Worth the Risk

by Karen Erickson

  “Who wants to get into your pants.”

  She’d already allowed him into her pants, but she wasn’t about to admit that to Becky. “He’s flirtatious. It’s part of his charm.”

  “It’s not charming when it makes someone uncomfortable.”

  Oh, God. Becky was so ready to run with this, and she was putting a major dark cloud over Gracie’s excitement. “Let it go, Becky. I mean it.”

  “I can’t. It’s part of my job.”

  Gracie wanted to bang her head against the wall. Instead, she looped her arm through her friend’s and led her down the hall toward her department. “This is not a time for negativity. You need to get back to your office, write up that offer and send it my way. Then we can go out for drinks after work and celebrate.”

  “You’re going to take it, aren’t you? Did Alex tell you how much the raise would be?”

  “No, but I don’t care. I want the job.” Gracie smiled, and she caught sight of Becky’s frown. “I’m happy about this and I wish you could be too.”

  “I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” Becky stopped them from going any farther and looked Gracie in the eye. “Working closer with Hunter could make it worse.”

  “Make what worse?”

  “His behavior.”

  “You make him sound like a lecherous old pervert.” He so wasn’t. He was a sexy, captivating man who held her so in thrall she’d rather run away than face him every day.

  Well, that was before the marketing director position was dangled in front of her…

  Gracie frowned. Did Alex know she and Hunter had sex? Did Hunter put his brother up to this offer in order to keep her from trying to leave? God, she really hoped not. How embarrassing.

  “You made him sound like a lecherous pervert first,” Becky pointed out.

  “I said he flirted with me. That’s it.”

  “I think there’s more to it, but you won’t tell me.” Becky’s voice took on a pleading note. “I don’t understand why. I’m your friend, Gracie. You can tell me anything.”

  Not really. Not if she was going to run off and cause trouble every time Gracie said something. “Promise me you won’t do anything. Let it go, Becky. Please. For me.”

  “Okay. Fine, I will.” Becky smiled, but her eyes were blank. “I won’t do anything.”

  Gracie didn’t know if she could believe Becky.

  And she only had herself to blame.

  Chapter Eleven

  “You did what?” Hunter was incredulous.

  Alex didn’t react to his brother’s outburst. Didn’t even bat an eyelash. “I offered her the marketing director position.”

  “Without consulting me.”

  “You said she was your most valuable employee. I wanted to reward her, so I decided to make the offer.” Alex shrugged. “I thought you would be happy.”

  “You didn’t ask me, Alex. It’s my department. I consult you over every little move I make.”

  “I’m the CEO of the company. You have to consult me,” Alex said wryly.

  Hunter wanted to smack him. He pounded the edge of his desk instead. “Whatever. You took over my department and made a major decision without my input. It’s insulting.”

  “Are you insulted by my making Gracie Hayes the offer without your consent? Or are you upset you didn’t think of the idea in the first place?”

  Damn it, Alex knew just how to cut him to the bone. Pressing his lips together, Hunter refused to answer.

  “There’s something more here going on and neither of you are admitting it. Whatever it is, you need to put it behind you. Sounds like she’s willing to,” Alex continued.

  “When you make such a generous offer, I can’t blame her. Besides, she’s the one who has the problem with me. I have no issue with Gracie.” He muttered the last sentence.

  “Are you really upset with my offering her the marketing director job, Hunter? If you are, I apologize. I should’ve consulted with you first, especially if you don’t believe she’s the one for the job.”

  Hunter was shocked. Looked like married life and being a father had turned Alex into a gentler version of himself. How strange. “I never said I didn’t think she could handle the job. I just prefer to know what’s going on when it comes to the department I directly supervise.”

  “Of course. Perfectly understandable.” Alex nodded and stood. “I agreed to her wanting to leave but I got her to shorten the time. She’s going to be taking a three-week leave of absence after she gets back from Los Angeles. I think it’s best if you stay here and oversee the strategic planning for the new perfume project rather than go to California. Don’t you?”

