The CEO Gets Her Man

by Anne Ashby

  “It all happened so fast. They’ve taken the computers and the filing cabinet from my office—”

  “What?” Jase almost shouted.

  “They’ve been in the small conference room since ten o’clock yesterday.” As preoccupied as he was, Jase noticed Claire’s panicky movements. “The room is locked up tight when they’re not there.”

  Jase took an agitated turn across his office, warning bells clanging. How did Claire know this? Had she tried to access the conference room? Why? He scowled at the woman. Her attitude didn’t mirror the anger he felt at Head Office’s devious method—but something else.

  Confusion spun inside Jase’s head. He needed time to contemplate all he’d just learned. Then he’d tear George strip by strip for not contacting him yesterday.

  “Miss Laurie’s PA said we’re to provide every support,” Jase murmured, observing how Claire’s shoulders slumped. Had she expected Jase to stop the audit? “Continue to help in any way you can, Claire.”

  He ushered her unwilling body out and leaned against the closed door. So this audit isn’t Madeline’s idea. He smiled grimly. Did she even know about it? Surely she would have rushed back to her desk had she been aware all their accounts and decisions were about to be picked over by a bunch of vultures?

  He knew no hotel of his would be subjected to such scrutiny without him being there to oversee the procedure. But then his and Madeline’s ideas on how they ran their operations varied. She often kept vital information to herself, but would then interfere with menial operations.

  He’d barely spoken to Peter Robinson when he’d inspected the hotel. Instead of summoning Jase to assist, Madeline had kept the Head Office man to herself. Jase’s grim smile widened. Madeline had appeared almightily pleased with the result of the inspection.

  What had happened? Why had Head Office ordered a snap review? Jase’s gaze flew heavenward but before he could send up a wishful prayer he forced his feet toward the door. With Madeline away this was his hotel, and someone was about to explain why it was being inspected without his knowledge.

  Jerking the door open he found Karin Laurie in his path, her hand raised to knock. She stepped past him and repositioned a chair close to his desk.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Laurie, I don’t have time...” He cringed. Not the wisest thing to say to the hotel’s part owner, especially in light of what he’d just learned.

  The possibility struck Jase that she could be behind this audit. She’d been staying with them for some days. Had she found something untoward and reported her concerns? Unwinding his clenched fists he disguised his anger.

  “You have all the time in the world, Jason.”

  A huge hand grabbed Jase’s heart and squeezed. He’d been right. This witch-hunt was directed at him, and the outcome had already been decided. The seething anger he’d held in check bubbled over.

  “Is that what this audit is all about? To get rid of me?” He took a step closer to Karin and glared. “Well, I’ll save you the time and trouble. I resign.” He made for the door again. “Claire will have my resignation in your hand in five minutes. Effective immediately.”

  “Why on earth would we accept your resignation?” Karin’s shocked voice halted his journey out the door.

  He swung around and glared at the woman holding his future in her hands.

  “Of course, if you’re intent on leaving I expect there’s very little I can do to dissuade you, but we will insist on three month’s notice. You won’t be an easy man to replace.” Karin stood and walked past him again, clicking her tongue as she did. “Such a shame,” she muttered to herself.

  Always able to think on his feet, Jase reassessed the situation. Had working with Madeline tainted his thinking? Had he become paranoid? He had two choices, and less than ten seconds.

  He cleared his throat and called down the corridor. “Was there something I can do for you, Mrs. Laurie?”

  Jase squirmed under the woman’s long regard when she turned to face him. He forced his shoulders straight to keep his shirt from sticking to his back. His hand rose to rub the ever-present ache but he dropped it. Karin Laurie might hold all the cards but he refused to show any weakness.

  “Let’s sit and chat, shall we?”

  “Mrs. Laurie, this is my hotel—”

  “No, that’s where you’re wrong, young man. This is my hotel and I’m about to find out what’s going on here.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I’m well aware of that fact, Jason. Now sit down, please. We only have a short time before your lunch meeting with your guests.”

