Bargaining With the Boss

by Jennifer Shirk

  For the longest time, they sat silently. The only sound between them was the beating of his own heart. He wanted to pull her into him, kiss her, then wondered if she’d even let him.

  Damon knew better than to test that thought. Kinsley didn’t deserve someone like him. Plus, he’d already disappointed his father once this week. No need to add to that by getting himself involved with one of the employees. They both had vested interests in the hotel doing well and they needed to concentrate solely on that. So after another moment, he reluctantly released her hand.

  “You’re a good GM,” he blurted.

  She lifted her eyebrows. “Why? Because I took care of you when you were sick?”

  “No, because you’re a people person. I obviously didn’t know your mom, but you sound a lot like her. You have a way of making people feel special and appreciated. They’re good qualities to have in a hotel manager.”

  Hell, he didn’t know what was going on with him. It was as if her kindness and openness was contagious. He didn’t often express thoughts like that, but to be honest, out of all the words he truly wanted to say to her, those were probably the most reserved.

  “Thank you, Damon. I think that’s the nicest thing a boss has ever said to me.”

  He took a deep breath, allowing his eyes to drop to her mouth. “I would tell you the same thing even if I wasn’t your boss.”

  “I, uh, should go downstairs and check on the staff,” she said hoarsely.

  He continued to gaze at her. She was so lovely with those dark expressive eyes and china-doll complexion. He was already regretting his decision to not kiss her. “Yeah, that would be a good idea.”

  Kinsley stood and gathered her purse. Tucking some of her long brown hair behind her ears, she turned toward him one last time. “I’ll have Elena send up something for you to eat.”

  He nodded then couldn’t resist adding, “You know, I was wrong about this room.”

  “How so?”

  “This room isn’t just pretty nice. It is awesome, and actually…” he said, slowly meeting her gaze, “quite beautiful when you look at it more closely.”

  She swallowed, her cheeks coloring pink. “Well, I’m glad you chose it.”

  “Me too.”

  …

  Kinsley managed to run home, grab a quick shower, and come back to work in record time to meet with the landscapers. It was one thing to work on the inside with the painting, but in her opinion, the outside needed a little TLC as well.

  “Bob, can’t we do something a little cheaper?” she asked, gazing down at the estimate he’d brought her. She was already on thin ice with Damon regarding expenses. There was no way he’d approve this bill.

  The landscaper put on his glasses, took the paper from her hand, and began analyzing his own quote. “I don’t know, Kinsley. This isn’t all that fancy. In fact, what I proposed is pretty standard stuff.”

  “We don’t need mulch, and can’t you get some natural flowers or plants that are more prone to the shore area? That has to make it cheaper.”

  Bob scratched his head then nodded. “Okay, let me take this back to the office and I’ll email a new proposal this afternoon.”

  Kinsley smiled. “I knew you could do it, Bob. You’re the best.”

  He rolled his eyes, waving her off. “Yeah, yeah. I better leave now before you cut my estimate down any further,” he said with a chuckle.

  She laughed, too, walking over to the door of her office and showing him out. “I’ll be waiting for that new quote.”

  As Bob the landscaper was leaving her office, Elena walked in. She carried a mug of steaming coffee and a bagel. “Hey, I figured you could use this,” she said, placing them both down on Kinsley’s desk.

  Kinsley wanted to high-five her. She was so pressed for time this morning, after finally leaving Damon, she hadn’t been able to put on lip gloss let alone put something in her stomach. “I hope Scott knows how lucky he is to be marrying you.” She bit into the blueberry bagel and sighed as the melted cream cheese slid down her throat.

  “Oh, he knows. And I hope a certain Mr. Damon St. James knows how lucky he is to have you as his hotel manager. So did you sleep with him last night?”

  Kinsley choked on her bagel.

  “I mean, help him last night?”

  “You know I helped him. So why make it sound sordid?”

