Read Online Trouble on Her Doorstep by Nina Harrington - Free Book Online
Authors: Nina Harrington
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life had been pretty static ever since the disaster with Sasha.
But there was something about this girl that screamed out that her open, friendly manner was real. Genuine. And totally, totally original. Which in his world was a first.
She knew exactly who she was and she knew what she wanted. Yet she was prepared to tell him that she had a problem with closed, windowless spaces and she had to change the rules to deal with it.
Sexy and confident inside her own skin.
And she was totally unaware of how rare a thing that was, especially in the hotel business, where most people had hidden agendas. Her goal was simple: she had placed her trust in the hotel and they had let her down. And she needed him to put that right. Because it was personal. Very personal.
Was that why he had taken time out today to meet her when his conference team were perfectly capable of finding a replacement venue in one of the other Beresford hotels in this city?
She marched ahead, then stopped and looked up at the street names high on the wall of the buildings on either side, hesitant and unsure.
‘Looking for somewhere in particular, or will any stretches of grass do?’
Dee whirled around to face him, her eyebrows squeezed together, her hands planted firmly on her hips. ‘I have no clue where I am. Seriously. I left my street map back at the shop and was too frazzled to jump on the next bus. I would probably end up even more lost. And shouldn’t you be back doing your hotel management thing?’
She waggled her fingers in the direction of the hotel with a dismissive sniff.
‘What? And leave my special client lost in a strange part of the city? Tut tut. That would be a terrible dereliction of my duties. Please. Allow me to be your tour guide.’
He closed the gap between them on the narrow pavement outside the smart row of shops and waved his right hand in the air. ‘As it happens, I know this area very well even without a map. And you wouldn’t want to see me get into trouble with the senior management, would you?’
‘Is this all part of the Beresford hotel’s five-star service?’ She asked with just enough of an uplift in her voice to tell him that she was struggling not to laugh.
‘What do you think?’ he asked, and was rewarded with a knowing smile before she squeezed her lips together, a faint blush glowing on her neck.
Her gaze scanned his face, hesitant at first, but the longer she looked at him, the more her features seemed to relax and she lifted her chin before replying in a low, soft voice which to his ears was like the rustle of new leaves in the trees that lined the street. The relentless noise of the buses, taxis and road traffic faded away until all he could focus on was the sound of her words. ‘I think I would like to see the river. Do you know how to get there?’
Sean nodded, and soon they were walking side by side along the wide, grey stone pavement that ran along beside the river Thames.
‘Okay, what was it that made you hate my hotel so much that we had to dash out into the rain?’ Sean asked.
Dee winced. ‘Do you really want to know? Because I am famous for being a tad blunt with my opinions when asked questions like that.’
He coughed low in his throat and took a tighter grip on his briefcase. ‘I noticed. And, yes, I do want to know.’ Then he glanced over at her and gave a small shrug. ‘It’s my job to keep the guests happy and coming back for more. So fire away; I can take it.’
Dee stopped walking and dropped her head back, eyes closed. Her chest lifted and fell inside her padded jacket a couple of times.
‘I’m so glad that the rain stopped. I like rain. Rain is good. Snow too. But cold sleet and grey skies? Not so much.’
Then she opened her eyes and looked up at him. ‘What were you like when you were fifteen years old?’
The question rocked Sean a little and he took a second before replying. ‘Fifteen? Living in London, going to school then working in the kitchens at my
But there was something about this girl that screamed out that her open, friendly manner was real. Genuine. And totally, totally original. Which in his world was a first.
She knew exactly who she was and she knew what she wanted. Yet she was prepared to tell him that she had a problem with closed, windowless spaces and she had to change the rules to deal with it.
Sexy and confident inside her own skin.
And she was totally unaware of how rare a thing that was, especially in the hotel business, where most people had hidden agendas. Her goal was simple: she had placed her trust in the hotel and they had let her down. And she needed him to put that right. Because it was personal. Very personal.
Was that why he had taken time out today to meet her when his conference team were perfectly capable of finding a replacement venue in one of the other Beresford hotels in this city?
She marched ahead, then stopped and looked up at the street names high on the wall of the buildings on either side, hesitant and unsure.
‘Looking for somewhere in particular, or will any stretches of grass do?’
Dee whirled around to face him, her eyebrows squeezed together, her hands planted firmly on her hips. ‘I have no clue where I am. Seriously. I left my street map back at the shop and was too frazzled to jump on the next bus. I would probably end up even more lost. And shouldn’t you be back doing your hotel management thing?’
She waggled her fingers in the direction of the hotel with a dismissive sniff.
‘What? And leave my special client lost in a strange part of the city? Tut tut. That would be a terrible dereliction of my duties. Please. Allow me to be your tour guide.’
He closed the gap between them on the narrow pavement outside the smart row of shops and waved his right hand in the air. ‘As it happens, I know this area very well even without a map. And you wouldn’t want to see me get into trouble with the senior management, would you?’
‘Is this all part of the Beresford hotel’s five-star service?’ She asked with just enough of an uplift in her voice to tell him that she was struggling not to laugh.
‘What do you think?’ he asked, and was rewarded with a knowing smile before she squeezed her lips together, a faint blush glowing on her neck.
Her gaze scanned his face, hesitant at first, but the longer she looked at him, the more her features seemed to relax and she lifted her chin before replying in a low, soft voice which to his ears was like the rustle of new leaves in the trees that lined the street. The relentless noise of the buses, taxis and road traffic faded away until all he could focus on was the sound of her words. ‘I think I would like to see the river. Do you know how to get there?’
Sean nodded, and soon they were walking side by side along the wide, grey stone pavement that ran along beside the river Thames.
‘Okay, what was it that made you hate my hotel so much that we had to dash out into the rain?’ Sean asked.
Dee winced. ‘Do you really want to know? Because I am famous for being a tad blunt with my opinions when asked questions like that.’
He coughed low in his throat and took a tighter grip on his briefcase. ‘I noticed. And, yes, I do want to know.’ Then he glanced over at her and gave a small shrug. ‘It’s my job to keep the guests happy and coming back for more. So fire away; I can take it.’
Dee stopped walking and dropped her head back, eyes closed. Her chest lifted and fell inside her padded jacket a couple of times.
‘I’m so glad that the rain stopped. I like rain. Rain is good. Snow too. But cold sleet and grey skies? Not so much.’
Then she opened her eyes and looked up at him. ‘What were you like when you were fifteen years old?’
The question rocked Sean a little and he took a second before replying. ‘Fifteen? Living in London, going to school then working in the kitchens at my
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