Operation Revenge (8 page)

Haley turned slightly and lowered her head. Figuring she needed a moment alone to think, Simon left her standing there and wandered over to the bench that was beneath a shade tree. He sat down to wait for her. After several minutes, she joined him on the bench. He wanted to ask her if she came to a decision, but felt it was best if he waited for her to speak.

"If it was anyone else suggesting this plan I would be leery, but I know I can trust you."

"You can."

Haley held out her hand and he clasped it gently in his. "Let 'Operation Revenge' begin."

Chapter 7

Simon set his coffee cup down and glanced at his watch. It was nine-twenty-five. He had five minutes to get to the meeting. Pushing back his chair, he stood and grabbed a box from the corner of his desk. He crossed the office, opened the door, and walked out into the reception area. "Paula, I'm going to the meeting now. When I get back, I want to look over the Goodman contract. Would you please put it on my desk?"

"Yes, sir," she said.

"Thank you." Simon hurried to the conference room, where he found the team sitting around the large table talking. Chad was not among the group. Frowning, he checked the clock on the wall and saw it was nine-thirty. He stood there for a moment, just inside the door, debating on whether or not he should wait for Chad to join them before starting the meeting.

"Hey, boss," one of the men said to Simon. "I talked to Mr. Irwin. He wanted me to tell you that he wouldn't be coming to the meeting."

So Chad's not coming,
Simon thought, closing the door behind him.
He's probably busy with his secretary or another woman.
"All right then. Let's get down to business." He took a seat at the head of the table and set the box down. "Are any of you familiar with Grandeur's chocolate?" There was a chorus of yes's. "They are in the process of releasing a new product and they want us to promote it for them."

"Please tell me there's chocolate in that box," Lizzie said.

Simon smiled at the red head. "There's chocolate in the box."

"Thank you, God," she muttered.

Grinning, Simon pulled the flaps back on the box. He took out a small rectangular shaped box that contained assorted chocolates and handed it to one of the men on his right. "Take a piece and pass it around."

"We don't get our own box?" Kelly asked.

"You all are a greedy bunch." Simon smirked. "There are enough boxes of chocolate for you all to have one. You can pick it up on your way out the door." He put the box on the floor and sat back in his chair. "Grandeur has given us full reign on this project. There are no restrictions. With that said, start throwing out some ideas. Anything that pops into your head let me hear it."

"Well, I think it's safe to say our target audience is adults," Lizzie said, nibbling on a piece of candy. "The chocolate . . . the whole package is too sophisticated for children." She studied the back of the box. "Raspberry cream, coconut, and coffee are just some of the flavors. I don't know about you, but I don't know too many kids that like raspberries, coconut, or coffee."

"I agree," Kelly said. "Also, I think we should target women."

"Why just women?" Derek inquired. "Men like chocolate too."

"It's true," Aaron agreed. "When I broke up with my ex I ate a whole box of chocolate caramel nut clusters." He sighed. "I hated myself afterwards."

Derek arched an eyebrow at him. "What are you, a woman?"

Simon snickered.

"I've got a great idea for a commercial," Lizzie said suddenly. "Imagine. A beautiful woman is getting ready for a date. She's standing in front of the mirror putting earrings on when the doorbell rings. She rushes to answer it and finds her handsome date standing there. In one hand, he is holding a dozen roses. In the other hand, he has a box of Grandeur's chocolate. The camera zooms in for a close up of the box."

"Not a bad idea," Derek said, "but you're leaving out an important scene. She needs to eat a piece of the candy. Also, it wouldn't hurt to fit a catchy phrase in there somewhere."

"We shouldn't leave out the internet," Simon pointed out. "You know how they play those annoying advertisements before a music video. That would be a great way to spread the word."

"Good thinking, boss," Aaron said.

"That's why I'm here," he said.

"We thought it was so you could keep an eye on us to make sure we don't goof off," Kelly uttered.

"That too," Simon said dryly.

. . . .