  Hunter couldn’t find his tongue to answer. Alex said that on purpose to see if Hunter would argue with him. He’d planned from the very beginning to attend the Worthwhile spring launch. If it meant he had to go back to California with Gracie, then even better.

  He could secretly admit he’d wanted to rekindle the bit of romance they’d found there.

  “I told Gracie to get back to me first thing Monday morning and let me know her decision. I can almost guarantee she’s going to say yes. I saw the sparkle in her eyes. She was practically bouncing in her seat,” Alex continued.

  “Fine.”

  Alex frowned. “I checked over her file. The notes in regards to her performance were all glowing. I don’t think this is going to be a mistake.”

  “Oh, I don’t either. As long as she doesn’t continue to hate me, I’ll be fine.”

  “Perhaps you two should talk first thing Monday. Discuss what you expect from her and she can let you know her needs in return. Get everything out in the air between you two before continuing on with your new relationship.”

  Hunter grimaced. New relationship, didn’t that have potential? Though not the sort of relationship he was looking for when it came to Gracie.

  He still couldn’t believe he thought such a thing.

  “It’s a Friday, Hunter. I’m surprised you’re not gone by now,” Alex mused.

  Where else would he go? Socializing held no appeal. The thought of dating other women made his dick literally deflate—he wasn’t interested in anyone else.

  He was torturing himself. He had no idea he was such a glutton for punishment.

  “I have some things to wrap up before the weekend.” He waved a hand toward his laptop. “I cancelled the brainstorming meeting—bumped it to Monday. Everyone seemed relieved. I think they all want to blast out of here early.”

  “Can you blame them? The next few weeks, hell, months are going to be intense.” There were new plans in the works. Negotiations and contracts to be hammered out before Worth Luxury could announce them to the public. One of them Alex wanted Rhett to eventually be in charge of, which Hunter thought was absolutely ridiculous.

  His resentment toward his baby brother knew no bounds. He couldn’t even begin to deny it.

  “True. It’s going to be hell for all of us. I hope Tessa is prepared not to see you much.”

  “Oh, I’ll make it home.” Alex grinned, looking like a little kid overcome with joy. “Trust me. Once you find a woman like Tessa, she’ll become your whole world.”

  Hunter snorted. He doubted that. His luck with women was horrendous. And he definitely didn’t want to make one his entire world—that was a setup for failure. Look at his situation with Gracie. They’d never taken it beyond a few casual encounters and he was a torn up mess.

  He didn’t care if his brother was insanely happy. Complete happiness with a woman was rare. Alex was one of the lucky ones. “Whatever you say.”

  “Can’t wait to see you fall, bro. I have a feeling when it happens, you’ll fall extra hard.” Alex grinned, the asshole, and waved as he exited Hunter’s office.

  Hunter sat alone, scowling at no one. He watched as, one by one, his team exited the building, passing by his office window as they went. They left in groups, chattering loudly while they walked and he overheard one of them mentioning th
ey were headed toward a bar close by to “celebrate”.

  Were they celebrating Gracie’s possible promotion? Had they already heard about it? He knew word traveled fast amongst the ranks, but this was ridiculous.

  Deciding to hell with it, he slammed his laptop shut and grabbed his coat. Shut off all the lights, locked the door and got the hell out of his office, out of the Worth building.

  He needed a drink. He’d head to the bar, have a drink with his colleagues, pump them up for the big meeting on Monday and then go home.

  Where he could sulk like a big baby all weekend. Alone.

  Sounded fun.

  They were happy for her, really happy for her, which thrilled Gracie beyond belief. She thought many of them would be full of resentment, especially because the majority of the department had been there longer than she had, but no. They all seemed genuinely excited she was taking over the marketing director position.

  Word had spread like wildfire, as usual, and she hadn’t been able to argue with them or deny it when confronted. So she’d gone with it, told them nothing was official yet until she had the signed deal in hand, but they all waved off her cautionary words.

