by J. D. Chase
She raised her hand and held out her palm when several of the staff began to mutter. ‘Listen, please. This is important. Xander purchased the hotel from Gerald under false pretences. Gerald wanted it to be kept as a hotel and brought back to its former glory. Xander complied, presumably because he wanted to increase occupancy and takings until he could begin his long-term plan. Unfortunately for him, I found out about his plans and that he wasn’t above straying outside of the law to achieve them. I can’t say too much as there may well be legal proceedings and, even now, I could be inadvertently trampling on a prosecution.
‘The bottom line is that Xander was going to close the hotel and turn it into apartments leaving all of us out of jobs. He had some serious debts and was running up more so it is thought that his intention was to force the hotel into bankruptcy so you wouldn’t even have received any redundancy monies and you probably wouldn’t have been provided with a reference either. Can you imagine trying to get a good job in another hotel without a reference from your last employer? Not to mention how it would look if the last hotel you worked at went bankrupt.
‘Thankfully, a few legal loopholes later and I’m now the sole owner of Rouge Passion and I’ve taken the decision to employ the security guards to keep Xander Rhodes away from the hotel. That is for several reasons, some of which I’ll go into and some I won’t. Because of the potential prosecution, Xander cannot be allowed inside the building in case he tampers with any evidence and, for that reason, I’m insisting that none of you speaks with him, no matter how much he attempts to persuade you. He is a compulsive liar amongst other things. As a result of taking the action in an attempt to safeguard our jobs, my personal safety is now at risk. He’s sitting out there waiting for me and he’s obviously furious that I’ve spoilt his plans. He stood to make a lot of money if his plan had gone ahead, both legally and illegally. The man is ruthless and will say anything to get what he wants.
‘Therefore, if any of you speaks with him, I shall be forced to take steps down the disciplinary route. I don’t want to, believe me, but I have to safeguard this hotel and all of our jobs. On a personal level, I have every reason to believe that my personal safety could be further compromised if any one of you was talked around by Mr Rhodes’ lies. I know it sounds shocking, like something from one of Derek’s TV programmes but I assure you, this is very real. Xander Rhodes isn’t who we thought he was. But, with the exception of the security guards, it is business as usual at Rouge Passion. I’d better let you get back to your duties. We need to keep this hotel going for all our sakes. If any of you has any concerns or questions once you’ve had time for this shocking news to sink in, my door is always open. Okay then, that’s it. Back to work, folks.’
The wall of staff stood there, blinking and casting glances at one another until Nadine blurted, ‘You seriously expect us to go back to work after telling us that? There are armed guards out there and Xander is capable of all sorts . . . what about when we leave work today? What do we do if he follows us or apprehends us? Or worse!’
Isla pursed her lips. ‘Nadine, I have no reason to believe that there is a risk of harm to any of you.’
‘But how can you be sure of that? What if he threatens us if we won’t help him?’ she shot back, her voice rising to a shriek.
‘Calm down, Nadine. Of course I can’t be 100 per cent sure of that, just as I can’t be 100 per cent sure that some madman won’t attack you on your way home, or that you won’t get run over by a bus. But it is extremely unlikely. He’s waiting for me. He won’t leave to follow one of you because he could miss me leaving. But, as a gesture of goodwill, I will pay for a cab for any of you who are worried. Xander doesn’t have access to any of your personal files; they’re all here in this office so don’t worry about him turning up at your homes or anything like that. But if he makes any unexpected attempts to speak with any of you, whether it’s in person as you come and go here, or by telephone, email or whatever, you ignore him completely and report it to me immediately.
‘If any of you wants to book cabs for the end of your shift, let me know and I’ll sort it. If any of you would like to be escorted on to the premises when you start your shift tomorrow, again let me know and I’ll make sure that Smith or Jones walk out to meet you but they have Mr Rhodes and the hotel under surveillance so you’ll be perfectly safe without an escort. I’m sorry to drop this on you but I wanted to be upfront with you. Now, we still have a hotel to run so please, can we all get back to work?’
