Page 58 of Simon Says

“And was his agent and his manager and…his everything else, I guess. Dean told me that most of the more successful fighters had a whole team working for them, but all he needed was Simon.”

“And now Simon’s going to fight again.” Dakota shook her head. “If I was a betting woman, I’d put all my cash on him.”

“Me, too. But Dean’s a little worried.” Eve touched up her lipstick.

Guilt hit Dakota like a sledgehammer. “Because of me, you mean.”

Eve looked at her in surprise. “No one would blame you. Dean expects Simon to do what he needs to do. Period. I guess this Harley Handleman is a real tough guy. Hungry, Dean says. Simon shouldn’t underestimate him.”

“The fight is still a while off.”

“Plenty of time for us to get better acquainted.” Smiling again, Eve said, “Maybe you and Simon could join us for dinner one night.”

Dakota ducked her head. “I don’t know. I think maybe it’s time for me to move on.” She glanced at Eve, saw her very honest interest, and decided that it couldn’t hurt to trust her. “I saw Simon with someone named Bonnie.”

Eve wrinkled her nose. “She used to be his fiancée. But that’s over.”

“I don’t know.” She recalled the way the other woman had clung to Simon. “Bonnie didn’t seem to think it was over.”

“She cheated on Simon. Trust me, he’s not going back to her.”

A dash of icy water couldn’t have shocked Dakota more. “She cheated? But…why?”

“Exactly.” Eve shook her head. “It’s incredible enough with Simon being so sinfully attractive. But he’s also nice, dependable, hardworking, and very honorable. Add to that the fact that he’s a fighter with a fighter’s ego, and any woman dumb enough to cheat deserves to be dumped.”

Dakota ran all that through her head. “So what was Bonnie doing here then?”

“Just hoping to manipulate him, I think. See, after months of trying to get Simon back, Bonnie is telling anyone who’ll listen that the man she cheated with is Harley Handleman.”

Dakota’s jaw dropped. “Hard-to-Handle? The guy Simon will be fighting in his comeback?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t matter. Bonnie thought it’d make it more personal for Simon, but he’s not that way. He doesn’t fight with emotion. He fights with ability and training.”

Training that she’d interrupted. Dakota closed her eyes. And worse, she’d tried to manipulate him the same way Bonnie had. God, what must he think of her? On every level, she was batting a big fat zero.

It was time to face reality. “I should head home.”

Eve asked, “Where are you staying?”

“At a motel, but I meant home, back to Ohio. I should never have come here.” Her mind made up, she nodded. “In fact, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Eve looked alarmed. “What?”

“I’m going to leave. First thing tomorrow.”

“No. You can’t.” Eve trotted after her as Dakota left the restroom. “I mean, you should talk to Simon about this first.”

“Why?” Resolute, Dakota kept going. “Simon doesn’t want me here.”

“Now, I know you’re wrong about that.”

She shook her head. “I meant that he doesn’t want me here for the reason I came.” And he only planned to use her for sex if she stuck around. Dakota wasn’t sure that was possible, even with her agreement. “And no, I can’t explain my reasons for coming because it’s not my story to tell. Ask Simon.”

“I intend to!” Eve barely kept pace with her. “But I think—”

They rounded the corner and saw Simon waiting.

With other women.

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