Sinfully Sexy (5 page)
Authors: Linda Francis Lee
Tags: #Romance, #Sex in the workplace, #Fiction
Ben said he needed to use the phone and headed out.
Chloe blinked, trying to quell the sudden uneasiness she felt. But that
uneasiness no longer had anything to do with what had happened between
the two of them last night. She was pushed off balance by the sudden
fear that she didn't understand all the forces that had been set into
motion by his arrival. Julia
had gone to Prescott Media without a word to her.
Chloe hardly realized that the man had picked up his briefcase and
headed for the door. When she did, she was so relieved that he was
leaving that it barely registered that he had turned back at the last
second.
"Ah, I forgot," he said.
She was jarred from any sort of relief when she looked up. For the
first time since their misguided interlude at the hotel, their gazes
truly met. He smiled in a way that turned her insides to putty and made
her knees go weak. The kaleidoscope began to churn again. Images.
Yearning. The memory of his mouth closing over her breast. His hands
sliding up her thighs.
She could only be thankful that he hadn't recognized her when she
walked into this room. She had wanted to forget her moment of
indiscretion since the second it happened. Now, in addition to that,
she knew that she couldn't afford to feel anything for him if she had
any chance of saving the station from Prescott Media.
But then he reached into his briefcase, before extending his hand to
her, and the world ground to a halt when she saw the tiny, glittery
evening purse sitting in his large, chiseled palm.
He smiled then, leaning close, and said, "You left this behind when you
disappeared on me last night."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: No!
Katherine C. Bloom
News Anchor, KTEX TV West Texas
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Not yet
Station Manager
Award-winning KTEX TV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: Warning
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: How?
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: re: How?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
leave. Ben found him a second later. The minute the door shut, the
younger Prescott laughed with great relish.
"So, Trey," Ben said with emphasis, "did I mention how impressed I am
by how highly thought of
you are?"
"Ben," Sterling warned.
"Not to worry, big brother," Ben answered, momentarily distracted as he
studied the ultrafeminine, leopard print sofa with purple trim in
Julia's office. "With the things that Sinclair woman was saying,
I didn't want to admit I was a Prescott either." With a laugh and a
shake of his head, he sat down like
a king on a throne.
Sterling narrowed his gaze at his brother. "I have no problem admitting
who I am."
"Then why didn't you?"
Sterling raked his hands through his hair. He, Sterling Prescott, known
for his cold control, felt a low
bead of frustration over this ridiculous situation. He would have
straightened out the mess with his
identity if the woman from last night hadn't arrived.
Chloe Sinclair.
He had been so consumed by the sight of her he hadn't even realized
that the Boudreaux woman had assumed he was Trey Tanner.
He wasn't one to be taken by surprise. One of his strengths in business
was thinking of every eventuality ahead of time so he would be prepared
no matter what he came up against. But he had never dreamed that he
would see the woman again, at least not in the form of the station
manager for KTEXTV.
He nearly smiled at the unexpected shock of her reappearance in his
life. Hell, his smile had more to do with the unexpected shock of their
encounter in the bathroom. He had been with many women before, but
something about Chloe Sinclair was different. She had been sultry and
filled with an unleashed passion like nothing he had ever experienced.
But he wasn't the type to make love to strangers. In this day and age
it was dangerous, though that
hadn't crossed his mind when his mouth had come down on hers.
All he had felt was sensation, heady and intense. But that didn't
explain how he had felt when sheâChloeâhad walked into the conference
room hours later.
His body had recognized her before his mind had. The sizzle of
comprehension racing along his skin
had been like an adrenaline rush, followed by the gears in his brain
finding purchase when he saw
through the bangs and big glasses. The difference between the woman
last night and the woman this morning was that without the makeup and
extravagant hair, she was even more intriguing. He never would have
believed so much wildness could hide behind such a prim exterior. He
had nearly said something, an unfamiliar lightness flaring inside him.
But he had realized in the next second that she was praying he didn't
recognize her. Standing there, he could hardly get his head around the
idea that a woman didn't want him to recognize her. This after a
lifetime of women throwing themselves at him.
