The Arrangement – A Tangled Romance – Prologue
Candace Williams stood in front of Suite 801. One of the top shareholders of the hotel chain, where she was night manager, had rung the front desk and asked for her personally. Uneasiness crept over her. Had her work performance been anything less than stellar? She’d seen him in and out of the hotel lobby all night. Or had something about the hotel upset him so that he’d need to speak with her tonight instead of reporting it to her senior manager the next morning?
The carpeted hallway seemed to hum beneath her heels, the muted lighting casting soft amber shadows that pooled along the corridor walls. A faint scent of citrus cleaner mixed with expensive cologne hung in the air, a sterile blend of wealth and order.
She straightened the collar of her white button-up blouse and smoothed the front of her dark blue skirt. Looking at her watch, she noted she had ten minutes left on her shift. She hoped this wouldn’t take too long. It was eight minutes until 11:00. She calmed her nerves and knocked on the door after smoothing her skirt for the third time, hoping to rid her palms of the sweat they were insistent on producing.
In their brief introduction that afternoon, she couldn’t help but notice he was tall and had richly tanned skin, maybe of Mediterranean descent. Gray highlights at his temples blended into dark hair. She judged him to be around the age of fifty and still in good shape. Distinguished was the word that came to mind. If she were fifteen years older, she might have found him interesting.
Bare feet caught her attention. She stuck her hand out to introduce herself as she brought her eyes up from the floor she’d been staring at. A slight gasp escaped her lips at seeing his unbuttoned shirt. Did she expect him to still be in a suit at this late hour? His shirt sleeves were casually rolled up to his elbows. He motioned for her to come into the room.
As he walked on into the room he glanced over his shoulder. “Miss Williams, would you like a glass of wine?”
The question took her by surprise almost as much as his casual appearance. “No, sir. I’m on the job.”
“Oh, yes. Sorry,” he chuckled. “I can have coffee or water brought up to the room.”
“No thanks. Room service ended about an hour ago.” She tried to be pleasant, but this was the first private meeting she’d had and she was ready for it to be over. The other owners she’d dealt with were stern business owners. Pleasant, but they got down to business, and coffee or refreshments were already set up. Most of them preferred the business meeting rooms downstairs. Few of them used their suites for business with hotel management. And those who did had an assistant in the room.
She waited by the door while he poured himself another drink, unsure if she wanted to proceed into the room. Tension crept up her back, into her neck and shoulders. Would it be rude to conduct the whole meeting while standing next to the door? She pushed the thought aside and decided she was being silly. He was a businessman who’d had a long day. Nothing to feel uncomfortable about.
He glanced over at her, “But I’m an owner.”
“Yes sir, but that staff has already gone home.”
“Hmmm, maybe we’ll see about adding on a night shift. I’m sure many guests get hungry or thirsty at night. And we are aiming for five stars, aren’t we?”
“Yes, sir.”
“So, how long have you worked for our company?”
“Three years,” she replied, her voice higher pitched than she intended.
“Three years. That’s quite a while to stay evening manager.”
“The day manager has been here several years longer than I have, and I don’t see him changing positions anytime soon.”
He turned and walked toward her, “Surely you’ve thought of transferring to another one of our properties where you could move up in the company.”
“I like it here,” she said. And she did like it here. She’d gone to college here and received her degree in hospitality management. Her best friend was here. There was no reason to uproot herself just to be the head manager when she was content with her job and position for the time being.
He reached out and touched her arm, “Where are my manners? Come, sit,” he said as he walked over and sat down on the bed.
The sound of the bedsprings settling under his weight made her pulse jump. She chose a chair at the table in the corner. His brow furrowed before changing into a smile as he spoke. “Hmmm. You wouldn’t prefer to be in a tropical paradise instead of on the coast of California?”
“Maybe later in my career. I have long-term plans. Right now, I’m enjoying the experience I’m gaining by shadowing under the head manager here. He’s one of the best in the business.”
The man held up his wine glass, “That he is. But you could have a distinguished career. You’re bright. I’ve looked over your files. And now that I’ve seen you in person, well, a gorgeous woman like yourself should be in a tropical resort. You would definitely add to the beauty.”
The path of the conversation caused her to shift in her seat. She cleared her throat as she looked at him, “Mr. Hanover, I don’t mean to be rude, but what is this about? I have other duties to see to before my shift ends.”
He rose to his feet and walked over to her, “Yes, getting down to business.” He stood before her and reached out to touch her face. She jerked her head away from him, standing up as fast as she could. Her heart pounded in her chest as a voice in her head screamed. Stay calm, stay calm. You’ve dealt with these kinds of men, except none of them were owners of the company.
He reached for her face again. She pulled her head back again. What was he up to? He had a provocative look in his eyes. It crossed her mind that this business meeting would not end well.
He leaned forward to kiss her.
Instinctively, she pushed him away, keeping her hands in front of her. “Sir, I believe you’ve had a little too much wine and aren’t thinking clearly. I believe we should postpone this meeting until you’re sober.”
She headed towards the door, but he lunged at her from behind and grabbed her around the waist, swinging her around towards the room. “Now that’s no way to act toward a man who holds your future in his hands.”
She fought, trying to pry his arms from around her waist. Her attempts were in vain. He shoved her forward toward the bed where she landed with her face planted in the white comforter. She tried to turn over quickly to get to her feet again, but the bulk of his body landed on her, pinning her to the bed.
“Mr. Hanover, your behavior is inappropriate, but I will keep quiet if you stop this now.”
“You won’t say a word at all. I’ll ruin your career and your life if you breathe one word of this,” he said as he ran one hand up her skirt and reached around to grab her breast with the other. She heard the buttons rip from her shirt as she struggled. Forcing her arm out from under her, she brought her elbow up and swung it backwards. She struck him across the side of his face, knocking him off balance. As he rolled to the floor, she sprang up from the bed and ran to the door.
“Don’t expect to have a job in the morning!” He yelled at her.
She jerked the door open hard and ran towards the elevator.
The plush carpet muffled her footsteps, but her ragged breathing filled the silence. Every second stretched long and sharp.
As she made it to the ground floor, she looked down at her blouse. At least she had proof of the attack. Or did she? Lawrence Hanover was one of the top shareholders of the company, and he’d threatened to destroy her career. She leaned against the wall and sucked in a breath. Tears filled her eyes as she realized her career was in jeopardy. If pushed on the matter, she could claim someone else had attacked her, but it would be a lie. There was no doubt he could ruin her career and her life.
The elevator doors opened. She stepped out and headed to the front desk to grab her purse from under the counter. The front desk clerk gasped and put her hands in front of her mouth, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at the ripped blouse. Candace shook her head, showing she didn’t want to speak of it. All she wanted was to get out of the place and avoid eye contact with everyone. She left a note for Derek, the night auditor, saying she had to leave early.
The humiliation of the truth pinched her chest. How could things go so wrong in such a short time?
