Page 83 of Captivated By You

“The following morning, I turned up for work, same as always, only to find out that I no longer had a job. Simon fired me, said that this was a hotel, not a whorehouse.”

“What?” My eyes bulged, my jaw locking in place. “He fucking what?”

“Ah.” She nodded. “Didn’t tell you that, then?” She snorted. “Yeah. His lowlife brother told him thatI’dcome on to him, and he’d believed Paul over me.”

Not just fired. Ruined. I’ll ruin him.

“My family, and my best friend, Gia, were my rocks during the following weeks and months. I remember Mason and Louis stomping around the house, raging. They wanted to beat the crap out of both of them, but Mom talked them down. Eventually, I put the whole thing behind me, but finding another role in a hotel proved impossible.”

She shook her head, her eyes bleak. “I had no proof, but if I were a betting woman, I’d say Simon had bad-mouthed me all over town. Doors didn’t open for me, and the ones that did slammed in my face pretty quickly when they discovered who I was. Then, finally, I landed the interview at your hotel. I was ecstatic. I expected some tough questioning, especially why I’d left my previous hotel position after less than three months in the role. I had a plausible excuse ready to go. And then…” She shrugged. She didn’t need to tell me the next part. I already knew.

“And that’s why you resisted dating me.” Now I understood. Now I got why she was so insistent that we keep things professional despite the strength of our mutual attraction.

“Pretty much, yeah. Simon had all the power. Over me, over my career. I swore I’d never,evergive a man that much power over me again.”

“It all makes sense now.” I held out my arms, and she folded herself inside my embrace. “And yet, in the end, you gave us a chance. Why?”

“You refused to take no for an answer.” She chuckled and so did I. “And I realized that I can’t go through life inherently distrusting people because of one unpleasant experience. You’re not Simon.”

“No, I’m fucking not,” I growled.

She sat up straight, rubbed her face, and reached for the gin rather than the water. “So what was Simon’s version of events?”

“He said you were in a relationship, but it affected your work, and so he broke things off in order to help you focus on your career. Apparently, you didn’t take it well, and in the end, he had no choice other than to fire you.”

She snorted, returning her glass to the table. “What a fucking snake.” And then she blanched and turned to face me. “You believe me, don’t you, Ash?”

I clipped her under the chin, then brushed my thumb over her lips. “One hundred percent.”

The visible signs of relief hit her. She pressed both hands to her stomach and sagged, letting out a huge breath. “Thank you.”

“Kiana, you have the highest morals and integrity of anyone I’ve ever met. I’d never believe another person over you. Hear me on that, believe it, because it’s true.”

Her eyes softened. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so grateful we met that day.”

“Me, too.” I winked. “Best head of my life.”

My teasing made her smile. “That’s why you really love me, isn’t it? My cock-sucking abilities.”

“Of course. What else did you think?”

She flicked the back of her hand against my thigh. “Jerk.” Her face grew serious again. “I spoke to a few of the staff. No luck. Although, a waiter I talked to said that he thought Simon had engaged in a brief fling with one of the receptionists, and shortly after, she left. But that could have been her choice.”

“Or not.” I grazed a hand over my chin. “It doesn’t matter now anyway.”

“What will you do about Simon?”

“Fire him.”

“Because of me?”

“Because I won’t have people like him working for my company. He used his position to fire a member of staff when it was uncalled for, namely you. This isn’t about your relationship or how he ended it. That speaks to his character as a man. But firing you because he didn’t want to be with you in a personal capacity anymore speaks to his character as a manager, and that’s the kind of manager I don’t need. And don’t forget, the whole reason we are here is because his performance isn’t up to scratch.”

She nodded. “Weirdly, that makes me feel better. The vengeful side of me is glad he’s being fired. Bastard deserves all that’s coming to him. But the professional side of me is relieved that you’re basing your decision on his managerial performance rather than our relationship.”

“I told you I’d keep our professional and personal relationship apart, and I meant it. This isn’t on you, or your past with Simon. This is about how I choose to run my company and the sort of employees I want working in a Kingcaid hotel.”

“Matching me on the morals front there, Ash.”

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