Which had thrown him, and too late he had realized they had mistaken
his identity.
He had no interest in sharing that with Ben, however, whose amusement
was equally as grating as
Chloe's reaction to him. God, what a mess.
To think he had brought Ben here to impress him, make him see that life
with Prescott Media could be exciting. That a job in the media business
could serve as a replacement for the life he had been living
here in El Paso that had somehow gone awry.
He glanced at Ben and wondered not for the first time if the youngest
Prescott would ever tell him what had happened.
"Damn," Ben said with a chuckle, "you've gotta love the whole mistaken
identity thing for a man whose power is derived from his name."
Every thought about his brother's past hardened into a knot of growing
frustration. "My power is not derived from my name."
Ben looked at him in wry disbelief. "Are we talking the same language
here?" He glanced at his watch
and shot him a teasing grin. "Though you better hurry up and fess up to
who you are, make your
lowball offer, and ruin these women's lives so we can make it to lunch
on time."
Sterling's jaw worked. "What are you implying?"
Ben only shrugged, crossing his ankle over his knee as he leaned back
with his arm lining the ridge of
the small sofa that looked even smaller with him sitting on it. "I'm
not implying anything. I'm stating the facts, just like they were
stated earlier. You buy and ruin." He shook his head. "Did she really
call you
a modern day robber baron?" He laughed.
Sterling glowered.
"Look," Ben said, "I get that you have a responsibility to our family.
Hell, I know Mother and Diana expect to be kept in the style they are
accustomed. And God forbid Dad runs out of money to buy those damn toy
soldiers. But the thing is, you don't even do the turning around part
yourself. You come in, and whether it's intentional or not, you ruin
people's lives. Then you bring someone else in to run things."
Sterling felt a vein drum in his head. He also noticed that the humor
in Ben's face wasn't more than skin-deep. The youngest Prescott might
tease, but he really was angry about the way Sterling did business.
Sterling felt both off balance and oddly defensive to be seen in such a
poor light by his younger brother.
"Face it, Sterling. Women flock to you and you succeed in business
because of your name and your money."
The words were put out there like a line drawn between them.
"That is not true. I succeed because of my skill. And I won't even
dignify the issue of women with any response at all."
Ben laughed out loud. "You might have succeeded because of skill years
ago, I'll give you that, but not anymore. Now you're everything that
woman said you are. Hell, you couldn't charm Chloe Sinclair and win her
approval if your life depended on it."
Sterling stood still, every muscle strung like a tight wire until he
felt as if he vibrated with tension.
Because the truth was, he had come to a crossroads in his life. He was
successful, had made more
money for the family than they could ever spend. But he no longer felt
the challenge and excitement that he had felt when he first stepped up
and took over the helm of Prescott Media.
He felt uncomfortable now, remembering his father's embarrassment when
Sterling had stepped in and made it clear the elder Prescott wasn't
needed. But Sterling had been too focused and consumed to care. He'd
been too pissed off about the state of the company to feel anything but
determination to fix what
his father had broken.
But he'd done that, and more. Then why did he feel this emptiness? Why
did he feel that if he were cut, he wouldn't bleed? Why had he nearly
made love to a stranger in a hotel bathroom? Could it be because of the
fact that she hadn't known who he was? That she was drawn to him, not
to Sterling Prescott?
As much as he hated to think about it, how long had it been since a
woman had cared solely for him,
not about the money and status he brought to the equation? And how long
had it been since he'd faced
a challenge of the sort that he couldn't easily fix with his name and
money?
He had the sudden urge to roll up his sleeves and feel the charge of
his twenties and early thirties. But
his time was too valuable for that. His job now was to find the
properties, buy them for cheap, then
hire someone else to turn them into moneymaking machines.
Just as Ben had said.
Just as he intended to do with KTEX TV.
Just as Chloe Sinclair had predicted.
Sterling stared through the glass enclosure in the office wall, looking
out into the world he was on the verge of ... disrupting. And then he
saw the woman.
Chloe.
