Authors: Linda Francis Lee
Tags: #Romance, #Sex in the workplace, #Fiction
Sinfully Sexy (3 page)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Katherine Bloom
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: You?
     Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Oh dear
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Julia Boudreaux
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: Will do
Katherine C. Bloom
News Anchor, KTEX TV West Texas
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Ditto
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Katherine Bloom
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Dash
To: Julia Boudreaux
     Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Bad feeling
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
had never held a sword in his life, but there was no question that
there wasn't a person who had dealt with the man who didn't regard him
with respect and even a little fear. He went after what he wanted, and
he got it. The only bloodshed involved, however, was the red ink on the
accounting ledgers of other men who couldn't make their businesses
work. Sterling was known for going in, buying them out, then handing
the enterprise over
to his team of experts to turn it around. Or sell it off in pieces.
Soon all that red ink turned to black. Or, as some had said, the red
turned to gold. Sterling Prescott was
a corporate raider par excellence.
Sterling paced the confines of his suite at the Hilton Hotel. He
couldn't believe he was in El Paso, Texas. But he was, all because he
had fired Trey Tanner.
Hell.
Though that was the least of his concerns just then. He couldn't
believe he'd nearly had sex in a hotel bathroom with a woman he had
never laid eyes on before like he was no better than a sex-crazed
adolescent.
He was many things, but not that. He was the oldest son of the St.
Louis-based Prescott family, was
CEO to Prescott Media, and had single-handedly brought the company back
from near ruin after his father had done his best to run it into the
ground.
Trey Tanner, apparently, had wanted to do the same sort of thing.
"
Sterling, really,
" Trey had
pleaded, "
if we help these women save
their station, it will go a long
way toward changing your ... I mean, our reputation.
"
Sterling swore an oath. He was not some knight in shining armor. And he
wasn't in the business of doling out charity to every needy Tom, Dick,
or even Mary. Hell, in order to save the family business, he'd had to
look at the world around him with a detached, business eye. No emotion.
No sentimentality. He'd had to get the job done. And he had.
Prescott Media was the fastest growing family-owned media conglomerate
in the country. Sterling had every intention of continuing that growth.
KTEX TV was the next jewel in his crown. The jewel would already be in
place if Trey Tanner hadn't gotten emotional about the situation. Now
it was Sterling's job to clean up the mess and close the deal. And it
would be a deal. For Prescott Media. KTEX TV was
deep in debt and without a viable plan to put it back in the black
anytime soon.
Just Sterling's sort of station.
Picking up his cell phone, he dialed. A receptionist came on the line.
"Prescott Media. How may I direct your call?"
"Connect me to Betty Taylor."
"One moment, please."
Over the years, he had made a point of retaining a polite distance from
everyone at Prescott Media. He didn't give parties, he didn't stand
around and chat, just as he didn't give interviews to newspapers or
magazines. He kept to himself, working behind the scenes. He liked the
anonymity that it carried. Not
that beautiful women and powerful men didn't seek him out. They did. He
dated often. Many women over the years. He enjoyed them all. Gave them
pleasure, took his own. Then moved on. His focus
was on rebuilding the family business.
More than once his grandmother had said that he needed to slow down, to
start living. Even he knew
that rebuilding was no longer an accurate term in reference to the work
being done at Prescott Media. They had rebuilt. He and his family had
more money than they could ever spend. But work was his life. Finding a
new prey made his heart pound. Closing deals made his blood hum through
his veins. Or it had.
"Mr. Prescott's office."
Betty Taylor was a fifty-five-year-old, neatly kept woman who ran his
office with the efficiency of a military sergeant. Everyone at Prescott
Media was afraid of her. She wasn't shy about speaking her mind to
anyone and everyoneâ except Sterling. She showed her employer nothing
but the utmost respect.
"Miss Taylor, it's Sterling."
"Mr. Prescott, good morning. How are you?"
"Fine."
"How's the weather?"
"Haven't a clue."
"Good, we've gotten that out of the way. I have several messages for
you."
Sterling amended his assessment. Betty Taylor treated him with the
utmost respect, though she was not above goading him now and again when
it came to his dealings with several members of the Prescott family.
Once she had overheard his grandmother state, as only Serena Prescott
could, that he had no
life beyond his job. Betty hadn't said a word, but her sniff was
confirmation enough.
"You've had three calls from Senator Dickson's office. He clearly wants
you to speak at his fund-raiser."
"I don't speak at fund-raisers."
"I told him that. He wants you anyway."
