Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
There was silence for a moment. “All right,” I said quietly. “I would appreciate that.”
“I was scared and acted irrationally. I shouldn’t have hacked into your account. I thought I could handle it and I would make back what I lost.” He looked sad. “I didn’t want you to know and be upset with me.” He laughed ruefully. “I guess that didn’t work out so well. Now you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you,” I protested. “You’re my brother, and I love you.” I swallowed. “I’m just not sure I can trust you.”
“That’s fair. But you will again.” He smiled. “Maybe we could start with a cup of tea? I’ll make it.”
“The last time you made the tea, you broke the bag and added too much milk. It was lumpy and cold.”
“At least I tried. How about you make the tea, and I’ll get the biscuits?”
I smiled. He was trying. “Sounds good.”
The next day, the front desk was busy with weekend guests checking out and new ones checking in. I divided my time between there and pitching in at the concierge desk. I loved helping people get theater tickets or a reservation to a nice restaurant. I used all the contacts I had made over the years to get what I needed, often trading upgrades and other perks to return the favors. One of my ticket contacts loved the high tea we had on Sundays, and I often comped her in to say thanks and stay in her good books when I needed hard-to-come-by seats to a popular show.
I felt him before I saw him, his intense presence filling all my senses. I glanced up from behind the desk, meeting Finn’s direct gaze. My breath caught in my throat as it always did at the sight of him. Tall, broad, his suit fitting him like a glove, showcasing his wide chest and shoulders, the deep forest-green highlighting his dark auburn hair that was pulled off his face with a strip of leather as it usually was. The snow-white of his shirt set off his coloring, and he looked every inch the owner of all he surveyed.
I remembered how soft his hair felt between my fingers. How it tickled my skin as he kissed his way along my body. The way those broad shoulders and wide chest felt as I lay on top of him, his arms encasing me, holding me tight. Safe.
Until, in the blink of an eye, it changed.
I shook my head to clear it of the thoughts invading my brain. I forced a smile as he approached.
“Good morning.”
“Una,” he rumbled. “How are you today?”
“I’m well. Yourself?”
He nodded in return, our polite, distant smiles lying to everyone around us. Boss and employee. Nothing else.
But simmering under the surface was so much more. And it took everything I had to push it down and hold it back.
I feared the day that no longer worked.
I would have to disappear from this hotel and his life completely.
“Everything going well?” he asked.
Beside me, George spoke. “She is working her magic again. Even I couldn’t get the tickets she just procured for the penthouse guests. I arranged dinner for them, and they will have a night to remember tomorrow.”
Finn looked pleased. “You both do me credit. I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Wellington will thoroughly enjoy their stay.”
The guests were new. Wealthy and used to getting what they wanted, yet not rude about it. They had been pleasant to deal with and appreciative of everything we had arranged, which was a nice change. Often, guests were less than pleasant—especially if you couldn’t find exactly what they demanded.
“I arranged a special high tea this afternoon in their room. Dinner and access to the casino tonight,” I informed him. “George got reservations at Crème, and I managed tenth-row center for the musical they wanted tomorrow. He is meeting friends in the lounge for a catered lunch, and she is getting the full spa service on Wednesday. They have a car at their disposal for shopping tomorrow afternoon.”
“Excellent. Great work by you both. Thank you.”
George beamed and I nodded, looking away from Finn’s penetrating gaze. I wondered if I would ever get used to his presence and react to him in a normal way.
Odds were not in my favor.
“Una,” Finn murmured.
“Yes?” I asked, bringing myself back to the present.
“I need a word with you later, in my office, please. Say, at two?”
“Of course.”
He smiled and moved on. I watched him walk away, admiring how he moved. I knew he was observing, noting things in the lobby he would want addressed or admiring other items that pleased him. He was a good employer. Strict and exacting, but fair. Offering praise for good work. Reprimanding in private—never embarrassing staff in front of others. Always professional and in control.
Unless we were in a room alone together. Then he became far more personal. With a quiet sigh, I returned to my work, wondering what he wanted to see me about.