Read Seduction by Design for Free Online Page A

his silent command, she felt her nipples tighten and strain against the fabric of her blouse.
    He smiled tenderly. Strong, tanned fingers gently brushed back the copper curls from her flushed cheek. “When you know me better, I’ll discover every delicious secret of your body, Hailey. You’ll be all too willing to share them with me. I promise you that I’ll know all of you from the inside out.”
    His softly spoken words broke the trance she had fallen into. She pushed away from him with such determination that he stumbled backward a few steps before he could regain his balance.
    “You’ll know nothing more of me than you already do, Mr. Scott.” Her words were spoken in a low, strained voice. Never in her life had she been so furious with another human being. “I’m not going to let your bad manners and disgusting behavior frighten me away from a good job. I intend to continue working at Serendipity in the capacity I now hold. Should you unwisely decide to fire me or try to touch me again, I’ll scream sexual harassment to the highest court in the land. You can’t browbeat me into submission, either, so you may as well give up the effort and look for another, more obliging, victim.”
    The heel of her shoe made a dent in the lush carpet as she whirled around and slammed out the door. Nancy looked up anxiously. “That bad?” she asked worriedly.
    Hailey swallowed the aspersions she would have liked to make about Mr. Tyler Scott and answered breezily, “Not at all. Mr. Scott and I understand each other perfectly.” She left before Nancy could question her further.
    By the time she reached her office, the soles of her feet were burning from the pounding she had given them on the hot asphalt. With each step, she had cursed Tyler Scott as the most arrogant, most conceited, most infuriating creature she had ever met.
    His assumption that she wouldn’t be able to resist him was incomprehensible. Did he think she was a weak specimen of the female sex, hungry for the touch of a man? Had he snickered over her employee file when he noted her age and marital status? Had he mentally dubbed her a frustrated old maid? Had he supposed that she was lonely enough and desperate enough for a man’s attention that she would succumb to his advances without a quibble?
    She instructed her assistant to carry on as she sailed through the outer office and into the tiny lavatory provided for her convenience. Her image in the mirror alarmed her. Had Charlene noticed her disarranged hair, moist lips, and flaming cheeks?
    She was always immaculately groomed. Wouldn’t everyone have seen that there was the slightest smudge of lipstick on her jaw? Tyler’s lips had picked up the coral gloss from hers and carried it to that sensitive spot just under her ear. Luckily, her blazer hid the fact that her blouse was twisted and coming out of the waistband of her skirt.
    Muttering self-deprecations, she quickly bathed her face with cold water and repaired her makeup. She brushed her hair and secured it into a tight prim knot on top of her head. Somewhat restored, she resolved to put the interlude out of her mind for the rest of the afternoon.
    It wasn’t so easy to do. Charlene noticed her supervisor’s distraction immediately. “Say, Hailey, are you okay? I’ve asked you the same question three times. I get the impression you haven’t heard a thing I’ve said.”
    “Yes, I’m fine,” Hailey said. “I’ve got a headache, that’s all.”
    “Well, what do you want me to tell him?”
    “Tell who?”
    “The high school principal from Knoxville,” Charlene said wearily. “He wants to know about an end-of-season party for the football team.”
    “Oh, yes. When is the season over?”
    “October thirtieth.”
    “Then why are you even bothering me with this? You know we close for the season on October first.”
    “Well, I just thought—”
    “No exceptions, Charlene.”
    “All right, I’ll tell him.”
    Hailey could tell by the