35. Ronan #2
My gaze lingers over her curvy frame, clad in a botanical green blazer and pencil skirt that shows off shapely legs and calves that strain in hot pink, four-inch heels.
“It works for you.” The truth is, Belinda can make anything work.
I’d put her in her early forties and one of the sexiest women I’ve ever met.
It’s not even her body, which is firm and curvy.
It’s her poise, the way she can walk into a room and command it.
She’s the only person I’ve seen order Henry to do anything, besides Abbi.
Probably the only one with the guts to try.
Belinda used to intimidate me, but now all I have to do is remember her on her knees with her mouth open, waiting, and that unease fades. In fact, if she offered a repeat, I’m not sure I’d be strong enough to deny her. I already know I’d enjoy it, even if it’s meaningless.
Her nostrils flare as if she can sense my dirty thoughts. “Ronan, do not look at me like you want to?—”
A knock on my door cuts off the end of what would likely have been a crass sentence.
Belinda remains silent, staring at me in challenge.
It dawns on me. This is my office. “Come in.”
A pint-sized, ginger-haired guy with a face full of freckles peeks in, his green eyes darting between Belinda and me before he clears his throat. “Hello, sir. Ms. Cartwright told me to come and introduce myself when you arrived. I’m Archie, your assistant.”
“Uh … Hi.” How old is this guy? It’s hard to tell. He could be twenty-one or thirty-five. And sir ? Fuck, that is not happening. “Call me Ronan.”
He dips his head once. “I’ve already sent you the day’s TCIP report and the weeklies will be in your inbox by eleven.”
“ Right .” I draw out the single word. TCIP? Weeklies? “Thanks.”
“I’ll get to scheduling meetings for you and the managers. What’s your window?” His thick, bushy eyebrows lift as he waits for my answer.
“My window …” For fuck’s sake. This guy is a ball of energy.
“Why don’t you and Ronan have a meeting after lunch today to go over his general expectations of you?” Belinda cuts in.
“Oh, right. One p.m. sound good?” he asks me.
“That will work perfectly,” Belinda answers, her smile thin-lipped. “He has a 2:00 p.m. already and I’ll introduce him to the managers myself.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks, sir. I mean … uh … Oh! Here, I almost forgot these.” He hands me a thick envelope. “The dealership dropped off your company car. It’s parked in one of the executive spaces.”
Executive spaces?
Archie disappears out the door.
I feel Belinda’s sharp gaze on me from behind those dark-rimmed glasses and I meet it head-on.
“Do you have any clue what your new position entails?” she blurts.
“Nope.” I’ve been waiting for her to call a spade on this bullshit situation. “But I’ll bet you’re one hell of a teacher.”
She grinds her teeth.
“Left up here,” Belinda orders, pointing at where the paved path forks.
I smoothly steer the golf cart in that direction. This, I can do. “Nice course.”
“It is. They’ve struggled to finish it in time.” Her tone is crisp. “Elias Brown designed it.”
“Is that name supposed to mean anything to me?” I’ve picked up a golf club exactly once in my life, fifteen years ago at a father-and-son tournament. I thought I’d die from boredom.
I feel her incredulous look in my peripherals. “He’s the best course architect in the world.”
“Of course he is.” Only the best for Henry. “You expecting a lot of golfers here?”
She snorts. “This is Florida, isn’t it?”
I purse my lips tight. Everything that comes out of my mouth proves how truly out of my depth I am. Henry’s gut is going to need a steady dose of antacids when he realizes that.
With an incoherent mumble and a shift in her seat, Belinda continues, “This location is meant to be a year-round retreat. The winter months are cooler here but ideal for golfers who prefer to play their sport while not sweating through their khakis. That, along with the luxury spa and heated pools, will draw the spouses. We see this as an adult resort mainly, given the cost. Surely, we’ll also attract small groups. Bridal parties and such.”
Mention of bridal parties makes me think of Tasha in Miami. I was this close to seeing her again because knowing me, I would have been too curious to stay away.
Also knowing me, I would have even bigger regrets by the end of the weekend.
“Is that part of this Elias Brown’s design?
” I point to the puddles of water pooling on the ninth hole green.
“Because I may not know much about golf, but I know that’s a drainage problem.
” The course at the Wolf in Indianapolis had the same issue.
We had to rip up the entire area to fix it.
I’ll never forget how sore my back was after that ordeal.
