Chapter 8 Drake
DRAKE
I was a genius. I'd found a location for the next Maxwell Hotel, and it was only my third week on the job. I always worked fast, but this was a record even for me.
I'd found it through a buddy who had firsthand knowledge of real estate in Aspen.
Travis was fixated on city hotels, but a location like Aspen was a true moneymaker.
I knew if he saw a solid business plan, he'd go for it.
He was a smart man. I planned to call him, Reese, and Kimberly in a meeting later today to discuss this with them, but first, I wanted to lay down all the groundwork so the second I piqued their interest, I could immediately sell them on a trip there.
It was crucial to strike while the iron was hot.
I called my contact, Vlad. He was actually my friend's contact, so I hadn't spoken to him before.
"Hi, Drake," he said.
"Vlad, thank you for your email and for moving so fast."
"Of course. I always try to please my clients. So you think the Maxwells will be interested?"
"Yes, very. I want to arrange for a visit there before it's shown to anyone else.”
He hesitated. "I'm not sure of that, man. You know how Aspen is."
"I want the rights to the first visit," I said in an authoritative tone. That usually cut off any argument.
"Let me talk to my bosses. I’ll ask them to delay putting it online, but I can't hold it for more than a few days."
The sweet smell of victory never got old. I relished it every time. "A few days is all I need. Thank you. I appreciate this."
"When would you like to come?"
"I don't have an answer for you yet, but it'll be sometime this week."
"Understood.”
“I'll call you later."
Efficiency was important to me. I didn't like to waste time chitchatting.
As soon as I hung up, I emailed Reese, Kimberly, and Travis, inviting them to an emergency meeting. I wasn't going to wait until this evening; this opportunity was too good.
I didn't bother checking their calendars first, as there was just no time.
Travis had most of it blocked out anyway, but one of the advantages of working in a family-owned company was that people were flexible.
I was starting to see the benefits of that.
Just yesterday, Reese walked into my office, saying she needed a couple of minutes of my time.
This would never have happened in any of the previous companies I'd worked for—a meeting with me always required a formal calendar invite.
But I was learning to appreciate that the time it took to organize a meeting was better used to simply solve the problem.
I received emails from all three before I had time to minimize the screen. They were all available for lunch. Travis suggested we order something and eat it in the meeting room. That was fine by me.
My body heated when I looked at Kimberly's reply. Fuck me, just seeing that woman's name was doing things to me. She excited me unlike anyone I'd ever met.
Every time she passed my office, it was all I could do not to pull her inside, shut the door, and kiss her against it. Or lay her on my desk, then flip her around, hike up her skirt, and sink inside her.
What the hell has gotten into me?
I was in Chicago for one reason alone: Suze. But every time my path crossed with Kimberly's, my imagination ran wild. She kept asking me about my sister, and it was another fight with myself not to pour out my every thought.
Thankfully—or maybe unfortunately—Kimberly and I didn't have many reasons to meet one-on-one. Most of our interactions could be done through email. And when I needed her in a meeting, it was usually a joint one with Travis or Reese or both.
At noon, I headed to the meeting room. Travis, Reese, and Kimberly had carried on an entire email conversation about what to order for lunch.
I kept out of it because I honestly didn't fucking care.
I wasn't here to make small talk or enjoy the food; I was here to convince them to see things from my point of view.
When I opened the door to the meeting room, I saw they were already there with four pizza boxes situated on one end of the table. Kimberly threw a crumpled sheet of paper, and Travis caught it in midair.
Reese was holding one palm toward Kimberly and the other toward Travis, as if she was signaling a timeout.
I felt like I'd walked into a kindergarten room.
I'd never seen this type of behavior in a company, and it was bizarre. They were family, true, but I’d never seen such behavior with families either.
The Maxwells appeared to legitimately like one another. I respected that.
"Am I interrupting?" I asked.
Reese lowered her hands and sat down in the chair at the head of the table. "Oh, Drake, good, you're here. You can help me settle this dispute between these two. Pineapple on pizza or not?"