Sterling shrugged indifferently. "What else?"
The woman went through a list of important executives and politicians
who wanted something from him or Prescott Media. "And Mel Burton from
PR called, wanting to know when he can announce the acquisition of
KTEX."
Damn. He had instructed the man to put together a press release. The
minute the deal was done, he wanted to move quickly to let the media
world know. Because when he finally acquired the El Paso station,
Prescott would have three significant markets in the Southwest. He
already had Albuquerque
and Tucson. When he had El Paso in the bag, he planned to connect all
three to increase coverageâor more important, to increase ad revenue by
appealing to national advertisers who wanted package rates
on regional advertising spots.
He had no doubt that wrapping up the deal would be child's play. The
station's founder and owner, Philippe Boudreaux, had recently died,
leaving his only child in charge. The extensive notes Sterling had put
together regarding the station had described Julia Boudreaux as a wild,
pampered, rich girl who no doubt would be thrilled at washing her hands
of the headache.
Beyond the Boudreaux woman, there were only two other players that
mattered. Kate Bloom had just married golf star Jesse Chapman, and from
everything he had learned, the couple was wildly in love
and preoccupied. Sterling didn't think she'd be a problem either.
The only unknown was the station manager. Chloe Sinclair. By all
accounts, she was smart and savvy, and she might put up a fight. But he
had no doubt that he could handle her. He'd have her begging for
a buyout in no time.
"Betty, tell Mel to hold on to the press release until he hears from
me. I should have everything
completed by lunchtime. This afternoon, at the latest."
"Will do."
"Anything else?"
"Your mother called."
Which brought to mind the other reason he had traveled to the
westernmost portion of Texas.
His brother. Ben Prescott. The black sheep of the family.
He could hear his secretary hesitate, and well she should, since the
youngest Prescott had given him nothing but headaches. Wild parties.
Assorted women of dubious backgrounds. But the worst of Ben's sins, as
far as their mother was concerned, had to do with his choice of
careers. Law enforcement. His mother hated that her youngest child
could get himself killed at any time.
"She asked if you had seen your brother yet," Betty explained.
"What she really wants to know is if he's agreed to come home."
"That would be my guess, sir."
Sterling tamped down the flare of frustration. "Tell her that I am
seeing him this morning."
"Shouldn't
you
call and tell
her that?"
Only Betty Taylor could get away with saying such a thing.
"No, I shouldn't. If anything comes up, you can reach me on my cell
phone."
He disconnected the call and felt a surprising weariness at the thought
of his brother. Ben had always marched to a different drummer, as they
saidâand generally it was to any drummer that was sure to make his
family crazy.
Their mother had wept for weeks when Ben announced he was moving to
Texas and was going into law enforcement. Then she'd nearly gone into
seclusion when a few years later he had taken an assignment with an
undercover vice unit in El Paso.
There were times Sterling felt that Ben was doing everything he could
to erase who he was. He had
made it clear he wanted nothing to do with Prescott Media.
But now something had gone bad with an undercover operation. Ben
wouldn't talk to anyone about
what had happened, or about having taken a leave of absence from the
force.
The family was worried. And it was Sterling's job to bring the younger
son back into the fold. As far as Sterling was concerned, the timing
couldn't be better. Ben was having doubts or maybe concerns at the same
time Sterling had a deal to close. Coming to El Paso had been the
perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Secure the
station, and show Ben the greatness of Prescott Media in action.
He had no doubt he could have a contract in hand and Ben heading home
in a day, if not two.
If only he could get that woman out of his mind.
A knock on his door saved him from his thoughts.
The minute his brother entered, Sterling felt a smile pull at his lips.
The younger man looked just like
him, though while Sterling knew he was a large man and in good shape,
Ben wore danger like a second skin.
He had the same dark hair, the same dark eyes, but one of his brows was
sliced by a thin scar. It was amazing he hadn't lost an eye. The first
time their mother had seen it, she had just about passed out. Their
sister, and the only other child in the family, had smiled knowingly
and finished their mother off
by stating that women's panties must melt away at the mere sight of
that scar.
Their father had grumbled and returned his attention to the miniature
military figures he built. Their grandmother had hid a smile.
But Ben wouldn't have made anyone smile this morning. He looked mean
and spent. Sterling felt true concern as he shook his brother's hand.
"Ben," he greeted.
"Sterling." Ben shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "What brings you
to town?" He asked the question with a hard edge, as if he didn't want
to hear the answer. "I told Mother that I'm not coming home."
"Ah, you think she sent me here."
