back to the cottage by eleven thirty, but even on his more strenuous workdays, he didn’t go to client
sites until eight or later.

Groaning, he stood up and padded to the door. He debated pulling on a T-shirt, but decided

against it. He worked his ass off to get a chest he could show off. Might as well make sure the woman
he wanted to sleep with got a good view.

Regret coursed through him as he realized there was a full house.
Grace, who was hunched over her notebook on the dining room table, looked to him as though he

was some alien intruder who needed to get the hell off her property.

“Morning,” he mumbled as he crossed over to the coffee maker. His progress was impeded by

the two dogs that ran to greet him. “What the hell?” he muttered as he stumbled around them and
leaned on the counter.

Princess was her normal, cheerful self, but now she was joined by a massive tank of a dog.

Simon couldn’t even think of what breeds made the beast, but he had to weigh well over a hundred
pounds.

“Don’t mind Rigby,” said Grace. “He’s friendly.”
Simon rubbed his temples with one hand and set the other one down for Rigby to smell. “Hey

there, fella,” he whispered. He hoped the dog liked what he smelled.

“Sorry if I woke you,” said Grace in a tone that implied exactly how not sorry she was. “We have

a full day. Tee off for the golf tournament is in three hours, so we have to be at the club as soon as
possible to get things together. Rigby is Dean’s dog, and he’s staying here for the day, so he and
Princess can keep each other company.”

Simon poured the coffee grounds and water into the coffee maker, not even trying to consider

why no one else who was already up and running around at five a.m. had bothered to make coffee.
“It’s a busy day then.”

She snorted. “Golf tournament all day. Reception in the evening. I have three different caterers

helping out between the day and evening events, three different shifts of wait staff, and a thousand
other vendors. Do me a favor. For today, pretend I don’t exist.”

He started to say some witty retort, but was speechless when he finally got a good look at her

outfit. She wore a formfitting black dress, the hem low enough to be decent, but high enough to show
off her creamy, toned legs. The neckline was a deep v, which also toed the line between indecent and
demure. But besides the dress, she was still firmly in preparation mode. Her hair was thrown up in a
careless ponytail, and she wore a simple pair of tennis shoes. “You’re going to the country club in
that?”

She let out a sigh and set a hand on her hip. “Don’t give me that. This is a fantastic dress that I

look great in and is stretchy enough to feel like a nightgown. The shoes are staying on as long as I can
keep them.”

He held up his hands. “Just wondering. I’ll stay out of your hair. I promise.”
She nodded and pushed some stray hairs out of her face. “The invitation I left on the counter has

the schedule for the day. Since you don’t golf, I’d recommend getting there around five for the cocktail
hour and hors d’oeuvres.”

The machine finally started to spit out the coffee he was craving and he let out a sigh of relief. “I

assume the food’s going to be good?” He hid his grin behind his now full mug of coffee.

“It’s going to be the best fucking meal of your life, and if you complain about one tiny thing to

Sarah or anyone else at the party who isn’t me, Andre, or Dean, I will make you pay. I don’t know
how, but I’ll figure something out.”

He snorted, the bitter drink already livening his mood. “I don’t know. I’m rather picky. I hope

there’s not oregano in anything. Hate that stuff.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not funny. Don’t try to do funny.”
He raised a brow. “I’ve been told I’m hilarious.”
“You were lied to,” she muttered as she packed her notebook into her computer bag. She pulled a

duffel off the sofa and her purse from the table before she turned back to look at him. “Please come,
though. Sarah is really hoping to show you off.”

He set the drink down and crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t want to show me off?”
Grace’s face paled at the question. A bolt of relief shot through him. She’d almost convinced him

that she’d forgotten all about their few minutes on the balcony. “I’m going to be too busy to show
much of anything,” she murmured.

Satisfied that she hadn’t written him off, he put her out of her misery. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll

show up, play nice, and stay the hell out of your way.”

She bit at her bottom lip and he focused on the wall behind her, trying his hardest not to stare.

“I’m sorry.” She actually sounded sincere this time. “I’m a bit stressed about today and have a lot on
my mind.”

He considered her for a few seconds. She’d been snippy, but it was nowhere near rude. “Don’t

worry about it.”

“No,” she asserted. “I’m also sorry about last night. I should’ve stopped it and I didn’t and I

don’t want to lead—”

“Shut up, Grace.”
Her eyes shot to his. “What?”
Simon padded over to where she stood and towered over her. “Last night was fantastic, and I

don’t want to hear a fucking apology come out of your mouth.”

A soft blush crept up her cheeks and he had to beat back the urge to take her face between his

hands and repeat last night all over. “If you don’t want to do it again, that’s one thing. But don’t lie to
my face and tell me you’re sorry. Now go and show all of the Hamptons exactly why you’re the best
at what you do. I’ll be good today. Promise.”

She took a deep swallow and he stared at the muscle that moved in her neck. The neck he’d had

his mouth on just hours ago. He should’ve marked her. The thought came out of nowhere. He couldn’t
remember whether he’d ever given a woman a hickey in his life. Why would he start now?

“Thanks, Simon. I appreciate it.” She gave him a quick smile before she slipped out the door. He

glanced out the window and saw that Dean’s pickup truck waited in front of the cottage.

He turned back to find Rigby and Princess staring up at him. Sighing, he took another drink of his

coffee. It was going to be a long day.

CHAPTER TEN

Grace took a seat at one of the empty tables and pulled off her Bluetooth. Her aching feet got

their first taste of relief in eight hours and she let out a deep breath. Another year, another Summer
Blowout in the books.

Her eyes scanned the room at the remaining guests. Women had their shoes off, and the men had

their ties loosened and the top buttons of their shirts undone. This was her favorite time of a party. All
the formalities faded away, and old and new friends were able to really get to know one another.

So much of her job was full of thinly veiled intentions and double meanings. When all the acts

dropped and it was just people getting together, that was when she really felt accomplished.

A familiar redhead caught her eye and for the first time that evening, she allowed herself to stare.

Simon had been fantastic. He’d stayed out of her way, and the guests had adored him. She’d had at
least five strangers pull her aside to thank her for bringing him. A few others had inquired about what
her services had entailed and taken business cards.

She didn’t know how he did it, but he managed to leave a trail of money wherever he went.
Unlike the other men in the room, his shirt was still buttoned to the very top, and his jacket

somehow managed to look fresh and crisp even though he’d been in it for most of the day.

He looked strong and handsome and sure of himself, and she probably looked like a hot mess at

this point.

“He is amazing, isn’t he?” asked a familiar, masculine voice.
Grace stiffened and turned to see Mark slide into the chair next to hers. She swallowed back her

nerves and smiled. “Mark! I’m so happy to see you.”

“Are you?” He smirked. “It seemed like you’d moved on.” He glanced over to Simon, and she

followed his gaze.

Simon was still talking to the same group of businessmen as before. Had he seen that Mark was

talking to her yet? They’d never discussed what she was supposed to do if Mark approached her.

“I didn’t realize that meant I couldn’t enjoy your company.” She turned her body to face his. If

Simon needed something from Mark, it would be best for her to stay friendly. “How have you been?”

He shrugged. “Okay, I suppose. This place is so boring when you’re not here.”
She let out a laugh. “That’s because I’m only here when there’s a big party.”
“That’s probably right.” A waitress walked by, and he held up a hand. “Did you want a cranberry

vodka?” he asked Grace.

“You know I don’t drink on the job,” she reminded him.
“Worth a try,” he said with a wicked glint in his eye as he turned to the waitress. “Another Scotch

on the rocks please.”

Grace studied him. He was the polar opposite to Simon. His suit jacket was nowhere to be seen,

and his shirt was undone halfway down. His dark hair fell carelessly around his clean-shaven face,
and he always seemed to say exactly what came to mind. Simon, on the other hand, kept his words as
controlled as his short hair.

“So you like Simon?” She rested her chin in her hand.
Mark took another look behind him and then back to Grace. “I suppose. I heard he’s a genius at

making people money, but I wouldn’t know.”

“You’ve worked together?” Simon mentioned a plan with Mark had fallen through, but she didn’t

know the specifics.

“He almost bagged me Donald Hunt as a client, but the rich old coot bailed at the last minute. It

was…strange.”

She kept her face blank, but she knew when she was being led on. She followed his lead, curious

to hear where he was going with it. “What was strange about it?”

“Well, I have no idea what spooked him. I mean, my track record speaks for itself and I’d already

made Hunt a decent return on the test investment I did for him. Something, or someone, must’ve said
something.”

Donald Hunt was one of the richest men in the city. Grace could only imagine what a blow it

would’ve been to lose that big of a fish. “And you think it was Simon who warned him away? Why
would he do that?” She leaned in closer and tried her best to look captivated.

“I’m still trying to figure that out. One minute he’s calling me up out of the blue to help me; the

next minute, the biggest client of my career is running scared. And now he’s with you. It’s just
strange.”

She pulled away and raised a brow. “You think him being with me has something to do with

you?” She injected as much shock and indignation in the question as possible. Even if he happened to
be right, it was an asshole thing to say to her face.

“Hey, you’re a drop dead gorgeous woman, so I’m sure he’s happy to be the one on your arm. I’m

only pointing out that it’s suspicious.”

She stood, ignoring her protesting feet. “I’m glad you had fun tonight, Mark. I have a few things to

check on, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Damn it, Grace. I’m sorry.” He pushed out of the chair. “I am happy to see you tonight, though. If

you ever want to talk about anything at all, don’t hesitate to call.”

She tightened her lips, trying to figure out how pissed was the right amount of angry. She didn’t

want to burn bridges with him, but she had a right to defend herself. “Thanks,” she bit out as she
turned to storm away. She did add a bit more sway to her hips as she walked, not above showing him
a twinge of what he was missing out on.

She moved into the kitchen and took stock of where the final caterer of the evening was on

cleaning up after themselves. Once she determined that everything was going according to plan, she
went into the employee locker room, where she’d stashed her duffel of supplies. She traded her heels
for sneakers and decided to take a look at the golf course. It was her responsibility to report any
exceptional messes or mix-ups to the club’s management. Although the golf tournament had ended
hours ago, she knew that drunk people loved to go sneaking off and causing havoc. No matter how
distinguished the executive, everyone was unpredictable once the blood alcohol levels started to
climb.

It was a job that was probably better suited to Andre, but despite the exhaustion that crept up on

her, she would love the chance to get some fresh air and stretch her legs.

The well-manicured lawns and perfectly landscaped hills and slopes seemed to take on an

ethereal quality at night, lit only by the moonlight and fading lights from the ballroom. Grace

considered herself an extrovert. She got off on the crowds of people and the rush from knowing she
was the reason they were all enjoying themselves so much. But even so, she relished these quiet
moments after a hectic evening.

Footsteps sounded from behind her, and Grace turned to see Simon approaching. Not running. Of

course not. He caught up using the confident stride she was becoming so used to. “Done with the
party?” She stopped to let him catch up.

“I wanted to say hi.” He came up alongside her and they both started to walk at a slow pace.
“Because it would look good for people to see us together?” She inwardly frowned at the

unexpected bitterness in her voice. There was nothing wrong with him wanting to make sure the ruse
he’d made up to help her continued. She was the one who should be going out of her way to keep it
up.

But last night had confused things. As much as she tried to keep her mind from straying back to

when his mouth moved over hers and his hands were on her skin, it was impossible to avoid. Good
grief, he’d brought her to orgasm without much more than a kiss. She’d ridden him like a wanton
woman. And for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what he thought of the whole situation.

She’d half imagined his controlled, structured mind laughing at her outburst. Giggling at how

quickly she came undone. But then he’d seemed so serious this morning when he told her not to be
sorry.

“So did you meet anyone interesting?” she asked as they passed the third hole.
He shrugged. “Interesting is relative. It was a who’s who of Fortune 500 in there.”
She laughed. “Relative how?”
“Honestly, I think you’re more interesting than most of those people in there.”
She shook her head as she studied him, trying to read whether he was making some sort of joke.

“Before the media decided I was a harlot and sleeping with a married senator, I can promise you that
I was a very boring woman.”

“I don’t think anyone with a pit bull named Princess can be called boring.”
She fell silent. Normally she could take a compliment rather well, but hearing someone like

Simon call her fascinating left her speechless.

“So what were you and Mark talking about?” he asked.
She looked away from him. So that was why he’d run out to talk to her. Not to see how she was

doing or flatter her ego. To ask about Mark. “He was warning me away from you.”

“Really?” he asked, his full attention now on her.
“Yep. He suspects you were the reason the Donald Hunt deal fell through.”
He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “He told you about Hunt? Did he normally mention

client names to you?”

She shook her head. “Never. He was adamant about client privacy when we were together.”
“So he must really want you to stay away from me then.”
“Be careful with him. He obviously already suspects something. If he’s as devious as you say,

I’m sure he isn’t afraid to play dirty.”

Simon raised a brow and looked her over. “Are you worried about me?”
“I’m a worrier in general. It’s in my nature.” A breeze ripped through the trees around them,

rustling a few leaves free, and sent a shiver through her.

“Shit,” muttered Simon as he pulled his jacket off. “Here.” He set it over her shoulders.

As his warmth enveloped her, she let her eyes drift shut. “It will probably look better if I’m

wearing your jacket,” she murmured.

“And you won’t freeze to death,” he said.
“It’s June in the Hamptons. I don’t think freezing to death is likely.”
She wrapped the fabric tightly around her, enjoying the protection from the wind way too much.

“I’m probably going to get it all wrinkled,” she admitted.

“I can get it pressed later.” He didn’t seem all too concerned.
Once again silence fell over them and she ran through possible conversation topics. She had to

constantly remind herself that they were working together. This wasn’t some close friend who she
could joke with about the various figurative, and one literal, fires that had been put out that day. She
couldn’t tell him how cute Princess had been as she bit at the waves during her four a.m. walk.

“A few people told me that you’d said some very complimentary things about my work tonight. I

might be getting a few new clients, thanks to you,” she said.

He shrugged. “Anyone there tonight knows that you’re good at what you do. It’s not like I had to

say much. Your work speaks for itself.”

She beamed up at him. “You really think everyone had fun tonight? I mean, everyone told me they

enjoyed it, but it’s always nice to hear from someone else.”

“Fishing for compliments now?” he asked.
“Honest feedback.”
He stopped and stared down at her. “No lies. You’re the best at what you do. Anyone can see it.”
Her breath caught in her throat as she met his serious gaze. “Don’t do this, Simon.”
His brow furrowed. “Do what?”
She took a step back. “Act like this is real. As though you actually like me.” He reached out for

her, but she twisted away.

“I do like you,” he said, following her retreat.
“Do you?” She held her ground now and looked up at him. “Or am I just convenient?”
“What are you talking about?” he bit out.
Something about his tone and rigid back told her he knew exactly what she meant. “You need

something from me. You need me on your side. Wouldn’t it be easier for you if our fake tryst became
real?”

He clenched his jaw as he stared down at her. “What do you want me to say?”
She rubbed a hand over her eyes as exhaustion set in. The endless events of the day finally caught

up to her.

She didn’t even know what she wanted from him. “I want…I mean, listen. I admit that I enjoy

being with you, and I don’t think anyone in their right mind wouldn’t find you insanely attractive. But
as long as I know you want something from me, I’m not going to believe anything is genuine.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You think I’d lie to you?”
“I think you’d lie to yourself if it would help you get a job done. I’ll help you. I promise. But

don’t turn me into a pawn that you manipulate. We’re partners, Simon. Purely platonic partners.”

“You’re wrong.” His dark eyes met hers and the intensity of his gaze pulled her in like a trap. “I

want you, Grace. And that has nothing to do with DuFord, or your company.”

For a brief second, she let herself believe his words. That this all-powerful, all-knowing

sorcerer somehow wanted her for her. Because he enjoyed her company and liked what he saw. But in

the short time she’d known Simon, he’d never acted without calculated purpose and reason. Every
action had a reaction that he’d planned down to a T.

She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her head and break the spell. “Dean will give me a ride

home.” She turned away and refused to look back. “I’ll see you back at the cottage.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“What?” Simon barked into the phone.
“Rough night?” Victoria’s sultry voice didn’t lose any of its impact through the tiny speaker.
“You could say that.” He fell back into the wood rocking chair on the deck that overlooked the

steady waves. “How are things on your end? Did you get a chance to look at those projections?”
Victoria was silent and Simon sat up straighter. “Victoria. What’s going on?”

“Dad’s in the hospital.” Her tone was as calm and collected as ever, and he couldn’t get a read

on her mood.

“Shit,” he whispered. “What happened?”
“I need you back here, Simon. Dad’s heart is failing him faster than anyone ever expected. They

put him in a medically induced coma for now, but no one knows if he’s going to come out of it. Terry’s
back in town, and I need some more people on my side here.”

Simon clenched the phone in his fist. Richard Green had always had the grand plan to leave his

chain of hardware stores to his family. Only he’d never planned on his daughter being the only
business-minded one of his two kids. Hence the ineptly titled Green & Sons hardware chain.

“Do you think Terry’s going to cause trouble?” he asked.
“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to, West. You’re better than that. I know he

wants control back. I just don’t know how far he’s willing to go to get it.”

Simon rubbed at his temples as his mind formulated all the ways Terry could use Richard’s

rapidly declining health to his advantage. “I’ll be in your office first thing tomorrow morning,” he
promised.

“Good,” she said simply. “I’ll see you then.”
The line went dead and he slammed the phone down on the armrest.
“Whoa. What’s going on?”
He twisted in the chair and his jaw dropped. “What are you wearing?” he blurted out. He blinked

a few times to clear his head. He didn’t blurt things.

