“No problem, sweetheart. Here’s my mobile number.” He pulls out a card from his pocket. “Call me when you want thatchat and I’ll come to you. I’ve got a few things to do right now. I’ll catch up with you later. Let’s go, kid.”
Brendan groans, but he follows Paul like a little lost sheep.
“I see you’ve got your brother busy with maintenance.”
“It was either that or cleaning, and I didn’t think you’d want him under your hair.”
I splutter on my coffee. “If you’re looking for someone to tame your brother then he can come work with me and my team any day. I’m not sure he would survive me or housekeeping, though. It’s not for the faint-hearted, and I am classed as the wicked witch by some of my staff.”
“I’ve worked from the bottom up, Lex. I’ve tried my hand at every job. I know how hard it is. Brendan needs to see that hard work pays off instead of getting handouts from mummy and daddy. Besides, I’m a little jealous. I’d quite like to be tamed by you if you’re offering.”
“I wasn’t. And you’re not following the rules.”
Air blows through the lobby and it’s the distraction I need to look away from Max. If we continue this conversation, I know we’ll just get ourselves all hot and bothered and that isn’t going to do either of us any good when lots of work is to be done. It’s then I see two of my staff walking towards me, and I wave over to them.
“You can ignore me all you like, Alexa, but we both know I’ll be the one taming you in the near future.”
“Keep dreaming, Maxwell. Keep dreaming.” I wink at him and walk off to do the job I’m actually paid to do.
I need to walk away before I march back to Max and drag him off to the first vacant room I find and let him devour my body. The quicker I can leave this building, the quicker I can get away from all things Maxwell.
Chapter 7
Max
I sit down at my desk and lean my head back against the chair. I’ve come across Alexa on a few occasions today, and no matter what she’s doing, she’s smiling.Fuck,she does more than make me smile. I’m a warm-blooded male. I’m not a stranger to the female body, I’m quite partial to it, but this woman has awoken a beast within me. I can’t sleep, I can’t think straight. I don’t even want to go to the club and hook up with some random woman to get her out of my head because it’s pointless when I’ll just see her face attached to someone else’s body.
My mobile buzzes across the desk. My mum’s name flashes across the screen, and I groan. I love my mother dearly, but I can’t be bothered with all the questions about the hotel, Brendan, and my life.
I hit answer and hold the phone to my ear. “Hey, Mum. How are you?”
“Hi, honey. Just checking in with you. How’s things? Not working too hard, are you?”
“All systems go here. Trying to get all the loose ends tied up before Saturday’s V.I.P night. I want to make a good impression on family, friends, and other hoteliers in the area before we open the doors on the Monday.”
“No one doubts you, sweetheart. You’re amazing at what you do. How’s your brother getting on?”
“He’s…”A pain in my arse. A nightmare. A lost cause.“He’s working with Paul, the maintenance man, this week. He’s doing well.”
A knock sounds on my door and I get up to open it.
“Good. I’m glad he’s fitting in…”
Lex is standing in my doorway with a box of something and two takeout cups resting on the top. I motion for her to come in and have a seat.
“Sweetheart, are you still there?”
I clear my throat. “Sorry, Mum. I’m here. I have a special delivery at my door that I really can’t ignore. Can I call you later?”
“Of course, honey. It was good to hear your voice. Take care. Love you.”
“Love you too, Mum.”
I hang up quickly and put my phone in my pocket. I sit on the edge of my desk and grip the edge tightly to keep myself from reaching out to Lex and fucking her right here on my desk.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I grabbed doughnuts for our break, but there was plenty left over. I thought you might need a sugar fix.” She blinks up at me through those beautifully thick eyelashes.
Her sweetness and light are just adorable, and I’ve never said those words about a woman before.
