I rushed toward the executive kitchen, my phone vibrating in my hand for the tenth time. Peeking at the screen, I rolled my eyes. If I wasn’t certain my roommate would keep power dialing until I answered, I’d let it go to voicemail.

Juggling my latte and my clipboard, I tucked the phone between my shoulder and my ear. “I don’t have time for this, Tess,” I grumbled. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.”

“Wait!” she screeched, loud enough to shatter my eardrum. “Did you meet them? What were they like? Scratch that… I don’t care. Just tell me about Logan.”

Logan? I drew a blank.

“Um…he’s the one with the long, dark hair, right? The brooding one?”

From the groan Tess emitted, I got it wrong.

“No,” she scolded. “That’s Sean. Logan is the blond with the fuck-me eyes. The one who looks like he’s got a dirty secret he can’t wait to share.”

As I passed through the break room, I smiled at the table full of servers gathering for their shift meeting. “Oh, sorry. Yeah...um…he’s hot.”

It was the truth. But hell, they were all hot. Not an ugly duckling in the bunch. But the only one giving off any fuck-me vibes was Cameron Knight. Coincidentally, his was the only face seared into my memory and the only name I remembered.

“Hot?” she scoffed. “Are you blind? Logan Cage is a four-alarm fire. Please, please tell me you asked about tickets to the show.”

Tess didn’t want tickets. With my connections, I could get tickets. She wanted backstage passes. And probably a guided tour from Logan.

“Listen, you’re breaking up,” I lied. “Bad connection. We’ll talk more when I get home.”

Ending the call, I slid the phone into my pocket as I rounded the corner. And because I wasn’t looking, I ran smack dab into my boss’s back. Greg spun around, catching my arm to steady me. But the latte didn’t survive the impact and slipped through my fingers, splashing foamy liquid all over the cuffs of Greg’s blue trousers when the cup hit the floor.

Mortified, my jaw came unhinged. “O-oh my G-God. I’m so s-sorry. I d-didn’t…” I forced my teeth to unclench. And then I counted. One...two…three… By the time I got to four, my tongue loosened up enough to finish my thought. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t p-paying attention.”

Grateful that I’d managed to cobble together an entire sentence, I crouched to snag the mangled cup.

“Leave it,” Greg said, curving a hand around my elbow and urging me to my feet. “Someone will be along in a second.”

As if by magic, one of the bussers scooted around me, a safety cone in one hand and a blue cloth in the other.

“No worries, Miss Lily,” he said, as he dropped to one knee to sop up the mess.

Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I stepped out of the way. “Th-Thank you.”

Greg tightened his grip on my elbow, maneuvering us to a quiet corner. “I was looking for you,” he said, his thumb sweeping back and forth along the inside of my arm. The gesture was intimate, and my back stiffened in response. Greg had never crossed the line or showed the least bit of interest. And I wasn’t sure if he was aware of the caress.

“Well you f-found me.”

“I’ve got a new piano player coming to audition in the lounge tomorrow night. I’d love to get your input. Do you think you could meet me for a drink and we could check him out?”

Was he asking me on a date, or was this business? Honestly, I wasn’t sure. I’d only had one serious boyfriend throughout high school and college. Bradley Westover. Douchebag. His parents were in the same social circle as mine, and he’d known me for most of my life. Looking back, our relationship was never ideal. There was no passion. No fun. But my mother had convinced me I was lucky to have him.

Bradley could be with anyone he wants, Lillian. And he chose you…despite your problem.

And I’d believed her. Until I caught him cheating with my ex-best-friend. But even that didn’t deter my mother from singing Brad’s praises. Or my father from hiring him to work at the Tennison Foundation, our family’s conglomerate. Surprisingly, I understood my father’s motivations. It was business. An alliance between our families. It was my mother’s betrayal that cut deep. Because it was personal. She truly believed I was damaged goods. That my stutter made me…less.

“So this is l-like…?”

My unfinished question dangled between us, and Greg dropped his hand. “Strictly business.”

Heat rose in my cheeks. Not that I was interested in Greg. At least I didn’t think I was. But he was someone my mother would deem acceptable. “Of c-course. I’d be happy to g-give an opinion. Although, I’m not really up on the latest music trends.”

