Worth the Scandal (10 page)

She quivered beneath his palm and he stroked his fingers down the length of her neck, mesmerized with this part of her. How smooth the skin was, how soft and pale, little tendrils of dark, carling hair lay against her flesh. The large earrings she wore swung to and fro and carefully he pulled first one, then the other from her earlobes before setting them down on a nearby table.

“Wh—what are you doing?”

Drawing his fingers down the length of her neck, he stepped closer and whispered in her ear, “Undressing you.”

Another shuddering breath left her and slowly he worked the satin buttons that ran down the back of her dress, his fingers shaking with anticipation as he undid each one. She held herself still as slowly he revealed more and more creamy flesh, the delicate lace of her bra appearing and fueling his imagination tenfold.

If the bra was this sheer in the back, he could only hope the front was the same.

He smoothed the dress from her shoulders, the sleeves falling to the crook of her elbows. Her unique sweet fragrance filled his senses and he breathed deep, trying to capture it. Sliding his fingers down her back, he played with the clasp of her bra, undoing it in seconds and the delicate fabric sprang apart.

She glanced at him over her shoulder, lips parted and damp, eyes wide. So damned tempting he swooped in and kissed her, earning a strangled moan from her for his efforts. He could kiss her for hours, drowning in her taste, her scent.

A ringing started in the distance but he didn’t pause in his ministrations. The sound seemed to fuel him and he turned her in his arms so she faced him, the dress falling lower, the bra loose about her breasts. His gaze caught on the vision before him, the tops of her full breasts tempting him, the lacy cups a tease, hiding her nipples. Carefully he wrapped his hands around her breasts, stroking his thumbs over her flesh with reverence.

“You—your phone is ringing again,” she choked out on a shuddering breath.

“Ignore it.” He recognized the ring, knew it was the one he assigned to his brother Hunter and he figured he was still at work. If it was urgent, he would leave him a message.

But the phone silenced only for a moment before it started to ring again. For the third time.

With a growl of impatience, Alex dropped his hands away from Tessa’s delicious curves and pulled his cell out of his pocket. “What?”

“Are you alone?” Hunter’s voice was hushed and filled with urgency.

“No.” Alex sent a flickering glance toward Tessa, who shifted on her feet. She looked uncomfortable and he leaned in, giving her a quick, reassuring kiss. He mouthed ‘I’ll be right back’ before he turned away and started toward his bedroom. “But I can be. What’s up?”

“We have a problem. A major one.”

Impatience filled Alex and he ran a hand through his hair. “Well, spill.”

“After an internal investigation by our resident IT expert, we’ve figured out two of the computers that were compromised and used in obtaining the information that was leaked.”

Alex strode into his bedroom and quietly shut the door. “Which computers?”

Hunter breathed deep. “You’re not going to like this.”

“Just tell me.” His mood grew more somber the longer he talked to his brother.

The news couldn’t be good.

“Yours and Tessa’s.”

“What?” He collapsed onto the bed, sitting on the edge. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, we’re sure. Yours has been broken into only once but Tessa’s was numerous times. No other computers were used, at least from what we’ve discovered so far.”

“How can you tell they were tampered with?”

“They’re always used during odd hours, usually during the weekend or late at night. Everyone has a pattern, the programs they use, the websites they go to, their inboxes and all that. It’s distinctly different when our snitch sneaks onto the computer, though. They go to very specific places, as if they know exactly what they’re looking for and they use minimum keystrokes. The IT man thinks it might be a professional,” Hunter explained.

“Huh.” Alex couldn’t believe it. Who could’ve gotten into his office? He always kept the door locked and though he spent many a late night there, he was usually one of the only ones remaining when he left besides the cleaning staff and security. Tessa occasionally stayed late with him, and she also worked the occasional Saturday.

Alex frowned. It couldn’t be her.

“Tessa’s desk I understand. She doesn’t have an office and her computer is readily available though someone would’ve had to figure out her password code to gain access. Yours though, that’s the mystery. I know you’re diligent about locking your office every night so I don’t know how anyone could’ve got in there besides the cleaning crew. We’re investigating them now.”

