Room Service for the Billionaire (2 page)

“Please don’t be broken. Please
don’t be broken,” she cooed at her phone, but a tiny chip had appeared at the
bottom corner of the screen. “Shit,” she mumbled then added another one when
she realized the phone at the front desk was still ringing.

“Good evening, front desk,” she
answered on the fifth or six ring.

“I see it’s busy down there,” a
familiar deep voice greeted her.

“Oh, Mr. Abernathy,” she breathed
into the phone. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Yes, I believe there is.” Clinton
Abernathy’s voice was deep, but had a playfulness to it that made Amber’s heart
sing. “Could you bring up a bottle of champagne and some strawberries?”

“I’ll have room service bring that
right up to you, sir,” Amber told him while trying to keep her voice
professional as possible.

“No, I think you misunderstand,”
the wealthy young tycoon corrected her. “I don’t want room service to bring it
up. I want you to bring it up. As soon as possible, if you please.”

“Um, okay,” Amber mumbled as
Clinton Abernathy hung up his end of the call. Immediately she called over to
the kitchen and placed his order, instructing them that she’d be bringing it
up.

“Mr. Peters,” she went over to her
sleeping boss. She gently poked his shoulder to get him to wake up and when he
finally came to she told him what happened.

“So call the kitchen and have them
bring it up,” he said as he swatted her away.

“I did that, sir, but he’s
requesting that I bring his order up,” Amber informed him. “Can you watch the
desk?”

“Fine,” the manager nodded, but as
Amber met the man from the kitchen and took the silver serving cart she could
already hear Mr. Peters snoring softly from his chair.

“Don’t worry about him,” the man
from the kitchen shrugged. “He’ll wake up if someone rings the bell.”

Amber pushed the cart and stepped
into the elevator. She smoothed her skirt as she waited for the car to climb
the twelve stories to the penthouse. The hotel wasn’t huge, but it was by far
the nicest one in the area. It didn’t surprise her that the other business men
stayed there, but if Clinton Abernathy was half the man her boss seemed to
think he was then Amber truly was impressed by her new place of employment.

No one had thought to give Amber a
tour of the hotel, but when she got to the top floor she stopped worrying about
trying to find the right door. There were only three doors on the penthouse floor,
two to the left of the elevator and one to the right.

“Hello?” Amber called as she
knocked on the white door to the right of the elevator. “Room service.”

“Come in,” Clinton’s deep voice
called to her. That’s when it hit Amber, she hadn’t thought to bring the master
key card. She was locked out.

“Um,” she stammered through the
door. “I don’t have a key.”

From inside the room Amber thought
she could hear laughter, but the door opened before she could be sure or not.
Inside the room was still brightly lit despite the dark hour and she dutifully
rolled the cart inside.

The moment she stepped into the
penthouse suite Amber’s jaw dropped. The place was bigger than the small house
she and her mother shared. The furniture was all brand new and from the doorway
she could see at least three bedrooms and a kitchen area. It was the nicest
place Amber had ever been and it was only twenty minutes from her house.

Then her eyes found their way to
Mr. Abernathy. He’d removed his suit jacket and tie, but he still wore his
slacks and shirt despite the late hour. His dark hair was slightly disheveled,
as if he’d run his hands through it over and over again, but it only added to
the sexiness of the man. When her gaze reached his face Amber realized he was
looking her over too.

“So,” she stuttered when she saw
his confident eyes on her body. “Here’s your strawberries and champagne. I’ll
have it added to your bill.”

“Wait,” Mr. Abernathy said as
Amber made for the door. “Would you like to stay and enjoy some of these with
me? I can’t eat it all on my own.”

“I’m sorry, I have to get back to
the desk. Have a good night, Mr. Abernathy.”

“First of all,” he smiled at her
as he stepped between Amber and the door. “You can call me Clinton, or even
better, Clint. Second, did that boss of yours not tell you to do anything I
asked? That does include enjoying a few strawberries with me.”

“It’s my first night,” she
blushed. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”
Or fired,
her mind added.

