Worth It: Worth The Scandal Part 1

Worth It.

Worth The Scandal.

Karen Erickson.

Strictly business? Try telling that to her heart....

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 s.e.xy 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!.

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 a.s.s. Alexander Worth had never considered himself much of an a.s.s man-until she appeared.

And preceded to tempt him every single day with those d.a.m.n 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 d.a.m.n sweet to ignore.

Worth the Scandal Without a doubt, she was the best a.s.sistant 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 c.o.c.ked 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, d.a.m.n his hide, which gave him the upper hand in negotiations.

Thank G.o.d, Hunter was on his side. Most of the time. "Why do you care?"

"She's young. Naive." 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?"

7.

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 d.i.c.k in your pants and ignore her. Like I said, she's not for you."

"Who the h.e.l.l 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.

8.

"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 s.h.i.+t out of just about every employee in this building."

9.

"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." Their 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."

10.

Tessa Crawford scanned the email Hunter Worth's a.s.sistant 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 pa.s.senger 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 flags.h.i.+p 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 fas.h.i.+on.

Poring over fas.h.i.+on 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.

11.