“No. I think it’s best if you sit this out.”
Gustavo was transparent about everything else, handing over his email account and all his documents, but for whatever reason, he continued to keep his conversations with Hades private.
It seemed like Hades was my best option for answers.
“While you’re here, I actually have a question.” I turned the documents around so he could view the highlighted portions. “There are some discrepancies in the reports. There are large deposits of cash that don’t match room bookings, and there are also conference room rentals without any fees. I see it often, at least every month.”
Gustavo didn’t even bother to look at the paperwork. Instead of being interested in my report, he seemed more annoyed that I’d brought it up at all. “Leave it on my desk, and I’ll look at it later. I need to get going.”
The odd conversation with my stepfather worried me. He seemed like a good man who would never betray my mother, and if he did have his own agenda, he never would have allowed me to work with him every day. Obviously, I would catch him, figure out any wrongdoing. Money always left a paper trail.
Unless he thought I was too stupid to follow it.
I found that unlikely, but still I couldn’t explain what I was looking at. I couldn’t ask my mother about it because then I wouldn’t be allowed to work with Gustavo at all. She would tell me to keep my mouth shut and find a husband instead.
She was a real piece of work.
I worked as a concierge that night, standing at the front desk and taking phone calls from guests who wanted to book activities when they came to visit. The rest of the time, I stood in the quiet lobby, thinking about my last conversation with Hades.
He said I would change my mind.
But he hadn’t tried to make that happen.
Did I want him to make that happen?
My eyes were downcast as I looked at my computer, typing an email to a guest who wanted to inquire about dinner reservations at our Michelin star restaurant within the hotel. I gave them a list of available times then hit send.
When I lifted my gaze, he was standing there.
Hades Lombardi.
With brown eyes, dark hair, and beautiful Tuscan skin, he looked at me with the same hostility as before. It was a penetrating stare, as if he read my thoughts like words on paper. He was dressed in a black suit and tie even though it was unlikely he was working this late at night.
He’d caught me off guard, so I didn’t know what to say.
I maintained a calm expression, borderline indifferent, and held his gaze. I tried not to think about our kiss on the sidewalk in the dark, the way I felt his hard chest and wished he would grab me and pin me against the wall. Now I’d kissed him twice…and each embrace got better and better.
He pulled his hand out of his pocket and set a keycard on the counter.
I didn’t glance at it, but I recognized it. It looked just like the keys we used at the hotel.
“Room 402.” He held my gaze for a few more seconds before he walked to the elevators and stepped inside.
When the doors were shut, I stared at the card he’d left behind, the key he wanted me to have. The other receptionists didn’t seem to notice, so I dragged it off the counter and slipped it into my pocket.
My eyes returned to my computer screen so I could pretend I was working, but all I could think about was what was waiting for me in room 402. It was one of our deluxe suites, so it had a nice view, a large tub…and a king-size bed.
I shouldn’t go. I should clock out and just go home.
But I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
The elevator took me to the fourth floor.
I stepped into the deserted hallway, thankful I wouldn’t have to see someone who might recognize me. Even if they did, they couldn’t report me to anyone. One day, I might be their boss, so it would be stupid to piss me off.
I reached the door. The room number was in gold letters.
I stared at it with the key in my pocket, still considering my other option—take off and run. The key was grasped in my fingertips, and all I had to do was slide it through. But then Hades would have all the power. He would know he was the sexy bastard he claimed to be.
But fighting this feeling was getting me nowhere.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Standing in front of the open window was Hades. Shirtless. His belt was pulled out of his slacks, so the pants hung low on his hips. The dramatic V-line was noticeable over his hips, even from where I stood several feet away. His side profile was visible, and he continued to stare at the city even when he heard the door.