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Wasn’t he realising that nohen he’d achieved every single thing he’d set out to achieve? When every hurdle had been leapt over and uniinable riches were stuffed into his various bank accounts Didn’t seeave away to charity, he still keptmore And sometimes that left him with a question which made him feel uncomfortable—a question he couldn’t see himself more and more lately

Was this all there was?

‘Will there be anything else, Mr Sarantos?’ she was asking him

The waitress’s voice washed over him like balm ‘I’m not sure,’ he drawled and lifted his eyes to the sky Above hi sky—as if soht of returning to London the following day and a sudden, inexplicable yearning ht is still young,’ he observed

She gave hi, eleven-thirty doesn’t really feel young’

‘I guess not’ He dropped a luar in his coffee ‘What time do you finish?’

Her smile wavered, as if the question wasn’t one she’d been anticipating ‘In about ten minutes’ time’

Alek leant back in his chair and studied her sos were faintly tanned and the set how cheap her shoes were ‘Perfect,’ heon us So why don’t you join me for a drink?’

‘I can’t’ She shrugged as if in answer to his raised eyebrows ‘I’m not really supposed to fraternise with customers’

Alek gave a hard smile Wasn’t fraternise an old-fashioned word, which had its roots in brotherly? An irrelevant word as far as he was concerned, because he’d never had brothers Never had anyone Well, nobody that mattered, that was for sure He’d always been alone in the world and that was the way he liked it The way he intended to keep it Exceptout for a little fe you to joinyou off to some dark corner and have my wicked ith you’

‘Better not,’ she said ‘It’s against hotel policy Sorry’

Alek felt the stir of so down his spine Was it the sensation of being refused so? How long since he had been refused anything and felt this corresponding frisson of exciteht actually have toentirely predictable

‘But I’,’ he said

Ellie nodded She knew that Everyone in the hotel did They knew plenty about the Greek billionaire who had been creating a stir since he’d arrived at The Hog last week As the land, they were used to rich and de than most His personal assistant had actually sent a list of his likes and dislikes before he’d arrived and all the staff had been advised to study it And even though she’d considered it slightly over the top, Ellie had got stuck right in, because if a job orth doing—it orth doing well

She knew he liked his eggs ‘over easy’ because he’d lived in America for a while That he drank red wine, or sometimes whisky His clothes had arrived before he did—delivered by special courier and carefully wrapped in layers of filmy tissue paper There had even been a special staff pep talk just before he’d arrived

‘Mr Sarantos iven space,’ they’d been told ‘Under no circu to be disturbed It’s a coup for someone like him to stay in this hotel, so we must make him feel as if it’s his own home’

Ellie had taken the instructions literally because The Hog’s training scheiven her stability and hope for the future For soood at exams, it had offered a career ladder she was deter of herself To be strong and independent

Which meant that, unlike every other feard the Greek tycoon with a certain impartiality She hadn’t atte She was practical enough to know her limitations and Alek Sarantos would never be interested in so to be the preferred choice of an international playboy, so why pretend otherwise?