Page 7 of The Heartbreak Hotel

Oh, no.

Riley’s lips pulled into a smile. “Can I get you anything?”

Ella’s mind gutter-dived for a moment, thinking about Riley’s strong arms and how they might feel wrapped around her.

“I…uh…” Her hand instinctively shot to the top of her head, but any attempt to smooth her damp, bramble-filled hair into something acceptable was useless. She tore her eyes away, making a show of looking around her pristine white room. Get it together, Ella. Don’t be so desperate. “I don’t think so. Just point me in the direction of the nearest alcohol.”

“That would be approximately 600km that way,” Riley said, pointing back towards the ocean. “On the mainland.”

“What?!”

“Sandy Springs is an alcohol-free experience.”

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“I’m afraid not.”

Images of herself sunbathing on the beach, sipping piña coladas as beautiful women fanned her, dissolved in front of Ella’s eyes. “What about locals? I bet they have alcohol.” She sounded a little unhinged now, but she couldn’t tame the shrill pitch of her voice.

Riley didn’t comment but just gave a soft shake of her head.

“For god’s sake, what is this hellhole?”

To Ella’s surprise, Riley grinned, bringing out two dimples in her cheeks. Ella’s eyes were drawn to them as she squashed her mouth into an amused line.

“Senhor Arenoso strongly believes in the detox of alcohol to bring about great change, but you’ll learn more about the course tomorrow. I suggest you get some sleep. You’ve had quite an eventful day…so I’m told.” She beamed, mischief glinting in her gaze.

“Eventful is putting it lightly,” Ella grumbled, feeling her lips twitch at the corners.

“Boa noite, Ella,” Riley said, ducking her head in a slight bow before disappearing down the path. The way her accent curled around the words made heat flush up Ella’s neck, lingering long after she’d closed the door and collapsed onto her bed.

* * *

“And your sex drive? What’s that like?”

Ella fought back a yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. “Excuse me?”

The man clicked his pen, bushy eyebrows furrowing slightly. “Do you often feel lethargic?”

Her first session with Marco Marcos, her assigned guidance counsellor for her time here, was going splendidly. He’d already highlighted her family strains, anger issues, and resistance to change. Now, he was trying to come for her love life.

“I have absolutely no issues in the bedroom department, Marco. Don’t worry about that.”

It was true she’d been a little out of practice recently, but she’d be fine once she got back in the saddle.

The older man nodded, scribbling away in his notepad. She swore his cheeks reddened underneath the dark facial hair. He pushed his dark-rimmed square glasses up his nose and clicked his pen again, drawing her attention to his hairy fingers. “I’ve noticed you seem tired. Would you like to talk about that?”

Ella huffed, peering at the clock ticking away on the opposite wall. As soon as this was over, she had free time for the rest of the day. She couldn’t wait to set her bikini free and get to the beach. It’d been too long since she’d taken a dip in the sea. “I didn’t get enough sleep,” she said, hearing the annoyed lilt in her voice. “A cockerel woke me up—”

“That’d be Bernardo.”

“Uh, Bernardo, sure. Well, anyway, he woke me up at four, then just when I got back to sleep, some idiot rang that giant bloody bell in the courtyard.”

Marco sighed, scratching at his beard. The man really was the hairiest person Ella had ever seen, even despite his shiny black head, which was reflecting the bright lights overhead. “Romeo was supposed to wait until seven for you new starters today,” he said. “He’s always getting confused.”

You don’t say.

“So, to summarise, big day, little rest. I’m sleepy.”