Delaney Nixon stepped out of the limousine and looked up at the massive structure in front of her. Two large pillars stood at the entrance of the Chancellor Hotel and its stucco exterior, though built in 1883, looked as though it had always had a fresh coat of paint on it. Palm trees surrounded the circular drive and two bellboys dressed in red pants with matching collared, faux polyester shirts, ran to her with a luggage cart behind them.  It was 90 degrees that day in Islamorada Key and Delaney almost felt sorry for them. A valet outfitted in black shorts and a blue Polo jumped into an empty blue Maserati and drove off to find the nearest empty parking space in the adjoining lot. At least the valets were comfortable. She let the driver load her four bags onto the luggage rack and picked up her leather briefcase and walked into the lobby. The aqua themed space was the first thing that caught her eye and she winced. It was Florida. Hotels here seemed to love aqua and blue and anything that reminded people they were near the ocean. It was nothing like Manhattan, where the interior of the Ritz-Carlton, the hotel that Delaney had last worked for, was more plain but still upscale. The Chancellor looked upscale of course, but in a much different way.

“Welcome to the Chancellor,” a young woman dressed in a pink Lily Pulitzer-type dress and who looked quite eager to please, greeted Delaney almost as soon as she’d stepped inside.

“Hello,” Delaney replied. “I’m Delaney Nixon. I’m here to meet with JC Chasez.”

The young girl nodded with an expectant look on her face. “Yes, ma’am, right this way.” She smiled and led Delaney across the lobby and over to the Concierge Desk. They stopped in front of a man with gingered hair and hazel eyes. He was dressed in a navy suit (Delaney was thankful it wasn’t aqua) and white shirt with a matching tie. His nametag read “Todd.”

“Todd, this is Delaney Nixon. She’s here to see Mr. Chasez,” the girl told Todd.

“Todd Pursell. I’m Head of Concierge. You must be the new Assistant Manager?” He held out his hand and Delaney shook it firmly.

“Yes. Delaney Nixon. Nice to meet you,” Delaney replied, trying to ignore the sting “Assistant Manager” had to it. She’d left the Ritz-Carlton as one of the three Hotel Managers and had taken the job at the Chancellor because it would mean more money and it would get her out of Manhattan. For a big city, lately it had felt to her as though it were closing in around her especially after the divorce was final.

Delaney had always wanted to live in a warmer climate since she’d graduated college and that had been nearly ten years ago now. Moving to New York had seemed like the dream job and instead of staying put in Orlando, she’d gone to Manhattan. In five years, she’d worked her way to Hotel Manager after starting off as a front desk agent at the Marriott Courtyard. From there, she’d gone to the Marriott Marquis and then landed the job at the Ritz-Carlton three years ago, the same year she’d married Cale. She shuddered at that thought. Cale Paxton had been her downfall in so many ways but ultimately he had made her realize she never, ever wanted to get married again and deal with all of the hurt and rejection he’d caused her.

“Thanks, Andrea. Ms. Nixon, you can follow me.” Todd nodded his head towards the opposite end of the hotel, where a large line had formed in front of the front desk. Five agents were busy doing check-ins and Delaney smiled to herself, recalling the days she’d spent behind the desk at the Courtyard.

“How was your flight?” Todd asked as they passed the front desk and went up a set of stairs that led to another level of the hotel. The walls were adorned in professional pictures taken of the Chancellor in recent years as well as black and white portraits of what it looked like in the turn of the 20th century. The Chancellor was regarded as one of the most famous hotels in Florida and in the United States. When Delaney had accepted the job, her boss at the Ritz-Carlton had told her that with that name on her resume, she’d never have to worry about finding work again. “It was fine. It was more the drive from the Miami airport to here that was awful,” Delaney replied. “Traffic was terrible and the driver wasn’t really paying attention.”

“Sorry to hear about that ,” Todd said, turning around to make a face. “I’ll certainly let valet know. They’re the ones who booked the limousine.”

Delaney only shrugged and continued to follow Todd down a long hallway, and yet again up another set of smaller stairs that led to a large door. On the front was a gold plaque with JC Chasez, Hotel Manager written across it in some sort of fancy script. Todd knocked on the door and smiled at Delaney until they heard JC’s voice.