  Elena sat down, nonchalantly studying her manicure. “Oh, just pointing out that what you did for him was beyond employer–employee relations, which was very kind, by the way. Damon seemed quite grateful to you. He told me so when I brought his food up to him.”

  “He did? What did he say exactly?” Because when Damon was with her, he barely said much, which had disappointed her. She couldn’t understand why she even let it affect her so much. But…it’s just that she thought they were friends now. She knew he was hurting and bothered by his brother’s death. He obviously needed someone to talk to about it. She’d just hoped it would have been her.

  Elena watched her for several seconds then slowly arched an eyebrow. “You were with him all night. Didn’t you two talk, or were you too busy doing other things?” she said, grinning.

  “Elena! He was sick. He slept, and I made sure he didn’t get worse. That’s all.”

  Elena nodded. “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Okay, maybe I made a few cool compresses for his head. That’s it.”

  “I see.”

  “And maybe I set the alarm to give him pain relievers and fluids round the clock, too. That’s really all.”

  The room went silent for a long moment.

  “Honey, you like him, don’t you?” Elena asked in a gentle tone.

  Kinsley dropped her face into her hands. “Oh my gosh, I think I do. I do like him. I can’t believe it, but I’m falling for my boss.”

  “I knew it. It’s probably more common than we think. Two single people spending so much time together…”

  Kinsley gasped and looked up. “This is Paul all over again, isn’t it? What’s wrong with me? I’m repeating the same mistake with Damon.”

  “Now, honey, calm down. This is completely diff—”

  “No, it’s not.” She stood up and began pacing the room. This was exactly what she was afraid would happen. She couldn’t allow herself to be drawn to Damon, at least not while they were working together. Her relationship with Paul had suffered because of work. Paul had lured her into working with him with sob stories about needing her expertise in event planning only to ultimately use her and her ideas. She wouldn’t be taken advantage of again. She’d learned the hard way that it was definitely best to keep work and love separate. “It’s exactly the same. Well, I’m not going to let it affect my job this time. Or my heart.”

  Elena stood, too. “Kinsley, look, I don’t mean to upset you. But you have to understand Damon isn’t Paul.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because I’m standing here in the flesh,” said a familiar voice.

  Shock then embarrassment hit her hard that he would have overheard their conversation. Kinsley had already braced herself by the time they both turned toward the direction of the doorway. However, it wasn’t enough. She still had to hold on to the back of the chair for support when her gaze met Paul’s.

  Chapter Nine

  “Paul,” Kinsley spluttered. She blinked several times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. But it was her ex. She would never forget those dark eyes, that handsome square face. The man she’d been ready to pledge her life to only for him to tell her she’d become boring and predictable.

  The sad part was there might have been a shred of truth to his claims.

  Because she hadn’t been living her life. She’d been living his.

  Elena glanced back and forth between them. “Uh, I’ll leave you two alone. I need to get back to the front desk anyway.”

  Paul smiled charmingly as he stepped aside, allowing Elena to pass. Then he looked over at Kinsley and blew out a breath. “Man, i
t’s so good to see you.”

  “I only moved back to New Jersey a little over a month ago. You could have seen me before then and saved yourself the six-hour drive.”

  “Baby, don’t be like that.” He began to pace around her office, inspecting the old photos of her family she had hanging on the walls. He stopped and looked over at her with a thoughtful expression. “I knew you’d come back here. You’re very predictable, but that’s what I’ve always loved about you.”

  She folded her arms. “I thought that’s why you broke up with me. My predictability. You found that boring. Remember?”

  He chuckled as if she’d just told the best joke ever and walked over to her desk with his arms stretched out for a hug. But she remained standing still.

  She hated to admit it, but he looked darn good, all trim and confident. He might have even lost a few pounds. His light-brown hair was combed in a slicked-back style, and she caught a bit of graying at his temples, which always made a man appear distinguished to her, but especially on a man in his early thirties.

  Struggling to keep her tone light and not annoyed like she was feeling, she asked, “Why are you here, Paul?”

