Page 119 of The Grand Duel

My face is on fire.

He licks at his bottom lip. “I think I might f?—”

“Hello, sorry. It’s been very busy tonight.”

I look up at the lady heading towards us.

Charles stands and holds out his hand to help me up. “Bedtime, Lis.”

I take his hand and stand, then smooth out my dress. “Thank you.”

We turn when there’s a commotion at the door, the lady flustered.

“Is everything okay?” Charles asks, his tone turning a little more nine-to-five.

“We’ve had new locks installed in the suites and penthouse apartments this week due to an issue with the previous ones, but the mechanisms are still getting jammed on the old ones. This happened to another suite just yesterday, and we had to have the company come out to fix it.”

“So, it’s not a quick fix?” he asks.

“I’m afraid not. We can move you to another room if that’s suitable for you. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Of course, another room is fine,” I tell them.

Charles nods. “We’ll take the other suite, thank you.”

She cringes. “I’m sorry. Again. We do not have any more suites available tonight. We have a standard double on the second floor. Or we can see to have you stay elsewhere for the night in a room of the same standard as this one. No extra charge to you.”

Am I god’s favourite child?

I wait, not wanting to sound too eager and not wanting to make the decision for Charles. The woman, who I’d presume is the manager, eyes him. I tilt my head back, following her line of vision, and find blue eyes already looking down at me. He’s dishevelled, his hair sticking out at the side from where I toyed with a few strands, and his bowtie untied, hung loose around his neck.

He’s beautiful, and he’s watching me, and I think he knows I’m halfway to gone for him.

His jaw tics once, and then he turns back to the woman and nods.

“You guys are superstars, thank you. And thank you for being so understanding. I can assure you we’ll be rectifying this issue, and you will receive compensation.”

“It’s fine, really,” I tell her, using Charles’s arm to balance as I bend down and collect up our rubbish.

The lady sees and takes it from my hands.

“There will be robes, towels, and toiletries in the room, but if there is anything you specifically need, please call down, and we’ll have someone find it for you.”

My eyes widen, and I snap my eyes up to Charles.

Our things.

He closes his eyes and shakes his head.

“If we are able to gain access into the room, we’ll come and let you know.”

We arrive at the door to our room, and I try to listen to the woman and whatever she is rambling on about, but all I can seem to focus on is the lack of underwear I’m wearing and the fact all of my clothes are currently in the room upstairs.

“We hope you can get some sleep.”

“Thank you,” Charles tells her, pushing open the door.

The second we step inside, I can’t help but burst out laughing.