Simon

I was stewing. Lyle had been our forensic accountant for the last five years. He was out of Minneapolis, but traveled wherever and whenever we needed him. So why the hell wasn’t he here? Emma was nowhere to be found. My inability to ask her about the situation only worsened my mood.

But the fact I could hear every word between Peyton and Russ next door was the last straw. He was clearly flirting. She was being nice. Or hell, maybe she was interested in him. The thought left me unsettled.

Emma strolled in ten minutes later. “Hi. You’re back. How was your meeting with George this morning?”

I’d had to meet with him in order to ensure we ironed out the misconception that anyone would skip the interview process. Initially, he wasn’t happy with it, but I’d eased his mind by telling him I respected Peyton and would certainly take her recommendations to heart. Since I didn’t normally extend such a consideration, I’d already felt off kilter upon returning to my office. She was affecting me in an impenetrable place. At least it had been.

“Fine. Who the hell is that in there with Peyton, and where is Lyle?”

Emma arched a brow. “Lyle has bronchitis and can’t travel. Russ is from the Houston TW branch and comes recommended.”

“By whom?” I kept my voice low, knowing that if I could hear the voices in the conference room, then they could hear us, too.

“Lyle.”

“He’d better not be wasting her time.”

Emma smiled before shutting the door and taking my visitor’s chair. “Why don’t you tell me what this is actually about?”

“It’s about not being informed Lyle was unable to make it. Coming in and being caught off guard.”

“You have an email I sent to you this morning when I found out Lyle had a bug and wouldn’t be here.”

I hadn’t had a chance to check my email since leaving George’s house. “Fine.”

“Is it?”

At that moment, unmistakable laughter came from next door. “What in the hell is there to laugh about during a forensic audit?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Russ is cute. Peyton is a beautiful woman.”

I had to stop the growl starting to come from my chest.

She knew me well enough to call me on it. “So maybe that’s the problem?”

I could pretend it wasn’t, but I wouldn’t be fooling her, let alone myself. I let out a breath of frustration. I’d thought about Peyton all weekend. Our kiss, the hurt reflected on her face after I’d pulled away. “It’s an impossible situation.”

Emma sighed. “Only because you’re making it such.”

“I have to interview her for CFO next week. What would you have me do? It’s a direct conflict.”

She shook her head. “Maybe you can’t see a way to move the obstacles because you’re too busy building them.”

“It’s for the best.” At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

“You keep believing that, then. By the way, Jeff requested an appointment.”

“The director of payroll?”

“Yeah, him.”

“Let him see Tom.” I didn’t have the time.

“Tom isn’t back until tomorrow. You want me to put off Jeff until then? I’d be happy to take a break from having him stare at my chest or offering to show me around the city.”

It wasn’t the first time Emma had been hit on, but considering the guy wanted to be CFO, his behavior was unbelievably brazen. “If he isn’t getting the hint, you tell me.”

She leveled me with a look. “If he doesn’t get the hint, you’ll find him with a stiletto up his arse.”

With Emma, I didn’t doubt it. “Guess it would settle the position of CFO.”

“See? Win, win.”

“Send him up.”

***

I ensured I was outside of my door when Jeff arrived. As expected, he went straight to Emma’s desk where he asked about her weekend. I cleared my throat and watched as he stood up straight and noticed me.

“Hi, Simon. How’s it going?”

Emma rolled her eyes at his familiarity.

My response was icy. “Mr. Faison. You requested to see me?”

I had the satisfaction of watching his smile falter. “Uh, yeah, I did.”

“I have five minutes.”

He followed me into my office where I stood by the window with my arms folded, trying in vain not to listen through the thin walls as Peyton explained one of her spreadsheets to Russ.

Jeff came in and shut the door. Then he took a seat as though we were two mates about to catch up on old times. “I won’t take much time. I wanted to find out when you were making the decision on CFO.”

“After we finish the initial audit, we will be conducting interviews. Most likely next week. There’s no use doing them before we’ve made the decision to buy.”

