“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Ryan walked to his employee mailbox. After flipping through his mail for a moment, he looked up and shot a glance in her direction. Smiling at her after what seemed like forever, he said, “Good morning, Abigail.”
Abigail’s heart skipped a beat. She attempted to keep her smile cool. “Good morning, Ryan.”
“Abigail”—Shane got to his feet—“there’s something I need to discuss with Ryan in the other room. I’ll be back in a few minutes, all right?”
“All right,” Abigail echoed, watching as Shane and Ryan disappeared through the door.
She went back to the spreadsheet they’d been working on, which was a lot more complicated than the one she and Ryan had done the day before. As she attempted to make sense of the complex formulas, she wished that Shane was there beside her. The truth was, she was lost without him.
Thinking back on what she’d said to Shane about her dad, Abigail wondered what, besides a pie in the sky dream, had made her think that she was qualified to take a job in a place like this. It was true that hotels helped people with their travel needs, and that that made the profession somewhat altruistic. But, she mainly saw it as a stepping stone to getting her teaching degree. Shane, Mark, and even Ryan seemed to know more about working in a hotel than she did. Though, Ryan didn’t really seem to have any more interest in the job than her. Which kind of begged the question of what was he was really doing there.
One thing didn’t necessarily have anything to do with the other, but Ryan had seemed distracted since the day they’d walked through the hotel doors. And the way he’d jumped yesterday, pushed her out of the room after they discovered the ledger, wasn’t sitting right. Maybe it was only her overactive imagination, but she’d gotten the distinct feeling that he’d been trying to hide something.
She hadn’t really gotten a good look at that ledger. A quick peek wasn’t going to hurt anybody.
Abigail eyed the cabinet, the lock on which was still broken after yesterday’s fall. She got to her feet and walked across the room. Checking to be sure she was still alone, she took a deep breath and opened the drawer.
She went through the cabinet twice to be sure she wasn’t missing anything. But it was no use. The file was empty. And the mysterious ledger was gone.
* * * *
“Take a seat,” Mark Becker said as Ryan stepped through the doorway of his office.
Ryan swallowed as he looked around the large room, which was not all that different from the way he’d pictured it. Unlike most other places in the building, Becker’s office was completely furnished. An unnecessarily large conference table took up almost an entire side of the room. In spite of the numerous pieces of furniture scattered about, there was a significant amount of space between the door and Becker’s desk. Two large plants stood beside the window, rather like the pillars on a throne. There were leather chairs positioned in front of the desk as well. Shane Dempsey pointed to one of them suggestively.
Stiffening, Ryan said, “If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer to stand.”
Becker and Dempsey exchanged a glance.
“Fine by me,” Becker said. “Ryan, it’s been brought to our attention that you were let go from your last position—something you failed to mention to us during the interview process.”
He was supposed to believe that they were only finding this out now? Ryan was certain he’d gotten the job because one hotel had struck a deal with the other. Why else would any business in town have taken him on after he’d been blacklisted?
“It isn’t so much that you were fired, as it is why, especially since the woman you were involved with, Kimberly Russell, is now an employee of this hotel.”
Beads of sweat gathered across Ryan’s forehead. “I didn’t know Kimberly planned on working here until very recently.”
“I’d imagine not. Based on what I’ve seen over the last week, the handful of things you’ve managed to keep from screwing up, I can’t really imagine you’d be that stupid, Ryan.”
Ryan took a steadying breath. He honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or punch his new employer in the face. Either way, he was at a loss for words.
“I don’t think you understand how serious this is,” Becker said as he folded his hands. “You had sex with a female coworker. A subordinate of yours, if I’m not mistaken. One who’s now employed by me, which means that whatever happens to her going forward occurs on my watch.”
Whatever happened to her? Ryan fought not to laugh. “With all due respect, sir, Kimberly and I are both over twenty-one. She’s as responsible for what happened between us as I am. I sure as hell didn’t force myself on her.”