Thankfully, they filed out of the office, muttering and whispering as they went. Dean and Belinda stayed behind.
‘I didn’t think you were going to tell them anything,’ Belinda said accusingly. ‘How can I prove to you that I can be professional and keep your confidence if you tell them everything?’
Isla shrugged. ‘I had to tell them something but think about it, Belinda. Did I tell them everything? Or just enough to satisfy their curiosity and encourage them to stay away from Xander?’
Belinda drew in a sharp breath and then grinned. ‘Oh yeah, I can still prove myself to you. No worries. Head receptionist, here I come. Right, back to work for me.’
Isla shook her head as the blonde receptionist teetered off in ridiculous heels. Then she saw Dean’s face.
‘What’s going on, Isla? And please, if Belinda knows, tell me everything.’
‘You’d better sit down,’ she muttered.
Thanks Belinda. Thanks a lot.
He sank into one of the chairs facing her desk and looked at her expectantly.
What do I say? Do I tell him the Belinda truth? Or the real truth? I know he can be relied upon to be discreet. No, I can’t bring myself to tell him the actual truth, not when I know he has feelings for me.
She repeated what she’d told Belinda. He didn’t interrupt once. But as soon as she’d finished, he sat back and gave her a wary look.
‘He shouted across to me when I got out of my car,’ he confessed.
Oh shit. What the fuck did he say? Oh God. Do I even want to know? She saw the anxious expression on Dean’s face. There’s clearly something he needs to get off his chest so I’m going to have to suck it up.
She rolled her eyes theatrically. ‘Oh yeah. What lies is he sprouting now?’
Dean’s eyes narrowed. It looked like he was debating what to say.
Well, that makes two of us.
‘He said to tell you that nothing’s changed. That it’s still his hotel. He said you need to talk to him, that he can explain everything.’
Isla exhaled loudly, relief surging through her veins until Dean continued, ‘He said to tell you that he’ll stop at nothing to have all that he promised you. That you can do whatever you like, be as angry as you like, but that you don’t know everything and that you won’t understand until you talk to him. Then the security guards insisted that I ignore him and accompany them into the hotel immediately. All the time he kept shouting. He sounded desperate, Isla. Desperate and determined. Then, just as we reached the door he shouted for me to tell you that he’ll find a way and that he’s never giving up on you. What did he mean by that, Isla? That he’s never giving up on you? And what exactly had he promised you?’
Oh bollocks! Think Isla, think!
She shook her head. ‘God only knows, Dean. He’s a compulsive liar. The only promise I can think of was about making this place successful and me being the GM permanently. I guess he’s just applying pressure to try to make me give him a chance to worm his way out of this. He obviously thinks he can talk me around so he says he’ll never give up trying. He’s lost this place, Dean. This place was going to be a nice little earner for him when he turned it into apartments. Can you imagine the profit when he sold them? Do you know what property in Kensington is worth?’
Dean stared at her, his eyes probing hers as if seeking further answers to his questions until finally he stood up. ‘Okay, if that’s all it is. But I’m glad to hear that you’re taking precautions to prevent him hurting yo
u. I get the feeling that taking on Xander Rhodes would carry serious risks, if all you say is true. He’s not going to give up, Isla. You know that don’t you? I hope you’ve arranged security to accompany you home and to stay with you overnight. In fact, you’re going to need twenty-four-hour security for God knows how long until this mess is sorted out. And even then, you could still be taking risks . . . um, Isla you’re welcome to stay at mine tonight, or any night come to that. You’d be safer with me there and your security detail outside. You know I’d look after you, don’t you?’
Isla smiled. ‘To be honest, Dean, I hadn’t thought about what I’ll do later. My priority was to keep him away from the hotel and I knew that would keep him away from me for as long as I’m here. The safest thing might be for me to move into the hotel for a while, that way I won’t have to take the risk of running into him. It will save me the God-awful commute too.’