  He dropped his arms. “I won’t mince words with you, Kinsley. I want you back.”

  She blinked, not entirely sure how that phrase made her feel, but she didn’t experience the usual flutter she would have had last year, and for that she was grateful. “It’s been almost nine months. You’re just realizing this now?”

  “What can I say?” he said, flashing her a remorseful grin. “I’m a fool.”

  She couldn’t have agreed more, but would have added a few more F-words than just fool.

  When she remained silent, he arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Paul, but you have to understand this is quite a shock to me. You didn’t even try to call me before showing up here.”

  “I know,” he said, rounding her desk to take her hand. “But as soon as I could get some time off work, I had to see you. I’ve missed you. I miss working with you, too. We made a good team.”

  “We were never a team. That’s where most of our troubles began.”

  Paul blinked, taken aback by her honest statement. “That’s so not true. You were my best event planner, which is why you belong back there with me, not here in this dilapidated hotel, squandering your talent.”

  She snorted. “Talent? You were never happy with what I was doing at the casino, and if you were, you took my ideas to corporate and claimed them as your own,” she added, disengaging her hand from his.

  “You’re being dramatic, babe. What difference did it make who got the credit? We were a couple. If I benefited, you benefited.”

  Except that was never true. She just continued to be belittled and shoved aside, while he became the golden boy of Royal Rouge Casino. She stared at him in disbelief. He obviously didn’t have any remorse over his actions and still found a way to trivialize her current job as well as her family’s hotel.

  Why couldn’t she have seen all this before?

  She took a deep breath. “Paul, I have a life here now. I’m settled. This hotel used to belong to my family. I’m bringing it back to where it was. It’s important to me.”

  “Since when? I thought I was important to you. I thought your job back in Connecticut was important, and our future together.”

  “Yes, they were.”

  “And now?”

  She sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m staying here.”

  Paul’s face reddened as if he was restraining himself from lashing out. “So that’s it? You’re determined to waste your time here instead of coming back to your life with me? Kinsley, you’re in way over your head. You’ll never turn this thing into a profit.”

  Damon had said something similar, but Paul’s words held a much sharper edge. “Maybe. But I have to try. I owe it to my parents to try.”

  He rubbed a hand over his face and laughed mirthlessly. “I thought I knew you, but this I did not predict. I figured you’d jump at the chance to come back to your old job. Come back to me.”

  That would have been true not so long ago, she realized. But now, with the help of Wade and her friends, she had the confidence she needed to stand on her own two feet.

  “I’m sorry,” she said again.

  “Sorry? You’re sorry? That’s all you have to say? You have no idea what it’s been like with corporate breathing down my neck. We can’t even get Red Seven to play at the casino this year.” He stared at her like that last statement explained everything. “Hey, how did you get them to perform last year anyway? Did you take your contacts with you when you left?”

  “Um, no, I didn’t. I— Wait.” She blinked. “Are you here for me or my list of contacts?”

  Paul shook himself as if he’d just realized how his words sounded. “You, of course. I’m here for you. But, naturally, both would be great.” He grinned and gave her an apologetic shrug. “So, tell me, how did you manage it?”

  She held in a groan and refrained from smacking her forehead. The compliments. The I-want-you-backs. Oh, brother. She was wrong before in thinking Paul was the fool. It was clear to her now that she was the bigger one by far.

  “You need to leave,” she told him flatly.

  Paul’s expression turned startled. “What? If you won’t come back to me, the least you can do is help me.”

  The least she could do? She had to cancel the reception banquet and the band because he’d changed his mind about marrying her. She’d lost all those deposits. Money she could have used to fix up the hotel. Not to mention the embarrassment and heartache.

  Tamping down her temper, she stepped away from him. “I have work to do. You really do need to leave.”

  “Work?” he scoffed. “This is not work. It’s a charity case, and you’ll realize that when you fall flat on your face and need another job.”

