In pursuit of the truth,
she finds desire...
Going undercover lands her under the covers...
with her boss!
When her reality-TV star stepmother threatens her rightful inheritance, designer Sophie Blackwood fights back. To get dirt on the gold digger, she poses as a consultant to media CEO Nigel Townshend. But Sophie can’t resist the dreamy Brit, and professionalism takes a turn toward passion. Suddenly everything is at stake if her secret is exposed—her family legacy and the man she desires...
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Jules Bennett
“So this was a date?”
“If I’m honest, yes.”
Be careful.
The voice rang through her head, but she ignored it. There was nothing careful about being this close, this attracted to the man she was deceiving.
She’d never misled a single person in her life and here she was lying to the one person she actually wanted to get to know on a personal level.
But there was so much chaos going on in her life, how could she even think about something personal with Nigel? He didn’t even know her real name.
“I thought you didn’t get mixed up with coworkers,” she countered.
He slid his fingertip along the slit in her skirt...the one that extended all the way up her thigh. Sophie shivered as her eyes darted from his hand to his face.
“I never have before now.”
* * *
From Boardroom to Bedroom
by Jules Bennett is a part of the
Texas Cattleman’s Club: Inheritance series.
Dear Reader,
I hope you’re all enjoying this installment of the Texas Cattleman’s Club series! I’m so excited to bring you Nigel and Sophie’s story and all of the juicy scandal that continues.
You don’t even know how excited I was to get to write a sexy Brit for this book. Not only do I love a hero with an accent, I also love a determined, headstrong shero. The clash of Sophie and Nigel is instant...in all the good ways.
This was my first time writing a character undercover, and I promise it won’t be the last! I loved having Sophie play two roles and try to figure out whether family loyalty or love would win in the end. Poor Nigel has no clue that a spy is in his bed, but he’s quite loyal to his own family, so he might not find a way to forgive her.
I can’t wait to hear what you all think of Nigel and Sophie! I had such a fun time writing their happily-ever-after!
Happy reading,
Jules
Jules Bennett
From Boardroom to Bedroom
USA TODAY bestselling author Jules Bennett has published over sixty books and never tires of writing happy endings. Writing strong heroines and alpha heroes is Jules’s favorite way to spend her workdays. Jules hosts weekly contests on her Facebook fan page and loves chatting with readers on Twitter, Facebook and via email through her website. Stay up-to-date by signing up for her newsletter at julesbennett.com.
Books by Jules Bennett
Harlequin Desire
The Rancher’s Heirs
Twin Secrets
Claimed by the Rancher
Taming the Texan
A Texan for Christmas
Texas Cattleman’s Club: Houston
Married in Name Only
Two Brothers
Montana Seduction
California Secrets
Texas Cattleman’s Club: Inheritance
From Boardroom to Bedroom
Visit her Author Profile page at Harlequin.com, or julesbennett.com, for more titles.
You can also find Jules Bennett on Facebook, along with other Harlequin Desire authors, at Facebook.com/harlequindesireauthors!
For all of the unpublished authors out there...you can do it! Never give up doing what you love.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Excerpt from Blame It on the Billionaire by Naima Simone
Prologue
“And the estate, businesses, and all holdings will go to Miranda Dupree.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Sophie Blackwood refused to stay silent. She didn’t know exactly what to do, what to say, but she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.
How in the hell did her father’s ex-wife—his very young ex-wife—manage to sweep the entire inheritance? She was nothing but a gold-digging socialite.
Unacceptable.
Sophie and her father had never been close, but to will everything to the much younger woman who was no longer even his wife was a slap in the face.
Buckley “Buck” Blackwood continued to disappoint her even in death. Sophie glanced over to the woman in question who actually had the nerve to look surprised. Please, like she hadn’t dug her claws so deep into Sophie’s father... She knew this moment was coming.
Sophie shifted her focus to her brothers who were equally as stunned at the will that their father’s lawyer, Kace LeBlanc, kept right on reading from, listing off each item, as if giving everything to an ex were perfectly normal.
Well, Sophie didn’t have to stay and listen to this nonsense. She loved her brothers, but there was no love between her and Miranda.
Sophie was surprised her narcissistic step-monster didn’t have a whole camera crew here to document this portion of her life. Being one of the star of Secret Lives of NYC Ex-Wives—New York’s version of The Real Housewives—seemed to rule Miranda’s life. The woman always had a crew following her, documenting every aspect of her glittery, flashy lifestyle.
This whole scenario really grated on Sophie’s last nerve.
Miranda already had millions. She didn’t need all of this other stuff from Buck—not the money and not the ranch. Granted, Sophie didn’t need it, either, but damn it, she and her brothers were blood relations. Weren’t they entitled to something?