  Now here she was back at Mick’s, the Irish pub that wasn’t far from the Worth Luxury building. The place where she’d made the very major mistake of kissing Hunter that first time. Now the pub was haunted, filled with memories of being in Hunter’s arms.

  So she sat at the polished bar, a large cocktail with a name she couldn’t remember in front of her. The drink was so full of a variety of liquors she could feel the alcohol’s heat flow through her veins and settle with a fuzzy glow in her stomach, and she’d only had a couple of sips.

  Gracie glanced about the bar, and her head spun a little. Oh, dear. She wasn’t a big drinker. Last time she drank, she’d ended up in bed with Hunter.

  Not that it had been the liquor’s influence on her choice, oh, no. She could get drunk on the man alone. She had already done so apparently.

  Why in the world had she told him never again?

  “Drink up, Hayes!” one of her co-workers cheered, and she was reminded of Hunter. Again. Always. How he liked to call everyone by their last names, accompanied by that cocksure grin of his.

  Full of longing over what could never be, she grabbed the glass and slugged it, draining half of it with one swallow. Everyone around her whooped and hollered, cheering her on, and she slammed the glass onto the bar counter with a big smile.

  Her head buzzed, but she ignored it. She was going to have fun, damn it. Despite Becky, who sat at a table watching her with a concerned look on her face, her mood sour. Despite that she hadn’t formally accepted Alex’s offer though of course, she was going to.

  The offer was just too good to pass up.

  And yes, despite the fact she hadn’t spoken to Hunter about the new position. She hadn’t even seen him. Was he angry? Did he even want her as his marketing director? Or had it been his idea all along?

  She hadn’t a clue. Hopefully she’d find out more details come Monday morning.

  “You’re looking good tonight, Gracie.” Marcus slipped in beside her, a smile curling his lips. She gazed up at him and caught him trying to catch a glimpse down her shirt. Yet again, he was hitting on her. He’d been doing so incessantly, and she was growing tired of it. He was too polished, too smooth in the way he spoke to people. She liked him well enough, but she was starting to think he was a phony.

  Besides, with the way her mind was so completely focused on Hunter, she had a feeling no other man could be her type but him.

  “Thanks, Marcus.” His smile grew, his gaze settling once more on her chest, and she wanted to roll her eyes.

  “So, marketing director, huh? Congratulations.” He sounded smarmy. Insincere—which made her wary, and her defenses shot up. She hadn’t expected this from him.

  “I don’t have the position yet,” she reminded him.

  “They’ve made the offer. I’d say it’s pretty much in the bag.” He stepped closer to her, and she wished she could move. But the bar was crowded and she was trapped on the barstool. “Funny how you haven’t been there very long and yet you snap up the most coveted position within the department like that.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

  Unease slipped down her spine. She knew it was too good to be true. Not everyone would be happy with her promotion, and it looked like Marcus was at the top of the unhappy list. “I’ve worked hard to get where I am. Alex believes I’m worthy of the position.” She lifted her chin, feeling defiant.

  “Oh, I’m sure he does, only because his brother told him just how worthy you are.” Leaning in closer, he murmured close to her ear. “Spending time in the boss’s bed changes a man’s mind pretty quickly.”

  Her skin went ice-cold, and she clutched the edge of the counter in front of her. “How dare you make such an accusation?”

  He lifted away from her, the smirk on his face unmistakable. “No need to pretend, princess. The truth has been whispered about here and there for a while. It’ll just be a matter of time before it gets out completely.”

  Her mind raced. How did he know? Who could’ve told him? She’d not uttered a word to anyone, not even Becky. Unless it was Hunter who told him what happened…

  She frowned. The two men were friends. Marcus had worked at Worth for years. But Hunter couldn’t be so callous, so careless as to tell Marcus about their time together, would he?

  “So do you put out for just the boss? Or do you spread the joy around?”

