by Christina OW
She swallowed hard then vigorously shook her head.
“What about Barkhurst?”
Again she shook her head.
“Not even Sinclair?”
She shook her head.
“Then get his shit out of my suite and make sure the place is cleaned up in half an hour. When you’re done, make sure to ask for his resignation too. Am I clear?”
She nodded, her eyes widening at his harsh tone, but Ruiz was beyond caring if he’d scared her. He was pissed! He pushed away from the counter picking up the lady’s panicked voice as she yelled out a name that was followed by rapid French as he walked away. He hoped once he was done touring the hotel, he would have at least set one room straight.
When he got back to his room, he didn’t even bother to see if his orders were carried out. He muttered angrily to himself as he dialed his phone. Things were worse than what Matthew had thought. He was surprised the building was still open for business considering it was practically empty. The few guests that he had met half were on their way out to a better hotel and the other half was actually hotel staff lazing around. How the hell had things gotten this bad? It was a shadow—a bad one at that—of what he’d left behind a year ago. What happened to the manager he and Melody had left in charge and who the hell was the new guy and how did he get the position? Only Reno, Melody and he could hire managing staff and he was sure Reno didn’t hire him. Could Melody have possibly done this?
He shook his head. “No way.” She wouldn’t condemn her gift, one that had almost cost Allan and Riana their lives to such careless hands. That would be an insult to them!
“Ciao.”
“Dante,” Ruiz began speaking into the phone. “I know you only operate in Italy but I need your help in Paris and I need it fast.”
A heavy sigh came through the ear piece. “So, you have seen the disaster for yourself? It’s such a shame all things considering.”
Ruiz flung his jacket off and began working on the buttons of his shirt. “Shame isn’t the word for it. I need a lawyer, by today if possible. I’m going to be firing a number of people and I need it handled legally and fast if I’m going to save this place before Matthew shuts it down.”
“Matthew? Is it not your brother Reno who is in charge?”
Yes, it was, but even as much as Allan owned Sinclair Enterprises, if Matthew didn’t like something, as small as it may be about a particular deal it was shut down immediately. His brother and brother-in-law took his advice seriously as their lawyer. And besides, he was also a part owner—though a small part—in the franchise. It made sense to Reno to give him that considering how much work he’d put into it especially when Allan was out of commission.
“Yes, but we both know it would only take a word from him to have this place boarded up. And I can’t have my brother worrying about this right now with Loraine being pregnant.”
“Ah si. I will find you the best law firm France has to offer. You can count on me, Ruiz.”
Feeling a little relieved, Ruiz thanked him and hang up. He finished undressing as he walked into the master bedroom and went straight for the shower. He was tired, but he wasn’t sure if he could afford sleep at this point. A relaxing hot shower would have to do.
Twenty minutes later he came out of the bathroom to a man yelling and the familiar voice of the concierge. The manager, he guessed and his jaw clenched tight. He had a few choice words for the frog, three of them being ‘you are fired’. He tucked a towel low around his hips and marched into the living room where a man in his bathing suit and a towel hang over his shoulders yelled at the concierge who was dishing as much as she was getting.
“What?” he yelled immediately silencing the room before he lowered his voice to a cool and harsh tone, “Are you doing fighting in my room?”
The man glared at him, his lips curled in a snare. “You mean my room.”
Ruiz folded his arms over his chest and looked down at the man who was a half a foot shorter and a few sizes smaller than him. He hadn’t had to use his size advantage to intimidate someone in years, but since that was what the ass had been trying with the concierge Ruiz wanted him to be at the receiving end. The beady eyes moving up and down his form and the cautious step back told Ruiz the guy was thinking about his next words, carefully.
“You’re not a Sinclair or an Albury or a Barkhurst, so I find it hard to see how this is your room.”
The man smiled smugly up at him and announced in a heavy Italian accent, “No, but I’m married to a Sinclair.”
