“Seriously? I’ll be taking photos of my apartment for the entire world to see?” He shifted over to sit on the edge of the bed, wrapping part of the sheet around his waist.
“Taking the photos in your apartment will let the public get a private look at your life. They’ll feel like they’re finally getting to know the real you. Do you know how exciting that will be? Inside a reclusive billionaire’s home. Imagine the buzz we’ll be creating with something like that.”
That was the kind of exclusive access that most magazine editors could only dream of, but to Simon the entire setup was a nightmare. “How the hell did I let you talk me into this?”
“You let your lust get the better of you,” she teased, her eyes flashing with mischief.
He didn’t have a retort for that. Instead, he just scowled in frustration.
She straightened up to join him on the edge of the bed, her shapely legs dangling over the side, the sheet wrapping around her gorgeous body as she moved. “I’ve got another prep session with my lawyer tomorrow evening after the photo shoot. I really need to nail this because the next court hearing is on Friday. I can’t afford to make another mistake in front of the judge.”
If she was changing the subject so abruptly, her unease about the next court hearing must have been weighing even more heavily on her mind than usual. Not to mention, finding out that Gary was trying to get Dover employees to act as witnesses against her must have shaken her. It had certainly angered and disappointed Simon. Gary really would stop at nothing to destroy her, and even if he ended up losing Heather had been through hell already.
“I’ll go with you to the session.” There was no question that he was going to continue to support her through this. The fact that she was so focused on work despite the turmoil in her personal life was incredible. Anyone else would have buckled under the pressure, but not Heather. Somehow she just seemed to keep on going, and the admiration he had already had for her kept growing.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I’m just so scared. What if I really screwed this up? What if we can’t get any dirt on Gary in time?”
“Maybe your lawyer will have some news when you meet with him tomorrow,” he said, trying to soothe her. “There’s bound to be something you can use against him. If anyone can find something, the investigators at Jones, Chang, & Associates can.”
“Well, I read up on Jones, Chang, & Associates over the weekend and they’re not the top law firm in Seattle for nothing.” She sighed. “I guess I’m just nervous. When I’m at work I feel guilty that I’m not working on the custody case. And when I’m working on the custody case I feel guilty that I’m not devoting enough time to Dover.”
“You’ve been juggling so much,” he said. “If you need a few days off, I’m more than willing to give you that.”
She eyed him suspiciously, but her lips started to twitch. “Simon Diesel, I still know what you’re up to. I won’t be taking any days off, so you can forget that. Don’t let my moping fool you. You will be doing your interviews this week.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said quickly.
Heather paused before looking deep into his eyes. “I’ve probably said this before, but I couldn’t get through this custody battle without you.”
He captured her chin in his hand and stared back. “I love you, Heather. I’m here for whatever you need.”
“I love you, too.” She gave him a faint smile. Followed by a dangerous narrowing of her eyes. “We can finish up the interview, and then after that I’ll make sure your apartment is presentable for the shoot tomorrow. The place looks great, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a once-over beforehand.”
“I have to admit I’m in good hands with you,” he said, releasing her chin. The amount of thought she put into everything she did despite her stress was impressive, even if it was a little bit maddening.
She clutched the sheet tighter against her chest with one hand and held up the tape recorder with the other. “Are you ready to continue?” she asked, too businesslike to let his compliment slow her down.