Page 17 of Gathered Sparkle

His eyes go wide, and his lips part as if he’s about to argue, but I’m already slipping out of the car and taking a deep breath as I make my way toward the employee entrance. Keeping my head down, I do my best to blend in, to look as if I belong.

Once I’m inside, I move cautiously, scanning my surroundings. People are milling about in a steady flow of movement while employees go about their business. I follow some of them, watching as they head into what appears to be a break room. Slipping inside, I move to the back, where rows of uniforms hang along the walls, laundry for the employees, it seems.

I grab one from a hanger, all red and black like the ones I’ve seen others wearing. It’s a little too big, but it will have to do.

As I pull off my jeans, I hear a small clatter as my matchbox hits the floor. I quickly snatch it up, shoving it into the pocket of the uniform pants before smoothing the fabric down. My heart pounds in my chest as I listen to the chatter of the employees nearby.

One of them, a guy pulling off his jacket, still in casual clothes, looks over at a friend with a grin. “So, how was the night shift? The ladies from housekeeping said something about a trespasser?”

“Same as every night, man.” The other one laughs, shaking his head. “Drunk tourists getting themselves into trouble. I guess they’ve got him sobering up down with security.”

Are they talking about…

“Why not hand him over to the cops?” The first guy frowns, tilting his head. “I saw police in the lobby when I came in. Maya said she heard it’s a celebrity, but they won’t tell us who.”

Fuck.

“Or it could be Ms. Harrington, who doesn’t want it getting out that her hotel guests are getting arrested.” The other shrugs.

“Makes sense,” the first guy mutters, nodding.

Now or never, Nova.

I take a breath and step forward, plastering on my best nervous smile.

Which isn’t difficult because I’m nervous as fuck.

“Hi. Um… could one of you help me, please?”

Both of the guys turn to look at me, their eyes sweeping over the ill-fitting uniform. The one who just arrived for his shift grins, turning toward me fully. “Hey there. You new here?”

“I am.” I nod, smiling back a little brighter. “First day. I’ve got my uniform and everything, but now they told me to go to security for a badge or something. Can you tell me where they are?”

“Security?” The second guy frowns. “That’s strange. I thought badges were handed out by HR?”

Fuck.

“Oh, okay, well they said I should…” I trail off, trying to look concerned.

“Nah.” The guy with the grin waves me off. “I had to go down there once when my badge wasn’t working with the security system in the back.” He points at the key card on his belt, and I clock the wedding band.Shit.Flirting will probably not work with him. “Maybe it’s that. Don’t worry about it.”

“Phew.” I take a step closer to him anyway, and his body language stays open.Men.But fuck it, I’ll take it. “This is all so confusing. Thank you for your help. Could you explain to me where I have to go?”

“Yeah, sure,” he says, gesturing toward the hallway. “Head down this hall, take the first left, and you’ll find a stairwell. Go all the way down to the lowest level. Got it? The security room’s on your right.”

I bite my lip, and his gaze drops to my mouth, his focus narrowing to exactly where I want it. In that instant, my fingers skim his belt with barely more than a whisper of contact. I find the cool edge of the key card, but the tiny resistance of the clip holds it in place.

“I think I’ve got it.” My thumb presses down just as I snap my fingers and point to the hallway. The sharpsnapcovers the subtleclickof the card release. “First left, then the stairwell to the lowest level… and then on the right?”

“Yeah, exactly.” He nods, still distracted, his eyes taking a sweep down my body before they finally meet mine again. “Hey, maybe we could have lunch together later. I could show you around a bit. Make sure you don’t get lost.”

Ugh.Men indeed.

“That sounds nice. I’d love that,” I say, my smile never faltering. “Thanks again. See you later?”

He grins wider, his chest puffing slightly. “See you then.”

I wave to the other guy who’s still standing next to his buddy, eyeing him critically, then I walk away, slipping the key card into my pocket.

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