The CEO’s Scandalous Affair by Roxanne St Claire
THE MIAMI LEDGER
Hot Item of the Week
All of Miami high society is in mourning over the unexpected passing of hotel mogul John Garrison. But it won’t be long until the vultures begin circling.
Sources close to the family say the patriarch has left his brood in total disarray. There is talk of a second wife and possibly another heir to the Garrison dynasty. His company’s investors are grumbling, and the Garrison brand has been irreparably tarnished. And stiff competition from the Jefferies clan threatens to disband what’s left of the Garrison empire.
But not if Parker Garrison has his way. South Beach’s most eligible bachelor is not about to let his company fold. The eldest Garrison has been seen making the rounds about town with a new woman in tow – some say it’s his personal assistant, but we don’t remember her being that attractive. What does Parker have up his sleeve…and how soon will all hell break loose?
Seduced by the Wealthy Playboy by Sara Orwig
A SOUTH BEACH EXCLUSIVE!
According to our sources in the services industry, the long-standing accountant at celebrity hotspot Brittany Beach has skipped town. No word yet on how much of Brittany Garrison’s money the money-counter may have taken with him on what is sure to be a long holiday. A spy at a popular beachside restaurant reports that the youngest Garrison sibling is searching for a financial backer to bail her out of her latest disaster and that she won’t turn to her wealthy siblings for help.
And that might be for the best. Another source informs us that the Garrison clan is still reeling from the discovery of a sixth sibling – an alleged product of one of Old Man Garrison’s affairs. A close family confidante reports that the recently discovered sister owns a chunk of Garrison, Inc and is willing to play hardball with reformed-for-now playboy Parker Garrison in order to keep her shares.
Also in South Beach, we hear the Jefferies Brothers are looking to expand their business ventures once again. Seems the recently opened boutique lodging of Hotel Victoria wasn’t enough competition for the once-popular Garrison Grand. No word yet on where the breathtaking bachelors have set their sights this time.
The CEO’s Scandalous Affair
Roxanne St Claire
Seduced by the Wealthy Playboy
Sara Orwig
THE CEO’S SCANDALOUS AFFAIR
by
Roxanne St Claire
ROXANNE ST CLAIRE
is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than a dozen romance and suspense novels. Her first book for Desire™ was nominated for a prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America, and she is also the recipient of multiple awards of excellence. In addition, her work has received numerous nominations for a variety of awards, including a SIBA Award for Best Fiction of 2005, a National Reader’s Choice Award and a Booksellers Best Award. Roxanne’s first book was published in 2003, after she spent nearly two decades as a public relations and marketing executive. Today she writes full-time, while raising two pre-teen children and enjoying life with a real-life alpha hero. She lives on the east coast of Florida and loves to hear from readers through e-mail at [email protected] and snail mail c/o of the Space Coast Authors of Romance, PO Box 410787, Melbourne, Florida 32941, USA. Visit her website at www. roxannestclaire.com to read excerpts, win prizes and learn more!
Dear Reader,
There is nothing quite like the culture, colour and romance of south Florida. The sidewalks of South Beach sizzle with the beautiful people, the nightclubs rock with excitement and the sun soaks everything in a golden glow. I know because I’ve lived in Florida for almost fifteen years, and, for much of that time, I worked in Miami and played on the narrow strip of land known simply as So Be. Because of that, I am thrilled to launch a new dynasty series that is as hot as the tropics and as cool as the neon lights on Ocean Avenue.
In many ways, the Garrison family is typical of the über-wealthy, ultra-chic, super-hip residents of South Beach, but they are also men and women with dreams and disappointments, fears and frustrations. And because their stories are part of the Desire™ line, the characters are as rich with conflict as they are with cash. And, best of all, they have secrets that threaten to tumble their empire, or break their hearts.
I fell in love with all of the Garrisons, as I hope you will. In this series, you can root for the alpha men, like Parker Garrison, who sometimes lose the control they cherish, and cheer for the lucky ladies, like Anna Cross, who threaten to wreck the order of the men’s lives. So grab a pastel-coloured drink, dig your feet into some imaginary sand and discover the world of power, privilege and passion that is the Garrison family of Miami Beach!
Roxanne St Claire
One
When Parker Garrison strode into the conference room of Garrison, Inc., he noticed three things, despite the blinding sunshine that bounced off the water of Biscayne Bay and silhouetted the figures of his siblings, their mother and a few highly paid lawyers. One, there was no conversation. None. Not that he’d expected a party atmosphere at the reading of his father’s will, but it was unusual for a gathering of Garrisons to be quiet. They were, at the very least, an opinionated clan.
Two, his mother appeared relatively sober. All right, it was eight-thirty in the morning and even Bonita Garrison rarely hit the juice before noon, unless he counted the Bloody Marys she consumed in preparation for the Sunday family dinners. But since his father’s death two weeks ago, she’d leaned on her liquid crutch early and often.
Three—and most significant—John Garrison’s chair at the head of the mile-long cherrywood table remained empty. A situation Parker intended to rectify.
His sister Brittany practically choked when he eased himself onto the buttery leather and set his BlackBerry on the table in front of him.
“You’re sitting in Dad’s chair?” Brittany demanded, tapping the digital device that was never far from his right hand.
“It’s empty.” Parker ignored the implication that he was muscling in on his father’s turf. Because he was. He was the oldest. He’d run the family’s umbrella corporation for the past five years, since his father had given him the CEO position as a thirty-first birthday present.
The rest of them had their hands deep in the Garrison affairs—they each owned one of the properties, whether it was the Grand hotel, a club, restaurant or condo complex. But he’d earned this chair, and not just by birth order. With work, sweat, insight, guts and a few masterful decisions.
“It’s disrespectful,” Brittany hissed, tapering her brown eyes in disgust and leaning her narrow shoulders closer to make her point. “To the dead.”
Brooke reached over and touched her sister’s hand. “Relax, Britt. He has to sit somewhere.”
Parker threw a grateful glance at his other sister, marveling at how the sisters were twins in appearance only. Brooke responded with a smile that softened her lovely features and accentuated the difference between the sweet sister and the scowling one even more.
Across