“Yeah, it was crazy for a while,” she said. “I’d rather not repeat that if we can avoid it. I’m just surprised you agreed to the board making a demand like that after they gave you everything you asked for.”
He pulled a bottle of liquor from the drawer and set it down on his desk. “They were already going to give me everything I wanted. Which means that getting concessions like that must have been humiliating for the members. I chose to agree to keep our relationship discreet, so that the board would see that I was willing to give a little. Show that I take their terms seriously as well.”
“Office politics are such a delicate thing to negotiate.” She had been around CEOs for years, but the intricacies of corporate politics was something that still eluded her. Still, it made sense for Simon to agree to one of Agnes’ demands, so that the board might feel like they were relevant and powerful.
“It is, but I thought it best to keep the board’s resentment to a minimum,” he said. “I’m sorry if it looks like things are happening quickly, but I want to protect you, Heather. I quit so we could be together. Now that I’ve been asked to come back to work, I have to do everything in my power to make sure you’re safe.”
“I am safe,” she said. “As long as we’re together, we can get through anything.”
“I agree.” He opened the bottle and held it up. “I don’t have any glasses at the moment, so we’re going to have to drink straight from the bottle.”
“You don’t drink,” she said.
“I don’t usually, but I do drink on extremely significant occasions,” he said. “And I think this occasion calls for a drink. A toast.”
He took a swig from the bottle and grimaced. “This brandy isn’t Champagne, but I think it will have to do.”
She walked over to him. “What should we toast to?”
Simon handed her the bottle. “To us, of course.”
“To us,” she said. “And to no more pesky photographers.” She took a sip of the warm liquid, wincing as the strong liquor went down.
“So, have you decided where we should go for our vacation?” he asked.
Heather placed the brandy bottle back on the table. “I know I agreed to this trip, but I have rules of my own.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Go on.”
“You said that your rule is to spend money on me.” She paused, still not quite able to believe that she was literally negotiating with a man who was worth billions of dollars. “Well, I don’t think you should spend anything on me unless we’ve discussed it and I’ve agreed to it. So, no splurges or over-the-top gifts.”
“I can’t buy you a French chateau without your say-so,” he said, his lips twitching. “Got it.”
“I’m serious, Simon,” she said sternly. “No spending without my permission.”
“So, if I want to buy you a coffee, I have to ask first?” His smile disappeared. “Heather, I can’t agree to that.”
“Okay, maybe you don’t have to ask to pay for affordable things,” she responded. “But you can’t buy something expensive without talking to me first.”
He furrowed his brow, lost in thought. Finally, after a few moments, he nodded. “Deal. If it costs more than ten thousand dollars, I have to ask first.”
“What?” Her eyes went wide. “No. Ten thousand dollars is definitely not the cut-off. I was thinking something like fifty dollars.”
“Ten thousand. Take it or leave it.” Simon pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, her cheek pressed up against his hard, muscular chest.
“We’re supposed to be discreet, remember?” she reminded him as his arms slid around her.
“When I’m with you, I forget about the rules.” His deep baritone rumbled in his chest, the sound making her shiver.
When she was in his arms like this, she felt so safe. So protected and cherished. As if all her doubts and fears no longer mattered. With Simon to protect her, she allowed herself to hope. Hope that she could hold on to her son and keep custody of him. Hope that Simon wouldn’t regret being with her when they went away on this vacation with her son.