Jenny felt incredibly embarrassed, knowing that at times she had emerged from a shower and folded back a curtain to peek out the window, obviously not expecting a stranger to be there. Just as she was about to turn away, hoping the stranger would not notice her, the woman looked right at her. Their eyes met. Locked.
To Jenny’s amazement, an electrical current tingled in her spine. The woman did not seem the least disconcerted that Jenny could see her nude body. She made no expression of discomfort and she stared hard into Jenny’s eyes. It seemed almost as if she was trying to say something, to impart a message of some kind, but then, like a ghost who suddenly fades into thin air, the woman let the curtain fall back across the window and stepped into the shadows.
“That was so weird,” Jenny murmured, hurrying up the walkway. “How bold she was!”
Jenny sighed and rounded the east wing. A faded sign—Riverview Hotel—hung crookedly from its post and creaked in the breeze. For some reason, the word Hotel had Dump carved under it with a penknife.
The backyard, illuminated by a spotlight, was a large, open area ideal for a garden, but now filled with rotten wood, pieces of rusted metal, and patches of brown earth choked by thick weeds. Jenny walked up the front steps and tentatively opened the office door. A gray-haired woman in her midsixties looked up. Her face instantly brightened.
“Yes,” she said, rising with an animated expression. “How can I help you, dear?”
Jenny smiled warmly at the friendly face. “I need a room.”
“You’re soaked!” the woman said. “What happened?”
“I had a flat tire.”
The woman seemed flustered, like an overzealous mother. “Let’s get you checked in so you can get out of those wet clothes. I don’t want you catching a death of a cold.” She took out her book. “What’s your name, dear?”
Jenny did not want to reveal her real last name. “Jenny…ah…Jenny Lamb,” she said. For some unknown reason the word Lamb popped into her head. “And you are?”
“Call me Miriam.” She stepped back and studied Jenny’s face. “My, what a pretty girl you are. But not many women wear bandannas like that anymore, dear. It hides your face so. Or is that the point?” Miriam laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to be mysterious.”
Jenny, embarrassed, looked at the floor.
“I’m sorry, dear,” Miriam said, noticing Jenny’s discomfort. “Forgive me. I was trying to be clever, but I’ve just been silly.” She smiled. “I’ve never seen you in Newbridge before, have I?”
“No,” Jenny mumbled, glancing at the elderly woman. She had felt safe in her disguise, like a rabbit wearing its white coat and huddled in the snow. “I’m just traveling.”
“On vacation are you, dear?”
“Actually, I’m thinking about finding a new job.”
“Really?” Miriam said, looking over her glasses. “What kind of job?”
“Well, I have degrees in restaurant and hotel management, plus five years experience as an assistant manager of a hotel.”
Miriam opened her eyes wide. “This is your lucky day! We’re looking for someone just like you here at our hotel. We have people to run the office, but what we really need is someone to promote the business. None of us have any skills like that.”
“What about the owner?”
“Oh, forgive me. I’m getting ahead of myself.” She plugged in a kettle and gave Jenny a key. “Room twelve. Go change your clothes, then come back here and we’ll have tea and talk.”
Jenny was pleased by the invitation. “Oh, I was just wondering. This room isn’t in the Captain’s House, is it?”
“Oh, no,” Miriam said. “There are no rooms for rent in the Captain’s House.”
“Someone lives there?”
“No,” Miriam answered with a puzzled look. “No one lives there. Why do you ask?”
“I thought I saw a woman standing in the window.”
“No,” Miriam said, shaking her head. “There’s no one there. No one has lived there for years.”
Jenny bit her lip and crooked an eyebrow. “That’s funny.” She forced a smile. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“I’ll have tea ready.”
Jenny walked to the car, pausing long enough to stare at the window where she had seen the woman. But now there was no sign of life. She wondered if she had imagined the whole thing, or if she had seen a ghost, a beautiful, enigmatic spirit trying to connect with her across space and time. Jenny laughed at the silly idea, shook her head, then took her suitcase to room twelve.
