Weekend in Vegas!: Saving Cinderella!

“Good. But if the unexpected should happen and your ‘never ever’ turns to ‘maybe’, will Wyatt be fine?”

She blinked.

“Look, none of us know Wyatt that well. He keeps his personal life to himself. But he treats his employees well, even if he asks a lot in return. I know that better than anyone. I’m here today because Wyatt caught me trying to pick his pocket when my mother died and left me and my younger brother destitute. He grabbed me by my shirt, lectured me, and then gave me a job with the understanding that I would keep out of trouble. Because he’s fair, those of us who work for him pay attention, and what we’ve seen is that he takes everything that concerns McKendrick’s seriously. If he chose you to work here and you somehow got hurt, he would brood over that.

“The truth is that whenever a woman shows up here with stars in her eyes, and he has to tell her no, he retreats into himself even more than usual. His past’s a secret, but something must have happened, because even if he’d never admit it, hurting people seems to affect him almost as much as it does them. Unless they deserve it, of course. Then he can be ruthless.”

“So you want me to protect Wyatt’s psyche by agreeing not to fall in love with him?”

“It sounds stupid, but, yes, something like that.”

“Not a problem. You’ve got it.” She hoped her voice didn’t wobble with uncertainty when she said that.

“Good, because people are already taking bets on how long it will be before you go down for the count.”

“Randy!”

“I’m just saying…”

“Well, stop saying. I’m here to do a good job. That’s all.”

With that, Alex returned to her desk, more prepared than ever to keep a safe distance from Wyatt. And that meant concentrating harder on her job.

She dug out more of the guides from Belinda’s desk and began to study them. She had to. Unlike someone who’d lived in the city, she didn’t know anything about the layout other than the world famous Las Vegas Strip. That would have to change, something that became clear when several people asked her questions she didn’t know the answers to. Fortunately they were nice enough to wait while she quizzed Randy. But Randy had his own duties, and her stalling techniques wouldn’t bode well for McKendrick’s if a reviewer for the competition showed up.

For two seconds Alex allowed self-doubt to creep in, but she battled it back. She had the ability to do this job, didn’t she? Or if she didn’t have it yet, she would. Knowledge was king in this position, but there had to be a better way to educate herself than sitting around reading tour guides. As soon as she got off work she planned to do her homework. The Alex way.

But for now…

“The elevators to the karaoke bar are that way,” she told one young man, and, “The shuttle to the airport will be here in ten minutes,” she told another.

She was searching through a drawer she hadn’t had time to explore yet when she looked up and saw Mr. Toliver coming in through the main doors. Automatically she glanced up at his hair, which…mostly wasn’t there.

Okay, this is so not what I expected, she thought. His hair looked nothing like Seth’s sweeping blond mane. Still, she had sent him to the stylist; it was only right to follow up.

“Mr. Toliver,” she called.

To her surprise, he smiled and turned her way. “What do you think?” he asked.

“I think…”

“It’s short, I know,” he said, rubbing his hand over the top of his head. “But Gregory told me that my head was shaped perfectly for the almost shaved look, and since I was starting to thin on the top I thought I’d try it. It’s not for everybody, of course, but it’s very freeing,” he said, smiling. “Much cooler in this heat, too.”

Alex sent a silent thank-you to Gregory, the hairdresser she’d never met. It seemed that McKendrick’s had a happy customer. And the style did suit the man. “It looks right on you,” she said. “Awesome.”

He walked away, his smile even broader, and Alex followed his progress. Her gaze snagged on Wyatt, who had entered the building while she hadn’t been watching. He was staring at Mr. Toliver, who had his back turned toward Wyatt.

Almost without thinking she stood up and moved toward the door. “It might look a little drastic,” she began, “but—”

“He likes it. I know. I ran into him outside,” Wyatt said. “Nice job.” Something close to pleasure lurked in his green eyes and sent her heartbeat racing ten times faster than it had when she’d seen Frank Toliver’s bald head.

Don’t even consider wondering what he would look like if he ever flashed a full smile, she ordered herself. “Weren’t you even a little worried when you saw his head?”

He hesitated, as if studying the question. “I already had my fingers poised over my cellphone to order champagne shipped to his room.”

He sounded so disgruntled at even having to admit it that Alex couldn’t hold back a small chuckle. “Aha, so you were worried.”

Now the smallest trace of a smile lifted his lips. “If it makes you feel better, I did feel a twinge, but only a small one. Alex, in this business there are bound to be customers who have concerns now and then, but I hire good people. I expect them to do their jobs well, but in the end, I’m always poised to fix a few things. I’m the safety net. If you’re doing everything possible to give the customers the experience they have every right to expect, you’re doing what I require of you. Do we have a deal?”

He held out his hand. She stared at it, almost afraid to touch him.

And when she finally did place her hand in his, she knew that she had been right to be afraid. The heat and the energy and the sudden attraction whooshed in, making it hard to forget that Wyatt was a man who was impossible to ignore.

A loner of a man, she reminded herself. His words just then had confirmed it as much as anything Randy had told her. He was an island—or at least he was the lone protector of the personal island that this hotel represented.

He was waiting for her answer. “We have a deal,” she managed to choke out, but when he released her it was all she could do not to stare at her hand. It felt as if he had imprinted a part of himself on her.

“You’re free to go, Alex,” he said.

She frowned, confused.

“Lois is here for her shift,” he clarified. “You’ve survived your first full day.”

I’m not so sure, she thought as she walked away. She kept trying to tell herself that this was just a job, but her reaction to Wyatt made it feel more like a personal test.

Alex stared at her hand when she got back to her room. Sensation rushed through her, which was ridiculous. The man had merely shaken her hand, a brief brush of flesh against flesh, but the nerve-endings in her fingers had practically sizzled.

She was far too attracted to him, acting just the way Randy had predicted. Like an idiotic woman obsessed with Wyatt. Like those other women who had wanted him.

But she had one advantage over those women. She didn’t want to want him. He was the most potent and unattainable man she’d ever met, and darn it, she wasn’t going to do something stupid.

Alex took deep calming breaths. She counted to ten. “I’m strong. I’m not a slave to my emotions.”

Those words were important because, like it or not, she was once again in a position of helping a man achieve his goals, the very thing that had caused her to walk straight into heartbreak after heartbreak. Assisting a man created a rush of very temporary positive emotions, but when those emotions faded the party was over. The pain began.

Not happening this time, Lowell. Wyatt’s goals were part of her job, nothing more. When she was done she could run back to San Diego, set up her shop, and enjoy the rest of her life.

“I can be attracted to you without succumbing, Wyatt,” she whispered. “You won’t have anything to regret when I’m gone. In fact, you’re going to be glad you hired me, because I intend to help you surpass any competitors and win that prize.”

And she knew just how she was going to start.

CHAPTER SIX (#ulink_5bb5f24c-233d-58a1-b637-78ac9f44567e)

WYATT prowled the halls of McKendrick’s, trying to shake off the feeling that he shouldn’t have shaken Alex’s hand. Ridiculous. He’d merely been trying to reassure her that she didn’t have to bear the responsibility for the success of the hotel. He hadn’t hired her for that.

What did you hire her for? he asked himself. Easy answer. He’d simply wanted a smooth transition between Belinda leaving and returning. Alex had seemed like a woman who could make that transition invisible for the customers and staff.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t invisible to him—a fact he’d noticed from the minute he’d set eyes on her. The second she’d put her hand in his energy and desire had zipped up his arm, practically consuming him.