I blinked. Is she pulling my leg? "What?"
"We ordered pizza, and one of them had pineapple on it. These two are fighting over the benefits of having pineapple on it or not."
"What's there to fight about?" I asked.
"Exactly my point," Travis exclaimed.
Kimberly's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God, you're one of those people who has pineapple on their pizza," she exclaimed.
"I have pizza with everything," I replied, sitting down.
Kimberly pressed her lips together. Travis and Reese began to laugh.
"Thank you,” Reese said. "Now, hand over the pizza. What did you want to talk to us about?"
"By the way,” Kimberly cut in, "this is an exception. We usually don't talk shop at lunch."
"Why not? It's perfect for solving things you don't have time for during work hours," I responded as Reese chuckled.
Travis shrugged. "Man, loosen up a bit or your life here is going to be pretty damn hard."
"I'm starting to notice that."
"Look at him. He acts as if it's a big imposition not to work at lunch. Could we be any crueler?" Kimberly asked.
I swallowed back a reply as the corners of my mouth lifted. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her exactly what was a hardship for me.
Get yourself in check, Drake.
She was wearing a dress today, long-sleeved, with a collar that covered her neck. It would be easy to take it off and explore her until she begged for my cock.
I exhaled sharply, swallowing hard while gathering my faculties.
"I found a place that could be very interesting for a new hotel," I started.
Everyone sat up straighter.
"Go on," Travis said. Gone was the child’s play from before. They were on edge now, eyes trained on me. This was yet another thing that surprised me—they could go from fooling around to being all about business in a fraction of a second.
"I'll start with what I know will be the biggest hurdle for you. It's in Aspen."
Kimberly tilted her head. Reese narrowed her eyes. Travis gave me a long look. "Our deal is city hotels,” he stated.
“The business case for Aspen is convincing.
The price is more than satisfactory, and it's a location that draws tourists year-round.
You'd have the same degree of occupancy that you usually have in a city.
The property in question has a fantastic view.
And, as I mentioned, the price is very attractive. "
"How come no one's snatched it up, then?" Travis asked.
That was a smart question.
Usually, when you found something that was too good to be true, there was a huge downside. But not this time.
“It just came on the market. An inheritance problem made it impossible to sell it before now.
I have a lot of connections in the real estate market around the country.
My contact in Aspen will not put it online this week because I asked for that favor, and he obliged.
But he can't hold off for longer than that, so I suggest we fly to see it this weekend. "
"This weekend?" Travis repeated. "No can do, man. Promised my wife I'd take her and our daughter to the Morton Arboretum."
My jaw ticked. "Can't you do it on another weekend?”
“A promise is a promise. It’s Valentine’s Day, so no. But… if you and Kimberly and Reese find it worthwhile, I’ll fly there on Monday to see it."
"We can do that," Kimberly replied. "Reese and I can vouch for it. I have no problem going there this weekend."
"Hmm, actually, I do," Reese said. "I'm sorry. I have some personal stuff that I can't postpone." She had a strange expression.
Kimberly turned to her. "What plans?"
"Personal ones," Reese repeated. "But you two go. We trust your judgment. And I'll fly with Travis on Monday."
"Then we have a plan," Travis said. "Kimberly and Drake will head there this weekend. Kimberly, do you think you can get the hang of the place in a day?"
"I'd rather spend a whole weekend," Kimberly said. "I don't want to look only at the property. I want to look at Aspen and try to feel its pulse."
"I mean, the pulse will probably be crazy," Reese said. "It is Valentine's Day."
The bane of my existence. That's why Travis probably had plans that he couldn't move, and Reese clearly did too. But that worked in my favor. It was a holiday that fell in peak ski season, so the place should be packed.
I turned to Kimberly. "Good, then you and I will fly out."
She nodded, licking her lips. Did I imagine it, or was she fidgeting in her seat? Did she fantasize about the same things I did?
