“Will that be all?” she asked.

      She stared at him for a moment, daring him to look back up at her. Did she imagine it, or did his fingers tighten around the pen? He paused in his reading, tugged at his collar, then glanced at her.

      “Yes, Sara.” He said her name slowly, emphatically, his dark eyes unblinking. Her stomach flipped and she held herself steady.

      His full lips straightened into a hard line.

      Lips that had kissed her with force and tenderness she could never have imagined. Lips that had teased and tempted her into a frenzy of passion.

      Lips that held the power to fire her, as she’d invited him to do on her first day.

      Yes, she’d failed once.

      She wanted him to know it would never happen again.

      Shattered by the CEO

      EMILIE ROSE

      The Boss’s Demand

      JENNIFER LEWIS

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      SHATTERED BY THE CEO

      by

      Emilie Rose

      Dear Reader,

      It’s not often a location won’t let me go. But that’s exactly what happened when my husband and I took a research trip to Miami and a cruise to the Bahamas for a book I wrote last year.

      Miami is dynamic, exciting and diversified. I wish I’d had more time to explore the city and surrounding areas. I need at least a week just to sample the regional foods. And don’t get me started on the shopping… I’ll need to leave hubby at home when I go back for that.

      I can see why Miami is the setting for so many movies and TV shows. On one hand you have the beaches, and on the other there’s the money and power of the big city. I can’t wait to return. In the meantime, I’ve indulged myself with setting some books in this great city. Hope you enjoy!

      Happy reading,

       Emilie Rose

       EMILIE ROSE

      lives in North Carolina with her college sweetheart husband and four sons. Writing is Emilie’s third (and hopefully her last) career. She’s managed a medical office and run a home day-care, neither of which offers half as much satisfaction as plotting happy endings. Her hobbies include quilting, gardening and cooking (especially cheesecake). Her favourite TV shows include ER, CSI and Discovery Channel’s medical programmes. Emilie’s a country music fan because she can find an entire book in almost any song.

      Letters can be mailed to:

      Emilie Rose

      PO Box 20145

      Raleigh, NC 27619, USA

      E-mail: [email protected]

      To my parents, who have given so much love

      and support even when it wasn’t easy.

      Mom and Dad, thanks for all you do.

      Prologue

      “You will return to Kincaid Cruise Lines as acting CEO for one full year.” The lawyer paused dramatically, his eyes finding Rand Kincaid’s over the top of Everett Kincaid’s will. “And you will convince Tara Anthony to come back with you as your personal assistant.”

      The words hit Rand like a bullet, knocking him back in his chair and punching the air from his lungs. “No. Hell no.”

      The lawyer didn’t flinch. Years of dealing with Rand’s bastard of a father had probably left the man immune to profanity and raised voices.

      “Should you refuse, not only will you forfeit your share of your father’s estate, but your brother and sister will lose theirs, as well. In fact, if any of you fail in your assigned tasks, then I’m instructed to sell all of Everett’s holdings to Mardi Gras Cruising for one dollar. The business, the estate, the investment portfolio.”

      Son of a bitch. Rand slammed his palms on the table and shot out of his chair. He should have known the old man would find a way to pull his strings—even from the grave. “Mardi Gras is Kincaid’s biggest rival, and the CEO is my father’s sworn enemy.”

      “I am aware of that.”

      Clenching and releasing his fists by his sides, Rand paced the length of the Kincaid Manor dining room. He glanced at his younger brother and sister and saw more than grief and shock in their pale faces. He saw resignation, and in the case of his brother, frustration and suppressed anger.

      They expected Rand to walk. The way he had five years ago. The fact that he’d failed to contact Mitch or Nadia or return their calls in the interim had no doubt contributed to their lack of faith in him, but he’d cut all ties because he hadn’t wanted to put them in the middle of his war with their father.

      Rand struggled to shake off the invisible straight jacket cinching tighter around him. He owed Mitch and Nadia, and not just for abandoning the family business.

      He pivoted and refocused on the attorney. “Anyone but her. Not Tara Anthony.”

      Within three weeks of declaring she loved Rand and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, the woman had gone after deeper pockets when Rand refused to cough up a wedding ring.

      “I’m sorry, Rand. Everett insisted on Ms. Anthony.”

      His father would. The manipulative despot. He had always coveted whatever Rand had and then he’d taken it by fair means or foul and flaunted his successes like