The Boss's Baby
By: Cristina Grenier
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents
Publisher’s Notes
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
PUBLISHER’S NOTES
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 Monster Media LLC
CHAPTER 1
“Ms. Meredith? The couple in Suite 1420 wants to speak to a manager. They said they didn’t get what they paid for.” The maid wrung her hands and looked both worried and annoyed.
Adrianna Meredith understood. The biggest problem at one of the most prestigious hotels in New York City seemed to be not that it was an overall difficult, demanding job, but that guests here had such a superiority complex they themselves tended to be difficult and demanding. She smiled and raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure they didn’t, Kate. What exactly do you think they didn’t get?”
Kate tugged at her apron and screwed up her face. She was very young, maybe 19, if Adrianna remembered correctly, and a little shy. “Well, ma’am, they didn’t specifically tell me, but I think I heard something about the champagne and concierge greeting pictured in the brochure.”
That made Adrianna laugh out loud, and she came around her desk, her Gucci heels clicking on the hardwood floor of her office. “Well, let me see if I can correct this little misunderstanding. Thank you, Kate.” She touched the girl’s shoulder reassuringly as she stepped past her, the echoing click of the heels now lost in the general din of the lobby, as she headed for the elevator. The suites on the 14th floor were the bargain suites, the ones they typically listed at discounted prices on travel websites. Two kinds of people took those suites: those who were just giddy to be in such a ritzy hotel, and those who wanted every little detail perfect and felt a need to squeeze everything they could for their pennies.
It appeared these were the latter sort of people.
The hallway was covered in plush carpet, muting her footsteps, and she rapped quietly on the door to suite 1420, having checked the names of the guests with the front desk on her way up. The door flew open, and she stared at a man who was probably a good 6 ½ feet tall with rugged stubble on his chin, his hair long and curling down to his shoulders. “Good afternoon, Mr. Herman. My name is Adrianna, and I’m the hotel manager. I apologize for being slightly delayed, but I wanted to welcome you and your wife to our establishment and assure you that our staff is here to serve you.”
A tiny woman with bleach-blond hair and lots of eye makeup stepped around the man, and Adrianna assumed it was Mrs. Herman. She sneered as she looked Adrianna up and down, and Adrianna assumed the couple likely lived in a predominantly white neighborhood. “When do we get our champagne?”
Adrianna offered the sweetest, most accommodating smile she could muster, which typically went over beautifully with most of the guests at the hotel. She wasn’t sure about these two. “I typically like to ask my VIP guests when they would like their champagne, as some want to celebrate upon arrival, while others like to order room service and make a romantic evening of their first night here with the champagne delivered on the house with their meal.”
They exchanged looks, and Adrianna froze the smile on her face. She adored her job, and she would do nothing that could come back and bite her in the ass. That had been a bit more difficult lately, her mood a little darker than usual which made her easily irritable. Now, she stood calmly and pictured being at the salon, having someone run her fingers through her hair and braid in extensions. It was the most calming scenario she could think of.
Mrs. Herman scowled at her again. “We were hoping to pop the cork as soon as we got in the room.” Her frown suddenly broke into a smile. “But the dinner idea is great. Darrell brought some extra cash and told me he’d treat me to something romantic. I’d love to order dinner.”
“Perfect.” Adrianna smirked internally at the unhappy look on Mr. Herman’s face. “The menu is on the desk. I’ll have champagne added. Enjoy yourselves.” She strutted away from the door, back toward the elevators, and headed back to the ground floor. She found Rudolf, the kitchen manager, and told him, “Suite 1420 is going to call down for a romantic dinner for two. We’re going to give them a bottle of champagne on the house.” Her smile teased at the corners of her mouth. “Send up a bottle of Korbel on ice.”
Rudolf blinked at her. “That’s the cheap stuff.”
“Trust me, no one’s going to know the difference, and we aren’t here to do favors. If they were paying for it, they could have the good stuff. This is a comp, and that means it needs to carry low overhead.” She winked at him and walked away, suddenly glad to be back in her office. She dropped into her chair, checking her watch. It was earlier than she’d thought.
She felt restless and tired all at the same time and couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with her. Adrianna counted her blessings most days. She had an incredible job – this was the top hotel in the City, and it was entirely her responsibility. It paid a lucrative salary, making the hard days worth every penny. She also had one of the most enviable apartments on the Upper East Side, a perk that came with her salary. Her wardrobe never lacked in style, and she was a lucky woman who had a great group of close friends she could trust.