“Right. Guess that makes sense. So, Peyton actually applied?”

Where was he heading with this? “I believe George indicated she had.”

“Yes, well, George has a soft spot for her since he knew her father and all. It’s how she got the job. It’s how she keeps it.”

I had to check my temper. Regardless of how I felt about her, this guy was turning out to be a complete prick. “You’re telling me she’s not qualified for the CFO position?”

He shrugged. “I’d make the argument she’s not qualified for the job she does now, but hey, that’s ultimately your call.”

I wanted to tell him that while she’d been working a sixty-hour week he’d barely put in half the effort. Lazy sod. I found his work ethic and moral compass completely lacking. But I didn’t say a word. There would be a time for action, but saying anything now would only tip my hand. “You’re correct. It is my call. Anything else, Mr. Faison?”

“Nope, nope. Unless do you know if Emma—?”

“Let me cut you off and say no. You don’t ask me about my assistant, and you certainly don’t talk to her about anything that doesn’t pertain to the job.”

“Ah, I get it.” He grinned, insinuating Emma and I had something going on.

“No, you don’t, but your five minutes is up.”

For the first time, he started to look nervous. Good.

***

I paced my office after I heard Peyton tell Russ good night and pack her things up. That had happened around five. She’d told him she’d be downstairs for another hour and then online later tonight if he had any questions. If Russ was worth anything, he’d be here most of the night prepping for tomorrow.

Finally, unable to stand it any longer, I went downstairs to her office. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking of the kiss when I knocked and heard her say come in. This time, however, when I closed the door, I leaned on it, keeping my distance. I was determined not to make the same mistake twice.

Yes, I was committed despite the fact she looked exceptionally stunning today in a wrap dress highlighting her curves and showing off her long, toned legs.

“If you’re afraid of something happening again, why don’t you keep the door open instead of plastering yourself up against it as if you need to create as many square inches between us as possible?”

Was I that transparent? “I’m not.”

“What do you need?”

Her cool greeting should’ve given me comfort that we were solely professional. But it didn’t. Instead, it made my stomach hurt.

“I wanted to be sure everything is going okay with Russ. Unfortunately, our regular auditor, Lyle, got sick.”

“Emma told me. And Russ is fine. Smart and catching onto everything quickly, especially given he was brought in at the last minute.”

I’d wanted to hear he was inept, so I had an excuse to fire him. “Good.”

“Anything else?” She appeared impatient to get back to work.

“Did your father get you the job here?”

Her eyes went round before the temper settled there.

Although there were a number of ways I could’ve gone about asking, I tended to go for the most direct hit in order to gauge a reaction. I’d become very adept at reading people over the years. Currently, my money was on her being pissed.

“Considering he died when I was fourteen, that would be impossible.”

I hadn’t expected her answer. Normal people would’ve offered an apology. I did not. “Then why is Jeff saying that George knowing your father got you the job?”

She started shutting down her laptop and putting her things into her bag, noticeably ready to leave. “Because he’s an asshole who is insecure enough about me getting the CFO position he’d feel the need to tell you that. A lot of people knew my father. He was the CFO of ExxonMobil, and yes, one of those people who knew him was George. But he didn’t discover the connection between my father and me until I’d already been working here for a year. If you don’t believe me or think I’ve had some sort of favoritism, then by all means ask George. I’m done with this conversation.”

I’d hit a nerve. One I hadn’t meant to. “Peyton, it wasn’t my intention to upset you.”

She shook her head before pinning me with a stare. “Then apologize.”

“I needed to dispel the rumor. The best way to do that is to go straight to the person it’s about.”

She walked up directly in front of me. So close I could smell a whiff of her perfume and could’ve dipped my head to her neck to have a taste of the soft skin I knew would greet me there.

“Not even close to an apology. Please move. I’m going home.”

I stepped aside and watched her stride out of her office without a backward glance. Regret coursed through me at my insensitivity. It wasn’t a familiar or pleasant emotion. I’d managed to drive her away even further. This should have made feel safer, but instead only left me feeling empty.