When she opened the door, she was very pleased. The room was immaculately clean and the light from the chandelier reflected brilliantly on the hardwood floor. There was a huge bed covered by a comforter with the print of muted red roses. Next to it was a walnut bookshelf stocked with classics and an oak table partly covered by lacy white material. On it was a vase with one red rose and one white rose. In the corner was a fireplace, and, next to it, a recliner chair and a free-standing lamp, its shade printed with the design of a ship coming into port. Even the bathroom was posh, both in its size and in the polish of the antique fixtures.
“Um,” Jenny mumbled, enjoying her new surroundings. “Things are looking up.”
She tossed her suitcase onto the bed, unclasped it, and took out a pair of black dress slacks and a yellow blouse. She then quickly undressed and walked into the bathroom, taking a towel. As she dried her hair, Jenny noticed herself in the huge antique mirror. Suddenly she became intensely aware of her body, every nerve ending, every hair. She had never felt so intimately connected with her physical self. The towel slid over her skin in a luxurious kind of way, giving her exquisite pleasure. She dried her arms, her fingers, her neck, and hair. Jenny slowly rubbed the towel over her smooth, luxurious legs, then dried her ass and lightly rubbed her pussy.
She dropped the towel and looked at herself again, suddenly drawn into a world of delight, free of inhibition. She licked her thumbs and index fingers, then touched her nipples, playing with them until they were hard and taut, far extended off her full, round breasts. Jenny bent over in front of the mirror, looking at herself from behind. That’s the way he had looked at her when she was putting away the flat and jack. No, he had not seen her naked, but that’s the way he had imagined her. She knew it. She could see it in his eyes. He was a man with a hunger, a hunger beyond reason. Jenny recognized his hunger because she felt the same gnawing, aching need to connect with her wild, racy yearnings, yearnings that had been too long oppressed, trapped.
Short of breath, she climbed up on the bed and knelt down, spreading her legs like a woman ready to accept a man with a raging erection. She looked back and into the mirror, surprised by her own boldness. Never had she seen herself in this position, so exposed, so raw. There was nothing left to the imagination. But it excited her like she had never been excited before. Not because she turned herself on. No, on the contrary, she imagined him looking at her. She saw herself through his eyes, her bareness, her secret places. She fantasized that the man who changed her tire was behind her, watching, a drunken look of passion on his face. He would be hard as a rock, pointing straight at the ceiling, his strength and essence concentrated in his sex. Only one thing could match his desire, and that was her desire, so long restrained, but now, like a dam about to burst. She laid her face sideways on the satin pillow and lifted her hips, presenting herself for penetration.
“Do you like?” she asked him, moving her hips and wantonly exposing herself in a way no man had ever seen her.
“Yes,” he mumbled breathlessly. “Yes…”
She closed her eyes and started touching herself. She imagined him getting on the bed, even to the point of feeling the mattress sag and the springs squeak. Jenny was hot—unbelievably hot—and she could smell her own musk. A fabulous sensation welled in her sexual core and she felt like she was going to have the most powerful orgasm of her life. At that moment she imagined him moving forwar
d, getting ready to join with her in hot, blistering sex. She would release the mad vixen and meet his driving passion with scorching, dripping, unrestrained sex.
Jenny tossed her head side to side, now on the very precipice of a mind-blowing climax.
The phone rang.
Jenny caught her breath, rolled off the bed, and answered it. “Hello,” she said, her hair disheveled.
“Hello, dear,” came Miriam’s voice. “You sound out of breath.”
“I just ran to get the phone,” she said. “What is it, Miriam?”
“The tea’s ready. Are you coming soon?”
“Yes, I’ll be right there.”
* * * *
Jenny composed herself, quickly dressed, and walked into the office. In a back room Miriam poured them both a cup of tea and placed one on a small table. Jenny walked in and sat down, thanking Miriam for the tea.
