Authors: Linda Francis Lee
Tags: #Romance, #Sex in the workplace, #Fiction
Sinfully Sexy (27 page)
*Â *Â *
Sterling slammed out of his office. He strode down the hall and didn'teven knock on Julia's door.
He hadn't spoken to her since the final show.
"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Prescott," she said, sitting back in her
chair.
He shut the door behind him with a grimace. He'd never been much for
apologizing, but for Chloe
he'd do what it took. "I'm sorry about the misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? You lied to us."
"Let's call it a misunderstanding that spiraled out of control."
"That's easy for you to say. But how are any of us supposed to be able
to believe you now? How can
I know that you aren't lying about your intent regarding the station?"
"Am I saving it, or not?"
"That remains to be seen."
"How do you figure that?" he asked. "You have a record level of revenue
coming in. You'll pay off your debt so you can hold on to the station.
What more do you want?"
She stared at him forever, then sighed, seeming to deflate. "Do you
really love Chloe?"
His brow furrowed. "Yes, I do."
"Give me your word."
His jaw ticked with frustration. Never before had anyone called him
into question. But for Chloe ...
"I give you my word on the Prescott name."
She debated a second longer, then said, "The money we've brought in for
The Catch
isn't enough."
"What are you talking about?"
Julia closed her eyes for a second. "My father left more debt than
anyone knows about."
It was all Sterling could do not to curse. He'd never tangled himself
in the problems and issues of others. He came in, made the deals, then
left. Since the day he ran into Chloe, truly, his life had changed in
so many ways.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, understanding that he had meant
his promise to Chloe. He would do whatever it took to save her friends.
"I really don't know. I've been trying to make things work. Kate and
Chloe have been with me forever.
I can't let them down now." She bit her lip and looked worried. "But
suddenly with Kate happy and in love, and if you can work things out
with Chloe, then maybe I can finally admit that I'm in over my head."
He nodded. "Get me your booksâall your books. I'll help you come up
with a solution."
She looked at him. "Thank you," she said, meaning it.
"Thank Chloe."
And they both knew that he had told the truth. Had it not been for
Chloe Sinclair, things would have
been very different from the moment he walked through KTEX TV's doors.
They stared at each other, then she smiled. "If anyone could capture
the big bad Sterling Prescott's
heart, I'm not surprised it was our precious Chloe."
"Then call over to your house and tell that housekeeper of yours to let
me in. I've got to see Chloe."
"I already called. Chloe left. She went home." Julia wrinkled her nose,
considering him. "Go over there. And if she doesn't let you in, she
keeps a key hidden by the back door under the big green flowerpot
shaped like a frog."
He turned abruptly, but Julia stopped him. "If you are insincereâ"
"I'll save your station, Julia."
"I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about my best friend. If I'm
wrong about you and you hurt so
much as a hair on Chloe's head, I will hunt you down and make you pay
regardless of what you do
to my station."
He looked at her closely before a smile pulled at his lips. "I have no
doubt you'd do it, too. Good. Everyone deserves a friend like you."
*Â
*Â *
Sterling careened down 1-10 in the rented Taurus, flew up Country Club*Â *
Road, and took a few more turns until he scrunched to a halt in Chloe's
gravel drive. He marched to the back porch, found the
green frog pot, then headed for the door.
Chloe stood in the kitchen, her father and Bitsy standing next to her.
All three whirled around in surprise when the door banged open.
Sterling was finished trying to do this the calm and reasonable way.
He walked straight up to Chloe. "Whoever said you were sensible and
smart was delirious," he stated without preamble, his gaze boring into
her. "You're not sensible! And you're not smart if you're going to keep
me out of your life because you're afraid. As to your idiotic belief
that you're not sexy, you're out
of your mind. I'm paying a fortune to keep all your admirers away. If
you'd ever go back to the station, you'd see that you've received
enough candy, flowers, and proposals for every woman in the entire
state of Texas. You're the sexiest woman I've ever metâso sexy you
could make a celibate want to sin."
Chloe, Richard, and Bitsy blinked. But Sterling wasn't through with her
yet. "I love you, Chloe, and I'm not going away," he added boldly.
"It's time you realize that. It's time you stop punishing me, your dad,
and every other man out there. Now what do you have to say to that?"
He stood there waiting, suddenly feeling like a schoolboy in a
principal's office. Was he expelled or
would he be given a second chance? When the heat of the moment faded
away, he realized his heart
was hammering and he felt exposed.
"I love you," he whispered, his voice a rough whisper. "Is it really so
hard to forgive me?"
