The Taming of Xander Sterne (The Twin Tycoons), by Carole Mortimer
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The Taming of Xander Sterne (The Twin Tycoons), by Carole Mortimer
Read Ebook The Taming of Xander Sterne (The Twin Tycoons), by Carole Mortimer
Help needed: to tame an alpha male!
Six weeks ago a car accident left Xander Sterne with a broken leg and, much to his annoyance, the need for live-in assistance. But to Xander's surprise, help arrives in the exquisitely tempting shape of Samantha Smith. A broken leg won't be an obstacle for this legendary lothario!
With her boss launching a flirtatious—and persistent!—assault on Sam's every attempt to remain professional and unmoved by his skilled seduction, she starts to wonder just how long it will be before he convinces her to join him in redefining the meaning of "personal assistant…"
The Taming of Xander Sterne (The Twin Tycoons), by Carole Mortimer - Amazon Sales Rank: #460515 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-03-01
- Released on: 2015-03-01
- Format: Kindle eBook
The Taming of Xander Sterne (The Twin Tycoons), by Carole Mortimer About the Author Carole Mortimer was born in England, the youngest of three children. She began writing in 1978, and has now written over one hundred and seventy books for Harlequin Mills and Boon(R). Carole has six sons, Matthew, Joshua, Timothy, Michael, David and Peter. She says, 'I'm happily married to Peter senior; we're best friends as well as lovers, which is probably the best recipe for a successful relationship. We live in a lovely part of England.'
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 'I appreciate that you leave for your honeymoon at the end of the week, Darius, but I seriously do not need you to arrange for a live-in babysitter for me for the two weeks you're away!' Xander scowled at his twin brother across the sitting room of his London penthouse apartment.'It's not a babysitter, just someone to help you with things you can't do yet, like getting in and out of the shower, drying off and dressing, driving.''We have a company driver who can do that.''But there's no one to help you with the rest of those things,' his brother reasoned. 'Or to cook for you.''For goodness' sake, Darius, it's been six weeks since I broke my leg.''In three places, requiring two operations to fix. You can't even stand for longer than ten minutes at a time yet.' Darius was obviously refusing to back down on this.Xander eyed him moodily, knowing that everything his brother said was true. 'This isn't really about what I can or can't do, is it?' He finally sighed resignedly.Darius stilled. 'What do you mean?''What I mean is that I don't have a death wish. Yes, I drove my car when I shouldn't have, and yes, I ended up crashing into a lamppost and wrecking my car, but thankfully no one else was injured. But I didn't do it deliberately, Darius. I told you at the time I was just so angry I couldn't see straight. I was angry, Darius,' he repeated harshly.'Everyone gets angry, Xander,' Darius said softly.'My anger had been building for months.''I know.'Xander blinked. 'You do?'His twin nodded. 'You were working and playing way too hard. It was as if you were trying to avoid something or someone.''Lot of good that did me.' If Xander had been capable of pacing the room at that moment, then he would have.Six weeks ago, for the first time in his life, Xander had realised that he had a temper. Not the slow-burning temper of his brother, but a fiery hot volcano that had exploded out of control, resulting in Xander wanting to beat another man to within an inch of his life.Admittedly that man had been loudly verbally abusing the woman who had arrived with him that night at the exclusive London nightclub owned by the Sterne brothers. It was a situation reminiscent of Xander's childhood memories of the way in which his father had treated his mother.But the desire to hit someone had shaken Xander to his core, to the point that he no longer trusted himself or his responses to situations; he had never wanted to hit anyone in his life before that night. Not even the father who had beaten him when he was a child.Lomax Sterne had been dead for over twenty years now, after a fall down the stairs of the family's London home whilst in a drunken stupor. A death that neither his wife nor his twin sons had mourned.Lomax Sterne had been a brute of a man and a bully, with a temper to match.And six weeks ago Xander had terrified the life out of himself by discovering that, at the age of thirty-three, he had the same temper.'What made you so tense in the first place, do you think?' Darius looked at him curiously.Xander grimaced. 'I don't know. Yes, I do.' His brow cleared. 'Do you remember when we were in Toronto four months ago? Remember the chairman of Bank's Corporation? We went out to dinner with him and his wife.''And he talked down to her all evening,' Darius realised ruefully. 'Which was the reason we both decided we didn't want to do business with him. And the reason for your pent-up anger these past few months, I'm guessing?''I think it is, yes,' Xander agreed.'You controlled it then, Xander, and you controlled it six weeks ago,' Darius insisted impatiently. 