Chapter 14
Bryant
“Thanks,” I said to the person who had brought me my first pina colada of the day, and he bowed awkwardly before hurrying away. I stretched myself out in the pool lounger, letting my eyes wander toward Adriana.
She was on the other side of the pool, talking to some lady who looked upset.
I sipped at my drink, watching Adriana work her magic.
She had a professional smile on her face, and spoke patiently even when the woman was yelling.
It didn’t take very long for things to calm down, and soon enough, the woman was following a porter back inside in a much better mood.
I wondered what bribe Adriana had offered her to de-escalate things so drastically. Whatever it was, it clearly worked.
Adriana moved like she knew exactly what she was doing. Her confidence was impressive, and far different from what Landon had told me about her first day. He clearly knew how to hire the best, which was exactly why he got the position he had in the first place.
I watched the way she walked like she owned the world, toward another person at the far end of the pool. I knew there was a party coming that evening, and it looked like things were moving slowly. Adriana, however, was on top of everything, as I would have expected her to be.
She was beautiful, capable, clearly good at her job, and someone that I definitely wanted a taste of.
Landon appeared from one of the hotel doors, walking precisely toward her. I’d always wondered if the man had ever heard of the idea of relaxing, because it didn’t look like he did. Frankly, he was stiffer than a board. Probably had a boring love life, too.
But I noticed the way he was looking at Adriana while he was talking to her. There was a longing there, some kind of inner conflict. It made me wonder if something had happened between them, or if Landon was sticking to his strict personal rules.
Either way, I was curious. And the only way to find out what was going on there was to rock the boat.
“Adriana!” I said, stretching myself out and getting up from the lounger. She turned to face me, excused herself to Landon, and walked in my direction. I noticed how Landon watched her every step with a splash of jealousy in his eyes.
Adriana moved purposefully. Unlike everyone else at the hotel, she didn’t rush to please me. It was frustrating, but at the same time, pretty damn alluring. I wondered if she knew how difficult it was to resist her.
“Mr. Thatcher,” she said when she reached me, with that ever-polite smile on her face. “How may I help you?”
I grinned at her, impressed that she didn’t look like she’d faint simply by being in my presence. “Actually, I was wondering if you’d come see me in my cabana in half an hour.”
“Sir, I…” she started, looking uncertain for the first time since she’d appeared poolside earlier.
“Nothing inappropriate,” I insisted. “I swear. All business.”
It probably didn’t help that I added a quick wink at the end of that statement, but I was nothing if not playful. She didn’t look convinced, but she eventually managed to nod. “Okay, I suppose I could do that.”
“Great!” I laughed, before turning away. “See you there.”
I left, and spent the next twenty minutes making sure that the cabana was at least somewhat welcoming. I set out drinks; non-alcoholic, since I knew Adriana refused to drink on-duty, as well as a snack board that I’d had Nolan make for me to work through over the course of the day.
I put on a shirt just in case, and waited. Three minutes early, there was a knock at the door.
“There you are,” I greeted when I threw it open, and Adriana stood hesitantly on the other side. “Please, come on in. I promise you I won’t bite… Unless you ask nicely.”
That made her laugh, and the ice was at least somewhat broken.
“Would you like a lemonade?” I asked as she closed the door behind her. “Freshly squeezed and sugared up by the Chef Nolan himself.”
“Sure, why not?” she followed me to the bar, and I filled a glass for each of us. “Thank you. Now, Mr. Thatcher, you mentioned that you were calling me here for a reason.”
“Ah, spending time with me isn’t enough for you, eh?
” I said, and she offered me a real smile, one that was so dazzling that it almost threw me off my game.
But I was experienced; the one who would be flustered at the end of the day would be her.
“I do actually have a task for you, if I’m honest. One that is fairly… clandestine.”
She frowned, already concerned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that you can’t tell anyone about it. At all. Especially Landon.”
I watched her face change. She was obviously conflicted about this, but she didn’t immediately say no, which gave me a bit of hope.
“You want me to hide something from my manager?” she asked carefully, as if she was giving me a chance to change what I’d said. I had no such qualms, however.
“I do. Can you do that, or not?” I leaned forward, keeping my eyes locked on her face.
She swirled her drink and stared down at it for a while.
I admired her loyalty, but I needed someone to do this, and she was the one person who I was certain would get it right.
No one else was as competent or as resourceful; and something told me that there were ways she’d allow her ethics to be bent.
“I don’t know,” she finally answered with a sigh. “I don’t like the idea of going behind his back. He’s got enough power to end my career.”
I had to laugh at that. “He wouldn’t dare.”
“You sound convinced of that,” Adriana said, peering at me suspiciously. “How do you know?”
“You’ve seen the way people act around me, haven’t you?” I pointed out, and that seemed to make her think. “Even Landon is careful not to upset me. Don’t you think that means I have at least a little bit of pull around here? I promise you, Landon won’t fire you on my watch.”
Adriana took a swig of the lemonade as if it was a strong drink, and I could see in her eyes that she loved it. Of course she did. Nolan was one of the best in his craft. He could never make a bad lemonade even if he tried.
“Fine, I’ll hear you out,” she eventually said, sitting down on one of the barstools with one leg crossed over the other. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought she was posing like that on purpose to rile me up. It worked, even though I was strong enough not to show it on my face.
