Secrets, Lies...and Seduction: CEO's Summer Seduction\Magnate's Mistress-for-a-Month
192
Secrets, Lies...and Seduction: CEO's Summer Seduction\Magnate's Mistress-for-a-Month
192eBookOriginal (Original)
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Overview
CEO's Summer Seduction by Katherine Garbera
Meet the billionaire boss: Sebastian Hughes has taken his secretary for granted one too many times. To keep her from walking out he must show her what she's really worth…fast! But she's seen all of his usual seduction ploys…and she'll only settle for the real thing.
Magnate's Mistress-for-a-Month by Yvonne Lindsay
Watch out for the jaded businessman: Richard Wells has had it with romance…and marriage. Then he spies a woman on horseback and vows to bed her. But the object of his seduction is no privileged female. She's the hired help with a heart bound to make even this disillusioned bachelor crumble.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781426856402 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Silhouette |
| Publication date: | 06/01/2010 |
| Series: | A Summer for Scandal , #2019 |
| Sold by: | HARLEQUIN |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 192 |
| Sales rank: | 844,341 |
| File size: | 520 KB |
About the Author
A typical Piscean, award-winning USA TODAY bestselling author Yvonne Lindsay has always preferred the stories in her head to the real world. Married to her blind-date sweetheart and with two adult children, she spends her days crafting the stories of her heart and loves to read or travel when she's not working.Yvonne loves to hear from readers, contact her via yvonnelindsay.com or yvonne@yvonnelindsay.com or Facebook.com/YvonneLindsayAuthor.
Read an Excerpt
Julia Fitzgerald glanced at the Cartier diamond-encrusted watch on her wrist and then back at her notepad. Her boss would be here in exactly thirty seconds. Sebastian Hughes was prompt—he'd said more than once that time was money, and even though he had more of the green stuff than Midas, he still didn't like to waste it.
The Cartier was a constant reminder of why she skipped family celebrations and nights out with the girls—why she put up with such a demanding boss. Sebastian paid her very well to be his girl Friday.
The Seven Oaks Farm was a sprawling green farm with large horse paddocks and barns spread out. Right now it was quiet, but starting tonight it would become the epicenter of high society for the polo season.
"Julia, walk with me," Sebastian said as he strode toward her. "I need to go down to the stables and check on the horses."
She nodded. She wore a pair of brown pumps with a nice square heel, ideal for traipsing all over the grounds—something that she knew Sebastian would want to do, since they only had two days before the opening of this year's polo season. And the Hugheses were the founders of the Bridgehampton Polo Club.
The polo club was actually an "in residence" club at the farm. Sebastian's family owned the farm with its two large houses and an apartment house that the sheikh had leased for the season for his grooms. She and Seb used his home office as their base of operations.
"This is where I want the tailgating tents set up. Bobby Flay is going to come down here to do one of his throwdowns with Marc Ambrose, our head chef. That will get us some great publicity for the opening. Please make sure that you have every detail of that ironed out."
"No problem," she said, tucking a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear.
Sebastian stopped and looked out over the grounds. He was tall and lanky and had a bit of five o'clock shadow on his jaw. He had a thick head of stylishly rumpled hair, which made him look like he'd just come from the arms of his latest lover.
"That's one thing I like about you, Jules."
"What? That I never say no?"
She spoke in a teasing tone because she knew that was what he expected. But to be honest she was a little annoyed. He called her Jules, even though she preferred to go by Julia. It sounded like a little thing, but she'd spent the first year she'd worked for Sebastian reminding him time and again that she went by Julia.
But it didn't matter. He was Sebastian Hughes, used to getting his own way in all things and intent on calling her Jules. And she was used to her salary.
"Exactly. You never say no," he said with that wide, sexy grin of his.
She hated that she found him attractive. Of course she'd have to be dead not to. He was tall, dark and rakishly handsome—a potent combination.
"Have you touched base with the gossip sites and the papers?"
"Yes. I've been working the phone night and day, making sure we have enough celebrities for them to cover. And rumor has it that Carmen Akins is coming this year. Since her divorce from Matthew Birmingham she is the paps' favorite target. That should guarantee us some extra coverage."
"Stay on it. Coverage is money, as far as this set is concerned. If no one knows they're here, they don't have a reason to come."
"I know," she said.
"After we check out the stables, I need you to run by the rehab home and update my father on our plans."
