Worth the Scandal: Worth It, Book 1 Read online

  So she escaped to work. Besides, with the sudden change of plans of the flagship stores tour taking up most of her afternoon yesterday, she had quite a few things to finish.

  Exiting the elevator, she strode toward Alex’s office, noticing the door was shut, the lights within off. Not a sign of life throughout the entire floor, which thrilled her to her little heart’s content.

  It was so much easier to complete her tasks without the constant interruption from the phone, from her inbox, from her fellow employees, from the very man who employed her. Not that she minded when Alex asked her to do something, oh no…

  Settling at her desk, which sat just outside Alex’s office, she turned on her computer and printer, then picked up the phone and listened to her voicemails. Not a one of them urgent though she did make a note to return a call first thing Monday morning. She turned her attention to her emails and discovered there was a change in time for the relaunch of the Paris store, and she immediately opened the itinerary document she created yesterday. Correcting the time, she scanned it over then hit print.

  She hoped Alex wouldn’t be displeased by her need to give him another itinerary. He was leaving first thing Tuesday, in four days’ time and he preferred to have everything in check well in advance of his departure. Of course, it wasn’t her fault the time had been changed so why would he be angry at her…

  Irritated over her unnecessary worry, she plucked the itinerary off the printer tray then went to Alex’s office, ready to slip it beneath the door. Grabbing the door handle for leverage before she bent down, she was surprised to find it unlocked.

  Tessa frowned. He would never leave the door unlocked, and he definitely wasn’t one to forget. Had the cleaning crew left it open? Perhaps Alex had been here earlier. Maybe he was still in the building and would return to lock it before he left.

  But he never came in on the weekend. At least, he was never there when she was. He had an active social life, if the gossip blogs and magazines were any indication. She’d seen many a photo of Alex with an overly made up blonde on his arm clad in a beautiful dress.

  The complete and total opposite of what she was.

  Slowly she opened the door and stepped inside, the quiet calm of the room soothing her wayward thoughts. The blinds were half cracked, allowing a bit of light within. His scent lingered in the air, subtle pine and masculine spice and she breathed deep.

  Oh, she could become drunk on his scent alone…

  Moving deeper inside the office, she set the itinerary on top of his desk. It was clean, no stack of haphazard papers residing in the corners, not a leftover coffee cup or discarded pen in sight. The man not only demanded perfection from everyone who worked for him but also from himself.

  She wondered what he might look like when he first woke up, rumpled and hazy from sleep. His face covered with dark stubble, his hair mussed and not a stitch of clothing on…

  Shivering, she went to the window and peered through the cracked blinds. The streets below were busy as always, the sidewalk filled with more of the touristy-types since it was a Saturday. Watching them walk leisurely, dressed in casual clothes, she felt a pang touch her heart. It was terribly lonely, watching people enjoy themselves on a warm and lovely Saturday while she was stuck in a sterile, empty office.

  Alone.

  Tessa turned, resting her hands on the back of Alex’s chair. The black leather was soft, supple to the touch and she ran her hand across the top of it slowly. Without thought she sat in the chair, bracing her forearms on the armrests, staring unseeingly at his desk. His scent was even stronger here, as if the leather had absorbed the very essence of him and she leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

  Being in his office reminded her of a recent dream. He’d commanded her to get on her knees in front of him while he sat in his chair, a scowl on his face though his eyes were lit with fire. Desire for her. She’d knelt in front of him without protest, bowing her head, trembling when she felt his long fingers threading through her hair. Bit back a sob of pleasure when he curved his large, warm hand about her chin and brought her face up so their gazes met.

  She’d known in her dream what he wanted though he hadn’t said a word. Reaching out, she settled her hands on his belt buckle, her fingers fumbling with the cool metal before he took over, pushing her hands out of the way and undid it himself.

  He discarded the belt on the floor, his gaze never leaving her. Her breath came in little pants and her nipples beaded into hard, aching points. The sound of his zipper as he slowly slid it open, she’d waited in breathless anticipation for what was about to appear…

  “What the hell are you doing in my office?”

  His angry voice jerked her from her fantasy and she looked up, saw Alex standing in the doorway. His expression was fierce, his eyes blazing. He wore a charcoal gray sweater that stretched across his broad chest and dark jeans that emphasized the length of his long legs. She’d never seen him out of a suit before.

  He looked amazing.

  And furious.

  “I—I’m sorry, sir.” Wincing the moment the forbidden word left her lips, she started to stand but his command stopped her.

  “Don’t move.”

  Tessa remained frozen in the chair, watching as he strode toward her. Nerves clamored deep within, her stomach pitching and diving like a violent ocean during a storm. She gripped the armrests so tight her fingers hurt, and she relaxed her hold as best she could.

  Was he upset to catch her in his office? Did he think maybe she’d somehow broken in? Oh, God, would he be angry enough to—fire her?

  “How did you get in my office, Tessa?” He settled himself on the corner of his desk, directly in front of her. So close she could easily reach out and touch him. “And why are you here?”