"Didn't she?"
Sterling avoided the question. "I'm here because I have a deal to
close."
"I thought Trey Tanner was your henchman."
"Trey went soft on me. But we don't need to go into that. I'm meeting
with the station personnel in an hour, at ten. Why don't you come with
me?"
"Sterling, how many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested in
the business?"
"I know you're not. But I thought we could go to lunch after the
meeting is over."
"I'll meet you wherever you want."
"Unfortunately, I don't have a car."
"What, no limos available?"
"Funny. But I really did want to see you. Besides, humor me. I thought
that if you came to the meeting,
I could impress you with how great Prescott Media really is."
Â
     Katherine Bloom
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: You?
Chloe,
darling, I've never heard of you calling an emergency confab. I've just
gotten out of the shower. I can be there in an hour. Can you give us a
hint?
Also, before I forget: At our meeting with Trey Tanner, let me do
the talking.
xo, jdarling, I've never heard of you calling an emergency confab. I've just
gotten out of the shower. I can be there in an hour. Can you give us a
hint?
Also, before I forget: At our meeting with Trey Tanner, let me do
the talking.
p.s.
Hopefully you'll fill us in about last night's party. It's all the buzz
that some man was caught
in a compromising position in the women's bathroom. How is it possible
that the one party I miss turns out to be the party of the year?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hopefully you'll fill us in about last night's party. It's all the buzz
that some man was caught
in a compromising position in the women's bathroom. How is it possible
that the one party I miss turns out to be the party of the year?
Â
     Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Oh dear
Let's
just say I'm aware of the man in the bathroom. I'll see you in an hour.
Kate, can you be there?
Chloejust say I'm aware of the man in the bathroom. I'll see you in an hour.
Kate, can you be there?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
     Julia Boudreaux
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: Will do
And
what is this about ladies' rooms with men in them? And Julia, who
exactly is this Trey
Tanner?
Why haven't you mentioned any of this before
yesterday's e-mail?
Kwhat is this about ladies' rooms with men in them? And Julia, who
exactly is this Trey
Tanner?
Why haven't you mentioned any of this before
yesterday's e-mail?
Katherine C. Bloom
News Anchor, KTEX TV West Texas
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
     Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Ditto
I'm
wondering the same thing. You've never mentioned getting an outside
analysis done of the station. Though thankfully you didn't go to
someone like that cutthroat, prehistoric warrior-type Sterling Prescott
from Prescott Media, who is notorious for gobbling up small stations at
outrageously low prices. You didn't, did you, Julia?
Chloewondering the same thing. You've never mentioned getting an outside
analysis done of the station. Though thankfully you didn't go to
someone like that cutthroat, prehistoric warrior-type Sterling Prescott
from Prescott Media, who is notorious for gobbling up small stations at
outrageously low prices. You didn't, did you, Julia?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
     Katherine Bloom
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Dash
If
I'm going to be at Danny's in an hour, I've got to dash. Just rest
assured that in all my phone
calls and e-mails with Trey Tanner, he was nothing but kind and helpful.
xo, jI'm going to be at Danny's in an hour, I've got to dash. Just rest
assured that in all my phone
calls and e-mails with Trey Tanner, he was nothing but kind and helpful.
p.s.
And what Is this about warriors? You've been watching Mel Gibson again,
haven't you?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------And what Is this about warriors? You've been watching Mel Gibson again,
haven't you?
To: Julia Boudreaux
     Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Bad feeling
Why
do I get the feeling that you are hiding something, Julia? You're the
one with the thing for
Mel Gibson, not me.
Chloedo I get the feeling that you are hiding something, Julia? You're the
one with the thing for
Mel Gibson, not me.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
TWO
There were warriors, and then there were warriors. Sterling Prescotthad never held a sword in his life, but there was no question that
there wasn't a person who had dealt with the man who didn't regard him
with respect and even a little fear. He went after what he wanted, and
he got it. The only bloodshed involved, however, was the red ink on the
accounting ledgers of other men who couldn't make their businesses
work. Sterling was known for going in, buying them out, then handing
the enterprise over
to his team of experts to turn it around. Or sell it off in pieces.
Soon all that red ink turned to black. Or, as some had said, the red
turned to gold. Sterling Prescott was
a corporate raider par excellence.
Sterling paced the confines of his suite at the Hilton Hotel. He
couldn't believe he was in El Paso, Texas. But he was, all because he
had fired Trey Tanner.
Hell.