Did nobody see the vindictive woman Miranda truly was? There had to be a way to prove she wasn’t all high and mighty like so many believed. Sure, the reality show portrayed her as a nurturing, loving woman... Sophie didn’t believe that front for a minute.
Channeling the growing pit of anger in her gut, she met Kellan and Vaughn’s furious stares as she exited the study of her father’s estate.
The only people she cared about were her brothers. They were a team, they always had been. And she knew they would work together to get this travesty of a will overturned. But right now, she was too furious to think, or to concentrate on what their next steps should be. She just needed to get away from her father’s house, where she’d never been happy and where she’d just had to sit through a new betrayal. Most people would have been remorseful after a parent’s passing, and part of Sophie was sad. Buck was her father, but he’d always been a hard bastard to love. Turns out, that hadn’t ended with his death.
As Sophie made her way out into the bright, sunny day, she slid her sunglasses off her head and onto her face. She needed a break. She just wanted an escape even if for just a few days. Royal, Texas, was such a beautiful town and
Sophie absolutely loved it here. But like every small town, it was a hotbed of gossip, and this latest bombshell her father had dropped on them was bound to be the talk of the town for weeks. Everywhere she went, people would be whispering, speculating. The thought made her skin crawl.
But gossip can work both ways, she realized after a moment’s reflection. If she played her cards right, maybe she could turn the situation to her advantage. All the talking everyone would be doing about the scandalous Blackwood inheritance would lead to lots of talk about Miranda, too. If Sophie could uncover anything—a scandal, or a secret, or maybe whatever bit of leverage Miranda must have held over Buck to get him to disinherit his own children—maybe she could use it to get the will overturned.
Sophie pulled out her cell as she settled behind the wheel of her sporty car. Time to get started.
One
Sophie barely recognized herself in the reflection of the mirrored elevator doors. Flying across the country, getting a complete makeover, and coming up with a whole new identity had been quite the feat.
But persistence paid off...or at least she hoped it would.
She’d traveled to New York to spy on Miranda. She had tried chasing down every possible lead in Royal...but none of them had panned out. After two months of failed attempts, she’d realized she needed to widen her net. If she was going to find anything, it would have to be in New York—and it would have to be in a different persona. No one was willing to spill secrets to the stepdaughter who was known to hate Miranda—but perhaps a new identity would let her slip in under the radar. Sophie had no other idea how to find dirt on her stepmother, so she’d taken a very hands-on approach.
For a week now, Sophie had taken on this new look and role, but she still hadn’t gotten used to being someone else. She’d never been this deceitful or this scheming before.
But desperate times and all that.
As the elevator continued to climb toward the floors that housed Green Room Media, Inc. building, she wondered exactly what she’d be doing. She knew she’d landed the job as a temporary consultant, so she hoped this was a position that would get her close to some cutting room floor footage. Maybe she’d even come in close contact with some of the camera crew from Secret Lives.
She needed to find some juicy tidbit on Miranda. Something to hold over her or, better yet, to expose her for the gold-digging, conniving attention seeker Sophie believed she was. Something that would let Sophie challenge the will and put Blackwood property back in Blackwood hands, where it belonged. A woman who always flaunted her life and her material possessions all over television didn’t need anything more.
Sophie and her brothers deserved their due inheritance. She didn’t want to be a whiny child about it, but she’d grown up in Blackwood Hollow and the home held so many memories...memories that shouldn’t have been just handed over to Miranda Dupree. Memories she and her brothers made with their wonderful late mother that Sophie wanted to carry over into her own family or her brothers’ families one day. That legacy belonged to the Blackwood children, not a second wife. Sophie wanted to do this for her brothers; she wanted them to have what they deserved. They all had plenty of money... This wasn’t about that. This was about family, which they’d never considered Miranda part of.
Sophie didn’t believe Miranda’s sweet and innocent public persona...not one bit. The woman wouldn’t be on one of the most scandalous reality shows on television if she were that perfect. There had to be something. Unfortunately, Sophie had made a point of avoiding Miranda as much as possible during her father’s short-lived second marriage. She just plain didn’t know the woman well enough to know which closets to search for Miranda’s carefully hidden skeletons. But surely they were around here somewhere, in the offices of the show that had been the centerpiece of Miranda’s life for the past few years.
Secret Lives was a popular reality show based on divorced women living in Manhattan. Of course, ratings hinged on how many scandals the ladies could cause while displaying their lavish lifestyles. It was tacky and tasteless—but it was popular, and it came with a big staff of people behind it, all working to keep it going. That was where Sophie had found her “in.”
Sophie had applied for a personal consultant position within the company that produced Secret Lives. The security in the place was top-notch, so she’d had to get creative on getting in. No way would a Blackwood be allowed in this office. Not with the death of Miranda’s husband so recent. Just the word Blackwood would raise too many red flags and Sophie would be shut out before she could even get started.