I’d played this game far longer than she had, and I was a master at it. “I’m looking for a very specific vintage wine.”
“That’s it?” she seemed almost disappointed that it wasn’t something more exciting, or perhaps more illegal.
“If you want more, I can always give it to you,” I joked, then shook my head.
“But yeah, that’s it. Thing is, though, this is more complicated than it sounds.
This particular bottle is only available from one single private supplier and the purchase can’t be tied back to The Pacific.
If it is, well, the hotel’s reputation would be in the shitter. And so would Landon’s.”
“You’re kidding,” Adriana answered, her voice laced with surprise. “It’s just wine, isn’t it? Or… Is it some kind of code word?”
“Nope, just wine. But if word got out where I bought it, there’d be hell to pay.”
“So you want me to sneak off and find it? Why me?”
It was good that she was curious. I’d figured she wouldn’t be walking away from a challenge like this. She was the kind of woman who had something to prove, who had to be the best.
“You’re good at your job,” I replied with a shrug. “You can get it and keep it under wraps. I’m sure of it.”
“And what do I get from it?” she asked, though it seemed more like she was teasing me than actually asking. I took the bait, and moved closer to her; so close that I could touch her.
“Whatever you want,” I said, lacing my tone with a promise.
“Fine. Where do I go?”
I gave her a small piece of paper before finishing my lemonade in one fell swoop. It gave me the opportunity for a dramatic pause, one that I knew would build some tension between us.
“This is your contact,” I finally explained. “Have the bottle in my private lounge at 8 PM.”
Adriana nodded, and finished her own lemonade before getting to her feet. “You’ve got it.”
I watched her leave a little more closely than I should have, but anyone would have to admit that she was just as much a treat to the eyes from behind as from the front. This was her chance to really prove herself, and I had the feeling that she was going to surprise me.
Later that evening, I was seated in my private lounge with Chef Nolan talking about the appetizers that he’d prepared for me. I checked the clock. It was about ten minutes to eight. Adriana was running out of time.
“I’ve paired it with—” Nolan started, and I held up a hand to interrupt him.
“I’ve got my own wine coming,” I answered with a sly smile. “Let’s see if it gets here on time for the main course.”
“Certainly, Sir, whatever you prefer,” Nolan said with a small bow. I’d heard him yelling in the kitchen before. I found it pretty entertaining to see how subservient he was around me.
At the same time, there was a part of me that wished more people would react to me the way that Adriana did. She acted as if I was on the same level as anyone else in the hotel, and aside from that being sexy, it did make me feel more human. But it also made me more eager to put her in her place.
I ate the appetizer slowly, savoring every flavor that Nolan had expertly put together. By the time I was done, it was just after eight, and Nolan had run off to get the main course.
Before he returned, there was a rapid, but polite knock at the door. The porter standing beside it opened it.
“It is the concierge, Sir,” he announced over his shoulder, and I smiled.
“Let her in.”
I heard Adriana’s heels clicking on the marble tiles, but I didn’t turn. I only faced her once she stood beside me with a package in her hand. She seemed a little dazed, as if the task had taken her absolute all to complete.
“You’re three minutes late,” I pointed out, even though my smile didn’t falter. “I’m impressed, of course. I wasn’t entirely certain you’d pull it off.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, looking like she was getting ready to leave.
But I didn’t want her to go. “Take a seat, please. I insist.”
Adriana did so, placing the package in front of her. I studied her closely. Even though she seemed like she’d had a tough day, not a single hair was out of place, and she still had that defiant look in her eye.
“So, how’d you do it?” I asked curiously, leaning over the corner of the table toward her.
It was a request that I’d made of other employees before, but only one had ever been successful, and it had taken that guy more than a week. Adriana had gotten far closer to my requested deadline.
“I had it delivered to a contact in Carmel,” she said simply. “And a friend brought it here. She wasn’t very happy with me, but I’ll deal with it.”
“Well,” I said, tapping my fingers on the table before I started opening the package. “You deserve a reward for your excellent service.”
Inside was the exact bottle that I had asked for. Nolan had appeared at the far end of the dining room, and he peered at the wine with a frown, but he said nothing. He didn’t attempt to serve the main course either; rather, he turned and promptly left.
I had to give it to the man—he knew how to read the room.
“I’m not supposed to—” Adriana started, but I pointed up at the clock.
“I believe you should have stopped working at eight,” I said smoothly. “Your shift should be over. I know you spend late nights here, but you really should be more focused on a work-life balance.”
She shook her head. “My job is important to me.”
“I’ve realized that, but tonight, we’re celebrating,” I answered. My tone was firm and strict, and she finally seemed to give in. “Great! You’re going to love this.”
I poured each of us a drink, and offered her one. She took it from me hesitantly, and took a small sip. Her eyes widened.
“Wow, that’s good,” she commented with a nod. “Seriously good.”
“Mm, that’s why I wanted it,” I said. “I only want the best.”
As I said that, I reached out to brush a hand over her cheek; a more direct, risky move.
Out of the blue, the doors flew open, and Landon stepped in. His usually stoic expression was far more stern than usual; even angry.
“Adriana,” he said simply, and she turned to him with a fright. “I need to speak with you. Right now.”