Theres always a catch. Kalissa smiled.
Riley agreed with that. Catch is he settled a hand on her bare hip Im falling for you.
Her smile widened. Thats not a catch.
It was for him, and that was the hard truth. He was quickly coming to care for this woman, but he was destined to upset and disappoint her. There was no way around it.
But not now, he told himself, not today. They could be together for a little longer yet, before the real world crowded in.
* * *
Seduced by the CEO
is part of the Chicago Sons series: Men who work hard, love harder and live with their fathers legacies
Seduced by the CEO
Barbara Dunlop
www.millsandboon.co.uk
BARBARA DUNLOP writes romantic stories while curled up in a log cabin in Canadas far north, where bears outnumber people and it snows six months of the year. Fortunately she has a brawny husband and two teenage children to haul firewood and clear the driveway while she sips cocoa and muses about her upcoming chapters. Barbara loves to hear from readers. You can contact her through her website, barbaradunlop.com.
For my husband
Contents
Cover
Introduction
Title Page
About the Author
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Extract
Copyright
One
Kalissa Smith stripped off a pair of dirt-streaked garden gloves and paced backward from the Newbergs house, smiling with both pride and satisfaction. It had taken a full month, but the new lawn gleamed emerald under the August sun. Beyond its scalloped edges, fresh, black dirt was mounded in flower beds positioned against the brick walls of the two-story colonial. Evergreens and dwarf maples were clustered in one corner of the spacious yard, providing shade and privacy.
The ornamental peppers definitely work, said Megan, crossing from their company pickup truck in the driveway.
Its a bit of a twist, said Kalissa.
Megan drew a deep breath. I think theyll be happy with the twist.
Theyd better be happy.
The Newbergs were not the easiest clients in the world, but at least the job was finally complete.
Did we make any money on this one? Megan asked.
I sure hope we did. We were underwater on the turf, but we saved on labor.
Only because we did most of it ourselves.
Good thing we charge ourselves such reasonable prices.
Megan smiled at the joke. It does look fantastic.
Kalissa couldnt help flexing her sore shoulders. Her calves were tight and her abs ached from so many days of physical work. On the bright side, she had absolutely no need to visit a gym, and she was developing a very nice tan.
Im going to take some pictures for the web site, she said.
Mosaic Landscaping had been in business for just under a year, starting when Kalissa and Megan had both earned college diplomas in landscape design.
There were three more inquires on our voice mail this afternoon, said Megan.
Can we at least grab dinner before we start a new project?
Megan chuckled. On top of everything else, you want food?
Call me high-maintenance.
I could go for a burger.
Bennys, here we come.
Bennys Burgers was a funky little restaurant tucked in an alleyway near their landscape shop on the west side of Chicago. Theyd rented the aging storefront and warehouse space because of its generous size and reasonable rent. Esthetics had little to do with the decisionthough they had painted and brightened the upstairs apartment, moving two single beds and some used furniture into the space.
Kalissa retrieved the camera from the front of their serviceable, blue pickup truck, making her way around the yard to take shots from various angles.
At the same time, Megan gathered up the last of the hand tools, stowing them in the pickup box. Then she perched herself on the tailgate, scrolling through pages on her tablet.
Any new inquiries from the web site? Kalissa called as she lined up for a picture of the flagstone walkway edged with pink and white peonies. The front porch and double doors filled in the background, and the sun was hitting the flowers at just the right angle.
There are still a lot of people looking for maintenance.
Megan and Kalissa had talked about adding a yard maintenance service to their business. It wasnt where they wanted to focus, but if they could hire a decent crew, they might be able to make a little extra money. Their business was gradually increasing its customer base, but the margins were thin.
Kalissa clicked the final shots.
What do you think about doing that? she asked as she made her way back to the truck.
Is there something youve neglected to tell me? Megan was staring at the tablet screen.
Kalissa stopped in front of her. About what?
Megan turned the tablet so it was facing Kalissa.
Kalissa reached out to steady it.
She squinted against the bright sunshine, and a photo of a bride and groom came into focus. The man was handsome in his tux, and the womans dress was gorgeous, highlighted by a huge, multi-colored bouquet of roses, tulips and lavender.
See it? asked Megan.
The Ferdinand Pichard roses? They were stunning. Kalissa had never seen them in such a deep magenta.
The bride.
What about the Then Kalissa saw it. She snapped her hand back in astonishment.
Its you.
Its not me. Kalissa peered at the womans startlingly familiar face. It obviously couldnt be her.
Photoshopped? she asked.
Thats what I thought, said Megan. But there are a bunch more. She moved so they could both see the screen while she scrolled through other pictures.
What on earth? Kalissa took control of the tablet. Is this a joke? She looked at Megan. Did you do this?
Megan stood up for a better view. I only found it two minutes ago.
Kalissa stopped on a picture of the bride and groom cutting the wedding cake.
Nice, said Megan. Seven tiers.