“Who owns this place?” she asked.
“Mr. North,” Miriam said.
“Mr. North?” Jenny laughed. “He sounds like a cold fellow.”
“Oh, no, he’s a sweetheart.”
“What’s his first name?”
“Devon.”
“Devon,” Jenny said with a thoughtful look. “Devon North. I like it.”
Miriam smiled. “I’ll be sure to tell him you approve of his name.”
Jenny laughed again and took a sip of tea. By the minute she felt more comfortable in the hotel, almost as if she belonged there. “How long has Mr. North owned this place?”
“A few weeks. He’s been working his fingers to the bone trying to get it ready.”
“He needs to do a lot more work,” Jenny said with a slight grimace.
“He can’t work any harder than he has been,” Miriam noted.
“Why doesn’t he hire some help?”
Miriam rubbed her thumb and fingertips. “Money,” she said. “It was a big capital expense to buy the hotel in the first place and he’s already invested thousands in renovations. Thankfully he’s very handy. He did your room, you know. It doesn’t look anything like it did.”
“He did a lovely job,” Jenny agreed, “but, tell me, did he put out the flowers and choose the bedding?”
“I did that,” Miriam said, “but he painted the room, put in the hardwood floor, and put in all new light fixtures. He totally revamped the bathroom, too.”
“He did do a beautiful job,” Jenny assented, knowing it was important to Miriam that she acknowledge the work.
“Mr. North is fabulous with his hands, but he is not what I would call an ideal people person, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
“He’s very shy, or maybe focused is a better word.” Miriam looked hard at her. “He needs someone with training to get this hotel back on the map. Actually,” she went on, leaning toward Jenny, “he needs some guests, period. Another part of the hotel opens tomorrow and no one knows. The restaurant reopens soon, too.”
“Is it a good restaurant?”
“The Riverview has always been known for its food.”
“That’s positive.”
Miriam shrugged. “But right now, to be perfectly frank, we’re not exactly the talk of the town. No one seems to care. Mr. North has invested a lot of money.” She looked meaningfully at her. “All of his money.”
“Oh?”
Miriam looked sheepish. “During this transitional period I agreed to work for free. If you climb on board, Ms. Lamb, you won’t be paid either, I’m afraid. Not right away, that is.” She raised her eyebrows in a hopeful gesture. “But if we can turn things around, this could be an excellent job.”
“All right,” Jenny agreed, “I accept your terms.”
Miriam was flabbergasted. “You do?”
Jenny was running for her life. She had some money, but what she needed was a cheap place to stay and, more importantly, a secure place to hide. And a small-town hotel in southern Nova Scotia perfectly fit the bill. In her position, she would not even need to meet the guests. She could be the brains behind the empire, directing the show from the wings. Maybe she could even make a small office right in her room, or, better still, in the Captain’s House, in the room where she had seen the apparition.
“I just left a job in a big city and I’m tired of the rat race,” Jenny said. “I want something smaller and more intimate. I’ve saved enough to last me a few months, so this job is perfect. I’ll treat it like a new company, with me as a stockholder. That’s sort of what we’d be, Miriam. If the company succeeds, we succeed.”
“I love your attitude!” the elderly woman complimented. She held out her old, withered hand. “Welcome aboard.” She thought for a moment. “What shall we call you? How about public relations manager?”
“I like to think of it as a coordinator,” Jenny said, not relishing the idea of being public in any way. “I have some ideas.”
“Great!” said Miriam with enthusiasm. She gazed at Jenny as if the young woman possessed special powers, powers that would be required in resurrecting the Riverview Hotel. “So, tell me, where did you come from?”
Jenny’s heart leapt into her throat. “Out west,” Jenny said evasively. She raised her hands. “But I don’t want to bore you with the details. I’m excited about my new life.” She sat up straight and said comically, “You can now address me as the coordinator of the Riverview Hotel. That’s my formal title.”
