“Oh my God, you’re Alec from Right Time!” A trio of blonde women at the bar literally bounced up and down beside me. I grinned at them and looked around. This was a private bar in a very expensive hotel, so what were a gaggle of groupies doing in here?

I plastered a smile on my face, aware of the bad publicity that came out of these sorts of moments. Last thing Right Time needed was another scandal. Huh, maybe that’s why we were on holidays. Phillip needed a break after all the scandals we’d had.

“How are you girls doing tonight?”

They squealed and carried on, and I chatted with them for a moment while my eyes scanned the crowd for the woman I actually wanted.

“Are these girls bothering you at all, Alec?” The owner, Paul, stepped up next to me and whispered into my ear.

I shrugged. “They’re harmless.”

“They’re friends of a new member.” I could hear the strain in Paul’s voice and patted him on the shoulder.

“No need to worry, Paul, but you could do me a favor … let me know where the brunette waitress is?”

Paul lifted his chin and looked straight at me, his eyes harder than I’d ever seen them. “Joanne is new. She’s a student at Cambridge.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, a rather foreign feeling swamping my usual confidence like a tidal wave surrounding a drowning town. Hot and dumb I’d done a hundred times before. Stunning and smart would be a very new and welcome experience.

“Any tips?”

Paul grimaced. “Don’t tell her who you are.”

I stilled for a minute and then laughter bubbled up and burst out of me. “Thanks, mate.”

Paul had the good manners to flush with heat and look away for a moment. “She’s a pretty straight girl and shy, too. If you want to have a chance with her, pointing out your star status won’t help.”

I clapped the owner on the back and thanked him, my heart rate picking up as I spotted Joanne serving a corner table before she moved back around the bar.

I walked over to her, running through every lame or brilliant pick up line I’d ever used. None sounded any good.

Her eyes lifted and met mine, the blue as brilliant as the Mediterranean waters Law was planning to visit next week.

“I … ah … your eyes are beautiful.”

She smiled at me with genuine interest this time, and it was as stunning as I had feared it would be. Heat flowed straight to my groin. Her soft pink lips were curved up, her clear skin pinking with pleasure and her eyes sparkled at me.

Damn.

“Five points for honesty.”

I ran a hand over my head, the prickly stubble of my very short hair cut bristling beneath my palm.

“Yeah, well … I didn’t think a pick up line was going to get me a good response.”