“Fine.” I glanced past him toward the elevators.
“You’ll love it here,” he continued, voice dropping into something more intimate. “Vegas has a way of surprising people. Especially beautiful people.”
I blinked. “Do you flirt with all the guests?”
His grin widened. “Oh, no,Mami.Just the luscious ones.”
My phone was in my hand before I thought about it, fingers tapping notes.
Unprofessional staff behavior. Needs training on appropriate boundaries.
“What are you doing?” Marcus craned his neck, trying to see my screen.
I met his eyes. “Making notes,Papi, to discuss with management. And please call Mr. Leo Kolykos. He’s expecting me.”
The color drained from his face, then flooded back in a crimson rush. He straightened so fast he nearly knocked over a stack of key cards.
The call was brief. Marcus’s hands shook as he pushed my key card across the desk. “Tower two, thirty-second floor. I’m sorry, Ms. George. I didn’t mean?—”
“Going forward, keep the charm within professional boundaries.”
“Yes, of course.”
The elevator bank chimed. A man stepped out, and I recognized him from the hotel website—but the computer screen hadn’t done him justice. My breath caught.
Leo Kolykos moved with easy confidence, early forties but carrying it well. Salt-and-pepper hair deliberately mussed, olive skin, tailored dark jeans, and a blazer over an expensive casual shirt. His smile reached his eyes but something watchful lurked underneath—intelligence wrapped in approachability.
“Tashi George?” He crossed the atrium with caffeinated energy. “Leo Kolykos. So glad you could make it.”
I pressed my lips together, thinking of Daniel’s anger when I’d taken this job. Leo looked me over, assessing every curve, and my heart stuttered. He held out his hand.
An electric current sparked when our palms met.
“My schedule opened up, so I’m happy to make the trip.”
His cologne mixed with coffee—both expensive and intoxicating.
“I’m confident that you will help people forget about the negative experiences and remember the magic of Vegas.” His sexy timbre sounded as if he meant it, and my stomach fluttered.
My phone buzzed in my bag. Daniel. Again. I ignored it.
Leo’s phone buzzed too. He checked it, and something shifted in his expression. “I’ll have to postpone that drink. Something’s come up. Let’s meet in an hour with my brothers, and we can fill you in.”
He air-dropped contact information into my phone, labeled Olympus Management, then shot off across the atrium.
I watched him go, my heart still racing from that handshake, and headed for the elevators.
The ambulance hit a bump, and I gasped, yanked back to the present.
Orion’s thumb traced circles on my palm, anchoring me, never losing contact with my skin. His eyes locked on mine, full of heat and questions.
And I knew the adventure wasn’t over.
Not the fire, the photo, or what I had set in motion.
I’d survived the flames.
Now I had to survive them.