"My assistant will make hotel reservations. Maybe something close to the property we want to see. Although, we’ll be lucky to find anything at all. This close to Valentine's Day, everything's bound to be booked,” Kimberly said.
“See, that's a good thing, I believe," I replied.
"Everything is booked out for Valentine's Day," Travis said.
"Yes, and Aspen takes the cake, usually. I have some numbers to show you. I've already instructed an assistant to put them into a presentation."
“We like to give you shit, man, but you're very efficient," he countered.
"Thanks.”
“Reminds me of my time in the software industry—all the charts and numbers, that is. I prefer hotels." Travis clapped his hands together. "Okay, shop talk is over. It’s settled. Let's get to our pizza with pineapple," he said in a sarcastic voice. "And chitchat."
"Yeah, just please, not about the pineapple," Reese replied, voicing my thoughts. "I don't think I can handle that anymore."
Travis chuckled. "Yeah, the three of us still have to decide what we'll buy Dad for his birthday."
"Oh, right. I have a list," Kimberly added.
She'd made a list? Fuck, the woman was cute.
"I can double-check with Lena. But I think the boat is the best idea," Kimberly went on.
"He's always wanted a boat," Travis said. "You're a genius."
"I know. He always sends us pictures when he gets on a boat," Reese added, looking at Kimberly’s list. "Why don't we ask the opinion of a third party? Drake, so far, we have a boat and a watch—kind of boring, if you ask me."
"Hey, you're not supposed to give your opinion. How else are we going to get an objective one from him?" Kimberly asked her.
"My bad," Reese replied. "Let’s move on. There are also several options for trips. They're big on traveling. One is a cruise, and one is a flexible, open-ended ticket to fly around the world. What do you think?"
"I don't know anything about your father," I said.
“He's Travis’s dad. Our uncle," Kimberly corrected me.
I’d gotten my wires mixed up. Had they told me they were cousins and I forgot?
It was possible. She'd gone to all this trouble of researching everything for her uncle?
This woman intrigued me more with every piece of information I found out about her.
I wanted to peel back every layer and learn everything I could.
"You all commented on the boat, which sounds like a winner. Besides, planning trips is personal, even for people who like to travel. They know what they like and what they don't. Even with an open-ended ticket, there are usually limitations.”
"You make a convincing case. I think the boat wins.
" Kimberly glanced at me and then folded the piece of paper, putting it back in her bag.
"I think we should call Drake more often when we can't decide on something, and have him play referee.
" She gave me a mischievous smile, assuming correctly that it sounded like hell to me.
"Kimberly, you’re intent on running this guy off, aren't you?" Travis asked.
I shook my head. "Don't worry, Travis. I'm not going anywhere."
After I finished my pizza, I closed the box and said, "It was good catching up with all of you. I'm going back to my office."
"I'll ask my assistant to email us with our travel details," Kimberly said.
“Thanks. Looking forward to the trip.” I looked straight at her when I said it. She shifted in her chair There was no mistaking it—she felt the tension between us too.
I had to give it to Kimberly. She moved fast. Her assistant emailed us only twenty minutes later with reservations. They were in different hotels, which worked perfectly for me. She prefaced the email with a note of apology.
I'm sorry, but it was so late in the game that I could only find rooms at different hotels.
One of them is a wedding suite. They got a last-minute cancellation because the couple split up.
You two can decide who sleeps where and tell me or don't. Right now, they are both made under the name of Maxwell Hotels.
Kimberly replied right away.
That bed looks like someone vomited Valentine’s Day decorations on it.
Despite having many things to do, I opened the link to the room. Holy fuck, Kimberly was right. I’d never seen anything like it in all my years working in the hotel industry.
The thought of having an entire weekend with Kimberly seemed impossible. Even though we’d sleep in different hotels, we’d spend enough time together.
There could only be two possible outcomes: either I quit—because it was the only way to avoid giving in to temptation; or I'd have her in that hotel room that looked like someone had piled up an entire inventory’s worth of Valentine’s Day decorations in it.