Twice in a Lifetime (Carina) Read Online Free Page A

thought…” She looked from Sarah to Liam and frowned.
    “As stimulating as the closing bell is, I have more pressing issues to take care of tonight.”

Chapter Three
    They were driven to a hotel ten minutes from the office. Even through tinted windows, the bright sun made Sarah squint. She noted the lack of pedestrians on the streets; everyone must have been indoors or in air-conditioned cars. She didn’t blame them—the air was so hot, she could feel her lungs drying out with each breath. Somehow the streets were lined with lush green gardens with bright pink and purple flowers; clearly there was not a hosepipe ban in effect here, unlike back home, where if it didn’t rain for a month everyone was told to stop watering their lawns and conserve water. It didn’t look as if there was much conservation of any sort going on here.
    From the outside, the hotel looked like a course in modern architecture, all steel and glass, reflecting the sun. The inside was something entirely different; it was a case study in gaudy opulence. The floor was polished white marble, with thick crimson and gold rugs dotted about. Several massive pillars created a semi-circle, above which hung a chandelier the size of a grand piano, strung with thousands of crystals. Excess at its best. Covering the walls with dollar bills would have been more discreet.
    A porter approached them and asked to take Sarah’s bag.
    “No, thank you. She will be staying in the penthouse with me.”
    The man nodded and gestured to the elevator.
    “Nice place, not unlike the block we used to call home,” she said without looking at Liam. She was too busy taking in the garish surroundings; even the elevator had gold buttons. “Except back home someone would have stolen these by now. If there is graffiti in here, I would swear we were back in Scotland,” she said as her fingers brushed over the cold metal.
    The elevator door opened. “Wow,” she said before she could stop herself. The walls facing out of the elevator were made of glass allowing one-hundred-and-eighty-degree views of the city and marina.
    “Which one is your office building?” She could not remember which way they had driven.
    “That one.” He pointed at a tall building just past a structure that looked like stair steps.
    Liam took a key out of his wallet and placed it against the control panel on the interior wall.
    “Good evening, Mr McPherson,” an automated voice said in a crisp English accent as the door closed.
    “Did the elevator just speak to you?”
    He nodded.
    “If she could hand me my slippers and an Irn-Bru, this would be a decent holiday.”
    “I don’t think you can get Irn-Bru in Dubai. Not that I have ever tried.”
    “I don’t know which is more sad—the fact you have never tried to buy an Irn-Bru here, or the chance they might not have it.”
    “I haven’t had an Irn-Bru in years.”
    “Remember the time we went to Portobello and drank vodka and Irn-Bru on the beach until three in the morning. Sam was so sick, he could not stand up, and you carried him on your back the whole way home because we didn’t have money for a taxi.”
    The muscles in his jaw tightened. “I remember.”
    The elevator door opened to the penthouse. To Sarah’s relief, the decor looked nothing like the foyer; it had clean minimalist lines. The walls were painted a crisp white and the floors were a simple polished oak. At the opposite end of the room there was a glass wall incorporating patio doors that led to a massive balcony with a full-size swimming pool and a hot tub. Her entire flat could fit on the balcony. She resisted the urge to say wow again, but that word kept repeating itself over and over in her mind. She had known Liam had done well for himself, but she didn’t really understand it until now. He really had made it. For an inexplicable reason it made her happy and sad at the same time. She wished she had been able to see him achieve it. He had wanted this life for ever. She