8. Phoenix
Phoenix
E ven if we’re docked, nothing beats spending time on the yacht.
The sun, the open air and the lull of the water against the boat help me forget everything else––even if it’s for a brief moment.
Suggesting this meeting place isn’t only about seeking privacy, it’s a refuge where I can leave my COO-slash-CEO hat at the door.
After a satisfying meal, an assortment of delectable desserts and the finest wine money can buy, Michaela sits across from me at the small dining table, her back facing the window, and the sun washing over her. She radiates.
I take another sip of the red Bordeaux, examining her over the rim of my glass. She’s watching me watching her. We’ve been sizing each other up since we sat down.
A penny for her thoughts…
Mine aren’t virtuous. She’s fuckable.
My cock hardens for what seems like the thirtieth time since she stepped out of the Bentley as my gaze falls to her pretty lips.
They’re as tempting as the rest of her.
Her nude lipstick is long gone, revealing soft pink flesh.
What I would do to that mouth…
With my cock between her lips, she wouldn’t be able to spit fire.
I stifle an evil laugh.
There’s no shortage of gorgeous and willing women in LA. Until Dad’s recent health scare, I made sure to take full advantage of the plethora of beauties the city has to offer. But I’ve never met anyone quite like the woman sitting across from me.
Michaela Knight is in a league of her own.
I’m not sure I’d say I have a type. However, I’ve never been with a woman with short hair. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never met a woman as striking as Michaela. There’s nothing detracting from her exquisite beauty.
And then there’s the knockout body that gets my blood pumping like the turbines of a fucking submarine—breasts that would fit perfectly in the palms of my hands, a slim waist, curvy hips, and that perky ass I want to bite.
She looks delectable and utterly feminine in a bright yellow dress that accentuates her best assets. The dress from earlier screamed business. This one sends a more subtle message. One I like a lot.
The V-neck isn’t pronounced, but that does little to rein in my less than holy thoughts. The bottom part of the dress hits below the knee like a fucking tease.
Lace, silk, or satin?
I’m dying to know her preference in lingerie.
Scratch that.
I’m dying to rip whatever she’s hiding underneath with my teeth to get to the good stuff. If you’re the lucky bastard to crack Michaela’s tough as nails armor, I’m certain you’ll discover honey sweetness hidden between her legs.
She’s flawless and pretty in a way that doesn’t require ten pounds of makeup and revealing clothes that leave little to the imagination to stop traffic. Something tells me she’s oblivious to the effect she has on the opposite sex.
I like this pretty new toy.
“Thank you again for the delicious lunch,” she says, breaking the palpable sexual tension between us.
“I can’t take credit for anything other than ordering my favorites. Our exceptional chefs did all the hard work.”
“Well, thank you for ordering so well.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked it.”
So far, the conversation has been casual and pleasant, but that’s about to change.
Let’s get down to business.
I drop my wine glass on the table. “After speaking to your father, you must have a lot of questions for me.”
Her eyes snap to mine and she inhales a sharp breath. “I do.”
“Ask away. I’ll answer them all.”
“There’s one thing I’d like to say first.”
“I’m all ears.”
Her mouth twists in indecision. Like she’s considering backtracking.
“There aren’t any questions that are off the table, Michaela.”
“It’s not a question.”
“What, then?”
“I want to say thank you for not firing my father,” she says.
That’s the last thing I expected. “Daddy likes to say he’s more right brain than left, and Mom was the financial mind, but the hotel means everything to him.
He’s been working at the Villiers Grand since he was twenty-one.
I doubt he could’ve handled losing the hotel and his purpose. ”
“Your father has a great rapport with the staff,” I say.
“I need him and I need your loyal staff to turn things around. In the grand scheme of things, a year isn’t that long.
A complete staff turnover would be like shooting myself in the foot.
I’ll have a team of top-notch directors and managers, but your father is an essential part of the hotel.
We’ll figure out what’s the best role for him, but I have no intentions on giving him his walking papers. ”
“Daddy is so passionate about the hotel, you’d never know he married into the family business, as he likes to say.” She laughs a little. “I’m sure you know my mom’s great-grandfather started the hotel.”
“I do. You can’t buy that kind of heritage.”
She nods.
Niels Knight and Charlize Villiers are from opposite sides of the track.
