Kate Carlisle
The Millionaire Meets His Match
A book in the Man of the Month series, 2010
Dear Reader,
I’m thrilled to welcome you to my first Silhouette Desire! I’ve been a Desire reader for years, so it’s a dream come true for me to be writing for them.
The saying goes “man plans and God laughs.” Well, this is a story of the best laid plans going awry. Trish James devises a simple plan of revenge when she goes to work for Adam Duke. She holds Adam responsible for destroying her home and family, and she’ll stop at nothing to ruin him. Or so she thinks.
Adam has big plans, too, none of which includes marriage. But seduction? Absolutely. But as his desire for Trish grows, so does his suspicion that his mother might’ve had something to do with Trish getting the job. This mom is not above scheming and matchmaking if it means her three handsome sons will fall in love, marry and give her lots of grandbabies to love. So what happens when the plans of a vengeful secretary, a seductive millionaire and a matchmaking mama collide? Sparks fly, to say the least!
I hope you love reading Adam and Trish’s story as much as I loved writing it. Let me know! You can reach me through my Web site, www.katecarlisle.com.
Happy reading!
Kate
To my fellow Desire author Maureen Child, a marvelously talented writer and a truly wonderful friend. I couldn’t have done it without you…and the lattes…and the doughnuts…the laughs…and the trips to Vegas…and so much more. Love you!
One
“Consider this fair warning. Watch your back or I guarantee they’ll take you down.”
“You’re making too much of this,” Adam Duke said as he eased his black Ferrari into his parking space near the executive entrance of Duke Development International.
“You think so?” His brother Brandon’s voice came through loud and clear over the car’s state-of-the-art sound system. “I’ll be sure to remind you of that after you’ve said your wedding vows and promised to live happily ever after with the girl of Mom’s dreams.”
“You need to chill out,” Adam said. He shifted into Park and grabbed his briefcase before stepping out of his car.
“Hey, it’s your funeral,” Brandon groused. “Or wedding. Whatever. Just don’t be surprised when you find yourself on a honeymoon with some woman who was planted right under your nose by our diabolically clever mother.”
Adam laughed as he took a moment to straighten his tie before strolling inside. The ultramodern office building he owned with his brothers, Cameron and Brandon, was the headquarters of Duke Development International. “I think I’m safe,” Adam said. “The chances of Mom sneaking anything past me while I’m working twenty-two hours a day on this closing are pretty slim.”
His brother, Cameron, also in on the three-way conference call, spoke for the first time. “Despite Brandon’s typical overkill, you know Mom. She’s relentless. She thinks we should all be married and now she’s playing hardball. That means she’ll try every devious trick in the book to make it happen.”
“Right, that’s all I’m saying,” Brandon said, apparently relieved that at least one of his brothers was getting the message.
“Okay,” Cameron said. “Might be a good idea to stay alert for the time being.”
“Yeah, be alert for the skirt,” Brandon said, then added with a snicker, “or you could get hurt.”
The brothers shared a laugh at Brandon’s pitiful attempt at poetry.
“Look, I’ll see you guys later,” Adam said. “We can finish this conversation then.”
Still chuckling, Adam disconnected the call and waved to the DDI security guard who stood at attention next to the wide, polished marble registration desk in the lavishly appointed lobby. He stepped inside an empty elevator car and ascended alone to the penthouse floor.
The fact that his mother was trying to set up Adam and his brothers was no surprise. She’d made it eminently clear on any number of occasions that she wanted grandchildren. But now Brandon was making it sound as if she were suddenly on a crusade and willing to use underhanded means to introduce new women into their lives.
“Take your best shot, Mom,” Adam murmured as he made his way down the broad, open corridor toward the executive offices. He loved Sally Duke, the woman who’d adopted him when he was eight years old, but Adam Duke was the last person on earth who would succumb to her machinations when it came to marriage.
Whistling softly, he walked past his assistant’s empty chair, noticed that her computer wasn’t turned on yet, and marveled that he’d actually made it into work before her this morning. That was rare. Cheryl Hardy was a workaholic who loved her job. A good thing, because they’d be working night and day for the rest of the month, right up to the evening of the gala grand opening of the new Duke resort at Fantasy Mountain.
“What do you mean, she quit?” Adam demanded an hour later. “My people don’t quit.”
“This one did,” Marjorie Wallace, his long-time Human Resources manager said.
“Impossible. We’re about to close on a billion-dollar deal.” Adam pushed back from the massive mahogany desk and rose to pace along the wall of windows that overlooked the craggy coastline of Dunsmuir Bay and the clear blue ocean beyond. It was a breathtaking view of the central California coast, one he saw every day and never grew tired of, but it mattered little now as he whipped around to confront Marjorie. “She’s not allowed to leave.”
“Actually, she is. It’s not like she was an indentured servant,” the older woman said drily. “She’s gone, Adam. Let’s move on.”
“Did she say why?” Adam raked one hand through his hair. “Never mind. I’ll double her salary. We can work this out.”
He didn’t appreciate Marjorie’s dry chuckle. “Oh, really?” the HR manager asked. “How many times did Cheryl remind you that she needed a vacation and you convinced her she didn’t? She told you she was getting married. You brushed her off.”
“She never said a word. I would’ve listened.”
“She told you every day.”
“She didn’t,” Adam insisted, although he had a vague memory of Cheryl mentioning…something…about a wedding. Had she been talking about her own wedding? He couldn’t remember. It hadn’t seemed important at the time.
“She did,” Marjorie maintained defiantly.
Adam rounded the desk and faced the insolent woman up close. “You’re not supposed to argue with the boss.”
Marjorie’s laugh rang out. “Oh, Adam.”
Adam scowled. “Remind me again why I haven’t fired you for insubordination.”
“Let’s see.” Marjorie’s grin remained as she folded her arms across her chest. “Maybe because I’m so darn good at my job? Or maybe because I’m your mother’s best friend and I’ve known you since you were eight years old? Or could it be because I’ve never told your mother who really hit the baseball that broke her office window when you were nine or who trampled her prize tulips that same summer? Oh, and what about the time you were grounded and I caught you sneaking out to-”
“All right, all right,” Adam said irately, holding up his hand for her to stop. “There should be a statute of limitations on that kind of stuff.”
“Sorry,” Marjorie said with a grin. “Honorary aunties never forget.”
“Tell me about it,” Adam muttered. “Look, this is ridiculous. Get Cheryl on the phone.”
“She quit,” Marjorie said, enunciating the words so he couldn’t ignore them. “She won’t be back. She was three months’ pregnant and working around the clock. Something had to give.”
He stopped in midpace and turned. “Pregnant?”