Grace frowned. “What’s wrong with this dress?”
He sucked in a deep breath. Nothing was wrong with the dress. She looked amazing. Her hair

falling against the thin, white sundress made her look like an angel. She looked so different from the
sleek, sophisticated woman who’d thrown two hundred socialites in a room together and managed
them successfully the night before.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he said. “You just look different.”
She tilted her head as she looked down at him. “In a good way or a bad way?” she asked

skeptically.

He looked her over. His eyes lingered on her long legs, which only looked longer in her strappy

sandals. The puffy skirt was made of a material so fine, he was sure if he stared long enough, he’d be
able to see the outline of her body. “A good way,” he croaked out.

She rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m ready to get to Mark’s barbeque whenever you are. The sooner

we get this over with, the better, you know?”

She smiled down at him and he bit back the urge to ask whether it was fake.
He nodded as he pushed himself off the chair.

~~~~~

DuFord’s home was an exercise in opulence. The shiny marble floors glistened from the sunlight

streaming in from the massive windows in the atrium-like living room that stretched up the entire
three stories of the main section of the house.

Grace wrapped her arm around his and leaned in close enough for him to smell the delicate floral

hint to her shampoo. “The hall to the left leads to Mark’s rooms. His bedroom and study are right next
to each other. Ohh!” She squeaked as her bracelet clattered on the white floors. As she went to pick it
up, her foot kicked the silver chain to the side and past Simon.

His brows furrowed together as he bent to pick up the bracelet, taking his time as he stood to take

a good look at the hallway Grace mentioned. Most of the guests seemed to be out the back, so he had
a mostly clear shot, but anyone on the crowded patio would have a perfect view of him if he went
there.

Simon turned back to Grace and dangled the bracelet in front of her. “Lose something?”
“I’m so clumsy sometimes.” She held her wrist out to him.
He shook his head as he clasped the jewelry around her small wrist. “You’re enjoying this too

much.”

She shrugged. “I’m just trying to help. Are you just going to walk on in there? What’s the plan?”
Simon interlaced his fingers with hers and led her out onto the brick patio. “We’ll mingle for a

while.” He leaned in close so only she could hear. “Once everyone is a bit more settled, I’ll try to
slip away.”

She nodded. “Do you want me to cause a distraction or anything? I can knock over a bottle of

wine and spill something on that woman’s dress.”

He followed her gaze to a tall, slender brunette who stood by the hors d’oeuvres. “What did she

ever do to you?”

Grace smirked. “Not her. The dress is worth a fortune. I guarantee you if I get anything on it,

you’ll hear her screaming all the way in Jersey.”

“You have a very devious mind.”
She beamed up at him as though it was the nicest compliment. “Seriously. Tell me what you want.

I’m here to help you.”

Simon snatched a drink from a passing waiter and took a deep swallow of the much too tame

alcohol. If she only knew what he wanted.

Except Grace did know. She didn’t want to go there, and he had to respect that. He didn’t have to

be happy about it, though. “At some point tonight, DuFord is going to try to get you alone. When he
does, keep him busy. That’s when I’ll do it.”

“How could you know that?” she asked with a frown.
“It’s his type. He doesn’t like me, and he hates that I have something that used to be his.”
“I was never—”
“I know,” he interjected. “But he doesn’t. It’s the way he thinks. He sees himself as a winner.

Someone above the rules and the laws. You said he warned you away from me last night? Well, he’s
going to come on stronger today.”

Grace rubbed the back of her neck. “Geesh. I guess I’m a trophy girlfriend now?”
“Take it as a compliment,” he said.
She raised a brow. “The thief of an investment banker and the consultant I’m only pretending to

be with are fake fighting over me. What a nice thought.”

“It doesn’t have to be fake.” Her face went pale and he wished he could take the words back.

Damn it, this wasn’t the time or place to be pushing things. But he wanted her to know it wasn’t all an
act. Sure, it was convenient, but she was smart and beautiful. There was no reason they shouldn’t take
things further.

“I’m going to grab a drink,” she said, fake smile firmly in place. “Did you want another?” She

motioned to his empty glass.

He looked over to where the waiter poured glasses of wine. “I’m going to find something a bit

stronger,” he muttered.

Grace left him, and Simon watched her leave before switching his attention to study the other

guests. DuFord’s barbeque was a joke. The man wasn’t cooking a damn thing. The entire event was
being handled by caterers, waiters, and servers. But if DuFord got just one new client out of all this,
it would more than cover the expense.

Simon recognized most of the people there as guests at the Summer Blowout. So if DuFord had

already buttered some poor sap up, this barbeque would be the perfect follow through. Let the mark
think they’ve had the illusion of time, but reinforce all the benefits of working with him.

If Simon didn’t utterly despise DuFord so much, he might actually respect him. He continued his

surveillance as he circled the patio and made his way closer to the bar.

Just as the bartender handed Simon his whiskey on the rocks, Grace was by his side again.
“You’re a man of simple tastes, aren’t you?” She eyed his drink.
He took a sip as he eyed her. “I don’t know about that.” With a hand on her arm, he led her to a

less crowded section of the patio, closer to the house and overlooking the bulk of the party. “What can
you tell me about the guy in the blue shirt and pink tie?”

Grace looked over Simon’s shoulder and he could tell the exact moment her eyes locked on the

guest in question. “Daton Gable,” she murmured. “He’s a banker. Like, works at an actual bank, not
just a money-moving company. He and Mark are good friends.” She squinted at something. “The girl
is new, though.”

Simon casually turned, and his focus caught on the young woman next to Daton. She was

definitely pretty, but she didn’t have the same poise and polish as the rest of the partygoers. Even he
could tell that her dress was probably off the clearance rack at a discount store, and her eyes darted
between guests.

“She’s definitely here with Daton,” muttered Grace. “Why were you asking about him?”
“He’s one of the few people here who wasn’t at the Summer Blowout last night. I’m just trying to

figure out the players here.” The girl moved in closer to Daton, and Simon frowned. “I don’t think
they’re sleeping together,” he muttered.

Grace swatted him on the arm. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“Sex has to do with everything.”
She stared up at him. “Okay, I’ll give you that. Well, Daton is totally into her. She just wants to

get the hell out of here.”

He snorted. “What makes you say that?”
“Look at his face when she gets close.” She leaned in closer to Simon. “It’s not just happiness to

have her close. He’s smug about it.”

“I can’t believe you could tell that just by looking at them for twenty seconds,” he muttered.
She let out a laugh. “Seriously? You do this kind of stuff all the time.”
“I’m not used to other people doing it, though.”
Grace’s grin managed to get even wider. “Well, Mr. West. It appears you’ve met your match.”
He smiled back at her, and wasn’t sure whether he should be excited or terrified at the prospect

of a female him running around. A hot female him. Her blue eyes sparkled in the sun, and for the life
of him, all he could think about was kissing her.

“I’m so glad you two could make it,” said DuFord.
Simon clenched his jaw and turned to greet the host. “Thank you so much for inviting us,” he said

as cordially as possible.

Grace did a better job of hiding her surprise, and Simon wanted to kick himself. The woman was

brilliant, but she threw him off his game way too much.

“Mark! This place looks amazing!” She moved a few inches away from Simon.
DuFord wore a light blue silk shirt and black slacks. Simon wasn’t the type to be scared off by

pastels, but they only managed to make DuFord paler and pastier than he already was.

“Do you like the changes? I’ve had a few decorators come in, but I’m never quite happy with it.”
And there it was. Simon bit back a grin. DuFord would use this as an excuse to pull Grace away

and he could slip into his private rooms.

“I noticed the colors were different when we walked in. What else have you had done?”
“You need to see the basement. I have better liquor than any bar out here, and all the wood in the

floors and bar were flown in from Belize. You should come take a look. I know you’ll appreciate it
more than anyone else in here.”

Grace pressed her lips together as she looked between Simon and DuFord. “I don’t know,” she

said, even as she took a step closer to DuFord.

That a girl. She didn’t want to seem too eager, but all her body language said she wanted to go.

She would’ve made a fantastic con artist. “You two go on. I’m heading to the restroom and then I
might catch up with a few people I met last night.”

She nodded. “Thanks, hon.” She leaned forward to place a quick kiss against his lips. Every

muscle in his body tightened as he held himself back from pulling her into his arms.

“No problem,” he muttered as they moved away from him. DuFord not so subtly raked his gaze

over Grace as they moved away, and a low growl escaped Simon’s throat. He’d damn well better
find something he could use against DuFord in his search. Or else he was throwing Grace to the
wolves for nothing.

~~~~~

Grace didn’t have to fake the look of ecstasy that came over her face as she ran her fingers along

the sanded and polished wood of Mark’s bar. “Good Lord…this is amazing, Mark.” She could
seriously throw a blanket over the thing and call it a bed, it felt so nice against her skin.

Mark gave her an appraising look. “I thought you’d like it.”
“Like? Like is an understatement. Love, maybe. Adore. Worship, even. But definitely not like.”
A cocky grin filled his face and Grace remembered her initiative. She was supposed to keep him

busy until…well, she wasn’t sure how long. Damn it. She should’ve asked Simon. He’d probably
come find her when he was done, but she wasn’t sure.

She could ask for a tour of the rest of the house, but that might lead them back upstairs. “You said

you had a good collection of liquor? What counts as good?”

His face lit up and she knew she had him. Everyone had certain passions that would open them

up and get them talking for hours. For most people, it was their kids. For Grace, it was Princess.

Mark moved past her to the ornate fridge in the corner of the room. “Check this out.” He opened

the door.

Grace’s jaw dropped as the walk-in cooler was revealed. “You had this all added in?”
“It keeps the wines at the perfect temperature and humidity. The stuff you get here is better than

anything you’ll ever get served in a restaurant.”

She ran her fingers over the bottles and wished she knew more about wine. “What’s the oldest

bottle in here?” There. That was a decent question.

“Well, when I was in France last year—” His gaze shot to a spot over her shoulder and Grace

turned around. Her heart sunk when she realized it wasn’t Simon who stood behind her.

“Mark,” said Daton. “I didn’t realize you had company down here. Do you have a second?”
Shit. “Hello, Daton,” she said in her most charming voice. “Mark was just showing me some of

his collection. Did you want a drink?” She almost cringed at her own behavior. Offering someone
else’s prized liquor. But a job was a job, and she was tasked with distracting Mark.

“Sorry, Grace,” he said with a decidedly unapologetic expression. “Can you give us a moment?”
She tried to think of any possible excuse to stay, but came up blank. Anything she said would

sound desperate and raise red flags. Her best chance was to get out and warn Simon while Mark and
Daton were still talking over their super-secret business.

“Okay then. I should really find Simon anyway.” She shot Mark a quick look over her shoulder.

She added a bit extra sway to her hips as she moved past Daton, hoping Mark was cursing himself for
ever letting her go.

As soon as she was out of sight, she upped her pace to make her way up the stairs and through the

house until she reached Mark’s work wing. She was sure someone saw where she was going, but she
didn’t have time to waste sneaking in. She ducked into the study, and came to an abrupt halt the
second she saw the hideous portrait on the wall.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Awful, isn’t it?” asked Simon as he took in Grace’s disgust.
She looked between him and the artwork. “It’s just…It’s unique.”
Nearest he could tell, the painting was a self-portrait of DuFord, but everything was a bit off: the

nose wasn’t quite right, and the colors were a bit off and didn’t seem to blend.

“Bet you a girl did it,” he said from behind her.
Her eyes widened as she turned to look at him. “What?”
“Can you think of any good reason for a man obsessed enough with his house to hire multiple

interior decorators to hang that monstrosity up?”

Grace frowned. “You’re right. Probably a woman.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “Daton

pulled Mark away. You need to get out before he comes over here.”

Damn it. “Do you know how long I have?” He strode back to DuFord’s desk and double-checked

to make sure everything was exactly as he’d found it. Or at least looked exactly the same. He folded
an envelope and a piece of paper before he tucked them in his pocket.

“What did you take? I didn’t realize we were taking things!” said Grace in a panicked whisper as

she crossed over to the other side of the desk.

“Nothing major,” he muttered as he took one last look. “A bank statement and some notes. He

probably won’t even realize they’re missing.”

“Probably?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Fantastic.”
Just as he was about to tell her not to worry, the distinct sound of footsteps filtered in from the

hallway. Grace’s eyes widened. “Simon, we need to go.”

He tightened his lips. “They’ll see us leave,” he whispered as he moved around the desk and

grabbed her arm.

She looked over her shoulder as he pulled her deeper into the room. “Is there a closet or

something we can hide in?”

“I have an idea.” He pushed open a door on the side of the study and slid inside.
She shook her head when she saw the bed behind him. “No. No, no, no, no.”
His mind raced with possible reassurances he could give that it was only an act. That anything

they did was solely to make DuFord believe they weren’t up to anything. But he knew it was a lie.

So he did the only thing he could think of and gave in to the urge he’d fought all day. He pressed

his lips to hers roughly and waited for any sign of protest or anger.

A second passed and she neither pushed him away nor pulled him closer. Encouraged that she

didn’t punch him outright, he worked his fingers over the buttons of his shirt. As soon as they were all
undone, he pulled it off his shoulders and let the fabric fall to the floor, all the while moving his lips
over Grace’s. Coaxing and teasing. Encouraging her to be as tempted as he was.

He gripped her face in his hands and tilted his head for better access; he wished she was half as

desperate for this as he was. When she remained still beneath him, he pulled back. “Do you still want
to find a closet?”

More footsteps sounded, closer this time. Grace looked to the door and back to Simon, and then

rolled her eyes. But she didn’t say anything. She grabbed his neck and pulled him down to her, finally
kissing him back.

He groaned at the sensation of her lips against his and didn’t waste a second. His hands moved to

her back, located the zipper of her dress and slid it down. Just the sound made him want to groan
again, but he held it back, trying his best not to draw unnecessary attention.

As soon as her back was bared, he ran his hands over her smooth and creamy skin. He let himself

believe the lie for a few brief seconds. But this wasn’t real. His job was to convince anyone walking
by that they’d been going at it for a while.

So he forced himself to pull his hands away from her and quickly undid his belt buckle.
“Simon,” she whispered, her unease clear.
“It’s not real. I promise.” He gripped her waist and lifted her until she was at exactly the right

height for their hips to meet. Grace took his cue, and wrapped her legs around him. Simon tilted
forward to let the wall take their weight and pressed his erection against her hot core. The heat easily
penetrated the flimsy layers of her panties and his boxers. He clenched his teeth as he reminded
himself that he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of sinking deep into that wet heat any time soon.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Grace’s fingers played with his hair.
Before he could answer, voices came from the other side of the wall. Without hesitating, Simon

kissed her again.

This time, she moaned, and he reveled in his tiny victory. At least he wasn’t the only one spinning

out of control.

He ran his hand up her thigh, higher and higher until he reached her ass, and closed his eyes as he

finally touched the smooth skin.

“What the hell are you two doing?” demanded DuFord as he stared them down.
Red flushed brightly in Grace’s cheeks as her mouth gapped open. “I’m so sorry,” she muttered.
“Don’t apologize.” Simon backed away to let her feet meet the ground again. He stood in front of

her, trying to protect at least some of her modesty, while he turned to face DuFord.

DuFord narrowed his eyes at Simon. Any charm faded away as his anger showed. “You have the

nerve to fuck my ex in my own home?”

“It’s not like that,” protested Grace, but Simon held up a hand to stop her.
“Things just got out of control.” He hoped there was some way to downplay the situation.
“Don’t fucking patronize me, West. I know your game.”
Simon stood straighter, trying to play it cool. “What are you talking about?”
“You think I didn’t have you investigated after Hunt bailed on me? I know everything about you. I

know what size shoe you wear. I know your entire family thinks you’re a waste of space, asshole. I
know you’d have no problem sleeping with a party planner to get closer to me,” he said with a
pointed look to Grace. “Also, I know you were ‘best’ friends with Darren Wilson.”

Simon’s blood ran cold. “You don’t know a goddamn thing about Darren,” he bit out.
DuFord raised a brow. “Really? He was a pathetic twat who couldn’t manage money and

couldn’t handle it when things didn’t go his way.”

Simon lunged forward. “They were going to send him to prison, you son of a—”

“Simon!” Grace grabbed at his waist and pulled him back.
At the last second, he refrained from throwing her off. This wasn’t the time or place to give

DuFord the beatdown he truly deserved.

As he relaxed under her touch, Grace released him and bent down to pick up his shirt. “Mark,

I’m truly sorry you had to see this, but I promise you, Simon isn’t using me to get to you.”

DuFord snorted. “You’re a fucking moron, Grace.”
She stiffened at the attack, but remained steady.
“You think you can waltz in here with your pretty little dresses and teasing smile and you’ll

suddenly fit in. You’re a party planner, for Christ’s sake. The only reason someone with half the sense
of West would fuck you is if he wanted something. And I can guarantee prettier women than you have
been begging him for it.”

Simon’s vision narrowed until all he could see was DuFord. Everything in him exploded as his

fist shot out and his knuckles slammed into DuFord’s jaw. DuFord slammed into the ground and
Simon couldn’t help the smug grin that emerged on his face. As he realized Grace wasn’t trying to
stop him anymore, he looked back to her.

Grace took a deep swallow and licked her lips. She blinked a few times, but he could see her

eyes tearing up.

“That’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made, West.” DuFord pushed himself up.
Simon pushed his arms through his sleeves and quickly did up a few buttons. “Fuck you,” he shot

back as he wrapped an arm around Grace’s waist. “Come on,” he said, but Grace twisted away from
him.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Both of you.” She looked between the two men with utter

contempt in her eyes.

