That was putting things mildly when it came to Simon’s rigid personality.“And what did this one do to earn your disdain?”
“She forgot to pick up my dry cleaningandshe used the wrong version oftherein a company-wide memo.It was supposed to be t-h-e-r-e.Not t-h-e-i-r.”
I stared at him incredulously.“Seriously?You fired her over those two small grievances?Those are minor issues, and she only worked for you for a couple of weeks.”
“Forgetfulness and lack of attention to detail are issues that can snowball into a full-blown crises,” he said matter-of-factly.“I don’t have the time to double check every email and document because I can’t trust the person doing the work.I need an assistant that I can rely on to not make crucial mistakes.”
He said it with his typical no-nonsense certainty, but I could see the tightness around his mouth and knew exactly what he was referring to.
Last year, his assistant Olivia had screwed up badly.Missed a key deadline, misfiled critical documents, and cost us a major deal that made us look like amateurs in the industry, which we were not.Simon had never forgiven her…or himself.He’d taken the mistake personally, like her failure reflected directly on his abilities as a leader, and he’d never really gotten over that hit to his pride.
“Simon…” I exhaled, letting my tone soften just a fraction.“You need to let that go.”
He didn’t look at me or respond, choosing instead to focus his attention on adjusting the silverware on the table.
“Fine,” I said with a sigh, giving in.“I’ll tell Clara to help you out, but if your grumpy ass scares her off, I’ll be furious.”
Simon rolled his eyes and grunted, which I took to mean that he agreed to behave.
We finished our meal, or at least Simon devoured the rest of his pasta, and we parted ways, both of us heading home.It had been a long day and by the time I walked into my high-rise apartment, exhaustion dragged at me.
I settled on the couch, let my head fall back against the cushion and released a long breath, feeling as though everything in my life was about to change.My close proximity to Morgan was inevitable, and whether it complicated my life or not, I was ready to face the tension between us head on, instead of avoiding it.
Because the more I tried to deny the truth of what I had felt that night, the more some part of me pushed back.I was running out of ways to pretend those feelings for Morgan didn’t exist or matter.
However, what I should or would do about that realization was something I’d yet to figure out.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Morgan
Iwas anearly riser, which meant that I was one of the first to arrive at the office Monday morning.I liked the quiet before the chaos.It gave me time to settle in, go over my schedule, and organize everything that I needed for business meetings throughout the day.
As I stepped off the elevator, my mind was fully focused on work, until I saw that I wasn’t the first one here.As I headed to my office, I walked past the one right next to mine that had been empty for over a year.
The light was on, and I could hear someone moving around inside.Pausing in the doorway, I peeked inside and saw that it was Liam, setting up shop right next to where I worked every day.
He was moving the desk closer to the wall opposite the door.His suit jacket had been discarded, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up.His muscular forearms made my mouth water, as did the flex of his ass muscles while he shoved the large, heavy desk into place.
Of course he looked sexy and attractive at seven in the morning.And of course my body betrayed me before my brain could catch up.My stomach dipped, my chest tightened, and a rush of warmth spread through me so fast it threw me off kilter.
I replaced that traitorous attraction with annoyance.I knew he’d be based here at the office for the next few months, but I wasn’t expecting to see him so early his first day on the job.Having to deal with Liam as my first interaction of the morning didn’t thrill me, especially since we were the only ones here.
I lingered a moment too long, and Liam must have sensed my presence.He turned around and caught me watching him.
“Uh…hi,” I said, hating the breathless quality of my voice.Heat crept up my neck, because he’d definitely noticed me staring.“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I like to get an early start when it’s quiet,” he said, offering me a smile even as his gaze took in the outfit I’d worn today—tailored black slacks and a pink silk blouse with heels.“It gives me time to get my to-do list organized before the day begins.”
I hated that I understood what he meant.The last thing I wanted was to find some kind of common ground with him.He wassupposedto be nothing more than a professional obligation until the product launch, nothing more.
I cleared my throat and pointed vaguely behind me.“Well, my office is right next door.”I wasn’t sure why I even told him that.It came out sounding like an invitation, and that annoyed me even more.
“Morgan…I didn’t know you worked here,” he suddenly said before I could turn around and walk away, his gaze steady on mine.“When we negotiated the terms of the contract with your father, which was by email and phone, I had no idea you were a part of the company.”
We were getting dangerously close to discussing the night we’d spent together, but I had no desire to hash out our personal history.It was much safer to pretend it never happened, for the sake of working together and for my pride.
“I get that,” I replied, keeping my tone cool, dismissive even.“We’re just strangers, after all.”