But something was lacking. Something felt incomplete in her life. She couldn’t put her finger on it, and that only frustrated her even more. The worst part was that, if she called her mother, she knew what the woman would say. Adrianna loved her Mama, but her opinion always fell in the same direction. Tandy Meredith was old fashioned and would say, “Honey, get yourself a man. Fall in love and get married, give me some grandchildren. You keep spending all your time working, you’re never gonna find the right one to take care of you, baby girl.”
Adrianna was expressly disinterested in falling in love. After all, she’d done that once, and it had been miserable even before it turned into a nightmare. No, she was much better off marr
ied to her career. But the thought did trigger an idea that brightened her mood, and she knew exactly what she might need to feel whole.
Pure, erotic, unadulterated sex.
She didn’t enjoy sleeping around, and she hadn’t really dated anyone since Tyrese, who had ruined her romantic ideas about love and lifelong commitment. That meant Adrianna had been going through a pretty extreme dry spell, concentrating on work and nothing else. She wanted to advance in her career so badly that she’d completely forgotten about the baser needs of life.
What she needed to do was find a good man that wasn’t looking for anything emotional, someone she could just see every once in a while when she needed some physical attention who didn’t get on her nerves. Someone she was attracted to but didn’t have the slightest chance of falling for. That was the only thing missing in her life, as far as she could tell. The question was, where would she find something like that?
A knock at her door brought her back to the present, and she looked up to see John Merritt, the regional manager for several hotels within the chain in the Northeast, standing in the doorframe. His smile was easy and inviting, and it made him an easy man to work for. He’d never found any fault in the way Adrianna managed her hotel, and she appreciated his support.
She greeted all six-foot-two of him in his Versace pinstripe suit, noting his new Cole Haan shoes. He also had good taste in clothing, and that gave him additional points in her book. “How are things going for you, Adrianna?” There had been a time when they’d been more formal and used last names, but she’d been here, in this position, working for him for nearly three years now. That time had long passed.
“Faring well,” she told him. “And how have your travels been?” He’d been visiting the other hotels for which he was responsible over the past two weeks for audits.
He shrugged and came in, seating himself in the chair across from her, crossing his long legs in a relaxed stance. “Let’s just say I’m glad to be home. My Boston hotel needs new blood. The manager’s old, and he just doesn’t care enough anymore to keep the prestige of the hotel in line. I had to work with the assistant manager to try to put things into motion for a trainee to come in so we can offer Trivello early retirement and the assistant can take the job.” He winked at her with a smile. “Unless you want it. I’m sure you could rejuvenate the place, make it a palace. You know you’re my best girl, right?”
She’d heard that before, but Adrianna never got tired of it. “Thank you, John. And I appreciate the offer. I’m sure the compensation would be hard to turn down. But that’s why I’m going to ask you not to make it an official offer. You know I can’t leave New York right now. I’m still in love with the city. Besides, Rosalinda is a wonderful assistant, but she’s not ready to take on the full responsibility yet.”
John held his hands up in surrender. “Fair enough. Listen, I’ll be in town for a few days before I have to head up to Toronto for a meeting with the owners. I’d like for you to join me when I get together with our marketing agents. I’m sure they would love feedback from the person who best knows the guests here, and I think you should have more of an idea of what they’re planning ahead of time.”
It really gave creed to his faith in her to hear him say that, and her chest swelled with pride. “That means a lot to me, John. Thank you, I would love to join you.” He gave her the information and turned to leave as she programmed a reminder into the calendar on her phone. This was the beginning of the next step for her. She was certain John wanted her to meet the connections he had because he was preparing to move up and wanted her to take his job.
Smiling to herself, she sat back to think about the future, texting her friend, Terra, telling her to get the girls together to go out tonight for a mini-celebration. If she got this promotion, she’d be set for life. She’d get to travel, have a hefty savings account, and make Mama proud. And who knew? Maybe travelling would lead her to the man who could fill that role for her, be the one who she could visit now and again to satisfy the inner itch of her sexual appetite.
CHAPTER 2
The bar was popular with young professionals who knew how to let loose and have a good time. It was classy but still had that party vibe. It was Adrianna’s favorite, and Terra knew that. Their crew had consisted of six girls at NYU, but Ella moved to California for a lucrative position in Silicone Valley. Adrianna, Terra, and the other three remained in New York City, and all of them were here tonight.