“Grace, we should leave.”
She shook her head even as she walked toward the door. “You can both go to hell. I don’t have to

deal with any of this.”

He stared after her for a few moments. Was she this into the act or was she really mad at him?
“Trouble in paradise?” Mark rubbed his jaw.
Simon was tempted to go for the other side of DuFord’s face this time, but someone from the

hallway shouted, “Mark! They’re getting ready to serve!”

Simon gnashed his teeth together and turned away. He’d have to deal with DuFord later. He

rushed past the few guests still in the main entryway and out the front door. By that time, Grace was
halfway down the drive. “Grace!” He ran to catch up with her.

She didn’t even look over her shoulder or stop when he reached out to touch her arm.
“Are you pissed at me?” he asked as he came to walk alongside her.
She abruptly stopped to turn and push her hands roughly into his chest. “What do you think, West?

I’m trying to sell the bit, so help me out!”

He backed away a few steps, but didn’t need to fake his shocked expression. “You’re playing

hurt right now?”

She shook her head and continued on her angry march. “I don’t have to play pissed all that hard.

It’s taking everything in me to not turn around and wring Mark’s scrawny little neck. I’m just
redirecting it. We can use it to our advantage if he thinks I hate you.”

“You’re amazing.” He waved his arms to make it seem as though they were still fighting.

“You better believe it. Ugh! What a little prick! He was trying to hurt me as much as possible.

Going right for the jugular.”

“You didn’t believe him, did you?” She seemed as though she’d realized exactly how full of

bullshit DuFord was, but his words had been laced with so much venom, he’d be surprised if she
wasn’t affected.

“He completely contradicted himself!” she said, not slowing down at all. “He said I wasn’t

pretty enough for you! What a jackass. He didn’t have any complaints when I was on his arm.” She
stopped in front of the car. “Now make it look like you’re trying to get me into the car.”

“I’m really glad you see things that way.” He roughly grabbed her arms, and she wiggled free. “I

can’t believe you think that fast on your feet.” He punctuated the sentence by narrowing his eyes and
pointing at the car.

“Mark’s an idiot. I’m fucking brilliant!” She stormed off to the other side and jumped in,

slamming the door behind her.

~~~~~

Grace’s heart beat a frantic rhythm in her chest as Simon climbed into the driver’s seat. Mark

was a jerk. And not a normal, run-of-the-mill jerk. He was a grade A, lowlife, cold-hearted jackass.

And she’d totally dated him.
She rested her forehead in her palm, just wishing she could roll into a ball and disappear. She

was supposed to be able to read people? How could she have been so blind? All his charming smiles
and gentlemanly compliments. All lies, and she’d had no clue.

Simon set his hand on her knee and she jerked at the sudden contact. “Don’t worry about what he

said, okay?”

“I know.” She turned to stare out the window. But she was an outsider trying to fit in. Trying to

dress and look the part as best she could. But some people would never see her as more than “the
help” and nothing she did would change that.

For all she knew, Mark was off spreading lies about her to all of his Hamptons neighbors. Would

Sarah Cliff take anything he had to say seriously? She’d already narrowly escaped reputation
assassination. Now she might have to go through it all over again.

Maybe this was a sign. It was bad enough to have the senator claim they were together, but Mark

was an actual psycho she’d been with. She couldn’t talk her way out of their past if he started to
spread rumors.

No. Her clients loved her and there was nothing he could say to change that. They knew how hard

she worked. Besides, he thought Grace and Simon were on the outs.

So the media needed to believe they were still together and Mark needed to stay convinced of

their breakup. How hard could it be?

Simon turned the car in to the driveway for the cottage, and Grace jumped out as soon as it came

to a halt. “I’m going to take Princess out for a bit and then we can load up the luggage,” she said, not
looking back. She needed to be alone. Away from prying eyes and all the lies that had piled up at her
feet.

Once she was back at her apartment, she could truly relax and focus. Tomorrow she’d work from

home. Maybe take a day off. Her schedule was sparser than normal thanks to Robert Bar, and she

needed some space.

Princess’s nails clattered on the tiled floor as she shifted her weight back and forth in excitement.

But seeing her dog’s overjoyed expression didn’t give Grace the same calm as it normally did.
“Come on, girl,” she whispered as she hooked the leash onto Princess’s collar and took her out.

Instead of packing up his things like Grace expected, Simon stood on the shore’s edge and looked

out over the water.

Princess zeroed in on him immediately and put all of her muscle into getting to Simon as quickly

as possible. “Hold on,” muttered Grace as she slipped her sandals off. Heels and sand didn’t mix too
well.

The sun was warm, but the cool ocean breeze kept the sand from burning her feet. She focused on

the salty smell and the calming ocean waves. It was a crazy weekend, but she would miss this.

“What are you doing out here?” She moved to stand next to Simon.
“Thinking. Trying to figure out my next move.”
His hastily buttoned shirt was pressed tight to his body as the wind kicked up. Grace allowed

herself to appreciate the view for once. After the day she’d had, she deserved it.

“Give yourself the day off,” she said.
He glanced in her direction. “The day off?”
She shrugged. “Why the hell not? We had a half-assed plan that ended up with us falling on our

faces. We’ve retreated. Now we can regroup and make sure we’re more prepared for the next one.
But for now, we need to reset.”

“You didn’t seem like you were all that relaxed in the car.”
A weak smile curved Grace’s lips. “Well, do as I say, not as I do, you know?”
He let out a soft laugh. “I’ll do my best. What do you do to let go?”
She looked out over the ocean. “What is really better than this? Perfect dog. Perfect view.”
“Perfect woman?” he added.
She jerked to the side to stare at him. He couldn’t possibly think she was perfect. If anything,

today was a shining example of her bad judgment.

But his eyes didn’t hold any hint of laughter. They had a serious, hungry look she’d seen before.

Notably when he’d had her pushed up against the wall at Mark’s party just an hour ago. She felt the
blood rush to her face and took a deep swallow. “The perfect woman wouldn’t hurt,” she said,
choosing her words carefully.

He turned away. “I should get packing. I have an early day tomorrow.”
She nodded as he walked away. “Probably a good idea,” she murmured.
He said nothing, and she was left staring at his retreating back. Princess took a few steps back

toward the house, following Simon. “Leave him be,” she said, not sure whether it was more to herself
or the dog.

Her fingers went to her lips of their own volition as she remembered the feel of his kiss. The

intensity of his gaze even as they both told themselves it was all for show. Maybe she was wrong
when she’d accused him of using her. Something today had seemed so desperate…so real. Simon was
the last man she’d ever expect to lose his control, yet holding him in her arms today, he’d seemed like
a barely constrained beast, not the cool, calm, collected man she’d grown to know.

She sighed. It wasn’t the first time she’d realized how wrong she’d been that day. And she did

make it clear that they needed to regroup and relax. Why shouldn’t she take her own advice? If she

had a handsome, brilliant man staying with her who’d made it clear he wanted to be more than
colleagues, why shouldn’t she take advantage?

Grace took a steadying breath and gave Princess a slight tug. Each step she took caused her heart

to beat out a frantic rhythm in her chest. She wasn’t sure whether it was fear or excitement that
clawed through her, but she didn’t care. Some deep part of her knew this was right. That Simon was
exactly what she needed right now.

She pushed the door open and set Princess in the big bedroom where Grace had slept. She tried

to keep her hands from shaking as she knocked on Simon’s door. The two seconds it took him to
answer the door felt like an eternity, but as soon as he was in front of her, everything clicked into
place.

“Do you really think spending the afternoon with the perfect woman would help clear your

mind?” She was rather proud that her voice only slightly trembled.

For a moment, there was only silence. “What are you asking, Grace?”
“Um…” She hadn’t expected he’d ask for clarification. “I suppose I need some relaxation too,

and since we’re both here…”

Simon leaned in closer, until there was barely any space between them. “I need you to be sure,

Grace. It killed me to let you go today, even when DuFord walked in. This isn’t some game.”

“No game,” she said. “Just you and me.” Her mind raced with second thoughts. What if he’d

changed his mind? Could she have turned him down so many times that she no longer had a chance?
Mark wasn’t wrong when he’d pointed out the beautiful women that Simon could be with. Maybe she
wasn’t worth the trouble.

“Get in here,” he growled. The words were so low she almost missed them, but the sudden touch

of his hand on hers confirmed it. A bolt of relief pierced through her, but it was replaced with
anticipation as his mouth covered hers.

She met his kiss with equal ferocity and pushed away all her doubts and fears as his hands ran up

her back and found the zipper in record time. No wonder. It was the second time that day he’d undone
it.

As soon as the dress was undone, Simon pushed the straps off her shoulders and the fabric

puddled at her feet.

His breath caught as his eyes raked over her bared body. Emboldened by his reaction, Grace set

her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back. After stumbling back a step, he fell onto the bed. She
smirked at her sudden power over him, the first time she’d truly felt as if she could boss Simon
around.

She followed him to the bed and straddled him, her in just her panties and bra while he was fully

dressed. The rough feel of his buttons against her smooth stomach sent shivers down her spine and,
unable to hold back any longer, she kissed him again.

He groaned and kissed her back. His tongue demanded entrance as one of his hands fisted in her

hair. The slight tug on the delicate strands was just painful enough to be pleasurable, and Grace held
him closer, tighter. His free hand ran down her back and unclasped her bra in one expert move.

One by one, he dragged the straps over her shoulders until the bra was free and tossed away. He

looked down at her breasts, the rosy peaks already eager and begging for his attention.

And he didn’t deny her. His mouth closed over one taut peak while his free hand teased the other.

The electric heat shot right to her core, and she flinched as the sensations flooded her body. She

moved against him as her body directed her in the primal rhythm she was craving.

He moved his mouth to the other breast, never giving her a chance to come down. His one hand

remained twisted in her hair, keeping her firmly in place for his torture, while his other hand traveled
over her stomach and lower still, creeping into the waistband of her panties. His fingers ran over the
sensitive lips before he teased the bundle of nerves with his thumb.

Grace gripped onto his shirt and rested her head on his shoulder as the bolt of pleasure coursed

through her legs, arms, and right back to where his fingers were torturing her. He slid a finger inside
her, her warm channel already wet for him. As he slid two fingers in, she moved against his hand. But
he didn’t need her guidance. He knew exactly where and when to touch her. In seconds, she was
coming on top of him. Once again, she lost all control while he sat fully clothed beneath her.

“Not fair,” she breathed as she floated down from the climax.
Simon slowly withdrew from her, and she shivered at the friction. “I’d like to know what part of

that wasn’t fair.”

Grace leaned back and worked at the buttons of his shirt. “For one, you’re still dressed. I’d say

that puts me at quite the disadvantage.” She tried to sound cool and collected, but it was hard with her
heart still pounding in her chest and her core still begging for more.

“We can fix that,” said Simon.
He sounded as cool as could be, but she could feel his erection jump every time it even got close

to her wet heat. This was it. The one place he’d let himself go. She could work with this.

She pushed the shirt over his broad shoulders and stared at his chest. She’d seen it briefly in

Mark’s house, but now she got a chance to truly appreciate him. The man was amazing. His chest was
sculpted to perfection, one more example of his rigid discipline. The hard lines were peppered with
light hair the same red color as on his head.

Unable to resist, she reached out a hand. As soon as her palm rested over his heart, he caught his

breath, and a small smile curved her mouth. Encouraged by his reaction, she moved her hand slowly
downward, appreciating the hard planes of his sculpted abs.

When she reached his belt buckle, she looked up and met his gaze. Keeping eye contact, she

pulled the belt open and pulled it through the loops, one by one.

“Fuck, Grace,” he muttered as he abruptly pushed her off him. She landed on her back on the bed,

staring up at him, as he pulled his pants and boxers down in one swift move. Just like that, he was
naked before her. His erection jutted out straight toward her. Her mouth watered, but before she could
reach out to touch him again, he crawled over her. His hips rested against hers as he covered her
mouth with his. Simon’s kiss was soft and passionate all at the same time. Hands ran up and down her
body so fast that she felt as though she was being touched all over.

He laid kisses to her jaw, collarbone, and shoulder. At the same time, he hooked his fingers in

her panties. She lifted her hips, willing to do anything possible to get him inside her faster.

He had to lean away to pull the delicate lace down her legs and off her ankles. As he came back

down, he set a hand on each knee and spread her wide as he came to rest between her legs.

The very tip of him rested at her entrance and she momentarily forgot how to breathe.
“Are you on the Pill?” he asked in a husky voice.
She blinked. The question pulled her out of her thrall. “Yes.”
He gave a quick nod, and then pushed into her in one long, powerful thrust.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, the intense shot of pleasure so vivid that she

could’ve sworn she saw stars.

But then he moved and she couldn’t think anymore. All she could do was hold on as the thrusts

came faster and faster. She moved to meet each one, and he drove her closer to the edge.

When he leaned down to kiss her again, they both came together. She threw her head back, eyes

squeezed shut, until the only thing that existed was the pleasure that ran through her veins.

He gripped her tighter as he shuddered his release; his fingers pressed into the flesh of her hips.
Afterwards, the room was quiet except for the ragged sounds of their breathing. Grace was

content to lay in the quiet with Simon on top of her like a rather uncomfortable, but extremely warm,
blanket.

She looked up at the ceiling and tried to figure out what to say. What to think. Great job, buddy?

Ugh. She wasn’t normally this awkward after sex, but she’d always been rather prudish with her
lovers. She’d only ever been with established boyfriends after multiple dates.

Grace didn’t even know what Simon was to her. Her consultant? Her fake boyfriend? He’d

shown interest in her, but that didn’t mean he wanted anything more than sex. And for the life of her,
she was much too relaxed and content to bring up the relationship talk at the moment.

“I should probably finish packing,” she finally said.
He shifted and took a bit of his weight off her. “You don’t want to go for round two?” he asked

with a cocky grin.

She smiled up at him. “That was round two for me,” she reminded him. “Besides, you think you

could go again so soon?” She raised a brow as she waited for his answer.

“I sure as hell wouldn’t mind trying.” He leaned in for a kiss.
His lips touched hers in the lightest caress. She let her eyes drift closed, but he moved away. “We

really should get going, though.”

She didn’t even bother trying to hide her irritation. “You’re such a tease,” she said as he rolled

off her.

He stood and looked down at her. “What can I say? I was taught to always leave them wanting

more.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Simon sat across from Victoria Green and tried his best to keep a somber look on his face. It

should’ve been easy. Victoria was between a rock and a hard place, and it was his job to make sure
she succeeded.

Yet somehow all he could think of was the car ride back from the Hamptons with Grace and

Princess. They’d talked the entire way back, and not once about DuFord.

She’d sung along to some of the atrocious number one hits of the moment, but instead of irritating

him, he couldn’t help but be charmed by her constant smile and the way her hair blew around her
face.

But that was yesterday, and now he had to focus on his client. “Are you sure he’s not going to get

better?”

Victoria shrugged a slim shoulder. “The doctors said there’s a chance. I don’t know. This entire

thing is bullshit. What is the point of putting a person in a coma on purpose? Oh, we think your life is
in danger so we’re going to take you to the brink of death.”

“I’m sure the doctors put him in the medically induced coma for a reason. Probably because they

expect him to get better. They didn’t just throw their hands up and let nature take over, you know?”
Simon hoped he was making the slightest bit of sense. He was the last person who should give
medical advice. He decided it would be best to switch subjects. “Has Terry been causing any
trouble?”

“You mean more than he has in the past? Not yet. I only knew he was here because I ran into him

in the hospital. It was the first time I’d seen him since Dad gave me control of the company.”

Simon’s thumb beat out a rhythm on the desk in front of him. “Are you sure he’s not here to pay

his final respects?”

She ran a hand through her long brown hair and it fell perfectly back into place. For Victoria

Green, image was everything. As the young CEO of a corporation in a male-dominated industry, she
always worked to maintain her pitch-perfect image. The last thing she needed was a jealous brother
running around.

“There’s a chance. A thin, thin, tiny, tiny chance. I hate to be that cynical person who says people

don’t change, but Terry can’t change. He was a brat as a kid, he was a brat who almost ran this
company into the ground as a CEO, and now he’s an unemployed brat. I can’t help but think that him
being here is nothing but bad news.”

“I know a few private investigators. I’ll give them a call and we can probably have eyes on Terry

by tomorrow, if that will make you feel better.”

She tightened her lips as she stared across the table at him. “That’s a good idea,” she finally said.
“Is something else bothering you?” He didn’t want to be her personal therapist, but if he was

going to save her company, he needed to be kept informed.

She took a deep breath. “My father had a vision when he ran this company. He always imagined

himself handing the reins over to his son, just as his father did for him.”

“But he didn’t give them to Terry. He gave them to you.”
She met his eyes over the desk. “I don’t know if his will reflects that.”
“Your father is a smart man. His will isn’t likely something he’d forget.”
“My father is a brilliant, arrogant man. I wouldn’t be surprised if he expected to live forever.

Either way, he owns all of the shares. If he left everything to Terry, I’m out of here.”

Simon rubbed his chin. Victoria had a point. Richard Green was arrogant. He had good reason to

be, considering how successful he’d been. The heart attack had been so sudden, it was possible that
he’d never updated his will to give Victoria controlling interest.

“If he left it to Terry, there’s not much we can do. The best ways to fight a will are to declare the

person who wrote it mentally incapable, prove the will was written under undue influence, or prove
fraud. None of those would apply to Terry.”

“You’re my consultant, West. Consult me. What the hell am I supposed to do?”
He thought for a moment. “Keep up your image. Make sure you keep it together, and if Terry tries

to goad you in any way, don’t give in. The company is the most important thing right now.”

“Keep up a strong image? That’s what I do all the time anyway. What the hell difference does it

make now?”

“There’s a side of this you haven’t considered yet,” pointed out Simon.
Victoria raised her brows. “What side?”
“That idea that Richard did change his will and Terry will contest it.”
She frowned. “He can’t prove any of the things you just listed off.”
“Maybe not, but if he really wants Green’s back, he’s going to claim undue influence.”
“Like hell he is!” she shouted. She clenched her jaw, apparently realizing how loud she’d been.

“How could he prove that?” she asked, quieter this time.

“By getting someone to lie. I’m sure you have a few enemies in the company, but most people

here like you. So try to be extra friendly for the time being.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. “You want me to sit back and

smile while Terry tries to worm his way back into my office?”

“I’m saying be careful. We don’t know what Terry wants. He could be here to say goodbye. We

don’t know.”

Victoria grimaced. “I hate not knowing. I can’t do nothing, though.” Her eyes suddenly lit up.

“Your girlfriend! She’s a party planner, right?”

Simon stiffened. “She’s an event coordinator,” he corrected. “What does she have to do with

anything?”

“We want the employees to like me? We’ll throw them a party they’ll never forget. They can

dress up, we’ll serve prime rib, get some swanky entertainment. Boom.”

“That’s not going to fix your problem,” insisted Simon. “Some people might like you more, but

that won’t stop Terry from playing dirty. He can blackmail and bribe anyone to say what he wants
them to say.”

Victoria stood from behind the desk. “You think I don’t know that? I can’t twiddle my thumbs,

hoping Terry’s a changed man. If we’re wrong, oh well, the staff gets a great party and I am out some
money. But if I’m right, at least it’s something.”

Simon glared up at her, trying to think of anything to calm her down. But she was right. Throwing

a last-minute appreciation party for her employees wouldn’t hurt her case. And it might be something

new and exciting to keep her mind off the legal drama.

And the emotional trauma of possibly losing a parent. Victoria was careful to keep her emotions

guarded, but Simon had seen her with Richard a few times. They’d always had genuine affection for
each other. Even her desire to get control of the company was out of love for her father.

Terry had almost run the place into the ground during his two years at the helm. Not only did she

put her blood, sweat, and tears into the company, but it was her family legacy.

“I’ll talk to Grace and see if she can help.” A smile tugged at Victoria’s mouth. “No promises,

though. I’ll have to check with her schedule.”