Ruiz felt like he had been punched in the gut, but he schooled his features to hide his emotions. He was married to Melody? How? Ruiz looked him over carefully and he immediately recognized him. It was the man he’d seen Melody with after she’d told him she didn’t want him in her life anymore. That he had been a mistake and the biggest regret in her life. She’d followed that up with throwing the key he’d given her at the bridge out the window. That had hurt immensely and it felt like salt to a wound staring at the new man in her life, but how could she let him do this to Red Roses and stand idly by?
Ruiz fought to cover his pain with cool indifference. “Congratulations and where is your beautiful bride?”
Before beady eyes could answer, the concierge spoke up. “She lives in the manager’s house monsieur.”
Ruiz pulled his lips in a smile, “Well then, that’s where your room is. Now get out of my suite before I throw you out. Oh and another thing, you’re fired, married to a Sinclair or not.”
He sputtered with indignation, “You can’t do that!”
Ruiz dropped his arms to his sides in tight fists as he approached the man, forcing him to back pedal. “I can and I just did. Get. The hell. Out!”
The man spun around and rushed out of the room leaving Ruiz and a smug concierge behind. The look in her eyes told him there was more to that relationship than coworkers between her and the manager. And when she turned to look at Ruiz, she confirmed it with the lecherous perusal of his naked torso. He could guess how she got her job and how she intended to keep it.
“Don’t you have a desk to get to?”
“Oui monsieur,” she purred strutting towards him, but he signaled to the door with his chin.
“The exit is that way mademoiselle.”
She stopped in her tracks and for the first time since he entered the room in his state of undress looked him in the eye. She must have read something there because the seduction was gone and she nodded curtly heading out the door. Once the door was shut and he was left alone, Ruiz fell into the couch rubbing his chest over his aching heart.
“Married to a cheating beady-eyed bastard? Is that how much you hate me Melody?”
Chapter Three
Melody rocked in the rocking chair staring down at her beautiful daughter as she nursed. She loved the rosy bud of her lips, her button nose the mass of jet black hair atop her head and her eyes. Her eyes both excited and haunted her. She had the signature Albury eyes—brown with flecks of green. Melody’s heart beat heavily under her rib cage at the thought of Ruiz.
Has it actually been a year since I last saw him?
Yes, it had. Their daughter was two months old, a full term baby. She’d actually stayed longer than ten months and Melody kept thinking she was waiting for mommy to call daddy so that he could welcome her into the world. She’d been tempted a few times, to call him, but she always chickened out, afraid of the repercussions, too scared of Antonio. He had been the worst thing that could have ever happened in her life and if it wasn’t for her baby she wasn’t sure where she would be.
Esmeralda Mélodie Albury was the only thing that had held her together that year. She named her precious bundle after Ruiz’s grandmother and herself but in French. Ruiz had driven her crazy pronouncing her name ‘the French way’. She teared up just thinking about how it moved from being a means of torture to sighs of pleasure when he’d finally made love to her taking her treasured virginity. The memory of his touch on her skin
made her shiver with residual delight. She craved his touch, but only had his memories to hold her over. She felt foolish now over their last fight. Compared to her current situation, it was ridiculous! But the hurt had left her open, vulnerable and that’s when Antonio swooped in for the kill. Now she was married to him, with no way out unless one of them died, but it couldn’t be her—it wouldn’t, not until her daughter was safe, so that meant doing whatever he wanted. She was just glad his threats to bed her were just that, hollow threats meant to torment her, but to be on the safe side, she locked her bedroom door every time he was in the manager’s house and she made sure she had the only key to the room.
Esme’s suckling grew slow as her eyelids began to droop. Melody smiled, completely enthralled by her. She was finally falling asleep and Melody could now—could what? Antonio had made sure she had nothing to do with the running of the hotel. In fact, the last time she went out was when she went to the hospital to give birth and she’d been all alone. She’d cried for Ruiz, her brother, Riana, and Loraine. Hell, she’d even cried for Reno. She wanted to go home, she wanted her family back. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life under Antonio’s control.