“Nonsense,” Mr. Abernathy, or
Clint, smiled as he picked up a strawberry from the silver bowl and popped it
between his sensual lips. “If he has a problem with it then he can talk to me.
He’ll probably just sleep through the rest of the night and never notice. Now,”
Clint said as he slipped his arm around Amber’s shoulders and led her into the
room. “Please come in and join me for a treat.”

Amber’s stomach fluttered as
Clint’s hand touched her shoulder. It was like his touch was electric and she
couldn’t hide the blush in her cheeks. She didn’t want to get in trouble, but
she wanted to join Clint even more. She let him lead her to the couch where she
took a seat while he wheeled over the silver serving cart.

“Have you ever had Moet?” Clint
asked as he popped open the bottle.

“No,” Amber said as she shook her
head. The best sparkling wine she’d ever had was Baby Duck and it was much too
sweet for her tastes.

“It’s not the best,” Clint
shrugged. “Your hotel is nice, but could use with a little better of a wine
selection. It is quite nice with the strawberries though. Here,” Clint said as
he held one up for her.

“Thanks,” she blushed as she went
to take the strawberry from him. It was sweet on her tongue and deliciously
fresh. She didn’t even need the champagne; strawberries might have been her
favorite food on the planet.

“Tell me about yourself,” Clint
said as he poured the champagne into two flutes. “How did such a beautiful
young woman come to work the night desk job?”

Amber’s blush spread from her
cheeks to her neck as the elegant man sitting with her passed her a glass.
Me?
Amber thought to herself.
Gorgeous?
She sipped at the bubbly wine in an
effort to calm her nerves and let the bubbles dance across her tongue before
she answered.

“I needed a job,” she shrugged.
“They have good benefits and it pays well enough.”

“How practical,” Clint smiled at
her. He rested his temple on his fist while he watched her grab another
strawberry. “It’s always nice to meet a practical young woman. It’s so hard to
find people who think logically these days.”

“What about you?” Amber said as
she sipped more of the champagne. “What do you do?”

“Mostly real estate development,”
Clint gave her a shrug. He was so effortlessly charming and sweet. Amber’s
mother had always taught her about safety and keeping her guard up. She’d never
have considered sitting drinking with a strange man in a hotel room before, but
Clint seemed so genuinely interested in her that she let herself relax. “It’s
pretty boring. I’m only here to try to put the brakes on a project my company
was starting. Originally we were going to make a new housing development, but
then some factory closed and employment plummeted. We’ll get slaughtered if we
build here.”

“Oh,” Amber’s shoulders slumped.
“Yeah, my mom worked there.”

“Sorry,” Clint offered. His eyes
were concerned as he searched Amber’s face for some hint of resentment, but she
was
more sad
than anything.

“It’s not your fault,” she said as
she finished off her glass. “Bad management. It was a good plant and a good
place to work. I worked there for a little over a year to help pay for school.”

“What are you studying?” Clint
asked as he filled her glass again.

“Marketing,” she told him, but
frowned. “Well, I was. Without the factory I had to drop out. Not enough cash
to pay for school. I’m going to try to go back part time while I work here, as
long as I don’t get fired for drinking champagne with a guest on my first night
on the job.”

“I don’t want to keep you if
you’re that worried,” Clint assured her. “It’s just nice to have some company. Most
women who talk with me are only after my money. You’ve been a breath of fresh
air.”

“Really?” Amber blushed and hid
her smile by drinking more of the champagne. It had already gone to her head
and made things a little fuzzy, but she was happy. There was such a confidence
to Clint, it was something she’d lost the day her mother had lost her job and
their world had come crashing down around her feet.

“Would you be put off,” Clint
began as he reached for another strawberry. “Or that is, would you believe me
if I told you if I thought I felt a connection with you when we first met?”

That caught Amber off guard. As
much as she was enjoying having some millionaire flirting with her over
champagne, she didn’t want to assume it was more than just that. She’d felt the
spark too, but she hadn’t wanted to get her hopes up. There was something about
how his eyes met hers and the warmth that seemed to radiate from him that made
butterflies appear in her stomach.

