This was the price he was paying for opening up in his speech. He didn’t regret thanking Heather, but giving even a small scrap of himself seemed to make the public feel entitled to him. Resentment boiled his blood. “The public has the right to be curious,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “But my private life is off limits. As always.”
Linda focused her attention on another journalist and Simon slumped back in his chair. Well, his version of slumping was still sitting very upright. The perfection of a business with power.
Everything about dealing with the press was excruciating. For his entire career he had kept the world at a distance. And in the span of less than two weeks he had reversed course with his speech. All because of Heather. All because his assistant seemed to know the real him, and didn’t see anything wrong with letting the world see who he really was.
Altering the speech had meant inviting the world into his private life, but he had wanted to thank Heather. Speak to her without causing any embarrassment with a confrontation for the truth. The speech had said all the things he had wanted to tell her, but hadn’t been able to.
That made him start to analyze the things that had gone unsaid between them. Why hadn’t he gotten in touch with Heather in their years apart? Was he that closed off?
Thankfully, Linda managed to shut down more questions, and the Q and A ended minutes later. Simon rushed backstage to find Heather.
When he spotted her, the expression on her face was unreadable.
“We need to talk,” he said.
“Right now?” She frowned. “With the conference done, work is over for the day. Unless you’re asking me to work overtime.”
“You’re not going to blow me off,” he said, annoyed she could play it so cool. And the hint about overtime, was that meant to imply something else? Somehow he doubted it. “We’re having this conversation. Now.”
“Are you going to fire me if I don’t?” she asked.
He glanced over his shoulder. Linda was headed backstage. If he was going to get the truth out of his assistant, he was going to have to do it now.
“Of course not,” he said firmly. “I can’t fire you for refusing to hash this out. The truth is, after what we did today I don’t think it would be ethical for me to have a say in your continued employment at Dover.” Simon gave her a meaningful look, hoping she’d understand without having to say anything that might be overheard.
She sighed. “Where can we talk?”
He placed his hand on the small of her back, and started to lead her towards the door that led out of the hotel conference room. “Upstairs. I have a permanent room at the hotel, so we can talk in private there. But we have to hurry. I don’t want the press to see and get the wrong idea.” What was the wrong idea? That he wanted her up in his hotel room? Did he have ulterior motives? No! Of course not. He just wanted to talk, and it was the only private moment they could have. If she left now, he wasn’t sure they’d ever talk about it again.
With a nod she silently let him lead her away, and they reached his hotel suite minutes later.
“Nice view,” Heather said as she stared out the huge windows at the cityscape before them.
The view had been one of the perks of this place. Simon didn’t care all that much about luxury, but having a permanent room at Highcastle made his work easier. Sometimes it helped to have a place of his own. A place where he could work and think in peace. Away from the chaos of the office. Away from the media’s insatiable appetite for stories on the private lives of the wealthy.
He knew how fortunate he was to be able to afford such a lavish suite. Having a permanent place to stay at a luxury hotel was a privilege most people could only dream of. But if the price for his wealth was giving up his privacy, that was a price he wasn’t willing to pay for any reason.
“It is a nice view.” He walked across the plush carpet to the minibar. “Do you want a drink?”
Usually, he avoided alcohol. He didn’t like his mind being altered. But being around Heather already made him feel drunk anyway. It was impossible to think straight around her, and that unnerved the hell out of him. Besides, if he planned on getting to the bottom of this, a stiff drink sure as hell couldn’t hurt.