FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 200

CHAPTER 200

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– SIMON

“Kelly, I want those reports on my desk first thing tomorrow morning.”

I pinned the phone between my shoulder and ear as I loosened my tie.

“The external audit’s been approved,” she said. “But Finance is worried about the fallout. The stock dropped another four percent today.”

“And how many people are still in the hospital?”

“Simon…”

“It’s a question, Kelly.”

“Eleven. Two are still in the ICU.”

I closed my eyes for a moment.

“Then I’d say we have bigger problems than the stock price.”

“I know. I’m just passing along what they told me.”

“I’m not mad at you.” I rubbed a hand over my face. “Sorry. It’s been a shitty day.”

“I noticed, boss.”

I let out a humorless laugh.

“Anything new on that employee from the factory?”

“Not yet. The investigator said he’d get in touch as soon as he has something.”

“All right. If anything comes up, call me. I don’t care what time it is.”

“Will do. Good night, Simon.”

“Night, Kelly. And remember, don’t discuss this with anyone.”

“Got it, boss. Strictly confidential.”

I ended the call and tossed my phone onto the dresser.

Fuck. I was exhausted.

I’d spent the entire day trying to figure out how a product made by one of my companies had ended up in so many people’s hands without anyone catching the problem.

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I looked toward the bathroom. Jamie was still in the shower. The sound of running water was practically the only pleasant thing I’d heard in the last half hour.

I took off my tie, undid the top buttons of my shirt, and sat on the edge of the bed.

A few minutes later, the shower shut off.

Jamie emerged wrapped in a white towel, wet hair spilling over her shoulders. She stopped when she saw me.

“Wow, babe. You look terrible.”

“Missed you too, sweetheart.”

She laughed.

“I’m serious.”

“So am I. I’ve spent all day wanting to get my wife alone.”

“Simon, I was with you practically all day.”

“With other people around. Doesn’t count.”

“Oh, I see.” She smiled. “Mr. Hart needs some attention.”

“So fucking much.”

Jamie shook her head, amused, and walked past me to grab the hair dryer from the closet.

I watched her come back, distractedly untangling the cord.

Before she could reach the outlet, I gently caught the edge of her towel.

She stopped dead.

“Simon.”

“What?”

“Don’t even think about it.”

I gave it a little tug, and she clutched the fabric against her chest, laughing.

“You’re insatiable.”

“You knew that when you married me.”

“Ever since we got married, we’ve been having sex practically every day.”

“Practically?” I repeated, offended. “Clearly I need to step up my game.”

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“You need sleep.”

“I need five minutes with you before I can think about anything else.”

Jamie raised the hair dryer like she was going to hit me with it.

“Five minutes?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Uh-huh.”

I took the dryer from her hand and set it on the dresser. Jamie watched me, smiling, but she didn’t step away when I moved closer.

I slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her against me. The scent of her soap hit me before I rested my forehead against hers.

“I spend all day listening to people talk about money, lawyers trying to contain the damage, families whose lives have been turned upside down because of one of my products. Then I come home, get a few minutes alone with you, and somehow I can stop thinking about all that shit.”

Jamie’s smile faded.

“Simon…”

“I’m not saying you fix my problems. It’s just that when I’m with you, I remember there’s still something good in my life beyond all of this.”

She cupped my cheek.

“You could’ve led with that instead of trying to steal my towel.”

“And miss a chance to annoy my wife? Never.”

She laughed against my mouth when I kissed her. It was a long, unhurried kiss, nothing like the frantic pace I’d kept going in and out of meetings all day. Her fingers slid to the back of my neck, and when I pulled away a little, Jamie was the one who drew me back.

“I thought you were exhausted,” she murmured.

“I am.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“You have that annoying effect on me.”

I slid a hand behind her thigh and gently pulled her closer. Jamie steadied herself on my shoulders, laughing softly.

“Watch the towel.”

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“You’re awfully worried about that towel.”

“Somebody has to be.”

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I kissed the corner of her mouth, then along her jaw. When my lips found her neck, she let out a quiet moan and tilted her head, giving me room to kiss her again.

“Simon, my hair’s going to dry into a tangled mess.”

“You’ll be gorgeous either way.”

The towel finally slipped, and Jamie made no attempt to catch it. I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her off the floor. She gave a startled squeal and threw her arms around my neck.

I carried her to the bed and laid her down carefully. She caught my collar before I could pull away, and I kissed her again. For a moment, the entire world came down to the woman smiling beneath me and the overwhelming relief of finally being home.

My phone buzzed on the dresser.

I ignored it.

It buzzed again. Then again.

“Simon,” Jamie murmured, pressing a hand to my chest. “Answer it.”

“Whoever it is can wait.”

The phone started ringing again.

She raised an eyebrow.

“What if it’s important?”

I muttered a curse and grabbed my phone, fully prepared to end the call in ten seconds. Then I saw the name

on the screen.

“It’s Martin.”

Jamie sat up immediately, pulling the sheet over herself as she reached toward me.

“Answer it. Put him on speaker.”

I tapped the screen.

“Martín. You find something?”

“I think so. I tracked down the grocery store connected to Annie’s old address. It’s in Newark, New Jersey.”

I glanced at Jamie. She was perfectly still, hanging on every word.

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“Is the store still open?” I asked.

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“It is, but it’s changed hands. The current owner confirmed that the previous owner still lives in the area. I didn’t mention Annie over the phone. Figured it was better not to alarm anyone before we know what we’re looking for.”

“You’re sure it’s the right address?”

“It matches the records I found. We still need to confirm the connection to Annie. That’s why I think we should speak to the former owner in person.”

Jamie shifted closer to me on the bed.

“I can go ahead of you and see whether it’s worth making the trip,” Martin offered.

“No need. I want to check it out myself. Once you’ve confirmed a time, send me the address.”

“You got it. I’ll call first thing tomorrow.”

I hung up and set the phone on the nightstand.