Santa Maybe (The Duchess Hotel #1)

Chapter 18

Eighteen

Rosie awoke to a darkened room. She rubbed her eyes and took a minute to get her bearings. As her hand brushed against Drew’s broad chest (his broad, naked chest), the world snapped into focus. Though she rarely indulged in naps, she’d somehow drifted off to sleep in his arms. No surprise since she’d been so relaxed, curled up beside the man she loved.

Correction. The man she liked .

This wasn’t love. It was friendship combined with great sex.

If she were being completely honest, she could envision falling in love with him. But that wasn’t what he wanted. And she couldn’t risk asking for more. Instead, she’d enjoy every minute of their time together. No sense in dwelling on their end date when it was still four weeks away.

When Drew stirred, she ran her hand along his sturdy bicep, marveling at the feel of his muscles under her fingers. Now that their boundaries were no longer an issue, she wanted to touch him everywhere.

“Good morning,” she said. “Or rather, good evening.”

“Hey, there.” His lips grazed the top of her head. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was just so comfortable.”

She loved that he’d relaxed enough to let himself go. “It’s okay. I crashed out, too.”

“So…do we need to talk about this?”

From the hesitancy in his tone, she sensed he’d rather not, which was fine with her. “I don’t think so. Our agreement hasn’t changed. We’re still pretending to date and still friends. Except now with added benefits.”

“Like an upgrade? First class instead of economy?” He gave her butt a gentle squeeze.

His touch flooded her with desire. She smoothed her fingers over the smattering of soft brown hair that covered his chest. “First class elite. Speaking of which, I’m hoping these benefits aren’t a onetime thing. I’d like to do this again.”

Was she being too bold? From the gleam in his eyes, she didn’t think so.

“By again, do you mean tonight? Or until our agreement ends in January?” He grinned. “If it were up to me, I’d pick the second option. One more time isn’t going to be enough.”

A thrill of anticipation raced through her. “Me, too. Even if I’m slammed at the hotel, I can still work in time for sex.”

“Then you’d better pencil me in on your calendar. How about in your office? We could lock the door and sweep all the paperwork off your desk like they do in the movies.” He spoke in a husky voice. “Wouldn’t you love getting railed over your desk?”

Yes, please.

She could only imagine how hot that would be. Him flipping up her skirt and taking her from behind while she gripped the desk and moaned in abandon. Sadly, it wasn’t an option.

“As much as I’d love to follow through on that, there’s a security camera in that room,” she said. “And my paperwork is meticulously organized.”

“We’ll just have to settle for the bed. Are you ready for another round, or would you rather get something to eat first? You must be starving.”

Now that he’d mentioned it, she was famished. “We could order takeout, but…I should find some clothes for you. I’m assuming you don’t want to put your Santa suit back on.”

“I’ve got a gym bag in my car with extra workout gear. I can go grab it, but I’ll need a robe or something.”

She snickered at the thought of him trying to sneak out of her apartment, still naked. Her neighbors probably wouldn’t approve. She pointed to a hook on her door, where she’d hung a plaid bathrobe. “You can use that if you want. But first…I might need that second round.”

“Such a greedy little elf,” he murmured, taking her in his arms.

Oh, yes. She could definitely get used to this.

* * *

On Monday morning, Rosie arrived at work feeling better rested than she’d been in weeks. Last night, after she and Drew had made love again, they’d ordered Thai food and watched TV. They’d settled on a reality show where families took holiday decorating to a whole new level. Then Drew spent the night. Cocooned in his arms, she’d pushed all thoughts of the Duchess from her mind and drifted off without a care.

When her alarm clock had gone off at six thirty this morning, she hadn’t been tempted to hurl it against the wall. Instead, she’d followed Drew into the shower and joined him for a steamy romp before taking off for work.

As he left her apartment, he was whistling, looking as cocky as she’d ever seen him. She’d made him feel that way.

She unlocked the door to her office and set her jacket and purse inside. Rather than fire up her computer and tackle her inbox, she took her coffee (a caramel latte from Alma’s) and walked over to the breakfast room.

She tried to do this once a week—sit at a table, sip her coffee, and observe the hotel’s guests. Sometimes, she’d introduce herself, chat with them, and ask if they had any issues. Other times—like today—she’d tuck her name badge in her pocket and observe anonymously.

For the first time in months, the room was almost at capacity, filled with people loading their plates at the free breakfast buffet. As far as buffets went, it easily surpassed the typical continental breakfast at a chain hotel since it included hot items like eggs, two kinds of quiche, breakfast potatoes, bacon, waffles, and oatmeal, as well as fresh fruit and a decent range of pastries. The banana pecan muffins were delicious, as was the lemon poppyseed loaf.

She let her thoughts drift, remembering each detail of her night with Drew. How it had felt to fall asleep beside him. To wake up together and cuddle for a few minutes more. To chat with him in the kitchen this morning, discussing their day as if they were a married couple.

It would be far too easy to envision a life like this, but she couldn’t delude herself. No matter how blissful she felt right now, it wouldn’t last past January.

“Rosie?”

Preston’s voice startled her out of her reverie. He stood over her table, impeccably dressed in one of his Brooks Brothers suits and a dark green tie. Unlike her, he was wearing his name badge.

“Good morning, sir,” she said.

“What are you doing here?” He sat down across from her.

“Just getting a feel for our guests.” She gestured to the tables around them. “This is the busiest I’ve seen the breakfast room in months.”

