Alex had taken advantage of the free weekend and had found a good home for the dog he’d rescued. Now dubbed Sasha, the black-and-white terrier mix had been adopted by his sister’s friends—a married couple with ten-year-old twins. Scout had not only paid the vet bill, but he’d told Alex to give the family a $100 gift card for a local pet store, so they could get whatever their new pup needed. Despite not having any pets of his own, Scout, apparently, had a soft spot for animals.
On Monday, they’d hit the ground running, as Scout had warned him. There’d been numerous meetings since Alex had arrived shortly before 8:00 a.m.—some in person, while others had been virtual through Zoom.
Now, as Scout wrapped up the last meeting of the morning with his new Seattle hotel’s on-site staff, he was assured the construction crew was right on schedule and everything was ready to move to the next stage. If all went as planned, Paradox-North would be open for business within six months.
Using a pen and pad, Alex jotted down a few more details from the meeting so he’d have the information at his fingertips if Scout needed them for anything. Later, when he had a free moment, he’d enter them into the tablet. While it was double work, he didn’t want to rely on something that could freeze or reboot itself in the middle of his task, which would result in losing everything. He’d had that happen once or twice at the Four Seasons, so, lesson learned. He’d also back everything up on the company’s own cloud for safekeeping.
Closing out the Zoom meeting, Scout asked, “The next meeting is at one-thirty, right?”
Alex picked up the tablet and hit the icon for the schedule that only he and Delilah had access to. Locating the information, he read it off, “Actually, it’s at two o’clock, with Will Delaney from TKR. Delilah made a note that he called and asked to push it back a half hour. After that, you have to be in Conference Room C to meet with representatives from EnerGen. Also, it looks like your four-thirty with Hannah Townsend from Building a Better Tomorrow has been postponed until next week.”
“I expected that—saw on the news this morning her father-in-law passed away. He was a state representative for two terms. BBT is Hannah’s charity to build housing for homeless veterans. Find out when and where the services are. Tell Delilah to send flowers and make a donation in Richard Townsend’s name to BBT. I’ll need to attend one of the wakes. If there are two days of them, with afternoon and evening times, mark me down for the second afternoon. Otherwise, make it either evening.” As Alex jotted everything in a note to give to the secretary, Scout got to his feet, stepped behind his desk, and retrieved his cell phone and keys. “So, since we have a little extra time before the next meeting, let’s head upstairs, grab some lunch, and go over the schedule for the rest of the week.”
“Uh, sure.” Alex wracked his brain, trying to remember what was above the fourth floor where they could eat. He’d thought all those floors were guest rooms and condos, but maybe he was mistaken. While he’d had lunch with his boss twice now, once had been during a meeting in one of the conference rooms and the other had been at Sapphire’s.
He followed Scout out of the office, giving Delilah, who was on the phone, a wave as he passed. After he looked up the funeral information, he’d get it to her, along with Scout’s request. Instead of taking the nearest elevator, like they’d done during his first two days at work, Scout led Alex to another one at the far end of the hallway and hit the button with the up arrow.
Scout must have seen the confusion on Alex’s face because he said, “This is the one for the condo owners only. Hotel guests don’t have access to it at all. I can take either the hotel or condo elevator up to my penthouse with a key, but I use this one as much as possible.”
Okay, so it sounded like they were having lunch in his apartment. Alex hadn’t been up there yet, and he was curious to see where Scout lived. When he’d hung out with Gino the other night for a few beers, Alex had learned a little more about his new boss that he hadn’t been aware of. The important thing was that Scout’s former PA had been fired after he’d developed an unhealthy obsession with him, stalking Scout and messing with his personal life. Gino didn’t know all the details but had known enough to paint a broad picture. While Scout was openly gay, apparently, he didn’t mix business with pleasure.
Now that he knew about his predecessor, Alex made sure he didn’t show any outward attraction to Scout, which, honestly, was hard to do. Alex had always strived for complete professionalism during his tenure at the Four Seasons, but, then again, he’d never lusted over someone he worked with before. Scout Turner was sexy as hell, becoming more so each day. But if Alex wanted to keep this job—and he did—he’d have to ignore all the dirty, porn-worthy images involving Scout being naked that popped up in his mind.
Once the elevator arrived they stepped in, and Scout flashed a key fob over a sensor, then hit the button for the penthouse level. Alex’s stomach pitched as the car sped upward. In under a minute, they stopped on the top floor and the doors opened. Exiting into a large, square vestibule with only two access doors, Scout stepped over to the one on the right and again flashed his key fob over a sensor. A light turned green on it, and the door clicked open. As he led the way into his penthouse, Scout pointed to the other door across the way. “By the way, Magnus Keller lives there. Despite his bad-boy reputation, he’s a really nice guy and a good friend of mine. Don’t get all starry-eyed and tongue-tied around him and you’ll get along with him just fine. Kick your shoes off.”
Holy shit. Not only was Scout friends with Hollywood’s latest hottest actor, but he lived across the hall from him. It’s not like Alex hadn’t interacted with numerous celebrities who’d stayed at the Four Seasons in New York, but damn, Magnus Keller was freaking smokin’. Alex had seen every movie he’d made so far.
After following Scout’s order to remove his shoes in the foyer, Alex eyed his surroundings as he followed Scout into a state-of-the-art kitchen. First, the place was huge. Second, it was a cook’s dream. The dark cabinets, black, granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, and stone tiling had been paired to perfection. A half wall allowed anyone in the kitchen to see the rest of the open floor plan that made up the living room, with several seating sections designed for comfort, and a formal dining area. White carpeting explained why he had to take his shoes off.
The great room had tall windows that ran the length of it, showcasing a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay. The furniture appeared classic yet cozy. A white couch with dark green accent cushions, two brown, leather recliners, and cherrywood coffee and end tables were situated in front of a huge, stone, gas fireplace. Across from the windows, to the left of the entrance to the foyer, was a small, counter-height table and chairs, with a chess game in progress. On the wall behind it were floor to ceiling bookcases, filled with novels, many with leather covers, photos, and tchotchkes. In the corner opposite the fireplace, next to the windows, was a baby grand piano, and Alex wondered if Scout knew how to play it.
Off the great room, on either side, were hallways that presumably led to the bedrooms and maybe an office or something.
“Grilled cheese okay?” Scout asked, drawing Alex’s attention again. He’d shed his suit jacket and hung it on the back of a stool at the island. His head was buried in the open fridge, taking out the fixings for lunch, and Alex tried not to stare at the guy’s fine ass.