by Davis, Alexa
“What happened?” I hissed directly to Alex. “Why do you need to be here?”
He sighed. “I needed to come because there was a robbery of the resort and the manager there needs my help.” I gasped loudly. I never expected things such as robberies to happen at such high-end places. It didn’t seem right. “But that won’t affect us. I’ll need to work a bit, but we’ll still have a great time.”
“Oh yeah, don’t worry about that. I’m sure Delaney and I will find a way to amuse ourselves. There’s a pool, isn’t there?”
His shoulders fell as he visibly relaxed. “That’s great, I’m glad. I promise I won’t be busy the whole time, though.” I gave him a look, he was known for being such a busy man. “I promise, I won’t. Come on, let’s go. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
“Me neither.”
We stepped into the limo and whizzed towards the resort. Luckily it wasn’t too far away from the airport, so it didn’t take us long to get there. When we arrived, I was completely and utterly blown away.
The place was even better than the pictures had suggested on his website. There were palm trees twinkling in the sun, a bright blue pool that stretched as far as the eye could see, glamorous people in the fanciest clothing wandered about as if they were on a beautiful, private, tropical island. It was as if the rest of the world had been blocked out. I understood now why people spent so much money to stay at a place like this. Alex really had it nailed, it was wonderful.
It was like being somewhere else entirely. It lifted me up and helped me to leave all my problems behind – if just for a moment. Mark, the court case, the constant fear... It was all nothing.
Maybe I should just stay here, just forget about it all.
The staff rushed to Alex’s side, treating him like he was the best thing in the world. A smile crept up onto my lips as I watched them buzzing around him like excitable bees. It wasn’t just me; he was great with everyone. Alex was a wonderful boss and a great person.
How could I not fall for him?
“Are you ready to go inside?” he eventually asked me with a bright grin. “We have the penthouse suite, so I’d love to show you around.”
I glanced up at the crisp, white hotel building that towered above me with awe in my eyes. If it looked this nice outside, I couldn’t wait to see what it was like inside.
“You have the room with the hot tub,” one of the women in a lifeguard tee shirt on told me excitedly. “It’s great in there. You can see really far, over the whole resort.”
Woah, this was crazy . I was a single mom struggling to hold it together most of the time. There was no way in hell I could have brought Delaney here with my own money. We were going to have to make the most of it because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“Great, thank you,” I replied smilingly. “I can’t wait to see it.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Alexander
Monday
“Oh my goodness,” Delaney screamed with a deep thrill as she raced into the room. “This is amazing! Look at it, look, Mommy.”
It was nice to see my resort through the eyes of someone new. Sometimes I got so used to the view that I took it for granted. But I had worked hard to create something luxurious; I did deserve to be proud of it.
“Oh wow.” Elle’s eyes flickered over the deep purple bedsheets on the four poster bed, the gold decoration along the wall, the modern light fixtures...and of course, the hot tub. “This is amazing. Are we really staying in this room?”
“It’s just lucky that it was free so I could book it,” I half lied. This was the room I always stayed in. It wasn’t something I necessarily insisted on, it just happened. “I thought you’d like it.”
“Wow, look at my bed!” There was a separate room for Delaney, just off the main bedroom. “I’m bouncing on it, look how high I can go!”
“No, Delaney...”
I grabbed Elle’s arm before she could stop her daughter. She probably thought that it wasn’t a good idea for Delaney to be treating such a fancy room as if it was her own, but I wanted Delaney to feel comfortable. “Don’t worry about it, let her have some fun.”
“Really?” Elle eyed me curiously. “It seems too nice for that. This place isn’t anything like the disgusting motel I used to clean.”
“No,” I chuckled. “I should hope not. I’m trying to go for the opposite of the motel vibe. I’m glad that comes across all the same.”
As Elle laughed, my heart lifted gleefully. This trip wouldn’t have been anything without her. I would’ve been stressed, trying to get things sorted out rapidly, wondering about what she was up to the whole time... Now I was more than happy to take things slowly. I wanted to spend as much time here as possible. Maybe we could stay here for a while.
“So, I’ll give you some time to get unpacked,” I didn’t want to go just yet, but to be fair, Harrison needed me. “And I’ll go and check on what’s happening.”
“Oh, I know.” Elle grabbed my shoulder and squeezed in a caring gesture. “You must be so worried about the robbery.”
“I’m sure it’ll be okay. Maybe I’ll see you in a bit, by the pool.”
I skidded my suitcase across the ground and left it by the bed. I would unpack later on if I got the time. Often, I didn’t really bother, I just lived out of the case, but that was because I liked to keep on moving or to get back home. This time, I would make an effort to do so. I hadn’t actually booked flights back yet; I would do it last minute so we could stay for as long as we wanted. Like Mom said, I didn’t need to worry about getting Elle back for work because she worked for me.
“Yes, that sounds great. I’m looking forward to a swim.” Elle tugged a bikini out of her case that almost made my heart stop dead in my chest. The thought of seeing that incredible body of hers in that small scrap of material made my mouth water desperately. Shit, I needed to get this meeting with Harrison done quickly . “We’ll see you down there.”