“Shall we ask her, her version of the story? Maybe I should have Shane bring her in here.”
“No!” Ryan held up a hand. “I mean, that isn’t necessary. What happened between Kimberly and I ended the day we left the Red Fox. I’m sorry the two of us both ended up here, but I wasn’t the one who hired her.”
He wondered if he’d gone too far with that remark. But his mouth seemed to be the least of his concerns.
Becker scratched his chin. He was thoughtful for what seemed a long while. “All right, Newberry. Let’s say I’m about to do you the biggest favor of your life, huh? Assuming there are no repeat performances in the next sixty days, I’ll let things stand. But cause me to raise so much as an eyebrow in your direction and you’ll be terminated, and blacklisted so widely you’ll be lucky to get a job pumping gas in Alaska. Understand?”
“I understand.” Ryan lifted his chin. “And thank you. For the opportunity.”
Without waiting to be dismissed, he stood. He stepped through the doors, shutting them behind him.
Striding down the hall, he resisted the urge to turn back and throw the punch he’d so desperately wanted to. It was the second time in six months someone had threatened to blacklist him. This was déjà vu—he knew all too well what was going on. What he didn’t understand was why Becker was doing this.
It was no one’s fault but his that he’d fooled around with Kimberly. But was the mistake going to follow him around for the rest of his life? He’d known his reputation would travel with him from one hotel to the other. But Mark Becker seemed to hate him even more than Brent Lombardi had.
Ryan’s mind drifted to the ledger. Was it possible that the symbols he’d seen on the ledger were identical to the ones on the papers at the Red Fox? He’d discovered the pages on Lombardi’s desk, which had been more than enough of a cause to draw concern. But finding what looked to be the very same papers at Washington Valley, his already-strong suspicions had grown tenfold.
Hearing laughter nearby, Ryan paused. Julia Dyson, back turned toward him, was stapling flyers to the bulletin board with Abigail.
Abigail, who was wearing a tight tank top and those jeans that drove him crazy, caught his eye. Her smile widened, and her brown eyes focused in on him as he took a step in their direction. She laughed at whatever her friend had just said, and her cream-white cheeks blushed the softest hint of pink.
Ryan just stared, forgetting about everything but how beautiful Abigail MacKenzie was. She was a schoolboy’s fantasy—beauty, innocence, and a personality that was as audacious as it was sweet. A girl like that would have no use for a man like him. And as far as he was concerned, the kind of trouble she would bring into his life was the very last thing he needed.
Becker’s words echoed in Ryan’s ears as Abigail picked up the poster at her feet. Her dark blonde locks spilled over her shoulders, highlighting the most enticing display of bare skin…and cleavage.
Turning the corner, Ryan slapped his face with his hands.
Chapter 7
“Take a seat, everyone,” Ryan said as he stood behind the podium in the conference room. Thinking that Monday morning was way too early for a meeting, he took a long sip of coffee and placed his cup down before facing the group—his group—the individuals who were going to be working under him at the Washington Va
lley Hotel.
Sitting in the seat closest to the head of the conference table was Sheldon, a quiet young man with short hair and glasses, a recent graduate of Kennett High School, and the only man besides Ryan on the front desk staff. That was discounting Dempsey and Becker, of course, whose only real function concerning the front desk was to make sure that Ryan was doing his job. That, and to make his life a living hell.
Behind Sheldon, wearing a dress that seemed low-cut for any office standards, was Kimberly. She’d tied her long blonde hair back, and she was holding a notebook and a pen, something Ryan didn’t believe he’d seen her do the entire time they were together. In fact, he was quite sure she’d never done it. She must have thought the insinuation that she was taking notes made her look intelligent. Though intelligent definitely wasn’t the word that came to his mind. He looked away then back again, cursing himself as his eyes briefly grazed her breasts.
