The Hotel

by Darling, Lola

  The jerky intern just scoffs. “Thanks for the history lesson.”

  I know I should quit while I’m ahead, but I can’t stop myself. “The wallpaper in the Grand Lobby is 19th century, hand painted by noted French artist—”

  Shauna nudges me with a steady look at Edith, who is glaring at us both. I shut up fast. At least this douche isn’t in charge of the company – I can only hope the current owners appreciate the gem they have here.

  We follow Edith on a whistle-stop tour of the locker rooms, employee break room, and the rest of the guest amenities. There’s a gym, complete with personal trainers and an Olympic size swimming pool. A salon and clothing boutique. A five-star restaurant with a bar to rival the Coq D’or, all resplendent with the details that make The Rexford so memorable.

  I’m still reeling from the tour as she takes us to the corporate wing of the hotel. Here, the décor is sleeker, with glass-walled offices and equally sleek looking staff busily at work.

  “Holy shit,” Shauna whispers beside me, as we’re shown into an office.

  “Agreed.”

  Two full walls of windows overlook Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile, the glossy buildings and groomed architecture posed like a picture from a magazine. The room is beautifully styled with leather furniture, and a huge black walnut desk with a chandelier perfectly centered above it.

  “I’m guessing this isn’t the head of housekeeping’s office,” Shauna quips.

  “She’s in the penthouse,” I joke, but my nerves are building. It hits me again what an incredible opportunity this is. This hotel, these offices, they reek of power. I’m going to nail this internship, and after that?

  I can’t wait to see what opportunities arise for me here.

  Suddenly the doors open. A man steps in. He’s looking down, buttoning his midnight blue suit coat, but he gives off an immediate air of authority. Shauna whispers something to me, but I don’t process it.

  I watch his long fingers fasten the button, those beautiful hands… familiar.

  A slow buzz starts in my head.

  He looks up and my entire body goes cold. I take him in—brown hair with a smooth undercut and perfectly messy waves. Gorgeous, rugged, yet elegant features set hard, indifferent. Uninterested.

  I know those stunning blue eyes.

  I know those perfect lips—how they taste. How they feel on my breasts, between my legs.

  A bolt of realization goes through me, straight to my feet.

  Oh. My. God. It’s Andrew.

  It’s fucking Andrew!

  Edith gives a huge smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce the CEO, Dominic Rexford.”

  Chapter Five

  “Are you okay?” Shauna grabs my arm.

  “Mr. Rexford, thank you for taking the time to meet with us today,” Edith says. “I’m pleased to introduce our new class of interns.”

  Andrew – no, Dominic — nods, and starts chatting. He hasn’t looked at me yet, and God, if he does, will he know it’s me?

  I had one night of carefree, wild sex. One damn night! It’s already coming back to bite me. Then it hits me in a rush – the reason I was there to meet him at all.

  The assignment. Get pictures of him in an incriminating position, for somebody to use against him. Never mind the fact that the job was over before I went upstairs, if he ever discovers the real reason I met him that night, I’m screwed.

  Slowly, I take a small step back. Maybe, if I shield myself behind Shauna, he won’t notice me.

  “This is a great opportunity,” Dominic is saying. “Our program is the best in the country. None other offers you such a comprehensive education in what it takes to run a successful hotel.”

  His voice. My eyes close with the instant recall of that timbre in my ear. I want you to come on my cock. I had, harder than I’ve ever come in my life. Heat spreads across my face as flight instinct kicks in.

  He lied. I lied.

  But the consequences for him are nothing compared to what he can do to me. He could fire me from the internship program, crush everything I’ve worked so hard for, before I’ve even had a chance to get my foot in the door.

  “I look forward to the internship program every year, as it tends to develop some of our best employees.” He smiles and his face transforms with that kiss of youth I so admired last night. I take another nonchalant step back as his eyes begin to travel.

  He keeps speaking. I only absorb the vibration of his words as I try to figure out how to get out of this room unscathed.

