The Hotel 2 (The Billionaire Seduction)(3)

The room is nearly full as I make my way to the chairs along the back wall.

"Ms. Evans," Dominic calls out. A chill goes down my spine as I stop and look at him. "Have a seat here, please."         

     



 

He gestures to a chair behind him, and sure enough, a folder lies there with my name on it.

"Thank you," I manage and sit. A bit unnerved, I look around and  recognize the members of the board, but no one else. Who are these  people? Folding my hands on the table, I try to look confident and  purposeful, even though I feel neither.

I have no idea why I'm here.

Dominic stands with his legs apart. His dark gray suit is so finely  tailored and conforms to his body so well, it's impossible to look away.  I've never seen him appear anything besides in control, but he's razor  sharp today.

"Good morning," he says to the room. "I'd like to introduce my brother,  Alexander. He'll be frequenting The Rexford in the coming weeks as he  gets reacquainted with the business."

"Reacquainted?" Xander stands. "That would assume I had anything to do  with The Rexford in the first place." He smiles, looking around the  table, and shoves his hands into his pants pockets much like Dominic  tends to do. People smile back as if he made a joke, but I don't.

Dominic tenses as Xander slaps him on the shoulder.

"Who better to educate me on the inside workings of The Rexford than my capable, business-savvy brother?"

The two men look at each other. I feel the dig in Xander's words. If I  notice, so do others, I'm sure. But I don't dare look around the room to  see reactions.

Dominic seems unaffected. He indicates a folder before him on the table.

"The 100th anniversary of The Rexford is coming up fast. As you know,  we'll be hosting a gala to celebrate, as well as launching special  marketing and promotions." He opens his folder and everyone does the  same, including me.

I skim the papers inside. What I see looks pretty par for the course.  Not that I'm an expert on gala-planning, but none of it really stands  out to me.

"We need this to be big. Memorable. Exciting. I'd appreciate if each of  you would think over the event plan, and let me know by tomorrow if you  have thoughts or additional ideas."

Dominic introduces a woman from the public relations department who  chats about media coverage, and then other departments pitch in too with  regular business updates. Soon, the hour is over, and the meeting is  dismissed.

I still don't know what I'm doing here. I was shadowing Dominic as part  of my internship, but that was before the big scene in his suite. Now, I  don't know where I stand.

I gather my things, unsure if I should stay or head down to work my  shift at the front desk. I'm just about to leave when Dominic beckons.

"To my office please, Ms. Evans."

The formality in his voice feels like a slap in the face. So, he's  pretending like nothing happened. My heart sinks, but I stalk past him  and down the hallway. I can be coolly professional, too.

I wait in his office, trying to stay calm. I don't want him to know that  he's having any effect on me, so I school my features to display  nothing. If I'm rigid, I can be prepared for whatever he has to say. It  won't hurt, because I won't let it.

I hope.

"Sit, please." He breezes into the office and motions to the plush  leather chairs by his desk. I don't; I stay put, keeping the damn folder  against me like a shield.

Dom pauses, looking at me. Then he steps closer, and reaches out to  softly touch my arm. I automatically lean into him. Damn it. I want to  be resolute, but his touch? It breaks me.

"I handled things badly the other night."

"I agree." I clench my jaw and say nothing else, but he doesn't back  off. He caresses my cheek, then pulls me closer, not into a passionate  clinch, but a simple hug instead.

I'm disarmed. Feeling him hold me like this, almost tender, I can't help  but relax. Still, I can't just roll over. Not after what he's put me  through.

"You were kind of an asshole," I tell him, my head still resting against his chest.

I feel him chuckle.

"It's not funny." I push him away. "Do you have any idea how humiliated I  was, with Xander walking in? And then you just ordered me out of  there."

"I'm sorry." Dom looks sincere. "I didn't know what to do, I wasn't  expecting him. I know, I shouldn't have treated you like that. It's  just …  Fuck, Xander. He's always ruining everything."

He looks so frustrated, my heart melts a little.