Belinda’s brow wrinkles. “This construction crew has been disappointing, to say the least. Talk to Dorian.”
“How did he not pick up on this?” How has nobody noticed? There are people out here cutting grass daily.
“You can scold him when you deal with this issue. Keep going.” Belinda waves a hand forward.
We wind around the bend. Fluorescent red, orange, and pink squares catch my notice.
“What is that? Up there.” I point ahead, past a chain-link fence to where handmade signs dangle off tree branches.
I squint to read the words. “‘Mermaid Beach doesn’t want this.’ ‘You’re not welcome.
’ ‘Take your money and go away.’” A longer one hangs nearby.
“‘Wolf Hotel Billionaire Owner Questioned in Brother’s Death.’”
“That is the reason I wanted to bring you out here. ”
“Ah, yes. The neighbor.” The one Henry specifically warned me about.
“Drive.” She gestures toward the area.
“Okay, even I know to stay off the green?—”
“Anyone who has a problem with it can speak to the general manager. Oh wait, that’s me,” she snipes. “I am not ruining my heels.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” I veer off the path.
The cart bumps along, the tires leaving imprints as we move closer toward the fence.
“So, what’s this all about, besides old news?
” Scott Wolf died a year and a half ago and deserved his untimely end.
Abbi told me what happened—the grim details that they managed to keep out of the news to protect her from becoming more of a media spectacle—and if someone else hadn’t killed the son of a bitch, I would have with my bare hands.
“Our neighbor isn’t a fan of us.”
“A giant hotel right next door? Can’t imagine why. Is that one lot?” It’s hard to tell beyond the thick, wild bramble.
“It is. Stretches all the way from the main road to the beach. The family purchased it decades ago.”
I let out a low whistle as I slide out of my seat for a better view, feeling the itch to dig into my pocket for a smoke that’s not there.
More handwritten signs come into view.
Wolf Heir and Assistant Spotted at Exclusive High Society Sex Party with Friends Margo Lauren and Hedge Fund Playboy Preston Abbott.
I remember that headline circulating. Connor still asks for an invitation every time he talks to Abbi.
Henry Wolf Breaks His Own Rules to Marry His Assistant. Was She Prey?
Wolf Hotel Billionaire’s Innocent Farm Girl Not So Innocent After All
That last one spikes my anger. It’s about Abbi … and me, an d moderately fabricated nonsense from a spurned reporter who was trying to cause trouble ahead of the wedding. Connor and I were named in the article. Our full fucking names.
It caused Abbi such stress and unleashed a torrent of online bullying from brainless losers with no lives of their own, so they spend their time taking sides of strangers they’ll never meet and trying to tank Farm Girl’s business.
“That’s gotta be worth a pretty penny.” There’s at least ten to fifteen acres there. I’m surprised they haven’t already sold to a developer. I crouch to find a view past an especially full bush. “Are those trailers?”
“Yes. Painted every shade you can find.” Belinda’s disgust is plain in her voice.
“Campground?”
“I don’t know what you call it. The mobile homes are occupied during the season, except for one tenant who lives there year-round. The owner lives in a dilapidated house. You can see it clearly from the beach.”
I shift my position. “Yeah, I see it now.” Or the back porch, anyway, of a house sitting off the ground on a pier-and-beam foundation, to help fend against a flood, though the sand dunes already form a natural barrier.
A pink hut sits on the far end. “Is that a chicken coop?”
“Yes, one that houses the noisiest rooster I have ever heard. I called bylaw but, shockingly, you’re allowed to have one in this county if you have a lot that size. We’ve already petitioned to have the law changed.”
“Over the neighbor’s rooster?” I can’t help the amusement in my voice.
“We can’t have it disturbing our guests.”
“From way over there?”
“Wait until you hear it!” she snaps. “Besides, it’s the principle.
These people have been a royal pain in Henry’s ass for years.
From the moment they found out about the hotel, they’ve been trying to stop it.
Circulating petitions, rallying local interest groups to storm council meetings, challenging zoning and environmental studies.
Crying about confused turtles or some nonsense.
There were two of them fighting this. An old woman and her granddaughter. The old woman is gone now.”
“Died?”
“Or given up, I have no idea, but she’s left the property to this one. All in all, they delayed the schedule for nearly a year with all their antics.”