Miriam laughed at her. “You have a sweet personality, dear.”
“Thank you,” Jenny said, genuinely touched. “You’re a very nice person, Miriam.”
Miriam stood up and put their teacups on the counter. “So, tell me, was it hard to change your tire in the rain?”
“Luckily a man came along and helped me.”
“You are lucky,” Miriam agreed, then, as is often the case with people who’ve met for the first time, a moment of awkward silence descended where neither person knew what to say.
Jenny looked about the room and saw potential where another may have found fault.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Miriam asked suddenly.
“No,” Jenny responded quickly, recoiling. “But enough of me. Tell me more about the hotel. It seems like a place with great character.”
“It used to be the jewel of Newbridge,” Miriam noted, struck by Jenny’s evasiveness. “A few months ago the town considered turning it into low rent apartments, but then Devon found out it was for sale and started making inquiries.”
“There’s fantastic potential,” Jenny said, looking around. “It’s a gem.”
Miriam looked thoughtful. “For years owners came and went. Some of them tried, but they gave up too easily. Others didn’t try. Our last owner only kept the restaurant open at the end. I can’t tell you how glad I was when he sold to Devon.” She lightly ran her fingers over the back of an antique chair. “I’ve worked here for almost forty years. My husband died young, so all I could count on was my son and this hotel. Now Terry has his own family and he’s usually busy, but the hotel is here for me every day. I don’t know what I’d do if they ever shut it down.”
Miriam grasped the table and visibly swayed. Jenny rushed and caught her by the arm.
“What’s wrong, Miriam?”
The elderly woman collected herself. “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just a little dizzy, that’s all.” She smirked. “There’s been a lot of stress lately, you know…worry. The Riverview has to succeed, Jenny. It has to.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes, it’s nothing,” she insisted, sitting. “When you get a little older, things don’t work as well anymore, that’s all.”
A vehicle pulled up to the office door and Miriam started to get up in order to wait on the client, but she seemed intent on remaining positive. “I think Mr. North will make all the difference.”
“He sounds wonderful,” Jenny agreed, still shaken by Miriam’s near fall.
“It’s nice to have a man around,” Miriam said, “especiall
y one who can take charge and get things done.”
“I know what you mean. When my tire went flat, I was worried, but when that man came, I felt so relieved. He just inspired you with this incredible sense of confidence.”
“You were lucky to meet up with such a nice person.”
“I was lucky he came along,” Jenny agreed, “but he sure wasn’t nice. He was the rudest fellow, quite obnoxious, really. I put up with him because I was in need. I’d never want to meet him again so long as I live.”
“You probably never will.”
“Hopefully not.”
“It just occurred to me,” Miriam said, “that if you don’t have a boyfriend, Mr. North might be the man for you.”
“I’m not looking for a man,” Jenny explained, flustered.
“Oh, come now, a pretty girl like you. You don’t have to look, dear. They’re looking for you.” She winked. “I can’t wait to introduce you to Devon.”
“I’m sure he’s too busy,” Jenny said as the office door opened. “From what I’ve seen, Mr. North still has plenty to do and won’t have any social time to speak of. The hotel is in critical need of paint, and he could really do something special with the general lounging area. I’d like to see him invest in some silk floral arrangements for the bay window, and maybe some by the mantel…or even better, the wall with the fireplace would look beautiful set off by a dark wallpaper, maybe a burgundy, or a green. I also noticed that there are tremendous possibilities for a garden out back.”
“Anything else, Your Highness?” inquired a deep voice.
Jenny turned and her mouth fell open. Before her stood that man. Him. The one who had fixed her flat tire. She was stunned and couldn’t speak. What were the chances of these two strangers ending up at the same hotel?
What were the chances?
Miriam was taken aback, but tried not to show it. “Jenny, I’d like you to meet Devon North, the owner of the Riverview Hotel. Mr. North, Ms. Lamb is going to be staying here with us.”
Passions in the North Country (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 3
