The Tycoon's Reluctant Cinderella

She knew she’d been out of line when she had spoken up, and she hadn’t needed Connor to tell her that. So once again she was preparing to apologise to Blake.

She walked in and swallowed when he looked up, the striking features of his face knitted into a stern expression.

‘What can I do for you, Miss McKenzie?’

‘It’s Callie, please.’

He nodded. ‘Okay, then. What can I do for you, Callie?’

Her stomach jilted just a little at the way he said her name. She cleared her throat. ‘I wanted to say sorry.’

He almost smiled. ‘It’s becoming a habit, then.’

She let out a laugh. ‘Seems like it. I’ve made quite the mess since meeting you.’ She stepped forward, resisted pulling at her clothes. ‘But I am sorry. The first time I apologised it was because I’d made a mistake. This time it’s because I shouldn’t have barged in here and spoken out of turn.’

‘I’m not upset with you because you spoke out of turn.’

Blake stood, walked around the desk and leaned against it. He was wearing a blue shirt, and the top button was loosened. She swallowed, and wondered if the temperature in the room had increased.

‘I’m not your school principal.’

‘Aren’t you, though? In some ways?’

This time he did smile, and it did something strange to her heart.

‘I won’t take the bait on that one.’

He paused, and then crossed his arms. She could see the muscle ripple under his shirt, and the heat went up another notch.

‘You say you’re sorry for barging in here. But not that you eavesdropped?’

‘No, I’m not sorry about that. If I hadn’t you wouldn’t have considered investors. Which you have been doing, right?’ she asked, and knew that subtlety was not her forte.

‘I have. I made a few calls this morning, and I have a few people interested.’

He walked towards her, and though the distance between them wasn’t small her heart thudded.

‘So the answer to your real question is yes, I am going to do this.’

‘You are?’ Relief washed over her. ‘Oh, wow!’ She pressed a hand to her stomach. ‘That’s amazing.’

‘But I need your help.’

Relief turned into confusion. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Like I said yesterday, we need a very specific kind of investor. An international one who will be willing to invest in the hotel, but also in this city. Especially if I want him to agree to my strict terms regarding the expansion of Elegance Hotels.’

His hands were in his pockets now, and he moved until he was just close enough that she could smell his cologne. It reminded her of when they were in the elevator together—a time when she hadn’t had to think of him as her boss.

She shook off the feelings the memory evoked, but when she spoke, her voice was a little husky. ‘And how can I help with that?’

‘You can help me sell the city. You are the “Specialised Concierge”, right?’

He smiled slyly, and she realised he knew about her made-up title.

‘Or, in more common terms, a tour guide,’ she said.

‘Exactly. So I’ll need you to help me sell Cape Town to potential investors. Your knowledge of the city will be an asset to any proposal I make. I’ll take care of the business side of it, of course, and once that’s done we can take them on the tour you will custom-design to fit my proposal.’

‘How do you know I can do it?’ She felt her heart beat in a rhythm that couldn’t possibly be healthy.

‘Because your job depends on it.’

He smiled now, and she couldn’t read the emotion that lined it.

‘Callie, are you prepared to work with the boss?’

She stared helplessly at him, and despite everything inside her that nudged her to say otherwise she answered, ‘Yes, I am.’

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