Realization dawned. Tessa had been in his office last Saturday…

“I don’t know either,” Alex said grimly, not about to reveal where he had discovered Tessa. Hunter would run with it, dig and dig for the truth until finally he found it.

And maybe…just maybe Alex didn’t want to know anything yet. Not that he suspected her. It wasn’t possible. She wasn’t savvy enough, wasn’t sophisticated enough to pull something like this off.

He would do his own investigation. Prove to himself before turning her over to his brother that she could never be so disloyal to Worth.

Or to him.

“Looks like the relaunch went off without a hitch,” Hunter said.

“It did. We had an excellent turnout and the media was there in droves. Great exposure.”

“I know, I saw. Photos have already hit the web.” Hunter paused. “How’s Tessa?”

“Tessa?”

“Yeah, you know, your sexy little assistant? How’s she doing? Holding up while dealing with you?”

“She’s working out—perfectly.” He gazed at the closed door, wishing he were with her right now, not listening to his brother drone on. Revealing bits of information he didn’t want to hear.

“Got her into your bed yet?”

“No.” Alex scowled when Hunter laughed.

“Answered too quick, bro. I have a feeling you’re making the moves as we speak.”

He hated that his brother was so close to the truth. “I’m not making moves on her, Hunter. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Hunter chuckled. “No need to sound like such a stuffed shirt. If you want to fuck her, I won’t hold it against you.”

Alex’s skin chilled to the very bone, hearing what he was about to do with Tessa put so bluntly. Deep down, he knew it was the truth. He did want to—fuck Tessa. And she deserved so much more. “I need to go. Call me as soon as you learn more.”

“Yeah, well if you remember anything, you do the same. Any bit of information you can think of is appreciated. This IT expert we have is like a forensics investigator. He’s putting everything together like pieces of an intricate puzzle.”

“I’ll call you.” Alex hung up and tossed the phone on his bed.

His mood was ruined. His erection long gone. There was no chance he’d spend the night with Tessa.

He had too many things to consider. The first whether he could trust her.

Chapter Seven

They’d traveled to Sweden and Norway, then on to Spain, Germany and finally they were in Paris for the next two nights before they made their final stop in London. It had been a whirlwind of a trip, constant traveling in the jet with Lora nowhere to be found, their days filled with press junkets and store openings. Tessa worked long hours, fielding phone calls, emails and inquiries for Alex throughout the day when she wasn’t helping supervise the events at the stores. Organizing and assisting, making sure everything went off without a hitch. Every single night she fell into bed exhausted.

And always alone.

After the night of the charity ball, when they’d been interrupted by a phone call, Alex hadn’t touched her. Nor had he talked to her about what happened. He’d come out to wish her a good night while she still stood where he left her, her dress falling down around her waist, body still humming with arousal.

It was as if those few stolen minutes they’d shared never existed.

She couldn’t deny his rejection hurt. She’d fallen asleep that first night crying so many tears her pillowcase had been damp. The next day she’d been befuddled, confused as to why he behaved like nothing ever happened. That he wouldn’t even acknowledge it hurt even more.

Sadness, confusion, frustration and finally, anger had settled in. The one emotion that drove her on, made her determined to do a damn fine job on this blasted tour until they got back to New York and she’d discreetly ask for a transfer to another division within the company.

Maybe Hunter was in need of someone on his marketing team, not that she had much experience in that area. Anywhere would be better than with Alex.

At least, that’s what she told herself, especially late at night as she was trying to fall asleep, fighting her thoughts of him.

Unfortunately, he came to her in her dreams more often than not.

“Do you have the schedule, Tessa?”

She handed it over without comment, discreetly watching out of the corner of her eye as he glanced it over. As usual he looked perfect in his black suit and crisp white shirt, a blue and red patterned Worth tie knotted around his neck. He wore glasses as he was wont to do, her every Clark Kent/Superman fantasy come to life and she tore her gaze away from him, irritated.

