Undone by the Star Read Free

grin, on a day like today, she still might have taken him for a plumber. A testament to his acting, perhaps? Maybe not. A sudden vision of Penelope Smith-Jones flaring her nostrils made Alex feel better. Not everyone had recognized him.
    Regardless, nothing in the online gossip hinted at either bad temper or vindictiveness. Alex sighed. There was little she could do about it now, but it was a less-than-gentle reminder to keep her guard up. Hotel employees often found themselves in tricky situations. And as she well knew, any mistake she made would be put under the microscope.
    Taking a deep breath, Alex put her phone away and followed the stairs to the ground floor. Despite the positives online, and the clear eyes of the man himself, she was still anxious. She’d torn a strip off Marc Daniels. But if he complained about her behaviour, he would come off as a bit of a prat. Pretending he was a plumber. Alex grinned. The moment they’d heard that toilet flush was hilarious.
    Still, there were no excuses. She’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. And he’d let her. The end.
    The lobby hummed with activity. Quietly, of course; this was The Sadler. One hundred-and-forty rooms for an elite clientele, or at least those for whom privacy was the number one priority. All other comforts being attended to, of course.
    Cyril raised a finger.
    Here we go, thought Alex. She slipped behind the reception desk.
    “I’ve just had a call from Marc Daniels,” he said, a slight undercurrent of excitement in his voice. “You seem to have made an impression.”
    “Good, I hope?” asked Alex innocently.
    “He did say you were extremely efficient. Which reminds me,” Cyril said as he passed her a slip of paper. “Your messages.”
    On it was the usual list of last-minute emergencies, to which, Alex mentally added a reminder to pop down to maintenance and sign the work order for Bert. And quell any rumours while she was there. Although she didn’t think Bert would say anything, even if he did suspect Marc’s true identity. A regular per diem was a luxury.
    “Oh, and we’re waiting for Mr. Daniels’ luggage. It’s arriving separately.”
    “Duly noted,” said Alex, absolutely certain that short-staffed or not, she’d seen enough of Marc Daniels for one day.
     
    Prowling the suite trying to decide what to do about Miss Kirkwood while the afternoon wore on wasn’t getting him anywhere, Marc decided. He’d made a few calls, bailed on a dinner with his production manager and sent out a few emails, but his thoughts kept returning to what had happened earlier.
    In no way did wanting a fresh start in England justify playing anyone for a fool, let alone a young woman trying to do her job. What had he been thinking? Marc frowned. He doubted Miss Kirkwood would be thrown off balance for more than a moment or two, but there was something about the flash of anger in her eyes that he couldn’t forget. He’d behaved like one of those Hollywood celebrities he so loathed.
    Pushing that unwelcome thought aside, he considered the woman herself. Beautiful, self-contained, soft skin that took on a sweet rosy flush when she was embarrassed, the delicacy of her wrists that the cut of her jacket emphasized rather than hid. She was attractive, yes, but what had caught his attention was her unconscious kindness and burst of justified anger. Marc smiled. No question that he felt a very strong attraction to Miss Kirkwood.
    What incredibly bad timing! The paparazzi had been having a field day over his supposed engagement to Vivyana, and while he doubted Miss Kirkwood had the time or the desire to read celebrity gossip, once the press learned he was in London, it would be hard to avoid. They could eat someone like Miss Kirkwood alive if he wasn’t careful, and he hadn’t become as selfish as that.
    Nonetheless, an apology was in order.
    Then he could put the whole incident out of his mind, find a flat and get on with his next project.
    Flowers. He would send