  Flummoxed, Jase sank into his chair as Karin flipped open the manila folder.

  “Now tell me your ideas for attracting these Japanese gentlemen back to Riversleigh. What are your plans for this afternoon?”

  “I’ll be finding out what the hell is going on in our small conference room, that’s what I’ll be doing this afternoon.”

  Karin shook her head. “Oh no, everything is moving along quite smoothly there. You’re not needed.” She glared down his attempt to argue. “But you are required to attract new business. Now, what entertainment do you think for these men? A round of golf followed by a relaxing massage and a sauna or steam room? Chatting in an informal setting is so much more productive than boring old business meetings, don’t you agree?”

  Jase caught on. “And I’m to accompany them throughout the day, have I got that right?”

  “Exactly.” Karin patted Jase’s hand. “You’re a smart boy. Now tell me how receptive they appeared to be.”

  Jase could do little but report his gut feeling that he had sparked an interest. Karin queried certain aspects of his promotion and appeared happy with the possible result.

  Finally she rose. “Walk me down to the dining room. You can introduce me to your guests.”

  Jase had little choice but to offer his arm. “Perhaps you’d like to join us for lunch.”

  She wasn’t going to allow him to interfere with the auditing process. But he could be just as wily. “One of our staff will be joining us, she’s fluent in Japanese, but I’m sure our guests will welcome another beautiful woman to share their meal.”

  “Why, thank you, dear boy.” She patted his arm. “You’re quite the gentleman.”

  The look they shared spoke volumes. He was astonished that she appeared to appreciate his concern and then dismiss it as groundless.

  Jase couldn’t help smiling. “When am I going to be allowed to know what’s going on here?”

  “All in good time, Jason.” She slipped a little smile his way as they entered the dining room. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the fireworks start tonight or, at the latest, first thing in the morning. Why don’t you keep a free diary tomorrow morning, just in case.”

  Closing in on where his guests were already seated with Debra, Jase had no chance to reply. Instead he was forced to introduce Karin and pretend the resort wasn’t spiralling out of his control.

  Chapter Ten

  Debra needn’t have worried some of her co-workers would complain her name was absent from the duty roster for the evening. Besides a casual enquiry about her trip to Queenstown from Cathy, and a more earnest query about her well-being from Meg when she slipped into an empty seat in the staff room, no-one else seemed to notice her.

  The room was abuzz. While they had no idea of the purpose of the activity in the small conference room, speculation was rife. Animated beyond anything she’d seen, the staff shared various theories, the noise level rising.

  Remembering Cathy’s prior reluctance to even whisper criticism about the general manager, there was no such restraint now. Along with the conjecture of what had caused Head Office to descend en-masse were numerous expressions of hope for “Mercury’s demise.” Laughter often filled the room as yet another option for that demise was voiced.

  Debra’s gaze flicked across the excited faces, a tight ball gathering in her stomach. Focused on their disliked boss, it obviously was no
t occurring to the employees the hotel might face closure.

  Her discomfort grew. All these people might be put on notice as early as tomorrow. She might be issuing the order to terminate their employment. Bile shot up from her stomach. Harsh, deep breaths provided a lid but Debra feared that might not be enough. Not with her stomach churning like a whirlpool.

  Struck with the realisation of the effect the power she exercised every day shocked Debra. These weren’t faceless numbers, but real people—people who had welcomed her into their circle and shown her kindness.

  While she hadn’t had time to accept the invitations, she’d been invited into people’s homes, to meet families, to join a carload going into the city. She’d walked down the town’s main street and been kindly spoken to by complete strangers.

  Here people didn’t have to know you to extend a friendly gesture. Used to the hurried lack of eye contact as people rushed along the busy streets of Wellington, Debra acknowledged such familiarity was still a little unnerving.

  In the staff quarters people were around her twenty-four seven, talking to her, laughing with her, befriending her. Not something she was used to. Hiding her identity had shown her something extraordinary—people liked her.