After a lifetime of going after what he wanted and getting it, he
wanted to hear her say she would
forgive him.
His heart twisted when she didn't.
"I've tried to go back," she said, her voice trembling.
His jaw ticked against the tightness and fearâyes, fear, he
concededâthat he felt in his throat.
"But I can't," she added, her gaze meeting his.
"What do you mean?"
"I want to be smart, I want to be sensible. But it seems like no matter
how hard I try, all I can think
about is forgiving you." She shrugged guiltily. "I might have made a
bigger deal out of the bet thing
than it deserved, given that you'd already admitted who you were."
He sucked in a breath and he started to reach for her. She held out her
hand to stop him.
"Butâ"
"No buts, Chloe."
"But that doesn't mean I could live with you."
Richard Maybry grumbled, and Chloe turned a frowning glare on him,
which caused the man to implore her with a look before he guided Bitsy
out of the kitchen.
"Sterling, I do forgive you, but that won't help us make a life
together. You want everything your way. And I couldn't survive in St.
Louis apart from my family. Without Kate and Julia. And I'm just
getting
to know my dad, and heck"âa tremulous smile tugged at her lipsâ"I've
got to at least try to get to
know Bitsy."
"Chloeâ"
"Let me finish."
He had to force himself to keep his hands at his sides.
"Admit it, Sterling, could you survive without your family? Our
families might be different, but mine means just as much to me as yours
means to you. Could you live here?"
This was easy, and relief started to build. He was in familiar
territory now. This he was prepared for, because no matter what, he was
still a businessman who thought of every eventuality when he was
executing a plan. And his plan was to do whatever it took to keep Chloe
in his life.
"We'll compromise," he offered. "We'll divide our time between St.
Louis and Texas. I can run Prescott Media from here part of the time.
Besides, I plan to start delegating more. And you could work on
special assignment for KTEX. You're a damn good producer."
Her lips parted in surprise. "The station is going to survive?"
"I promised you I would do whatever it took to make things right. Julia
and I are going to come up with the solution. I didn't lie to you about
that. I'll make that solution be whatever you and Julia want."
"You'd do that for us?"
"I'd do that for you."
"Oh, Sterlingâ"
He could see that she was excited, nearly afraid to hope. He was
outlining a strategy that her smart and sensible head could get around.
"But there's one thing I won't compromise on," he added.
Instantly she grew wary.
Slowly a smile pulled at his mouth. "I have a challenge."
"Great. Don't you think you got into enough trouble with your last
challenge?"
"This is a challenge for you."
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"I challenge you to let go of your fears and believe that I will never
lie to you again... and that I'll
never leave you."
The words seemed to cause a tremor to race through her body. She closed
her eyes, squeezing them
shut as if she could block out demands she didn't know how to handle.
But he wouldn't give up. He wouldn't be blocked out.
"Chloe, can you at least try to take a chanceâtake a chance on me?"
As soon as he said the words, her eyes popped open, a change coming
over her like she had tasted
bottled lightning. "Take a chance?"
"That's all I'm asking. Just give me a chance to prove that I won't
leave you. And that I will never lie to you again."
"Oh, Sterling," she breathed. "That's right. I have to take a chance,
some time, in some way."
"What are you saying?" His heart felt like it would burst as he tried
to understand.
"I'm saying that I accept your challenge."
Then she was in his arms, holding on as if she'd never let go.
"I'm taking a chance on you, and on me," she whispered.
He lifted her up, burying his face in her neck as he felt the vise on
his heart begin to loosen. "Marry me, Chloe," he stated gruffly. "Do me
the honor of becoming my wife."
She lifted her face and laughed through the tears that streamed down
her face. "Yes, I'll marry you. I want to be your wife." She ran her
finger along his face, and for the first time he realized his cheeks
were damp, too.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: Sterling Prescott
Subject: Real estate transaction
Dear Bert:
Please
send all documents relating to the purchase of the property at 45
Portland Court in the Central West End for my review.
Sincerely,send all documents relating to the purchase of the property at 45
Portland Court in the Central West End for my review.
Sterling
Sterling Prescott
Chairman and CEO, Prescott Media
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: Sterling Prescott
Subject: Money transfer
Dear Kim:
All
the paperwork is now in order. Please make the money transfer into the
KTEX TV account
this afternoon in the amount per the agreement. If there are any
questions, you can reach me
on my cell phone.
Sincerely,the paperwork is now in order. Please make the money transfer into the
KTEX TV account
this afternoon in the amount per the agreement. If there are any
questions, you can reach me
on my cell phone.