“Wow.” I’ve gotta give this woman credit not only for her ambition but for having the guts to go up against the Wolf family. Too bad it might bite her in the ass. Henry doesn’t easily forget.
“Yes. Well, now that she’s lost her battle, this is what she has resorted to.” She flings a manicured hand at the signs. “Digging up old newspaper headlines in some sad attempt at a smear campaign.”
“What does Henry say about the signs?”
“He expects them down before the media open. Otherwise, everyone will be writing about this nuisance instead of what they should be focused on.”
“Right, that circus.” I remember when the Alaska location launched, they flew in a bunch of high rollers and journalists. It was a whole dog-and-pony make sure you shine your boots and straighten your bow tie show. “So, give her money.”
“You don’t think Henry already tried? She keeps tearing up the checks the lawyers bring.”
“Sue her.”
“For freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest? On her own property?”
“How about for slander.”
“She’s pulled directly from the headlines of major print companies.
Even a hack lawyer could put up a good fight, and it would be a long, drawn-out mess.
They’ve already threatened her, and she’s dug in her heels.
Besides, a lawsuit would attract more media attention that Henry doesn’t want around the opening. ”
I shrug. “Have someone hop the fence at night and rip them down.”
Belinda’s laugh is wicked. “It’s been thrown out there, trust me. But knowing this lunatic, she has a gun trained on us right now. She’s probably sitting in a tree, waiting.”
My gaze drifts to the branches. “That’s a little unsettling.”
“Henry wants to keep everything above board. He has plans for that lot.”
“He thinks she’ll sell?”
“Not in a hundred years.” Belinda shakes her head. “Henry’s tried. The last check the lawyer handed her was for two times what the property is worth. She tore that one up too.”
I whistle.
“See? Crazy.”
“Have you met her?”
“God no. If I ever find myself face-to-face with this troll, I will destroy her,” Belinda growls.
I love this scorned neighbor’s dedication, I’ll give her that. And I don’t think I ever want to be on Belinda’s bad side.
She sighs heavily, as if the move will expel the anger.
“I suggested building a wall, but that is a lengthy property line. It would be astronomically expensive and visually unappealing. And we’re already over budget.
Trees would work in the long-term but they need time to grow, and I’ve been told too many trees will stunt the growth of quality turf.
I don’t know what to do, but we need to come up with something to screen that PR mess. ”
It’s a true David and Goliath situation. In this case, it appears David is winning. Or should I say Davida. “What do you know about these people?”
“Only what Henry told me when he tasked me with opening another hotel for him. Frankly, I have more important things to do than focus on this pest. This is your problem. ”
“Great … Tell me what you know.” So I can offer no help whatsoever because I don’t even understand why I’m here.
“The old lady had one of those old lady names. The granddaughter … I can’t remember.” Belinda groans as if it’s an effort to talk about her even now. “She runs a local tourist business. You’d think she’d be happy that a Wolf is here to draw in more people.”
“Unmarried?”
“No idea.” Belinda pauses. “Why?”
I shrug. “Just curious.”
Her glare narrows. “Henry warned you to keep your dick in your pants with that one.”
I chuckle. “Hands and dick inside the bus at all times. Already got the memo.”
“I’m serious. That one is bitter and unhinged.
Enough that I wouldn’t put it past her to make up stories to create ammo, if you catch my drift.
Henry doesn’t need another scandal like that last one.
” That lecturing pointer finger goes up in the air.
“If I find out you’re sniffing around her, the first call I will make is to Henry, and he will fire your ass in his next breath. I will make sure of it?—”
“Okay!” I’ve never seen Belinda so passionate. I don’t doubt her. “I’ve got it. Look, I may not have been a Boy Scout in Alaska?—”
“You ran a fuck club,” she deadpans.
“Not one of my prouder moments.” I’m still not sure how that all transpired, but I blame Connor. “Things have changed. I ’ve changed. And batshit crazy doesn’t appeal to me.”
She purses her lips. “Come on, we have a lot of ground to cover today.”
Movement on the porch catches my eye, but all I can see are tan female legs. Attached to a disgruntled woman who has nothing better to do than plaster her property with lame signs, apparently .
Leaving my spy post, I climb into the cart and drive us back toward the path.
A horrendous rooster caw cuts through the peaceful silence then, sending a flock of warblers perched on a nearby pine tree flapping into the air.
“See?” Belinda’s expression is triumphant.
“Okay, you may have a point,” I admit with a cringe.