Michelle Celmer—Playing by the Baby Rules; Exerpt


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THE DUKE'S BOARDROOM AFFAIR

Silhouette Desire
January 2009
ISBN 978-0-373-76919-3

Victoria Houghton had never been so humiliated.
Watching her father lose in a hostile takeover the hotel that had been in their family for generations had been almost more than she could bear, and now she was expected to be a personal assistant to the man who was instrumental in sealing the deal?
The Duke of Morgan Isle, Charles Frederick Mead, lounged casually behind his desk, smug and arrogant beneath the façade of a charming smile, the crisp blue of the Irish Sea a backdrop through a wall of floor to ceiling office windows behind him. Dressed in a suit that was no doubt custom made, his casual stance was at odds with the undeniable air of authority he oozed from every pore.
“ I was told I would be taking on managerial position,” she told him. And along with it a generous salary and profit sharing. Or had they changed their minds about that part too?
He leaned back and folded one leg casually atop the other. “Until the second phase of the hotel opens, there’s nothing for you to manage. And since my personal assistant recently left, you will temporarily replace her.”
He must have thought her daft if he believed she would buy that flimsy excuse. She would work in housekeeping, changing linens and scrubbing commodes, if it meant not seeing this man every day. He may have looked pleasant and easygoing, but underneath he was cold and heartless.
“ So put me in the part of the hotel that’s already completed,” she said. “I’ll do anything.”
“ There aren’t any openings.”
“ None?”
He shook his head.
Of course there weren’t. Or so he said. To men like him, lying was as natural as breathing. And what of their financial agreement? Surely he didn’t expect to pay an assistant the exorbitant salary they had quoted in her contract. “What about my salary and profit sharing?”
He shrugged. “Nothing in the terms of your contract will change.”
Her brow perked up in surprise. What was he trying to pull?
“ If you consult your attorney, he’ll confirm that we’re honoring our end of the deal,” he assured her.
According to her father, their own attorney had sold them out to get in good with the royal family, so unfortunately he wouldn’t be much help. She doubted there was a single attorney on the island who would take on the monarchy, so basically, she was screwed.
“ And if I refuse?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.
“ You violate the terms of your contract.”
He had no idea how tempted she was to do just that. She’d never wanted this job. But refusing it would devastate her father. The sale of his hotel--her legacy--to the royal family for their expansion project had been contingent on her being hired as a permanent manager, and at nearly twice the salary she had been making before. Not to mention incredible benefits. He wanted assurances that she would be well taken care of. And she was helpless to object.
Losing the hotel had put unneeded strain on his already weakening heart. Despite sitting on the prime resort land of the island, since the opening of the newly renovated Royal Inn hotel, occupancy in their much smaller facility had begun to drop. The way the lawyers for the royal family had begun buying up ocean-side property, both she and her father feared it would only be a matter of time before their number was up.
And they had been right.
In his fragile state, more bad news might be all it took to do him in. Since the day her mother and older brother were killed in an automobile accident, when Victoria was only five, he had been her entire life. He had sacrificed so much for her. She couldn’t let him down.
With renewed resolve, she squared her shoulders and asked, “When do you expect the second phase of the hotel to open?”
“ The additions and renovations are scheduled for completion by the beginning of the next tourist season.”
The next tourist season? But that was nearly six months away! Six days would be too long to work for this man as far as she was concerned. But what choice did she have?
Something that looked like amusement sparked in his deep, chocolate brown eyes. Did he think this was funny?
“ Is that a problem?” he asked.
She realized, the Duke was baiting her. He wanted her to violate the terms of her contract so he could get rid of her. He didn’t want her services anymore than she wanted his charity. He would make her life as miserable as possible until she left voluntarily.
Well, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her buckle. He may have broken her father, but there was no way he was going to break her.
She raised her chin a notch and looked him directly in the eye, so he would see that she wasn’t intimidated. “No problem.”

From the book: The Duke's Boardroom Affair

By: Michelle Celmer