She walked down the hall, her dark hair brushing her shoulders, her
bangs framing the largest blue eyes he had ever seen. Her skin was pale
and white, with a dash of freckles across the bridge of her nose,
making him think of the elegant china dolls his sister had collected as
a child.
But there had been nothing childlike in the woman last night.
The memory hit him hard. "Kiss me."
She had wanted him, had wanted him to be a stranger. She hadn't cared
about his name.
Chloe Sinclair had been drawn to him without any clue as to who he was.
She had wanted him, just him, not because he was a Prescott, not
because he was a man of wealth and powerâas she had made abundantly
clear this morning.
But now she wanted nothing to do with him, and that was brought about,
at least in part, because she thought he was merely associated with
Sterling Prescott. He refused to admit the shudder he felt
thinking about what she would have said if she had known that he
actually was that man.
He was alternately intrigued and angry at the woman.
But more than that, now that he had found her again, he couldn't
imagine going the rest of his life
without finishing what he had started in a hotel bathroom less than
twenty-four hours ago.
Chloe disappeared into an office, and Sterling turned back to his
brother, who studied him with an expression he didn't like.
"What?" Sterling demanded.
"If I'm so wrong about you, then prove it."
"What are you talking about?" He shifted his weight uncomfortably.
"A challenge, big brother. Fix KTEX TV without the use of your name or
your money. Turn the
station around and win Chloe Sinclair's approval. And do it all as Trey
Tanner."
"This is ridiculous."
"If you don't think you can do it..."
The words hung between them as a challenge.
Sterling's jaw clenched. "You're talking about a childish game."
"I'm talking about proving that you aren't who Chloe says you are.
Prove that you aren't everything I'm afraid you've become. Turn this
station around, save those women's careers, and prove that you aren't
as cutthroat and callous as you're accused of being."
Sterling's heart began to pound, his temples throbbing as he stared at
Ben.
The younger man looked away, glancing at the wall, though Sterling was
certain he saw something entirely different from the bright pink walls.
"If you succeed," Ben said, this time quietly, "I'll make the family
happy. I'll leave the police force for good and I'll hire on at
Prescott Media."
Sterling never showed emotion, but he had a hard time covering the
surprise he felt now. "You're kidding."
Ben glanced back. "I've never been more serious." He seemed to search
for a smile but in the end couldn't find it. "Truth is, I might be in
the market for a new line of work. I just never thought it'd be with
Prescott." He shrugged, a glint returning to his dark eyes. "Not that I
think for a second that you can pull it off. I have a feeling KTEX TV
is in a world of hurt. Why else would that Boudreaux woman risk
contacting Trey Tanner? As to getting Chloe to do something that would
show her approval, I can't imagine that happening even if you did turn
the station around. She hates your guts."
"The Sinclair woman does not hate my gutsâ"
Ben raised a dark brow, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"âand there isn't a television station around that is so broken that I
couldn't fix it."
"So you accept?"
Sterling stared at him hard. "Did the undercover job really go that
wrong?"
Every ounce of forced humor evaporated. "Don't change the subject." The
two men faced each other, then Ben added, "Are you up for the
challenge?"
Sterling couldn't let it go so easily. "What happened, Ben?"
Ben's jaw ticked this time. "I don't want to talk about it."
They stared at each other, both men strong-willed, until Ben relented.
"Maybe another time. Okay?"
Sterling hesitated, then nodded. "Whenever you're ready."
Ben's grin returned. "So, does that mean you accept the challenge? Turn
KTEX TV around and win Chloe's approval, all without telling anyone
that you're Sterling Pres-cott and without Prescott funds.
For a month, you'll be Trey Tannerâa man here to help."
Thankfully Sterling didn't have to answer the absurd idea because the
door rattled opened. Out of habit, Ben rose to his feet.
Julia Boudreaux entered the office. Instantly Sterling felt the shift
in his brother. Sterling had made an
art form of reading other people's body language. It gave him an edge
when negotiating a deal. In this office, he sensed in Ben part
awareness of and part determined detachment from the woman who had just
entered.
