Worth the Scandal: Worth It, Book 1

  Dedication

  To Bethany, for giving me the idea for this book. I still have the notes scribbled on a few pieces of paper stuffed in my desk drawer.

  Chapter One

  He watched her.

  The way she walked by his office toward her desk, her hips swaying seductively with every step. She dressed impeccably, if a tad too conservative for his personal tastes. The black skirt she wore hit just at the knee, perfectly respectable in all manner and in accordance with the rather strict dress code they upheld at Worth Luxury.

  Yet it was downright sinful, how the sleek fabric clung to her every curve, especially her ass. Alexander Worth had never considered himself much of an ass man—until she appeared.

  And preceded to tempt him every single day with those damn skirts she wore.

  She was the reason for his newly discovered distraction. He couldn’t hold it together in meetings or during the endless conference calls he found himself involved in lately. His thoughts always drifted, as did his gaze. Unerringly it would land upon her pretty face, usually scrunched in concentration, tendrils of dark brown hair tickling her cheeks. Her fingers flew over the keyboard of her computer as she typed with a speed that both shocked and impressed him.

  When he kept the door to his office open, he had a direct view. And more often than not, that door remained open, much to the curiosity of the other employees at Worth who’d worked for him for years. Who knew his habits and how much he cherished his privacy.

  But the view was too damn sweet to ignore.

  Without a doubt, she was the best assistant he’d ever hired. Efficient, professional, almost as much of a perfectionist as he was, too bad Tessa Crawford aroused him like no other.

  Which meant he really needed to fire her.

  “She’s a hot little number, isn’t she?”

  Snarling, Alex lifted his head at his younger brother’s words, ready to lash out. He immediately schooled his expression, thankful Hunter stood with his back to him. “What did you say?”

  “Your secretary.” Hunter turned and faced him, a wolfish grin on his face. He shut the office door, Tessa disappearing from their view, and then settled in the chair that sat across from Alex’s desk. “Even with the uptight way she dresses, there’s no hiding that curvy body of hers.”

  Alex pressed his lips together, anger coiling tight in his gut. His younger brother by two years was both an innovative businessman and a known charmer of the ladies. The very last thing he needed was his brother setting his sights on Tessa. “She’s not for you.”

  “Says who?” Hunter cocked a brow. He couldn’t resist a challenge.

  And Alex should’ve known better than issuing one, even inadvertently. “Says me.” He relaxed his hands, which unbeknownst to him had curled into fists. “Leave her be, Hunter.”

  “I never said I wanted her.” Hunter stared at him. Hard. He was rather perceptive, damn his hide, which gave him the upper hand in negotiations. Thank God, Hunter was on his side. Most of the time. “Why do you care?”

  “She’s young. Naïve.” Alex grabbed his cell phone, pretending he was occupied with the list of text messages he scrolled through. “A shark like you would eat her alive.”

  Hunter chuckled. “Isn’t that the point?”

  Irritation flashed through Alex at the callous way Hunter thought of Tessa. He’d use her up and spit her out. Charm her, bed her, make her fall in love with him and then leave her alone and hurting, just like he did to every other woman he met.

  Alex couldn’t have it. “For once in your life, keep your dick in your pants and ignore her. Like I said, she’s not for you.”

  “Who the hell is she for then? You?” Hunter sounded infinitely amused at the suggestion.

  Alex dropped the phone onto his desk where it landed with a loud clatter. “Absolutely not. I have no interest in her whatsoever beyond her stellar organizational skills.” That the lie could fall so easily from his lips stunned him.

  “She can organize my files anytime.” Hunter chuckled, not so subtly looking over his shoulder and in Tessa’s direction. A narrow, uncovered window was next to the door, offering a perfect view of her sitting behind her desk.

  Alex’s gaze followed Hunter’s. She wore her hair up, the elegant, pale curve of her neck exposed and fueling his imagination. What she would do if he touched his lips to the spot just below her ear. Could only imagine her eyes sliding closed, a soft little murmur of pleasure escaping past her parted lips…

  He shook off his fanciful imagination. “Why are you here again?” It was early Friday afternoon, and Hunter rarely made appearances in the office so close to the weekend. He was a man who not only worked hard, but he played hard as well.

