Chapter One
Siobhan Upton hitthe call button for the elevator then tapped to check her phone.
Ugh. Her sister was asking about Christmas. Again.
Siobhan was the youngest of four girls. Both her middle sisters had invited her to stay in America for Thanksgiving, a holiday they’d both adopted since moving here from London. Their mother was flying to Miami to stay with them and swore she wasn’t leaving until winter was over back home.
Meanwhile, Siobhan’s eldest sister, Cinnia, was pressuring her to spend Christmas with her and her family in Spain. Cinnia was hosting all her in-laws for the first time in years. Siobhan knew them well and genuinely loved them, especially the children, but she hadn’t been able to enjoy Christmas since her bat guano of an ex-boyfriend had ruined that time of year for her five years ago.
She was dodging all of it by claiming to be focused on finding a job and a place to live. Which was true. She had these interviews in San Francisco then needed to get back to Sydney to pack up her flat, not sure where she would end up—
Wait.
She gasped with excitement as she saw the email from the placement agency.
Pleased to inform you… Employment contract will be forwarded… Expect you in Madrid on Monday December first…
“Yes!” That was only ten days away, but Siobhan punched the air and nearly leaped out of her borrowed Jimmy Choo heels.
“Are you going up?” The deep male voice held a hint of a Spanish accent.
She glanced up to see a man inside the elevator, holding the door for her.
Her heart took a swerve. Wow. He was really hot.
“Yes.” She swallowed. “Thanks.”
She stepped in beside him, blood fizzing for another reason. She tried not to stare, but he was kind of dazzling. He was thirty-ish and had an aura of dark sexiness with his thick black hair swept back from his forehead, and irises that were such a dark brown they seemed black. His cheeks were long and clean-shaven, his jaw well-defined. His nose was blade-sharp and his upper lip distinctly peaked.
As a uni student, Siobhan had fallen into wearing off-the-rack hoodies and other casual wear that helped her blend in, but she’d been around enough haute couture to recognize that navy suit was bespoke. It sat perfectly against his upper body, accentuating his broad shoulders and extremely fit physique.
Was he an actor? This was San Francisco, not LA, but he could be here on movie business. He certainly looked as though he financed blockbuster productions. Or starred in steamy thrillers as a morally gray character.
One thick black brow quirked, polite but patronizing. “Floor?”
“Oh, um…” Good grief, she was behaving like an idiot. As she tried to open the app, she watched him use his phone on the reader, then touch P. “That works for me. Thanks. I got the job I wanted.” She wiggled her own phone as the doors closed. “I’m not usually such a scatterbrain.”
“Congratulations.”
“On not being a scatterbrain? Thanks.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Australian?” he guessed.
“English. But I’ve been in Sydney long enough to adopt their accent.” The better to blend in and not have her past follow her.
He was looking at her as though trying to make up his mind about something.
She warmed under his study, wondering when she’d last felt this level of instant attraction. Had she ever?
The doors opened to the foyer of the elite level. In front of her was a frosted door labeled Concierge. A fountain trickled a soothing rhythm next to a courtesy bench.
“Have a nice evening.” Siobhan flashed a smile. She felt awkward as she turned away, as though she’d forgotten how to walk.
“Are you going to celebrate?” he asked behind her.
“I should, shouldn’t I?” She experienced a rush of relief and pivoted to face him, then tilted her head as she considered it. “I have another interview tomorrow, but now that I’ve got the job I want, that’s just for practice. Maybe I’ll order champagne. My sister’s paying for the room. Why not?” she added with a cheeky grin.
“No one to celebrate with? I’ll buy you a drink.” He nodded toward the private lounge reserved for guests on this floor.
