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Back in his penthouse, he listened es which had been left on his phone and thought about how to spend the evening Any number of beautiful women could have been his and all he had to do was call He thought of the aristocratic faces and bony bodies which were always available to hi them with the curvaceous body of Ellie The one whose face had inexplicably made him feel

What?

As if he could trust her?

What a fool he was A hor tio? That women were the last species on the planet who could be trusted?

He’d spent years building up a fierce but fair persona in the business world His reputation was of soh, assertive and professional He was known for his vision and his dependability He despised the ‘celebrity’ culture and valued his privacy He chose his friends and lovers carefully He didn’t let theave interviews about him Ever Even the redhead—supposedly broken-hearted at the tio away and lick her wounds in private

But Ellie Brooks had betrayed him A waitress he’d treated as an equal and then iven some cheap little interview to a journalist How much had she made? His heart pounded because he hadn’t even had the pleasure of losing hiht she was too sweet and then she’d gone and sold him down the river He’d behaved decently and honourably by sending her chastely on her way and look at all the thanks he’d got

Hisin his groin

Maybe it wasn’t too late to do so about that

CHAPTER THREE

I’M SORRY, ELLIE—but we have no choice other than to let you go

The words still resonating painfully round in her head, Ellie cycled through the thundery weather towards the staff hostel and thought about the excruciating interview she’d just had with the personnelOf course they’d had a choice—they’d just chosen not to take it, that was all Surely they could have just let her lie low and all the fuss would have died down

Negotiating her bike along the narrow road, she tried to take in what they’d just told her She would be paid a h she would be allowed to keep her room at the hostel for another four weeks

‘We don’t want to be seen as co you out on the street,’ the HR woret on her face ‘If you hadn’t chosen to be indiscreet with such a high-profile guest, then we ht have been able to brush over the whole incident and keep you on But as it is, I’m afraid we can’t Not after Mr Sarantos uest confidentiality My hands are tied—and it’s a pity, Ellie, because you showed such promise’

And Ellie had found herself nodding as she’d left the office, because, despite her shock, hadn’t she agreed with pretty er had said? She’d even felt a bit sorry for the wo her employment

She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid She had behaved inappropriately with a guest and had then co about it to a woman who had turned out to be a journalist for so on to the handlebars with sticky palms, she stared fixedly at the road ahead

And that had been at the root of her sacking, apparently The fact that she had broken trust with a valued client She had blabbed—and Alek Sarantos was seething Apparently, the telephone wires had been practically s up to complain about the diary piece which had found its way into a national newspaper

The day was heavy and overcast and she heard the distant ruht her bike to a halt outside the hostel which was ho’s junior staff Ellie locked her bike to the railings and opened the front door Next to one of the ten individual doorbells was her naer She had a month to find somewhere new to live Aprospect in the current job ht back to square one Who would employ her now?

A louder ru the corridor to her sht and the aty that strands of her ponytail were sticking to the back of her neck The day yawned ahead as she filled the kettle and sat down heavily on the bed to wait for it to boil