Twenty minutes later, with their box of chocolate in hand, the team left the conference room. Simon stayed behind to tidy up. He pushed the chairs in, threw trash in the garbage bin, and wiped the marker board clean. Once he was satisfied that everything was the way he had found it, he headed for the door. He had just stepped into the corridor when his cell phone rang. Unhooking the phone from his belt, he flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hello, Simon," Haley said. "Am I catching you at a bad time?"

"No," he said. "I'm not busy at the moment."

"Good." She cleared her throat. "I received a birthday invitation from Chad's Aunt Darla. I'm sure you'll get one too. Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to go to the party with me. It's tomorrow night, seven-thirty, at the-"

"Lakeview," Simon interrupted. "She has it there every year."

"So she does," Haley said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "So, are you available tomorrow night, Mr. Wilcox?"

"I believe I am, Ms. Denton," he said.

"Good, because I would hate to have to go alone," she informed him. "What time should I expect you to pick me up?"

"Is seven o' clock all right?"

"It's fine," she assured him.

"I will see you then."

"See you then," Haley said. "And Simon, thank you for the weekend. I had a nice time."

"So did I," he admitted.

"Well, bye."

"Bye, Haley."

Simon closed the phone and returned it to his belt. He turned around and came face to face with an angry Chad. "Would you-"

"Are you fucking her?"

"Watch your language," Simon snarled, his eyes flashing. "Do I need to remind you where you are? This is a place of business and-"

"I don't give a damn," Chad said through clenched teeth. "Haley never left your place Saturday night. I know because I waited for her to leave. I fell asleep around one. When I woke up it was morning and her car was still parked in the driveway. So I'm going to ask you one more time and I want an answer. Are you screwing her?"

"No," Simon said coolly. "I'm not sleeping with her, but if I was it would be none of your damn business. Mine and Haley's personal lives are nobody's business but our own. You seem to have trouble realizing that."

"You can't expect me to believe that she spent the night and nothing happened."

"Unlike you, I can control myself." Simon took a step closer. "Because of your stupidity and lack of control, Haley is in pain. I would have to be as low as a snake . . . as low as you to take advantage of her while she's vulnerable. She stayed at my place Saturday night because she was upset. I didn't like the idea of her driving home, so I suggested that she stay and she agreed. I put her in the guest room. She stayed there all night."

Chad looked into his eyes. "I love her and I-"

"So you keep saying," Simon sneered. "And yet you slept with other women. That's a strange way of showing her that you love her."

"I made a horrible mi-"

"Mistake." Simon snorted. "I've heard it all ready. Save the excuses." He shoved past him.

"I will win her back," Chad stated. "She still loves me."

Simon halted. Slowly he turned back around and stared at him. "Some where deep inside she probably still loves you. I'll give you that, but she will never take you back. You betrayed her in the worst way. She will never trust you again. Face it; you lost the best thing that has ever happened to you. She's with me now and I will treat her the way she deserves to be treated." He smiled coldly. "We'll see you at your aunt's party tomorrow night."

"You are a poor excuse for a friend," Chad growled, clenching his hands at his sides. "You don't date your friend's ex. It's wrong."

Simon arched an eyebrow. "You're talking to me about what's wrong. After what you did. Go to hell." He pivoted on his heels and walked away.

"We're through!" Chad called out. "We're done!"

"Good riddance," Simon whispered.

Chapter 8

Simon was on his way home from the office that evening when his cell phone rang. Keeping his eyes on the car in front of him, he reached for his phone and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hello, Simon," Marian said. "How are you?"

"What do you want, Gran?" he asked, holding back a groan.

"What makes you think I want anything?"

"Because you only ask me how I am when you want something," he pointed out. "Let me hear it."

"I was going to invite you to dinner," Marian growled, "but I don't know if I want to now."

Simon felt a twinge of remorse for the way he talked to his grandmother. "I'm sorry, Gran. I would love to have dinner with you."

"I expect you by six-thirty." She hung up on him.

He closed the phone, dropped it onto the passenger seat, and quickly glanced at the small digital clock above the CD player. It was a quarter after six. He returned his eyes to the road and swore beneath his breath at the bumper-to-bumper traffic. He had a strong feeling he was going to be late. That meant only one thing. He was going to have to sit through a lecture on tardiness. Another string of curses escaped his mouth. Could this day get any worse?