His Dancing Star

Chapter 2

After arranging to meet Galina at the reception building, Ed strode confidently away as if he hadn't just been completely handed his balls on a plate. Just keep walking, he told himself. Nothing to see here. Just his manhood burning on a pyre of mortification.

Had he really read the signs so wrong? Sure, it had been three months out of the game for him, but still, he could have sworn he saw open attraction on Galina's face as she'd mentioned asking him about something embarrassing. The high colour in her cheeks, the way she bit her lip, and yeah, he'd definitely noticed her taut nipples pressing through the thin fabric of her white camisole.

A vivid image rocked him; Galina pressed against him, those nipples between his fingers, her long legs entwined around his waist, her hair loose and wild. He could tell she wasn't a girl who easily let go, but he had a feeling that when she did, it would be glorious – and he craved that with an intensity that surprised him. He wanted to make her cry out, to release her self-control and see her in wild abandon.

Groaning with equal parts lust and frustration, he slumped against the side of the lobby doors and thumped his head against the wall, as if he could knock the stupidity out of himself.

"Excuse me." A stern voice hailed him, and Ed looked up to see the CEO of Star Island staring at him impassively. Michael Knight was a serious man, with carefully combed dark hair and an immaculate suit. "Displays of emotion by staff in front-of-house areas are discouraged at all times."

Ed snorted, thumping his head a second time in response.

The other man approached him and said, "Besides, walls are expensive, and I don't believe our major shareholder would appreciate it if you put a hole in that one with your thick head."

"Thanks for the concern, Mr Knight," drawled Ed sarcastically. "I'm pretty sure the major shareholder would make an exception for my current predicament."

"What happened?" Knight leaned against the wall beside him.

Ed shrugged. "Just me making myself look like a total douche in front of a guest."

"Galina Nobel?"

"How did you know?"

"She's got ten bookings with you. Statistically speaking, she's the most likely option – unless you managed to annoy someone else on the way to her suite."

"Nope, just her." Ed leaned back and tilted his face to the sun. "I thought she was hitting on me, so I respectfully declined – and she laughed at me."

"That's all?"

"She laughed a lot, man. Like it was the most ridiculous idea in the world that someone like her would date someone like me."

Knight squinted, his chiselled face hard to read as he said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's against our staff code of conduct to encourage physical relationships with guests."

"Yep, sure is, boss man."

"Not that it ever seemed to stop you in the past..."

Ed grimaced. "Look, I'll admit it – I slept with guests. So many guests. Like, I mean, almost every single female that's visited here-"

"Okay, thank you, leave me with some plausible deniability and get to the 'but.'"

"But... not lately. Not for months." It had been a while since he'd spoken with Knight; Ed had been spending most of his free time with his good friend Gareth, which was easier in so many ways than his relationship with Knight.

Still, Knight appeared to be genuinely trying to understand, asking, "What changed?"

"Me," explained Ed. "I got tired of just being used for sex. I didn't know that was even possible, but here we are. Watching Gareth and Briana get together, I realised I wanted more."