  Not Alex. As the oldest Worth brother and CEO of Worth Luxury, it was up to him to keep the business progressing. He put in long hours to ensure the empire built by his great-grandfather continued to thrive.

  It was his obsession.

  “I need your help.” Hunter’s expression became serious. “You won’t like it, but I have no other choice.”

  Unease slithered down Alex’s spine. “What’s wrong?”

  “I need you to step in for me and take my place for the relaunch tour.” Hunter held up a hand, stopping Alex’s protests. “I know it’s last minute and I know it’s the very last thing you want to do, but I have no other choice. My hands are tied.”

  “What do you mean, your hands are tied? You’re the face of Worth. You have to go. We’ve planned this tour for months. Why bow out now?”

  “There’s a major shake-up within the marketing division. I think we have a spy.”

  Alex frowned. “A spy? What do you mean?”

  “Information is being leaked to the media. Hermes recently announced they’re launching a new, exclusive clothing line for women as an experiment. This came days before our planned announcement. Some of the items featured are almost identical to what we’d planned to offer. No way can it be a coincidence.” Hunter’s expression turned grim. “It’s not good, Alex. I need to get a handle on my team and figure out who’s the rat. We can’t have this.”

  “Of course, we can’t have this.” Alex clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding together. “I’ll work on it. I’ll find the rat and fire them myself.” Fury burned inside him. If anything offended him more, it was a traitor. He’d been deceived before, both in the boardroom and the bedroom.

  Never again would he allow it to happen.

  “I can’t let you do that.” Hunter shook his head. “As head of Brand Marketing, it’s my duty to fix this. Besides, they’ll trust me more and work with me over you. No offense bro, but you scare the shit out of just about every employee in this building.”

  “That’s exactly what they need.” After the last ten years, Worth Luxury had risen above its stodgy reputation and mini financial crisis and was one of the leading providers of luxury goods all over the world.

  Their father had died when Alex was twenty-seven, and he’d taken over the reins at Worth. Many in the industry scoffed, deeming him too young to handle such a large company. They had no idea their negativity had fueled his ambition.

  “No. Trust me on this.” Hunter shook his head. “I need you to go in my place. I left all the travel details with Tessa, including the itinerary. She’s making your arrangements now.”

  Alex rubbed his hand along his jaw, his mind searching for any sort of excuse. “What about Rhett? Send him out as the Worth family representative.”

  Hunter snorted. “I can’t trust Rhett to remember to come to a board meeting, let alone allow him to go on a tour of this magnitude. He would probably become too distracted and not even show up to the openings.” T
heir baby brother had no work ethic whatsoever.

  “Send him with a babysitter,” Alex suggested. “One who’ll keep him on track.”

  “Who could we find to keep him on track?” Hunter laughed. “Your ultra-organized secretary? He’d have her in his bed by the first night.”

  The very image nearly blinded him. Breathing deep, Alex fought to keep his irritation under control. “I can’t afford to leave now either, Hunter. I’m in the middle of negotiations on the new London location, and we’re near closing on them. It’s imperative I stay in New York until everything is secure.”

  “You can handle the London negotiations from anywhere in the world, Alex. What I need to handle is here, and I can’t leave it.” Hunter sighed. “I feel bad, bro. I really do. But I can’t risk leaving right now. I need you to do this—for Worth.”

  Tessa Crawford scanned the email 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 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 email and making 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 laughingstock 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 first locked eyes on him, her entire body had reacted. Physically he was perfection. As she’d continued to work for him, she 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 she was in 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 realized her talent didn’t lie in design.

  She’d taken some fashion retail and design courses in college but eventually dropped out before receiving her degree due to lack of funds. Found a job at one retail store in Times Square, then another, then another, until eventually she ended up applying for an assistant manager position at a Worth Luxury Goods 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 email 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 of it. 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 before 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.”

  “Perfect.” He didn’t look pleased. He suffered through most public appearances for Worth so she assumed this tour was the last thing he wanted to do. “I’d like you to prepare an itinerary as soon as you can. I need to know where I’ll be at all times for the duration of the trip.”