  Nobody liked her in Wellington. She was revered and respected, feared and tolerated. But nobody liked her.

  Other than her brother and cousin, she couldn’t remember anyone ever liking her. Invitations to social gatherings had never ensued through friendship or expectation of enjoying her company.

  She’d learned not to be bothered that people used her as a means to an end, a social stepping-stone to higher achievement in their business. She had done the same thing in return. A lump formed in her throat as she was transported to a time when she had cared—before a man had torn her heart to shreds.

  Forcing herself to concentrate on those around her, she squirmed in her seat. Her mother was right. Riversleigh was different. She’d been welcomed into the staff social whirl without question.

  Such open friendliness defied logic in Debra’s eyes. The whirlpool in her stomach clicked into top gear. She might be repaying that friendliness with across-the-board unemployment.

  As unobtrusively as possible, Debra slipped away. Far from Wellington and the pressure of her existence there, Debra was tapping into unknown things about herself. Things she didn’t like. Things already making her take a critical look at her life.

  Her mother’s suite was the obvious place to go to discount such pessimistic thoughts. Karin answered her knock and she slipped inside.

  She needed to focus. “What’s happening downstairs? What’s Donaldson discovered?”

  “You look tired, Deb.” Her mother was frowning.

  “I’m not tired, Mother. What has he told you?”

  “Did you enjoy Queenstown?”

  Heat crept into her face as she remembered just how much she might have enjoyed Queenstown. “Mother!” she snapped, turning her back to pace across the room. “This is very frustrating for me.” She calmed her tone. “I need to know what he’s uncovered.”

  Karin returned to her chair, crossing her legs, the magazine she’d been reading left on the floor. “You need to relax. You remind me of a cobra waiting to strike. For God’s sake, Debra, get a grip. Go and have a soak in my bath or something. Forget work for five minutes of your life.”

  Karin’s acerbic words caused Debra to falter, just for a second, before she continued her journey across the carpet once more. “I’m not used to inactivity,” she justified. “I haven’t had a whole day away from work for years.”

  “More fool you, then,” her mother snapped. “Lot of good it’s doing.”

  Debra turned her back and bit her lip hard. For a second her vision blurred as her mother’s words joined her own censure.

  She raised her chin and managed to stare her mother dead in the eye and reply without any quiver in her voice. “It’s increasing the size and stability of our holdings Mother. As well as making us all a lot of money. Money you don’t seem to mind spending with gay abandon, I might add.”

  Karin snorted. “Why not spend it? Not that it makes me happy. You mark my words, Deb, you’ll realize one day. Money can’t keep you warm in bed on a cold night. Only a good man can do that.”

  With a dignified swish of her head, Karin picked up her magazine and proceeded to flick through the pages. The tremor visible in her hands left Debra fuming, and feeling guilty as hell at the same time.

  “I think I will take that bath,” she mumbled and made her way to the bathroom. Turning on the bath taps she shuffled through the toiletries until she found a bottle of bubble bath and lavishly tipped the whole lot under the spurting water.

  Her hand clenched around the empty container. She didn’t want to argue with Karin. She didn’t want to be the person she’d become. Tears blurred her vision as the bubbling froth filled the bath. But what choice did she have?

  Sinking under the water, Debra wished she could just stay there. Forget Riversleigh and the office, and the tension between her and Karin. Forget Jase McEwan. Forget how he’d made her existing life feel so dull and unsatisfying.

  Exploding out of the water Debra gasped air into her lungs. Her life wasn’t unsatisfying. It was full and exciting and rewarding.

  She forced herself to consider the last few weeks, then the last months, then the last years. Look at what she’d achieved. Look at what she and Paul had done since their father’s unexpected heart attack. They’d carried on his work and surpassed all of his expectations.

  While Paul concentrated on overseas ventures, she’d taken control of their New Zealand holdings. Riversleigh was the only exception to their portfolio performing at an outstanding level. She had turned their head office into a most efficient, well-oiled machine any CEO would be proud of.