Sterling glanced at Julia. She was a piece of work, no doubt. A true
beauty who must have had
everything handed to her on a platter. The leopard print and purple
couch spoke to that. But it wasn't Julia who intrigued Sterling.
As if to tease his senses, Chloe filed into the office next. But even
her sensible knee-length skirt couldn't hide the fact that she had
great legs. But great legs or not, she didn't look happy to be there.
Julia said something to Ben, who said something back, but Sterling
didn't hear. His gaze was focused on Chloe as she walked across the
room without so much as a glance in his direction. But when she came
up next to him, she surreptitiously shoved that damned purse into his
hands.
"You clearly have me mistaken for someone else. That isn't my purse.
And until my misfortune today, I've never seen you before in my life."
Chloe watched as the man raised a brow in sardonic amusement. But she
held firm. After she had left
the conference room, she had come up with a three-part plan. Deny.
Deny. Deny.
"Excuse me," Julia interjected. "I'd like to get started. I also would
like to state my apologies for the
earlier meeting." She eyed Chloe. "We aren't usually so unladylike in
our treatment of people who are interested in helping us. And I think
Chloe would like to say something."
Chloe stared at Julia as if she had lost her mind. "Me? You want me to
say something?"
"An apology," Julia said pointedly.
Oh right. That. She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry you work for a man like
Sterling Prescott."
That granite jaw of his went tight and Julia groaned.
"That's your apology?" he asked.
"Do you like it?"
His jaw really started working then. Good.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she forged ahead. "A more pressing
issue, however, is what is
Prescott Media's decision? Are you going to ruin us or help us?"
Chloe blinked, trying to quell the sudden uneasiness she felt. But that
uneasiness no longer had anything to do with what had happened between
the two of them last night. She was pushed off balance by the sudden
fear that she didn't understand all the forces that had been set into
motion by his arrival. Julia
had gone to Prescott Media without a word to her.
Chloe hardly realized that the man had picked up his briefcase and
headed for the door. When she did, she was so relieved that he was
leaving that it barely registered that he had turned back at the last
second.
"Ah, I forgot," he said.
She was jarred from any sort of relief when she looked up. For the
first time since their misguided interlude at the hotel, their gazes
truly met. He smiled in a way that turned her insides to putty and made
her knees go weak. The kaleidoscope began to churn again. Images.
Yearning. The memory of his mouth closing over her breast. His hands
sliding up her thighs.
She could only be thankful that he hadn't recognized her when she
walked into this room. She had wanted to forget her moment of
indiscretion since the second it happened. Now, in addition to that,
she knew that she couldn't afford to feel anything for him if she had
any chance of saving the station from Prescott Media.
But then he reached into his briefcase, before extending his hand to
her, and the world ground to a halt when she saw the tiny, glittery
evening purse sitting in his large, chiseled palm.
He smiled then, leaning close, and said, "You left this behind when you
disappeared on me last night."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: No!
I
can't believe it! Trey Tanner is the man from last night?!!! Julia is
going to flip. Have you told
her yet?
Katecan't believe it! Trey Tanner is the man from last night?!!! Julia is
going to flip. Have you told
her yet?
Katherine C. Bloom
News Anchor, KTEX TV West Texas
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Not yet
I
haven't had a chance. She's talking to whoever it is she rented out
conference room time to. How do you think she'll take it? Julia's
always Ms. Modern until it comes to issues involving the station.
Chloe Sinclairhaven't had a chance. She's talking to whoever it is she rented out
conference room time to. How do you think she'll take it? Julia's
always Ms. Modern until it comes to issues involving the station.
Station Manager
Award-winning KTEX TV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: Warning
I
think you need to warn her, at the very least, so that she's aware of
the situation as she's
dealing with the man.
Katethink you need to warn her, at the very least, so that she's aware of
the situation as she's
dealing with the man.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: How?
The
man is waiting in her office right now!
Chloeman is waiting in her office right now!
Â
Â
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: re: How?
As
soon as he leaves, tell her then. I think this has to be done in
person. Keep me posted.