  Tears stung her eyes, but she held them in check. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Good luck with everything, Paul.” She skirted around him, leaving her own office, since he wasn’t making any moves to leave it himself.

  “Wait, Kins.” He reached out and grabbed her arm, held it tight. Uncomfortably tight. “I’m not done.”

  “Well, I am. Now, please, let go,” she said, trying to twist out of his grasp.

  “Kinsley, come on. I—”

  “Let her go,” Damon growled.

  Kinsley whipped her head in Damon’s direction and blinked. His blue eyes were deadly and trained on Paul like a laser sight. He looked dark, rumpled, and foreboding. A state she’d never seen him in before. He was normally so unemotional and reserved. But standing in her office doorway, he appeared a smoking volcano about to blow at any second.

  He was also usually put together. But not right now. Damon’s hair was slightly wet and disheveled as if he’d just showered, but he hadn’t bothered to shave. It looked as if he’d just thrown on a shirt and jeans to come downstairs. He hadn’t even put on shoes.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you would take the day off.”

  Damon’s gaze never left Paul as he answered her. “I feel perfectly fine. I heard struggling.”

  “Who are you?” Paul asked in an indignant tone.

  “The guy who’s going to rearrange your face if you don’t let her go.”

  Paul winced at Damon’s response, and she took advantage of the timing to remove her arm from his grip.

  “Kinsley, who is this guy?” Paul demanded.

  Her gaze fluttered between the two men. She felt like a deer caught between two lions. Once she found her voice, she answered, “He’s my boss.”

  Paul’s gaze narrowed. “Boss? Seems like an unhealthy working environment to me if he’s coming into your office and threatening your fiancé.”

  “You’re not my fiancé. You pretty much saw to that nine months ago.”

  “But I came here to fix that.”

  She shifted away. “Paul, I th
ink it would be best if you just went home. I’m not changing my mind. I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing.”

  “Believe me, I am, too,” he spat, as he stormed toward the door.

  Damon threw him a smug smile as he stepped aside to let him pass. But before Paul left, he turned toward her one last time. “When you realize your mistake, Kinsley, I won’t be waiting for you. This was your chance and you blew it. Just so we’re clear.”

  She nodded, and then with one last scathing look tossed at Damon, Paul walked out of her office and out of her life once and for all.

  Kinsley collapsed in her chair, throwing Damon a skeptical glance. “Oh my gosh, did you really just threaten to rearrange his face?”

  Damon walked up to her desk and sat down on top of it. “My fever must be coming back,” he told her, a faint smile touching his lips.

  She leaned in and laid a hand across his forehead. “Sorry to break this to you, but your temperature is normal.”

  “Then…” A new softness edged his voice. “I don’t know why I said that. I honestly don’t know what came over me. I saw him touching you, and I just reacted.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Are you okay?”

  She glanced at her arm. No marks or redness from Paul’s hand. The only real thing she was suffering from was embarrassment. How could she have been in love with that guy? “I’m fine.”

  Damon cocked his head slightly, studying her face. “I didn’t ask if your arm was okay. I want to know if you’re okay.”

  “Oh.” She blew out a long breath then chuckled. “Well, the answer to that question is a bit more complicated, I’m afraid.”

  “Try me.” The words were spoken simply and honestly. And if she’d detected so much as an ounce of mere politeness instead of true interest and concern, she would have declined his offer.

  “That was my ex-fiancé, Paul.”

  “I gathered as much. Why was he here?”

  “He said he wanted me back.”

  Damon’s blue eyes turned to ice. “Did he? And was that his idea of winning you back, manhandling you at work?”

  “It became rather apparent that he really didn’t want me back.” She looked down at her folded hands, her nails unpolished and cut short in a no-nonsense, sensible fashion. No, Paul wouldn’t want her back for any other reason than to help his career. “The funny thing is I don’t think he ever loved me for me. I was always a stepping-stone to whatever else he was after. And in this particular case, he wanted to know how I was able to contract Red Seven at the casino.”