Chapter Three
Kris
Dinner at the hotel’s bar was exquisite. The fireplace kept everything warm, despite being in the foyer, and he had a great view of the wharf at night. He also had a clear line of sight of the cars pulling into the drive that connected the hotel to the nightclub. Kris wanted to pinch himself.
“Hard to believe, huh?”
Kris glanced upon to find Lorraine standing over him. She smiled at him before turning her own gaze towards the view outside the window. “I can remember the first time I came to one of these and realised that mere inches separated me from the rich and famous. It really hammered home just how far I had come, while at the same time there existed a gulf, I probably would never manage to cross myself.” She slid her eyes back to his. “It’s not like I would ever be able to afford to buy a property like this myself and thus be able to mingle among them as one of the select.”
Kris swallowed. He got the message loud and clear. No trying to mingle with the actual guests. Not that he had any intention of doing so. Just being here and soaking in the ambience was enough. “I hear ya. It’s mind blowing that I can sit here incognito and just be in their orbit, you know?”
She inclined her head. “It is, but they are not gods. Sometimes they have to be handled for undesirable behaviour. Tomorrow’s afternoon’s seminar will cover that topic, actually.”
His eyes widened. “I won’t have to handle anything like that myself, will I?”
She shook her head. “Not directly until you reach upper management level. You will have to know how far you can go to placate an angry guest and how to discern if the guest is crossing a line that requires the delicate touch of a more senior member of management. Sometimes that will be obvious, though.”
“You mean like when Janelle called you after the front desk at the Seafarer was notified by a guest that they could hear the person in the next room smashing things and cussing up a storm.” He grinned at the memory. The guest he mentioned had been a twenty-something trust fund baby who had thrown a temper tantrum when he discovered that his father was insisting he join the family firm or see his funds curtailed.
She smiled back. “Yes, like that.” She laughed. “Jeff from security was hilarious choosing the shot of him being hauled out in handcuffs with that shocked expression on his face for the No Check In board.” She referenced a virtual employee Pin Up board that held images of former guests who were banned at all Triborr properties. The hotels and resorts printed off the photos and pinned them to the physical notice boards in the employee lounge area. It was one of the steps the agency took to prevent troublesome guests from checking back in, even under a false name.
She changed the subject. “So, we’re free after the afternoon seminar tomorrow, did you make any special plans?” She slid into the empty chair across from him.
He blinked as he took in the way she leaned forward, exposing her cleavage. Was she flirting with him? Feeling awkward, he replied, “I thought I’d take one of those sightseeing bus tours, actually. Oh, and find a place to buy my baby sister a Paddington Bear. I’m missing her dance recital, so I want to bring her back something special and she loves those books and the movie.”
“And she doesn’t have one of the bears?”
“Nope.”
“I see. Well, I’m planning on lounging down by the pool before heading out to China Town for dinner. They have one of those big gates and everything. It’s quite the sight to see. There aren’t any reservations necessary for the place I’m heading to so if you fancy doing some evening sightseeing and eating some authentic Chinese, just text me.”
All he had was her work number. He was so not texting her for personal stuff on that. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He made a note to check out Chinatown on his laptop and plan his own sightseeing trip around it. Maybe he could skip one of the after seminar buffets and grab some lunch there instead, following it up with having a look about and ending it with choosing another restaurant there to have his supper. He gave a soft smile. He bet one of those Lucky Cats would go over well with his mom. She absolutely adored cats in general.
Lorraine licked her lips and drooped her eyes at him as she leaned forward a bit more, her arms now down by her side, tightly pressed together. Her pose pushed her breasts together and up and they now rested on the top of their table.
Oh shit. She is trying to flirt with me. Awkward.
He drained his glass and stood. “Right, I find myself in need of the loo as they say and I heard that the breakfast buffet is from six until seven so I need to make sure I manage to get up for it and I am about to drop from jet lag.”
She smiled up at him through his lashes. “Okay, I’ll see you at breakfast then,” she replied, the timbre of her voice lowered.
Yeah, not happening. Climbing into bed by myself.
“Night, then,” he said before turning to flee while attempting to look unbothered. As the doors to the lift closed in front of him, he gave a sigh of relief. “Yikes. Gonna have to avoid her as much as possible over the next few days.” As he got off on his floor, a terrible thought struck him. What if she didn’t leave him alone once they returned home?Nah, he told himself as he unlocked his door.She’s just trying it on because we’re here at the conference. People do crazy stuff at things like this.Still, he prickled with unease. Even if she left him alone at work back home, he still was going to be a target for her here. He prayed it wouldn’t get anymore troublesome.
