Saving Cinderella!

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He raised a brow. “I’m glad you’re so enthusiastic. You argued vociferously against taking this job.”

“But now I have, and I intend to jump in with both feet.”

Which brought his gaze to her feet and her open-toed lowheeled sandals…which made Alex aware of her feet in a way she never had been before. She felt a bit exposed. But she couldn’t let him see that, so she thrust her chin up and waited.

“Okay,” he agreed. “But technically you’re not due at your desk for another hour, so I’ve made arrangements to introduce you to some of the people I prefer to refer customers to.”

“Such as…”

“Travel agents, tour guides, other business contacts.”

She pulled a small blue notepad out of her purse. “All right, I’m ready.”

A trace of a smile lifted his lips. He reached out and plucked the notepad from her grasp. “There’s a fact sheet with everyone’s contact information on it at your desk. The purpose of this outing is for me to introduce you and for you to inhale the details of the businesses you’ll be referring customers to. I want you to note what makes these businesses the best that can be had even if the customer never enters their premises. I’ve worked with some of them for the entire time I’ve been here.”

“You’re not native to Las Vegas?”

“No. A transplant from a small town in Illinois. I came here five years ago, not knowing a soul, but Las Vegas fits me.”

She tilted her head and studied him. “Wow, you stayed even though you had no friends or family here? That’s intriguing. So many people fly into Las Vegas for a weekend or a week.”

“And most of them leave,” he said, finishing her thoughts. “But they come to have fun. I came because a person can start from square one here and make things happen quickly.”

Alex looked up at the high atrium ceiling of the lobby. The room was green and gold, with light streaming in and turning everything molten. With its creamy marble floors and subtle gold offsets, the whole atmosphere was one of richness. But Alex knew from her weekend here that the magic began beyond this lobby. The hotel was divided into two wings. One was focused on pampering oneself with meditation and relaxation and places for private meetings or total solitude, the other was set up for treating oneself to life’s beaches and parties. Both, however, echoed the richness of this room.

“Did you design this place yourself?” she asked.

“Most of it.”

“You did an outstanding job. My friends and I came here because Jayne was jilted. We needed some escapism. McKendrick’s is the perfect escape.”

“Thank you. It’s a work in progress.”

“You’re changing things?” She’d spent too much of her life watching things change and slip away. Or maybe things was the wrong word. She’d watched people change and she’d paid the price.

“You don’t approve?”

“The hotel is perfect as it is.”

“Perfection—or imperfection—is a matter of opinion, isn’t it?”

Alex studied him. His tone had been light, but for a second she’d seen a hint of something not light in his eyes.

“Has someone been criticizing McKendrick’s?” she asked.

He looked amused. “You sound defensive.”

“Hey, I work at McKendrick’s,” she teased. “I’ve been here for—” she glanced at her watch “—five whole minutes, and I’ll have you know that I’m intensely loyal.”

Also prone to immersing herself in situations, she reminded herself. Was she really already lecturing her boss? Getting too involved? That would definitely have to stop.

“I’m glad to know that. But change can be good,” he said. “If McKendrick’s is to stay at the top of the game I have to keep making it better.”

She nodded. “Belinda said something about it being awards season?”

“Yes,” he answered, his green eyes intense. “McKendrick’s has been nominated for one of the more prestigious ones, but the competition is fierce and there’s no guarantee of success. I rely on my employees who deal with the customers to note ways we can improve, so don’t be shy.”

Alex chuckled.

“What?” Wyatt asked.

“No one would ever say that I’m shy about offering my opinions. Too often I can’t keep my mouth shut.”

His gaze lowered to Alex’s mouth, and she suddenly felt short of breath. He slowly shook his head. “I wouldn’t worry about your mouth…as long as you’re being helpful. I’m a demanding employer, but I don’t pass judgment unless a crime has been committed. You can speak freely to me.”

That was heady and possibly dangerous territory. She had a reputation for being overzealous about fixing things. She tried too hard. And often, if people weren’t overwhelmed by her, they took advantage. She gave too much. They took too much. But those had been nonwork situations, and Wyatt was her boss. Somehow that was both freeing and frightening. He was out of her league and she was in over her head.

But she didn’t have much time to think about that. Within minutes Wyatt had handed her into his sleek black sports car, and her education had begun.