'Just let it go. It's over.'Xander wished he could dismiss it as easily.'I really do appreciate your moving in here the past four weeks, Darius, but I just don't think I'm up to having someone else, a stranger, living with me right now.' In truth, Xander had been looking forward to having his apartment all to himself again.He grimaced. 'It's not that I'm ungrateful, Darius. I just didn't envisage the next two weeks of having to sit across the breakfast table every morning from the no doubt muscle-bound man, Sam Smith, who you've employed to act as both my nursemaid and watchdog while you're away.'Darius gave a chuckle. 'It would certainly make the neighbours sit up and take notice, if they thought you were living with a man who isn't your brother.'As one of the billionaire Sterne twins, Xander had a playboy reputation with women that had long been catalogued, and speculated about, by the media. So yes, they would no doubt have a field day with the fact that he was sharing his apartment with a man.'Fortunately, for you, none of that is going to happen. Samantha Smith is a woman,' Darius assured him dryly.Xander sat forward. 'Sam Smith is a woman!''Nice to know that your hearing wasn't affected in the accident,' his twin taunted.Darius had taken his own sweet time sharing that little nugget of information with him!Xander scowled. 'You don't have to look so happy about leaving me completely at this woman's mercy for the next two weeks!''I'll ask her to be gentle with you,' Darius teased.'Very funny,' Xander muttered distractedly; just the thought of having some strange woman staying here with him filled Xander with a sense of unease. 'So how is it that you know this woman?'Darius smiled. 'She's a friend of Miranda's. She really likes her, so much so that she's asked Sam to work at the dance studio with her part-time once we're back from our honeymoon. Oh, and her little girl attends one of Miranda's dance classes.''Stop right there!' Xander held up a silencing hand, breathing hard in his agitation. 'You didn't mention she had a child. What does she plan to do with her daughter while she's staying here with me?''She's going to bring her with her, of course,' his brother dismissed as if there had never been the possibility of anything else.'Are you completely insane?' Xander exploded as he finally struggled up onto his feet with the help of his crutches. 'Darius, I told you what happened to me at the nightclub six weeks ago. I told you how I lost control of myself, and now you want to bring some child to live with me? How old is Ms Smith's daughter?' He knew that Miranda's ballet school was for pupils from five to sixteen years old.'Five, I think.''You plan on allowing this woman to bring a five-year-old child to stay in my apartment with me?' Xan-der breathed in deeply in an effort to calm himself. 'This was Andy's idea, wasn't it?' It was a statement, rather than a question. 'You told her what happened to me and—''You didn't say I couldn't.' Darius's eyes had narrowed in warning.'I don't care whether or not you told Andy what happened to me that night,' Xander dismissed impatiently. 'After all, she's going to be your wife and my sister-in-law. What I do care about is that Ms Smith and her daughter coming to stay here is most likely Andy's way of trying to show me I'm not turning into the monster I think I am. A naive attempt on her part to make me feel better about myself.''Careful, Xander,' Darius warned softly.Xander was too annoyed to heed that warning. 'Life isn't a fairy tale, Darius. Or, if it is, then I'm the monster in the story and not the prince!'His brother gave Xander a considering look before speaking softly. 'You know, Xander, as Miranda once told me, quite succinctly as I recall,' Darius mused affectionately, 'the whole of life isn't about what you do or don't want.' He sobered. 'Putting my mind at rest apart, has it even occurred to you that Samantha Smith is a single parent? And that, as such, she might need the money I'm paying her to come here and act as your babysitter and watchdog while I'm away?'But what if the woman did something to set off the temper he had only just discovered? What if her daughter did? Darius wouldn't find anything to laugh about then, would he? And Xander would never forgive himself if he lost his temper with either of them. That truly would make him the monster his father had been.Darius scowled his displeasure. 'Look, as far as I'm concerned Miranda vouches for her, and the woman needs the money I'm paying her to come and live here with you while we're away. End of story.'Xander didn't agree.Yes, this penthouse apartment was big enough for a dozen other people to share it with him without them falling over each other; besides the six en suite guest bedrooms there was a full gym, a home cinema, as well as two other reception rooms, a wood-panelled study, a large formal dining room and an even bigger kitchen.But that really wasn't the point, was it?The point was that Xander didn't want to share any of that space with a woman he didn't even know, let alone her five-year-old daughter.But what choice did he really have but to at least try? Darius had gone above and beyond brotherly love by moving into this apartment with him and taking care of him since Xander had come out of hospital four weeks ago.Was it fair of him to now cause his brother any further worry while Darius and Miranda were away on their honeymoon?Unfortunately, Xander already knew the answer to that question.