  “Yes, sir.” She returned her attention to her computer monitor, painfully aware that Alex stood there, silently watching. A tingle started at the top of her spine, slowly working its way down the length of her back, and she barely contained the shiver that wanted to move through her. She could feel his gaze upon her much like a physical caress and she held her breath. Wished she knew what he was thinking.

  Did he approve of what he saw? Did she displease him in any way? She worked so hard, harder than she ever had before for fear she would disappoint him.

  The very last thing she wanted to do.

  “Tessa?” His voice had lowered, roughly sexy, murmuring along her nerve endings.

  If he only knew the affect he had on her…

  “Yes?” She looked up at him, marveling yet again at his height, the very breadth of him. His shoulders were impossibly broad, emphasized by the exquisite cut of his dark suit jacket. He wore a Worth tie, made of the finest silk, a lovely shade of blue that reminded her of the ocean.

  The blue almost matched the turbulent color of his eyes. His face was clean-shaven, not a hair out of place. He was so completely, utterly perfect she sometimes wondered if he was real.

  “I have a request.” He paused, letting the words hang in the air and anticipation ran through her, sharp and potent.

  “Yes?” she urged when he still hadn’t said anything.

  Propping his hands on the edge of her desk, he bent down, setting his face just above hers. She pressed her feet into the ground, pushing her chair back the slightest bit but that only made him loom in closer. “I want you—”

  A tremble moved through her and she released a shuddering breath. Those three words filled her with edgy suspense. So many possibilities to consider…

  “—to stop calling me sir.”

  Disappointment replaced the suspense. She certainly hadn’t expected that request. “It’s merely a sign of respect.” Her voice came out a breathless squeak.

  He smiled but it really wasn’t a smile. It never was. More like a baring of teeth. “You make me feel like an old man.”

  She blinked. How could she answer that? He certainly wasn’t an old man. A vital, sexy, gorgeous man, most definitely, and he was only thirty-five—in the absolute prime of his life. “I don’t mean to insult you, si—”

  “Don’t say it,” he interrupted. There was the faintest sparkle in his eyes, something she’d never seen before. Of course, this conversation they were having was unlike any they’d ever had before either. He always kept everything serious, no-nonsense and above all else, business only between them.

  At the moment, he chatted with her. Seemed almost to be…flirting with her.

  No way could that be true. It had to be misunderstanding on her part.

  “Call me Alex.” He tilted his head to the side. “Say it.”

  Her lips parted. He really didn’t just
say that, did he? “Excuse me?”

  “I want to hear you say my name,” he said, his voice soft but edged with steel. She’d heard that voice before, mostly in meetings, many times over the phone. It was the voice of a man who brooked no argument. “Don’t stumble over it, don’t stutter. And you damn well better not call me sir.”

  Her throat went dry. Who was this man who stood before her?

  “I promise I won’t call you sir ever again.” The words rushed out of her on a single breath and she pressed her lips together briefly. Gathering courage, which was silly. She had no reason to fear him. His request wasn’t a hardship. It just felt odd to be so informal with him. “Alex.”

  “Thank you, Tessa.” Pushing away from her desk, he went back into his office and shut the door with a quiet click.

  Chapter Two

  The building was deathly silent, the sound of Tessa’s heels clicking on the marble floor echoing throughout as she entered the headquarters for Worth Luxury Goods. She waved at the weekend security guard sitting behind the sleek counter. He offered a brief good morning in return before he resumed his focus on the wall of security cameras that he monitored.

  She went to the bank of elevators, momentarily startled when the doors swooshed open as if they sensed her approach. Walking inside, she turned to face the doors as they closed shut. She breathed a sigh of relief after taking a sip of the coffee she’d picked up just before her arrival at the Worth building, savoring the nutty, crisp taste.

  It was a common occurrence for her to work the occasional weekend when she wanted to get a few extra duties done. She was paid a decent salary, and Alex had told her more than once to let him know if she ever worked any overtime, wanting to compensate her.

  Not that she had anything else better to do but sit in her cramped apartment in Brooklyn and stare at the walls of her teeny bedroom. Her roommate had a boyfriend who’d taken over the place, must to Tessa’s disgust. And the loser didn’t even offer to contribute toward the rent or utilities despite the fact he basically lived there.