Of course, she remembered him.

Heather Hall knew exactly who this gorgeous specimen of a man was. And it wasn’t just because he was one of the world’s most recognizable billionaires. She and Simon had grown up as neighbors. Went to school together. Even dated, until he unceremoniously broke her heart.

Right now, Simon Diesel was staring at her. His breathtaking blue eyes darkening with confusion. Frustration. The way his eyes always did when he got like this when they were kids.

“Do you need a moment?” she asked. “I can always wait while you...” Her voice trailed off. While you what? Compose yourself from the shock of seeing the girl you dumped years ago?

“Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the chair across from his desk.

She obliged and sank down into the plush leather swivel chair. Her eyes followed him as he resumed his seat behind his huge desk. Even sitting down, a distance away from her, she noticed that he was impossibly tall. And broad-shouldered.

For most of the years she had known him, Simon had been gangly. Awkward and pimple-faced. Then, sometime in high school, he had bulked up and gotten even taller. Now he was tall, lean. Even with his sweater vest and jacket on, she noticed the definition of the muscles underneath as his clothes clung to him. There was stubble on his square jaw, now clenched as he silently appraised her.

He pushed his messy black hair out of his face. “It’s just so uncanny.”

Heat crept up her cheeks. Damn it, she was actually checking out her potential boss like she was still a silly schoolgirl. Throwing her shoulders back, she asked, “What is?”

“You look exactly like this girl I grew up with,” he replied. “Her name was Heather, too.”

“Well, it’s a pretty common name,” she said. “And I’ve got a pretty common face.”

“No. Your face is anything but common. Pretty, but not common.” His gaze locked on hers. There wasn’t anything disconcerting about the way her potential boss was looking at her. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Through his eyes, she was seeing herself in a different way. Like she was a whole person he wanted to understand. A puzzle to solve.

Simon gazed at her like he was carefully studying her. Trying to take the measure of her before he rendered judgment. Whatever underlying heat she might have seen in his eyes had to be pure imagination on her part. The secret part that wanted Simon to look at her like he regretted breaking up with her all those years ago. “I apologize. That was completely unprofessional. I thought you were someone else.” He waved his hand. “Never mind.”

She blinked. Pushed her glasses up her nose. “I’m sorry to have disappointed you.”

“Yes, well, it was all a very long time ago,” he said. “I guess I’ve held on to memories a little bit more tightly than I should have.” He grimaced, like he was embarrassed at how personal the conversation had gotten.

Suddenly an alarm from his watch went off. “Could you give me a second?”

“Would you like me to leave?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, getting up and moving to his desk. “I get headaches sometimes. Comes with the stress of the job.” He opened a drawer in his desk and retrieved a bottle of medication.

“Does everyone around here get headaches?” It was the nicest way she could think of asking just how much work she’d be doing if she worked under him.

Under him...

Oh shit.

Her palms were beginning to sweat. Imagining Dover, Inc.’s CEO without his clothes had to be all kinds of wrong.

“I mean, I’m used to hard work,” she said. “It’s just that I want to be prepared for any issues.”

He opened the bottle, shook out some pills onto his hand, and popped them into his mouth. “I’m not going to lie to you...Miss?”

“Mrs. Hall,” she said. “I’ve recently gotten divorced, but I think I’ve more than earned that title.” She tried to keep her tone light, but it was hard to keep some of the bitterness out of it.

Gary, her ex-husband, hadn’t exactly been her ideal match. They’d only gotten married because she’d gotten pregnant, but the final months of their marriage had taken such a toll. Gary had been so cold. Refused to try to fix their marriage. Not to mention he was a master manipulator and, if Heather admitted it now, probably verbally abusive.

Her confidence and self-esteem had been low for years because of Gary’s treatment. Okay, so she was just a bit mousy and uptight. She was a mother. With a son to think about. Of course, she wasn’t going to be some spontaneous sex kitten every day of the week.

Now that she was free of her ex-husband, she was going to finally live her life on her own terms. Revamp her career. Try new things. And none of those things could happen if she was rehashing the past with Simon. Better to keep on pretending she didn’t recognize him or know him.

“If I’m being honest, we’re on first-name terms here at Dover,” Simon said. “But if you’d rather I refer to you as Mrs. Hall—”

“No. First names are fine,” she interrupted. “You can call me Heather.”