He’s from a working-class family. Charlize was the only daughter of a wealthy hotelier.
Niels started working at the concierge desk at night to pay off his student loans.
The moment he met Michaela’s mom, it was love at first sight.
When Charlize Villiers-Knight passed away seven years ago, he inherited the management of the hotel until Michaela turns twenty-seven, at which point she’d become the sole owner.
Like me, Michaela—born with the double-barreled surname Knight Villiers—has the responsibility of carrying the torch of her family’s name and legacy.
“Your dad mentioned until your stepmom came into the picture, you used to manage the marketing and social media for the hotel.”
“Yes. I have a bachelor’s degree with a double major in art history and business.
Once it became clear Thana and I would never get along, I needed an out.
Until my trip to Nepal, I was working for a reputable art buyer as his assistant.
He promised to keep the door open. I haven’t gotten around to calling him.
As for my role at our hotel, I wouldn’t say I was a whiz at marketing.
I knew the right people, I hung out at the right parties, and I rubbed shoulders with lifestyle content creators and socialites who document every aspect of their lives on social media.
It was free publicity. Evidently, it wasn’t enough. ”
“Your father was in over his head, which caused him to make a string of bad decisions.”
“You mean like Thana?” She rolls her eyes.
“I’m not going to comment on that.” That marriage was a fucking bad decision on Niels part.
“Did Daddy tell you about her lover?”
I nod. “He did, but I always do my due diligence.”
Michaela lets out a sarcastic laugh. “At least now I understand why Thana was praising the virtues of holding onto my virginity,” she says. “I never trusted her. And I was right. She’s nothing but a con artist, a thief, and a pimp. How dare she give me life advice?”
It’s a given I’d hire a team of investigators. I didn’t want to leave any stones unturned. Along with a thorough background check on Niels and Thana, I also did one on her lover. I wanted to understand the implications of the upcoming FBI investigation.
Thana’s lover, Dean Plimsoll, owns a sleazy virgin auction site.
The asshole sells women’s virginity to the highest bidder.
From my understanding, he’s on the FBI’s watchlist for facilitating sex with minors.
Even though his website claims all the girls he represents are at least eighteen and willing participants, that might not be the case.
Michaela’s stepmother was using personal data from guests to flag prospective girls. She’d then feed the information to her lover for a cut of the profits. As if that wasn’t enough, Dean was meeting many of his bidders at the Villiers Grand. I hope the two lowlifes get what they deserve.
“Do you think the investigation is going to tarnish the hotel’s reputation?” Michaela plays with her napkin.
I consider her for a beat.
I’m normally a straight shooter, but she’s had a deluge poured on her today. Still, lying to her won’t change the facts.
“Yes, I do. I have a stellar PR team, but they’re not miracle workers. Given the situation, there’s only so much we can do. Rebranding is the only way to go.”
“We’d lose the Villiers family name?” Her tone is sheer panic.
“Yes.”
“Oh God,” she says. “We’ve lost everything. Mom must be turning in her grave.”
The woman sitting across from me is nothing like the spitfire that torpedoed into my office.
I reach across the table and place a hand on top of hers. “No, you haven’t. I know the name means a lot to you?—”
“It means everything .”
I nod. “You either want to save your legacy or you don’t.”
Her lips twist.
I soften my tone. “The building is still standing, the facade is classified as heritage architecture, and the hotel is located in a prime area of Manhattan. We still have a lot to play with.”
“What’s in it for you. Why are you sinking two hundred million dollars into a hotel with a shaky reputation and bleak finances? There must be thousands of other investments for you to choose from. And, how do I fit into your illogical plan?”
I knew the question was coming.
I remove my hand from hers and bore my eyes into hers. “You mean, why did I accept your father’s far-fetched request of a merger-marriage?”
“Yes. I don’t understand. You can have any woman you want.” She frowns. “Why me? I don’t have anything to bring to the table.”
“You have a lot more than you think, Michaela.”
The line between her eyebrows deepens as her gaze darts between me and the napkin she’s torturing. “Please explain, because I don’t get it.”
I hide nothing. I’m honest and transparent about my need for a fake-wife to secure the CEO position.
She listens, her expression unreadable.
I conclude by repeating what I told her earlier. “Two hundred million dollars to bail out your family hotel. In exchange, you become my wife for a year?—”