On the opposite side of the table, sitting together like two chatty Cathys in the middle of a football game were Abigail and Julia. Julia, who hadn’t stopped talking since she’d sat down, was facing her friend and going on a mile a minute about whatever it was she was talking about. The young woman never stopped talking, and Ryan had observed that she was pretty free and easy with what came out of that mouth of hers, too. Abigail, though entirely censored by comparison, talked almost as much as her friend did. She was looking even sexier than usual with her dark blonde hair piled on top of her head. And, much to Ryan’s surprise, she was staring at him intensely.
Tearing his gaze away, Ryan grunted. Despite about a million reasons for staying away from Abigail, the girl certainly wasn’t making it easy. Her eyes fixed on him made him a lot warmer than he should have been on a fifty degree day. But she wasn’t really looking at him in a way that indicated she was hot and bothered. She was staring at him as though she were suspicious.
Ryan teetered on the balls of his feet. He hadn’t really given Abigail any reason to ask questions about him, other than perhaps his being short with her a few times. But of course there’d been that day when she saw the ledger in the file room. That certainly could have caused her to raise an eyebrow.
He nearly walked over to her and asked her what was wrong. But the clock on the wall captured his attention.
“I guess we’d better get started.” Stepping to the head of the table, Ryan faced the most ironic group of front desk associates he could imagine. “As I arrived a bit late the day of orientation, I want to introduce myself again. I’m Ryan Newberry, your front desk supervisor. I have experience working for several hotels in the area, and”—he hesitated—“I’m very excited to be working with all of you. Of course, the hotel is under renovation right now. And in case you were wondering, that’s how we’re all going to be spending the next couple of months—preparing for the grand reopening. However”—he sipped his coffee—“it’s important that all of you understand what your day-to-day responsibilities will be, so we’re all on the same page when opening day comes.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Newberry.” Julia waved her hand. “Can you explain what exactly you mean by ‘preparing for the grand reopening?’ I have a vague idea, but, as I’m sure my coworkers can vouch for, my idea is just that—vague.”
“Certainly,” Ryan said. He’d imagined this one was going to be giving him a fair amount of trouble. “In addition to the sort of assignments you were given over the last few weeks, you’ll be doing everything from making beds to cleaning bathrooms and doing landscaping. If that scares you, let me know now.” He looked at Julia, causing her to fidget in her seat.
“Who said I was scared? I only want to know what’s what so I can be prepared. I wouldn’t want to be showing up to work in a ball gown if I’m going to be cleaning the toilets.” Julia whispered something to Abigail, who flashed a big smile in Ryan’s direction.
Feeling a bit like one of his medical professors, Ryan cleared his throat. He did his best to keep a serious expression as he contemplated what he was going to say next. “As I was saying, upon the grand reopening of the hotel, each of you needs to have a strong understanding of your role as a front desk administrator. That’s why it’s important for you all to understand now, what that role is and how you’ll be performing it. Who here is familiar with the software program Opera?”
“I know it pretty well,” Julia said.
Kimberly smiled. “I could use a brush-up.”
“Sheldon?” Ryan shot a glance in the young man’s direction.
“I was good with my last hotel’s computer system, but I’ve never used this one,” the teenage boy said.
“That’s fine.” Ryan looked over his shoulder at the room across the hall. He assumed it was available for his use, since the managers knew he’d be doing training this morning.
With he and Julia as trainers, that didn’t leave too many options as to who would be paired with whom. Though he didn’t really see why he should be concerned about it, the thought of putting Abigail and Kimberly in the same group seemed like sudden death. And the idea of sitting with Kimberly for the next half hour or so was more than he could stomach.
“Julia, why don’t you go and see if the computer in the other room is available? Sheldon, Kimberly, go on into the other room and work with Julia for a while. Abigail, you can work with me since you’ve never worked for a hotel before, isn’t that right?”
Abigail shook her head.
Julia cast an odd look in the direction of the pimple-faced Sheldon and Ryan’s half-dressed ex. She went into the next room, returning a moment later with a shrug. “Looks like the room is ours, chief.”