The businesses Wyatt took her to were all opulent, the owners gracious. They took the time to explain what she could call on them for and to assure her that she could expect their help if she was uncertain of what a customer needed, but what struck her even more was the respectful but formal relationship each of them seemed to have with Wyatt. There was no friendly banter of the type she enjoyed with her business associates. They clearly admired Wyatt, but he maintained a distance.

“Thank you, Harold. Alex and I will be in touch,” he told the owner of Barrington Tours.

The man nodded. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Alex,” he said, his tone warm. “Call on me if you have any questions.”

“You might regret that,” she teased. “I tend to ask a lot of questions.”

The man grinned. “Try me. I’ll look forward to it. Really.”

When she’d thanked him and turned to leave, she noticed Wyatt standing with his arms crossed, watching the exchange, a slightly disapproving look in his eyes. She was tempted to look down at herself to see if her bra strap was showing. Instead, she smiled. Others might be intimidated by Wyatt’s height and stern looks, and her pulse might gallop at the sheer virility of the man, but none of that would ultimately matter. She was temporary. There couldn’t be any danger here. She wouldn’t allow it.

“Next?” she said with a bright smile.

“Last stop,” Wyatt said as he drove her to the third shop. “Then I’ll return you to your desk and let you get acclimated.”

Alex nodded. She was expecting this stop to be like the last two, both of which had evidenced cool distance between Wyatt and the owners. Men respecting men, each carving out his own stoic space.

But when they entered an upscale clothing store, several female employees stopped to stare at Wyatt with naked longing in their eyes.

“Hello, Beverly, this is Alex, my new concierge,” he said to a beautiful woman of indeterminate years. “She may be calling on you now and then. Beverly can provide a suit, dress shirt and tie in record time,” he told Alex.

“Yes. I prefer undressing men, but I’m an expert at dressing them,” Beverly told Alex with a smile.

Alex liked the woman immediately. “Does it happen often?”

“Dressing or undressing?”

“Both,” Alex said, refusing to blush. If she was going to work with this woman she needed to know how to hold her own.

Beverly laughed. “I like her,” she told Wyatt, ignoring the fact that he was still maintaining his distance. “And, for the record, we almost never get to undress them—especially not the good-looking ones, like Wyatt. But you’d be amazed at how many men show up with too few shirts and then spill mustard on the one they need. And of course they go running to the closest concierge. You and I, we’re going to be a team.”

“I’ll put you on my speed dial,” Alex said. “I’ll memorize your number.”

“Oh, you’re good. We’re going to have fun. Wyatt, you be good to her and don’t scare her away with those forbidding stares of yours. Don’t make her fall in love with you, either. It’s the surest way to lose a good employee.”

Alex blanched. “That won’t be a problem. I’ve sworn off men.”

Beverly snorted. “Honey, we all swear off men now and then. But when someone like Wyatt comes along, we forget what we promised not to do.”

Alex wanted to glance at Wyatt, to see his expression. He had been silent during this whole exchange. He hadn’t admonished Beverly, but he hadn’t responded, either. She remembered the warning about employees falling in love with him. “I won’t forget,” she told Beverly.

“Beverly, stop badgering Alex,” Wyatt finally said. “That’s not why I brought her here, and she’s not interested.”

Beverly wrinkled her nose. “That’s what I say about chocolate. Every single morning. And don’t you try to intimidate me with those frowns, Wyatt. It might work with everyone else, but not with me.”

Almost despite himself, it seemed, Wyatt smiled. He said goodbye, Alex bade Beverly farewell, and they both wandered out into the sunlight. “I’m sorry about that,” he said.

“Don’t be. I like people who speak their minds. And I definitely like having all the cards on the table.”

He nodded. “As in admitting that you’ve sworn off men?”

“I mean it. You don’t have to worry.”

“I wasn’t, and it was worth knowing. I don’t intrude on my employees’ private lives, but I do try to protect them when I can. It’s safe to assume that being one of the public faces of McKendrick’s and an attractive woman, there’ll be men who’ll try to hit on you. I assume you ran into some jerks in the past. If you should ever feel pressured by a customer and need assistance, Randy or I will deal with them.”

Alex shook her head. “I’m able to take care of myself, and I wouldn’t say that my attitude about men has anything to do with the ones I knew being jerks. I just ran into some hard truths about myself. I’m a woman who leaps when other people walk, and I also like to stay in one place when the men that I’ve known are changing and rushing off to something new. I want a home, stability, a fulfilling career and maybe children.”