4. Santiago
SANTIAGO
The rest of the day couldn’t have moved slower, but finally done with my shift, it was time for my treat, which came in the form of a spoiled kitten.
Walking down the hall, I whistled, fucking pumped I’d soon be alone with the boss.
Reaching his office, I noticed the mirror hung on the wall in front of it and stopped.
Remembering what Imani told me about Ariyan and how he cared for appearances, I fixed myself up.
After all, I needed to make a good impression on that sexy man.
Tucking my shirt into my pants, I then smoothed a hand over the fabric.
Who knew? He might praise me. And fuck, wouldn’t I want that?
Eager, I raised my fist to knock on the door, but before doing so, I moved it to my hair and let it down from the half bun it had been in all day. Somehow, I thought I looked better when it was loose.
Then, ready to see him, I knocked.
“Come in.” Ariyan’s voice came out from behind the door a moment later.
Quickly, I pushed the door open and slipped inside, closing it behind me.
“Mr. Rivas, I’m glad you’re here.” He rose from his chair. “How was your first day?” he asked, rounding the desk, so now we both stood on the same side of the room.
“It was good.” I rubbed the back of my neck, doing my best not to stare at him too much.
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
He smiled at me, making my pulse kick up a notch. Not wanting him to notice, I quickly looked around his office. To no surprise, it was also decorated in shades of white.
“You really like the color white, huh?” I said with a smirk.
“How so?”
I turned to see the frown on his face, which quickly made me worry I’d said the wrong thing.
“Oh, I didn’t mean—”
“I’m just messing with you.” He smiled, running his fingers through his hair. “Obviously, I love it.”
“It suits you.”
“Does it?” He stepped closer to me, his eyes locked with mine the whole time.
I’d never seen such an eye color before, which looked like melted gold. It was intoxicating, almost like staring at the sun.
“It does,” I answered his question right as he stopped before me and closed his eyes.
“Mhmm, that peach smell again.”
He leaned in, and I could feel my pulse beating rapidly at my jugular.
“It’s so sweet—” He opened his eyes, and I was met with the sun. “—I might just take a bite.”
Heat rushed to my face, and dazzled, I stared at him.
“What?”
He flashed me a toothy grin. “Again, I’m just teasing.”
Teasing? How about giving me a fucking stroke.
“Although I do love peaches. They’re my favorite,” he said, turning around and walking back to the desk. As he did, my sole attention was on his perfect ass, which looked like a fine peach to me. Guess we were both on the same page on the subject.
“Mr. Rivas?” he said, glancing over his shoulder.
Realizing I was staring at his ass, I quickly looked up.
“Yeah?”
“I asked if you’d like something to drink?”
I quickly shook my head, hoping to God he didn’t catch me drooling.
“Nah, I’m all good.”
He smiled, then grabbed something from his desk and walked back to me. “I made sure there were no mistakes this time.” Holding up the small metal tag, I saw my name engraved on it.
“Thank you.”
Ready to reach for it, Ariyan took another step closer, nearly causing me to choke.
Then, he opened the pin and gently tacked it to my shirt.
My temperature rose at his proximity, and I tried holding my breath the whole time his fingers gently moved over my chest. My head immediately filled with filthy thoughts about him touching me all over, slowly moving his hands down to my—
“All done,” he said, cutting my fantasy off in its prime.
Placing my hand on my chest, I could feel my heart still beating fast while I glanced down at the golden tag.
“As trivial as it may be, our name is our first and most basic way to connect with our guests,” he said as he walked back to his desk. “I also believe one can learn a lot about a person just from their name.”
Holding his stare, I asked, “So what can I learn about you?”
His golden eyes glinted with something a second before his lips curled into a sweet smile.
“See? I knew you’d be bold, Mr. Rivas. Your name told me you’d be.”
I stepped closer.
“Bold? Nah.” I clicked my tongue. “Stupid would be more accurate.”
He checked me out with a raised brow, and at this point, there was no denying this slight flirtation between us.
“Stupid? Why would you say that about yourself?”
“Self-awareness.”
That made him chuckle, and he covered his mouth with his hand as he laughed.
I could watch him for hours.
“You’re very straightforward. I like it.”
“Do you?” I took another step, eager to get more out of him.
“Hold on, now.” With his hip bucked against his desk, he held his finger in front of him. “Don’t get too comfortable. I’m just being friendly, with this being your first day and all.”
Understanding my place, I bowed my head down with a sigh. “Sorry, didn’t mean to cross a line.”
“Some lines are meant to be crossed.”
My eyes shot to his.
“But not this one,” he said, but the smile on his face told me he might not have meant it. Or at least, it made me hope he didn’t.
“That’s fair,” I said half-heartedly when he crossed his arms.
“So, you said your first day went well? Imani is very passionate about her work and is one of my best employees. Hopefully, she went over everything?”
“Probably beyond that, even.” I snorted, thinking back on that chatty girl. “She’s a good teacher.”
“Great, that’s just great.” He placed his hand down on the desk, and my eyes lingered on his pretty fingers. “If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate.”
“I don’t.”
“Okay then.” He pressed his hands together. “If we’re done—”
“On second thought, I do have a question,” I blurted out before he could call off this meeting. Eager to steal a few more moments of his time, I didn’t think it through, and now, he was staring at me, waiting for the so-called question.
“Yes?”
I twisted my lips, trying to come up with something when my brain decided to go blank.
Fuck.
A question then popped into my dumb head.
“My brother said you’re hosting cool parties here.”
Confusion crossed his face. “Did he?”
“Yeah.” Shit. Why do I feel like this was the wrong thing to ask?
He turned his head aside, giving me a glimpse of his scar before he pushed away from the desk.
“We do have a line of parties we host here, although I’m quite surprised your brother’s heard of it, given they’re reserved for guests only,” he explained as he slowly walked back to his chair, all while dragging his fingers along the edge of the table.
“His girlfriend was the one to bring it up, actually. She’s just a dumb kid.”
Sitting down, he placed his elbows on the table and crossed his palms. “Is that so?” He leaned his chin on the back of his hands.
I regretted bringing this up because now he probably thought I was looking for a free pass. “Just forget I asked. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“On the contrary. I want the Kallos to feel like a second home to you; therefore, feel free to ask anything.” Leaning back in his chair, he flashed me a big smile. “I’m an open book, Mr. Rivas.”
So why doesn’t it feel like it at all?
“Okay.”
“But back to your question, those parties shouldn’t bother you as they’re handled by an outside contractor. The employees of the hotel often don’t get involved.”
I nodded, cursing myself for ruining the meeting by bringing it up. Until then, everything was going smoothly. Now, Ariyan looked at me like I was a complete moron.
“Is there anything else you’d like to know?”
Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. “No.”
He replied with a smile. “Well then, I guess we’re done here.”
Nodding, I turned around and walked to the door.
“Oh, and Mr. Rivas?”
I moved to look at him too fast. “Yeah?”
“Don’t forget your name tag tomorrow.”
“I won’t.”
“Good.”