Page 23 of Hot in the City
Yuki was a real temptation. But was he ready to open himself up again with a woman? Kendra had ripped him right open with her style of makeshift open-heart surgery. He'd only just managed to stitch himself together.
He glanced across at Yuki to find her monstering a taco and licking her lips. "Oh. My. God. This taco is amaaaazing."
She licked her lips again, and he groaned before he could stop himself.
"What?"
She was completely oblivious to how sexy she was. He shook his head. "Nothing. Enjoy your taco. I have to get back to the hotel. Work to do." He stood too quickly, awkward as hell, bumping his knee on the table leg.
"Oh. Will I see you tomorrow?"
His first instinct was to say no, to say goodbye to her. But his instincts sucked lately. He'd have to give it some thought. "Maybe. I have the office Christmas party, but I'll be around later."
Yuki smiled, a ray of sunshine. "Great. I'll be at Reception if you need me."
He waved and walked away, not sure if the lightness in his body was simply because of Yuki, or the odd feeling of being free to do what he wanted for a change. Probably both. He’d definitely give it some thought.
Chapter Three
Palladian Hotel
For the past two days, Yuki's favourite guest had been flirting and hitting her with his high-beam super-smile in between his business meetings. Declan was making her wish for things that until a few days ago, seemed impossible.
Now he wandered into the hotel and he looked completely worn out. His rumpled wavy dark hair and scowl said his company's Christmas party hadn't been at all joyful. Poor Declan.
Tapping her foot where she stood behind the hotel reception desk in her low-heeled pumps, she sighed. Hotel guests were off limits to staff fraternizing. It was a crying shame, because she could see herself fraternizing all over him, in a naughty way. She should say no, if Declan flirted with her again or if he actually asked her out. He had been in fine form earlier, calling her "an afternoon delight" and "the angel of hotel reception".
Declan was obviously rich, handsome in a cheeky, wavy haired, blue eyed, wide shouldered kind of way, like a male model who dabbled in professional rugby and maybe romantic poetry. Smart as a whip, too. He was completely out of her league, not to mention one hundred percent off limits.
Still, she couldn't deny his delicious Irish accent had her melting into a puddle whenever he opened his mouth. Long story short, he was someone she should treat with deference, respect and absolutely not spill her overflowing store of bubbling lust over him. She could lose her job.
He sauntered up to the desk, taking his sweet time, grinning at her like a sexy loon when he spotted her watching him. Honestly, he was making it difficult to be good. Yuki tapped her fingertips on the desk. Only good little hotel staffers got Christmas bonuses. She would need the money when she (fingers crossed) moved to London in the new year.
On the other hand, she had to remember, she was no longer the type of girl to say no at all, as of exactly a week ago. Yuki had decided to lead a more adventurous life. To follow her heart, to listen to the inner voice that was whispering to her to take more chances, to expand her horizons...and to get properly laid. She would say yes, to every opportunity.
She forced her eyes away from him and pretended to check some bookings on the computer monitor.
"Good evening, Mr Moriarty," she began, and flicked her eyes up to meet his, a good six inches above her own. He was standing very close, leaning right up against the marble countertop. She sucked in a breath at the expression in his sapphire blue eyes. There was an unspoken challenge there, and undeniable heat.
"Good evening yourself, Miss Yuki. Now what would a gorgeous girl such as yourself be doing working on the eve of Christmas Eve?"
She kept her voice low. "Oh, you know. Working for The Man, earning my Christmas bonus." She bit her lip to stop herself talking.
No way did he know what it was like, working for The Man. He was The Man. His tech company was one of the most successful start-ups in Ireland, or so she'd read. She now knew he had an Asia Pacific office in Melbourne too. He was only twenty-seven and had a staff of over one hundred people.
He raised one dark eyebrow, somehow setting his eyes to extra sparkly mode. "Ah, is that so? I wouldn't want to stand between a woman and her Christmas bonus. That could be bad. Cursed. It would be worse than breaking up a wedding, which I've had occasion to do, would you believe?"
Yuki pressed her lips together since she was in danger of giggling. "Ignore me, please. It's been a long week. The national department store Santa convention is in town and they drink a surprising amount of egg nog and whiskey, even at the breakfast buffet."
Her colleague, Carlos, snorted from where he stood at the bag check in area, a couple of metres away. He muttered something like, “True dat.” She turned and gave him her best evil-eyed look. Carlos shook his head and backed away, ready to go on his break.
Yuki smiled at Declan, giving her handsome guest her full attention again. "My apologies, sir. What can I do for you this evening?"
The question apparently amused him. He flashed her a winning smile, all the more adorable because of the slightest gap between his front teeth. "To be honest, Yuki, my Christmas eve-eve plans have rather fallen flat. I was hoping you could recommend a good Irish pub or Australian type drinking establishment not too far away. I'd prefer no egg nog if at all possible."
She tapped at her computer screen. Angling it to show him some photos, she said, "Many of our guests like the Kookaburra Klub, only a block away."
He tilted his head, studying the photos. "Ah, bless. There's fake Kookaburras on the walls. No, I was thinking of a place you might personally recommend. Maybe somewhere you'd go after work."