"Not a problem," Julia said. She actually liked visiting Sebastian's father at the rehab facility for people who were still recovering from chemo and cancer. Christian Hughes was a ladies' man who knew how to pour on the charm. She knew that Sebastian had the same skills, but they had never been directed at her since she worked for him.
Her BlackBerry twittered, and she glanced down at the screen. "Richard is driving up from the city. I've made sure the guesthouse is ready for him, stocked with all his favorite foods and drinks."
"Good. It's important that you see to Richard's every need. I want him to have a carefree summer. He's stressed out due to that divorce of his."
"You're concerned about Richard's stress level?" she asked.
"It impacts our business. He needs to relax so he can start being engaged at work again."
Richard Wells was not only Sebastian's good friend but also his business partner—they had established the very successful Clearwater Media together. Julia knew Richard's divorce had more than shaken him. It had made him into someone different.
"I will do my best to make sure he enjoys his time here."
"That's all I ask," Sebastian said. "Have you heard from Sheikh Adham Aal Ferjani?"
"His flight is en route. I have confirmed he will be arriving at the heliport. I know you wanted to meet him, but he'll be landing about the same time as Richard."
Sebastian pulled out his BlackBerry and glanced at the screen. "I'll have drinks with Richard later. I will meet the sheikh. Or maybe I can send Vanessa."
"I'll be happy to call her," Julia said.
"Not necessary. I don't know if she can handle the sheikh, actually. What else do I have tonight?"
"Dinner with Cici."
Cici O'Neal was the heiress to the Morton Mansions luxury hotel chain and Sebastian's latest arm candy. She was actually a first-class pain. She called Julia almost every day with a new list of must-haves for her attendance at the polo season.
"I have one more thing I need you to do for me, Jules."
She glanced up from her big, leather-bound day planner into those crystal-blue eyes of his and wondered if he realized that she was on the edge of losing it. Maybe it was because he kept calling her Jules or maybe it was the fact that she was going to have to deal with Cici once again—she couldn't say for certain. She only knew that she was about to go ballistic, and that wasn't like her. She took a deep breath, but yoga breathing wasn't going to help. She was tired of being paid well to be invisible. She doubted Sebastian noticed that she kept her emotions carefully buttoned up. And he didn't pay her much attention anyway.
"Anything," she said with a forced smile.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the sexy Argentine polo player Nicolas Valera riding out with the team. He was a ridiculously skilled polo player. Rumor had it that when he stopped playing he was going to model for Polo by Ralph Lauren.
"I need you to call Cici and tell her that things are over between us."
"What?" she asked, certain she'd misunderstood him because she'd let Nicholas distract her.
"Call Cici. After you speak to her, send her this," Sebastian said, removing a blue Tiffany's box from his pocket and handing it to her.
Julia automatically took the box before realizing what she was agreeing to do. She wasn't about to call his latest fling and break up with the woman for him. No matter how big a pain Cici was, she deserved to get the news from Sebastian himself.
Julia pushed the Tiffany's box back into his hands. She shook her head. "Absolutely not, Sebastian. You're going to have to take care of that yourself."
Sebastian blinked at his assistant. Jules never said no. At least not to him. He wasn't used to being denied anything. Ever. From anyone. He had learned early that if he acted like a man who always got his way then he did.
"I said no. I'm not going to break up with her for you. A private discussion between the two of you is what is needed."
"I'll decide what is needed. Cici knows we're not serious. This gift will ease any discomfort she might have."
Jules shook her head. "Cici has been calling every day with requests for the entire season here. That sounds serious to me. I'm not doing it. It's the most personal thing you've ever asked me to do—too personal."
"Visiting my father is personal. You have no problem with that," he said. "I don't have time for this, Jules."
"How many times have I asked you to call me Julia? You never listen to me."
"Hey, hold on here. I'm not sure where this is coming from. I thought we settled the nickname thing."
She gave him a sardonic smile. "No, we didn't. I just stopped mentioning it when it became clear you were never going to hear me."
Sebastian looked closely at Julia, possibly for the first time since he'd hired her two years ago. She was very attractive with long, silky brown hair hanging around her shoulders and deep chocolate eyes. He had realized when he interviewed her that he was attracted to her. But he knew he would never act on it. Men who slept with their assistants ended up looking like asses in business. And Sebastian was no one's fool. So he put the feelings aside.
