by Parker, Ali
“Oh.” Well, there goes that idea. “Why all the questions about my job and the company then?”
“I’m curious. And it seems important to you, so I figured it was a good place to start if I really want to know who you are. You seem really loyal to your company. The other day when your friend was mouthing off, you were more worried about it being said in front of a guest than you were about your job.”
I hesitated. Blake was a nice guy, but as easy as it was to talk to him I had to remember he was still a guest. This wasn’t some random date I could unload on. “I don’t want to bad mouth the company.”
“Why not?” He seemed determined to get into my head, to really get to know me. In that moment, under the stars and with the vast ocean spread out in front of us, I wanted him to really know me. So he was a guest, but I could tell him how I felt without unloading. I just had to be honest without sounding whiny.
Easy enough, since I didn’t really have anything to whine about. My career was on track and I didn’t think we were really going to get fired just because some people were getting promoted and the company was expanding.
“I don’t want to bad mouth the McAllen Group, because I don’t think anything bad about it. The truth is that I love working here. For such a big corporation, it still feels a bit like a family owned business. I guess that’s because it is. Did you know our CEO is still the original McAllen?”
Blake kept his eyes on the ocean. “Yeah.”
A little thrill of passion made its way up my spine. If Blake knew a bit about the company, maybe he would understand why I felt the way I did about it. “The man is a work horse. Rumor has it he opened our headquarters in Florida so he could live the retirement lifestyle when he’s not working, but that’s almost never. He’s a self-made man. He was born with nothing and now he’s one of the most respected businessmen out there. It’s an honest to God rags to riches story. I think he still works so hard because he refuses to go back to where he started, and that resonates with me. I get that.”
Angling his head, Blake slid his eyes to mine. “He’s a man to respect, all right. You’re actually passionate about the company, aren’t you?”
My head bounced up and down before my brain had even fully processed the question, because there really was no question about it. “I could’ve been stuck in some soulless hole with no prospects so easily. One decision in my early twenties could’ve changed everything, but somehow it all led me here.”
“I’ll understand if you don’t want to tell me, but why does McAllen’s story mean so much to you?” It was inevitable he was going to ask me that. The fact that he understood that I might not want to tell meant he also understood how personal the question was, but I didn’t mind it.
A strange need for him to get to know the real me behind the name badge and the manager title had taken hold of my heart. The questions he was asking, the way he was asking them, it all made me feel like it was important to tell him the truth.
I had no idea why. Maybe it was the chemistry I felt with him, or that he was the first man to show this kind of interest in me in a long time. Or maybe it was something else, but my senses were on high alert and my instincts were screaming at me to be honest with him.
“I told you earlier I was born and raised in California, but I didn’t tell you I was born into poverty and raised with next to nothing. Mr. McAllen’s work ethic, and his eventual success because of it, means so much to me because I feel like I’m the same. Sure, I’m no billionaire by a long shot, but I’ve worked my way to where I am from nothing. He reminds me of me.”
Blake was quiet for so long I worried I had overshared. It was possible I’d only imagined the connection between us and he was only being polite by asking those questions.
But then his hand moved slowly toward mine on the warm rock. It landed right next to mine, with the side of his pinkie finger brushing lightly against my skin. The feel of it sent a shiver through me. His hand was warm and firm. The gesture felt like he was trying to be there for me, offering me something to hang onto if my memories of childhood brought on a tide that threatened to drag me under.
I was fine though. I didn’t advertise my past, but I wasn’t ashamed of it either. It made me appreciate what I had now so much more. I appreciated Blake’s silent offer all the same. It showed an emotional intelligence I wouldn’t have expected from a man who looked like him, especially one who was obviously not hurting for money.
Everything about him, from his shoes to the way he carried himself spoke of wealth. In my experience with the rich people who stayed here at the hotel, they never seemed to be very emotionally in touch with those around them.
Again, Blake was different. I wouldn’t have guessed a man like him had a softer, understanding side. I wondered how many people he allowed to see it. Or maybe I was overthinking the move and his hand had simply gotten uncomfortable where it was.
The man was making me second guess myself. It wasn’t a feeling I was used to. For a second, I wished I could run his actions by Tiffany. She knew men much better than I did.
Blake startled me from my inner monologue when he spoke up. “Why did you bring me out here?”
Just as he asked the question, I caught a shooting star from the corner of my eye. Right on time. “Look over there.”
I raised my hand and pointed in the direction I’d seen it fall. Sure enough, another followed. “Isn’t it magical?”
“It sure is,” he murmured. “Do you bring all your clients up here?”
This time, his question took me by surprise. Heat crept into my cheeks. I considered bending the truth just this once, but decided against it.
Taking a deep breath, I made my confession. “No, you’re the first person I’ve ever brought up here. It’s my spot. I’ve always wanted to keep it that way. Until tonight.”
Chapter 11
Blake
“Yes Dad. I sent those numbers over earlier this morning.” It was only eight and a Saturday, but my father never rested.