* * *'Is Mr Sterne a nice man, Mummy?' Daisy asked quietly as the two of them sat in the back of the limousine sent by Darius Sterne to collect them.Was Xander Sterne a nice man?Sam had only met the man once, during the interview she'd had with both Sterne brothers two days ago, while Daisy was at school.Consequently, the question was a little difficult for Sam to answer, when Xander had left most of the talking that day to his brother. He'd only contributed to the conversation towards the end, when he had barked half a dozen questions at her about her daughter's schooling, and the amount of time Daisy would actually be spending at his apartment.Making it clear to Sam that, while her new employer might be willing to tolerate her own presence in his home for the next two weeks, he wasn't in the least keen on having her daughter in residence as well.An attitude that Sam wasn't particularly happy about.But beggars couldn't be choosers.She hadn't always been in such dire financial straits; her ex-husband, Malcolm, wasn't anywhere near as wealthy as the Sterne brothers, but he was nevertheless a successful businessman who owned a mansion in London, plus a villa in the South of France and another in the Caribbean.Sam had been twenty to Malcolm's thirty-five, when the two of them had first met, she a lowly junior assistant and he the owner of the company. She had been instantly smitten with the suave and sophisticated, dark-haired and wealthy businessman, and apparently Malcolm had felt the same about her, so much so that within two months of meeting each other they had been married.Sam had been starry-eyed and, to begin with, so much in love with her handsome and successful husband. Her parents had both died years ago, and she had been brought up in a series of foster homes. Her extended family was practically non-existent, with only a couple of distant maiden aunts whom she never saw.However, Sam's pregnancy had changed her marriage irrevocably.She and Malcolm had never discussed having children—or rather, not having them in Malcolm's case. It turned out that Malcolm didn't want children cluttering up his life as she discovered only when she'd excitedly told him she was two months pregnant.At the time Sam had convinced herself that it was just a knee-jerk response to the thought of becoming a father for the first time at the age of thirty-six. Malcolm couldn't really have meant it when he suggested she terminate the pregnancy.She had been wrong.Their marriage had changed overnight, with Malcolm moving out of their bedroom, seemingly repulsed by the idea of Sam's body undergoing a transformation as the pregnancy continued. Even then, however, Sam had naively hoped for the best, sure that her marriage couldn't really be over after only a year, and that Malcolm would come around to the idea of fatherhood, either before or after the baby was born.Again, she had been wrong.Malcolm had remained in the spare bedroom, ignored her pregnancy totally, and he hadn't so much as visited her once in the clinic after Daisy was born. He had even been absent from the house when she came home carrying Daisy proudly in her arms and took her up to the nursery she had spent so many hours lovingly decorating and preparing for her beautiful baby.Sam had struggled on for another two years trying to make her marriage work, sure that Malcolm couldn't continue to ignore his daughter's existence for ever. How could he not fall in love with his adorable baby daughter?Except he hadn't.At the end of that two years of struggle Sam had admitted defeat. Not only did she no longer love Malcolm, she wasn't sure she even liked him. How could she like a man who refused to acknowledge his own wife and daughter?The past three years certainly hadn't been easy ones. Emotionally or financially.Her emotions and how she dealt with them were Sam's own problem, of course. But how could a billionaire like Xander Sterne possibly understand how she had to scrape the money together, basically by going without lunches all week herself, just to be able to pay for something so trivial as Daisy's ballet lesson once a week? Something her daughter had talked of almost since she could walk and talk, and which Sam refused to disappoint her over.Of course Malcolm, when Sam asked, had refused to contribute in the slightest to Daisy's happiness, over and above the minimum childcare payment paid into Sam's bank account once a month. An account set up in the name of Samantha Smith rather than her married name of Samantha Howard.Her married name, along with the gifts and jewellery Malcolm had given her during their marriage, and any settlement she might have expected as Malcolm's ex-wife, either in a lump sum or monthly payment, were all things Sam had been asked to give up in exchange for Malcolm agreeing to give her full custody of her beloved daughter. A price Sam had willingly paid. And would willingly pay again, if she had to.Xander, a man who owned and ran successful businesses globally with his twin brother, couldn't possibly understand how difficult it was for a single mother to even find a job, let alone one that necessarily fitted in with the hours Daisy spent at school. Waitressing at lunchtimes had been one of Sam's only options since Daisy started school the previous September, and even that became a nightmare when the school holidays came around. As they invariably did.That last problem was going to be solved in two weeks' time, though, by her new job at Andy's ballet studio. In the meantime, this two weeks of looking after Mr Sterne would allow her to pay her electricity and gas bills.