Worth the Challenge (Worth It 3)

Rhett whistled low. “You know how hard it is to get into that school?” Only the most prestigious perfumer school in the world, they admitted a handful of students each year.

“You know how easy it would be if your father was the Michel Durand? Think about it, Rhett.” Alex shook his head. “She has no real experience under her belt, only a handful of jobs with mediocre brands. I’m not sure if this is the right move.”

Anger tightened Rhett’s gut and he steeled his spine, stared straight into his brother’s eyes. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do,” Alex said without hesitation.

“When it comes to making a decision, have you ever gone with your gut?”

“Well, yes. Rarely when it comes to Worth, but I’ve done so,” Alex admitted, seemingly reluctant.

“I feel it with my gut that Gabriella Durand is the answer. She’s going to deliver what we want and put Worth Luxury on the map in regards to women’s fragrances. I believe it with everything inside of me, Alex. Please let me do this.”

They stared at each other in silence for what felt like a long stretch of time, assessing each other. Rhett refused to break, refused to back down, and finally Alex tore his gaze from Rhett’s with a little shake of his head. “I want the contract terms to be for three months.”

Rhett scoffed. “Three months? That’s insulting.”

“She’s untried as a perfumer of this caliber. You’re putting our reputation on the line for an untried girl.” Alex stared at him hard. “You don’t want to sleep with her, do you?”

“What? No,” Rhett said vehemently. Maybe he was lying again, but he knew he needed to stand by this. He couldn’t fool around with her, not when so much was at stake.

“Six months, that’s all I’m giving her initially,” Alex relented. “If she’s working out and proves herself, we can renegotiate terms then but no longer than six months as of now.”

“Fine,” Rhett said through clenched teeth. Damn it, he’d need to call back the legal department and have them change the contract.

“Don’t let this get out of hand. I expect travel expenses and the like. I read the report you compiled when you first took on the project, I know what you want to do and I approve. But nothing outrageous, Rhett, I mean it.”

Rhett nodded once and offered Alex a quick salute. “Yes, sir.”

Alex smiled ruefully. “Cut with the bullshit. You know what I’m referring to, right? No excessive parties, none of that crap.”

“Are you really going to hang that over my head for the rest of my life?” Rhett was hurt. He knew Alex had much more faith in him than Hunter, but that his brother was still full of doubt in regards to his abilities cut like a knife. “I’m not a kid anymore, Alex. I’m not hell bent on screwing everything up like I used to be.”

“I know.” Alex turned solemn. “I believe you. I believe in you.” He slapped Rhett on the back. “Prove me right and someday I’ll make you president of Worth Luxury Parfum.”

Rhett grinned as his brother left the room.

That was just the carrot that needed to be dangled in front of him.

Chapter Three

The room was plush, sleek and elegant with an art deco vibe. Subtle colors, bedside tables with mirrored fronts and crisp white-and-gray bedding that was somehow inviting even in its utter perfection. She couldn’t believe Rhett Worth had put her up in this hotel and didn’t expect her to pay a thing. Surely it was one of the nicest hotels Ella had ever stayed in and that said a lot. She’d traveled with her father ever since she could remember, though that had been a long time ago.

She’d changed into jeans and a T-shirt the moment she arrived, lounging on the bed, flicking through the TV channels, all of the afternoon options boring. Deciding she’d rather have a nap, she turned off the TV and rolled over on her side, staring out the window at the New York City landscape before her.

Just before she drifted off, there was a knock at her door. A courier stood there with a thick envelope that had her name on it, and she tore into the package the moment the man left, pulling out the contract with Worth Luxury.

She needed a lawyer. At the very least, she should call her father. But what would he say? It might even make him angry, knowing she’d taken the job originally offered to him. She never could tell, what with his strange moods and reclusive ways. As the years passed, she’d needed to handle him carefully for fear he might erupt.

Sighing, she glanced at each page, her gaze snagging on particular paragraphs. Her eyes crossed at all the legal terms that meant nothing to her. She’d signed contracts before with the few companies she’d worked for, but none had been so detailed, so long.

It was almost as if she were signing her life away.

Deciding she needed to do something before she met Rhett for dinner, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed her father’s number, shocked when he answered on the second ring and promptly asked where she was.

“I’m in New York, remember?” Ella paused, then went for it. “I met with Rhett Worth earlier today.”

“You went all the way to the city by yourself?” They lived in Vermont. It had been a simple train ride, yet he spoke to her as if she were a little girl embarking on a worldwide tour.