Though that was the least of his concerns just then. He couldn't
believe he'd nearly had sex in a hotel bathroom with a woman he had
never laid eyes on before like he was no better than a sex-crazed
adolescent.
He was many things, but not that. He was the oldest son of the St.
Louis-based Prescott family, was
CEO to Prescott Media, and had single-handedly brought the company back
from near ruin after his father had done his best to run it into the
ground.
Trey Tanner, apparently, had wanted to do the same sort of thing.
"
Sterling, really,
" Trey had
pleaded, "
if we help these women save
their station, it will go a long
way toward changing your ... I mean, our reputation.
"
Sterling swore an oath. He was not some knight in shining armor. And he
wasn't in the business of doling out charity to every needy Tom, Dick,
or even Mary. Hell, in order to save the family business, he'd had to
look at the world around him with a detached, business eye. No emotion.
No sentimentality. He'd had to get the job done. And he had.
Prescott Media was the fastest growing family-owned media conglomerate
in the country. Sterling had every intention of continuing that growth.
KTEX TV was the next jewel in his crown. The jewel would already be in
place if Trey Tanner hadn't gotten emotional about the situation. Now
it was Sterling's job to clean up the mess and close the deal. And it
would be a deal. For Prescott Media. KTEX TV was
deep in debt and without a viable plan to put it back in the black
anytime soon.
Just Sterling's sort of station.
Picking up his cell phone, he dialed. A receptionist came on the line.
"Prescott Media. How may I direct your call?"
"Connect me to Betty Taylor."
"One moment, please."
Over the years, he had made a point of retaining a polite distance from
everyone at Prescott Media. He didn't give parties, he didn't stand
around and chat, just as he didn't give interviews to newspapers or
magazines. He kept to himself, working behind the scenes. He liked the
anonymity that it carried. Not
that beautiful women and powerful men didn't seek him out. They did. He
dated often. Many women over the years. He enjoyed them all. Gave them
pleasure, took his own. Then moved on. His focus
was on rebuilding the family business.
More than once his grandmother had said that he needed to slow down, to
start living. Even he knew
that rebuilding was no longer an accurate term in reference to the work
being done at Prescott Media. They had rebuilt. He and his family had
more money than they could ever spend. But work was his life. Finding a
new prey made his heart pound. Closing deals made his blood hum through
his veins. Or it had.
"Mr. Prescott's office."
Betty Taylor was a fifty-five-year-old, neatly kept woman who ran his
office with the efficiency of a military sergeant. Everyone at Prescott
Media was afraid of her. She wasn't shy about speaking her mind to
anyone and everyoneâ except Sterling. She showed her employer nothing
but the utmost respect.
"Miss Taylor, it's Sterling."
"Mr. Prescott, good morning. How are you?"
"Fine."
"How's the weather?"
"Haven't a clue."
"Good, we've gotten that out of the way. I have several messages for
you."
Sterling amended his assessment. Betty Taylor treated him with the
utmost respect, though she was not above goading him now and again when
it came to his dealings with several members of the Prescott family.
Once she had overheard his grandmother state, as only Serena Prescott
could, that he had no
life beyond his job. Betty hadn't said a word, but her sniff was
confirmation enough.
"You've had three calls from Senator Dickson's office. He clearly wants
you to speak at his fund-raiser."
"I don't speak at fund-raisers."
"I told him that. He wants you anyway."
Sterling shrugged indifferently. "What else?"
The woman went through a list of important executives and politicians
who wanted something from him or Prescott Media. "And Mel Burton from
PR called, wanting to know when he can announce the acquisition of
KTEX."
Damn. He had instructed the man to put together a press release. The
minute the deal was done, he wanted to move quickly to let the media
world know. Because when he finally acquired the El Paso station,
Prescott would have three significant markets in the Southwest. He
already had Albuquerque
and Tucson. When he had El Paso in the bag, he planned to connect all
three to increase coverageâor more important, to increase ad revenue by
appealing to national advertisers who wanted package rates
on regional advertising spots.
He had no doubt that wrapping up the deal would be child's play. The
station's founder and owner, Philippe Boudreaux, had recently died,
leaving his only child in charge. The extensive notes Sterling had put
together regarding the station had described Julia Boudreaux as a wild,
pampered, rich girl who no doubt would be thrilled at washing her hands
of the headache.
Beyond the Boudreaux woman, there were only two other players that
mattered. Kate Bloom had just married golf star Jesse Chapman, and from
everything he had learned, the couple was wildly in love
and preoccupied. Sterling didn't think she'd be a problem either.