JC was sitting behind his desk when he heard the knock at the door. He sighed and looked at the time. This was when he was supposed to be meeting the new Assistant Manager. He rolled his eyes and muttered a, “Come in” before going back to his iPad and finishing an email to a friend about getting together for drinks that evening. At 37, JC Chasez had been one of the youngest hotel managers at The Chancellor and he took his job extremely seriously. He’d never thought of hotel management back when he’d been a valet at the same hotel as a college student working summers. The summer after graduation, JC had been offered a position as the Head of Valet and Transportation and from there, had worked his way up every few years. He’d held the Hotel Manager position for a total of five years and The Chancellor had seen increased business since he’d taken over it. JC was proud of himself and even though his employees called him a pompous ass behind his back, JC hadn’t relented and kept pushing forward, not really caring who he hurt along the way.

When the door opened, he looked up from his iPad and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. Todd walked in with a woman JC knew to be Delaney Nixon only from pictures and began the introductions.

“Hello, Mr. Chasez. This is Delaney Nixon, the new Assistant Manager. Ms. Nixon, this is JC Chasez.” Todd stepped back and Delaney moved towards the desk.

“Nice to put a name with a face.” Delaney smiled warmly, but was still all business in the process.

“Same,” JC replied and stood to shake her hand, eyeing her warily. She was dressed in a gray pencil skirt with a lime green, short sleeved blouse and black heels. Her hair was brown with a few blonde highlights throughout and it was pulled back into a professional ponytail. JC decided she was pretty and couldn’t help but look at how her breasts fit tight against her shirt. He sat in his chair again as Delaney took a seat across from him. He folded his arms across his chest and regarded her, dismissing Todd before giving his attention to Delaney.

“Welcome to The Chancellor,” JC said to Delaney. “This isn’t New York so don’t treat it as a city hotel. People come here from all over the world to get away from places like New York or Boston. And we want to give them paradise within a weekend or a week or however long they decide to stay.”

Delaney raised an eyebrow at JC. “When did you get any indication from me that I thought otherwise?”

“You New York types seem to think you know better when it comes to your hotels. Every time I’ve stayed at the Ritz, I’ve felt like I was trapped in some stuffy compartment with bad food and snobby service.”

“New York types? I was born in Virginia Beach and went to school in Orlando. I’ve lived in New York for ten years and I’m pretty well versed in how to be a New Yorker, but I know how Florida hotels and resorts operate. I trained at the Peabody in Orlando and did an internship at The Breakers.” Delaney hated sounding like she was defending herself and justifying her career.

She could already tell he was a arrogant son-of-a-bitch and as much as she’d had her fair share of working with and for people like JC Chasez, he seemed to be even more supercilious and egotistical than others. She decided then and there she would give him a run for his money. She’d be damned if he would make her feel inferior or as if her career was nothing compared to his.  

JC raised his eyebrows at her response and smirked. She was one-of-those who felt empowered because she was a single woman at the top of her game. She was playing in a completely different field and he’d make sure she knew that.

“Sure, sure,” he said holding his hands up in surrender and shook his head, then looked at the time. “We have a meeting in ten minutes downstairs. It’s with the managers in the other departments. You can meet everyone and I’ll get you a tour of the place.”

He stood and walked from around the desk and it was only then that Delaney noticed he had piercing blue eyes and was in his own right on the smoldering, sexy side. She ignored any note of physical attraction she felt and waited for him to open the door leading back into the hallway. They walked down the two sets of stairs and back into the lobby. JC walked ahead with a pompous stride in his step and Delaney made sure she didn’t lag far behind him. Before reaching the front desk, JC turned and opened a door on the right and Delaney was led into a set of cubicle offices where several employees were either on the phone or chatting with each other. When they saw JC, the chatter halted and phone conversations were now at a dull whisper.

“Good to see you're hard at work,” JC said snidely to one of the employees who was sitting on the desk of another.

“We were just discussing room rates-“ the employee ventured to say but JC held up his hand and shook his head.

“No need to justify,” JC snapped and walked past him, then turned to Delaney. “It’s always fun to catch them off guard.” Delaney nodded and had to agree with him, though not necessarily agreeing with how he’d done that.

“Early for the meeting, boss?” A man with dark brown hair and matching eyes was leaning against a shelf at the other end of the cubicle area. He had an iPad in his hand and nodded at Delaney. “Who’s this?”

“This is Delaney Nixon, the new assistant manager. Just arrived from New York.” JC put his hand on Delaney’s shoulder. “Delaney, this is Chris Kirkpatrick. He’s the Food and Beverage Manager.”

“In other words, I can get you a good discount on the drinks after hours.” Chris winked at Delaney and she smiled at him. He seemed like a fun guy and perfect for Food and Beverage.