Ryan asked himself if he was really doing the right thing as Julia, Sheldon, and Kimberly started for the door. Turning to Abigail, who was looking so unbelievably pretty with her hair pinned up and a loose-fitted shirt that didn’t quite cover her shoulders, he found himself thinking things that no supervisor should be thinking about his subordinate.
He gestured to the computer. Taking a seat beside it, he booted it up and asked himself for the third time whether he was really doing the right thing.
Praying for the best, he took a deep breath as Abigail sat beside him.
* * * *
Abigail’s knees knocked hard against one another. Recalling that she’d worked with Ryan once before, assuring herself it wasn’t any big deal, she turned to her supervisor and waited for him to tell her what it was he wanted her to do.
She definitely had her misgivings about this guy, but they were the last thing on her mind as Ryan reached around her, surrounding her briefly with the warmth of his torso, giving her a whiff of his woodsy aftershave. Did he really intend to stay so close, keep his arm around her chair like this? God, she hoped so! The thought of the two of them spending time together like this, practically touching, she couldn’t think of too many things that were more thrilling.
“No, no, no,” she whispered under her breath.
“I beg your pardon?” Ryan said as he drew back.
“I said, where do we begin?” Abigail smiled her most casual smile. Her excitement faded as her supervisor inched sideways, creating almost half of a foot of space stood between them.
Ryan placed his hand on the mouse and double-clicked, bringing them to what appeared to be a login screen. “You’ll need to create a username. That’s how the system will recognize you each time you sign in. We may as well go ahead and do that now, and you can practice using your own login ID. Type something into the system that you’ll remember.”
Abigail did as she was told. Afterward, she took a pencil and paper from the cup beside her and jotted down the username and password she’d selected. She stopped writing as Ryan’s arm brushed against her back. Goose bumps rose on her skin.
“This is where you’ll go to check in customers,” Ryan said, bringing them to another screen.
Abigail listened intently as Ryan took her through the system, showing her the ins and outs. He clearly knew a lot about what he was saying. She w
as a bit overwhelmed, but she had a feeling she’d be able to ask him a question at any time, if there was ever anything she didn’t understand.
“Click on that box in the top, left-hand corner of the screen,” he instructed in that deep voice that turned her knees to Jell-O.
“There?”
“Sorry, my bad. It’s to the right.” Placing his hand over hers, he guided her to the box he intended for her to click on.
Abigail wasn’t even looking at the computer screen. Her whole hand tingled beneath Ryan’s touch. It was as though his heat was a powerful force which had the ability to ignite a flame deep within her. She shivered as he leaned in close, his warm breath coming against her cheek.
“Right there,” he said, looking at her lips.
Oh God, yes…Abigail didn’t have a lot of experience with being in positions such as this. But she knew enough to realize what Ryan was thinking about. He was going to kiss her!
Voices sounded in the hall. They grew louder as their owners came past the room—Shane and Mr. Becker. Abigail followed the sound with her eyes, almost forgetting what was about to happen. Resisting the urge to pucker her lips, she turned to where Ryan’s face had been. He’d inched back. He was staring at the computer screen.
Struggling to hide her frown, she said, “I think I’ve pretty much got the hang of it.”
Ryan nodded. He cleared his throat as he brought them back to the login screen.
“At least I hope I do.” Biting her lip, Abigail said, “I guess we’ll find out when the customers get here, won’t we?”
“Yes, we will,” Ryan said, surprising her by offering an encouraging smile.
Abigail couldn’t help smiling in reply. She loved it when he was flirtatious with her, like he had been that day at the ice cream parlor. Wracking her brain for something to keep the dialogue flowing, she asked, “How long did it take you to learn all of this hotel stuff?”
“About two years. But I’m not as quick as you. I have a feeling you’ll be just fine.”
Dangerous Secret [The Pinnacles of Power Prequel] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 6