“Right.” Come on legs, move. You have to move. My body didn’t want to go anywhere; I wanted to stay right here with Elle. Damn it . “I’ll see you in a bit then.”
Eventually, I twisted and made my way out the room. I could barely think about the robbery or anything business related. All I could think about was that red silky material covering the most important parts of her body. I’d already seen Elle naked once, but it was quick and hurried, in the heat of the moment, too passionate for me to drink it all in. This would be the first time I’d actually be able to look at her properly.
People brushed past me on the stairs, but I could barely see them. They meant nothing to me. All I could think about was her...
“Hey, Alexander.” Harrison’s voice burst through my brain, reminding me of where I was and what I was doing. “I’m sorry that I’ve dragged you all the way down here...”
“No, this is the sort of thing I need to know, buddy.” I patted him reassuringly on the arm. “Let’s go into your office so you can tell me everything that’s happened.”
People called out hello to me as I walked. Luckily, my memory was good enough that I could remember their names and even some facts about their lives. I was smart; I knew that having a happy workforce was the most important thing of all. If that meant I had to squeeze some brain space to recall who had given birth recently, then I would do it. People liked and respected me, as far as I was aware, which made it that much easier to run my resorts from a distance.
In his typical organized fashion, Harrison had listed everything that had been stolen during the robbery. I scanned my eyes over the list, seeing the sorts of things that I expected. Mostly it was money and a few electronic items. It was a pain, but it wasn’t too much. It was the sort of thing that I could recuperate on the insurance.
“It looks like you have everything under control here, Harrison. I can send this off to the insurance company along with the police reports. Is there anything else you want to talk about?”
He huffed, I could t
ell that this was weighing heavily on him. “I’m mostly upset that this happened. I feel like I’ve let you down...”
“You couldn’t help it-”
“Actually,” he interrupted before I could get too far with that thought. “I do feel like it’s my fault for a reason. I looked at the CCTV footage, and the robbery was conducted by one of the kitchen staff that I hired.”
“Did you show this to the cops?” If the guy could get caught, even better, as far as I was concerned. I could get stuff back, but people who stole deserved to be punished. It just wasn’t right.
“I did.” Harrison looked warily up at me. “It was someone that I’d given a disciplinary to only the day before. I think it was a revenge thing.”
“Oh, Harrison,” I chuckled. “Don’t blame yourself, that’s so silly. If people need a disciplinary, then you have to give it to them. That’s why you’re the manager; I trust your judgment. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of being the boss is that not everyone will like you all the time. Revenge sucks, but it happens. Really...don’t blame yourself.”
He nodded slowly, hopefully seeing things from my point of view. “Thanks, Alexander. I really appreciate that.”
“Look, I’m here for a few days now. We can work through anything you doubt yourself about. Any issues, we’ll deal with them together, alright? I don’t want this to knock your confidence. You’re the best manager I have. I can’t have you getting inside your own head and turning this into a long-standing issue.”
“I know what you mean,” he said reproachfully. “Yes, I’ll do that. I’ll work through some stuff with you and get back to normal.”
“Good.” I shook his hand and moved towards the door. “Well, I’ll be by the pool if you need me.”
“With your guest?” All of a sudden, Harrison’s eyes lit up. “Who is this? A girlfriend of yours?”
“Erm... I don’t quite know about that,” I chuckled. “Not yet anyway, we’ll see.”
“Well, I’ve heard that she’s very beautiful so I hope everything works out for you.”
“Me, too!” So damn much. “I’ll see you around.”
I hadn’t felt so needy to see someone when I’d only just left them for a very long time. Ever, really. This time things felt so much more real, it was dramatic and exciting all at once.
The sun beat down on my shoulders as I reached the outside area of the hotel, which gave it a real tropical island look. That look had been in my vision when I first started my chain of resorts. I wanted people to be able to feel like they were on a remote island out in the middle of the ocean, without even leaving the country.
My eyes scanned the pool, and I quickly spotted Delaney diving down the water slide, having the absolute best time of her life. Much as Elle tried to keep her out of the drama going on in her life, I knew from the time in the boardroom in Ryan’s office that the young girl was more perceptive than she let on. She might not have known exactly what was happening around her, but she knew that her mom was struggling. She asked me what she was stressed about, and I had to try and blow the question off.
Now that they were out of that, I hoped that both the girls could relax.
“Hey, Alex!” Elle called out to me from where she sat on a sun lounger in that damn gorgeous red bikini. She had a cocktail in her hand and a bright smile on her face. With her looking at me like that, everyone else around the pool completely vanished. I could only see her. “Are you still working, or can you join me for a drink?”
I shrugged my shoulders and moved to the sun lounger next to her. “I can take a drink.”
“Aren’t you hot in that suit?” She nodded towards me. “It’s boiling.”
I unbuttoned my shirt to pull it off. Maybe I would have tugged my trousers off and sat that in my thick boxer shorts if I wasn’t having such an intense reaction to Elle’s body in that stunning bikini. Her sexy curves, her rounded breasts, the droplets of perspiration that rolled over her skin which I just wanted to lick off... Instead, I rolled them up until they were almost like shorts. That would have to do.