  His calm, measured tone eased her fear somewhat and she took a deep breath before she spoke. “I—I decided to come in this morning to catch up on a few things. What with the change in plans and arranging your travel taking up most of my afternoon yesterday I wasn’t able to finish everything I wanted to.”

  He nodded once. “Go on.”

  He listened, and that was a start. He was also more than fair. She was thinking completely irrationally, believing he might fire her over something such as this.

  “There was a change in the time for the Paris opening so I updated your itinerary and planned on slipping it beneath your door, but I discovered it wasn’t locked.” She kept her gaze focused on his knee, too afraid to look him in the eye. “So I went inside and set it on your desk. It’s right there.”

  “Where?”

  She pointed with a shaky finger, then immediately dropped her hand into her lap. Wrenching around, he grabbed the paper from the desk and scanned it, his gaze zeroing in on her when he finished.

  Tessa kept her head bowed, her hands clutched together in her lap. She caught him watching her from beneath her lashes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, unsure of what to say.

  “No need for apologies,” he said crisply, dropping the itinerary on his desk. He stood and went to the window, his back to her. “Don’t get out of that chair. You look…good in it.”

  She’d been poised and ready to leap out of it as soon as possible but she fell back against the soft leather, startled by what he said. How had he even known she was moving? The man must have eyes in the back of his head.

  “May I ask you a question?” He didn’t so much as move a muscle while he waited for her answer.

  “Of course, si—” She cleared her throat, cursing silently at herself. Why couldn’t she break the sir habit?” “Yes, you may.”

  “You almost called me sir.”

  “I did,” she confessed weakly.

  “Your formality is completely unnecessary you know. Especially because we’re going to be working very closely together in the upcoming weeks,” he said cryptically.

  She frowned. He was leaving in a matter of days. What in the world was he talking about?

  “How long h
ave you worked for me?” Alex stared out the window at the bustling cityscape below. Cars whizzed by, mostly yellow cabs or buses, all of them in a hurry to get nowhere. He felt akin to the city that never stopped because really, he never stopped either.

  He’d come into the office on a Saturday, something he rarely did, because he’d been too restless, too keyed up to do much of anything else. An idea had come over him in the middle of the night, an idea so tantalizing, so damned crazy yet logical he hadn’t been able to think of anything else.

  It had surprised him, to find the very woman who’d haunted his thoughts half the night sitting in his chair behind his desk in his office, which was supposed to be locked. Anger had filled him at first, and his immediate thoughts had turned to Hunter and what he’d told him about the spy.

  Could sweet little Tessa Crawford be the Worth spy Hunter spoke of?

  But then he’d seen the expression on her face just before she realized he was there. Her gaze dreamy, staring off into the distance, her lush lips curved in a secretive little smile. If he wasn’t mistaken that particular look was one of…

  Pleasure.

  He’d lost all thoughts of spies and snitches and startled her right out of that hazy, pleasured look by barking at her, much to his disappointment.

  “I’ve been working as your assistant a little over six months.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the sound of her sweet and sultry voice. How many times had he fantasized about hearing that voice whisper wicked words in his ear?

  Too many times to count.

  “Six months and nineteen days if we’re going to be specific.” He’d reconfirmed her hire date with the HR manager late Friday. Not that he needed to, not really.

  He remembered the first day she’d entered his office, like a little mouse, a tentative, scared smile barely curving her ruby red lips. Big brown eyes had drunk him in as she stared and he’d realized he’d never seen anyone so innocently beautiful in all his life.

  He’d been sucker punched from the first moment he laid eyes her.

  She cleared her throat delicately. “That sounds about accurate.” There was a trace of amusement lacing her words.

  Whirling around, he faced her, his gaze dropping ever so briefly to her breasts. They strained against the front of her black turtleneck sweater, setting fire to his imagination. “Do you realize that in the last six months and nineteen days, you’ve yet to call me anything but Mister Worth or sir?”

  Her lids lowered and she pursed her lips. They wore not a hint of lipstick, not even any gloss. But they were just as full, just as tempting. “As I’ve said before, it’s merely a sign of respect, Mister Worth.”

  She was such an intriguing mixture of obedient and defiant. It aroused him beyond measure. “I would think that after working so closely together, Tessa—” she lifted her gaze at his mention of her name, “—that you could let go of the formality once and for all and call me Alex.”

  “All right.” Again, she cleared her throat. “Alex.”

  Christ. Hearing that smoky, sexy voice utter his name sent lust spiraling through him. And that wasn’t what he was after, hell no. He was trying to get them on a more familiar level, for what he was about to request was extremely last minute and downright life altering.

  He didn’t know anything about her private life, her obligations. What she did during non-business hours, what interests she might have. She definitely wasn’t wealthy, and she wasn’t married, he knew that for a fact. She lived in Brooklyn and from what he gleaned by eavesdropping—heaven help him, yes he’d eavesdropped like a foolish teenage girl—she didn’t have a boyfriend.

  Well, he didn’t believe she did. He hoped like hell she didn’t.

  “Do you like to travel?”

  The abrupt change of topic startled her for she gave a little jump. “I’ve never been one to travel much, Alex.”

  He smiled, pleased she’d said his name. “Due to circumstance, perhaps? Have you ever wanted to travel? See the world?”