~~~~~

“She wants what when?” shouted Grace from the couch. The man was insane.
Simon took a deep breath and repeated himself. “I said that I’d like you to coordinate an

appreciation event for three hundred people in two weeks.”

She stared blankly at him. “You’re out of your mind. I can’t do that! Do you have any idea how

many moving parts go into an event of that size? How many vendors, caterers, and reception halls I
have to deal with…reception halls! How are we going to find a place decent enough with such short
notice?” Princess, apparently disapproving of Grace’s yelling, got up from her dog bed and retreated
into the bedroom.

Simon set a hand on her leg. “Relax, okay. If you have to say no, you can. I promised Victoria I’d

ask you, though.”

Grace’s brows drew together as she stared at him. “You like her?” Simon drew back a bit and

she quickly clarified, “Not like like. But you think she’s a decent person?”

“Oh. I suppose. She’s been put in a rough spot and, technically, it’s my job to pull her out of tight

spots. She doesn’t need to go through all this trouble, but it will make her feel better. And since it’s
such short notice, I’m sure you can charge an inconvenience fee.”

Grace snorted. “I thought you were supposed to be saving her money.”
“I am. But this isn’t going to break the bank. I’m more of the guy who makes sure the revenue

streams are working the way they should and determines whether the company should expand into
different markets.” He sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

She sighed at the warmth and sunk into his hold. She’d been much too excited to see him when

he’d shown up at her apartment. After a relaxing day off, she’d been more than happy to pick up right
where they’d left off.

But Simon had different ideas. Instead of taking her right to the bedroom, he’d immediately

started to talk about work and some crazy party. His arm over her shoulders was the first sign she had
that he considered her as more than a client since he’d walked in the door.

“Why don’t you give me Victoria’s contact info? I’ll make some calls and see what I can do. It’s

not going to be cheap, and definitely not easy, but it might be doable.”

He squeezed her tighter. “Thanks, Grace. I appreciate it.”
“Yeah, you do,” she said with a smirk. “But it’s still my day off, so no more coordinating talk. I

want to discuss the Mark situation.”

Simon’s body immediately filled with tension. “That,” he muttered.
“Yes, that,” she said. “I’ve been doing some thinking about it and decided the legal avenue is the

best one. You said he couldn’t be taken down by traditional methods. Why not?”

“I told you, the police can’t do a damn thing. He’s covered his tracks too well. The guy’s a

slimeball. He sets it up like he’s making an investment, but he actually steals the funds right out of the
mark’s account. Except they think it’s a valid withdrawal, so they don’t report anything.”

She crinkled her nose. “In order to move money, especially the money he’s moving, there are

bank approvals and signatures involved. So Mark needs a network in place to help him, right?”

“He has to have some established channel set up,” he agreed.
“And Mark can’t do that alone. For one, there are signatures involved and for any large

withdrawal, the signature would have to look remotely legit. And I’ve seen Mark’s writing.
Penmanship isn’t his strong suit.”

Simon stared down at her. “You think he hires someone to do the forgeries?”
“Probably. So maybe we don’t have to get Mark to mess up. All we have to do is get to one of

his people.”

“And he has someone at the bank helping him too,” murmured Simon. Grace could practically see

the wheels turn in his mind. “Now we just need to figure out who would be helping him…”

“I already have an idea.” Grace leaned forward and grabbed her laptop from the coffee table in

front of her. “Check this out.” She pulled up a website and turned the screen to face Simon.

He frowned as he studied what was in front of him. “This is art? It’s hideous.”
“But familiar, right?”
Simon nodded. “Are these all by the same woman who did the hideous painting in Mark’s

study?”

“Yep. I looked up the name of the artist. Sandy Gonzalez. Except it’s not a chick. It’s a man.”
“There goes the theory that Mark was sleeping with the artist,” he muttered.
“So what other reason would he have that hanging in his office? Front and center for everyone to

see?”

“Cocky son of a bitch is practically bragging about it.”
“Pretty much.” Grace set the laptop back on the coffee table. “I was thinking we could stop by the

gallery tomorrow. It’s open ’til nine. Does that work for you?”

Simon looked her over. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
Something in his tone set her on edge and she raised a brow. “It’s just an art gallery. Hardly a big

deal.”

He pulled away from her and scooted a few inches back. “I don’t know how this is all going to

play out. I’ve played a hundred likely outcomes in my mind, and in a lot of them, you get hurt.”

“That was the deal. You help me get the senator off my back, and I help you with Mark. I’m not

going to renege on my end of the deal because Mark said some mean things to me, Simon.”

“Even so, I don’t want to put you in an unnecessarily risky position,” he said.
She tilted her head and studied him. “Is this because we had sex?”
He pushed off the couch. “What?”
She tried to tell whether he was as shocked as he seemed or whether he was a really good actor.

“You gave me your consulting expertise and now that we’ve slept together, you’re saying I don’t have
to pay you.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “That feels wrong to me.”

“No! This is nothing like that. It isn’t like you flat out refused. You tried to help and it got too

deep. There’s no shame in recognizing it’s not worth the risk.”

He seemed to be earnest, but she still didn’t feel comfortable backing off. “You’re not giving up,

are you?” Her question was answered with silence. “So you have no problem ruining your reputation
and who knows what else to bring him down, but it’s too much for little old me?”

“Is it so hard to believe that I just don’t want you to get hurt?”
She stood and came within inches of him. “I want to ask you something, Simon, and please be

honest. What are we doing together?”

He let out a sigh and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “Damn it, Grace. I don’t know.

What do you want to be doing?”

She bit at her bottom lip. She didn’t know what she wanted, but it wasn’t his indecisive answer.

She wanted him to clearly want her as only a lover or know for sure that he wanted her as more. But
he obviously wasn’t ready, and she wasn’t the type to pine over a man who didn’t want her back.

Even if that man was a six-foot-three redhead who looked as if he walked off the pages of a

magazine.

“I don’t want anything. The point is that if we’re not a couple, you can’t pull the ‘I want to

protect you’ card. We’re partners in this, okay?”

He clenched his jaw. She tried to read his face, but couldn’t get anything. Finally he said, “If

that’s what you want. I can pick you up here tomorrow at six.”

She nodded. “Six o’clock it is.” She held her breath as she waited for his next move. Even if they

weren’t officially together, he still might kiss her. Take her into her bedroom and pick up where
they’d left off at the cottage.

“Enjoy the rest of your day off.” He turned to leave.
Grace pushed her disappointment away. This was good. She didn’t need romantic complications

in her life. Not with work as crazy as it was and her mini scandal only recently behind her.

“I will,” she said with a smile. “Have a nice night.”
He looked over his shoulder as he reached the door. She forced herself to keep quiet. If he

decided he wanted more, it wasn’t going to be because she begged.

“Night,” he repeated as he turned the knob and left the apartment.
Grace sighed and stumbled through the living room and tiny hallway that led to the one bedroom

and one bathroom in the apartment.

Princess’s tail thumped against the bed as Grace entered the room. Grace fell backwards and

landed right next to the dog. The tail wagged faster. “At least you want me, right?”

The dog responded by fiercely licking Grace’s face. She grimaced at the unnecessary bath, but

instead of pushing Princess away, she pulled her closer. She was just going to cuddle her dog until all
improper thoughts of Simon were chased from her mind. Business partners. That would have to be
enough.

It was going to be a long night.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Simon held the door open for Grace and she slid into the cab. He tried his best not to stare at the

creamy expanse of exposed leg as she sat. While she stood, the dress fell a few inches above the
knee, but it slid considerably higher when she climbed into the cab.

He shut the door for her and got into the other side. “How did your meeting with Victoria go?” he

asked.

Grace snorted as the driver took off into the busy New York streets. “That woman’s insane.

Where did you even find her?”

Simon smirked. “What do you mean, insane? She’s brilliant. She took over her father’s company

when she was thirty years old and brought it back from the brink of death.”

Things clicked in place for Grace. “So that explains it.”
He gave her a blank stare. “What explains what?”
“She’s used to having her crazy plans work.”
“Oh boy,” said Simon. “Was the meeting that bad?”
“Bad is a strong word. She just has high expectations and expects them all to be met.”
“So do you think you can do it?” he asked.
She took a deep breath. “I’m going to say yes. The biggest obstacle was the hall, since anything

decent has to be booked months in advance. But luckily for us, I was considered a pariah two weeks
ago and a few of my clients canceled their events instead of being caught dead working with me. So I
had it on good authority that a few places had openings in the near future.”

Simon leaned forward. “They would rather lose all their deposits than be seen with you?”
She shrugged. “What can I say? I have that effect on people.”
He shook his head, trying to imagine someone wanting so badly to be away from Grace that

they’d lose money on it. Hell, he almost wished he felt that way. Even with Green & Sons getting
more complex by the minute, his thoughts constantly wandered to Grace.

Mainly what she was wearing at that very moment and why the hell he didn’t stay at her place

last night. She’d seemed content with the way they’d left things, which drove him crazy. Damn it, she
was supposed to be the emotional one. Turning their one night together into something more. Asking
for dates and presents and all of his spare time.

But of course Grace wasn’t like that. She had to be cool, calm, and collected. If he was honest

with himself, he’d never expect less from her. It was the reason he was so drawn to her in the first
place. Sure, her long legs and penchant for wearing skirts that constantly drew his eyes to her ass
were a big part of the reason, but it was more than that. He’d truly wanted her from the second he’d
realized how quickly she thought on her feet and how effortlessly she seemed to navigate the shark-
filled waters of elite society.

“So we’re going forward with the Employee Appreciation Ball,” she continued. “It’s next Friday,

so we have a massive ten days to prepare. Andre and I will both be working a few late nights. Dean
has already agreed to help out and I’m going to call in a temp to work with us for a few weeks.”

“You’re hiring more people?” he asked.
She grinned. “Well, I’m not sure yet. Before I hire anyone, I need to give Andre a raise. He stuck

with me through everything, so I want to make sure he’s appreciated. But ever since the scandal blew
over, I’ve had a few clients come back. On top of that, some hotshot consultant was talking me up at
the Summer Blowout, so I’ve had a few general inquiries since then.”