The banging on the door made her jump and so did Esme, her eyes flying wide open and she began to whine. Melody held her to her shoulder and tried to calm her, but that was impossible with the banging and shouting. Melody buttoned up her shirt with one hand as she stood up and moved to the door, rocking Esme.
“What do you want Antonio?” she demanded careful not to shout.
“Get out here now!”
“Why?”
“Because I said so, merde!”
Melody rolled her eyes, unlocking and swinging open the door. Antonio stood at the other side, in just his swimming trunks and a towel slang over his heaving shoulders and judging by his ugly glare clearly mad about something.
“What do you want Antonio?” she repeated her first question.
“Your stupid lover is back and he has fired me!” he yelled making Esme jump again.
Melody glared at him. “Keep your voice down or—” Then his words sank in and she felt her body go cold. “M-my my lover?”
Antonio smirked at her. “Oh yes. Your lover—well, old lover because I mentioned that you were my wife and he didn’t seem to care. He didn’t bat an eyelash. I believe your love has forgotten you. He was quite happy to keep Cheri in his room once I left—”
“Enough!” The last thing she wanted to hear was the antics of the hotel’s personal whore. And Ruiz, how could he? But what did she expect? She sent him away, slept with someone else hours after their break up. Did she expect him to remain celibate? God it hurt just thinking about him with another woman but she’ll be damned if she lets Antonio see it.
Keeping her expression neutral she asked with a cool tone, “Why are you telling me all this Antonio? Get to the point.”
He gave her a menacing glare as he moved to stand right in her face. “Get rid of him Melody. Tell him to go back to where he came from, that the hotel is in good hands. I want him gone tonight!”
Melody shook her head with a sad chuckle. “I can’t do that, unless you want the hotel shut down. Ruiz, I’m sure was sent here to either save or board up this place. I ask him to leave and the board of directors will gut this place up and sell it for scrap, then what will you do?”
He growled under his breath and stomped away. Melody walked back into her room and laid Esme down. While on Melody’s shoulder she had burped and fallen asleep. She looked so precious in her sleep that seeing her that way never failed to warm Melody’s heart.
“Convince him that I can revive the hotel.”
Melody sighed turning around. He’d come into her room and that was a big no no. Sternly she pointed to the door and he grumbled, walking back out to stand at the threshold.
“You are my wife—”
“In name only,” she cut him off. “And the next time you come into my room and near my daughter I’ll forget you’re holding something over my head and sell you out!”
He smirked. “I am permitted to see my own daughter.”
Whenever he said that, Melody’s skin literally crawled. She couldn’t believe that was a possibility just as she couldn’t believe she’d actually had sex with him. She hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol since that night.
“She’s not your daughter!” she ground out.
“How do you know?” he snickered then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if she is mine biologically or not. But legally she is mine.”
That’s what you think. Antonio hadn’t bothered to go to the hospital for the birth so he had no idea whose name was listed under father on the birth certificate. Did he actually think his threats had made her that subservient as to list his name as Esme’s father? Yes, she may not be a hundred percent sure who the father was, but every time she looked into Esme’s eyes she was convinced she belonged to Ruiz. Her eyes were brown and Antonio’s eyes were blue—a cold and menacing blue.
“What do you want Antonio?”
“If he won’t let me have my job back, I want my suite and to be left to do as I please. He can run the place for all I care. It’s running out of money anyway.”
Melody felt her heart break at the flippant way he spoke about her hotel. God, what would Allan think of her if he found out she let the place go to the dogs as she watched? To think of all the hurt he and Riana had gone through just to get Melody the Red Roses chain of hotels. She felt like a traitor, like an ungrateful little brat. Maybe she should just find a way to let Allan know what was going on.