Sterling
Sterling Prescott
Chairman and CEO, Prescott Media
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
TWENTY-ONE
"You're getting married!" Kate and Julia cheered."Can you believe it?" Chloe asked, her skin tingling with excitement.
"Of course we believe it!" Julia said. "We should have realized this
was inevitable since the day you sat
in Danny's Cuppa Joe and told us you nearly had sex with a stranger.
You've been heading for the altar ever since without even knowing it!"
Kate sighed dreamily. Julia laughed wickedly.
For the first time in her life, Chloe was beyond happy. She was
delirious with joy. She loved the feeling of letting go, loved the
feeling she got when she looked at Sterling and allowed herself to
believe that
they were meant to be together.
It amazed her that just when she thought her life was falling apart,
spinning irrevocably out of control, what she found was a new worldâa
new way of existing. Yes, she was beyond happy. She felt free
and truly alive. But in all the excitement and turmoil, she realized
there was something she had forgotten to tell Sterling.
Though first, she had to deal with something.
"I can't believe you're selling the station," Chloe said to Julia.
"It's amazing," Kate added.
Julia cringed. "Are you upset?"
"Absolutely not!" Kate promised.
"Of course not!" Chloe said. "But Sterling said he'd lend you the money
you need to keep going. I don't want you doing anything you don't have
to."
"KTEX will keep going better than ever with Sterling at the helm. But
it's time I admit that I don't know the first thing about filling my
father's shoesâheck, it turns out my father couldn't fill his own
shoes, given the debt he left me in. But I can start fresh. I can sell,
wipe the slate clean, and start over."
"Are you sure?"
Julia squeezed each of her friends' hands. "Very sure. I know you and
Kate are secure at KTEXâthat's all that matters."
"But what about you?"
A twinkle sparkled in Julia's eye. "I have an idea or two. You'll see."
A car pulled up into the driveway and the women peered out through
Chloe's front window to see who had arrived. Her father and Bitsy had
traveled back to Ruidoso. This time the couple had gone because Richard
was helping Julia sell the mountain home. Chloe marveled at how
thoroughly her friend was starting over.
Julia sucked in her breath. When Chloe and Kate peered closer, they saw
that it was Ben Prescott
who had pulled up. His grandmother and sister were with him.
"Great," Julia snapped.
"What?" Kate asked. "Are you still being weird around Ben?"
"I am not being weird around Ben."
Chloe snorted. Kate laughed.
"I'm not! I'm just concerned that Diana is going to cause more problems
for you, sugar."
Chloe smiled fondly. "Don't worry about me and Diana."
Without warning, they had a big group hug, and Chloe marveled at the
thought that they always had
one another. When the phone rang, Chloe was reluctant to end the
moment. But she'd been fielding newspaper reporters and television
producers all morning. Everyone in the media wanted to get the
scoop on the
Catch
.
*Â
*Â *
Sterling was standing in the kitchen when he heard the phone ring.*Â *
Amazing how his life had changed. Despite the late October date, he was
hot, and he chugged a container of Gatorade. He was surprised when his
grandmother, Ben, and Diana pushed through the back door.
"Good Lord," Serena said. "What have you been doing?"
Sterling beamed proudly. "Mowing the lawn."
Ben laughed. Diana stood still as stone in a cold way, but Sterling
could tell she was nervous as hell.
And rightly so.
"I'd tell you to go bathe," Serena stated, "but there's no time. I've
learned what Diana did and I've told
her she has no choice but to come here and face the repercussions."
Diana stood there, beautiful and proud. "I'm sorry, Sterling," she said.
He could see that she was. Worry marred her beautiful eyes, and despite
the haughty way she held herself, he knew that she regretted what she
had done.
It had always been that way with them as kids. Diana lashing out,
frustrated, angry, then regretting her outburst afterward. He opened
his arms to her.
At first she looked surprised, and why shouldn't she? He couldn't
remember the last time he had given
his sister a hug. But just as quickly she ran to him despite the fact
that he had just spent the last hour dealing with the yard.
"I'm sorry," she whispered into his chest. "It just kind of spiraled
out of control on me. One minute I
was mad, the next I was on the plane, then after that I couldn't seem
to stop myself."
He chuckled grimly. "I know how that goes."
"I didn't mean to ruin things for you. But I'll do whatever you want me
to in order to make it right."
He set her away and reached over to a stack on the table. He extended a
file.
"What's this?"
"Look inside."
When she did, her eyes went wide like a child's at Christmas. "It's the
deed to my condo." Her arms dropped, her ringers clutching the file.