“Hotshot consultant, huh?” he asked with a grin.
“Oh yeah.” She smiled back at him. “I hear he’s a real ass but he gets the job done.”

~~~~~

Ten minutes later, the cab came to a halt in front of the gallery. Simon handed the driver some

bills and walked around the car to open Grace’s door. As she grabbed onto his outstretched hand, she
pulled herself out of the car and looked right into Simon’s dark eyes. For a brief moment, she forgot
they weren’t truly together and almost found herself leaning forward for a gentle kiss.

She blinked, clearing away the haze, and turned toward the gallery. “Looks busy,” she said

abruptly.

Simon looked to the large glass windows that framed the empty gallery, not mentioning what

she’d almost done. “I guess we’re not the only ones who aren’t fans.” He wrapped his arm around her
waist and led her inside.

“So how are we doing this? Just looking around for now or confronting him head on?” she asked.
Simon was quiet for a moment and Grace imagined all the wheels turning in his head. She

supposed this was his area of expertise, but how could he know for sure? If they mentioned why they
were snooping around by confronting Sandy head on, he could call Mark, but Mark already knew they
were onto him, so what would it matter?

Mark thought she and Simon weren’t together, but the tabloids still thought they were, or at least

they hadn’t hounded her about the senator lately, so it wouldn’t be crazy if Sandy told him that Grace
and Simon were still together. Her head pounded as all the scenarios played across her mind.

“Follow my lead.” Simon led her deeper into the gallery.
She rolled her eyes. “Is that code for you don’t have a plan?”
He gave her a pointed glance. “It’s code for follow my lead.”
“Umm hmm,” she said under her breath as they moved to stand in front of the painting hung

closest to the front counter. It was strikingly similar to the painting in Mark’s study: a portrait of a
person from the neck up, with a bright neon background. The person in the painting was perfectly
normal except for one absurdly disproportioned feature: eyes, nose, lips, hair, freckles. Each painting
was different and startlingly similar.

“Is there anything wrong with an old-fashioned landscape?” muttered Grace.
“I don’t know,” said Simon as they moved on to the next painting. “I like more modern pieces.”
She raised a brow. “You’re kidding? The ones where a splash of paint is splattered on a canvas

and it sells for a million dollars?”

“Maybe not that modern. But simple, geometric patterns have always appealed to me.”
She sighed. “That’s not art, Simon. That’s a screensaver.” He grinned down at her as the back

door of the gallery swung open.

A man in a tightly fitted black suit with a bright green shirt underneath approached. “Welcome to

the showing,” he said with a grin as he held his hands out. “Feel free to take a look around and ask
any questions you have.”

Simon took a step toward the man. “You know the artist?”
The man smiled, showing off bright, white teeth. “I am the artist, sir. Sandy Gonzalez. Pleased to

meet you.” Simon shook the artist’s hand. The man noticeably did not extend the same greeting to
Grace.

She exchanged a subtle look of annoyance with Simon before he continued, “It’s an interesting

display you have here. Rather impressive to have your own gallery, and at such a young age.”

Grace planted a smile on her face. Apparently Simon was going the flattery route.
“It is quite a feat, but I found the people of the city truly connect with my work. We live in such a

vanity obsessed culture. Once they’re confronted with their own self-absorption, they’re captivated.”

“That’s quite a profound effect you have on people. I’m sure you have some very elite clientele

to afford a space like this.” Grace leaned in closer to Simon.

“My paintings are hung in mansions between here and California,” he said proudly.
Simon narrowed his eyes. “I actually saw one hanging in a mansion the other day.”
Sandy puffed out his chest. “Really? Where was that?”
“We attended a party at Mark DuFord’s Hamptons home,” she answered. “A rather interesting

piece of yours was hanging on the wall.”

If she hadn’t been looking for it, Grace might’ve missed the subtle stiffening of Sandy’s

shoulders. “Ah, yes. Mr. DuFord has been a patron of mine for many years.”

“Really?” asked Simon. “How many works of yours does he have?”
“Umm,” muttered Sandy. “He’s been very generous with his appreciation of my talents.”
Simon took a step closer and Grace could tell he was going in for the kill. “What kind of talents?

I only saw one of your paintings in his home.”

Sandy inched backwards. “He’s been a great benefactor of mine for years.”
“Out of the kindness of his heart? If he was such a fan, why would your one work in his home be

tucked away where no one could see it?”

The artist pointed a finger at Simon. “Sir, I’d appreciate it if you left. I don’t like your tone.”
“Funny,” said Grace. “I dated Mark for over a month and he never once talked about his interest

in art.”

Sandy looked between the two of them. A slight tremor racked his body. “If the two of you don’t

leave, I’m calling the police.”

Simon crossed his arms. “You really want to drag the law into this? If you want to discuss legal

issues, let’s talk about the true art that DuFord has been paying you such good money for.”

Sandy’s complexion went shock white. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You have a horrible poker face,” said Simon. “How long have you been working for DuFord?”
“I told you—”
“Stop lying,” said Grace. “We already know what you’re trying to hide.”
Sandy clenched his jaw and backed away another step. “What do you want?”
“Names. Dates. Times. We want everything,” said Simon. “When DuFord goes down for this, do

you really want to be his scapegoat? Who do you think he’s going to point the finger at when the cuffs
go on?”

“It’s not like we hurt anyone!” insisted Sandy. “Skimming money off millionaires! What’s the big

deal? We’re like Robin Hood!”

Grace’s brow crinkled at his asinine logic. “Robin Hood robbed from the rich to give to the

poor, you idiot. Not to himself.”

“We never hurt anyone! Those old farts could afford it.”
“Does the name Darren Wilson mean anything to you?” asked Simon.
Sandy frowned. “That was a mark from forever ago. Some rich kid from the city.”
“He wasn’t rich. He invested every dime he had with DuFord. When the police got wind of

where the money was invested, they filed criminal charges and dragged Darren away from his home
in handcuffs. Thanks to you, there was no sign that he was lied to about where the money was going.”

Sandy shook his head. “You’re full of shit.”
“This is what happens when you do bad things for a living. People get hurt. Darren’s parents

covered the bail money to get him out and that night, he downed a bottle of sleeping pills and
whiskey.”

Sandy shoved a trembling finger toward Simon. “That’s not my fault!”
Grace narrowed her eyes. “That’s debatable. Now I’d suggest telling us what you know before a

judge decides you are to blame.”

He took a deep swallow. “That won’t happen.”
“You don’t seem too sure.” Simon pulled out his card. “I’ll let you think over if your relationship

with DuFord is worth spending the rest of your life in prison.”

Sandy squinted to read the card. “You’re not a cop.”
Simon’s smile was so wicked even Grace was tempted to step back. “No. That means that if you

don’t give me what I want, I don’t have to play nice.”

Sandy’s eyes bulged as his features went even paler.
“Now think it over, but don’t take your time. I’ll be back.” With that ominous threat, Simon

wrapped an arm around Grace and led her out of the gallery. As soon as they were back in the cool
night air, Simon held up a hand to hail a cab.

“That’s it?” she asked. “He looked like he was about to tell us everything we could’ve wanted to

know.”

“There’s nothing he could tell us,” he said as a car pulled up.
“What’s the point of even coming out here if he couldn’t tell us anything?” She pulled open the

door, not waiting for him to do it for her.

Simon walked around to the other side and climbed in. He quickly gave the cab driver Grace’s

address, which he somehow knew off the top of his head, and turned to face her. “What could he give
us? Names? Dates? Technique? I already know who he’s scammed, when he scammed them and how
he did it. I need to turn him against DuFord. Make him realize they’re in a dangerous business and that
it might be best to get out.”

She sighed. “Well, you definitely scared the crap out of him. You know he’s going to call

DuFord.”

He shrugged. “It’s not like he didn’t know we were after him. The element of surprise was

blown.”

“He’s going to come after you,” she warned. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
He smiled at her. “Let him come after me. He doesn’t scare me.”
Grace looked out the window at the buildings flying by. “He’s dangerous. I know you’re

normally right about everything, but your arrogance is going to get you in trouble.”

She jerked at the feel of Simon’s large, warm palm as it settled on her knee. “Don’t worry about

me, okay? I have everything under control.”

“I know you do right now.” She turned to look at him. “I’m worried about when Mark blindsides

you.”

“What makes you think he will?”
Grace narrowed her eyes. He had to be testing her. He could read people even better than her,

and this was obvious. “Because you’re going after his money. Hitting him where it hurts. He won’t
take it lightly.”

“Don’t worry.” His thumb caressed the inside of her thigh. “I can handle Mark.”
She looked away again. Sure, he could be wrong, but she desperately wanted him to be right.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Simon opened the door and held a hand out to Grace. She intertwined her fingers with his and he

pulled her up. She was so close. Would it really be so bad if he leaned forward and kissed her? She’d
probably tell him to get lost and he’d probably regret it later, but for the life of him, it was all he
could think about.

“Princess needs to be let out,” she said softly.
He took an abrupt step back. That was obviously his cue to give her some space. “Sure. I’ll do

some more research into our artist, and we can regroup later.”

She took a swallow and looked between her apartment entrance and him. “If you want, you can

wait down here. Princess and I will be out in a minute.”

He nodded, trying not to let his excitement show. “I’ll wait.”
She gave him a quick grin as she hurried to the door and disappeared into the building. Simon

paid the driver and told him not to wait.

He leaned against the building and took a deep breath of cold air. In one sense, they’d made

progress tonight, but he couldn’t help but feel as if they were right back where they started. Sandy
was terrified of DuFord, and it would take extreme measures to convince him to turn on his
benefactor.

The door to the building creaked open and there was Grace. She wore the same white dress, but

traded her nude high heels for tennis shoes. Princess seemed happy to be outside, but went full-on
ecstatic when she noticed Simon in the shadows. Her tail wagged impossibly faster as she pulled her
hardest on the leash until he could lean down and give her a quick scratch on the ears.

“You have a fan for life.” Grace smiled.
“No kidding.” He stood and gave Princess one more pat on the head. “So how far do you

normally go when you walk her?”

She shrugged as she moved down the street. “It depends on my mood. Sometimes I make calls

while I’m out here and then I might go farther. Sometimes I just have a lot on my mind. And other days
I’m exhausted and as soon as she does her business, I get back upstairs and in bed.”

“I vote for option three.” He wanted it to come out as a joke, but couldn’t help the earnestness

that slipped out.

Instead of laughing, Grace remained silent. They continued on like that for a few moments. The

only sound was the cars on the street and the clacking of Princess’s nails on the concrete.

“Why did you ask me to stay?” asked Simon.
She kept her gaze firmly on the sidewalk. “Because I didn’t want you to go yet.”
“Grace.” He set a hand on her arm to stop her.
She slowly looked into his eyes. “There. I said it. Now you can tell me that I’m an idiot or that

all of our make-believe is causing me to imagine things, but I thought you should know, damn it.”

“I don’t think—”
“I know it’s not a good idea, but seeing you again, working with you tonight, we might have

something here, you know?”

Simon tried to remind himself of all the reasons they shouldn’t, but it was difficult to keep his

thoughts clear when her blue eyes stared up at him with so much hope. “The rumors about me are
true,” he warned her. “I’m an ass. I say what I mean and mean it when I say it.”

She raised a brow. “I hate to break it to you, West, but I’m no saint. And I’ve seen you in action. I

know what I’m getting into.”

He took a deep breath. This wasn’t some one-night stand or friends with benefits she was

offering. “You don’t realize what you’re asking.”

She rolled her eyes and gave Princess a light tug as she turned to walk back to the apartment. “I

think you’re the one who doesn’t realize what I’m asking. I’m asking you to come upstairs. After that,
maybe we get dinner later this week. Maybe you stay over for a night or two. I’m not looking at next
year or next month.”

“No labels?” he asked.
“Oh, you’d totally be my boyfriend.” She smirked at him. “Exclusive and everything. Now is this

something you can do?”

He didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. It was his specialty to analyze and predict every possible

outcome, and he couldn’t see any way being in a full-blown relationship with Grace would end well.
And he didn’t want to end things with her hating him like his few serious lovers in the past. He never
wanted Grace to hate him.

Before he knew it, they were back at her apartment. She stared at him expectantly. “Should I call

you a cab?”

His mouth went dry. “No.”
A subtle smile curled her lips as she turned to unlock the door and held it for him. He let her and

Princess go up the stairs to the second-story apartment. With each step he took, he imagined all the
ways she’d hate him when everything was said and done. But he didn’t stop or head back.

She opened her apartment door and unsnapped Princess’s leash. “So…” she said softly, biting at

her bottom lip.

He tried to think of what to say, but his mind couldn’t focus on anything besides her lip and how

much he wanted to be the one biting it. So he stopped trying and gave in. He pulled her against him
and covered her mouth with his own. She kissed him fiercely and pushed his jacket off his shoulders
so her hands could roam over his back.

Something about her eager touch set him off, and he tightened his grip on her waist to lift her

against him. She took his cue and wrapped her legs around his waist; her hot core brushed right up
against his erection. He groaned at the contact and pushed her up against the nearest wall. With the
better leverage to grind himself against her, he moaned in pleasure and cursed the clothes that still
separated them at the same time.

She kissed along the side of his neck and nipped slightly at the sensitive skin, as though to prove

how un-saintly she could be. He tilted his head, giving her better access, as he lifted her away from
the wall just enough to tug the zipper on the back of her dress all the way down.

As she continued to torture his neck, he glanced to the back of the apartment. It was small enough

that he could pinpoint where her bedroom was. Once his target was in sight, he firmly gripped her ass
as he carried her to her room.

Her arms tightened around his neck as he moved, and he relished the feel of her tight body up

against his. As he crossed into her room, he kicked the door shut and set her down.

Her hands immediately went to his shirt, making quick work of the buttons before she pulled it

off in quick tugs. He matched her frantic pace as he pulled her dress down until it pooled at her
ankles. Grace stepped out of the dress and kicked off her tennis shoes before she reached for his belt.

He stared down at his blonde vixen as she undid the belt and then the button of his pants. So put

together and neat in business, yet so wild when he got her alone. Dear God, how would he ever get
enough of this woman?

But then she was pushing his pants down, going to her knees in front of him and all his thoughts

ceased as she wrapped her mouth around his cock. His fingers clenched in her hair, but he let her set
the pace.

She slowly moved up and down. The friction of her hot lips teased every nerve in his cock. His

breaths grew shorter and faster as his whole world narrowed to what she was doing to him.

Right before he exploded, he pulled her away. She looked up at him with wide eyes and glossy

lips. “Let me finish you,” she breathed.

Unable to think straight, he picked her up and tossed her on the bed in one quick motion. She

bounced as she landed on the soft mattress, and he was momentarily transfixed on the breasts, still
within her bra, shaking with the movement. But then he was on her, tearing her panties down her legs
and thrusting in one smooth motion.

Grace’s head fell back as she moaned. He pulled out almost all the way and pushed into her tight

heat again; he shuddered at the sensation. He leaned forward and caught her mouth with his as he
moved to a fast rhythm. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, legs around his waist, as her tongue
teased his lips.

Her hips bucked with every thrust, showing him she wanted it just as much as he did. He moved

faster and faster. Pleasure coursed through him. As she screamed her release, it became too much. He
rested his head in her shoulder and gripped her tightly against him as his own climax shuddered
through him.

His breath came in quick pants as tiny aftershocks quaked through him. He realized that he was

resting almost all his weight on Grace and rolled away, collapsing into the soft down blankets on the
bed. He let his eyes drift closed, his entire body more relaxed than it had been in ages. The last thing
he remembered before sleep overtook him was the soft touch of Grace’s arms as they wrapped around
him.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Grace pushed her notepad away from her as her eyes drifted closed. What the hell had she been

thinking when she agreed to do Victoria’s party? After two days of frantic calls, she’d finally signed
the contract for the hall, but now she had to search out bartenders for the evening.

She’d left messages with the seven services she’d had decent experiences with before, but the

two that had gotten back already turned her down.

She sighed and looked out the window of her apartment. The sun shone and the streets were

relatively calm. One of the joys of her business was that she could work wherever there was Wi-Fi.
She pushed her laptop shut and tucked it into her computer bag. After a glance to make sure Princess
was comfortably tucked into the corner of the couch and her water dish was full, Grace slipped out
the door.

It was a short walk from her building to her favorite coffee shop. It was late afternoon, after the

lunch rush and before the swarm of people trying to get home, so it only took her ten minutes to walk
the few blocks.

Once inside, she slid into a booth where she could get some quality people watching in as she

worked. The public place wasn’t ideal due to lack of privacy, but she could go a few hours without
needing to make a confidential call.

She opened up her computer and pulled up her spreadsheets related to Victoria’s Employee

Appreciation Ball. The invitations should be going out soon, hopefully giving the invitees at least a
week to get ready.

In order to get attendance up, Victoria also wanted impressive gift baskets put together, along

with games and raffles to show the employees a good time. Andre was in charge of organizing the
giveaways for a somewhat reasonable budget and finding a temp to help out during the party and for
the few weeks after.

Right as Grace was really getting into work, the bell above the door rang again. Glancing up like

she normally did, she couldn’t help but stare at the striking woman who walked in. She wore her
auburn hair pulled back and her perfectly fitted navy suit made her long legs somehow appear longer.
Grace frowned at the tinge of recognition. She racked her brain, going through the various events
she’d attended recently.

She stood as it came to her. She was Daton’s guest at Mark’s party.
As though the woman felt Grace’s gaze, she looked over her shoulder as she reached the counter.

Her eyes widened as soon as they landed on Grace, and she immediately looked away.

Grace put on her friendliest face and walked over. “Hi,” she said cheerfully. “I think I saw you at

Mark’s the other day.” She held out a hand. “I’m Grace.”

The woman stared at her in silence for a few seconds. “Hi,” she squeaked out as she gave Grace

a handshake firmer than her voice.

“So how do you know Mark?” asked Grace, refusing to acknowledge how obvious it was that the

woman wanted nothing to do with her.

“Um, I work at State Financial First Bank. Mr. DuFord does business with my boss there.”
Grace nodded. “Daton, right? I’ve met him a few times back when Mark and I were dating. Is he

as much of an ass to work for as he is to double date?”

For the first time since she walked in, the woman seemed to relax. “Yeah, Daton can be hard to

handle sometimes.”

Grace’s smile was genuine now. She was getting somewhere. She quickly glanced to her

computer and to the one person in line in front of them. “What did you say your name was again?”

“Karina,” she said. “So you like to work in coffee shops?”
Grace shrugged. “It breaks up the day.”
The barista called Karina up, and Grace stepped back. “Come have a seat,” she said as Karina

walked up to order. Grace rushed back to her makeshift work station to clear aside some of her
papers. She debated texting Simon and asking for his advice. She had one of Mark’s bankers there and
ready to talk. She just wasn’t sure what she wanted out of the woman at the moment.

At that moment, Karina walked over with her coffee in hand. “I really shouldn’t stay long,” she

said as she sat down.

Grace picked up her own drink and crossed her legs. “No pressure. I always like to say hi to

familiar faces, though. What are you doing in the area?”

“Picking up some paperwork.” She blew on the steaming drink in her hands. “Nothing fun. What

are you working on? Any fancy events coming up?”

Grace tilted her head. “You know what I do?”
“Um…Mr. DuFord must’ve mentioned it,” she said quickly.
Grace made sure none of her disbelief showed. “That makes sense. But, no, I’m not planning

anything crazy exciting. Nothing as extravagant as Mark’s barbeque the other day. Though you didn’t
seem like you were having a great time.”

“Was I that obvious?”
“I have a sixth sense for people who aren’t enjoying themselves.” Grace gave Karina a

sympathetic smile. “You need to come to one of my events sometime. Now I know how to throw a
good party.”

Karina let out a laugh. “I bet. Unfortunately I don’t get out much.”
“Come on. Dressing up is good for the soul. Tell you what. This thing I’m working on right now

is super last-minute, so we’re making sure to have lots of extra space since we’re not going to have a
for sure head count. Why don’t you stop by?”

A blush crept up Karina’s cheeks. “I really couldn’t crash some big thing like that.”
“Honey,” said Grace. “It’s not crashing if you’re invited. Besides, between Mark and Daton, you

know important people. And if you know important people, then other important people will want to
know you. It’s the name of the game. You want to know what I’ll tell my client if she asks who you
are?”

Karina’s brow crinkled. “What?”
“I’ll say you’re a banker with connections. And do you want to know how much of that is a lie?”
The corner of Karina’s mouth hooked up. “None.”
“Damn straight. Now do you have a card so I can send you the place and time?” asked Grace.
A sense of victory fell over Grace as Karina dug through her purse and pulled out a business

card, even stopping to write her cell phone number on the back.

“Here you go.” She handed it over. “Send me a text if you change your mind,” she said with a

weak smile.

The victory was watered down at Karina’s self-conscious words. Grace snatched the card.

“Don’t talk like that. It’s a rough world out there. If someone offers you anything you can use to your
advantage, you take it and don’t think twice.”

Karina nodded. “You sound like Daton.”
“Please,” said Grace. “I sound much prettier than Daton.”
Karina smiled as she stood. “Fair point. Thanks for the invitation. I guess my social skills need

some work.”

Grace pushed herself up as well. “Don’t thank me. I’m excited you’re coming. See you around,

Karina.”

As the woman walked out, Grace let out a deep breath. They had the forger running scared and

now they might have an insider at Mark’s bank. Maybe they really could take Mark down.

~~~~~

Simon knew there was going to be trouble the second he saw the men in the reception area of

Green & Sons. The two men who waited for him—a tall one with light brown hair and a shorter,
Hispanic man with a severe buzz cut—both wore slightly wrinkled suits.

Before he could introduce himself, the tall one in the gray suit said, “Simon West?”
Simon clenched his jaw. He knew this type. These were cops. “Can I help you gentleman?”
The tall one opened up his wallet to show his badge and confirmed Simon’s suspicions. “Is there

somewhere we can talk?”

“Follow me.” He turned to lead the men to his office. There were a few sideways glances as they

walked by, but Simon made sure he stayed calm. He wasn’t all that worried. The police showing up
at his place of business was an intimidation tactic. They were trying to throw him off balance and get
him to admit something he shouldn’t.

Which meant they were still in the evidence gathering part of the investigation and he was the one

they were gathering evidence on.

When they reached his office, he shut the door and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. As

expected, they declined.

“Suit yourselves.” He took a seat in his office chair. He didn’t need to prove himself to these

guys. “What can I do for you?”

It was the tall one who spoke first again. “I’m Detective Jones and this is my partner, Detective

Munoz. We have a few questions for you.”

