The CEO's Scandalous Affair / Seduced by the Wealthy Playboy: The CEO's Scandalous Affair

“What do you mean? What’s up with Brooke?” Parker had a well-known soft spot for his sister. “Is she still upset about the will?”

“About the fact that Dad had another family, oh yeah. I tried to talk to her about it, but you know Brooke. She’s private.”

“I’ll give her a call,” Parker said.

“You know, I think she’s seeing someone, too.”

“Really? Did she mention that at the Sunday dinner I missed?”

“No, in fact, she denied it,” Stephen said. “But I know I saw her at the Grand last Thursday.”

“The day of the will reading?”

“That night, actually. I saw her across the lobby, and some guy had his arm around her. Then he disappeared around the corner with her.”

“And you never saw him before?” Parker leaned forward, his brotherly protective streak ignited.

“I only saw him from the back and when I asked her about it on Sunday, she said I must have confused her with someone else.”

“Brittany?”

“Brittany was here that night.”

Brooke wouldn’t lie, so Stephen must have been mistaken. “I’ll have to talk to her, but still, I think she’ll support my decision to contest the will. Not sure about her evil twin, though.”

Stephen laughed softly. “Brittany’s always a wild card.” He glanced around as though just mentioning their sister would conjure her up. “I guess it depends what Garrison, Inc. wants to persuade her to do with this restaurant.”

Parker shrugged. “I know this is her baby, and I was just thinking she’s done a fine job bringing this place into the twenty-first century.”

“It’s profitable.”

“On paper, yes. But do you have any idea how many more millions we’d get if we used this slice of land for condos?”

Stephen conceded that with a nod, saying nothing as the waitress delivered their drinks.

“She’d be devastated if we go that route,” Stephen finally said. “You’d have to evict her, technically.”

“I know, and I won’t unless we’re forced to. As long as she’s turning a real profit here—and I mean a significant profit—then we can wait. But Garrison, Inc. owns the land, even if she owns the restaurant. If we wait, all that’ll happen is that the cost of building will rise, and we’ll charge five million for a condo instead of four. But if her business starts to falter, which, knowing the cyclical nature of the restaurant trade, it inevitably will—”

Behind him, a small but firm hand landed on his shoulder.

“Nothing is inevitable.” Brittany’s voice was as cold as the water he sipped. “Except that yet another poor, unsuspecting fool is up at the hostess stand asking for you. Haven’t I seen this one before, Parker?”

She’d heard everything. He knew it. He’d just effectively put his sister on notice. What would that do when it came time for her support in contesting the will? He planted a smile and stood to greet her.

“Of course you’ve seen her before,” he said, reaching to give her a brotherly, if cursory, hug. “She’s my administrative assistant.”

Brittany ignored his outstretched hands by putting hers on her slender hips. “That’s Anna?” She frowned deeper. “She looks different.”

“So is this a date or a business meeting?” Stephen asked.

Parker pulled his sunglasses back on. “A little of both, my friends. A little of both.”

They both opened their mouths to speak, but he slipped away with a half salute of goodbye before they could bombard him with questions he didn’t want to answer.

Anna saw his silhouette before she could make out Parker’s face as he walked toward her, backlit by the early evening sun reflecting off the water. He moved like an athlete, so strong and in control of every muscle. He held his head high, his broad shoulders erect, his expensive suit draping perfectly over the body it was cut and sewn to fit.

When, she wondered, would this man stop taking her breath away?

She’d taken the job as his assistant knowing full well that she found him attractive. That hadn’t seemed like something that would be crippling. She thought it would add a nice, interesting dimension to her job—the handsome boss.

But she hadn’t counted on him being so down-to-the-bone appealing. And she certainly hadn’t thought he’d ask her to travel with him and then kiss her senseless.

Of course, to be fair, she had kissed him first.

And there had been nothing senseless about it. She’d distracted him. And it had worked. But now they were going back to a strictly business arrangement that would stifle her attraction, and protect her from his digging into secrets that had to remain buried.

As Parker approached, his gaze dropped, quickly but clearly, and his eyebrows twitched in a silent compliment.

“You changed,” he said with a smile. “I like that dress.”

She’d chosen something black, simple, ladylike. But the way he inspected her, she wondered if he could see right through it. “I had a little time, so I took a run when I got home.”

“How long have you been running?” he asked.

From the past? Darn near five years. “I started in high school,” she said. “Got hooked on the endorphin rush.”

His lips tipped in a smile. “I know the feeling.”

“But you get it from work,” she replied.

“I get it from a lot of things,” he said, his voice so low and rich with implication she actually curled her toes as a hostess approached them.

“Inside or out, Mr. Garrison?” she asked, her sky-blue eyes trained on him flirtatiously.

But he didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he put a confident hand on Anna’s back and spoke to her. “I suggest we eat indoors because it gets a little raucous on the patio. Unless you’d prefer outdoor air.”

“Inside is fine,” she said.

“It’s more private,” he added, stepping a little closer. “Since you wanted to talk.”

Yes, she did. And she couldn’t let that glint in his dark chocolate eyes or that sexy, musky scent distract her from what she’d come here to tell him.

In a few minutes, they were seated in an alcove more like a bed than a booth, with a sheer privacy drape and a low table that practically begged the occupants to lie down and eat.

“Yeah, this is private, all right,” she said, tugging at the skirt that rode up her thighs as she situated herself.

“We can leave the drape open, if you prefer,” he said, shaking off his jacket and loosening his tie. She tried to swallow, but her throat had turned bone-dry and her hands itched to undo that tie even farther.