“Give her a tour after the meeting,” JC instructed and pulled out his phone. “Where is everyone?” He barked and looked around the office. “We start in five minutes.”
Delaney looked around and noticed it was still considerably quiet except for the conversation JC and Chris had been having.

“They’ll be here soon, boss,” Chris replied, then looked at Delaney. “So. You’re from New York? Ready to experience summer in February?”

“I’m from Virginia originally,” Delaney corrected him, but smiled. “And I went to school in Orlando so I’m quite aware of Florida weather.”

“And apparently she’s an expert on how hotels run down here, too,” JC remarked with a hint of a snide tone to his voice.

“I never said I was an expert but if you’d like to think that, be my guest,” Delaney countered and folded her arms across her chest almost in mock defiance.

“Ooh, I like her,” Chris winked at Delaney and smiled at JC, who grimaced.

“Chris, go find out what’s taking the other managers so long.” JC let out a sigh and Chris nodded, quickly leaving the office area and going out through the other side, which led out to valet and the circular drive. JC turned and faced Delaney. “I wouldn’t be such a smart ass in front of the other managers, Ms. Nixon. You’re brand new here. Don’t make me regret HR’s decision in bringing you on.”

“Don’t treat me like I don’t know what I’m doing.” Delaney turned and faced him, almost speaking through her teeth. “I don’t back down, Mr. Chasez and I’m certainly not going to back down when someone’s trying to belittle me. I know what I’m doing and just because I’ve not been here for twenty years like you doesn’t mean I don’t know about this hotel and how you want it run.”

JC looked at her in surprise. “How did you know-“

“The article about you in Forbes last month was a good indication,” Delaney interrupted. “And it’s not like The Chancellor isn’t one of the most well-known historical hotels in the world. I did my homework. I know how to do my job and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t ruin my first day here.”

JC was about to retort a comment when Chris returned with three employees, other managers Delaney assumed, behind him. One, a woman, was dressed in khaki shorts and a peach Polo with the hotel logo embroidered on the pocket of the shirt. She had blonde hair that was pulled back into a loose bun and smelled of suntan lotion and coconut. Another male wore a black cummerbund and long sleeved white collard shirt. He had a goatee that matched his brown hair and his nametag read “Joey.” And the third was a younger male in a red polo, black pants, and a smile that Delaney immediately found annoying. His nametag read “John.”

“Sorry we’re late,” John immediately said before introductions to Delaney could be made. “Valet was crammed and I couldn’t find any guys to run cars.”

“Just be on time next time,” JC muttered and looked over at Joey. “What’s your excuse?”

“Two bartenders got back late from lunch,” Joey replied and Delaney could tell he was trying not to roll his eyes. JC just nodded and looked at the blonde girl. “You?”

“Spa was backed up. The hotel’s overbooked this whole weekend, Mr. Chasez.” She was calm in her response but nervous. She looked over at Delaney and smiled. “I’m Ashley. Are you Ms. Nixon?”

“I am,” Delaney nodded.

“Nice to meet you.” Ashley’s voice was low and sounded almost as if she were getting over laryngitis, kind of like Scarlett Johansson.  “I’m Ashley and I manage the Spa and Beach outside.”

“Nice to meet you as well.” Delaney leaned over to shake her hand.

“Joey Fatone. Head bartender at Chancey’s Bar in the back of the hotel.” Joey reached out his hand and Delaney shook it, noting the hint of a New York accent.

“What part of New York are you from?” Delaney immediately asked, smiling at him.

“Brooklyn. Been gone for almost twelve years, though. Guess I can’t get rid of it,” he shrugged.

“When did you think you had gotten rid of it?” Chris ribbed at him. “We can still hardly understand you sometimes.”

“Shut up.” Joey impishly pushed him.

“I’m John Corbett.” John moved away from Chris and Joey. “I’m the Valet and Transportation manager.”

“Oh, so you’re the one I talk to about the limo ride?” Delaney questioned.

John gulped and looked from JC back to Delaney. “Oh? Was there a problem?”

“Your guy had no idea where he was going and took the most out of area way to get back here,” Delaney told him. “Just thought you should know for future airport pickups.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” John shook his head. “Ms. Nixon, it will be handled immediately.”

“That’s not really the biggest of our problems right now,” JC cut in. “But now that we’ve all met Ms. Nixon, we’ll go ahead and start.” He turned to Chris. “How did the restaurants do last night?”

The Chancellor was home to three different restaurants on the property. A steakhouse, a seafood restaurant that overlooked the ocean, and an upscale Asian fusion restaurant that rivaled Nobu in Miami. And because Islamorada Key was small, many vacationers came to try the different delicacies offered, even if they weren’t staying at the hotel.