Nodding, Dean turned his crestfallen face away and headed to the door. Isla felt awful. Lying to him was one thing but this was worse. ‘Hey Dean, would it be okay if I came to the bar later, when I’ve finished up here? I think I’ll need a drink tonight. And good company . . .’
He turned back with a weak smile. ‘Sure,’ he muttered and slipped out of the door.
Why do I feel like such a bitch for turning down his invitation to stay with him? Oooh, imagine how Xander would feel if I did . . . no, that would be totally unfair to Dean. I couldn’t use him like that and, besides, the last thing I want to do is to give Dean any encouragement. No, teaching Xander Cheating Pig Rhodes a lesson cannot hurt anyone . . . except you . . . oh fuck off – I’m not hurting. I’m just angry. And this isn’t revenge, I’m better off without him after all; this is a valuable life lesson in moral values for an amoral fucker to prevent him hurting anyone else.
She checked her watch and grinned in anticipation.
But there’s nothing that says I can’t enjoy it. And short of coating his balls with the food of a starving rabid wolf, tying him down and covering his cock in fire ants and shoving an Amazonian giant centipede up his arse, taking delivery of his pride and joy right in front of his eyes will have to suffice.
She opened her mailbox and deleted the dozen or so messages from Xander without opening them, but not before adding his email address to her blocked senders list. She replied to a few work emails and then took the lift up to the first floor and let herself into a room that overlooked the car park.
Walking over to the window, she allowed her eyes to stray outside of the grounds and on to the road outside. Her stomach flipped when she saw Xander leaning against the front wing of his nondescript hatchback, facing the hotel. She stepped back from the window, lest he see her.
But what does it matter? I should stand with my nose almost pressed against the glass. Let him see me gloating. I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for his despicable treatment of me. I should fling open the window and shout, ‘Go back to your pregnant wife!’ along with some scathing insults.
But her heart was hammering just from the sight of him. She knew she couldn’t face him. It was just like when she’d found out that Jamie had cheated on her. Seeing Jamie had made her skin crawl so badly that she wanted to shrug it off and smother him with it. She recalled how another part of her had wanted to turn the clock back and stop it all going wrong, before something perfect had turned into something tainted and worthless. She couldn’t say that about Xander . . . her time with him had never been perfect. He’d been married all along so she could only wish to turn the clock back to the day she’d met him, give herself a stern talking to and tell herself what a cheating bastard he was. Then she’d never have got involved with him. Never fallen for his dirty mouth, his filthy sex, his intelligent mind that was such a turn on, his abrasive arrogance that made her pussy tingle, his—
No. No! NO!
Thankfully, something caught her eye. It was her delivery! She almost clapped her hands in glee. She saw Smith walk over to the tow truck and speak with the driver. Then she saw another movement.
Oh my God!
Xander was marching forward. She saw Smith spin around and then Jones appeared from nowhere and stood next to him. They stood like a solid six-feet-something wall as Xander reached the boundary. She could see him begin to gesticulate and could tell he was mouthing off but she couldn’t hear, only guess, what he was saying.
She saw Smith turn his head slightly and then the device in her hand beeped and she heard his voice loud and clear.
‘Miss Hamilton, there’s a delivery for you. The delivery guy is insisting that you sign the paperwork but it isn’t a good idea for you to come out front right now. I recommend that I escort him into reception. Could you meet us there in five minutes please? I don’t want to be inside any longer than necessary.’
She could hear Xander’s voice in the background. She couldn’t make out most of it but she heard him say, ‘That’s my fucking car,’ as Smith finished speaking. She realised that she didn’t know how to reply but a quick look at the device sorted that. She pressed a button and spoke into the top of it.
‘No problem, Smith. I’m upstairs and can see what’s going on. Please don’t allow Mr Rhodes to get near my new car. I went to great lengths to get hold of it. It means so much to me.’
She watched as the driver lowered the Holden to the ground and then drove it to the space next to the entrance. Xander’s space.
