Page 2 of Forbidden Virgin

“Did you go to any meetings today? I didn’t see anything on your schedule. Is this about the Preston function next week?” she asked, mentioning the fundraiser that would get him one step closer to nailing a million-dollar account he’d coveted for a long time.

“No,” he said honestly. Though he definitely should be thinking of the Preston ball and finding a proper date for it. Someone who could blend in the background and didn’t seem annoyed but also not fascinated at the thousand-dollar-per-plate event.

“Then why on Earth are you wearing a tie?” Sheri pointed at his striped gray suit and dark silky tie. “You only dress like this when you’re entertaining out-of-town business folks or meeting with big clients.”

Graham swallowed hard. He’d barely admitted to himself the way Kate Crawford stirred him, there was no way in hell he’d admit it to his assistant of five years. Though as a forty-six-year-old single mom to four kids, Sheri always knew which buttons to push to get information, so he’d better shut her down fast. “I thought I’d switch things up a bit.”

“Are you trying to impress some woman? Because with your looks and checking account, you’ve pretty much got that covered,” she said, chuckling. “But hey, the suit is a nice touch.”

He curled his fingers into a ball with white-knuckled intensity. Impressing Kate had never crossed his mind—in fact, if anything, he preferred to keep her away. Images of the bonfire gathering in Malibu flashed through his mind. Jacob had invited him for Kate’s seventeenth birthday celebration and he’d ended up going. Until then, Kate had been his friend’s daughter: someone he chatted with about music and TV shows and teased once in a while—all in good fun, of course.

She’d found him alone, staring at the Pacific Ocean, and struck up a conversation. Kate had shot some lingering glances and seductive smiles his way, but he’d ignored them. Then, she’d leaned closer to kiss him—his cue to excuse himself and leave the party immediately.

He’d made a point to only meet Jacob for activities that excluded Kate—during lunch or couples’ only dinner parties. What’d scared him most about the bonfire night wasn’t that she’d tried to kiss him—but, for one moment, he’d wanted to kiss her.

“Well?” Sheri pulled him out of his reverie.

“I need some coffee,” he said gruffly.

She tossed her curly hair to the side and surged to her feet. “Grumpy. Hmmm. I’ll find out whatever it is you’re hiding from me.”

I doubt it.What would she, or anyone, think of him lusting over someone two decades his junior? “Black coffee. No sugar. No cream.”

She flashed him a knowing smile. “I’ll be right back.”

When she closed the door behind her, Graham sighed. He ran his hand down his face, remembering the awkward conversation he’d had with Jacob Crawford. His best friend had asked him to show Kate a day-to-day routine at the resort—she would be attending a hotel school against his wishes all the way in Europe. But Jacob believed his daughter needed to have real hands-on experience, too, and who better to ask than Graham?

Graham sighed. Jacob had never asked for a thing, and he had been the one who’d loaned Graham money when he’d wanted to open his first property in California—he’d had the concept and the sweat equity but being the guy from the wrong side of the tracks, he hadn’t had the money to make it happen. His entrepreneur friend had helped him, and even though he’d paid him back well over a decade ago, that had been monetarily—he still owed him his loyalty. Damn it. Jacob had believed in his talent. And now, he should wave an olive branch to the girl who tempted him beyond belief. The only one he couldn’t have.

His phone pinged.

Did Katie arrive safely? Haven’t heard from her and she was supposed to arrive two hours ago.

Crap. Graham had sent the driver he used for VIP guests. Sure, he could have picked her up himself, but imposing limits from the beginning was better and keeping a safe distance, critical.

He glanced at the text message from Jacob. Shit. Checking on her was the least he could do. He slid his phone into his pocket and rose to his feet. Sheri entered his office again, carrying a hot cup of coffee when he lifted his hand and said, “Sorry. Gotta go.”

She said something he didn’t hear, nor wanted to. Sheri had a dangerous intuition when it came to his life, and he’d hate for her to discover the dirty secret he’d kept locked for years.

He swallowed hard.

He marched through the lobby, a couple of employees nodded or smiled at him. He strolled into the check-in area and logged into one of the computers to look for her room number.

“Looking for someone?” a female voice said, and he raised his gaze.

Kate stood on the other side of the desk. Her blue eyes gleamed, and he blinked so he wouldn’t focus on them. Staring at her was more dangerous than staring directly at the sun. His gaze slid down her long, soft neck, a pulse visibly throbbing at the base of her throat. The red spaghetti-strap dress hugged her body like a glove. Her breasts appeared fuller, much bigger than before.

Graham stepped back as if someone had threatened to fight him and he pondered if it’d be worth it or not. He’d never been in a fight he hadn’t won—and to continue his track record, he’d kept away from Kate Crawford because battling an emotion was harder than anything.

She flashed him a smile—tentative at first, then her bow-shaped lips exposed her sparkling white teeth. The last time he’d seen her she’d had her hair down her back, and now the ends curled at her shoulders, with sophisticated layers framing her beautiful face. Kate Crawford was all sultry woman, ripe for the taking. “I already checked in. I came downstairs to ask where I could find you.”

A thrill moved through him. Shit. “Tomorrow morning I’ll introduce you to the general manager, who’ll go over some paperwork and goals to make sure you get the most out of your time here.”

“Thanks.”

He cleared his throat. “You should text your father.”

“I will. I guess I’ll just order room service.” She shrugged. “Nice seeing you, Graham,” she said, and walked away.

He sucked in his breath. Shouldn’t he at least feed her? They knew each other, and he couldn’t let her order room service during her first night in Hawaii before her trainee program. Wouldn’t it be the right thing to do? She’d text Jacob and tell him his best friend hadn’t even bothered to make her arrival special. Damn. Jacob always made time for him when he visited L.A., where Graham used to live. Many times he’d even throw a dinner affair. Once he’d visited California during his birthday and Jacob and his wife, Anna, prepared a surprise birthday party for him. And what was he doing in return?

“Kate,” he called, and she turned around. “I’ll take you for dinner tonight. I’ll pick you up at the lobby at seven.”

“I’ll be ready.”

Graham forced a smile. One dinner and that would be all.

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