The next day, while she stood in front of her open closet, it was hard for Heather to not feel like she was in big trouble. She had never just shown up to a superior’s house for no good reason and she was scanning her closet for the right outfit to wear.

“Heather, you’ll look beautiful in anything,” Simon said, the exasperation in his voice evident.

He had shown up to her house half an hour ago to pick her up but she hadn’t been satisfied with what she was wearing, so she had taken off her outfit and tried on a bunch of other outfits.

“I don’t want to just look beautiful, I want to look appropriate,” she said. “Can’t you give me any more information about whatever this is?”

“Believe me, I tried to get more details out of Agnes, but she spent most of our conversation going over stock market details,” he explained. “Then she asked about how you were settling in to your new position, which led to her asking about Gary and the court hearing.”

“That’s it?” Heather demanded.

Simon crossed the room to stand behind her and slide his strong arms around her waist. She was wearing nothing but her underwear, while he was fully clothed. Something about that exited her. Made her shiver against his hard body. It would be so easy to melt into his arms right now and forget about everything. Forget about Gary, forget about the disastrous court hearing, forget about whatever was going on at work.

“That’s it,” he breathed into her ear, his warm breath caressing her.

She tilted her head back to look up at him and plant a quick kiss on his lips. “We’re going to be late.”

“I showed up here early, remember? You’re the one taking forever to get dressed,” he chided.

“Do you have a problem with how long I’m taking to get dressed?” she asked, turning around to face him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her lips to his again. The kiss was slow, almost lazy as he took his time prying her lips open with his tongue. As he slid his tongue over hers her entire body quivered, desperate for more.

When he pulled back to look at her, disappointment replaced her arousal. “I definitely don’t have a problem with it, trust me. But if we don’t leave within the next five minutes we’re going to be late. And I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep a board member waiting.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea to keep me waiting?” she asked.

His huge hands splayed across the small of her back and he pressed his forehead to hers, groaning in response. “You have no idea how difficult it is for me to say no to you. But what kind of boss would I be if I let you get in trouble with the board?”

She bit her lip and slipped out of his embrace. “Good point. I guess I’m just nervous about today. It’s weird to be invited to a board member’s house like this, right?”

“It doesn’t happen often, but Agnes has basically taken over from Everett. His arrest blindsided her and she’s had to adjust pretty fast,” he reminded her. “She has to solidify her new position and she’s probably making as many alliances as she can.”

“But I’m not important enough for her to need an alliance with me,” Heather said.

“You’re important to me,” he said. “Which means you’re important. And I suspect that Agnes knows this.” He paused. “Look, I know you’re worried, but I’ll be there with you. Agnes has a lot of power, but I’m the CEO. Even if Gary might have gotten to her somehow, I’m in charge—and believe me, Agnes knows that.”

His words calmed her down somewhat, and after finally settling on an elegantly casual skirt and blouse she got into Simon’s car.

They pulled up to Agnes’ house and Simon helped her out of the car. The house was a gorgeous two-story surrounded by well-tended trees and shrubbery. Agnes opened the door to greet them and led them to the tastefully decorated living room that was decorated out in cream, beige, and gold tones.

Agnes motioned for them to sit on the large sofa, while she reached for the teapot on the coffee table and started pouring the tea into three cups.

“My husband sends his regards, but he can’t be here with us this afternoon,” Agnes said, taking her seat in an empty armchair. “He was friends with Everett, and is just beside himself with guilt. I think many of us are still grappling with the fact that we couldn’t see Everett for what he really was. He fooled us all so well.”

“How are things going for Everett?” Simon asked.

“Oh, he’s been trying all sorts of schemes to get out of jail,” Agnes replied before taking a sip of her tea. “First he tried to get out of jail and into a house arrest-type situation. Since that hasn’t worked, he seems to be co-operating with the police. For now, anyway.”

“Do you think he’ll take a plea deal?” he asked. “That might reduce his sentence.”

“It might,” Agnes said. “We’ve got to look to the future now, no matter what happens. Which is why I invited you both here.”