“Ah, here is the nanny. Go, my little butterfly, and make sure your old lover does not come in the way of my plans, otherwise, he’ll stop being a nuisance permanently.”
Melody felt her body go cold at his words. The look in his eyes told her he wasn’t joking. Was he always going to threaten those she loved to get her to do what he wanted? He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the door as Esme’s nanny walked into Melody’s room and the click of the lock sounded right after. Melody trusted Jackie to care for Esme. She was an old woman with the kindest heart. She was a retired nurse who took pity on Melody at the hospital and offered to work for her as a nanny. Melody appreciated it. She not only took care of the baby but her as well.
“Convince him whichever way you can to let me be or you’ll be the one to pay for his interference.” He then slammed the door shut in her face and Melody had no other choice, but to do as she was told.
She got to the family suite and stood at the door like a nervous school girl. She fussed to straighten her shirt, patted the braid that held her hair together and pinched her cheeks to get some pink in them. She hadn’t bothered with makeup for the longest time. She laughed at herself, shaking her head. Why she was even going through all this was a mystery to her. She was still annoyed at him for lying to her, for being the first domino to place her in her current predicament. And yet, her belly fluttered with excitement at the prospects of seeing him again.
She raised her hand to ring the doorbell, but stopped, remembering Antonio’s words. He’d left Cheri in here alone with Ruiz. Oh God, were they…did he…he wouldn’t…
She didn’t know exactly how but her finger pressed down on the doorbell and almost immediately after, the door swung open and her breath caught in her chest. He looked gorgeous! She was sure nothing much had changed about him, but…she was close to weeping at the sight of him. And the best part was he was fully dressed! Ruiz wasn’t a two-minute wonder, so that meant Cheri left right after Antonio did. His damp hair was brushed back and she noticed it was longer than how he liked to keep it. The other thing that was different was the frown—on his forehead and his lips. She never liked that look on him. She fisted her hands, fighting the urge to iron them out with her thumb. When they were together, there were moments when he would lapse into silence, deep in thought and the frowns would appear. It had taken a long time before he trusted her with those thoughts, but he always smiled
a big beautiful grin that made her weak in the knees whenever he saw her.
There was no smile this time, just a raised brow.
“First your new husband, now you? Are you also here to demand I leave?”
His cold tone was like ice water down her back. She stilled herself, pulling the mask of indifference over her face as she’d learned to do for a year now.
“Are you going to let me in, or are we going to have this discussion out here?”
He snorted, stepping to the side and letting her pass. Melody curled her fingers into tighter fists to keep from touching him as she passed by. She’d grown a habit of stroking his abs and pecs as she passed by him while they were in the Bahamas. He would call her a tease for it and she would blush seven shades of red. She hadn’t meant to be a tease she just liked the strength laying under his clothes and tanned skin.
She heard the door close behind her and her heart began beating a mile a minute.
“So, what should I call you?”
“What?”
“You’re not an Albury or a Sinclair anymore so who are you?”
No, she wasn’t anymore and he must be wondering how the hell that happened. She wasn’t sure herself, but it had.
“It’s Oriton.”
He scoffed, “That’s an Italian name?”
She turned to face him, but kept her eyes averted from his. “No. He’s not Italian, he’s Cuban.”
“With an Italian accent?”
His tone suggested he didn’t believe her and as she thought about it, Ruiz did have a point. But Antonio’s heritage was the last thing she wanted to talk about.
“What does it matter where he came from or what his accent is?”
He shrugged his large shoulders, pocketing his hands in his trousers. “Okay then Mrs. Oriton, what can I do for you?”
Damn the way he said it, it was like an insult, which was true in more ways than one. Taking a discreet deep breath she looked into his eyes and her heart leaped. There it was, proof that Esme was his. Antonio’s ploy to constantly put doubts in her mind fell by the way side as she stared at those familiar eyes, even though at the moment they glared at her. The relief that washed over her made her feel faint.
