“So you have a dog named Princess, huh?” His eyes narrowed as though he was judging her reaction to him judging her.
But Grace didn’t mind. Everyone laughed at Princess’s name to begin with, but the second they met her, they realized it made total sense. “She’s been with me for six years and is spoiled rotten. Princess just fits her.”
He nodded. “Well, I don’t mind dogs and I’m a quiet driver. Why don’t I pick you up Thursday and that way you won’t even have driving to distract you from work?”
She sighed, not sure she could say no. This was her end of the deal and she wasn’t about to renege. “Don’t you have work to do yourself?”
“More than I want to think about at the moment, but that’s my own fault since I’m my own boss. I can do a majority of my work remotely, and I’m paid by the hour, so as long as I don’t bill for the time I’m running around with you, I’ll be okay.”
“We’re not running around together,” she insisted.
“That’s what it will look like. Me and my hot new girl escaping to the Hamptons for ‘work.’”
She tried to stop the grin that formed. “Great. I’m going to go from a home wrecker to a trollop who puts her lovers over her job.”
“You are the one who brought up my reputation. What exactly have you heard about me before this morning?”
Grace let out a laugh. “I’m sure you know. Can turn any business around, but is, um, lacking in people skills even though he can read almost anyone.”
“So tell me, Ms. Bell, how do you think someone with a reputation for being a dick gets as much work as I do?”
She scoffed. “Tell me your secrets.”
“I have the reputation for being a brilliant dick. As long as you do your job better than everyone around you, you can get away with murder. So no one will care you’re screwing your boyfriend senseless this weekend as long as your event goes off without a hitch.”
Grace felt the blush climb up her cheeks. “It’s all an act, though. There won’t be any screwing happening.”
Instead of laughing at the thought, Simon only considered her with those dark eyes of his that made her wonder how much of this crazy scheme was an act.
“Why not?” His voice was low even though there was no one around within hearing distance.
Her mouth went dry. “We’re working together,” she sputtered as she inched away.
His hand covered hers. “Don’t forget the cameras,” he whispered. “And please don’t get freaked out. It was a simple question. I find you attractive, and, correct me if I’m wrong, I think you don’t mind looking at me. If we’re going to be working in close proximity, why not have fun?”
She obligingly slid in closer, but pulled her hand from his. She didn’t think she could speak clearly with his hands on her and didn’t even want to delve into her psyche to figure out what that meant. “I only met you today, and, to be honest, you’ve pissed me off more times in that one day than people I’ve known for years have done in the past decade. So you’re not on the top of my list.”
He smiled at her, not seemingly affected by the rejection. “I appreciate the honesty.”
The waiter and some assistants arrived with the food, and Grace beamed up at the waiter for giving her an excuse to change the topic.
Once the salads were set in front of them, Simon eagerly started to dig in. “On to more important topics. Tell me everything you think I need to know about Bell Planning.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Simon pulled his Cadillac to a halt at a spot about a block away from Grace’s Brooklyn apartment. The street appeared well kept and he didn’t notice a ton of bars on the lower windows. Most of the apartments had pretty flower pots lining the windowsills to add color and a pleasant feel to the street.
He thought back to the financials she’d sent over. Grace sunk a lot of the profits back into the company, but she still ended up with a decent wage. It had been slowly climbing the past few years as she’d made a bigger name for herself and her reputation grew. She’d lucked out by scoring an apprenticeship with Renard Chapin. After she’d learned all his secrets and tricks, he’d retired to go live in France with his family and recommended that all his clients use her as their consultant.
Simon sent her a text message to tell her where he was parked and stared in the direction of her apartment. She didn’t seem like the type to be late, but this was a woman getting ready for a huge work function and a weekend away. If stereotypes proved accurate, he might be waiting awhile.
The corner of his mouth ticked up when he saw Grace push open the door to her building. The sun made her blonde hair, tucked back into a ponytail, shine, and her navy and white striped shirt and khaki shorts were the perfect nautical theme for the Hamptons.
She definitely liked to dress the part. Which probably explained her luggage. Although she was on time, she sure packed a lot. She had an oversized suitcase rolling behind her, with another duffel packed to the point of practically bursting on top of the bag. And walking on her left was the oddest dog he’d ever seen.
She was muscular and stout; her tiny legs worked to move her big torso and keep up with Grace. Her ears were almost nonexistent, and he could see that whoever had cropped them had no clue what they were doing, but her massive grin and bright eyes gave her that slight twinge of cute that most dogs seemed to have.
Grace set her luggage down outside the car and he hopped out to help, popping the trunk as he moved. “Morning.” He lifted the large bag and tried not to grunt at the weight.
“Good morning.” Her cheerful voice and wide grin were good signs. “Oh, you didn’t have to do that.” She pulled out a blanket out of the duffel to lay over his backseat.
He bent to pick up the bag once she’d closed it. “What’s that for?”
“To keep dog hair off your car. Are you sure you don’t mind driving Princess? I can go pick up my car. It’s really no hassle.”
“We both have to drive out there this weekend. Might as well go together.” He knelt in front of Princess. “So this is my co-pilot?” She wiggled over to him. Her entire body vibrated with the force of her wagging tail.
Grace set her purse in the front seat. “That’s Princess. I think she’s looking forward to spending some more quality time with me.”
She lathered him with kisses and Simon pushed her away. One or two licks were acceptable, but at the rate she was going, he was going to drown if he let her continue. “Come on, girl.” He took her leash and led her to jump in the car. He shut the door and crossed over to the driver’s side.
As soon as he saw a break in traffic, he pulled the car out. He kept his focus on the city traffic, making sure he was aware of any possible merging car or pedestrian who decided to play chicken with his car. “So your email the other day said the press was leaving you alone?”
Grace laid her head against the seat. “It was like magic, Simon! One second I had a hundred stalkers, but they were all gone once you gave your statement and I confirmed it. Did you see that interview with Robert Bar last night? I think I need to give that interviewer a gift basket.”