“Thank you for inviting us.” Heather shifted in her seat awkwardly, still unsure of herself. Simon was wealthy, but it had always been easy to be around him. He was down-to-earth, and his wealth hadn’t changed him all that much over years. Agnes, on the other hand, seemed like the type of wealthy person who inadvertently made guests uncomfortable simply with her brusque manner.

“Thank you for coming,” Agnes replied. “I invited you here because, as you might have guessed, I will be taking over Everett’s position.”

“Oh, I see,” Heather murmured though, truth be told, she still didn’t quite see at all.

“I’m trying to get to know the staff at Dover,” Agnes said. “Reintroduce myself, now that I’ll be steering the board.”

Heather bit her lip. “Do you often invite assistants to your home?”

Agnes exchanged a glance with Simon. “Watch out for this one. She seems naïve but she’s a quick study, isn’t she?” Agnes gave Heather a tiny smile and set her teacup down. “You’re right, Ms. Hall, it is unusual for me to reintroduce myself to the administrative side of the staff in this way, but I see a bright future ahead of you. After all, you managed to beat Everett at his own schemes and you hung on to your job. I want to get to know the woman who pulled that off.”

Heather didn’t know what to do with the unexpected praise. Mostly because she suspected that Agnes had ulterior motives. There was no way they had been summoned all this way just for Agnes to give her a pat on the back. “Is that the only reason we’re here? Because Simon said you brought up my ex-husband in your conversation yesterday.”

Agnes grimaced and cleared her throat. “I brought up your ex-husband because I’m worried that he might be difficult to control. I got a call from his lawyer yesterday.”

“What was the call about?” Heather’s stomach tightened in apprehension.

“His lawyer was trying to convince me to speak against you at your next court hearing.” Agnes started fidgeting in her chair. “He wants me to be a witness for your ex-husband. The lawyer practically begged me to speak against you in court.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that over the phone?” Simon asked.

“Because I had to go over it with my lawyer first,” Agnes said. “So far, it doesn’t look like I have to legally testify, but I was so disturbed by it that I had to discuss things further with my own lawyer before speaking to you today.”

“Do you think Gary’s lawyer reached out to other people at Dover?” Simon asked.

“That’s what I was going to ask,” Heather said. “Should I be worried?”

Agnes sighed. “I haven’t heard anything like that, but it is a possibility. The staff at Dover still hasn’t quite come around to you, Heather.”

She sighed heavily, her entire body tightening with tension. After her affair with Simon made headlines in the local press, the staff at Dover started pulling away from her. They weren’t cruel or anything of the sort, but she had definitely felt their cold stares and seen them whispering to each other when she entered a room. If Gary’s lawyer reached out to some of the staff, there was a chance they might have already gotten witnesses to speak out against her.

“I can’t prevent people from talking to Gary or his lawyer,” she said.

Simon reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “There’s got to be something we can do.”

“There is,” Agnes said. “If Ms. Hall does her job as well as I think she will, that would do a lot to quell any remaining doubts. The staff has always been fair, and I think they’ll respond favorably to Heather’s professionalism.”

“What do you mean if?” Simon asked. “It’s obvious that Heather is a good employee.”

“I’m glad you know that, Simon, but why haven’t you spoken to the press yet?” Agnes fired back. “I seem to remember telling you how the board felt about your hostile relationship with the media.”

Simon scowled in response. “That isn’t Heather’s fault—”

“Which means it’s your fault,” Agnes said, cutting him off sharply. “We gave Ms. Hall this new position because she has a lot of media savvy. Ms. Hall, why hasn’t he reached out to the media yet?”

Heather crossed her arms, hesitant to throw him under the bus. “Well, Simon has been...”

“Difficult? Hardheaded? Obstinate?” Agnes asked frostily. “Yes, I’m well aware. That’s why you were given the job. You seem to be the only person who can get to him, and I suggest you work whatever magic you have. The board is counting on both of you to repair the company’s image in the wake of Everett’s arrest. I know you don’t like the media, Simon, but we were badly damaged by the arrest. Everyone has to pull their weight, including you.”

“Are you done?” Simon muttered.

“I haven’t even started,” Agnes said. “As far as I can tell, this is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Simon, if you repair your image with the media you’ll be protecting Dover, and the goodwill might extend to the staff. The staff that Ms. Hall needs to keep quiet if she has any hope of defeating her ex-husband. I might have told her ex-husband to take a hike, but there’s enough resentment at Dover for me to worry that someone might speak out against Ms. Hall in a courtroom.”