A temporary job was the perfect opportunity to get inside.
The only glitch? Sophie’s popularity from her interior design YouTube channel, Dream It, Live It, forced her to alter her look. Usually, popularity was a great problem to have—but for the time being, it was getting in her way. If she didn’t have so many loyal followers, she wouldn’t have had to go to such great lengths to disguise herself.
Nothing a little hair color, some carefully applied makeup, a sexy pair of cat-eye glasses, a polished jacket and skinny jeans couldn’t fix. She typically wore fun dresses because she always found a dress to be much more comfortable than pants. So this outfit was definitely outside of her norm. So was the makeup. She much preferred a natural look, so the red lips were completely out of her comfort zone.
And the hair? She was kind of digging this style. A little fringe around her face and the bold shade of ashy blond made her feel a little sassy. The self-esteem boost was much needed because her nerves were all over the place.
She was hopeful and quite certain nobody would recognize her now.
So here she was, day one of her new job and fully embracing her new identity. Maybe blondes would have more fun.
Oh, and of course her name was the biggest adjustment. That was something she had to fully embrace and always be aware of because if someone tried to get her attention and she wasn’t focused enough to recognize her faked name, her cover would be blown.
The elevator stopped and Sophie pulled in a deep breath.
No. She had to stop thinking of herself as Sophie. In this building, and for the next week, she would have to think of herself as Roslyn Andrews. She could remember that, right? A nice combo of Sophie’s middle name and her grandmother’s maiden name. No problem. At least she’d chosen something somewhat familiar. And she wouldn’t have to get used to it for long.
She’d given herself a week timeline to get in, find the scoop and get out. She didn’t like being sneaky—that was quite the opposite of her personality—but she also felt that she and her siblings had been wronged. So, one week. Surely she could do some quick snooping?
The elevator doors slid open and the posh offices of Green Room Media greeted her. The elegant white decor and semicircular desk in the middle of the spacious floor plan were simple, yet classy. The receptionist glanced up from his computer and smiled. She’d talked with him before when she’d come for her interview just days ago. They clearly needed someone fast because they’d hired Sophie on the spot.
“Ah, Miss Andrews. Welcome back. Are you ready for your first day?”
More than he knew. Would it be too obvious if she asked to view cut footage right off the bat?
“Let’s do it,” Sophie said with a smile. “Just tell me where I’ll be.”
Craig, she believed his name was, came to his feet and gestured toward the long hallway. “You will actually be working right alongside Mr. Townshend, you lucky girl. He’s amazing, but he demands loyalty and precision. His personal assistant is out on maternity leave, but that’s no problem. If you need anything, you can always come find me.”
Working with Mr. Townshend? As in Nigel Townshend? She would be his temporary personal consultant? Sophie didn’t know if she was thrilled or terrified to be put in the most inner circle of the entire company...and with the sexiest mogul to ever grace the covers of magazi
nes. He was known as the British Billionaire Bad Boy. Any woman with breath in her lungs knew who Nigel was.
Sophie’s heart fluttered and her stomach got a little schoolgirl giddy. Nigel was one very dominating, very powerful man. When Sophie had interviewed, she’d thought for sure she was just going to be a gopher or someone to answer phones. She’d hoped for more, but she also had to be realistic. She’d only been trying to get her foot in the door.
Well, she was in all right. Now she only had moments to mentally prepare to not only meet the sexy Brit but also to compose herself so she didn’t come across as some nitwit who didn’t deserve this position. She couldn’t afford to be let go before she got what she came for.
Sophie hurried to catch up with Craig as he made his way down the wide corridor.
“Are you sure this is the position I’m here for?” she questioned.
Craig came to a halt so fast Sophie jerked to a stop to prevent running into him. He glanced around before leaning in and whispering.
“You didn’t hear this from me,” he started. “But Secret Lives has dipped a little in the ratings and Nigel is taking it upon himself to find out exactly why. He needs fresh eyes to help him fix the situation. That’s where you come in.”
Well, that was no pressure at all. Nothing like being thrust right into the thick of things on day one. But at least it was a problem that didn’t make her feel out of her depth. She did know a little about ratings; after all, she’d built her channel into something of a phenomenon. Maybe she could actually make a difference here, too, and get the scoop she needed. A win-win.
“Does he not have anyone who has tried to help so far?” Sophie asked, still positive this position was a mistake.
“His assistant would probably have been a good asset, but she’s unavailable and Nigel wants someone from the outside.” Craig lowered his voice even more. “I think the show is in jeopardy. He didn’t tell me that directly, but... Well, I have some sources.”
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