Chapter Twenty-Eight
Simon
As a serious businessman, I lived by my schedule. Meetings and phone conferences and video consultations were planned, every hour accounted for, every variable controlled. But today, I was going rogue.
Alexander worked out of a small office building in Manhattan that housed a dozen other businesses, and I knew from our previous conversations that he was only here two days a week—Mondays and Wednesdays.
The rest of his time was spent at Neptune’s Kingdom, walking the grounds, talking to guests, ensuring every detail met his exacting standards.
The man was a hands-on manager, and I was certain that had everything to do with the resort’s success.
If this partnership moved forward, if I hadn’t destroyed it completely with the debacle of our last meeting, I would need to ensure any future locations had managers with that same dedication. Assuming, of course, that I’d still be involved in franchising the business at all.
That would depend entirely on how the next few minutes went.
The office was modest, reflecting Alexander’s practical nature. He and Brenda were the only ones who worked here regularly, along with their assistant, a young woman who sat behind a tall reception desk and looked up in surprise as I walked through the door.
I arranged my features into what I hoped was a charming smile. It wasn’t my natural expression, but I was trying.
“Mr. Powers?” She glanced down at the paper in front of her, clearly a printed schedule. “I don’t have you on Mr. Spencer’s calendar for today.”
“This is an unscheduled visit,” I admitted. “I’m hoping Alexander can find time to speak with me. I’m willing to wait as long as it takes.”
Raina had told me this was a crazy idea when I’d mentioned it this afternoon. You can’t just show up at a potential business partner’s office without an appointment, she’d said, her eyebrows climbing toward her hairline. That’s not how things are done.
She was right, of course. It wasn’t how things were done, not in my world, anyway.
But I didn’t want to wait for another formally scheduled meeting, or give Alexander more time to reconsider this partnership, or let the memory of Monday’s disaster solidify into a permanent impression.
I needed to speak with him now. And if that meant driving upstate to the resort if he wasn’t here, that’s exactly what I’d do.
“Let me check with him,” the assistant said, looking flustered. I could already see the empty time slot on the calendar in front of her, which meant whether or not I got face time with Alexander would depend entirely on whether he wanted to see me.
He didn’t seem like the type to hold a grudge. I was betting everything on that assessment.
She gestured toward a stiff leather couch against the wall. “Please, have a seat.”
I sat, forcing myself to project patience I didn’t feel. While she disappeared down a short hallway, my thoughts drifted to Raina.
She’d come into the office this morning with her box of knickknacks tucked under one arm and a single chocolate cupcake in her other hand.
When she’d set it on my desk—the same desk where I’d spent yesterday drowning in regret—I’d been overcome by a wave of emotion so intense it nearly knocked me off balance.
She came back. I’d pulled her into my arms right there, in the middle of the workday, with the door wide open and anyone able to walk by. I’d kissed her like I was starving for her, and she’d laughed against my mouth and called me ridiculous and I didn’t even care.
Being able to kiss her whenever I wanted was definitely a perk of having Raina as both my assistant and my girlfriend. I was already addicted to it.
“Mr. Spencer will see you.” I looked up to find the assistant had returned. “He’s in the conference room.”
Alexander sat at the head of a modest table, his hands folded in front of him and curiosity evident in his weathered features. He rose as I entered, offering a firm handshake.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you today, Simon.”
“I apologize for stopping by unannounced.” I took a seat across from him, my pulse steady despite the stakes. “But I felt it was important to speak with you as soon as possible.”
I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to take a significant risk, but also knowing it was the right thing to do. The only thing to do, really, if I wanted to build a partnership on a foundation of honesty rather than deception.
“I need to come clean with you about something. Raina and I lied when we told you we were dating.”
Alexander’s eyes widened slightly, but he gave no other reaction, so I kept going.
“When we realized you wanted to work with someone who possessed certain… personal qualities that I might not naturally demonstrate, we decided to fake a serious relationship. We hoped it would tip the scales in my favor.”
The words felt heavy leaving my mouth, but also liberating.