“Not put off,” Amber smiled as she
forced herself to look him in the eye. “Happy is the word I think I’d go with.
I just, I don’t want to sound cynical, but you’re so hot. I mean,” Amber tried
to recover, but Clint just gave a warm laugh so she continued. “You’re very
attractive and you’ve got to be a millionaire to be staying in a room like
this. You could do so much better than me. I just work the front desk.”

“So?” Clint said as he weaved a
lock of her blonde hair around his fingers. “When I started with my company I
worked in the mail room. I was sixteen and putting myself through school. This
country was built on hard work. Give it a year and you could be a supervisor or
a manager. A few years or so after that you could be running this place if you
work hard enough. The hotel business is lucrative. Oh,” Clint finished. “I’m
not a millionaire. Not technically. Last check my worth was slightly over three
billion.”

Amber tried to say something in
response to that, but jumbled mumbles were all that left her lips.
Three
billion?
her
mind screamed at her. It just didn’t
seem fair that this man had that much money, yet so many people in her hometown
were out of work.

“What’s wrong?” Clint asked when
he noticed the change in Amber’s demeanor. “Did I say something?”

“No,” she shook her head. “But I
really should be going.” She stood to leave, but before she made it a step
towards the door Clint’s hand had found her wrist.

“Don’t go,” he said softly. “I
want you to stay.”

“Why?” Amber asked, afraid to look
back at him. If she saw his face she knew she would never leave.

“I want you,” Clint said as he
stood to meet her. His hands slipped around her stomach and pulled her back
against his strong, muscular chest. “There’s something about you. I have to
have you.” His lips met the top of her head and Amber let her hands move to
his. Clint’s fingers found hers and took her hands in his.

“I want you too,” she let herself
whisper. Her words had been almost too quiet to hear, but it had been enough.
Clint turned her to face him and he used a hand to lift her chin up. He lowered
his lips to meet hers and when they touched it was like a spark raced through
her body. Amber let herself wrap her arms around him and pulled herself deeper
into their passionate kiss. The champagne and strawberries were sweet on his
lips and she savored the taste of him.

“You’re so beautiful,” Clint
purred against her lips before he dipped his tongue into her mouth. Their
tongues met in a passionate dance and Amber’s body shivered as his hand slid to
her breast. He gently squeezed it before his eyes locked on hers to confirm
what he was doing was okay. Her response was a simple nod and Clint returned
his attention to her bust.

Both his hands cupped her breasts
as he kissed down her neck. His lips met her ascot and quickly she fumbled with
the fancy knot to undo it. Carelessly she cast the silky fabric aside for Clint
to have better access to her throat.

His kisses were like sweet honey
and he generously placed them down her neck and across her chest. When he met
the V of her blazer his hands left her breasts and effortlessly began to undo
the buttons of her suit. There were only two buttons and Clint had them undone
before Amber even realized what he’d done. He slipped her blazer off her
shoulders and Amber began to tug at her white shirt in an effort to get undressed
as quickly as possible.

“Are you sure?” Clint asked as he
stopped her. His eyes were full of lust, but still he was concerned.

Amber’s answer came in another
deep kiss before she pulled her top off. Underneath she revealed a lacy black
bra and Clint’s smile curled deliciously across his lips.

“Were you expecting something?”
Clint teased her as he pulled her in for another kiss.

“No,” Amber shook her head. “Just
a boost of confidence.”

“I like it,” Clint purred as he
slid a finger under the lacy strap. “But I’ll like it even better on the
floor.” Clint’s hands slipped around her back and easily undid the clasp of her
bra. Gently he slid the straps off her arms and freed her breasts. “Wow,” Clint
sighed as he gazed at Amber’s bare bosom.

Amber had never been proud of her
chest. Her breasts were average sized at best with tiny pink nipples. Her skin
was pale and she went to raise a hand to cover herself, but Clint brushed it
away.

“You’re so beautiful,” he smiled
at her before he pulled her bare chest against his own. He planted more kisses
on her lips, down her jaw, and then finally towards her bared flesh. When his
lips met her nipple Amber couldn’t help but moan from the sensual touch of his
kiss. Her hands tangled in his dark hair and her back arched as his tongue
massaged her tiny pink bud.