fiction

Chapter 5 - Upstairs and Out of Bounds

The turning point came on a rainy Tuesday in October. A massive VIP delegation had booked out the entire twenty-second floor, and the housekeeping department was stretched to its absolute limit.

Raphael approached Maria in the breakroom with an urgent look. "Maria, Mr. Torres wants you up in the presidential suite immediately. The VIP delegates spilled red wine all over the antique Persian rug in the main study. You're the only one he trusts to handle the textiles."

"Me? In the presidential suite? Again?" Maria groaned. "Raphael, every time I go into that suite, my life flashes before my eyes."

"Just go, Maria," Raphael laughed, nudging her toward the service elevator.

When Maria unlocked the double doors of the suite, the place was empty. The rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a dramatic gray light across the grand piano and the sprawling white sofas. She found the spilled wine in the study—a dark, ominous stain right in the center of a priceless cream rug.

She knelt down with her cleaning kit, entirely focused on blotting the fabric.

"You're getting good at kneeling on my floors," a deep voice said from the doorway.

Maria jumped, nearly dropping her hydrogen peroxide bottle. Victor stood there, soaked from the rain, his suit jacket slung over one shoulder, his tie loosened.

"You scared the living daylights out of me!" she gasped, standing up quickly. "And I'll have you know I am working, not sleeping."

"A tragedy," Victor teased, taking a step closer. The air between them suddenly felt charged, heavy with something entirely unrelated to hotel management. "I was beginning to think you only visited my suite when you were unconscious."

"I am a professional, Mr. Torres. I have standards."

"Oh? Is that why your heart is beating so fast I can hear it from here?" Victor closed the remaining distance between them until Maria could feel the heat radiating off his frame.

May you like

She opened her mouth to retort, but words failed her as Victor reached out, gently tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed her cheek, sending a sudden, electric shiver down her spine.

"Maria," he murmured, his voice losing its corporate armor entirely. "I haven't been able to think about anything else for a month."

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