“There, happy?” One of the waitresses handed me an orangey, goopy cocktail, which I took and swigged. “Do I look summery enough for you now?”
“Hmm.” She ran her eyes all over my body, devouring me with a very hungry gaze. I had to bite down on my bottom lip just resist grabbing hold her neck and claiming her with my mouth all over again. “You look very ‘businessman trying to sort of enjoy his vacation,’ but it’ll do.”
We shared a laugh, the shackles of our lives back home falling away from us. I felt very positive that maybe this really could have been the start of something new. Maybe. There was certainly something in Elle’s eyes; I didn’t think I was reading too much into that... I hoped.
“So, did you get everything sorted?” Elle asked, bringing the conversation back to an even keel.
“I did. I mean, there might be some more bits for me to do, but it all looks good from my end. I just hope it doesn’t happen again.”
“Oh good, so now you can relax for a while? That sounds awesome.”
I lay back on my lounger and twisted my head to smile at Elle who imitated me. There wasn’t anywhere in the world that I would rather have been than lying there with Elle, watching her beautiful body glistening in the sun.
I need to make this woman mine. She really is everything!
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Elle
Tuesday
I stretched my arms out wide, using my entire body across the bed, yet somehow, I still didn’t even fill half of it. The bed was so massive that it actually wouldn’t have been a big deal if Alex wanted to share it with me. There would have been no pressure for anything to happen; we could have been at opposite ends of the mattress and barely touched one another.
Of course, the perfect gentleman that he was, he slept on the sofa bed instead. Not that it was a huge deal, even that was much more comfortable and luxurious than the bed I had a home. I certainly didn’t feel bad for him.
This place is too much; it’s just so amazing.
I could hardly believe that this was the real life of some people. For me, it was like stepping into a bizarre fairytale for just a short while. For the other guests, this was where they came to vacation all the time. Their homes were probably just as nice. I stood out from all of them, they were all so much richer than me, and it was blatantly obvious. People could see it from my cheap haircut and even less expensive bikini...
But I didn’t feel paranoid about it. I strutted to the pool as if I belonged there and ignored any curious eyes staring at me, wondering what I was doing there when I so clearly didn’t belong.
Something about being on this trip, invited by Alex, it filled me with confidence that was never-ending.
We’d spent most of the day by the pool yesterday, chatting, hanging out, just getting to know one another. I couldn’t work out just what the vibe was, but I thought I’d find out in the evening. Unfortunately, Alex got called away to a meeting until quite late, so I didn’t get the opportunity to discover anything. Maybe this would be the day. I didn’t know what we were going to do, but I was hoping for at least a little bit of time to talk.
"Ah, good morning, sleepyhead,” Alex called out to me as he spotted my eyes flickering open. “We didn’t think you were ever going to wake up, did we, Delaney?” My daughter laughed and shook her head. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Urgh, I never want to leave this bed.” I writhed under the sheets, getting myself even more comfortable. “It’s got to be the best mattress in the world. How does anyone force themselves out?”
“Well,” Alex raised his eyebrows suggestively at me. “I’m hoping that the plans that Delaney and I have worked on for the day will help you.”
“Yeah?” I propped myself up on my elbows to listen more intently. “What do you have planned?”
“I thought we could go to Disneyland for the day.”
“Yeah!” D
elaney screamed. “I want to go to Disneyland; I’ve never been before.”
My heart squeezed. I couldn’t afford anything like that. I sure as hell couldn’t ask Alex for more. I wasn’t sure if he understood what it was like to struggle without money, he seemed to have an endless supply. I was obviously doing much better now financially, but still...
“Obviously, this is all my treat,” Alex interjected as if he could read my mind. “And then after Disneyland, I was just telling Delaney that there’s a kid’s club here that she can go to later on.”
It was all just too wonderful, the sort of day that my little girl deserved. I nodded with tears in my eyes, trying desperately not to let the emotion overcome me. Even if I was extremely happy, I didn’t want Delaney to see me weeping. “That sounds great! Are you sure you don’t have any work to do?”
“No, not today.” He shook his head decisively. “I’ve made it clear that today is for us.”
A whole day, just for us. That sounded like absolute heaven. “Let’s do it.”
“Well first, we need to have breakfast. Do you want to have it in the bedroom?” I nodded. “Okay, you girls get ready, and I’ll order some food.”
I smiled at Alex and mouthed ‘thank you’ to him. Everything he’d done for us was incredible. I couldn’t thank him enough. Honestly, seeing that job posting on the Internet was the best damn thing that had ever happened to me. I wasn’t sure where I would be if I hadn’t. I thought losing my job at the motel was a killer...now I was so glad it had happened.
“Alright.” I forced my feet onto the floor and stood up. “Let’s get ready. We have a big day of fun in front of us.”
Delaney screamed again, the most hyper that I’d ever seen her. It was going to be an interesting one.
***
“Well, it’s safe to say that Delaney is enjoying herself,” I laughed as she bounded from ride to ride. “Honestly, you didn’t have to do this for her. For both of us, it’s just so much.”