But today, with the summer sun shining down on her, he was struck again by how pretty she was wearing a slinky sundress that left her muscled arms bare. With her sunglasses pushed to the top of her head and her eyes glaring up at him, however, she was more than just pretty—she was mad. He knew he was in trouble.
It wasn't anything he couldn't handle or easily rectify. Perhaps if he offered her a big enough bonus, she'd cave and do his dirty work.
"Let's talk, Jules—Julia," he said. He'd thought the nickname was fine, but he saw now that it really got to her. Or maybe it was the fact that he hadn't listened to her. Perhaps he should have.
"You can call Cici. I will make arrangements to deliver her gift," she said.
"I will make it worth your time to talk to Cici for me," he said. He didn't want to have to deal with Cici today. If they'd had a deeper relationship he would never have asked Julia to do this. But Cici was going out with him only because of his connections and standing. He liked the way she looked on his arm, but he had too many details to take care of this season. He'd expected—hell, they'd all expected—his dad to be back at the helm this year. But pancreatic cancer was taking longer to battle than Sebastian and his father had anticipated. His younger sister, Vanessa, said it was because Dad was used to getting his way in all things. So when Christian had told the doctors he needed to be back in his office by May, they'd all expected it would happen.
"Sebastian, are you listening to me? You can't make it worth my while. You're just going to have to talk to her yourself."
Underneath her tough-as-nails exterior, Julia had a soft heart. She was always trying to tell him what the women in his life wanted from him, like little romantic gestures that he imagined his assistant wanted from the men in her life.
"I will give you and your family an all-expenses paid vacation to Capri if you do this." He didn't know her family; he just assumed she had some and she'd like to spend time with them.
"Liar."
"What?"
"You won't let me have that vacation. My parents will be there enjoying Capri, and I'll be on my BlackBerry doing things for you."
"Fair enough," he said. "But how can I function without you, Jules, I mean, Julia. You are my right-hand gal."
"I know that. And you know I'll do just about anything you ask. But I'm not breaking up with Cici for you, Sebby."
"Sebby?"
"Why not? You keep calling me Jules."
He sighed, noting the gleam of amusement in her eyes. "I'm willing to give you fifty thousand dollars to do this."
The gleam of amusement changed to a look of pure anger, which took him aback.
"I thought we were negotiating," he said.
"No, we're not. I refuse to break up with a woman for you. That's a line I won't cross. Visiting your sick father, holding the hand of your divorced partner, keeping tabs on your wild sister—these things fit into my very broad job description. But breaking up with a woman? I won't do it."
"I'll double my offer," he said.
Julia looked stunned for a second. "You know what? I quit. I should have a long time ago. I keep telling myself that hard work will get me what I want, but I just can't do this anymore."
"Julia, you can't quit right as the polo season is starting. You know I need you, and you have me at your mercy."
"Do I? Or is this just another one of your games to get me to do what you want?"
"I do need you," he said sincerely. There was no way he could replace her and get the new person up to speed before the games started. He needed Jules by his side, taking care of the details he couldn't attend to.
"I want to believe that, but you'd say anything to keep me here now."
"Of course I would. I'll take care of Cici, and then we can go back to the way things were," he said.
She shook her head. "We can't. You think I'd do anything for money."
"You've just proven you won't," he said. "If you stay with me through the polo season, I will double your last month's salary and make sure you get a job at Clearwater where you are the boss. You can call the shots from now on. How does that sound?" he asked.
She tipped her head to the side and the breeze blew across the polo field, stirring her hair as they stood near the stables. He saw on her face that she wanted to believe him.
"I'm a man of my word. You know that."
She nodded. "It's a deal. But you have to break up with Cici."
"I already said I would," he reminded her.
She stuck her hand out. "Shake on it."
He did, feeling a little tingle go up his arm. Dammit, he didn't need to be reminded of his attraction to her right now. Her spark of temper and the way she'd stuck to her guns had kicked things up a notch.
"We have a deal, Julia," he said, holding on to her hand longer than he should have.
Julia didn't know what to make of Sebastian's latest offer. But he smiled smugly at her, making her feel like he'd gotten the better of her once again. She glanced at the Cartier watch on her wrist. Apparently she had a price after all. But then she'd grown up in a world far removed from the Hamptons and organizations like the Bridgehampton Polo Club. In fact, she'd never even realized what a big event polo could be until she'd taken this job with Sebastian.
He'd introduced her to a world that was beyond what she'd come to expect during her small-town Texas upbringing. And that world was one she'd always dreamed of.