Katesoon as he leaves, tell her then. I think this has to be done in
person. Keep me posted.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
FOUR
Sterling stood in Julia Boudreaux's office and watched the receptionistleave. Ben found him a second later. The minute the door shut, the
younger Prescott laughed with great relish.
"So, Trey," Ben said with emphasis, "did I mention how impressed I am
by how highly thought of
you are?"
"Ben," Sterling warned.
"Not to worry, big brother," Ben answered, momentarily distracted as he
studied the ultrafeminine, leopard print sofa with purple trim in
Julia's office. "With the things that Sinclair woman was saying,
I didn't want to admit I was a Prescott either." With a laugh and a
shake of his head, he sat down like
a king on a throne.
Sterling narrowed his gaze at his brother. "I have no problem admitting
who I am."
"Then why didn't you?"
Sterling raked his hands through his hair. He, Sterling Prescott, known
for his cold control, felt a low
bead of frustration over this ridiculous situation. He would have
straightened out the mess with his
identity if the woman from last night hadn't arrived.
Chloe Sinclair.
He had been so consumed by the sight of her he hadn't even realized
that the Boudreaux woman had assumed he was Trey Tanner.
He wasn't one to be taken by surprise. One of his strengths in business
was thinking of every eventuality ahead of time so he would be prepared
no matter what he came up against. But he had never dreamed that he
would see the woman again, at least not in the form of the station
manager for KTEXTV.
He nearly smiled at the unexpected shock of her reappearance in his
life. Hell, his smile had more to do with the unexpected shock of their
encounter in the bathroom. He had been with many women before, but
something about Chloe Sinclair was different. She had been sultry and
filled with an unleashed passion like nothing he had ever experienced.
But he wasn't the type to make love to strangers. In this day and age
it was dangerous, though that
hadn't crossed his mind when his mouth had come down on hers.
All he had felt was sensation, heady and intense. But that didn't
explain how he had felt when sheâChloeâhad walked into the conference
room hours later.
His body had recognized her before his mind had. The sizzle of
comprehension racing along his skin
had been like an adrenaline rush, followed by the gears in his brain
finding purchase when he saw
through the bangs and big glasses. The difference between the woman
last night and the woman this morning was that without the makeup and
extravagant hair, she was even more intriguing. He never would have
believed so much wildness could hide behind such a prim exterior. He
had nearly said something, an unfamiliar lightness flaring inside him.
But he had realized in the next second that she was praying he didn't
recognize her. Standing there, he could hardly get his head around the
idea that a woman didn't want him to recognize her. This after a
lifetime of women throwing themselves at him.
Which had thrown him, and too late he had realized they had mistaken
his identity.
He had no interest in sharing that with Ben, however, whose amusement
was equally as grating as
Chloe's reaction to him. God, what a mess.
To think he had brought Ben here to impress him, make him see that life
with Prescott Media could be exciting. That a job in the media business
could serve as a replacement for the life he had been living
here in El Paso that had somehow gone awry.
He glanced at Ben and wondered not for the first time if the youngest
Prescott would ever tell him what had happened.
"Damn," Ben said with a chuckle, "you've gotta love the whole mistaken
identity thing for a man whose power is derived from his name."
Every thought about his brother's past hardened into a knot of growing
frustration. "My power is not derived from my name."
Ben looked at him in wry disbelief. "Are we talking the same language
here?" He glanced at his watch
and shot him a teasing grin. "Though you better hurry up and fess up to
who you are, make your
lowball offer, and ruin these women's lives so we can make it to lunch
on time."
Sterling's jaw worked. "What are you implying?"
Ben only shrugged, crossing his ankle over his knee as he leaned back
with his arm lining the ridge of
the small sofa that looked even smaller with him sitting on it. "I'm
not implying anything. I'm stating the facts, just like they were
stated earlier. You buy and ruin." He shook his head. "Did she really
call you
a modern day robber baron?" He laughed.
Sterling glowered.
"Look," Ben said, "I get that you have a responsibility to our family.