  Irritation filled her, and she wrapped her fingers around the cool glass of her cocktail. “You need to watch what you say.”

  “We’re not at work.” He shrugged. “What are you going to do, report me?”

  That was it. Moving quickly, she tossed the contents of her drink in Marcus’s face. Shocked gasps filled the room and everyone went still, seeming to wait for Marcus’s reaction.

  She set the glass on the counter with a loud thunk and slipped off the barstool. “Don’t ever talk to me like that again.” She thrust a finger at him.

  He glared, the liquid dripping off his face, marring the fancy suit and tie he still wore. “You’re lucky you’re a woman or I’d—”

  “Or you’d what?”

  She knew the steely voice that sounded behind her. Turning, she found Hunter standing there, a fierce expression on his face, his stance one of a warrior from long ago. Legs spread, hands clutched into fists at his sides, his narrowed gaze locked on Marcus. He appeared quietly furious. “Tell us, Marcus,” he urged when Marcus remained silent. “What would you do to Gracie if she wasn’t a woman?”

  Glaring at his boss, Marcus wiped his face off with a single napkin that he grabbed off the counter, then stalked out of the bar without another word. No one followed him. No one seemed to so much as breathe a single word until the door slammed behind Marcus with a loud bang that echoed through the room.

  She stared at her knight in shining armor, her heart racing a million miles a minute. How quickly he’d defended her, how angry he still looked. He’d appeared ready to tear Marcus apart, and that rage still rolled through him. She could see it in the tight clench of his jaw, the tension that radiated from him in palpable waves.

  The low murmurs of conversation resumed once more, and one of the bartenders had turned up the volume on the set of big-screen TVs that banked the walls, as if trying to drown out the uncomfortable tension. Someone jostled into her, pushing her closer to Hunter, and he reached out, grabbing her arm to steady her.

  Just like that, a bolt of sensation swept through her at his touch, heat lingering in all the important parts and making her burn. Her body’s instant reaction to him was so hard to ignore.

  But then she remembered what Marcus had said. Anger suffused her, and she jerked out of Hunter’s hold, turning toward the front doors so she could escape.

  “Not so fast.” Hunter reached her within seconds, his fingers curling around her upper arm and stopping her i
n her tracks. “Why in the hell are you always running away from me?”

  She glared at him and tried to jerk her arm out of his grip. “You give me plenty of good reasons to want to escape from you.”

  He winced, as if those words hurt, and she refused to feel sorry for him. He was the one who must’ve been spreading rumors about her. Rumors that could potentially damage her career and future at Worth. “Let me go,” she demanded, which only seemed to make him squeeze her arm harder.

  “We need to talk,” he said, steering her toward one of the private rooms that were in the back of the pub.

  “I have nothing to say to you.” Well, she had a few choice words, but she thought it best to remain mum for fear of making her boss angry. The last thing she wanted was her promotion revoked for insubordinate behavior.

  “I have plenty to say to you, so I guess you can sit and listen.”

  Like hell. The moment he let her go, she was out of there. She was so furious she could spit nails. Despite his rescuing her from the horrible Marcus, it didn’t make up for what he’d said about her.

  And it hurt too much to admit just how she felt.

  He shoved her into a small, dark room, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click that sent a chill down her spine. She tore out of his grip and turned on him, her arms crossed in front of her defensively.

  “How dare you?” she hissed.

  He reared back. “How dare I save you from Marcus making his slimy moves on you? What are you saying, that you actually like him? You wanted him to harass you?”

  “Of course I don’t like him!” She paused, trying to catch her breath. Gather her thoughts. “He told me what you told him.”

  Hunter frowned. “What did I supposedly tell him?”

  She rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. “About us—sleeping together!”

  “There was hardly any sleeping going on,” he said with a light chuckle.

  Gracie wanted to throttle him. He clearly wasn’t taking any of this seriously. “So you’re not going to deny you told him about us?”