"But it can't be that bad," I say hesitantly. "He doesn't have control of the company. You do."

Dom shakes his head. "He's going to cause problems. There's a reason my  father left me fifty-one percent of this company. Xander is exactly the  ally that Blaine Prescott needs to bring me down."         

     



 

"Xander would sell out the hotel?" I exclaim, shocked.

"Not on purpose, no," Dom admits. "Xander isn't disloyal. He's just  reckless. Careless and impulsive and needy. He leaves a trail of  destruction in his wake, and I've spent our entire fucking lives  cleaning up after him!"

I can see it on his face, the weight of responsibility. Not just for the  company, or his family's legacy, but for his brother too.

I remember what he said that first night at the Drake. No one is ever  waiting for me. He has no one to listen. No one to understand. Nobody  except me.

"No one tells you, do they?"

"Tells me what?" he asks.

My heart aches for him. I have Callie and Emily to keep me on my game,  to encourage me. Dominic is the strength and the backbone of this hotel,  but he's all alone.

"That you're doing a good job."

His brow crinkles as if he can't comprehend what I'm saying. I worry  that I've overstepped. I'm not sure why that came spilling out, but I  mean it. And he needs to hear it.

I step forward, and press a kiss to his lips. Dominic relaxes against  me, and for one blissful moment, it's like nothing else matters in the  world.

The ringing of his phone breaks the moment. Dominic pulls back and grabs  his cellphone. "Hold on," he orders, before turning back to me. "Eight  o'clock tonight. Dress up."

"What? Why?"

Dom gives me a determined look.

"We're going to finish what we started."





Chapter Four




"God, what I wouldn't give to be the tasty filling in the middle of a Rexford sandwich."

"Ew!" I throw my lipstick at where Callie's laying on my bed, staring at  pictures of Dom and Xander in the gossip columns. I'm trying to get  ready for my date tonight, but I'm panicking because I don't know what  Dominic has planned. Dinner? A club? An all-night sex marathon over his  desk? I want to be prepared, but it's hard picking an outfit when I  don't know if it's meant to be admired or ripped off.

"No, not the blue." Emily stops me as I reach for a short, tight number. "Go with black, it's always a classic."

I pull on the dress and look in the mirror, having flashbacks from when  the girls helped me get ready the first night I met Dom. Then, I felt  way out of character getting so dressed up, but tonight my reflection  looks more like myself. I wonder if I've changed since then, and whether  that's a good thing. So much has happened in just a few short weeks. I  let out a whimper.

"What am I even doing, you guys? He's a Rexford. He has everything. Money. Power. And I'm …  I'm … "

"Juliet Evans, and you're brilliant, loyal, and ambitious." Emily steps  up behind me and fastens a gorgeous necklace around my neck. It's one of  her own designs: Swarovski crystals falling in a delicate waterfall  over my collarbone and cleavage.

She gives me a reassuring smile in the mirror. "He's the lucky one to be dating a girl like you."

"But what if I'm out of my depth?" I ask.

"How are you going to learn to swim if you don't dive in the deep end?"  she replies, and I think I see a wistful look on her face. Emily's  always played it safe, but I wonder if she secretly dreams of adventure  and excitement like this.

Before I can say anything, she steps back and spins me around, giving me a final nod of approval. "You're ready."

But am I really?

"Thanks, Em." I hug her just as the doorbell rings.

"Shit! The apartment's a mess!" Callie leaps up. "Hurry and get your shoes on, Jules. You can't let him walk in here!"

I scramble for my heels, listening as Callie's voice sweetens up just  outside the bedroom door. Dominic's low tone comes after hers as they  make small talk. Shoes on, I give myself one last look in the mirror and  then head out into the living room.

Dominic is framed in the doorway, wearing a perfectly-cut navy suit.  Immediately, I give thanks Em steered me to the classic black dress. Dom  looks classy and totally hot, like he just stepped out of a designer  fashion spread.

Forget dinner. He's the main course and I want him naked, with whipped cream on his abs for dessert.