Hell, I know Mother and Diana expect to be kept in the style they are
accustomed. And God forbid Dad runs out of money to buy those damn toy
soldiers. But the thing is, you don't even do the turning around part
yourself. You come in, and whether it's intentional or not, you ruin
people's lives. Then you bring someone else in to run things."
Sterling felt a vein drum in his head. He also noticed that the humor
in Ben's face wasn't more than skin-deep. The youngest Prescott might
tease, but he really was angry about the way Sterling did business.
Sterling felt both off balance and oddly defensive to be seen in such a
poor light by his younger brother.
"Face it, Sterling. Women flock to you and you succeed in business
because of your name and your money."
The words were put out there like a line drawn between them.
"That is not true. I succeed because of my skill. And I won't even
dignify the issue of women with any response at all."
Ben laughed out loud. "You might have succeeded because of skill years
ago, I'll give you that, but not anymore. Now you're everything that
woman said you are. Hell, you couldn't charm Chloe Sinclair and win her
approval if your life depended on it."
Sterling stood still, every muscle strung like a tight wire until he
felt as if he vibrated with tension.
Because the truth was, he had come to a crossroads in his life. He was
successful, had made more
money for the family than they could ever spend. But he no longer felt
the challenge and excitement that he had felt when he first stepped up
and took over the helm of Prescott Media.
He felt uncomfortable now, remembering his father's embarrassment when
Sterling had stepped in and made it clear the elder Prescott wasn't
needed. But Sterling had been too focused and consumed to care. He'd
been too pissed off about the state of the company to feel anything but
determination to fix what
his father had broken.
But he'd done that, and more. Then why did he feel this emptiness? Why
did he feel that if he were cut, he wouldn't bleed? Why had he nearly
made love to a stranger in a hotel bathroom? Could it be because of the
fact that she hadn't known who he was? That she was drawn to him, not
to Sterling Prescott?
As much as he hated to think about it, how long had it been since a
woman had cared solely for him,
not about the money and status he brought to the equation? And how long
had it been since he'd faced
a challenge of the sort that he couldn't easily fix with his name and
money?
He had the sudden urge to roll up his sleeves and feel the charge of
his twenties and early thirties. But
his time was too valuable for that. His job now was to find the
properties, buy them for cheap, then
hire someone else to turn them into moneymaking machines.
Just as Ben had said.
Just as he intended to do with KTEX TV.
Just as Chloe Sinclair had predicted.
Sterling stared through the glass enclosure in the office wall, looking
out into the world he was on the verge of ... disrupting. And then he
saw the woman.
Chloe.
She walked down the hall, her dark hair brushing her shoulders, her
bangs framing the largest blue eyes he had ever seen. Her skin was pale
and white, with a dash of freckles across the bridge of her nose,
making him think of the elegant china dolls his sister had collected as
a child.
But there had been nothing childlike in the woman last night.
The memory hit him hard. "Kiss me."
She had wanted him, had wanted him to be a stranger. She hadn't cared
about his name.
Chloe Sinclair had been drawn to him without any clue as to who he was.
She had wanted him, just him, not because he was a Prescott, not
because he was a man of wealth and powerâas she had made abundantly
clear this morning.
But now she wanted nothing to do with him, and that was brought about,
at least in part, because she thought he was merely associated with
Sterling Prescott. He refused to admit the shudder he felt
thinking about what she would have said if she had known that he
actually was that man.
He was alternately intrigued and angry at the woman.
But more than that, now that he had found her again, he couldn't
imagine going the rest of his life
without finishing what he had started in a hotel bathroom less than
twenty-four hours ago.
Chloe disappeared into an office, and Sterling turned back to his
brother, who studied him with an expression he didn't like.
"What?" Sterling demanded.
"If I'm so wrong about you, then prove it."
"What are you talking about?" He shifted his weight uncomfortably.
"A challenge, big brother. Fix KTEX TV without the use of your name or
your money. Turn the
station around and win Chloe Sinclair's approval. And do it all as Trey
Tanner."
"This is ridiculous."
"If you don't think you can do it..."
The words hung between them as a challenge.
Sterling's jaw clenched. "You're talking about a childish game."
