Tears of anger and frustration prick my eyes as I stand at the front desk, trying to explain to the receptionist what it is I need her to do for me.
“You want to find a different hotel?” she asks.
“Yes.” My flight isn’t for four days and I wasn’t able to change the ticket, which was my first preference because I no longer want to be here.
“Is there something wrong with your room?”
“No, the room is fine. I just can’t stay here any longer.” I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Look, can you help me find somewhere else to stay, or not?”
The young blonde behind the desk shrugs. “It is peak season. Everywhere will be full.”
“Fine.” I throw my hands up. “Forget it. I’ll just stay where I am.”
As I stomp off toward the elevator, the one man I definitely didn’t want to see right now cuts me off. “Sofia.”
“Alexander, would you get out of my way, please?”
He sighs. “Look, Sofia, I didn’t mean to upset you this morning, and I don’t want that to be it for us. Give me a chance to explain everything.”
“Okay, fine, explain.”
He grimaces. “I can’t right now. I have a meeting to get to.”
“Oh, yes, I forgot. You’re a busy billionaire hotelier.”
His jaw clenches. I don’t think he likes my snide tone. “Have dinner with me tonight. We can talk then.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please, Sofia. I’ve made a mess of things and I want to fix it.”
Although I’m angry that he didn’t trust me enough to tell me who he was before he slept with me, I do want to know why he concealed his identity. “Okay.”
“Great. Seven thirty in my suite.” He walks off, but tosses a few final words over his shoulder. “Don’t be late.”
“Of course not,” I mutter under my breath. “You’re a busy man.”
I get in the elevator and go to my room, intending to grab my bag and head for the beach. When I get to the room, however, I suddenly feel exhausted. Sinking onto the bed, I close my eyes. A half hour’s sleep won’t hurt.
When I wake, I glance at my cellphone and see that it’s almost seven thirty. I don’t know how I managed to sleep through the entire day. My heart pounds as I realize I’m supposed to have dinner with Alexander in just a few minutes. I sit up and catch sight of myself in the mirror opposite the bed. I’m a mess. My hair is all over the place and my clothes are crumpled. Perhaps it’s a sign that I shouldn’t see Alexander again.
I don’t know why I’m so hurt that he lied to me. It was just a brief fling, after all. Only, it wasn’t. Not for me. In the short time I was with Alexander, I started to hope that we could see each other again. A part of me thought there might be a future for us. We got on well, felt relaxed in each other’s company, and the sex was mind-blowing. Perhaps we could have built on that.
Or, perhaps, I’m deluding myself. It might have come to nothing. Deciding to protect myself from any further humiliation, I pick up the phone and dial room service. “Pizza Margarita and a bottle of white wine, please.” The girl on the other end asks me what type of wine. I don’t really know one variety from another, but I did like the one Alexander ordered at that seafood place yesterday. “Pinot Grigio, please.”
I hang up and go to splash some water on my face. I sort out my hair while I’m in the bathroom, dragging a comb through the tangles. There’s no point changing my clothes since I’m just going to hang around the room, so I sit on the bed, get my e-reader out and wait for my pizza to arrive. When there’s a knock at the door a few minutes later, I jump up to answer.
“That was qui….” The sentence trails off. Alexander is standing there in dress pants and a button-down shirt.
He glares at me in a way that makes me think I might be in trouble. “You were planning to stand me up?”
“I….eh…no,” I squeak.
“No? So you didn’t order pizza?”
Shit. Have his staff members been telling tales? “Are you keeping tabs on me?”
“Yes,” he replies unapologetically as he steps into the room. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t try to avoid me. I need a chance to make things right.”
I sigh. “Look, Alexander. There’s no need to explain. We had a one-night stand. That’s it. No need for any drama.”
“Is that really what you think?” He advances on me, and I back away, more on impulse than because I feel threatened. “Was one night enough for you?”
“No, but it seemed to be plenty for you.” I shake my head. “How can we do this again if you don’t trust me?”
“It’s not you I don’t trust, Sofia. It’s my own judgement. I’ve let people use me in the past. I’ve been hurt and now I’m cautious.”
“Okay, I get that, but I’m not some gold-digger and the way you gave me that painting made me feel like one.”
“It wasn’t meant to.” Alexander puts his hands on my shoulders. “I saw you looking at it and I wanted you to have it.”
He backs me up against the wall. Presses his body against mine. “So, what do you say, Sofia? Will you give me another chance?”
“I don’t know, Alexander. It seems like we got off to a good start and then it just all went to shit.”
“Sofia. I want to start again. I had a wonderful day yesterday and I want to do that over and over again with you.”
It’s the pleading look in his eye that undoes me. I can see how sincere he is about giving things a try. It’s a risk, but I decide it’s one I want to take.
“Okay,” I say, with a grin. “As long as you understand it’s because you’re hot, not because you’re rich.”
His lips form a cocky smirk. “I’m hot, huh?”
“You know you are.”
He leans in for another kiss, but I put a hand on his chest and push him back. I want to do this right. “Not so fast.” I hold my hand out to him. “Hi, I’m Sofia Moretti, recently jilted and currently unemployed.”
“Alexander Doukas.” He takes my hand and shakes it. “Billionaire hotelier.”
“Nice to meet you, Alexander. So, what do you want to do now?”
He grabs my hand and leads me over to the bed. He sits and pulls me between his legs. “I don’t know, Miss Moretti. What do you want to do now?”
“Oh,” I say, pushing his jacket down over his shoulders. “I can think of a few things.”
“I want to do them all,” he says as he collapses back onto the bed, pulling me down with him.
“So do I, Mr. Doukas,” I say with absolute certainty. “So do I.”
The End.