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Reviewed by Desere Steenberg, South Africa By Desere Steenberg Six weeks ago a car accident left Xander Sterne with a broken leg and to his disgust also the need for live in assistance. But to his surprise help arrives looking like he never expected. Exquisitely tempting Samantha Smith, is Xander's dream come true, well if you count the bed " em and leave 'em dream that is, broken leg or not he will have her!With her boss launching a flirtatious and very persistent assault on her senses , Samantha has to push really hard to try and stay professional and unmoved by Xander's skillful seduction. But then she starts to wonder just how long it will be before he convinces her to join him in refining the meaning of personal assistant.If you are ever in need of a warm, sensual, blissful romance read, this one is perfect! The chemistry between Xander and Samantha really was all things sugar and just a little bit of spice.Both characters had a really great mystery feel about them, making it one of those couples you immediately want to dig out from the sand and start dusting off the layers to reveal just exactly what his hidden, and trust me the layers the author wove around these characters were sensational!And Xander, oh my delicious, mysterious, smoldering hotter than hot Xander , what a man! He comes off as a really nice guy, and seems very open but in actual fact is quite dark , dark to the point were he started to at one stage worry me just a little, but in true Carole Mortimer fashion she brought the real Xander out and it was simply spectacular !Samantha was a really great heroine, smart, funny and she had just enough feistyness to make me like her, not too much to be a total " I want to get rid of this heroine, as in kill her off!" and not too little to make me want to shout " Get some courage girl!" , just perfectly done Carole!I am taking away a message of when people are really in your corner, the biggest mistake you can make is to assume they are doing it simply because they feel sorry for you, communication is the only way you will ever be sure, so push for that answer , yes it could very well be not what you want to hear, but at least you will then know. And most importantly don't let the most important person in your life walk out the door, once they are gone you might not be able to get them to come back.I recommend this read for all fans of sweet and sensual reads filled with that special Carole Mortimer magic!4.5 star review" Together they make the journey to happiness"** Copy provided in exchange for a honest review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Not as Good as the First Book By Sheila M THE STORY: Xander Sterne is a billionaire who was injured in a car accident. Sam Smith moves in to act as his caretaker for two weeks. She brings her five year old daughter. Xander doesn't really want Sam there but he quickly becomes entranced by Sam and her daughter. Sam, however, is threatened by her ex-husband who is determined to control Sam but using their daughter against her.OPINION: I wanted to like this book because Xander's story intrigued me in THE REDEMPTION OF DARIUS STERNE. Unfortunately, I learned more about Xander in his brother's book than I did here. The story and romance was adequate, but I wouldn't pick up this book to read again. I liked Sam's little girl who was adorable and I really liked how the three of them interacted.WORTH MENTIONING: I really liked the epilogue which gives an update for both brothers.FINAL DECISION: This book was set up to be a great story: a tortured hero who meets a woman trying to make it on her own and raise her sweet little girl. Ultimately, however, Xander remains too unknown as a character to be interesting which means that the romance is not as good as it could have been.CONNECTED BOOKS: THE TAMING OF XANDER STERNE is the second book in the Twin Tycoons series. This book can be read independent of the other.STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. It was ok By Sandy Milan I'm with the other 3 star reviewer and agree that the first book about Darius was better. This story was billed with all the right elements - playboy, twin, Greek, billionaire etc but it was a bit of a disappointment. The h was the H's babysitter after he broke his leg badly in an accident. She and her 5 year old daughter moved in with the H for 2 weeks to look after him. It was all a bit too easy and too 'insta' for me and didn't live up to expectations. The h's daughter is sweet and I do get that the H couldn't be too much of an alpha because of her. Ultimately it's just a bit forgettable
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The Taming of Xander Sterne (The Twin Tycoons), by Carole Mortimer
The Taming of Xander Sterne (The Twin Tycoons), by Carole Mortimer