I obviously have money in this alternate life. Kalissa took in each of the brides poses and expressions. Too bad I cant float us a loan.
She struggled to figure out where her head shots could have originated, guessing this was some kind of on-line game.
My birthdays coming up, she ventured, trying to imagine who, other than Megan, would spend this much time on a joke gift.
Nice groom, said Megan.
Kalissa took another look at the man. He is pretty hot.
It says here hes Shane Colborn.
Why do I know that name?
Colborn Aerospace, said Megan, identifying a prominent Chicago company.
So, it was obviously somebody from Chicago who did this.
I mean, this is the real guy. He owns Colborn Aerospace.
Uh, oh. Now Kalissa was worried. Hes not going to think this is funny. Can anybody see this page?
I got it from a Nighttime News link.
Kalissas confusion grew. The national site?
Megan nodded.
Why? How? We have to get them to take it down.
I think its legit.
Thats ridiculous.
I think you have a doppelganger.
Thats not a real thing. Kalissa studied the brides face. And theres no way someone could possibly look this similar.
It was a joke. These had to be pictures of her that somebody had taken without her knowledge.
Maybe you were part of a cloning experiment?
I doubt they had human cloning when I was born.
I hope they still dont have it now, said Megan. You know, there is one other possibility,
Kalissa waited a moment. But when Megan didnt finish, she glanced up. What?
You have an identical twin, said Megan.
Kalissa shook her head.
You were adopted.
I was nearly a year old when I was adopted. My mother would have known if I had a twin sister. She would have said something.
Gilda Smith hadnt been the most organized person in the world. She was fond of sherry, and her memory was never the greatest. But you didnt forget that your adopted daughter had a twin sister.
Megan looked pointedly down at the screen. Maybe they split you up.
Who would do that? And why keep it a secret?
It says shes Darci Rivers. Well, Darci Colborn now.
My birth name was Thorp.
And your legal name is Smith. Whoever adopted this Darci would have changed hers too.
It cant be, said Kalissa, fighting the logic of Megans assumption. It just cant.
Megan shrugged her shoulders, clearly resting her case.
As Kalissa took in every inch of the womans face, her chest tightened, and a strange buzzing sensation made its way along her limbs. She struggled to wrap her head around the information.
The resemblance was far too close to be a coincidence. Unless this was some elaborate photo-cropping joke, there was a real possibility she had a secret twin sister.
You should call her, said Megan. Maybe she can float us a loan.
Kalissa was appalled. You didnt actually say that.
The woman just married a billionaire.
So what? The Colborn money had absolutely nothing to do with Kalissa.
The minute she gets a look at you
Im not about to let her get a look at me.
Why not?
Because Im not going to be that person.
Really? What person is it youre not going to be?
The long-lost relative who pops up the minute theres money in play.
You dont have to ask her for money.
Kalissa wasnt fooling around here. It doesnt matter if I ask or not. Theyll think Ive been waiting in the wings all these years, and now Ive decided to pounce.
Shell probably just offer it up.
Stop it.
Wed pay her back.
See? said Kalissa. See? Even you think Im after her money. And you know me better than anyone.
Its not like shed miss a few thousand. Temporarily.
Kalissa closed the window and handed back the tablet. No. No. And no.
You cant just ignore this.
Watch me.
* * *
Riley Ellis was both thrilled and terrified. He had a newly expanded aircraft factory, a significant new sales contract, a massive mortgage on the commercial building and a maxed out line of credit. Ellis Aviation was entering a whole new phase of existence.
Flipping the switch now, he said to Wade Cormack on the other end of the cell phone in Seattle.
Congratulations, said Wade. He was the owner of Zoom Tac, the company supplying most of the parts for the new E-22 short haul jet.
Riley twisted the switch, and the main overhead lights came on in sequence. Computers came to life, and robotic machines started their power-up sequence along the assembly line. The hundred staff members on the floor sent up a cheer.
He hadnt really turned everything on with a single switch. The supervisors and foremen at each station had simply taken the overhead lights as a signal to go live. It was eight a.m., August 16th, day one of the expanded operation.
From the interior walkway on the third level, Riley gave everyone a wave and a salute. The clock is officially ticking, he said to Wade.
The cheering gradually died down, and everyones attention turned to their tasks.
Now you just need to get the glitches worked out of the supply chain, said Wade.
The custom rivets finally arrived. Colorados good on the sheet metal. How are your new parts certifications coming? Riley moved along the walkway to his office, the spring-loaded door shutting out the noise behind him.
My guys say theyre on track.
Thats great. Riley plopped down on his desk chair.
The new office was compact and utilitarian, with big windows overlooking the factory floor. His production and sales managers had offices on either side of him, with the various unit supervisors near their staffs stations throughout the facility.
Out of habit from all the recent construction, hed worn cargo pants and a t-shirt, his feet clad in steel toed boots. Part of him was itching to get down there on the floor and plunge in. But he realized he had to stay at the helm.