  Tonight, your breasts, your ass, your pussy, belong to me. My sex clenches at the memory, my skin growing hot. Unscathed? I’m going to be tormented by the mental replay of his expert fucking every time I set foot in this place.

  I’m so, so screwed.

  “In fact,” his voice lowers and the air seems to thicken. I don’t want to look at him. But I can’t stop myself. My eyes slam into his. He blinks and the pause in his speech seems longer than necessary.

  Maybe that’s just my guilty perception. Because I’m freaking out inside.

  “I’m looking forward to getting to know each of you, learning about your goals and your reasons for choosing The Rexford as part of your education.”

  Around me, the others are clapping, and Edith is thanking him again for his time.

  Fear isn’t something I handle well. It pisses me off. I don’t have time to be afraid, certainly not now, and certainly not because of something I had no foresight into. How was I supposed to know who he was?

  Andrew—Dominic—moves to the back of the room as the crowd leaves his office. I give him a quick glance to find he’s staring at me, one hand braced on the edge of the desk. My chest is so tight, I can barely draw a decent breath. The last in the group, I quickly slip between the glass doors and down the hall with the rest of the group.

  “Seriously, are you okay?” Shauna asks again. “You look really pale.”

  “I’m fine,” I falter. “I just forgot to eat this morning.”

  She reaches into her purse and hands me a package of snack cookies. “Here.”

  I take them with a mumbled thank you, looking fearfully behind me at Dominic’s closed office doors.

  “That concludes the tour portion of your morning,” Edith announces loudly. “You’ll have a ten minute break, before reporting for duty for your assignments. Don’t be late,” she adds with a warning glare.

  I let out a small breath of relief. I need a moment to pull myself together. The others mill towards the main doors, but I hang back, slipping into a small alcove tucked away from the main office.

  I feel sick.

  The cookies are dust in my mouth, so I toss them aside and sink back against the wall. What the hell have I gotten myself into?

  “No magic trick to make you disappear?”

  I spin. Dominic is so close that I nearly slam into him.

  He takes my elbow to steady me as his eyes fall to my name tag. “Imagine my surprise to find you in my internship program. Juliet, is it?”

  Everything knots back up inside.

  He’s so gorgeous. And so dangerous.

  “Thank you, Dominic,” I retort, jerking back from him. I cross my arms to barrier myself. Anger flares and I know it’s from nerves, but I can’t help it. “Seriously, I fibbed the one letter. You fabricated an entire name.”

  I want him to touch me. I want to feel those hands roving under my clothes and caressing my bare skin. The desire only makes me angrier. I take a step back but it’s a weak attempt to control my feelings.

  And it fails.

  He offers one beautiful hand but I don’t take it. “Dominic Andrew Rexford. Though, I’m sure you knew that last evening.”

  Is he serious? I shake my head. “I had no idea who you were. Really.”

  Dominic arches an eyebrow. “It’s very convenient that you’re here.”

  “Coincidental.” I sigh. “Clearly, I have the worst luck.”

  “Or the best. If wh
at you say is even true.”

  “Of course it is! I didn’t know who you were. Obviously, I knew you weren’t a lion tamer.” I make it sound stupidly obvious. “I mean, look at you.”

  My attempt at being collected is failing miserably.

  “And yet, you still pass as a sexy assistant.” An arrogant smirk pulls one side of his mouth. How can he be so equally gorgeous and insolent?

  “It worked,” he says darkly. “You certainly played your magic to your advantage last night.”

  My fingers curl into my palms. Is he trying to turn this on me?

  “Are you saying that I seduced you, Mr. Rexford?” My temper is fraying. “I’d like to remind you that you… you had a hand in that as well.”

  He steps closer to me. “Oh, Juliet. You haven’t begun to see seduction.”

  His eyes drop to my mouth before he presses a finger to my lower lip. I lean into his touch, wanting it to be his mouth, his tongue sliding between my lips and mating with mine.