They sat next to each other in the car on their way to the Paris location, the distance between them as vast as the ocean, at least in her mind. In reality she could reach out and rest her hand on his thigh and if he were so inclined he could certainly slide his hand up her skirt...

Banishing her fantasies, she stifled a yawn and stared out the window at the city passing by. It was relatively early and morning sunlight filtered through a drift of clouds that lingered in the otherwise bright blue sky.

The Eiffel Tower suddenly appeared in the distance and it took everything for her not to press her face against the glass of the car window like a child and stare at the iconic symbol of her youthful, romantic dreams. As a teen, she’d had a poster of the Eiffel Tower on her wall, right next to her Audrey Hepburn,
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
poster.

To see it, even while driving by, made her heart yearn for those simpler days. When the biggest hardship she endured was doing her homework and wondering if a certain boy liked her.

“You can go see the Eiffel Tower later, after the opening.”

Tessa moved away from the window, settling into the plush seat and faced straight ahead. “I might.” She refused to look at him.

“I can take you, if you’d like.”

She refrained from rolling her eyes. Please. Why the sudden interest in being with her again? “Thank you, but no. I don’t want to put you out or anything.”

“Tessa…”

“Stop.” For once, she interrupted him, holding up her hand to halt his words. “Whatever you’re going to say, please don’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the seat. The very last thing she wanted to hear out of him.

“I was an ass.”

Opening her eyes, she turned to look at him, startled by his declaration. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve behaved like a complete ass toward you.” He glanced down, staring at his hands which were braced on his knees, the schedule she’d handed him on the floor and long forgotten. “And I want to apologize.”

“You’re forgiven.” Not really but she didn’t want to hear him say another word, didn’t want to get her hopes up.

All he had to do was look at her, offer her a bit of kindness and she was ready to forgive him for everything and throw herself at him.

She was such a fool.

Alex chuckled. “You said that quickly.”

“I’m not one to hold a grudge.” She tilted her nose in the air, hoping he would stop talking.

He watched her, she felt his gaze upon her, hot and brazen, evaluating her. She’d dressed simply, pale blue fitted button-up and a black pencil skirt with black opaque tights and a long rope of pearls twined around her neck. She’d gone for Parisian chic, studying photos of French women on the web last night for inspiration.

Tessa frowned. It was official. Her life was as boring being a faux jetsetter as it was when she sat at home alone in her room, hiding from her roommates and the rude boyfriend, wishing for something—more.

“Let me take you, Tessa.”

“Take me where, Alex? To the Eiffel Tower? How about a walking tour of the most romantic spots in Paris? I saw a brochure offering such a thing in the hotel lobby this morning.” She snorted, not caring how unladylike she sounded. “I don’t think so.” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she resumed staring out the window, hoping he’d get the hint.

He didn’t. “I thought you weren’t one to hold a grudge.”

She turned on him again, infuriated he wouldn’t leave the subject alone. “You ignore me for days, pretend what happened between us never really did and now you want to make nice?”

“You’re angry.”

“Of course, I’m angry. What do you expect?” She threw her arms up in the air. “What’s happened between us has been very—confusing.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” he murmured.

She narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t forgotten what?”

“What happened between us that night. I haven’t forgotten any of it, Tessa.” He held her gaze, the color of his eyes a vibrant, bright blue flecked with speckles of gray beneath the lenses of his glasses. “It’s all I’ve thought about.”

She parted her lips but the words stalled in her throat. God, the man was beyond exasperating, sending mixed singles that sent her head constantly spinning. “What are you saying?” she finally choked out, a gasp escaping her when he reached for her hand and took it in his, entwining their fingers. “What are you doing?”

“I haven’t forgotten how you felt in my arms, the silk of your skin, or the taste of your lips.” His voice had lowered to a husky murmur, and she strained closer despite her misgivings. Wanting to hear what he said and dreading it just the same. “I can’t forget it no matter how much I try.”

She shook her head, her entire body trembling. “I can’t do this.”

“I know.” He smiled ruefully. “I understand.”