Page 6 of Just a Little Tempted

We’d been young and hungry, fresh out of college with more ambition than sense. Chuck was a decade older, seasoned, with the kind of business experience that made him seem like a surething. We’d handed him the keys to production and quality control, confident he knew what he was doing.

Instead, he’d cut corners on materials to pad his own margins. Skimmed money off the top when he thought we weren’t looking. By the time we caught on, our reputation was already tanking. Reviews were brutal. Returns piled up. And our fledgling company—the thing we’d built from nothing—collapsed under the weight of his greed.

A bigger, more established business might have weathered the storm. We didn’t stand a chance.

“Same,” Kurt agreed, his voice flat. He finished his beer and stood. “You want another one?”

“Yeah.”

He headed for the kitchen while my thoughts lingered on Chuck and the sting of watching everything I’d worked for fall apart. I’d been so proud of that company. So certain we were building something real.

And then it was gone.

The memory made me think of Carla. Wasn’t that the same mistake I’d made with her? Trusting someone because of their experience, their credentials, their confident assurances—only to be blindsided by incompetence a second time?

“Well, I’ve learned my lesson now,” I muttered to myself, just as Kurt walked back into the room.

“What’s that?” He handed me a fresh beer and settled back onto the couch.

I leaned into the cushions, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Just thinking about how that old mess is still rattling around in my head.” I paused, then decided to just say it. “You know how I’ve had trouble keeping an assistant?”

Kurt’s expression shifted. “Don’t tell me you fired another one.”

I nodded. “Couple of days ago.”

He let out a low whistle. “Damn, Simon. It’s starting to seem like you’re sabotaging yourself.”

The defensive response rose automatically—high standards, inadequate employees, the same justifications I’d given Liam. But while all of that was true, I knew it wasn’t the real problem.

“I have a hard timetrustingpeople,” I admitted, the words scraping against my pride on the way out. “In business, I mean. I can’t shake the feeling that if I don’t maintain total control over every aspect of the company, it’ll all come crashing down again. Just like last time.”

If anyone would understand, it was Kurt. We’d both lost our first business, both had our confidence shaken by Chuck’s betrayal. But Kurt had been in an even worse position than me. I had family money to fall back on—a trust fund that cushioned the blow. Kurt had invested everything he had. When the company went under, he lost it all.

He was doing well now, working as a wealth manager at a prestigious firm, but I knew those early years after our failure had been brutal for him.

Kurt was quiet for a moment, turning his beer bottle slowly in his hands. “You know what happened wasn’t your fault, right? Chuck screwed us over. That’s on him.” He met my eyes, his expression unusually serious. “But I’m going to be honest with you. If you keep firing assistants and trying to do everything yourself, you’re going to miss something. A detail. A deadline. And when that happens, when you inevitably drop a ball, thatwillbe your fault.”

I hated that he had a point. Just like Liam.

“You know anyone who could handle my bossy ass?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

To my surprise, Kurt didn’t laugh it off. His expression turned thoughtful, and he studied me for a long moment.

“Actually… I just might.”

I set my beer on the coffee table and leaned forward, elbows braced on my knees. “Who?” I asked curiously.

Kurt placed his own bottle down and shifted on the couch to face me directly. “Now, don’t say no immediately—”

“You’re not off to a great start.” I scowled, immediately suspicious.

“Just keep an open mind, okay?” He held up a hand, preemptively cutting off my objection. “I think you should consider hiring my sister. Raina.”

I stared at him. Kurt was my best friend. And I had a well-documented tendency to alienate my assistants before inevitably firing them. Hiring his sister seemed like a guaranteed way to destroy our friendship.

“I’m pretty sure that’s a terrible idea,” I said flatly. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’mdifficultto work for.”

Kurt smirked. “Raina’s tough. She can handle it.”