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Declan
Declan had spent most of the night locked away in his room, researching boutique hotels, and trying to figure out what to do about Tanner not taking this new business venture seriously. He didn’t have his head in the game and hadn’t for a long time now. The one thing he knew for sure was that he couldn’t do this new project without Tanner. He was more than his partner—Tanner was his best friend, but he had lost sight of that. Maybe a step back, after this deal was done, to help them remember was what they needed.
A soft knock at his door had him hoping that Tanner had come to his senses and wanted in on helping with some of the research. “Housekeeping,” a woman shouted through the door.
He threw his papers in his briefcase, not bothering with shutting it. “Come on in,” he shouted back. Declan heard the lock click and a woman pushed her way into his room.
“I won’t be long, Sir,” she promised. He looked up to find the woman that he and Tanner talked to last night. What was her name again?
“Shelby,” he said. “You’re Shelby, right?”
“I am,” she said. “Which one are you—Declan or Tanner?” she asked.
“Declan,” he said. “I didn’t know that you work for the hotel. I thought that you were a guest here.”
“I live here, but I’m not a guest of the hotel,” she said. “I’m a maid.”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you came all the way from America to be a maid in Paris?” he asked.
She laughed and his worry about saying the wrong thing dissipated. “Yeah,” she said. “I’d love to say that this was part of the plan, but it wasn’t. I found this job online and applied. But the job description didn’t exactly match up with the actual job. I thought that I was coming here to be the hotel’s concierge, not a maid, but I spent all of my money to get here, so I had no choice but to stay and do the job I’d been hired to do. The perks are good,” she said. “I get to live in this beautiful place, and I can order room service to my heart’s content. You have to take the good with the bad, you know?”
He didn’t know. He was living the life—private jets, a successful business, a penthouse. He didn’t take any of the bad, but he felt bad that someone who seemed as sweet as Shelby had to.
“I’m going to go ahead and clean the bathroom first if that’s all right with you,” she said.
“Sure—do whatever you need to do, Shelby. I’m just catching up on some work,” he said. She went into the bathroom, and he could hear her rummaging around in there. It felt strange to have her cleaning up after him when he was still there.
“I planned on being out of here by now, but our meeting got pushed back to noon,” he said. “I’m sorry that I’m in your way.”
“You’re not,” she said. “Plus, it’s nice to have someone to talk to while I work. This is a lonely job, and no one here really speaks English. It’s nice to talk to someone from back home. Besides, I wasn’t supposed to be here today either. I had today off, and I was going into the city to explore a little.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“Well, Lou called in sick, again,” she said. “And my manager found me on my way out this morning. He doesn’t take no for an answer and well, I have trouble telling people no.” Declan wondered what she’d tell him, yes to because right now, he was having some major French maid fantasies playing through his mind.
Shelby finished up in the bathroom and started working on making his bed. Declan stood and rounded to the other side of the bed to help her. “You don’t have to do that,” she said.
“I really don’t mind,” he assured. “So, where did you plan on going to sightsee today?” he asked.
“Not sure, really,” Shelby admitted. “I was just going to explore and see where the day led me. I’ve only been here for a few months, and I haven’t had many days off. I’m afraid that I don’t know the city very well yet.”
“Tell me that your manager gave you another day off in exchange for working today to cover for Lou,” Declan said.
“He did,” she said. “I have off tomorrow now, but I’m not going to fall for his tricks a second time. I’m leaving through the back of the hotel and not the lobby this time.”
“Smart girl,” he said. He wanted to add, “And hot,” but he didn’t. He wouldn’t make a move on her without Tanner because he saw the way that his best friend looked at her. It was the way Declan looked at her too, which worked for him since they both liked to share women. The question was, would Shelby be willing to play with both of them?
“Thanks, but I’d call it being a quick study. I won’t make the same mistake twice,” she said. “Do you plan on staying in France very long?” she asked.
“For the month, actually,” he admitted. “Or longer, if our business here dictates.”
“Well, I’ll see you around then, I’m sure,” she said. “Have a good day, Declan.”
“Wait,” he called after her as she started for the door. “How about you let me show you the city tomorrow? I’m familiar with Paris and would love to show you around.” He left off the part about Tanner probably joining them, not wanting to scare her away.
“But your work,” she insisted. “You’re here on business.”
“Right, and most of our meetings are this afternoon. I can make sure that tomorrow is clear if you’ll agree to spend the day with me,” he said.