  His eyes crinkle at the corners. He knows what I’m thinking. I know he does.

  My lips part, eager to take his finger into my mouth.

  “Juliet?”

  I jerk back at the feminine voice. Shauna steps into the alcove but stops when she sees us. Dominic drops his hands, sliding them into his pockets. She looks between him and me, her lips parting in surprise.

  “Thank you,” I stammer, collecting myself. “For answering my questions, Mr. Rexford.”

  He gives a little nod and moves away wordlessly.

  I resist the urge to watch him go. Instead, I take Shauna’s arm and thank her for the cookies, assuring her that I feel better. She smiles, but doesn’t otherwise reply. I don’t worry about how much she overheard.

  I can’t.

  My emotional rollercoaster has stalled at the top, and damn it, I have work to do.

  My first assignment is at the main reception desk with Shauna. I try my best to focus through the next two hours. Beth, the manager, walks us through the procedures of making reservations and handling phone calls, but I can’t concentrate on what I’m supposed to be learning.

  Dominic Andrew freaking Rexford.

  Hours ago, he was so deep inside me, I thought I was going to die from the pleasure. Hours ago, I’d been on my knees for him, taking him in and out of my mouth, caressing the velvety skin of his hard shaft…

  My boss. The man I’d helped a P.I. snoop on. The lover I’m aching to have inside me.

  “Miss?”

  I look up with a start into the watery eyes of an elderly woman across the desk. “I need fresh towels in my room.”

  “Of course!” I exclaim brightly. “Let me get them sent right up.”

  Which I have no idea how to do. Beth steps in, patiently showing me how to call for an attendant. Thankfully, the hours fly by and I find my stride, answering phone calls with ease and handling basic guest requests.

  “Not so bad for a first day, right?” Shauna remarks. “Although, remind me to wear flats tomorrow. My heels are killing me!”

  “You think they’d let us wear sneakers?” I joke.

  She snorts. “I can just picture the look on Edith’s face.”

  I wonder again how much of my conversation with Dominic she overheard. I have no desire to be the point of gossip with the interns, especially where our boss is concerned. The phone rings again.

  “Your turn,” Shauna says. “I can’t deal with that computer yet.”

  I move to answer it. “This is the Rexford, how may I direct your call?”

  After I take the reservation, I try to show Shauna how to input the information. “It’s no good,” she sighs, “I’m scared I’m going to crash the whole—”

  She stops talking, her eyes widening at something behind me.

  I turn. Dominic is at the desk, lounging casually – but his gaze is far from relaxed.

  “Can I help you, Mr. Rexford?” Beth asks, starting his way. He raises his hand to wave her off.

  “Just checking to see how the interns are enjoying their first day.” His gaze shifts to Shauna. She shrinks back a little, a blush spreading over her cheeks.

  “It’s going well,” Shauna assures him.

  “And for you?” He looks at me and I swear I feel his gaze like a caress. “Juliet.”

  My name sounds erotic, beautiful, the way he rolls it off his tongue. My nipples perk up. Mortified, I resist the urge to cover them with my arms. Aware that the other women are still behind me, I look back to the computer.

  “Very well, sir.”

  He moves around the desk and takes a spot beside me. Touching the computer screen, he opens a new program. His shoulder brushes against me and I get an exquisite whiff of his cologne.

  He smells so good—his naked skin imprinted that scent in my mind and I want more. My hands tremble, but I quickly control it.

  “You’ll want to pay particular attention to this tab.” Dominic looks over at the other women pointedly, and they skitter to the opposite end of the desk.

  “I’m not done with you.” His voice is low, his breath tickling my ear. Arousal floods my veins. Last night, I reminded myself not to get in over my head. I repeat that mantra now, even though I suspect it’s far too late.

  I keep my voice low, my eyes on the screen. “Unless it’s on a professional level, I am done with you.”

  “We’re going to meet in my office and talk.”

  “No.”

  A low growl escaped his throat. “Did I forget to compliment you on your obedience last night?”

