Page 68 of Boss of Her

“And how do you propose we do that?” Valerie asked.

“By giving them a taste of what goes on here, of course. I’d be happy to give any new hires a hands-on demonstration.”

“Yes, because that’s what we need,” Valerie murmured. “You domming our new employees.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that, exactly.” Elle crossed one leg over the other. “But it would be effective, wouldn’t it? If they can’t handle the heat, they’re not cut out to work here.”

“And this is why HR has a collective stroke whenever anyone mentions your name,” Valerie said.

Olivia held up her hands. “Can we stay on topic? It was hard enough getting everyone here tonight. We haven’t had the chance to sit down together and talk club business since opening night.”

Opening night.The night that had changed everything. The night Simone had met Jade.

But she couldn’t think about that right now. Because that would mean facing up to everything that had happened over the last two days.

However, Simone would need to confront reality sooner rather than later. Because tomorrow morning, she would see Jade face to face. And she wouldn’t be able to ignore the truth any longer.

“Now, is there anything else we need to discuss?” Olivia asked. “Simone, you haven’t said much tonight.”

“There’s nothing to say,” Simone replied. “Everything is running smoothly.”

“Then why don’t we call it a night? I’m just dying to get home and have a long, hot shower.”

Elle rose to her feet. “If we’re done here, I caught the eye of a cute butch on my way in. She seemedveryinterested in the impact play setup. I’m going to go see if she needs some help.” She raised her champagne flute in Simone’s direction. “Congratulations again on the acquisition.”

The others followed suit, raising their glasses and finishing off their champagne. Olivia and Elle said their goodbyes and headed down the stairs, leaving Simone and Valerie alone.

“You don’t have to run off too?” Simone asked.

“Not tonight. The new nanny is on.” Valerie joined her by the glass, draping her arms over the railing as she surveyed the club below. “Tonight belongs to Madame V.”

“And how is the new nanny going?” Valerie had high standards when it came to her daughter.

“Hazel seems to like her.”

“And you?”

“She’s good.Verygood.” Valerie straightened up, turning to Simone. “But that’s enough about me. What about you? You have that look about you, like there’s something on your mind.”

Simone didn’t miss the abrupt change of subject. “I’m simply swamped with work right now, that’s all.”

“Simone, you just closed on the biggest deal of your career. You boughtThe Ashton Star. You should be celebrating. Instead, you’re acting like your pet died. Maybe the others didn’t notice, but I did.”

Simone sipped her champagne. She’d barely drunk any of it. “Like I said, I have a lot going on right now.”

“Like what? Come on, Simone. I know you’re not one for talking about your problems, but we’ve known each other for years. You’re one of my closest friends. You can talk to me.”

Simone let out a heavy sigh. “It’s about Jade.”

“You mean your assistant? Who is also your sub? Who you’ve also been sleeping with?”

“No need to remind me what a bad idea that was,” Simone said.

Valerie held up her hands apologetically. “Go on.”

“Well, I saw her on Friday night at The Fox. She was with another woman, and they kissed.” Simone shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense that she would do that.”

Jade, her loyal, devoted princess. She’d never given Simone any reason not to trust her. She’d never kept secrets from her.

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