Even from the window upstairs, Isla could see Xander’s face was red with rage. She smiled and nodded. Oh yeah, Xander ‘Can’t Keep It In Your Married Pants’ Rhodes, you picked the wrong girl to fuck about with this time. Let this be a lesson to you.
She grinned all the way back down to the ground floor until she found herself confronted by Dean.
‘What the hell’s going on out there now? Do you know how this will look to our residents? What’s he up to? Why’s his car being brought here?’
‘I ordered it to be brought here. It was paid for by hotel funds so it belongs to the hotel,’ she replied.
At least that part’s true . . . albeit a twisted truth.
Dean sighed heavily. ‘You’re playing with fire, you do know that, don’t you? Why don’t you just let the police handle everything? I’ve never seen you like this. You seem to be taking the whole thing way too personally.’
‘I have a mortgage I can barely afford. I need this job, Dean. And that deceitful bastard with his cheating, lying and manipulating is not going to take it away from me,’ she hissed.
His mouth formed a line in acceptance of her words until a sudden frown crossed his face. ‘So how did you afford to buy this place?’
Fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuuuuck!
Dean mistook her look of extreme discomfort as a sign that he’d overstepped the mark with his very personal question. ‘I’m sorry, Isla. I shouldn’t have asked you that. I’d better get back to the bar. I’ll see you later for that well-earned drink, yes?’
Phew!
She grinned with relief. ‘You sure will, Dean.’
He nodded and stalked off, back into the bar. Her smile grew further as Smith ushered the delivery guy in through the revolving door. She walked over to the reception desk where Belinda was studiously attempting to ignore them, presumably a demonstration of her new-found professionalism, Isla mused. She took the paperwork proffered by a bemused-looking delivery guy as Smith guarded the revolving door. Jones remained outside, halfway between the Holden and the door. Isla quickly scrawled her signature and took possession of the keys and vehicle documents. But not quickly enough. Shouting was immediately followed by a thud. All eyes turned to the revolving door.
Xander had somehow evaded Jones and had reached the door with Jones in pursuit. Xander was attempting to push the door to get into the lobby but Smith was pushing the door back the other way, trapping Xander in his compartment. Once Jones got in the open one behind him and began to push the other way with Smith, they began to force him backwards. He fought valiantly but he was sl
owly but surely being pushed back towards a waiting Jones.
Suddenly, he looked up and saw Isla standing in front of the reception desk, watching him. He began to shout and threw himself forward, redoubling his efforts. His muffled cries reached the ears of the small group inside.
‘Isla . . . for fuck’s sake . . . hear me out. End . . . this . . . this madness . . . you stubborn bitch,’ he roared as he pushed for all he was worth, yet was forced backwards.
Stubborn bitch? He’s got a fucking nerve. She managed to bite her tongue and resist the temptation to shout back, ‘Cheating bastard,’ and that was only because both Barbies were watching intently.
She couldn’t bear to watch once Jones grabbed the edge of the door behind Xander and began to pull it closer. Before she turned away, she noticed Derek standing outside, a look of utter horror and helplessness on his face.
This isn’t fair to the staff. I must find a way to end this madness and still teach him a lesson. But how the fuck do I do that?
For the rest of the afternoon, she locked herself in her office, ordering cabs for the staff for when they finished their shifts, and attempting to focus on her work. She was determined to continue to improve the hotel’s performance – not least because she’d just splashed out for the Holden using hotel funds. It was an impulsive act that wasn’t really necessary but, from seeing Xander’s reaction, she’d hit a nerve and that made it worthwhile. He’d said he was going to buy it back once he was able.
Well, good luck with that, fuck face! Go spend your money on your unborn child instead.
Just as she was thinking of calling it a day, Jones tapped on her door and requested to speak with her. After filling him in on her plan to stay at the hotel overnight, he informed her that he and Smith would be relieved by two other experienced security guys. He also insisted that in order to keep such a determined man off the premises, she needed a security dog to patrol at night, especially since the premises didn’t have CCTV covering the grounds. He reassured her that the dog would be kept outside the building and that its handler would keep a low profile.