Looking into his tired eyes through the laptop screen, I decided to point out to him that he probably should rest a little. “This isn’t urgent, why don’t you go back home, get in bed and get some sleep?”
He scoffed, shaking his head. “Are you saying I need my beauty sleep? Heads up, son. I’m not tired, I’m getting old.”
Chuckling, he rifled through some papers on his desk. “You’re not old, Dad, but we all need sleep sometimes.”
“You’re not sleeping,” he said, without looking up from the paperwork. “While I’ve got you, I wanted to talk to you about Danny’s social media campaign.”
I bristled, remembering the staff’s reaction to the announcement. “What about it?”
“I know you’re not invested in the idea, but I need you to get on board.” He gazed at the screen imploringly. “This is a big move for us, Blake. Your brother thinks it will take the business to the next level. We can’t do that if one of our own doesn’t believe in it.”
“I call bullshit.” I watched as my father’s eyes widened. I always gave it to him straight, but sometimes it still managed to surprise him. “You don’t need me to buy into this. You’ve already decided to go ahead and you know I’ll never do anything that’ll hurt the company. Besides, I never speak out publicly anyway, so what does it matter?”
“It matters because you’re my son,” he said, stubbornly. “Your heart needs to be in it if we’re going to make it work. It’ll mean more work and some sacrifice for us all. Anything worthwhile always does.”
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” I snapped. Keeping my cool was a skill I mastered years ago, but Tiffany had been right to be worried about the money. I knew better than anyone what the company’s financial position was. Danny had all these big ideas, but he never gave any thought to the cost of them.
That was my problem. I would have to find the money to finance his grand schemes somewhere. The announcement had already been made, but I had no id
ea how big he intended the campaign to be until after the proposals came through. Which only happened after he made the announcement.
Sneaky fuck. He knew I would have objected if I’d know how much it was going to cost us before he announced it to the world. He also knew after he went public with it, it would be much more difficult for me to put a stop to it.
“I don’t understand.” My father frowned. “Why are you worried?”
“Where are we getting the money for this, Dad? The expansion plans have been part of our budget for years, but this crap? We haven’t budgeted nearly enough for marketing to cover the cost of this. Danny knew that, so how did he propose we pay for it.”
My father’s eyes fluttered closed. Bad news was coming, I could feel it in my bones. “We’re going to have to make some cuts.”
Motherfucker. “Why wasn’t I told about this before?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t know about it before either. Danny assured me everything was in order, but in the long run it will be worth it, Blake. You know I would never take company-wide cuts lightly. It’s not ideal, but everyone does it.”
“That’s not you talking, it’s like Danny speaking out of your mouth. Everyone does it? Jesus. We’re talking about people’s livelihoods here.” A ball of anger ignited in my stomach, immediately followed by guilt.
Not twelve hours ago, I listened to Aston rave about my dad and now he was pulling this shit? While I listened to her talk, I felt a sense of pride I hadn’t felt in forever. I’d been so proud of my dad, about what he’d accomplished. I was proud of the company I helped build and that the way we ran it inspired such passion and loyalty in at least one of the people we employed.
But it was a fucking sham. Thanks, Danny.
Dad squared his shoulders and lifted his chin, irritation igniting in his eyes. He was billionaire Wayne McAllen now, not Dad. “Do you think I don’t know that? Trust me, I’m acutely aware of the human cost this campaign will have, but Danny is convinced it will push us up the ladder. I agree with him.”
“Push us up the ladder at what cost?” I squeezed my eyes shut. Their ball was rolling. There was nothing I could do about it, but if I was going to fight to keep the cost and cuts to a minimum, I had to know exactly what I was fighting against.
“All cuts will be made at lower levels at branches that will be able to absorb the extra work. It will be seamless, and the business will be able to continue as usual.”
My spine straightened. “Business as usual for us, but what about the people who get cut?”
“We’ll offer them fair severance packages. This is business, Blake. It’s how things work. And that’s not Danny talking, it’s me,” he said forcefully. “If this does push us up the ladder, eventually we’ll be able to employ even more people. The cuts are necessary to put us in a position to do better for those we already have and when it’s all said and done, to be better for the people we end up bringing in.”
I sighed. “You’re really trying to preach the ‘greater good’ to me on this? We have to fire people now so we can employ more later?”
“It will be beneficial in the long run, my boy,” he insisted.
Resigned to the reality that this was happening despite anything I said, I did something I hardly ever did. I conceded the battle to win the war that was coming. “Fine, I’ll play ball but for the record, I don’t think this is going to help us.”
“Duly noted,” he said, then made a concession of his own. “No cuts have been made yet, you can rest assured I will evaluate where they will be made very carefully. I’m not going into this blindly. I won’t fire anyone unnecessarily. Our people will be taken care of with good severance packages and references. I would never leave anyone high and dry.”
Grudgingly, I had to admit that he sounded like himself again. It wasn’t only Danny’s influence, he really did believe this was necessary and for the best. The way he was talking, I had to respect him again. He hated having to do this, but he also thought he was acting in the best interest of the company.