"But I thought you were furious."
"I was. But I realized that I was furious at myself. I caused my
problems. No one else. And had you not said something to Chloe and all
that hadn't come out, who knew when it would have blown up in my face?
And it would have blown up. Eventually she would have learned that I
had made a bet regarding her. Now I know that. I also know that I can't
keep acting like a father doling out allowances. I'm turning your trust
fund over to you,"
Serena went ramrod straight. Ben leaned back against the wall and
raised a brow. "Aren't you full of surprises these days."
Sterling looked at his brother. "And I have another surprise. I realize
that our bargain is already offâ"
Ben's expression darkened. "But you're still going to badger me about
returning to St. Louis anyway."
"No."
"You're not?"
"No. In fact, I don't think you should return to St. Louis."
This time Serena blurted out her shock. "What?"
"I don't want Ben to return, at least not yet." Sterling focused on his
little brother. "You have some things to figure out. When you do, and
if those answers point to leaving El Paso, then you are welcome at
Prescott Media the minute you want a job. But I've seen how you love
this city. I've seen how you are meant to be a cop. And I'm not going
to be the person responsible for taking that away from you."
Their grandmother gave a sharp moan of distress.
Sterling didn't falter. "I'm here if you need help, Ben. In any way.
We're all here if you need anything."
Sterling looked at Serena, imploring her with his eyes. A second passed
before she sighed, her expression softening as she turned to her
younger grandson. "Yes, we are all here if you need anything."
Ben straightened. "I hardly know what to say."
Sterling shook his head and smiled wryly. "We both know that you were
never going to do anything
other than what you wanted to do anyway."
A grin pulled at Ben's mouth. "True, but it's nice not to have you on
my back." Then he grew serious. "Thank you."
"No, we all have someone else to thank."
They became aware of Chloe in the other room as she spoke on the phone,
her voice raised, giving someone a blast of heated words.
"What do you mean Sterling Prescott was the most arrogant bachelor on
reality TV? Of course he was arrogant. He deserves to be arrogant. And
women agree. Our ratings with females in the eighteen-to-thirty-four
demographic are through the roof. Women love him. They swoon over him.
You'd be so lucky to have one fraction of his appeal! Now write that in
your newspaper column!"
The phone banged down, and the Prescotts exchanged a glance. Chloe
marched in, agitated. "I can't believe some people," she declared.
"Maybe we should take out an ad. Maybe we should start a campaign. Or
maybe I should just go on TV myself and tell El Paso how great you are
and how much
I regret not accepting your rose."
"You've been on the phone, talking about me, I take it," Sterling
stated with a grin.
She stopped suddenly and looked at him. "Oh great, have I insulted you?
You probably don't think you need a woman defending you. Well, let me
tell you, Sterling Prescottâ"
He cut her off when he laughed and pulled her to him, wrapping her
against his chest. This was where
he belonged. With this woman who had come into his life and made him
start living.
"I'm not insulted." He breathed her in, not caring who was around.
"You've given me the greatest gift.
I always wondered what it would be like if you ever got it in your head
to defend me."
Tilting her to him, he brushed his lips over hers. "Besides," he stated
just as arrogantly as always,
"all that matters is that in the end you accepted my rose."
The other Prescotts must have disappeared out the door, because when
Chloe and Sterling finally broke their kiss they were alone.
Chloe laughed as Sterling backed her up across the floor until she
bumped into the V formed by the kitchen counters. He pressed his hands
to the tiled top, capturing her.
"You're being very, very bad," she said with a heartwarming and sexy
smile.
"No, I'm being very, very good. I've been aching for you." He leaned
down and pressed her body to his.
Fire shot through her, a fire and intensity that made her whole as she
melted into his hard and hot body. When his hand found bare skin
beneath her blouse, she shivered with sensation for one more second
before she put her hand to his chest.
"Sterling?"
"Yes?" The word whispered against her ear as his mouth trailed against
her skin.
"Stopâyou're making me forget what I need to tell you."
"Tell me later."
She mentally shook herself. "No, no. This can't wait."
With great reluctance, he pulled away, though barely. "What is it?" he
asked, his hands on her shoulders.
She looked him in the eye and relished all that she felt. "In all the
mayhem, I forgot to mention something."
"What's that?" She saw the way his eyes narrowed with concern.
"I love you."
She said the words with a wealth of feeling, and he breathed in sharply
when he pulled her back to him.
"I know," he whispered raggedly. "God, I know."
But this time there was no arrogance. And as he held her tight, she
could feel his deep sense of relief
that they had finally found their way home.
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