The only unknown was the station manager. Chloe Sinclair. By all
accounts, she was smart and savvy, and she might put up a fight. But he
had no doubt that he could handle her. He'd have her begging for
a buyout in no time.
"Betty, tell Mel to hold on to the press release until he hears from
me. I should have everything
completed by lunchtime. This afternoon, at the latest."
"Will do."
"Anything else?"
"Your mother called."
Which brought to mind the other reason he had traveled to the
westernmost portion of Texas.
His brother. Ben Prescott. The black sheep of the family.
He could hear his secretary hesitate, and well she should, since the
youngest Prescott had given him nothing but headaches. Wild parties.
Assorted women of dubious backgrounds. But the worst of Ben's sins, as
far as their mother was concerned, had to do with his choice of
careers. Law enforcement. His mother hated that her youngest child
could get himself killed at any time.
"She asked if you had seen your brother yet," Betty explained.
"What she really wants to know is if he's agreed to come home."
"That would be my guess, sir."
Sterling tamped down the flare of frustration. "Tell her that I am
seeing him this morning."
"Shouldn't
you
call and tell
her that?"
Only Betty Taylor could get away with saying such a thing.
"No, I shouldn't. If anything comes up, you can reach me on my cell
phone."
He disconnected the call and felt a surprising weariness at the thought
of his brother. Ben had always marched to a different drummer, as they
saidâand generally it was to any drummer that was sure to make his
family crazy.
Their mother had wept for weeks when Ben announced he was moving to
Texas and was going into law enforcement. Then she'd nearly gone into
seclusion when a few years later he had taken an assignment with an
undercover vice unit in El Paso.
There were times Sterling felt that Ben was doing everything he could
to erase who he was. He had
made it clear he wanted nothing to do with Prescott Media.
But now something had gone bad with an undercover operation. Ben
wouldn't talk to anyone about
what had happened, or about having taken a leave of absence from the
force.
The family was worried. And it was Sterling's job to bring the younger
son back into the fold. As far as Sterling was concerned, the timing
couldn't be better. Ben was having doubts or maybe concerns at the same
time Sterling had a deal to close. Coming to El Paso had been the
perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Secure the
station, and show Ben the greatness of Prescott Media in action.
He had no doubt he could have a contract in hand and Ben heading home
in a day, if not two.
If only he could get that woman out of his mind.
A knock on his door saved him from his thoughts.
The minute his brother entered, Sterling felt a smile pull at his lips.
The younger man looked just like
him, though while Sterling knew he was a large man and in good shape,
Ben wore danger like a second skin.
He had the same dark hair, the same dark eyes, but one of his brows was
sliced by a thin scar. It was amazing he hadn't lost an eye. The first
time their mother had seen it, she had just about passed out. Their
sister, and the only other child in the family, had smiled knowingly
and finished their mother off
by stating that women's panties must melt away at the mere sight of
that scar.
Their father had grumbled and returned his attention to the miniature
military figures he built. Their grandmother had hid a smile.
But Ben wouldn't have made anyone smile this morning. He looked mean
and spent. Sterling felt true concern as he shook his brother's hand.
"Ben," he greeted.
"Sterling." Ben shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "What brings you
to town?" He asked the question with a hard edge, as if he didn't want
to hear the answer. "I told Mother that I'm not coming home."
"Ah, you think she sent me here."
"Didn't she?"
Sterling avoided the question. "I'm here because I have a deal to
close."
"I thought Trey Tanner was your henchman."
"Trey went soft on me. But we don't need to go into that. I'm meeting
with the station personnel in an hour, at ten. Why don't you come with
me?"
"Sterling, how many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested in
the business?"
"I know you're not. But I thought we could go to lunch after the
meeting is over."
"I'll meet you wherever you want."
"Unfortunately, I don't have a car."
"What, no limos available?"
"Funny. But I really did want to see you. Besides, humor me. I thought
that if you came to the meeting,
I could impress you with how great Prescott Media really is."
Other books
Mission: Cook! by Robert Irvine
Los Cinco otra vez en la Isla de Kirrin by Enid Blyton
Madeleine Strays: A Wife-Watching Romance by Max Sebastian
The Floating Body by Kel Richards
Clapton by Eric Clapton
A Bead in the Hand (Glass Bead Mystery Series Book 2) by Janice Peacock
Wings of the Dove (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) by Henry James
Forbidden, Tempted Series (Book 1) by Selene Charles
Elicit by Rachel van Dyken
Decadence (An Emerald Valley Spring Fling) by Riley Shane