“Okay, we’ll talk when the time comes to start assessing who is staying and who is going. In the meantime, go get some sleep. Please?”
He relaxed, shedding the billionaire and slipping back into Dad. “I’ve got a few more things to take care of at the office, but then I’ll go home. I can’t promise I’ll sleep, but I’ll go play a round of golf or something. I miss feeling the sun on my skin.”
“Do me a favor and don’t talk only business while you’re out on the course?”
His blue eyes rolled to the ceiling. “Do me a favor and take your own advice. Get out of that hotel room and do something other than work this weekend?”
“My thoughts exactly. You’ve got yourself a deal.” My night with Aston last night jumped to mind. It was for work, but it ended much more personally than I thought it would. Under those stars—I would be lying if I said I hadn’t wondered what she would look like naked in the moonlight. I would also be lying if I said my interest in asking her all those questions was purely professional. The more time I spent with her, the more it became about the girl and not the manager.
Dad signed off our Skype call, hopefully to wrap up work and get out on the golf course. Keeping my promise to him, I only worked for another couple of hours before I ventured out of my room. I ran into Aston in the lobby where she was talking to a couple of women about the spa in the hotel.
Waiting for her to finish up next to a stand with some pamphlets for local attractions, I picked up one for Busch Gardens, an African-themed amusement park with thrill rides and animal-viewing areas.
I wondered if Aston liked animals, then I pushed the thought away. I wasn’t here to look for date ideas. The women she was speaking to thanked her and walked away. Aston was about to head back over to the front desk when she saw me.
A wide, warm smile spread on her lips. “Blake. Not holed up in your room working I see?”
“I think you know better than anyone here that I do get out from time to time,” I teased before I could stop myself.
This girl really got to parts of me I hadn’t even had time to think about for months. Joking and teasing wasn’t really part of my repertoire any more. Aston giggled. “Good to know. Where are you off to? Would you like some suggestions?”
Her gaze drifted to the brochure in my hand. “The rides there are fun, if that’s the kind of thing you’re into. Not as great as some of the other parks in Florida, but pretty decent.”
“Oh. This.” I folded the pamphlet and slid it back into its place. “I was actually just using it to distract me while I waited for you.”
Where the fuck did that come from? It was true, but I hadn’t meant to tell her. I flashed a sheepish smile and hooked my thumbs into my pockets. Aston’s smile softened and her eyes dropped to the ground. When they met mine again, there was a look of pleasant surprise in them. “Why were you waiting for me?”
“I need to get away tonight. Are you working tomorrow?” I had no plans for the rest of the day and night, but all I knew was that I needed to get out. If Aston could come, it would only be more fun. Whatever it was I ended up doing.
Unfortunately, she nodded. “I work almost every day.”
“Damn.” I hadn’t really expected she would be available, but it would have been nice to do something with her. I was kind of over being alone this week. “What about tomorrow night?”
“I’ll be here, but I can make some time.”
Ideas raced through my mind. There was more than enough time to decide later what we would do. “Meet you in the lounge tomorrow night at seven?”
“I’ll see you there,” she agreed.
Another night with Aston. I wasn’t sure yet if it was business or pleasure, but I was already looking forward to it.
Chapter 12
Aston
Saturday dragged on and on after Blake left the hotel. I kept an eye out for him, but by the time my shift ended I hadn’t seen him again. I’d spent the
afternoon struggling to concentrate on work. After only one evening with the guy, I was giddy with excitement to see him again tomorrow night.
I’d never been so tempted to abuse my position and skip out on work as I had been when he asked me earlier what I was doing tomorrow, right after telling me had to get away tonight. He didn’t exactly invite me to go with him wherever it was he was going, but if he had I didn’t know that I would have said no.
It was a good thing he didn’t though, work had to come first. My real work, not entertaining a guest. Only the one guest in particular, that was.
I was in my office finishing up for the day when Tiffany knocked on my open door. “Knock-knock. Are you ready to get out of here yet? We finally get to go home.”
Shutting down my computer, I picked up my purse. “Ready if you are.”
After making sure I had all my things and switching off the lights, Tiffany and I walked out together. “Any big plans for tonight?”
I shook my head. “Not for tonight.”
Tiffany stopped walking and tilted her head, putting her index finger on her cheek. “Wait a second. The way you said that—does it mean you have big plans for tomorrow? Because I ask you that almost every weekend and your answer is always a very firm no.”
I smiled coyly. “I might have some plans for tomorrow night.”
She squealed and thrust her fist in the air. “Victory! I knew you’d come around sooner or later. Who is he?”
“Who said there was a he?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be toying with me. There is most definitely a ‘he.’ So who is it?”
“Do you remember that hot Blake guy who checked in about a week ago?”
“No way!” She squealed, excitement lighting up her green eyes. “You have a date with him?”
Grinning like a cat who got the canary and the cream, I nodded. “We went out to dinner last night upstairs here at the hotel. Earlier today he asked me out again.”