“So, what’s this big news?” Corinne asked as she swirled her blue drink around in her glass and tossed back chips and salsa. “Terra didn’t tell me anything.”
Of course not, Adrianna thought. She hadn’t shared that information. With a smirk, she said, “Well, it’s nothing written in stone or anything. That’s why we’re not going all out tonight. When it actually happens, there will be a party like no other.”
Lindsey rolled her eyes. “Stop teasing. I don’t want foreplay, Adrianna. I want to get down to business.”
Adrianna laughed with the others, shaking her head at her friend’s penchant for sexual innuendo. “Okay, I’ll get to it. My boss, the regional manager, got back in town today and came to my office. He was talking at first about taking over for a retiree at the big hotel in Boston, but I told him not to tell me what the offer would be because I didn’t want to relocate,” she added quickly as the others got ready to protest. “But then, he came back and asked me to meet with the marketers with him. I think he’s prepping me to take his place.”
“Regional management?” Terra gawked at her. “That’s fantastic, Adrianna! How soon do you think it’ll happen?”
Adrianna waved away the question. “I don’t know. A few months, maybe a year, but I can feel it. It’s coming.” She raised her martini and said, “But I would like to buy this first round and make it a toast to my future!”
The round of ‘cheers’ went up, and the revelry began. By her third martini, Adrianna felt the warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach and had become quite chatty. Not wanting to burden a bunch of people with her meaningless chatter and knowing she couldn’t stop herself, she pulled Terra aside. “How are things with Tommy? Has he popped the question yet?”
Terra’s green eyes sparked as she pushed her strawberry blond tendrils back from her face. “Adrianna Owens, do you know something I don’t about Tommy?”
Adrianna shrugged. “I may or may not have gone with him once or twice to look at a particular ring he thought might interest you. He’s looking about a carat and a half, just so you know. He wants to do right by you, but he doesn’t want your hand to be too heavy to paint.” She knew she was rambling, but Terra ate it up, blushing with the thrill of knowing Tommy, who she’d been dating for four years, wanted to marry her.
She covered her face and squealed. “I can’t believe it! I should have noticed, but I’ve got the art show coming up, and I’ve been so busy with that I feel like I’ve hardly even seen him the past couple of weeks.” She was giddy. “Oh, Adrianna, this is huge news! Almost as big as yours!”
“Well, it’s really bigger news, but I’ll take the spotlight tonight.”
Terra tossed back the last of her cherry vodka sour. “So, when are you going to meet Mr. Right and settle down? I mean, I know you’ve been through heartache once, but not every man is like Tyrese.”
Adrianna grunted and shook her head. “I’m not looking for love, honey. Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me. I will never be that vulnerable with a man ever again.” Terra started to argue, but Adrianna held up a finger to stop her as she polished off her own drink. “I have, however, had an epiphany. I realized today that something was missing from my life, and I didn’t even know it because I, too, have been wrapped up in my career.”
She motioned to the bartender for one more, knowing it would put her a little over the top but that it would be her last of the night. After all, she was taking a cab home anyway, so she didn’t need her wits about her to drive. “I haven’t had sex in alm
ost a year. I need something more than a one-night-stand but nothing that gets emotionally involved.”
Terra nodded her understanding. “I know what that’s like. The eight months Tommy was in Afghanistan nearly killed me. My vibrator became my best friend, and it still wasn’t good enough. There’s nothing like the touch of a man who appreciates your body.”
“Amen to that!”
Terra screwed up her pretty face, obviously trying to remember something as she snapped her fingers. “What about that one guy…Jason? You two had a good round, didn’t you?”
Sighing, Adrianna shook his head. “It was good, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I need something legendary. You know, sweaty, hot, mind-blowing, knee-buckling, fantasize about it for a week until you can’t stand it and have to have it again sort of sex. That’s what I need. And I need it as a semi-permanent arrangement, not just a quick fling. Jason’s good for a time or two, but he’s only got so many moves, and that’s boring.”
Terra laughed, obviously a little tipsy. “I get it. But just so you know, Sunshine, that stuff only happens in romance novels and erotica. No man is every going to blow your mind every time you go a round.”
Sticking her tongue out at her friend, she told her, “You’re ruining this for me, Terra. At least let me falsely hope and believe for a little while that it’s possible.”
The Boss's Baby (Interracial with Baby) (BWWM) Page 1