“Sold out at Cartrights, had a two hour wait at Miso’s, and an hour wait at Mussels,” Chris looked at his figures on the iPad. “Tonight we’re booked solid for all three.”

JC touched his finger to his lips and nodded, then turned to Joey. “And the bar is prepared for all of this?”

“Yes sir,” Joey answered right away. “We’ve got enough liquor to last the rest of the month.”

“Good, I know where I’m going after work tonight,” Chris put in and he and Joey laughed with each other.

“Anyway.” JC cleared his throat and looked at Ashley. “Spa bookings?”

“We’re a little low tomorrow but there’s check-in’s going on for the rest of the afternoon so I imagine we’d upsell a lot upon arrival,” Ashley answered.

“Where’s Paul?” JC didn’t seem phased by Ashley’s response and looked at Chris, who Delaney noticed, seemed to be JC’s go-to guy.

“Boss, have you seen the lobby? Check-in is crazy right now. Pretty sure he couldn’t get away if he tried,” Chris responded, then turned to Delaney. “Front Desk Manager. Or one of them. He’s been here for a year.”

Delaney nodded and looked at JC ready for him to continue, which he did, but not before letting out an exasperated sigh.

“Ok. I’ll get the figures for check-ins later,” he muttered and turned to John. “And the lots are full?”

“Oh, yes sir.” John’s voice was high-pitched and squeaky, which irritated Delaney even more. “Employees are having to park across the street.” He looked at Delaney. “Which reminds me, we have your rental car at Concierge whenever you’re ready for it.”

“Thank you,” Delaney told him.

“Fine, then,” JC turned and acknowledged his staff. “Chris, you’re taking Delaney on a tour. Get her rental car and all that settled.”

“Did you already find housing?” Ashley asked, as the meeting dispersed and John and Joey immediately left.

“Yes,” Delaney told her. “Ten minute drive. A little bungalow not far from the beach on Sandpiper Drive. I’m staying here tonight, however.”

“I don’t live too far from Sandpiper. We could carpool if we’re working the same shift-“

“You can talk about that later,” JC interjected. “Ms. Nixon, you’ll go with Chris. I need to tend to business in my office. You can come there after the tour and I’ll show you to your office.”

“Fine,” Delaney replied and looked at Ashley. “We can definitely discuss that later.”

Ashley smiled and walked out of the office and Delaney turned to Chris, who was waiting with a broad smile on his face.

“Ready, Ms. Nixon?” He asked.

“Yes,” Delaney smiled back and turned to see JC’s back to her, already walking out in the opposite direction.

The hotel property was huge and bigger than Delaney had expected. Fifteen floors, most rooms facing the ocean, four restaurants, three bars, an ice cream parlor, a coffee shop, a Gucci store on property, a beach and sundries store, four pools, a gym, a spa, and thirteen cabanas and Delaney had only been on one end of the property.

“This is where Ashley works,” Chris said, as they entered the Spa. Immediately they were greeted by soothing music, smells of the ocean wafted throughout, and several girls dressed just like Ashley in khaki and peach polo shirts. They smiled as Chris walked in and Ashley was waiting at the front desk talking with a guest about different spa packages. Chris and Delaney stood to the side and when the guest left, Chris immediately looked around, went behind the counter and kissed Ashley hard on the mouth. Delaney looked at them in a bit of a shock.

“This is my fiancé,” Chris explained. “Sorry, boss, not acceptable?” He pulled away from Ashley who was blushing.

“Well, maybe not in public.” Delaney looked around, noting that there were a few guests milling about the different product shelves. “But good to know you don’t just kiss random employees.”

“Sorry.” Ashley shook her head and pushed Chris away. It was then that Delaney noticed the diamond adorning her left hand. “We don’t say much in front of Mr. Chasez. He gets irritated.”

“Stop with the ‘Mr. Chasez’ shit,” Chris muttered, then became aware of Delaney again. “Um, I mean. Sorry. Gotta remember there’s two bosses now and you’re one of them.”

“Something you have against Mr. Chasez?” Delaney was immediately intrigued, wondering if everyone felt that way.

“He was JC until five years ago. And one of my best friends.” Chris sighed. “We started here together and he kept getting promoted. I did too, but not like he did. He’s not the same guy he was.”

“You have to be a tough ass to be in our position,” Delaney said. “Just what happens.”

“You don’t seem that bitchy,” Chris retorted.

“Chris!” Ashley hissed at him and Chris shrugged.