  Oh, the bastard. The hot, wicked bastard. I don’t reply because I can’t be certain what will come out of my mouth.

  A woman approaches the desk, heading straight for me. Dom sees her, too, gives a polite smile.

  “I know how to make you obedient, Juliet,” he murmurs, dropping his voice. “I know how you taste, how you sound when you come.”

  I whip him a look. I can’t help it. My heart is in my throat. I should be enraged at his arrogance, but I’m not.

  I’m flustered.

  And completely, utterly turned on.

  Need and desire burn in his eyes, but he masks it as the guest reaches the desk. I tear my gaze away from him, my lips parting to greet the woman in front of me but I can’t make the words come.

  “Tomorrow.” Dominic softly pitches the word at me as he walks away. One word, full of innuendo and promise and secret things.

  Part of me wants to chase after him and give him a piece of my mind. But I hold back. He wants to talk, then we’ll talk. He’s my boss, after all. Tomorrow, I will set him, and myself, straight.

  I might want him. But I won’t have him again.

  I can’t.

  I have all night to convince myself.

  Chapter Six

  “You are such an unbelievable whore. I love it.”

  Callie hands me another slice of pepperoni pizza. We’re all lounged on the floor in the living room, celebrating my first day with cheap wine and takeout. But instead of bursting with excitement, I may have had a little meltdown and told them everything.

  Everything.

  Including the sinful details—at Callie’s insistence—about hotel sex with The Target Dominic Andrew freaking Rexford.

  “I can’t believe he turned out to be your boss!” Emily looks horrified.

  I pour myself another glass and drink. “Me either. God, when he walked into the conference room, I wanted the ground to swallow me up.” I turn to Callie. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  “For what? Getting laid?” She snorts.

  “What if it gets back to your boss?” I ask her. Until now, I haven’t had time to think about how my impulsive sexscapade might impact her. But I was standing in for her that night, which means not only does my fling make life complicated for me, but for her, too. “And what if Dominic finds out I was the bait, and the whole thing busts open? Your boss will know I slept with a target.”

  My dread settles in the pit of my stomach.
If Dominic finds out, I’m fired for sure. I take another swig of wine and settle it between my knees, gripping the neck like a lifeline.

  “Wait a minute, Juliet. Just… back up.” Callie turns down the music. Hozier’s From Eden is playing in the background. It’s my favorite feel-good song. Hell, this bottle of moscato is my favorite wine, yet it’s not soothing me, either.

  “You were off the clock when you went upstairs with Rexford,” Callie insists. “The moment the photographer clears you, you’re free to do whatever the hell you want.”

  “Just like that?” I blink.

  “It’s not exactly a nine-to-five,” Callie laughs. “So, no worries about my job security, okay? I am mad at you, though,” she adds.

  I’m about to beg forgiveness, when I see the mischievous smile.

  “I mean, if I wasn’t sick, I might be the one barely able to sit down today. Not you.”

  I laugh.

  “Seriously, Jules,” Callie presses eagerly. “Was his cock really that—?”

  “You do have a problem though,” Emily interrupts, concern furrowing her brow. “What will happen when Mr. Rexford finds out you set him up?”

  When, not if. Which reminds me. “What is he being investigated for?” I ask Callie.

  Callie shrugs. “I never know. It would be really hard to face targets with full-on knowledge of whatever shit they’ve pulled, you know?”

  She has a point. I don’t need to know the inner workings of my boss’ personal life. In fact, the less I know about him, the better. I’m tangled up enough with him as it is. There needs to be a clear separation between my job as an intern, and my sordid history with Dominic.

  “I have the worst luck,” I sigh miserably. “I let my inner bad girl out one time. One time!”

  Emily grins. “Tell that wench to keep her pants on from now on.”

  “Never mind pants, I need one of those old-fashioned chastity belts,” I say. “Locked up tight. Nothing’s getting between these legs from now on, at least, not until I’m manager of some fancy hotel.”