Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Simon shook his head. He’d been absorbed in his own conversation, discussing market trends and emerging technologies with an intensity that bordered on passion. That was where he excelled. Once the small talk was over, once he could dive into substance, he became magnetic. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about business, the confident authority in his voice. I’d never found finance particularly fascinating before, but Simon made it compelling.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said quietly.
The words hit me somewhere deep in my chest. My teeth caught my bottom lip as warmth flooded through me. Not just physical attraction this time, but something softer. More dangerous.
Before I could respond, another businessman approached, eager for Simon’s attention, and the moment passed. Probably for the best. He didn’t need to see what his words had done to me.
The music cut off, and a woman’s voice rang out over the crowd. I looked toward the stage, where a figure in a sparkly silver gown stood at a microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please take your seats, dinner is ready to be served.”
Simon excused himself from his conversation and to my surprise he held his arm out to me. Giving him a smile, I slipped my hand through his crooked elbow. Heat radiated through the fine wool of his tuxedo jacket, and a strange sense of rightness settled over me. For one impossible moment, surrounded by crystal chandeliers and elegantly dressed strangers, it felt as though I belonged exactly where I was—at Simon’s side.
The thought caught me completely off guard.
This wasn’t real. It was one dinner. One business event. I was here because Alexander Spencer preferred getting to know the people he worked with, and Simon needed an assistant who could help him navigate the evening. That was all this was.
So why was I letting it feel like more?
Maybe it was the way he’d instinctively offered me his arm or the quiet confidence with which he guided me through the ballroom, making me feel included instead of invisible. Or maybe it was the man I’d been discovering over the past three weeks now, the one hidden beneath the gruff exterior. The one who worked harder than anyone I’d ever met because failure simply wasn’t an option. The man who thanked me when I anticipated what he needed, even if the words seemed unfamiliar on his tongue.
Somewhere along the way, I’d stopped seeing him as an impossible, demanding boss. I’d started seeing Simon, and that realization should have terrified me.
Instead, it filled me with a quiet warmth that spread through my chest, leaving me hopelessly confused. I knew better than to blur the lines between boss and assistant. Nothing good could come from developing feelings for the man who signed my paychecks.
It didn’t matter how many times I reminded myself of that. Every day, those lines seemed to blur a little more for me and tonight was no exception.
The tables had small white place cards at each setting, names embossed in elegant gold lettering. I had no idea where we were supposed to sit, but Simon led us to a table near the dance floor.
As we approached, I felt him tense, his arm going rigid beneath my hand. When I glanced at his face, a muscle flexed in his jaw, his eyes narrowed on a man already seated at our table.
“What is it?” I asked softly.
“Nothing,” he ground out between clenched teeth.
It was clearly something, but before I could press the issue we’d arrived at the table.
The man who’d triggered Simon’s reaction sat across from where we stood, thinning brown hair slicked back from a face that wore a knowing smirk. Whatever history existed between them, he was clearly aware of the effect he was having on Simon.
“Simon, my man.” His voice oozed false warmth. “It’s been too long.” His gaze slid to me, his smile widening. There was something slimy about it, and I had the thought that this was what a snake would look like if it could smile, right before it sunk its teeth in deep. “And who is your beautiful friend?”
The compliment landed nothing like Simon’s had. Where Simon’s simple “nice” had sent warmth cascading through me, this man’s words made my skin crawl.
“This is Raina Seager,” Simon said in a flat tone.
To my confusion, recognition sparked in the man’s eyes. “Ah, Raina Seager. You must be Kurt’s little sister.”
“Yes,” I said slowly, unease prickling along my spine. “You know my brother?”
“From a long time ago. I’m Chuck Collins.”
I jolted in surprise at hearing his name, which I hadn’t heard in a long time. Years ago, back when I was still in my early years of college, Kurt had started an athletic wear company with two partners. One was Simon. The other was a man named Chuck Collins. I’d been consumed with my own life at the time, and building a business had devoured most of Kurt’s attention, so I’d never actually met his partners.