  Slumping, her shoulders slid back into the water. The office—where her staff worked in fear of reprisals and only spoke in whispers. Where silence reigned whenever she was close by.

  She frowned. Why was she questioning whether hers was a healthy working environment? Couldn’t she always count on getting the absolute best out of her staff?

  That wasn’t how this hotel was run. In just a week she had seen a different approach to staffing. Workers here acted like friends—a family.

  She argued, but that proves how wrong it is. It doesn’t work, does it? If it did, she wouldn’t be here pretending to be a damned waitress.

  The cooling water temperature forced a reluctant Debra from her bath.

  Her mother deserved an apology and one thing Debra had learned at her private school was impeccable manners. “I’m sorry if I upset you, Mother.”

  Karin’s arched eyebrows acknowledged the apology.

  Tightening the robe’s tie around her, Debra sank onto the closest bed, hoisting her legs up underneath her. “What’s happening? Please?”

  “I talked to Terry after lunch. You were right. He’s found huge variations between our records and theirs.” She named a figure which dropped Debra’s mouth open. “He suspects Murphy and her assistant are the only ones involved—”

  “Jase is not implicated?”

  Karin gave a little I-told-you-so smile as she shook her head.

  Debra slumped back against the pillows. Relief surged through her. In that second a tonne weight lifted from her shoulders. He wasn’t ripping them off. He wasn’t lying. He wasn’t...Roger Tanner.

  She averted her head, hoisting a towel to her wet hair, not wanting Karin to see the relieved tears filling her eyes.

  Karin sat forward. Debra could see her concerned expression out of the corner of her eye. “Debra?”

  Rubbing her hair allowed Debra to avoid eye contact with her all-seeing mother.

  “How much more time?” Debra hoped she’d kept the wobble out of her voice. Or that Karin would think the harsh rubbing with the towel had morphed the sound.

  Karin shrugged. “Terry isn’t sure. Possibly another twenty-four hours.”
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br />   Finger-combing her hair, Debra mused. Twenty-four hours? Then she’d be finished here. She’d be able to return to Wellington and her real life.

  Her empty life—a life without Jase.

  “Terry thought he’d be ready to advise calling in the police by lunchtime tomorrow. If that’s what we want.”

  “Of course that’s what we want. I swore I’d bury anyone stealing from us again.”

  “Forget that slime-ball, Debra,” her mother advised for the millionth time. “You’ve let him colour your life too long.”

  Debra flashed a weary smile. “Don’t worry, I’ve forgotten him.”

  “Good.”

  Something in her mother’s smile alerted Debra and she jumped up to return the towel to the bathroom. A check in the mirror showed her face as composed and blank as normal. But she suspected her mother had seen beyond her self-possessed expression.

  The silence between them was relaxed for a change. Debra watched her mother flick through the magazine, marvelling over the lack of wrinkles on her face. Glancing at her own reflection in the mirror above the desk Debra cringed. People will soon think I’m my mother’s older sister if I’m not careful.

  A light finger touched the corner of her eyes where worry lines were appearing. No-one who knew Debra would ever suggest they were laughter lines. Debra never laughed.

  “What would you think of me staying down here for an extended time?” Debra was unprepared for the casual tone of Karin’s question. Mixed with the relief her mother might stay away from Wellington—and her office—was a deeper understanding of her mother’s needs.

  “If you’d be happier living here, Mother, then—”

  “I’m not talking about living here,” Karin scoffed. “I mean to help sort out this place.”

  Oh. Debra bit her lip. Karin wanted to be deeply involved with the hotel. “We have to wait for Terry’s report, Mother,” she said gently. “It might turn out closing the hotel is the best option.”

  Determination written all over her face, Karin leant forward. “We are not closing Riversleigh.” Something in Debra’s expression must have alerted Karin. “At least not until Jase and I have been given a chance to get it back onto its feet.”