Simon shrugged. “Ask away.”
“So what is it you do here again?” asked Munoz.
“I am a consultant. When the current CEO took over here, the company was in a rough patch and

she hired me to help turn it around.”

Jones nodded and looked around the office with a decidedly unimpressed expression. “And how

has that been going for you?”

“I can’t divulge company information like that. Do you want to cut to the chase and tell me why

you’re asking?”

Munoz smiled. “You’re a straight shooter. I like that.”
Simon laughed. “Funny. Most people hate it.”
The tall one moved to the back corner of the office and stared out the window. “Have you had

any money problems lately, Mr. West?”

Simon looked between Munoz and Jones, who were now effectively surrounding him. “Money is

my business, Detectives. I make people money. I don’t have money problems.”

Munoz raised a brow. “How exactly do you make your clients so much?”
“A combination of tactics. Analyzing the market and giving them out-of-the-box options to

stabilize or grow the business.”

Jones crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t move money for your clients?”
“I tell them where I think they should move the money. I don’t touch anything myself.” Simon

waited for the next question, trying not to offer any information the detectives didn’t explicitly ask for.
DuFord must’ve tipped them off to something, but Simon was certain he hadn’t broken any laws.
Which meant DuFord was either trying to scare him or he was actively framing him for something.
But Simon couldn’t do a damn thing about it unless he knew what DuFord was up to.

“What do you do with your own funds?” Munoz subtly inched closer and closed in on Simon

even more.

Simon was unfazed. “I have a guy for that.”
Jones also took a step closer. “What’s his name?”
Simon opened up the top desk drawer and dug around for a moment. “Here you go.” He handed a

card to Munoz. “Now are you going to tell me what this is about?”

Jones and Munoz exchanged a look before Jones finally moved away from Simon and toward the

door. “Thanks for your help, Mr. West.” At that moment, Munoz handed Simon their contact
information. “We’ll be in touch.”

Simon stood. “Glad to help,” he said, not even bothering to try to sound sincere. “I’ll see you

out.”

The detectives were quiet as he led them down the hallway and to the elevator bay outside of

reception. In case anyone was watching, he made sure to shake their hands and smile as they waited
for the elevator to take them away.

But his act wasn’t enough to fool everyone. Victoria waited for Simon by the reception area and

fell into step with him as he passed. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“I have it under control.” He gently shut his office door after she entered.
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “As long as I’m paying you, your personal business

affects me. Terry is looking for any weakness right now. I need to know if I should be worried about
the police showing up to have a super-secret conversation in your office.”

He sighed. Of course she’d realize they were cops. He looked her straight in the eye. “It has

nothing to do with Green’s. And I can guarantee you that I haven’t done anything illegal, so I doubt
this is going anywhere.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “What’s going nowhere? There’s an investigation on you? I can have

one of the company lawyers call you.”

Simon shook his head. “Not right now. They’re still gathering information and there’s a good

chance they won’t find anything. But I’m going to dig into what they’re looking for and try to stop
anything before it escalates.”

Victoria stared him down.
“I promise I’ll keep you updated,” he said.
She didn’t look comforted. “West, I know you’re the best at what you do, but don’t get arrogant.”

As she turned to leave, she looked back over her shoulder at him. “This isn’t just your ass on the
line.”

As she shut the door behind him, he sunk into his chair and rubbed his temples.
Even if Simon hadn’t done anything, DuFord was smart. Too smart. He needed to dig up every

bank statement and investment history for his accounts possible. He didn’t bank with the institution
DuFord used in his own scams, but the man had connections everywhere. Simon needed to figure out
what the hell the man’s plan was and how to fight it.

Victoria had a very valid point. It wasn’t just his ass on the line. If charges were filed, it could

reflect badly on her, but it was more than that. DuFord could be going after Grace too. The forger had
seen her. In the Hamptons, DuFord thought Simon was only using Grace. If he changed his mind, there
was no telling what DuFord would do to her.

Damn it. He’d warned her. He told her to stay away. Why was it so hard for her to fucking listen?
She wouldn’t have a choice now, though. DuFord wasn’t joking around. She barely scraped her

business out of the muck. And that’s assuming DuFord only went after her professionally. She needed
to stay as far away from this shit as possible.

But she would never see it that way. The last time he told her to stay away, she shot him down. If

she was going to back away from this whole mess, it had to be her idea. And as long as they were
together, she wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Somehow, he was going to have to make her hate him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Okay, guys. It’s going to be a busy night, but if we play our cards right, it’s going to be a

fantastic evening.” Grace looked over her team of Andre, Dean, and the new temp. “Everyone, this is
Jennifer. She’s going to be helping out for the next week or two.” Dean and Andre both said quick
hellos as Grace handed the three of them a sheet of paper. “Now this is the vendor list for the night. It
includes phone numbers and descriptions of what I expect out of everyone.

“Dean, you’re emergency guy. If there are any technical problems, lights going out, mics not

working, you’re the man.”

He nodded. “Got it.”
“Jennifer, you’re new so I’m not expecting miracles. Your main job is to stay mobile. I’m making

sure everyone knows you’re with me, so if anyone has any questions or requests, your responsibility
is to find me, Andre, or Dean. I’m sure I’ll have some odd jobs for you throughout the day, okay?”

Jennifer smiled. “Sounds good.”
Lastly, Grace turned to Andre. “And you know everything already, so I’m going to take a nap and

you just get me when the event’s over.”

He snorted. “You’re the crazy one who accepted this gig. I’ll be damned if I’m working even a

tiny bit harder than you.”

She let out a melodramatic sigh. “Fine…I guess I’ll help too.”
“Damn straight,” said Andre.
The clacking of heels sounded from behind Grace, and she craned her neck to see Victoria

approach. “That’s it for now, guys. You all know how to find me if you have any questions.”

The three turned to get started on their respective tasks as Grace smiled up to Victoria. “Hey.

You’re here early.”

The tall, elegant woman tightened her lips as she overlooked the room. “It looks good.”
Grace raised a brow. “Really? Because you look like you hate everything.”
Victoria rubbed at her temples. “I’m sorry. It’s been a stressful week. I think my resting bitch face

has gotten worse.”

An unexpected laugh escaped Grace. The few times she’d dealt with Victoria, the CEO had been

so serious and determined. The humor was more of a surprise than it should’ve been. “I can relate,”
she said.

“So you and Simon are pretty serious?” asked Victoria.
Grace tried to read the other woman, but Victoria remained expressionless. “We’re doing okay.”
“Okay? That doesn’t sound good.”
Grace narrowed her eyes. “I’d rather not discuss my relationship if that’s all right with you.” In

truth, things were…strange between her and Simon. She’d barely seen him in the past week due to
how busy Victoria and her other clients had been keeping her. The times they’d spoken on the phone,
he’d seemed just as busy as her. Every time she tried to mention their night together or the Mark
situation, he clammed up and ended the conversation.

Every time she tried to figure out what the hell was going on, she got more confused. It wasn’t as

though Simon expected them to have a one-night stand. He could’ve run off long before if that was the
case. Even though her schedule was filling up quickly after his patch job on her reputation, she should
have time after Victoria’s event to spend with him and get him to admit what was really going on.

“I can understand that.” Victoria pulled Grace from her thoughts. “I suppose it was my

roundabout way of asking about his situation.”

“Situation?” Grace’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
Victoria sighed. “Damn it. I should’ve kept quiet. It’s not my business to say. You should really

ask him.” She took a step back. “Things are looking good so far, though. I’ll let you get back to work.”

“Wait!” called Grace, but Victoria didn’t turn back around as she continued to walk away. The

sound of her heels clacking on the tile echoed through the large ballroom.

“Everything all right?” asked Dean from behind her.
Grace set a hand on her hip. “I need tonight to be over,” she whispered. She turned to face Dean.

“Thanks again for making it out here on short notice. Katy wasn’t too upset, was she?”

He raised a brow. “Upset? I’m fairly certain she’s off celebrating her freedom with friends right

now. Hopefully female friends without alcohol.”

Grace set a hand on his arm. “She’s a good kid. I’m sure she’s fine.”
Dean pushed a hand through his scruffy, black hair. “No. She was a good kid. Now she’s a

teenager, and I have no idea what the hell I’m doing.”

She sighed. Suddenly her problems with Simon didn’t seem as important. After Dean’s parents

died in a car crash a decade ago, he’d been the sole guardian of his younger sister and had worked
two jobs or more ever since to try to provide for her.

“If you don’t want to do the city gigs anymore, I understand. I know it’s hard to be away from

Katy overnight.”

Dean shrugged. “It’s all good. I need the money. I get to hang around the rich people for a while.”
“Win-win,” said Grace, feeling simultaneously good about giving him work and bad for asking

him to leave his sister for a few nights. “How’s the light setup going?”

“A few of the outlets are giving me issues. I’m about to dig up the general manager. Did you need

to talk to him about anything?”

“The outlets aren’t working? Are you kidding me?” Because this particular ballroom was in the

middle of the hotel’s layout, there were no windows to give a feel of ambiance. Instead, Dean was
setting up dramatic lighting all around the border of the room in a green, blue, and white pattern to
match the colors in the Green & Sons logo.

“Don’t worry. Places like this can usually act fast to fix this type of stuff. I just have to let them

know.”

“Okay. Keep me informed, though.”
He nodded. “Will do.”
As he left, Grace crossed her arms and looked over the room, mentally listing off all the things

that needed to be done. Any talks with Simon would have to wait.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Simon looked over the room at the smiling and happy faces. At least some people were having a

good time.

He leaned back in the chair and took another drink of whiskey, letting the burn distract him for a

few seconds. His banker had called him up hours ago to tell him that the police issued a warrant to
look through his financial records, and Simon still had no clue what they were digging for.

The band switched to a new, slow paced song and the first thing he thought about was sweeping

Grace aside for a dance. No. Damn it. He was supposed to be distancing himself, not drooling to get
her back in his arms again.

But that was exactly what he was doing. Ever since the night they shared in her apartment—hell,

ever since the night in the Hamptons—his life was a constant reminder of how good they were
together and all the reasons they shouldn’t do it again.

She wasn’t exactly making the whole distance thing easy. Grace wore some sort of slinky forest

green dress and heels that she really shouldn’t be able to physically walk in for the entire evening, but
she didn’t look uncomfortable.

She looked amazing, and Simon was somehow supposed to break up with her. She’d never

believe him. The second he said “we need to talk,” Grace would suspect it had something to do with
DuFord.

Damn it. He went to take another drink, but his glass was empty.
“So how do you think it went?” asked Grace from behind him.
He didn’t want to have this conversation at all. He supposed he should get it over with though.

But instead of telling Grace off or explaining that they weren’t right for each other, he said, “I think
everyone had a great time.”

Grace pulled a chair in closer to him. “I feel like everyone enjoyed themselves, but Victoria

looked miserable most of the night. I tried to talk to her a few times, but she brushed me off and I
barely saw her after she gave her speech.”

Simon shrugged. “She’s stressed. Her dad’s probably not going to make it through the week and

this was a last-ditch effort to make sure the employees liked her. She’s got a lot to deal with.”

“Okay. That does sound stressful.” Grace frowned. “At least all the employees seemed to have

fun. That’s what’s important, I suppose.”

Simon stared out over the sea of faces, trying to think of the nicest way possible to ruin her night

without making her think he was doing it for her own good.

“Thanks to all the talking up you did for me at the Summer Blowout, I have two new confirmed

clients and a few others who have consultations booked next week. So that’s exciting.”

He nodded. “Sounds like you’re going to be really busy the next few weeks. I’ll hardly see you.”
She tightened her lips and stared intently at him. “It will be busy, but not throw a massive event

together in ten days busy. Andre can handle the wrap-up for the night if you want to go somewhere.
We could even get a room if you really want to.” Her hand fell on his leg as her gorgeous blue eyes

looked into his.

For a moment he forgot his mission. All he wanted to do was take her up on her offer, drag her to

the closest available room and show her exactly how much he wanted to get that room with her.

But a familiar face caught his eye and pulled him out of her spell. “That’s Karina?” he asked.
Grace glanced over to the woman. “Yep. She’s been doing well. She sat at the table with a few

contractors, so she wasn’t surrounded by a tightknit group of Green & Sons employees.”

Simon stood up. An idea formed in his mind. “Why don’t I go talk to her?”

~~~~~

Grace watched Simon walk away. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach. She’d been so excited

to finally see him again. To sit down and talk things over. But he’d been utterly uninterested.

Maybe she was just a two-night stand. Maybe he’d changed his mind about mixing business and

pleasure.

But it was amazing pleasure, damn it! The sex was great, conversation fun: what could she have

possibly done wrong? It had to be something to do with DuFord. Simon was pushing her away in an
attempt to protect her. That had to be it. She was a grown woman. If he wanted to protect her, the least
he could do was sit down with her and explain why he was being an ass.

Determined to let him know she was onto his little plan, Grace stood and made her way over to

Simon and Karina. A few guests moved to cross in front of her and blocked her view; her jaw
dropped open when she saw them again.

Simon wasn’t just talking with her. He leaned in close, intently hung on her every word. Grace

blinked a few times. No. She had to be imagining it. But as she took another step forward, Simon set a
hand on Karina’s hip.

Right then, Karina turned and noticed Grace. Her smile widened. “Grace! Come on over.”
Not even managing the faintest grin, Grace stumbled over to the two.
Karina gestured to Simon. “Have you met Mr. West? He’s one of the most in demand consultants

in the business.”

Grace weakly nodded. All she could think about was how great Karina looked. Her dark hair

was pulled back in a sleek updo, and the black dress she wore fell just right and accented all the right
places. And it was all her fault. Through a series of phone calls and texts, Karina and she had grown
closer. Grace even lent her the damn dress.

But it wasn’t as if Simon was truly flirting with her. He wanted to use her banking connections to

do something to Mark. He was using a beautiful woman with confidence issues to get his revenge.

A wave of nausea rolled over her. “Mr. West and I have met before. If you’ll excuse me, I have to

go take care of a few things.”

Simon’s face was blank, and Grace couldn’t stand to look at the two anymore. She was surprised

at his actions and kicked herself for not expecting it. He wanted revenge over all things. That was the
entire reason he’d agreed to help her in the first place. Her business, Karina’s feelings…nothing else
was important to him.

She ducked into the kitchen where the catering staff was finishing up their cleaning. Apparently

Grace wasn’t the only one who felt the need to get away. Victoria stood against the far wall. Her
perfect makeup and hair were dampened by the miserable expression on her face. Everything in

Grace wanted to turn back and wallow in her own self-pity, but she was still working. If her clients
weren’t happy at her events, that meant she wasn’t doing her job right.

Grace slowly approached. “Rough night?”
Victoria looked up. “You have no idea.”
“If there’s anything I or any of my people can do, just say the word.”
The CEO’s eyes widened. “It’s late. I’m sure your people can head home by now, right?”
Grace let out a laugh. “There’s still a lot to do. We’ll be around for a while.”
Victoria was silent for a moment. “Everyone enjoyed themselves, though. You did a great job

pulling everything together.”

A rush of relief swept through Grace at the confirmation that it wasn’t her fault Victoria was in

such a bad mood. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”

“I need to figure a few things out. I don’t think there’s anything I need from you at this point.”
Grace nodded and took a step back. “Well, I’ll be around if you need to talk. And if you can’t

find me, Andre, Dean, and Jennifer are all around still.”

Victoria shook her head. “I need to get out of here.” She pushed away from the wall and strode

out of the kitchen.

Grace watched her retreat, along with the other caterers. Why on earth would Victoria try to find

solace in a kitchen? There had to be plenty of more private areas for her to find peace. Hell, Grace
only stepped into the kitchen so Karina wouldn’t realize her bald-faced lie when she said she had to
take care of things.

But she couldn’t hide forever. If Simon wanted to use Karina, he needed to fill her in on his plan.

And if he didn’t want to be with her anymore, she deserved to know.

~~~~~

“What the hell are you doing?” asked Grace as Simon walked out of the hall.
“I don’t think this is the best place to have this conversation.” He pushed around her. Apparently

his tactic had worked, and he’d never been this upset to have a strategy implemented successfully.

“What are you doing with Karina? If she figured into your plan, why didn’t you tell me? I’ve

been in steady contact with her for the past week. I can help.”

He pushed the down arrow at the elevator. “I think I can handle one girl.”
“She’s not like Mark. She’s not used to hurting people. If we’re careful, we can get her on our

side without any lies or taking advantage of her.”

“I know what I’m doing.” He didn’t even look at her as he stepped into the elevator.
She followed him in. “At least hear me out.”
Simon took a deep breath and steeled himself for what he was about to say. “Even if you have a

point, I know my way will work. It’s too important that I nail DuFord, and I can’t risk it by taking
advice from a party planner.”

Grace took a step back as though he’d slapped her. God help him, he felt like he had. In so few

words, discounting all her opinions and ideas. The whole thing made him feel like shit.

The elevator doors opened and he burst out of the small space, hoping Grace would stand there

in the same stunned silence and allow him to slip away without needing to hurt her anymore.

But she was a fighter. Of course she wouldn’t just sit back and watch him go. He heard her

footsteps pound behind him as he saw the two men at the front of the building. His muscles stiffened
as Jones and Munoz’s gazes locked on him.

“Grace.” He stopped in his tracks, turning to face her. “I think you need to go.”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” She poked him in the chest with her finger. “You’re up to

something. I want to know what.”

“Grace—”
“Mr. West. We’re going to need you to come with us,” said Jones from behind him.
“We’re talking!” bit out Grace, not bothering to hide her irritation.
Simon sighed and turned to the detectives. “Can you give me a minute?”
Munoz handed him a piece of paper, but Simon didn’t need to unfold it to know what was

written. “You need to come with us now.”

