Chapter Four

Kelly

“We get rich men here all the time. I don’t see what could possibly be special about this one,” Kelly said as she set the tray of dishes on the counter next to the sink. Her maid duties didn’t involve dishwashing, but management paid extra if you occasionally pitched in.

Maria looked at her with raised eyebrows. “You clearly haven’t seen him if that’s what you think!”

Kelly laughed as she emptied the dirty dishes into the sink. Her friends hadn’t stopped ranting and raving about the handsome new arrival, the one staying in the penthouse, apparently. “I don’t have to see him. I honestly don’t care what he looks like. I’ve seen my fair share of decent-looking men, and I’m not interested in being forgotten about when he goes back to Australia or wherever the hell he’s from.”

Maria and Miska exchanged a look.

“He’s from the mainland. Blake Parker, of Parker Industries. Guy’s loaded and here on business. At least, that’s what Tony said,” Miska informed her.

Miska and Tony Lumbeck, the hotel’s general manager, had been sleeping together since she had started at the hotel, and if there was ever anything to be learned about one of the guests who was staying at the hotel, she was the one to ask.

“Well, you can gossip about him all day, or you can get your work done. You know Jamal wants all the beds made before ten,” Maria cut into their conversation, and Kelly was quick to head out of the kitchen. What with taking on Miska’s shift, she wouldn’t get any kind of break today and would eat on the run at some point. As it was, she was going to have to hurry if she was going to stay on schedule.

When she stepped out of the elevator on the top floor, Kelly felt her heartrate begin to pick up. She tried not to think about the stranger from the mainland as she was gathering the things she would need to make the beds and clean the penthouse suites, but it was nearly impossible now that she was on the top floor. She had seen the man briefly the day before, when he had gotten on the elevator that she’d been walking off of.

She’d stopped him dead in his tracks—the thought made her smile—but at the same time, she couldn’t deny that he’d also stopped her cold. Those sharp green eyes. That slightly rumpled blond hair. That body. He was tall, and built like a man who worked as hard for a living as he did at the gym. His obviously tailor-made suit fit him perfectly, showing off broad shoulders and hinting at flat abs, probably like a washboard.

Kelly resisted the urge to fan herself dramatically, even though her temperature had actually risen a few literal degrees at the memory. Now, she could see by his closed door that he was indeed in his room, but that he didn’t want to be disturbed. Damn.

Kelly moved quickly through the other penthouses, changing towels and linens, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting, and restocking the mini fridges. She knew how to move both quickly and efficiently, and she was just walking out of the last apartment when suddenly the door across the hall opened.

***

Blake Parker stepped into the lobby. He was dressed in another impeccable suit, but today he looked rested, the lines of strain on his handsome face considerably eased. He spotted her and smiled, his green eyes warming her from head to toe and places in between.

Kelly’s mouth went dry and she immediately focused on the cart in front of her. “Excuse me, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” she said quickly. “If I was too loud—”

“You weren’t. I’m normally up and out before now,” he said, and she didn’t miss it when he briefly looked her over. She was used to it, but somehow she didn’t feel dirty under his warm gaze. Silently, she hoped that he liked what he saw. It was the first time in a while that she’d actually cared, beyond the financial aspect. Having to look good came with the job. No avoiding it, even if she was a hands-off escort.

His eyes returned to her face and his smile widened when he clearly realized she’d caught him. Was that a hint of an apology in his eyes?

Wow …

“Do you work for the hotel?” he asked. “When we bumped into each other in the elevator, I figured you were a guest.”

The fact that he remembered left her absurdly happy.

“Yeah,” Kelly replied, gesturing at her cart. “Your friendly island maid. That’s me.”

“Do you like it?” he asked, which struck her as an odd question, but then again, it was an odd situation, conversing with a billionaire who had probably never washed a dish in his life, much less cleaned out people’s hair from bathtubs.

“I could lie, but who likes cleaning?” she said wryly, and melted all over again as he flushed slightly.

“Sorry. Stupid question.”

Kelly grinned. “Nah. I do get to meet a lot of different people. That at least keeps things somewhat interesting.”

When he spoke again, that low voice immediately whisked her mind away to wild bedroom fantasies. “Do you live on the island?”

Kelly paused in the middle of reaching for fresh pillowcases. “Uh, yes?”

“I need a grand tour of the place. Something that goes beyond the travel brochures. It’s really important for my business that I get a local perspective,” Blake said, raking his fingers through his hair and mussing it so he looked somehow even more mouthwateringly handsome. “Would you have time or be interested in helping me out? I’ll pay you well.”

It was a guy offering her money—the norm—but somehow completely different, just like everything else was about him.

Kelly kept a firm check on the giddy smile that wanted to break over her face, giving him what she hoped was a casually friendly one instead. “Sure, I’d be happy to show you around the island. There are a few places I would prefer not to go, but I can tell you where they are if you want to visit them on your own.”

He laughed and her stomach dropped to her toes at the husky sound. “I don’t need to go anywhere that’s not well-trafficked. I’m overseeing the construction of one of our hotels. My contractor is hard to get a hold of, you see, and even harder with my phone not working properly. If you could show me around sometime this evening, I’d be most grateful to you—and don’t worry, we aren’t going to go anywhere you aren’t comfortable with.”

He laughed once more and with that, her momentary nudge of fear, ever present since her mother’s death, vanished. She could trust this man. Somehow, she automatically just felt it.

“My shift ends at 5:30,” Kelly replied, when she realized he was standing there silently, waiting for her to say something. “Do you want to meet at 6:00, out front?” She had a tentative client booked, but could send him to one of her friends.

“It’s a date.” He winked and headed off down the hallway, leaving Kelly halfway gaping after him.

From that moment on, the day seemed to hit a standstill. All she could think about, throughout the dishes, the cantankerous clients, the endless beds and toothpaste-filled sinks, was Blake Parker’s wide smile and his warm gaze.