“That’s a good thing. Smart move keeping your badge hidden.” He cast a glance toward a far table. “A few of our transfers from the Duke accosted me and wanted to know why we don’t have a made-to-order omelet bar.”

Rosie resisted the urge to roll her eyes since it wasn’t professional. “Those omelets cost fifteen dollars. Our breakfast is free, and it’s good. Have you ever tried our banana pecan muffins? They’re better than the ones at Tim Hortons.”

He shook his head. “I try to avoid carbs when I can.”

Your loss . “All I’m saying is that a free breakfast buffet is an amenity that isn’t offered by most of the hotels in the downtown area.” Now that she’d brought up muffins, she was craving one, but her boss might not approve of her snitching from the buffet. “Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

“I just wanted to check in since Christmas is two weeks from tomorrow. How are things going with your team? Do you feel like you’re succeeding?”

“We’re giving it our all. So far, we’ve done two family Saturday events, and they’ve been well attended. The weekday happy hours have drawn in a decent crowd, including guests from outside the hotel. Knox’s holiday cocktails have been very popular.”

He nodded but didn’t display the enthusiasm she’d hoped. “What else do you have planned?”

“In four days, we’re doing our first ‘Festive Friday’ with a hot cocoa bar, treats, and caroling. Charlie’s going to accompany the guests on the keyboard, and we found someone to play guitar.”

Once again, Drew’s sister was coming to their rescue. As a preschool teacher, she was used to leading sing-alongs, and she knew a ton of Christmas songs.

“Good. If it goes over well, you can repeat it again next Friday.”

How about a little thank-you?

Sensing none was forthcoming, she continued. “As an added benefit, when guests check in to the hotel, they now receive welcome packets that include drink coupons for our weekday happy hours, as well as coupons for half-price holiday beverages at Alma’s Beanery, which is just down the street. We also worked out a deal with Island Food Tours, where our guests can get twenty percent off their basic, two-hour walking tour. And Laurel collaborated with the tourist shops on Government Street to create a coupon book for guests doing last-minute shopping.”

Rather than acknowledge their efforts, he took out his phone and swiped the screen. “Speaking of shopping, I had another idea. I’d like us to go hard on Boxing Day.”

It took every inch of her willpower not to let loose with a string of curses. She and the other managers had secretly hoped they’d get a reprieve between Christmas and New Year’s.

“I don’t know if shoppers place as much attention on December twenty-sixth anymore,” she said. “I think it’s more like Boxing Week now.”

“Even better. I want us to offer a Boxing Week special.”

“Like a discounted rate?”

That wouldn’t be too hard to manage. Laurel would have to work with her marketing team to update the website, send out a round of emails, and put out some social media blasts, but it was totally doable.

“Not just that. We need to offer more incentives. Like, an early-bird breakfast—starting at six instead of seven—for shoppers. Discount coupons for stores at the Bay Centre mall. Anything else you can think of.”

Seriously? This was something they should have been planning months ago, not on December tenth. She tried to keep her smile in place. “That sounds great, but we don’t want to get overbooked. We’re projecting a ninety percent occupancy rate over the next two weeks.”

Part of their success was due to the Grand Duke’s misfortune, but the Duchess had also received more bookings after word had spread about their first family Saturday.

“I’d like to see it at one hundred percent, if possible,” Preston said. “When I managed the Devonshire, that’s the goal I set for myself. And did I succeed? Absolutely. You just need to get in the right mindset and make it your highest priority.”

Rosie couldn’t hide her dismay. In all the years she’d worked at the Duchess, that feat had never been accomplished. “We’ll do our best, sir.”

Even as she said it, she could envision the extra work a Boxing Week blitz would entail. Just the thought of it was exhausting.

“Excellent. I’ll be out of town over the next few days, so I expect you to run the ship.”

“Of course.” She gnawed on her lip, not wanting to appear too demanding but tired of feeling like the world’s biggest doormat. “Before you go, do you know when you’ll decide whether you’ll be keeping me on? Not just me, but all the senior staff? It would be nice to have some reassurance.”

When he frowned, her heart sank. She’d pushed him too hard. Then again, she’d been busting her ass for weeks without knowing if she’d still be employed in January.

“It’s a little too soon to tell, isn’t it?” he said. “I’ll have to wait until we get December’s final numbers. Then I can give you an answer.”

Feeling firmly chastised, she fixed her bright smile in place. “I understand. Thank you, sir. Have a good trip. I’ll keep this ship afloat.”

“Of course you will.” He gave her a quick nod, then stood and left the breakfast room.

She couldn’t help but remember her discussion with Drew on Sunday. He’d thought Preston was taking advantage of her, and she was inclined to agree. Even so, she didn’t have any recourse.

True, she could look for another job in hotel management, but she didn’t want to leave the Duchess. She wanted to keep working with the Damsels, keep her coveted position as assistant general manager, and keep doing her best to make her beloved hotel shine.

Besides, if she worked for one of the larger chains, she’d probably start at a lower level of management. She might even get sent to one of their other properties, like a hotel in Edmonton or Toronto. She’d seen it happen to the hoteliers she’d met at hospitality conventions. That wasn’t what she wanted.

For now, all she could do was keep plugging away and pray the Duke didn’t finish repairing their damaged rooms until January. Otherwise, the Duchess didn’t have a hope in hell of reaching full capacity.