Simon didn’t respond. Instead he crossed his arms to glare at Agnes.

Everyone knew how much he despised the media, so clearly he must have felt like Agnes had just ambushed them.

“Thank you for telling me all this, Agnes,” Heather said carefully. “You didn’t have to warn me about what Gary was up to, and I appreciate it.”

“Of course. Despite all that’s happened, I will always remain loyal to Dover and its staff,” Agnes said. “I could never speak out against you in court or anywhere else. Now, it’s up to you show your loyalty in return.”

~~*~~

“THIS IS RIDICULOUS!” Simon paced up and down Heather’s kitchen, holding a glass of vodka. After the meeting with Agnes they had returned to Heather’s place, and he had been so irritated that he’d demanded alcohol. So far he hadn’t drank the stuff, because the beginning of one of his famous headaches was starting to made his temples throb.

“No, it isn’t,” Heather insisted from her place at the kitchen island. She was eating leftover pizza, that familiar look of determination on her face. Usually Simon loved that look. That look made a fire blaze in her stunning golden eyes. Set her lush lips into a firm line. And that slight blush in her cheeks always made the desire rush in his veins. Right now, though, that look was making him dread what she was about to say next.

“You need to reach out to the media, and I have some ideas on how you can do that,” she continued.

“I’ll bet you do,” he muttered.

She narrowed her eyes. “This isn’t up for debate. You will be working more closely with the media.”

“Look, I know you think this will get the staff to be more loyal to you, but I could get them to do that,” he said. “I’ll meet with the senior managers. Make it clear to them that Dover staff cannot make disparaging remarks about you on Gary’s behalf. Surely that will solve the problem.”

“Even if you did that I’d still want to earn their trust, loyalty, and respect,” she said. “I really appreciate all your help recently, but I’ve got to have my own accomplishments. Otherwise, anything I achieve will be because of my boyfriend’s help and not my own hard work.”

He sighed and held the cold glass of vodka to his forehead. “This is important to you, isn’t it? Beyond how this might affect your case with Gary.”

“Yes. I’ve got this amazing new position and you’re not letting me do my job, Simon,” she said. “I know that you hate the press, but you have the opportunity to redefine that relationship. Right now, you have the opportunity to change the media’s narrative about you. Call the shots.”

The media’s narrative had always aggravated him. At first they had treated him like some kind of eccentric recluse, coming up with all kinds of wild, outlandish stories after he had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in being in the media spotlight. After the scandal with Heather, the press had started to act like he was some billionaire playboy. Neither of those narratives was true. All he wanted to do was get his ideas out into the world to help people, but that had never gotten through.

“Taking back control sounds tempting, but the media always has a way of twisting things around,” he said.

“They’re already twisting things around with Everett’s arrest,” she pointed out. “We can change that narrative. Show them that Dover’s leadership is honest and genuine, and cares about the company. Right now the media is trying to act like everyone at Dover is a lying, scheming spy like Everett. We can change that.”

He paused for a moment to mull over her words. Simon set his glass down on the island. “Okay. Let me hear your ideas.”

“Does that mean you’ll actually hear me out?” she asked. “Or are you going to hear my ideas and then shoot them down the minute you hear them?”

“I can’t promise to agree to everything,” he said. “But I can see how important this is. Not just to Dover, but to you. Gary is trying to hurt you, and if this stops him from doing that—”

“Don’t do this because of Gary,” she said. “I know Agnes encouraged us to take a more active role with the media in order to win over the staff at Dover, but if we let my personal stuff affect work we’ll be making decisions based on fear. That’s the last thing Dover needs right now. I have to separate my professional life from my personal life as much as possible, even though Gary seems determined to destroy both.”

“Even while you’re working with your boyfriend?” he asked, unable to hide the skepticism in his voice.

“Especially while I’m working with my boyfriend.” She stood up, walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Without needing any prompting, he slipped his arms around her waist and held her. “Okay. I’m going to take some painkillers, and then you can hit me with all your ideas.”