“We lied, and I want to apologize for that. I genuinely believe Neptune’s Kingdom is exceptional, and I want to be part of expanding the business.
But I shouldn’t have deceived you to get there.
That’s not the way I want to conduct myself, in business or in life. ”
Alexander leaned back in his chair, studying me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. The silence stretched between us, and I resisted the urge to fill it with more words.
When he finally spoke, his voice was measured but not cold. “It took guts for you to come in here and tell me that.”
I waited, not daring to hope.
“Now, I don’t appreciate being lied to,” he continued.
“I’ve built my business on trust, and that starts with honest communication.
” He paused, and I felt my stomach tighten.
“But I’ve also learned that it’s never too late to do the right thing.
And I respect a man who’s willing to own his mistakes rather than hide from them. ”
Hope flickered in my chest, cautious but real.
Alexander shook his head slowly, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “It’s a shame, though. Raina seemed like a hell of a woman.”
I felt my own smile surface. “She is. That’s why the relationship is very real now.”
Alexander let out a booming laugh that filled the small conference room, and I felt the tension in my shoulders finally release.
It felt good—better than good—to tell him the truth.
I liked Alexander as a person, whether I got to do business with him or not.
He was the kind of man who valued integrity over posturing, substance over flash.
He smacked his palm on the table, still grinning.
“Tell you what, Simon. I respect your coming here and talking to me man-to-man like this. I don’t know what happened with the contract on Monday, and frankly, I don’t need to know.
What I do know is that you came here today, unprompted, to set things right.
” He extended his hand across the table.
“I’d still like to sign that contract. How about we schedule a meeting for later this week and make it official? ”
I shook his hand, hardly able to believe I wasn’t being escorted out with a few well-deserved curses for my deception. “I’d like that very much.”
We spent a few more minutes discussing logistics, then parted ways with another handshake and what felt like the beginning of a genuine partnership. One built on complete honesty this time.
The drive back to the office passed in a blur of satisfaction and anticipation. I’d done the right thing, and it had worked out. But more than that, I was eager to get back to Raina. To tell her about the meeting. To see her smile when she realized we hadn’t lost the deal after all.
When I walked through the doors of Powers Investment Group, I found her at her desk, blonde hair caught up in a loose twist, her brow furrowed in concentration as she typed something on her computer.
The late afternoon light caught the graceful line of her neck, and I felt desire stir in my chest, warm and insistent and impossible to ignore.
She looked up as I approached, and her expression shifted from focused to curious. “How did it go?”
“Better than expected.” I didn’t slow down as I passed her desk, my voice dropping to a register that made her eyes widen slightly. “Raina, I need to see you in my office. Now.”
I heard her chair push back, her footsteps following me. “Don’t tell me we’re back to square one already. I just got here, and I’m not ready to deal with a grumpy boss again.”
The dry humor in her voice made my lips twitch, but I didn’t respond until she’d walked past me into the office, heading toward my desk as if expecting a work-related conversation.
I closed the door behind her. The click of the lock was loud in the sudden quiet.
Raina turned, one eyebrow arched. “Simon?”
“I can’t help being a little grumpy,” I said, shrugging out of my jacket and tossing it onto one of the chairs. Her eyes tracked the movement, something shifting in their depths. “That’s what happens when I’m sexually frustrated.”
The truth was, she’d slept at my place last night. I’d woken up with her warm body pressed against mine, her hair spread across my pillow, and I’d made love to her as the sun came up. I had no legitimate reason to be frustrated at all.
But Raina clearly understood the game. A wicked smile curved her lips as she caught on.
“Mr. Powers.” Her voice took on a prim tone that made heat pool low in my belly. “That’s hardly an appropriate way to speak to your new employee on her first day back.”
I loosened my tie, pulling it free from my collar and letting it drop to the floor. “You said in your interview that you’d go above and beyond the call of duty.” There hadn’t been any interview, but for the sake of this role play it worked.
Her eyes darkened, following my hands as I started on my shirt buttons. “Well.” She reached back, fingers finding the zipper of her black dress. “I suppose I do need to keep the boss happy. For the sake of the business.”