“Just being honest.”

Delaney nodded and looked at Chris. “Just don’t cross me,” she said, “and we’ll get along fine.”

“Yeah, mama, that’s it,” JC growled into Andrea’s ear. “You like it when I fuck you hard, don’t you?”

Andrea was positioned against JC’s desk as he pumped into her from behind. It was becoming a daily occurrence and Andrea was his new flavor of the month. She was young, not even 22, and when JC had walked through the lobby a few weeks ago, he’d noticed the new lobby greeter and immediately had taken interest. He did this with plenty of female employees, but was the first to insist that there be no relations among managers and employees.

Andrea was clinging as hard as she could to the hard wood beneath her, occasionally scraping her nails against the mahogany. He’d pushed up her skirt, unbuttoned her blouse so that her breasts were exposed and was having his way with her just the way he liked it. She moaned loudly as JC reached around to fondle her breasts and then, without warning, pulled out and turned her around so that he could look down at her.

“JC!” Andrea whimpered.

“What mama? You want me inside you again?” He was teasing her by placing his tip at her entrance before sliding inside. “Yeah, you like that? You’re so fucking wet, Andrea.”

Andrea couldn’t speak, just moaned louder and JC dipped his tongue down to lick at her nipple, before taking it between his teeth and tugging on it. He pumped harder and his iPad, which had been on the end of the desk, fell to the floor. Andrea gasped and turned her head at the noise, but JC grabbed her chin and beckoned her to look at him.
“Don’t worry about that, baby. You just worry about me right now.” He kissed her roughly, then slid his tongue down to her neck and began to suck at it. “You’re a bad girl, Andrea. Fucking your boss. You like being bad, baby?”

“Uh huh,” Andrea groaned and shifted so that she was able to wrap her legs around his waist, bringing him closer to her.

“I know you do,” JC bit her neck and Andrea yelped. “What? You don’t want it rough?”

“Yes, JC, please!” She begged.

“Please what, Andrea?”

“Fuck me!”

“That’s what I’m doing, baby. I’m fucking you hard.”

Delaney and Chris left the Spa and headed back into the hotel. Chris checked his watch. “Crap, I need to go check on Room Service. Think you can find your way back to the boss’ office?”

“Yes,” Delaney replied. “Thanks for the tour, Chris.”

Chris nodded and smiled at her. “Sure. See you around.” He disappeared around the corner and Delaney continued walking through the lobby towards the stairs that led to the private offices. It was only then that she realized she was exhausted and was thankful that the day was coming to an end. Even if she’d be in a hotel room tonight, at least she knew it was going to be a nice hotel room and tomorrow she would be unpacking in her new home. As she made her way up the second set of stairs, she saw the young girl she’d seen upon arriving in the lobby that day exiting from JC’s office. Her hair was mussed, her blouse looked as though it hadn’t seen an iron, and she was pulling down her skirt. JC stood at the entrance of his office and smirked at the girl as she passed by Delaney. Delaney met his stare and saw that his clothes were equally just as wrinkled and messy and his hair was sticking out in a thousand different directions.

She wasn’t surprised. It was the norm at most hotels for sleazy managers to sleep with the employees. But it didn’t stop her from being disgusted. Especially since that girl hadn’t looked much older than 18 or 19.

“Nice tour?” JC asked, as he opened the door and Delaney stepped inside. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that his desk had been used for the tryst. It was a disaster.

“Uh huh,” Delaney sat down in the chair across from his desk. “Nice fuck?”

“Very funny,” JC glowered at her. “My time, my business.”

“Not really," Delaney countered. “Not when you make it so obvious.”

“You really think you’re a smart ass, don’t you?” JC began to clean up the mess off of his desk. “Remember, you’re new, honey. I can still fire you before you get too settled in.”

“And I can report you to child services,” Delaney leaned forward and rested her hand in her chin.

“She’s of age,” JC muttered.

“Barely.”

“I think we’re done here. It’s five o’clock and you technically don’t start til Monday. So why don’t you go to your room and get some sleep. Maybe you won’t be as bitchy come Monday morning.”

Delaney rose slowly from the chair. “I want to get along with you,” she told him. “But you don’t make it easy. I’m at the top of the top in this business and you know it. We’ve both won the award for Hospitality Management in each of our hotels. So I if you want us to have this kind of working relationship, then that’s fine. But don’t expect me to back down or cower from you. I can be just as much of an ass as you can.”

With that, Delaney smoothed out her skirt and marched out of his office, JC watching in a bit of a shock as she left.