My Life as Duke Starr's Assistant

My Life as Duke Starr's Assistant...[Part 10]

Later that evening, I walked up to the front desk in the hotel lobby.

"Hi, I need to speak to a manager," I said to the guy at the computer.

"Can I be of any assistance?" he asked, his accent crisp, but not thick.

"I need to talk to a manager about the paparazzi problem," I answered.

"They're a concern to all the guests, ma'am. We're trying to get a hold on the situa-" he started, but I held my hand up, stopping him abruptly.

"I don't think you know who you're talking to," I said to him. He blinked, clearly trying to rack his brains to figure out who I was. I sighed, frustrated. "I'm Duke Starr's assistant," I hissed under my breath.  His eyes widened.

"Oh! So sorry! I'll call a manager right away!" he said. I smiled at him stiffly as he called the manager. He spoke in rapid Italian and then hung up. "He will be here shortly," he told me. I thanked him and waited impatiently, tapping my fingers on the granite countertop.

A short man with slicked back, greasy hair and dark eyes emerged from a back door that was hidden underneath the elaborate panelling of the walls.

"What's the problem?" he asked, looking from the guy helping me to me.

"This guest is our celebrity's assistant. She needs to speak to you urgently," he explained. The manager's eyes widened and he held out his hand. I took it lightly, wondering if he touched his greasy hair with the hand I was shaking.

"My sincere apologies for keeping you waiting, Miss. I am Sebastian. How can I be of service?" he asked me, pulling me to the side. I had to look down at him to speak to him, he was that short.

"I wanted to talk to you about the paparazzi problem outside," I said, pointing to the doors. He opened his eyes wider and nodded.

"So sorry about the mess," he apologized.

"Yeah, well apologizing isn't going to fix the problem, is it?" I replied. "Du-Mr. Starr is having a lot of trouble getting in and out of the hotel. It's making him late for appointments and interviews," I told him. I folded my arms over my chest, as I realized awkwardly that the man's head was level with my breasts. "And I also remember telling you specifically not to release that Mr. Starr was residing at this hotel to the press," I added, narrowing my eyes a little.

"It was not I who released this information!" he said to me. "But I promise you that I will find whoever exposed this detail," he assured me.

"That'll help a little bit. But it still won't stop the press from stalking Duke," I said.

"What would you like me to do?" he questioned.

"I need you to book us another hotel around here," I said. He frowned.

"That may be a bit of a problem," he told me. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, you see, this month is the Roma Europa festival. People will be coming from all over the world to watch the arts. The hotels during this time of the year are very busy. They are most likely all booked now," he explained to me.

I bit my lip in frustration. This was not happening. Duke was going to eat my head off if I didn't fix this problem right now.

"Can you please call anyway? Find if there is even one room available," I asked him.

"Yes, I can do that. Give me one moment please," he requested.

It ended being more than just one moment. I waited around for an hour as he called different hotels, asking if there were any open rooms. Finally, he had some good news.