After today, that was painfully apparent. If Cameron’s brother hadn’t given me the scoop on Caged when he called to make the arrangements, I never would’ve known who they were.

Greg leaned a hip against the wall. “That’s no problem. I just need a second set of ears.”

Over his shoulder, I spotted a group of our female valets huddled together, talking behind their hands. The Mansion always provided a personal attendant to our VIP guests. Especially those who wanted to maintain a low profile.

Following my gaze, Greg smirked. “I’m guessing they’ve heard that Caged is in the house?”

“Looks like.”

Pushing off the wall, he straightened his tie. “I just hope they’re discreet. We don’t want any scandals.“

I cocked my head. “Why would there be a scandal?”

His eyes flicked to mine, amused. “Did you happen to see the guys when you checked them in?”

My smile melted to irritation because I knew what Greg was inferring. And maybe he was right. At least some of the valets’ excitement could be attributed to the fact that the guys were rock stars. And gorgeous. But my staff were professionals.

“I’m sure their enthusiasm has more to do with d-dollars and cents than anything else,” I assured.

The valets got a small percentage of the overall bill and, in addition, most VIPs left a substantial tip at the end of their stay.

Greg remained unconvinced. “Whatever you say, Lily. Just make sure they know that their actions reflect on the Mansion.”

At the moment, he was the only one whose actions bordered on unprofessional. But rather than bring that up, I jerked a nod. “I b-better get back to work.”

He touched my arm and I froze, my eyes darting to the place we were joined. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, then?”

It was an odd statement, since we’d probably run into each other at least five times before then. Strictly business. I wasn’t so sure. “Yeah…r-right….tomorrow.”

Greg sauntered away, and I shook my head, doing my little counting ritual in preparation for addressing the staff. I liked my job, but I couldn’t wait until I graduated so I could move on. This position had always been a means to an end. Not that I wasn’t qualified. I’d spent over a year in the business program at SMU before changing my major to Art. And I was Marcus Tennison’s daughter.

“Leadership is in your blood,” Daddy used to say.

But then I’d catch sight of my mother, her pursed lips and pinched brow silently belying his assertion. And in the end, she’d been right. I was an artist, destined to work in a gallery. To paint and sculpt. I couldn’t wait to join that world and leaved this one behind.

“Hey, y’all.” The staff straightened up as I approached. “Looks like we’re going to have a busy week. The Harrison group is having their annual—”

“What about Caged. Are they here?” Chloe interjected.

I snapped my gaze from my clipboard to the perky redhead. “Um…y-yes. As a matter of fact—”

“I’ve got dibs on Logan,” she announced, green eyes twinkling with excitement.

“That’s fine,” Riley, a willowy brunette piped up. “Cameron’s cuter anyway.”

As fate would have it, Riley was the one I’d picked for Cameron. She was more than qualified. One of our best. But instead of giving her the card with Cameron’s information, I stowed it in my pocket. “Sorry, Rye. I need you with Ms. Harrison this w-week.” Where the hell did that come from? I wasn’t sure, but I was running with it. “She’s entertaining investors for her new project. Her limo’s arriving in an hour. If you could m-meet her out front?”

Riley’s face fell, but she nodded. “Of course.”

Somehow I managed to hand out the rest of the assignments without stammering. All except Cameron’s. Every time I looked into one of the girls’ eager faces, his smoldering hazel eyes flashed in my mind’s eye.

Once everyone was on their way, I peeked into the break room and found Dave, one of our senior valets, pouring over this week’s menu. Dave rarely handled clients anymore but functioned as a liaison for the events staff.

He smiled when he noticed me hovering by the door. “Is there something you need, Miss Lily?”

“No, thank you” danced on the tip of my tongue, but when I opened my mouth it was as if someone else hijacked my vocal cords.

“Um…yeah. I’ve got an important c-client in Bungalow D. Cameron Knight. His brother is a big land developer in Austin.” It was the truth, but that didn’t keep my hand from shaking when I held out the card with Cameron’s information. “If you wouldn’t m-mind handling it for me, I’d really appreciate it.”