Grace snatched the paper out of Munoz’s hands. “What is going on, Simon?” But he knew the

moment she realized what she was reading. “A warrant? This has to be some kind of mistake.” Jones
approached, handcuffs in hand, and Grace’s face paled.

“It is a mistake. I’m going to sort it out, okay,” he said.
As the cold cuffs were put on tight enough to bite into his wrist, Grace watched silently. As a

crowd of people entered the lobby, Grace moved to hide his bound hands from view. “Can we please
move this along,” she said under her breath.

Simon stared at Grace, who managed to be so calm under pressure. Constantly thinking on her

feet and considering his image. She remained quiet on the short walk to the unmarked car the
detectives led him to.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked as he was pushed into the back seat.
He clenched his jaw and focused on the front of the car, not looking anywhere in her direction.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Let me help you! We’re partners,” she bit out as one of the detectives started to close the door.
“No. We’re not,” he said as the door slammed shut.
Grace stood dumbfounded as the detectives drove away. She needed to figure out where they

were taking him. She needed to get back upstairs to make sure the evening was going smoothly.
Except Andre could handle the end of the evening, and Simon told her to stay away.

It wasn’t as though she had the slightest idea of how to get him out of this mess. The police could

be questioning him and planning on letting him go in an hour or two.

She shook her head at the thought. Simon didn’t look like someone planning to run back to her

arms as soon as he was released. He seemed like the kind of man who didn’t plan to see her for a
long, long time.

This was Simon West. The man with the plan. He could do anything he set his mind to. Why

would he sit back and allow himself to be taken?

“I can get him free, you know,” said the familiar voice from behind her.
Grace whipped around to face Mark. She swallowed her hint of fear as she stared him down.

“What did you do?”

A smug grin covered his face. “Did you like seeing your boyfriend in cuffs?”
Grace hardened her expression, not letting her simmering anger show. “I don’t remember putting

you on the guest list.”

“Something you and West haven’t seemed to learn yet.” He stepped closer. “I get what I want.”

Grace took a deep breath. Her hands shook with the urge to punch that stupid smile right off his

face. But all that would do is land her in jail right with Simon. “What did you tell the police? I know
he didn’t do anything illegal.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “You have so much faith in him,” he muttered. “It wasn’t too hard to

convince anyone of anything when you have friends the places I do. All I did was give West a gift into
a questionable account.”

“You’re framing him for your crimes,” she breathed.
Mark practically beamed at mention of his plan. “I’d like to see how he thinks he can get out of

this one.”

Grace crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “I have friends in high places, you

know.”

He scoffed. “Please. I just had Simon West arrested. Which one of your party planning friends

can possibly help you?” Before she could tell him exactly where he could shove it, Mark took a step
forward. “Tell you what. In honor of our relationship, I’m going to let you off with a warning. But
know this. If I find you sniffing around my business again, you’re fair game. Understand?”

“Perfectly,” she bit out. “Now back off.” She moved past, purposefully slamming her shoulder

into his. The farther she got from him, the faster her breaths came. She didn’t allow herself to stop
until she was past the lobby and safely in the elevator. It was only when she turned to press the button
to take her to the ballroom that she confirmed Mark wasn’t following her. As soon as the elevator
doors closed, she allowed herself to fall against the wall, finally letting her rage wash over her.

Mark was right. She didn’t have friends in high enough places to get Simon out of this jam. But

she did have enemies, and she wasn’t afraid to use them.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Ms. Bell. I was surprised you’d let yourself be seen with me again,” said Robert Bar as Grace

slid into the seat across from him.

She raised a brow from behind her sunglasses. “Believe me. I don’t want anyone to ever see me

with you again.” Which was why she was in an unflattering pair of jeans and NYU sweatshirt. “But I
figured it was past time since we had a talk.”

Robert sat back as he eyed her. “What exactly did you want to talk about? Your boyfriend made it

pretty clear to the press that we had nothing to do with each other. Are you here to punish me?”

Grace looked around the restaurant to make sure no one looked in their direction. Deciding

where to have this little meeting had been the biggest hurdle. She’d known all the work Simon had
done for her might be for nothing if anyone with a camera saw them together, but it was a calculated
risk.

She’d decided on an upscale bar in Manhattan. It was busy enough that they wouldn’t draw too

much attention, but not so in demand that they’d run into anyone too important.

Her email had instructed the senator to meet her in the darkest and most secluded table possible.

She’d half expected him to refuse her, making her have to sneak into his office without being seen by
anyone from the paper.

“So cut to the chase. Why are we talking?”
She took a calming breath. “We’re here because I know your secret.”
Robert didn’t even bat an eyelash. “Secret? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
His denial didn’t surprise her. Hell, denial was what politicians did best. “You went on a media

tour to say you were having an affair with me. You wouldn’t do that unless you were hiding something
much worse,” she pointed out.

“Ms. Bell. I can see how you’d think that, but I doubt you can prove anything.” He calmly took a

sip of his water as he stared her down.

She met his stare with a steady gaze. “Pregnant women can be very unpredictable. Especially a

young woman. Are you really so sure that she’d keep your secret?”

Robert went stock still and she knew she had him. “You don’t have anything,” he said

confidently, even as he fidgeted with the napkin in front of him.

She sighed in relief. After hours and hours of going through the possible scenarios, she’d settled

on the most likely option. The only reason a senator with a sterling reputation would tell the world
that he was having an affair with Grace was if his actual transgression was much worse.

But there were plenty of things a senator would consider worse than having an affair with her.

But if there was one thing Grace knew, it was people. She’d gone online and looked up every video
and campaign footage she could find. After studying hours and hours of footage, she’d finally seen it.
The wink.

It was his tell. Every time a cute high schooler came up to him or asked a question, he’d give that

little wink. So fast, it was easy to miss.

No. The man had a serious fetish for young women. Chances were his wife suspected him of

something, so he’d pinned it on the perfectly age-appropriate Grace. The pregnancy was also a guess,
but it was likely he’d only be truly afraid if there was undeniable proof of what he’d done.

But he was right about one thing. “At the moment I don’t have proof,” she agreed. “But I have

connections all over the city. And you know better than me how clever reporters can be. All I have to
do is find a few crumbs and send them in the right direction.”

He took a deep gulp of water. “If all you have is empty threats, what exactly do you want me to

do?”

“Simon was arrested yesterday. Unfortunately, he upset a rather unpleasant man who is setting

him up. I want him out of jail today.”

Robert rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It’s Saturday. I can’t do anything today. And dropping

charges is hard. It’s not a simple phone call. There’s a chain of command that controls these things.
Even if I know one or two guys on the force, I can’t get something like that wiped clean.”

Grace leaned forward. “You’d better think of something, Senator. If Simon goes to prison for

something he didn’t do, you’re going to be number one on my shit list.”

Robert held out a hand. “Hold on there. I never said there was nothing I can do. If he was

arrested Friday, he’s probably going in front of a judge on Monday. The charges will be read to him
and bail will be set. I’ll do my best to make sure the bail is low, okay?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Your best?”
“There’s a ninety percent chance I can help. But this is shady and I can’t guarantee a thing.”
Grace sat back and studied the senator. Simon was still Simon. If she could get him out, it was

very likely that he could get the charges dropped. “If you set a low bail, I’ll leave you alone from
now on,” she agreed. “But all bets are off if you pull me back into your scandals again.”

Robert’s eyes fell to the table. “I didn’t do it for me,” he said softly.
“Excuse me?”
“She doesn’t deserve that kind of scrutiny. I’m taking care of her. She and the baby will never

want for anything.”

Grace rolled her eyes and pushed away from the table. “It’s illegal for a reason, Senator. Now

help out Simon and keep it in your pants from now on.” She pulled a card from her purse and set it in
front of him. “If anything goes wrong, I expect you to call me. Besides that, I hope to never see you
again.”

He took the card; she turned away and fished out her phone to look for any sign of Simon trying to

contact her.

Nothing.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The moment Simon emerged from the booking area, Grace ran into his arms. He huffed at the

impact of her slamming into him, but nonetheless wrapped his arms around her. For a moment, he
stood still and appreciated the feel of her in his arms.

“You idiot!” she breathed as she pulled away. “I told you he’d be pissed.”
“He miscalculated.” Simon tucked his suit jacket from Friday night underneath his arm.
“How’s that?” Grace followed him as he made his way out of the station and onto the sunny

sidewalk.

“Now I’m pissed.”
Grace pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m so happy your motivation is renewed, but that doesn’t

help us. You have a court date! Doesn’t that worry you?”

“No,” he said. “DuFord has friends in high places. That’s how he got the charges to be pressed

so fast. They can’t really have enough evidence against me to expect to win a court case.”

“You sound pretty confident for a man who just got out of jail.”
He shrugged. “It was three days. It takes more than that to scare me.” He’d had more time than

normal to think over the weekend. It wasn’t his normal crowd, but he was in the minimum security
section of the jail, so it hadn’t been all that intimidating. He was still a big guy and commanded a bit
of respect.

She raised a brow. “I shudder to think what would be enough to shake the mighty Simon West.”
He smiled over at her. “I’m looking right at one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen.” She scoffed

and his smile widened. She did scare the hell out of him, but in a good way. But thinking about the
DuFord and Grace situation had taken up most of his thoughts. How protective she’d been of him as
he’d been pushed into the police car. How pissed he was at DuFord for putting any of them at risk.

“How did you know when I was getting out?” He leaned against the rail. He could hail a cab, but

he was too excited to be outside and breathing in the fresh air.

“Robert Bar told me when your court appearance was scheduled for. I’ve been here for three

hours.”

He frowned. “When the hell did you talk to Robert Bar?”
She sighed and crossed her arms. “A lot’s happened while you were in there, you know. Mark

came up to me after you were arrested.”

Simon straightened, fists clenched. “What did he say to you? Are you okay?”
She raised a brow. “I’m fine. But he’s got it out for you. For us, I suppose. He was just gloating

over his victory. But enough about him winning. Let’s talk about the plan.”

“The plan?”
She grinned up at him. “Please. You’ve been locked away for the entire weekend. I know you

thought of something.”

“I thought that you’d be better off far away from me.”
She crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Bullshit. That’s what you thought Friday. But I’m sure

you’ve had time to consider the error of your ways.”

He frowned. Every time he convinced himself she’d be safer away from him, he was struck with

the utter emptiness of facing a future without her. But his inconvenient emotions didn’t change the
facts. “No. As normal, I was right to begin with. DuFord won’t leave you alone if you’re hanging
around me.”

“That’s why we’re going to get him. You say the word and we’ll get to work making sure the son

of a bitch ends up behind bars.”

He slipped his jacket on and looked for any cabs headed down the street. This conversation

needed to end.

Grace slid in front of him. “Come on,” she said. “Look me in the eye and say you don’t have a

plan.”

He clenched his jaw as he met her gaze. “I might have a few thoughts.”
“I knew it! Tell me everything.”
He sighed. “Why won’t you let this drop?”
She bit her bottom lip and looked to the ground. “We started this together. Let’s finish it.”
“You didn’t start anything.” He placed a hand on her arm. “I dragged you into this mess. You

were in a tight spot and I took advantage. You don’t owe me anything.”

“Damn it, Simon.” Serious blue eyes met his. “I like you. Is that so hard to believe? I don’t want

to see you in jail and I don’t want to see that fucking grin on Mark’s face ever again. Now why can’t
we be together while destroying him? Why does he have to win anything else? Now stop making me
talk about my feelings and tell me your damn plan.”

Simon grabbed her face in her hands and brought his lips to hers. Somehow she always brought

him back to earth. How could he ever think he could break up with Grace? She was absolutely right.
DuFord needed to lose, and she was ready and willing to take him on.

He pulled away from the kiss and stared down at Grace. “We go at him from a different angle.”
Grace blinked a few times. “Huh?”
“DuFord. I’ve been trying to bring him to justice and get him in prison for his crimes. But he’s

not scared of that. He has the connections, power, and smarts to get out of legal trouble.”

“So what do we do?” she asked.
“We take away his power.”
“His money…” breathed Grace. “You’re going to rob him?”
“I talked to my finance guy this weekend. DuFord made a shady deposit into an account he set up

under my name and that’s what landed me in trouble.”

Her eyes widened. “Can you prove it wasn’t you?”
“Probably.” He waved his hand. “My lawyers are working on it. But he uses money to control

people. He surrounds himself with people willing to take a bribe or look the other direction if they’re
getting something out of it. No one in his network is really loyal to him. All we need is one of those
pieces on our side.”

He saw the light in her eyes as she realized where he was going. “Karina.”
“We both saw her at DuFord’s party. She was miserable and could barely stand Daton. If she can

get us access into the bank’s files, maybe move a few things around, that’s all we need.”

Grace leaned away, but didn’t break free of Simon’s arms around her waist. “What if she gets

caught?”

“As long as Daton is her immediate supervisor, she’s in trouble. All we have to do is get her to

do us a favor. I can guarantee her a better job with one of my clients, but she’s the key.”

Grace took a deep breath as a smile formed across her face. “Okay. So let’s rob the con man.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Grace answered the call as soon as she saw it was Simon on the caller ID. “Did everything go

okay?”

“Karina’s in. She said she’d make the changes to his account within the hour.”
Grace straightened in her chair and looked out her office window. “That’s great.”
A grunt sounded over the line. “Quicker than I was expecting.”
“I think she wanted to get it over with,” said Grace. “I got the vibe she kind of wanted to screw

Mark over, but that could be the guilty side of me convincing myself I’m not ruining her life.”

“Don’t think that,” insisted Simon. “My lawyer is the best in the business. He already thinks my

charges will be dropped by next week, and if anything happens to Karina, we’ll take care of her.
Okay?”

She paused for a moment. “Okay,” she finally agreed. “I trust you. So what do we do while we

wait?”

“Be careful,” he said. “I’ll see if the PI who’s helping me with Victoria can tail Mark for a bit

until this all blows over.”

Grace rubbed at her temples as she pulled her gaze from the window. “When do you think that

will be?”

“Soon. I think this thing with Karina is really going to push him to the edge. I think he’ll start

making mistakes.”

Andre appeared in her open office doorway and Grace held up a finger, signaling that she’d be

right with him. “I hope you’re right,” she muttered into the phone. “Hey, Andre just walked in, so I’ll
have to get back to you, okay?”

“I’ll let you know if anything develops. Call me when you’re ready to go home and I’ll pick you

up.”

She smiled at the offer, comforted by the idea of him walking her out. And home. And to her

bedroom. “Will do. Talk to you later.”

She hung up the phone and looked up to Andre. The poor guy appeared exhausted. Between the

Summer Blowout and the last-minute event for Victoria Green, her formerly floundering client list had
begun to expand, and Andre was doing a great job at meeting with and signing new clients.

“Are you hanging in there?” he asked, a gentle smile on his face.
She tried her best to push aside any sign of worry. “Yep. Just adding up all the new business we

have and planning my next vacation.”

His eyes widened. “What? You take a day off work? So you’re telling me that hell froze over and

I missed it?”

“Ha-ha,” she said dryly. “I take plenty of days off.”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “But day off and vacation are two different things.”
She pushed her laptop a few inches away from her and looked up at Andre, trying to hold back a

grin. “Well, I guess that’s because I’ve never had a vice president of operations to help me out

before.”

He stared blankly. “Whoa, who’s the new vice president?”
“You, silly!”
His eyes widened as a huge grin covered his face. “Seriously? When did this happen?”
“It happened when you were being awesome. You stuck by me when it looked like our doors

were about to close. You dressed in drag to lure reporters away. It happened when you were handling
clients like a pro and showing those vendors who’s boss. I can’t think of anyone who deserves a
promotion more than you. Now get out of here and go celebrate.”

He let out a laugh. “So does this mean I can boss around the temp?”
“Leave Jennifer alone! I have her working on my stuff for at least the next two months. We should

have another one coming in a few days though.”

“So I can boss that one around?” he asked hopefully.
“Yep. That one is yours to boss around. Within reason, of course.”
He held up his hands. “Of course.”
She rolled her eyes. “Get out of here before I change my mind, Andre.”
“You and I are doing drinks soon, though. This celebration entails me getting you drunk with all

the extra money I’m making.”

She raised a brow. “What makes you think I’m paying you more?”
Andre’s face fell.
“Kidding! Fifteen percent more, okay?”
He pointed a finger at her. “You’re getting drunk. I will see to it.”
“Mmm hmm,” she muttered. “We’ll see.” Tipsy she could deal with, but Grace couldn’t even

remember the last time she’d been full-on drunk. Maybe Simon could come with… “Go home. We’ll
talk about your increased responsibilities tomorrow.”

He snorted even as he turned to leave. “Please.” He walked away. “You and I both know I’m the

only thing that keeps this place running.”

“Keep telling yourself that!” she called, but she heard the door to the office close midway

through the sentence. He always did have to have the last word.

Jennifer probably thought she and Andre were insane. As long as she did her job right, Grace

didn’t care what Jennifer thought of her. She glanced to the clock at the bottom of her computer
screen. Five thirty. Jennifer was there until six, so she could get a solid half an hour of work in.

She’d only just pulled up her budget for the international company retreat she’d been booked for

when her phone rang. She let it ring for a second time. It couldn’t be Andre because he’d call her cell.
“This is Grace Bell,” she answered.

“Grace, this is Jared. There’s a man down here who claims he’s a client of yours, but since it’s

after five, I have to call before I let him go up.”