  “I’ve worked steadily since I was in high school and college. I haven’t had much time.”

  Or money, he was sure. Most young women of her age and financial situation had never left the tri-state area, let alone traveled the world. “And how old are you again?”

  She fidgeted. Just the thought of her wiggling her lush bottom in his leather chair made his cock twitch. “Twenty-five.”

  “Ah, you’re young.” He was thirty-five, a solid ten years older than she. Yet in the corporate world, he was considered young as well. Would she consider him too old? He had a touch of gray at the temples, a fact Rhett loved to remind him about almost every time they spoke. Their father had turned gray early, and Alex really didn’t mind. It made him look more distinguished in business dealings, and he needed every advantage he could gather to conquer.

  To win.

  But would Tessa dismiss him because of their age difference?

  Alex frowned. He was being foolish, worrying about her dismissal, her interest in him. She had none, and he shouldn’t have any in her. She was his assistant, nothing more.

  “I’m not too young, if that’s what you’re implying.” She visibly bristled, and he couldn’t help but find her ire attractive. The emotion added a pretty pink flush to her cheeks. “Do you have a problem with my job performance? Because I can assure you, if you ever take issue with anything I do, you can certainly tell me. I pride myself on my job above all else, and I have no problem taking constructive criticism and applying it where needed.”

  She was a feisty little thing. He knew this, had enjoyed gently baiting her in the past because of it too. Today though, he hadn’t meant to light such an indignant fire within her. He needed her calm. Rational. “I have no problems with you or your job performance, Tessa. None whatsoever.”

  “Oh.” She slumped in the chair and exhaled through her nose, as if she’d been holding her breath. “I apologize for my outburst. I don’t know what—”

  He held up a hand, silencing her. “I need to ask you a question about the relaunch tour. I leave on Tuesday.”

  “Yes, you do and everything’s in order.” She nodded. “Do you need me to make any adjustments before you go?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. I want you to come with me.”

  Tessa stared at Alex, her mouth hanging open rather inelegantly. She snapped her jaw shut and sat straighter, struggling to find her voice so she could answer him.

  “I know it’s rather last minute, but I need your assistance during the trip. We’re in negotiations for new store space in London and honestly, the timing is awful.” He rubbed a hand along his firm jaw, and her gaze followed the movement of his fingers.

  Such lovely fingers, long and topped with blunt nails. Large, capable looking hands with wide palms, hands she’d fantasized about more than once touching her gently—or perhaps not so gently. Guiding her where he wanted her to go next…

  The room was quiet, and she realized he waited for her answer. “It shouldn’t be a problem, Mister—” Crap, she’d forgotten again. It was hard to break the habit and it just felt so intimate, calling him Alex. “I will make the arrangements right away.” Excitement bubbled up within her.

  He wanted her to go with him. The opportunity to see the world—London, Paris—made her very nearly giddy with anticipation.

  “You do have a passport, don’t you?”

  “It was a requirement upon my hiring.” Considering she hadn’t even traveled out of the area, let alone the country, she’d never had a need for one. Thank goodness the company had paid for it, preparation for moments such as this.

  He nodded once, his expression serious, his eyes steely blue as he watched her. He always watched her, as if ready to catch her in a stolen moment, waiting for her to stumble or make a mistake. At least, that’s what it felt like. “Make sure our hotel rooms are close to each other’s. I want access to you at all times.”

  I want access to you at all times. Her c
heeks flushed. Well, didn’t that take on new meaning when she applied her rather illicit thoughts to the statement?

  “You’re staying in the best suites in five star hotels. I don’t think I merit a suite,” she murmured. This was so strange, talking to him while he stood by the window, she sitting in his chair. It should be the other way around.

  His dark brows rose at her words. “You don’t merit? You don’t think you’re worth a suite?”

  “I’m merely your assistant.” She crossed her ankles, uncrossed them. He made her uncomfortable when he asked her such questions. As if he could see right through her, all of the little insecurities that made her up, that barely held her together.

  “I’m the CEO of this company, Tessa, one of the oldest and most successful luxury goods providers in the United States and the world. And you’re my assistant. If I believe you merit a suite, then you do.” His words were final and he turned away, resuming his position at the window once more. He seemed to like staring out at the cityscape, watching the world buzz by.

  She enjoyed admiring his backside, and she’d never seen it in jeans before. He’d shoved up the sleeves of his charcoal sweater to reveal tanned forearms sprinkled with dark hair, strong and masculine and filling her with an achy need. He was a sight to be seen when he offered her such a view and well, she wasn’t a fool.

  She looked.

  “I’ll make the arrangements right away,” Tessa said to his back as she stood.

  “Give me all details when you’re finished. I want the updated itinerary including your travel details as soon as everything’s been confirmed.” He kept his back to her.

  “All right.” She started for the door, her mind awhirl as to where she’d call first.

  “And, Tessa?”

  Stopping in her tracks, she turned and found he’d done the same. “Yes?”

  “Please don’t forget.” One corner of his sensual mouth lifted, the closest thing she’d seen to a smile since she started working for him six months and nineteen days ago. “To call me Alex.”