“And you can call me Simon.”

The deep baritone of his voice sent a tingle down her spine. For months after he had dumped her and went to college, she had played his name over and over in her head. Then, the heartache had subsided, and she started to follow his career in the press.

Simon had gotten into Stanford University on a scholarship—half academic, half athletic. He had played hockey. Graduated with top honors. By the time he had graduated he had already invested in Dover, Inc. At the time it had just been a little tech start-up he invested his minimal savings in. Then, he had taken over the company, and within seven years had turned it into a billion-dollar empire.

“Simon,” she finally said softly, enjoying the sound of his name on her tongue. Enjoying it more than a little too much.

No. Focus.

If she was going to finally start living her life, she had to make the most of this opportunity.

He leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk as he looked over her resumé. “You used to work at VLA Technologies.” Simon raised his eyebrow. “They’re our rival.”

“Yes,” she said.

“Why did you leave them?” he pressed.

“It was part of a company restructuring,” she said. “About ten percent of the workforce was offered a pretty good financial package if they agreed to resign.” She wasn’t exactly rich, certainly not by billionaire Simon Diesel’s standards, but the money she had gotten from VLA meant she wasn’t hard up for cash. Plus, she had inherited a tidy sum from her grandfather now that he had passed away.

She had been out of work for several months, and she was getting back into things because she wanted to make something of her life. Working at another prestigious company like Dover, Inc. would be a dream come true. She’d get to meet interesting people. Travel the world. Learn about new technology before anybody else did. The employee discounts were to die for. And she’d prove to her rotten ex-husband that she could make it without him. Didn’t need him to have a fulfilling life and contribute.

When she had come in for an interview this morning, she knew she’d have to meet Simon eventually. However, having her interviewed changed from the media department to an interview with Simon at the last minute had been such a shock. Especially since she hadn’t come up with a plan to deal with Simon. Heather had figured she’d just cross that bridge when she got to it. She hadn’t anticipated that she’d be crossing it now.

“How long were you with VLA?” he asked.

“Four years,” she replied.

“Do you know Xander Richards?”

She squinted, trying to put a face to the name. “I’m sorry, who?”

“Never mind.” He waved his hand. “So, it was a good experience?”

She nodded. “Hours were tough, but they treated me well.”

“Hours are tough here at Dover, too,” Simon said. “But we make sure employees get a good amount of vacation days. You’ll also get some flexibility to work from home a few days a month. We expect you to work hard, but we don’t believe in burning people out. And I also believe that everyone on staff should be heard. So, I welcome your ideas and suggestions, Heather. Don’t be shy about speaking your mind around me.”

“That’s good to hear.” She exhaled, relief making her breathe a little easier. “How’s your head, by the way?”

He rubbed his temples. “Better. The pain is subsiding. It’s been a hectic morning, truth be told.”

“In your line of work, I can just imagine,” she said. “Is there anything I can do to make things easier for you?”

Simon leaned back in his chair and smiled. Getting a smile out of Simon had been rare when they were kids. She suspected it was still rare. The smile he gave her made her heart skip a beat. “Well, I like an employee who takes initiative. But my main problem isn’t today. It’s a speech I’m giving next week. It’s scheduled for an inter-company conference. The press is going to be there.”

“But you hate the press,” she said.

Surprise flickered in his eyes. “I’m not fond of the media. How did you know that?”

Her chest tightened. Ugh. She had forgotten herself. Being overly familiar with him and his habits would just remind him that he recognized her. And now that she had started her interview with a lie, she’d have to see it through. Especially since she wanted the job. Awkwardness with Simon aside, the man was brilliant. Working with him at Dover, Inc. would open so many doors for her.

“I...I’ve read up on you and the company. Wanted to be prepared for my second interview with Mrs.—Linda today. Sorry, it threw me when she told us we’d be interviewed by you,” she replied. That much was true. She really had read about him. Seeing someone she had grown up with succeed the way Simon had always filled her with a strange sense of pride. Not that the press had all that much to say. Simon was reclusive. Mysterious. Kept to himself and avoided interviews. Most of the information about him was just rumors and pure speculation. She knew that reporters would kill to get the kind of access to Simon that she was getting now.

“Doing research is good,” he said. “But don’t believe everything you read.”

