Seduction by Design Read Online Free PDF

around his neck and the top button of his shirt was undone. The coat to his suit hung on a hall tree behind him, but he still wore the vest. Its snug fit accented his trim torso.
    He leaned back in the chair, raised his feet onto the desk, and crossed one ankle over the other as he stared at her. “How are you, Miss Ashton?”
    If he intended to confuse her, he was succeeding. She hadn’t expected the casual civility. “I’m fine, thank you, Mr. Scott. How is Faith? Did the bee stings cause her any more pain?”
    “No.” He smiled. “Of course I’ve been banished from her bathroom, so I can’t be certain, but I assume that all is well.”
    Hailey returned the smile and relaxed—but only a trifle. “Good. I’ve been worried about her. I would have called her this morning, but I didn’t know where you were staying.”
    “At Glenstone Lodge. I’ve leased a suite of rooms there for the next several weeks.”
    That took her by surprise and it must have showed, for he continued. “My company is based in Atlanta. We have a home there, but I needed to come up here and do some revamping on the park. I also thought the change of scenery would be good for Faith. She hasn’t been … comfortable … with me since her mother died.”
    “Shouldn’t Faith be starting school in Atlanta?”
    “Normally yes, but not this fall. Last spring after Monica’s death, she began showing signs of stress. Her counselor thought it might be best to let her rest for a while. I’ve had her tutored this summer, but I don’t think I’ll enroll her in regular classes again until after Christmas. She should be able to catch up quickly enough since she’s an ‘A’ student. I feel her emotional stability is more important than schoolwork just now.”
    “You’re probably right.” Why was he telling her all this? Not that she wasn’t interested in the girl, who had seemed so eager to please her rather intimidating father. She had been touched by Faith’s apparent insecurity. But it wasn’t like a man as busy as Tyler Scott to divulge his family affairs to an employee he was about to fire.
    “Do you like your work at Serendipity, Hailey?” he asked, changing the subject abruptly.
    Had he called her Hailey? “Yes.”
    “You don’t see any need to expound on that succinct answer?” There was a teasing glint in his gray eyes.
    “Not really. I’ve been here for four years. I was here when the park was sold to you. Harmon … Mr. Sanders … has made it worth my while to stay. I’ve gotten periodic pay increases from him.”
    “From me, not Sanders.”
    “Oh,” she floundered. “I’m sorry, I thought—”
    “You thought that the man in Atlanta was too high up, too detached, to know each person in his employ? Not so with me, Hailey. I knew of you and your capabilities even before I purchased the park.”
    Capabilities? Would he say that if he were about to fire her?
    “There was only one thing missing in my file on Miss Hailey Diane Ashton, twenty-eight years old, social security number 462-89-1002. Nowhere in the file did it say what a beautiful woman you are.”
    Her heart had long since leaped from her chest to settle somewhere in her throat. Now it began to pound, blocking off her breath. She tore her eyes away from the hypnotic allure of his gaze and concentrated on the hemline of her skirt.
    When she braved another glance at him, he, too, was studying the hemline of her skirt, which revealed her smooth, nylonclad knee. His eyes went further and took in her long, shapely calf and slender foot She dared not move. Her head was spinning. What was he up to? Sexual harassment? Would she have to placate him to keep her job?
    Etiquette forced her to respond. “Thank you,” she said huskily.
    “You’re welcome,” he said, standing up and walking around the desk to lean negligently on its corner. He sounded amused. Was he moving in for the kill?
    “Have you ever thought of leaving Serendipity?”
    She shook her head