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Strictly business? Try telling that to her heart…
Worth the Scandal
© 2012 Karen Erickson
Worth It, Book 1
Alexander Worth, President and CEO of Worth Luxury Goods, is a man never to be crossed. His unwavering sense of responsibility to the family business requires him to always be in complete and utter control. Until it comes to Tessa Crawford.
She’s quietly professional, shy, voluptuous…and she works for him. Which means she is the one woman he must never touch, no matter how hard his gut twists with need for her.
After rising above her disadvantaged childhood, Tessa knows the last thing she should do is risk throwing it all away by falling into bed with her sexy boss. But on an extended European business trip, all self-imposed barriers burn away in the heat of their sizzling chemistry.
Once back home, though, whispers of corporate espionage turn into full-blown scandal—and Tessa finds out the hard way where Alex’s loyalties lie. Determined to soldier on, she picks herself up and carries on with a secret, yet welcomed burden. Never guessing that Alex will make a reappearance in her life, ready to show her once and for all that family does, indeed, come first.
Warning: Contains a sweet-yet-strong woman, and a bossy alpha male brought to his knees by the woman he desperately loves. Involves enough begging and groveling that the reader may be tempted to “accidentally” leave it for her significant other to “find”. For instructional purposes only, of course!
Enjoy the following excerpt for Worth the Scandal:
Tessa Crawford scanned the e-mail Hunter Worth’s assistant had forwarded her earlier this morning, ticking each item she’d completed off her mental list. Arrangements for the private jet had already been made by changing the passenger’s name from Hunter to Alexander Worth. She was still working on the hotel reservations, having already called two of the four hotels named in the e-mail, she’d made the necessary adjustments.
He would be gone for ten days, taking his brother’s place on a whirlwind tour relaunching four of the newly remodeled flagship Worth Luxury stores. Ten long days without seeing his handsome face, hearing his deliciously deep voice, admiring his tall, broad form clad in his elegant suits.
A little sigh escaped her. She would miss him terribly, which was foolish. Her childish crush on her boss could never go farther than her mind, of course. If anyone knew the depth of her feelings for Alexander Worth, she would be the laughing stock of the entire building.
As if he paid any attention to her. He didn’t know she existed beyond keeping him on task and answering his phone calls.
So she silently suffered. From the moment she’d first locked eyes on him, her entire body had reacted. Physically he was perfection. As she’d continued to work for him, she’d discovered he was driven, intelligent and excellent at what he did. Nothing stopped him from getting what he wanted.
Too bad he didn’t want her.
This was her ideal job. Since her early teens she’d loved fashion. Poring over fashion magazines, she’d dreamed of becoming a designer. But after doodling on the sketchpad she’d saved up for all those years ago, she’d realized her talent didn’t lie in design.
So she’d taken some fashion retail and design courses in college but eventually had dropped out before receiving her degree due to lack of funds. Had found a job at one retail store in Times Square, then another, then another, until eventually she’d ended up applying for an assistant-manager position at a Worth Luxury store.
She got the job. Within two years she found herself working as Alexander Worth’s personal assistant.
Tessa still couldn’t quite believe it.
The office door swung open and out strode Hunter Worth, handsome as ever, a giant smile curving his lips. “Did my assistant e-mail you the list for the tour, Tessa?”
“She did, Mister Worth, thank you. I’ve already started making the necessary arrangements.” She offered him a brief smile. All three of the Worth brothers were handsome, though the other two couldn’t hold a candle to Alex—at least in her eyes.
“Perfect, considering I got Alex to agree to go only a few minutes ago.” Hunter winked at her and with a chuckle strode toward the elevator. “Have a nice weekend,” he called over his shoulder.
Tessa swallowed hard. Hunter made her nervous. He was almost too smooth, too flirtatious, and she often wondered if he had ulterior motives.
And then there was Rhett Worth, who didn’t have a serious bone in his body. He rarely made an appearance at Worth, didn’t even bother pretending he actually worked for his family’s business.
But Alex…he was so compelling, so powerful. He entered a room and everyone immediately knew he was in command. He ran the company with a ruthless yet fair hand, was so incredibly serious and smart and handsome…
“Tessa?”
She blinked and turned in her chair to find Alex standing in front of her desk, a frown marring his face, his dark brows lowered in seeming concern. His stormy blue-gray eyes contemplated her, watched her with an intensity she found unnerving, and she swallowed hard. “Yes, sir?”
His eyes flickered with thinly veiled annoyance. He hated that she called him sir, had asked her not to do so, but she always forgot. Since when was it a sin to have good manners? He was, after all, her boss. “You’re aware of my having to take Hunter’s place and attend to the relaunch tour, correct?”
She nodded. “I’m making the necessary changes and arrangements for your travel now. Everything should be in place before the day is through.”