She gave him a faint smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Since the speech is coming up soon, I’d need someone to go over it with. Deal with the press. That sort of thing.”

“I think I’m up to it,” she said. “I worked in the marketing department at VLA, so I have experience dealing with the media.”

“Excellent. Do you have any questions for me?”

None that were appropriate for the workplace. Heat flooded her entire body. Just being in proximity to him was bringing back old, erotic memories. Memories of her first time. It had been an awkward fumble in the dark, but still so romantic. He might not have known what he was doing, but Simon had been so very attentive.

She cringed inwardly. How on earth was she going to work as his PA if she kept thinking about him like this? Right now, she hoped to hell that he had a girlfriend. The press often harped on about him being a single, eligible bachelor, but if he had a girlfriend that might take away some of her own awkwardness around him. Sure, knowing he had the attentions of someone else would sting, but her bruised heart had healed a long time ago. Her disastrous marriage to Gary had toughened her up considerably.

It would take more than a dazzling smile to turn her head. Which is why she was willing to keep up the pretense that she had no idea who Simon was. Keeping her personal life and her professional life separate was paramount. That was especially true now that she was a single mom.

“What happened to your previous personal assistant?” she asked. Better to be blunt and get professional issues out in the open.

Simon frowned. Laced his fingers together and let out a deep, disappointed sigh. “He was disloyal.”

“Loyalty is important to you,” she said.

“Isn’t it important to everyone?” he asked.

She bit back the question she really wanted to ask. If loyalty meant so much to him, why had he dumped her out of the blue the summer before he went off to college? Simon had just graduated, but she still had another year of high school. They had agreed to stay together despite the distance. But then, he had broken up with her without warning. Broken her heart. Simon leaving her behind had been her first heartbreak. She wasn’t going to be that vulnerable again. Not ever.

“I suppose it is,” she said tersely.

“Well, you’ve got excellent references,” he said, looking at her reference letters. “I just wonder if you can be loyal to us after working with our rival for so many years.”

“I absolutely can,” she said. “I’m a team player. I’ll do what it takes to help you and Dover succeed. Including at your upcoming speech.” Her pulse quickened. Anxiety had already taken hold, but if she wanted this job she had to put herself out there and come out of her shell.

“We’ll have to conduct a background check,” he murmured.

Panic increased her heart rate. A background check meant he’d figure out that she was lying. He’d know that she was exactly who he thought she was. If she wanted this job, she couldn’t afford be caught in a lie this embarrassing. Heather swallowed hard. “The truth is, I’m the kind of employee who would rather separate their personal life from their professional life.”

“I feel the exact same way.” He stared at her. “It’s not going to be anything invasive. Just a standard check into your conduct at your previous job to make sure it all squares up with your resumé. I’m sure it does, so this is only a formality.”

Her mouth fell open. “So, you’re actually offering me the job? For real?”

Simon nodded. “Yes. For now. I’ll draw up a three-month contract, and if after three months we both want to continue we can set up a more permanent arrangement.”

“Don’t you need time to think about it?” she asked.

“No. When I want something, I get it.” His gaze was still on her, his eyes blazing with some indescribable heat. “My mind’s made up. I want you, Heather.”

Her entire body was tingling. His words and the way he was looking at her sent her heart racing again. The hunger in his eyes had to be her imagination. Nobody ever looked at her the way he was looking at her now. Like he wanted to devour her.

Never in a million years would she have believed the awkward boy she grew up next door to could say so much with his eyes alone. It was just in her head. The divorce was making her so sexually frustrated that she really imagined that her rich, handsome boss might be interested in her. Ridiculous.

“You don’t want to interview the third candidate?” she finally asked.

He shook his head. “Don’t need to. I know what I want.”

Fine. Two could play at that game. “When would you like me to start?”

“Today, if you can. I desperately need someone to start getting caught up and helping ASAP.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. She had landed a job. Keeping her excitement in check, she said, “I’d love to.”

“Great. I’ll print out a contract.” He started working on his laptop.

As she waited for her new boss to print out her contract, her excitement gave way to renewed panic. Getting a job like this after the past year of being laid off and divorced was more than she could have ever hoped for. But now she had a real problem on her hands.

“I can’t wait to start working with you.”

At the moment, it looked like Simon believed her lie. Which meant that, for at least three months, she still had to keep up the biggest lie she had ever told.