Crap. As far as she knew, she wasn’t expecting anyone. “Did he give a name?”
“His ID says Dennis Cliff. Sound familiar?”
She sat up straighter. What was Dennis Cliff doing downstairs? She only did the Summer

Blowout with his company. “Send him up,” she muttered. Clients dropping by out of the blue were
never a good thing in her experience. It normally involved some sort of complaint.

She ran her fingers through her hair and pushed away from the desk. “Jennifer,” she called.
The pretty brunette was immediately at the doorway. “Is everything okay?”

“I think so,” said Grace. “A client of mine is on his way up. I have no idea why he’s here, so

there’s a chance he’s going to tell me I’m amazing and a chance he’s going to tell me off. I thought you
should have some warning.”

Her brow furrowed. “Do you think we should call someone?”
Grace shook her head. “No. I mean, probably not.” She hoped not. She’d never once felt

threatened in her own office. Besides, she wasn’t exactly alone.

The bell rang to signal someone was in the hallway. Grace moved to open the door, but Jennifer

waved her aside. “I’ve got this one, Ms. Bell.”

She started to disagree, but stopped herself. She supposed that was what Jennifer was there for,

so she’d let her help. As soon as the door was open, Grace’s mouth went dry. “Mark, what are you
doing here?”

He pushed past Jennifer and glared at Grace’s office. The scorn practically dripped off him. “I

think it’s time we talk.”

Jennifer looked between Grace and Mark. “Is something wrong?”
Before Grace could speak, Mark turned his full attention to Jennifer. “Who the fuck are you?”
“She’s a temp,” blurted out Grace, trying her best to make Jennifer seem as insignificant as

possible. She didn’t think Mark was there to hurt her, but she was the first to admit that Mark wasn’t
the man she knew a year ago. He’d more than likely waited until he saw Andre leave before he came
up. Under a false name. Didn’t Jared say he’d looked at the ID?

Grace took a step back. “I think you should leave, Mark.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you give me back my money.” He took a step closer.
“Back off, buddy,” called Jennifer, but Grace held a hand up.
She stood her ground and tried to keep her voice calm. “Mark, I don’t know what you’re talking

about. I didn’t take anything from you.”

“Don’t lie to me!” he screamed.
Grace flinched, but didn’t move back. She met Jennifer’s eyes over his shoulder and the woman

gave a slight nod as she reached into her back pocket.

“What the hell are you two doing?” He twisted around to glare at Jennifer, and Grace glanced to

her office where her own phone sat on her desk. He didn’t seem as if he were armed, but he also
didn’t seem stable. She could probably push him over while Jennifer opened the door and they could
both make a run for it, but Mark had a good sixty pounds on her, most of it muscle. Jennifer looked
rather fit, but she didn’t want to get the woman hurt.

“Come on, Mark. You said it yourself. I’m a party planner. How would I have stolen anything

from you?”

He clenched his jaw and she could see a vein throb in his forehead. “You and West cleaned out

all my accounts.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do that! You need signatures and approvals for moving that kind of

money.”

“You faked them, you bitch! I’ve been doing it for years! Get someone to copy my signature and

get an inside guy at the bank. I know you helped West—now give me my money!”

She kept her expression as clueless as possible. If Mark thought she was a bimbo, she would

play the part. “Simon has more money than he knows what to do with. Why would he steal anything
from you?”

“He’s getting back at me, you moron! He knows I’m the one who set him up and he’s trying to

make me pay!”

Grace took a step back as Mark screamed louder and louder. Jennifer now had her phone out and

was punching in numbers. She needed to keep Mark’s focus on her. “You put that money in his
account? Why?”

Mark rolled his eyes and groaned. “I was setting him up! He was sniffing around my banker and

my forger.”

Jennifer gave a slight nod to let Grace know help was on the way. The phone was still in her

hand, and Grace took a leap of faith that it was still on. “Forger? What would you be doing with a
forger?”

Mark snapped. “You stupid bitch. You never knew a damn thing about money, did you? He’s

trying to prove that I invested overseas. That I faked it all. But he’s not going to get a chance. Now
you go back to your little sugar daddy, and I want you to tell him that if even one cop knocks on my
door, I’m going to make sure your pretty face pays. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” she said softly.
“And my money better be back in my accounts by tonight, or I swear you’ll never see lover boy

again.”

She nodded. “Please, leave. I promise I’ll talk to Simon tonight. Just don’t hurt us, okay?” The

gentle words burned in her throat. It took every ounce of sense she had to stop from screaming at
Mark just what a lowlife he was. But the babying was exactly what he seemed to need as he relaxed
and looked much less likely to punch her at any given moment.

Right as she thought she was in the clear, the door to her office slammed open. “Grace!” called

Simon.

A rush of relief and terror shot through Grace. She’d been so close to getting Mark to leave.
“Of course you’d show up here,” sneered Mark.

~~~~~

Simon took in the situation as quickly as possible. Grace stood toward the back of the entryway,

just a few steps away from her office, her face pale as a ghost. A woman who looked vaguely familiar
was about a foot from the door, but she didn’t seem too fazed by the events around her.

DuFord looked as though he’d seen better days. His usual charming veneer had slipped away,

and in its place was someone on the edge of losing it. As long as he didn’t lose it anywhere near
Grace, Simon could deal with that crazy. This was too close for comfort.

“Mark, what are you doing here?” he asked calmly.
“Why does everyone keep asking me that? I want my money back, West, and I want it now.”
Simon once again glanced between the strange woman and Grace. “Why don’t we let them go and

then we can start talking business together?”

Mark reached behind his back, and the shock of fear that marred Grace’s features told Simon

about the gun before Mark ever pointed it at him. “I’m not fucking around here. Now I want you to get
me my money back. What do you need to do? Call a guy? Get on a computer? I don’t care, but you
better do it now.”

Despite the crazed look in his eyes, the gun was steady in Mark’s hand. Between him, Grace, and

the other woman, they outnumbered Mark three to one, but any chance of overpowering him was out
the window.

Simon held up his hands. “I’ll do whatever you want, okay? Just put the gun down.”
Mark turned the gun on Grace, and Simon felt his blood run cold. No. Whatever he did, he had to

make sure he got Grace out. “I said I’d help you!” he shouted.

A wicked smile tugged at Mark’s lips. “Grace, grab your computer. If you’re not back here in

five seconds, I’m shooting sugar daddy in the leg.”

“I’m getting the laptop!” she blurted out as she backed away, keeping an eye on the gun at all

times.

As calm as he tried to stay, his heartbeat kicked up a notch for the few seconds Grace was out of

sight. This could be his only chance. If he tackled Mark right this second, Grace might be out of the
line of fire.

But the door was wide open. As long as there was even a one percent chance of her getting shot,

it was too much. His best chance was to give DuFord exactly what he was asking for and deal with
him once Grace wasn’t in the crossfire.

Grace emerged with her laptop, and Simon’s eyes were fixated on the gun that followed her

every move.

She stopped as she got closer to Mark. “Where do you want it?” Her words were nice enough,

but Simon saw the venom in her eyes.

Stay calm, he tried to mentally tell her. Keep your cool and we’ll get out of this.
“Put it over there.” Mark motioned with the gun to the desk next to the other woman.
Simon quickly glanced at the brunette. Who the hell was she? Why didn’t she seem scared?
Grace obediently set the laptop down and Simon turned back to the immediate threat. “It’s going

to take me a minute to log in.”

“Just get it done, West.” Mark moved to stand behind Simon.
It went against everything in him to not look at the enemy, but Simon focused on the task at hand.

He pulled up the bank website and pushed the laptop to the side, away from the girls. “I can transfer
the money, but I need you to log in for me to transfer it over.”

“Bullshit. You have my password already,” DuFord muttered.
Simon took a breath and turned to look DuFord squarely in the eye. “The fastest way to transfer

money these days is online. Did you need Internet passwords when you stole money?”

DuFord’s lip curled up, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he elbowed Simon to the side.
Simon made eye contact with Grace. Her eyes widened, but he didn’t have time to argue. The

brunette gave him a subtle nod of understanding, and he turned back to Mark. He held the gun in his
left hand, the side closest to Simon and the women, so he had to type one-handed. And if Simon was
right, at least one letter would need the shift key.

As soon as DuFord’s focus shifted fully to typing, the hand holding the gun relaxed and Simon

lunged forward. He made the gun hand his first priority and slammed it into the corner of the desk.
The gun clattered to the floor as DuFord slammed his fist into Simon’s face. Even as he stumbled
back a step, Simon made sure the gun was out of DuFord’s reach before he lunged again, this time
swinging for DuFord’s throat.

His punch landed right on target, and DuFord coughed for air. Out of the corner of his eye, Simon

saw the brunette. Shit. They were supposed to slip out the door just inches away from them.

But he stopped being angry when he saw the gun in her hand. “Both of you slowly back away,”

she said calmly.

Simon met DuFord’s gaze, but the other man seemed just as confused as he was. But at least

DuFord seemed to have a healthy fear of the gun pointed at him.

Simon eased away. “Who are you?”
A movement caught his eye, and he saw Grace in the doorway. “Call the police,” he called to her.
“No need,” said the brunette. “Jennifer Harley, NYPD. I was sent here to watch Ms. Bell.”
Grace’s jaw dropped. “You’re a cop? Why didn’t I…oh.”
Everything clicked for Simon about the same time. “You were here to find out about me,” he said.
Jennifer tightened her lips. “The district attorney wanted a better case since he knew your legal

counsel would be top of the line. This wasn’t quite what I was expecting.” She glared at DuFord.

“You’re a cop?” he asked with a not so subtle note of disbelief. “This is entrapment. You lured

me here and that woman made me do this!”

Jennifer raised a brow and for the first time that week, a wave of true relief washed over Simon.

DuFord had finally dug himself a hole there was no getting out of.

But DuFord wasn’t done trying to talk his way out. “It’s him you should be arresting! He’s a

common criminal. He emptied my bank accounts without breaking a sweat. Who knows how many
others he’s ripped off! This man is dangerous and needs to be stopped.”

The cop glanced to the computer and back at Mark. “They don’t look empty to me. Unless you

think ten million is empty. In which case, I don’t feel bad for you.”

DuFord’s eyes went wide and he shook his head side to side. “No…That’s not true! They stole

my money!”

Grace took a step forward. “I told you over and over. Simon and I didn’t take anything from you.”
Simon did his best to hide his grin. Karina had come through for them. She put her neck and job

on the line to make DuFord think he’d been the one ripped off for once.

Unable to stop himself any longer, Simon ran to Grace, picked her up with the force of his hug,

and buried his face in her hair. “I was so worried about you,” he breathed.

“Me?” she squealed, leaning back. “He was just about to leave when you barged in here! I had

everything under control.”

Jennifer cleared her throat. “Actually, I had everything under control. Seeing as how I had the gun

and called the police.”

“The police will back me up!” yelled DuFord.
“Yeah?” asked Simon. “I’ll take that bet. All those people you’ve had in your pocket for so long

won’t be willing to be dragged into your mess. The second you get paraded into that police station in
handcuffs, all the influence you had in this city is going to disappear.” After what DuFord had done in
front of an officer, there was no digging out of this hole. For once, he would pay for his crimes and
Simon could finally move on.

“I need wine,” muttered Grace. “And a bath. And chocolate. And two days of solid sleep.” She

looked up at him. “What do you think?”

He grinned down at her. “As long as you have all those things with me.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Karina set down her empty coffee mug. “I really should be going.”
Grace stood and shook her head. “You can’t go! You just got here. What’s the point of being

unemployed if you can’t hang out with friends as long as you want?”

“Don’t call it that!” Karina grinned. “It’s a sabbatical. Collecting my thoughts and figuring out

what I want to do.”

Grace tightened her lips, fighting the rush of guilt that raced through her.
“Don’t look like that!” yelled Karina. “I quit, remember? It was a bad job and Daton was a dick.

When I’m ready to get back to it, you and Simon will be the first ones I call.”

Grace narrowed her eyes. “Promise?”
“Promise.” Karina picked up her purse.
“If you need to stay here while you get back on your feet, that’s fine,” insisted Grace.
But Karina was already at the door. “Tell you what. I did you a favor. A big, massive, I could’ve

been fired if anyone found out favor. So I’m going to go and enjoy my trip. But when I come back, I’ll
make you repay the favor.”

“Call me if you need anything. I’m great at getting upgrades,” added Grace weakly as Karina

waved goodbye and walked down the hallway. Before Grace could close the door, the elevators
opened and Princess emerged, Simon close behind.

Her heart kicked up a notch as he came closer, and she tried not to grin. They’d officially been

living together for two weeks. Really, she should be getting sick of him by now.

But no. Every time he was anywhere close to her, her body decided to act like a sixteen-year-old

girl seeing the star quarterback for the first time ever.

He looked up and smiled at her, and Grace mentally calculated how quickly she could get him

into the bedroom.

“Hey,” she said as he and Princess crossed into the apartment.
He expertly unhooked the leash and tossed the dog a treat before she trotted off to her water dish.

“Hey yourself,” he said. “How’s Karina doing?”

Grace leaned against the counter. “Suspiciously well. She says we owe her a favor.”
Simon raised a brow. “Favor? That’s never good.”
He inched closer and her gaze raked over his body. The man really did wear a T-shirt well.

“Could be worse,” she said as he got close enough for her to feel his heat. After the jog with Princess,
he’d probably need a shower. She bit her lip at the thought of joining him.

“Is that right?” he asked softly. “Now that I think if it, I just walked your dog for you. That earns

me a favor, right?”

The corner of her mouth hooked up and she tried to look skeptical. “That depends. What kind of

favor?”

In a quick motion, Simon picked up Grace and set her on the edge of the counter, sliding between

her legs. “I was thinking something involving you being naked. And maybe on your knees,” he said,

wicked glint in eyes.

Grace let out a laugh. “That’s a lot to swallow. I might need some more convincing.” She bent

forward, pressing her mouth against his.

His hands cupped her face as he deepened the kiss, tongue sneaking in to tease hers. “Then I

guess I’ll just have to convince you.”

~~THE END~~

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Thank you for reading Teasing The Boss.

Did you enjoy this book? Tell your friends on your favorite online book site or leave a review on

your favorite online bookseller. I appreciate your feedback.

Have you checked out the other books in the Billionaires in the City series?

Make sure to take a look at Tempting The Boss to see Dean and Victoria’s story!

As the CEO of a multi-billion dollar retail chain, Victoria Green isn’t used to asking for help,

especially not from too attractive for their own good repairmen like Dean Carey. After Victoria is
attacked at her own party and Dean fights off the culprit, she’s forced to tell him her secret: Victoria’s
father is on his deathbed, and her brother, who nearly ran the company into the ground, might be
willing to do anything to make sure controlling interest goes to him.

Dean wants nothing to do with the ice princess CEO, even if he can’t keep his eyes off certain…

assets of hers. He’s got enough on his plate between trying to get enough work to pay the bills and
raising his little sister who’s growing up much too fast for his liking. Despite his misgivings, when
Victoria offers him a blank check if he will keep his mouth shut about what he saw and shadow her
until she can hire a more qualified bodyguard, he can’t bring himself to turn down that kind of cash.

Over the next few days, Dean learns Victoria isn’t as cold as he first thought and Victoria

realizes that Dean is so much more than a handyman. But someone wants her dead and if they don’t
figure out who and stop them, they might never get their happily ever after.

See an excerpt on the next page….

Tempting The Boss

(A sneak peek at book 3 in the Billionaires in the City series)

Dean cursed under his breath as the screw dropped from his hands, clattering onto the tile twenty

feet below him. What kind of idiot designed a light that needed screws to change a damn bulb?

He hoped the small ping of the metal hitting the ground wouldn’t attract much attention, but

Victoria Green’s head whipped around to stare disdainfully at where the screw rolled to a stop.

“Shit,” he muttered as he descended down the ladder, two steps at a time. Even so, he had no

chance of beating the CEO to the offending piece of metal.

She narrowed her gaze at him as she picked it up off the floor, and he stopped in his tracks.
“What is this?” she asked, holding the screw in front of her.
Dean glanced over his shoulder, hoping Grace would pop in to save him from whatever hell was

about to be unleashed. “It slipped out of my hands,” he said, squaring his shoulders as he stared her
down. I would’ve picked it up.

Victoria tilted her head and glared up at him. Even in her three inch heels, Dean towered over

her, but she didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed. “This is an employee appreciation dinner. I don’t think
my employees will feel very appreciated if they have to dodge nuts and bolts on the dance floor, do
you?”

He gritted his teeth. “It’s not a nut or a bolt, it’s a—“
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t take this. Where’s Grace?”
Dean took a deep, calming breath. Shit. He really didn’t want Grace pissed at him. The work she

gave him wasn’t too steady, but she paid well and he normally got some pretty amazing food out of it.
“Last I saw, she was going into the kitchen with the caterer.”

“Thank you,” she said with obviously false sincerity, before sauntering away.
Don’t look at her ass. Don’t you dare look… Dean couldn’t help his gaze from following the

sway of her hips as she crossed the large hall.

Not exactly what he pictured when he thought of the CEO of a nationwide hardware retail store.

Especially not one named Green & Sons. Rumor had it that her brother was so incompetent when it
came to running the company that he was forced out by his sister, Victoria. It wasn’t really surprising
that the tabloids were a fan of hers. She was smokin’ hot and surrounded by family drama.

At least that Grace had told him in the quick debrief before the job. He didn’t need to read

tabloids. He had enough family drama of his own back home. Pocketing the errant screw, he climbed
back up the ladder. He just needed to get this job done and go the rest of the night without pissing off
the richest person in the room.

*End of sneak peek*

Document Outline

Title Page
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Tempting The Boss

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