"I'm talking about proving that you aren't who Chloe says you are.
Prove that you aren't everything I'm afraid you've become. Turn this
station around, save those women's careers, and prove that you aren't
as cutthroat and callous as you're accused of being."
Sterling's heart began to pound, his temples throbbing as he stared at
Ben.
The younger man looked away, glancing at the wall, though Sterling was
certain he saw something entirely different from the bright pink walls.
"If you succeed," Ben said, this time quietly, "I'll make the family
happy. I'll leave the police force for good and I'll hire on at
Prescott Media."
Sterling never showed emotion, but he had a hard time covering the
surprise he felt now. "You're kidding."
Ben glanced back. "I've never been more serious." He seemed to search
for a smile but in the end couldn't find it. "Truth is, I might be in
the market for a new line of work. I just never thought it'd be with
Prescott." He shrugged, a glint returning to his dark eyes. "Not that I
think for a second that you can pull it off. I have a feeling KTEX TV
is in a world of hurt. Why else would that Boudreaux woman risk
contacting Trey Tanner? As to getting Chloe to do something that would
show her approval, I can't imagine that happening even if you did turn
the station around. She hates your guts."
"The Sinclair woman does not hate my gutsâ"
Ben raised a dark brow, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"âand there isn't a television station around that is so broken that I
couldn't fix it."
"So you accept?"
Sterling stared at him hard. "Did the undercover job really go that
wrong?"
Every ounce of forced humor evaporated. "Don't change the subject." The
two men faced each other, then Ben added, "Are you up for the
challenge?"
Sterling couldn't let it go so easily. "What happened, Ben?"
Ben's jaw ticked this time. "I don't want to talk about it."
They stared at each other, both men strong-willed, until Ben relented.
"Maybe another time. Okay?"
Sterling hesitated, then nodded. "Whenever you're ready."
Ben's grin returned. "So, does that mean you accept the challenge? Turn
KTEX TV around and win Chloe's approval, all without telling anyone
that you're Sterling Pres-cott and without Prescott funds.
For a month, you'll be Trey Tannerâa man here to help."
Thankfully Sterling didn't have to answer the absurd idea because the
door rattled opened. Out of habit, Ben rose to his feet.
Julia Boudreaux entered the office. Instantly Sterling felt the shift
in his brother. Sterling had made an
art form of reading other people's body language. It gave him an edge
when negotiating a deal. In this office, he sensed in Ben part
awareness of and part determined detachment from the woman who had just
entered.
Sterling glanced at Julia. She was a piece of work, no doubt. A true
beauty who must have had
everything handed to her on a platter. The leopard print and purple
couch spoke to that. But it wasn't Julia who intrigued Sterling.
As if to tease his senses, Chloe filed into the office next. But even
her sensible knee-length skirt couldn't hide the fact that she had
great legs. But great legs or not, she didn't look happy to be there.
Julia said something to Ben, who said something back, but Sterling
didn't hear. His gaze was focused on Chloe as she walked across the
room without so much as a glance in his direction. But when she came
up next to him, she surreptitiously shoved that damned purse into his
hands.
"You clearly have me mistaken for someone else. That isn't my purse.
And until my misfortune today, I've never seen you before in my life."
Chloe watched as the man raised a brow in sardonic amusement. But she
held firm. After she had left
the conference room, she had come up with a three-part plan. Deny.
Deny. Deny.
"Excuse me," Julia interjected. "I'd like to get started. I also would
like to state my apologies for the
earlier meeting." She eyed Chloe. "We aren't usually so unladylike in
our treatment of people who are interested in helping us. And I think
Chloe would like to say something."
Chloe stared at Julia as if she had lost her mind. "Me? You want me to
say something?"
"An apology," Julia said pointedly.
Oh right. That. She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry you work for a man like
Sterling Prescott."
That granite jaw of his went tight and Julia groaned.
"That's your apology?" he asked.
"Do you like it?"
His jaw really started working then. Good.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she forged ahead. "A more pressing
issue, however, is what is
Prescott Media's decision? Are you going to ruin us or help us?"
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