Delaney tied her shoelace and stood from the pavement stretching her arms above her head. The ocean gleamed in front of her like a sea of glass painted against the sun that rose behind it. She liked early mornings and working in the hotel industry hadn’t given her much of a choice either way. She bent down to stretch her legs and touched her feet, then slowly rose again and started to jog in place. Her iPod was playing Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto, perfect for a nice morning jog on the beach.

Living this close to it was going to be entirely different than the apartment in the Village she’d shared with Cale. Waking up to this view was worlds away from the sound of heels on the pavement, horns honking, and vendors yelling in different languages at each other. Islamorada was quiet in the morning and Delaney already liked it better.

She started her jog and went north on the beach running past condos and old motels. The air was cool but she was still warm even with the shorts and runner’s tank she wore. She picked up her pace and her jog turned into a run and Delaney smiled when the ocean breeze blew across her face and into her hair. There was something about running on the beach that always made her happier and how could it not? She wasn’t dodging half a dozen other joggers like she would be doing in Central Park at this time and she wasn’t tripping over women with strollers who were sitting out on a park bench. It was just her, the beach, and her thoughts.

Delaney had tried to push the previous day’s events out of her mind. She had left the hotel right at five and not said anything else to JC since he’d showed her to her office. It was down the hall from his, a little smaller, and faced the side of the hotel. If she turned her head slightly to the right looking out the picture window, she could glimpse the ocean. It was much bigger than her New York office and not far from Food and Beverage, which made her somewhat relieved to know that Chris wouldn’t be far. Out of everyone she’d been introduced to, Chris, Ashley and Joey seemed to stick out the most in her mind. They’d been the most welcoming, that was for sure.

Delaney checked her time a few minutes later and was surprised to see she’d already run two miles. It was too bad she couldn’t stick it to Cale in this instance, especially since he’d always ragged her for being a slow runner. Instead, Delaney silently congratulated herself and turned around to run back to where she’d started. As she looked up from switching songs on her iPod, she saw The Chancellor gleaming ahead in the distance. Its two ocean towers were hard to miss among the shorter, more contemporary condominiums. She stood for a minute and looked at it, still hardly believing that that was her place of employment now. Despite the interactions with JC, Delaney was excited to be there. She looked at it for a second longer, then turned around and started the trek back towards her street.

JC wandered through the lobby late Sunday morning and gave a charming smile to the guests he encountered. He asked them how their stay was, told them the usual spiel about how he was happy they had chosen The Chancellor for their stay, and said he would be happy to accommodate them with anything they needed. He spotted Andrea standing at the entrance of the lobby and bypassed her as quickly as he could. He might be ready for another go later that day, but not right now, and if she saw him she’d for certain run up to him as nonchalantly as she could. He’d warned her that she couldn’t do that before but it hadn’t stopped her earlier. JC glanced over at her and shook his head. He’d have to speak to her again about that. Feeling himself tighten just from looking at her rear, he decided he’d wait until after he brought her up to the office that day, should he decide to do so.

“Good morning, Mr. Chasez.” Todd was standing behind the Concierge Desk as JC walked past him.

“Good morning, Todd.” JC nodded at him and looked at the three other concierges who were either on the phone or speaking with a guest. “How’s today looking for you?”

“We’ve made several reservations at Cartwrights,” Todd said. “Almost ran out of cabanas earlier but someone canceled.”

JC rested his arm against the desk and was just about to ask Todd another question when he heard Andrea’s voice behind him.

“Sorry, Mr. Chasez. Sorry, Todd. Just wanted to let you know that Valet wanted you to call them when Mr. Shively’s car is ready to be pulled around. They said he’d call downstairs and for you to call the Valet desk.” Andrea was doing her best not to look at JC and focused all of her attention on Todd.

“Thank you, Andrea,” Todd replied. “I’ll make sure to let the others know.”

“No problem.” Andrea looked at JC out of the corner of her eye and he knew she was hoping he’d give her indication that he noticed her. JC kept his focus on the Concierge desk and ignored her glances. In a few seconds she had turned to go back to her spot at the front of the lobby.

“I won’t keep you. Gonna go check on the guests at the pool.” JC left the Concierge and headed for the corridor leading outside to the pool and spa area. He looked back at Andrea who was now speaking with a few guests that had just arrived and continued his trek outside. He’d get back with her later.

“Chris, you gotta go back to your office!” Ashley heaved a sigh of frustration at her fiancé who was goofing off with Heather and Sarah, two of the massage therapists. Although she’d enjoyed him coming to visit her at work, she knew that if JC were to walk in and catch him like this there wouldn’t be time for an explanation. JC was always popping in and out unexpectedly. Ashley had worked for other spas around the area but none of the managers had been like JC. He was very careful to make sure the hotel always maintained their five star rating and that included a well-managed spa. However, the way that he would sneak in and out was almost irritating. It was as though he wanted to catch someone failing so he could humiliate them. Ashley hoped that Delaney Nixon would be different. It seemed from their meeting the day before that she might be just what the hotel needed to balance JC’s overbearing managerial habits.

“Oh, Ash, it’s Sunday! You know he hardly ever comes in till the afternoon.” In his attempt at being funny, Chris had squirted lotion on his hand and before Ashley could say anything else, he’d wiped it on her arm.

“Chris!” Ashley groaned and rolled her eyes. She wiped her arm off on a hand towel that hung near the register. “He’s here. I saw his car when I came in this morning.”

“He’s not going to get mad he’s-“

“Good morning, Chris.”

Chris stopped mid-sentence when he heard JC’s voice behind him. He turned around slowly and an awkward smile formed across his lips.

“Hey. Hey, JC. Josh. Uh, Mr. Chasez.” Chris cleared his throat and wiped the rest of the lotion off on his pant leg. “I was just um, coming to see if things were going well in the spa.”

JC gave him a disbelieving look and stepped closer to him. “Were you? I’m pretty sure that’s my job.”

“Yeah, boss, it is. I was-“

“You see your girlfriend on your own time, not the clock. Got it?” JC was almost nose- to- nose with him and it took everything in Chris’ might not to haul off and punch him in the face.

“Got it.”

JC looked over at Ashley. “I expect things here are still going fine even with the distraction?”

Ashley nodded and her mouth felt dry as it always did when JC addressed her. She barely got out a, “Yes they are.”

“Good.” JC glared at Chris before he walked out of the spa and turned to go towards the lap pool.

“I’ll see you at lunch, Ash.” Chris waved to Ashley, waiting a few seconds in order not to run into JC when he walked back outside. He looked towards the lap pool and saw JC speaking with a lifeguard. Chris was filled with loathing for his former friend. He’d started as a valet with JC and they’d worked their way up the managerial ladder together. JC had sworn that if his dream of being hotel manager was ever realized, he’d make Chris the assistant manager. It had been five years and in those five years, JC had become a completely different person. Chris remembered what Delaney said to him the day before about how they had to be tough in order to be in the positions they were in. He disagreed. And he missed the old JC.

JC sat in his office chair and toyed with his phone, debating on whether or not to call for Andrea or not. It was after lunch and he knew from her schedule that she’d be leaving in an hour. He smirked to himself at how it would drive her crazy if he didn’t end up calling her up to him. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t get sex elsewhere. There was a cute little thing in the coffee shop that he’d started flirting with and he was pretty sure she’d had her fair share of men –and possibly women judging from something she’d said earlier- so it would be easy for him to make a phone call. But he wasn’t finished with Andrea just yet and decided to give her a few more chances before moving onto someone new.

He picked up his phone and dialed the extension to the Concierge.

“Todd speaking.”

“Todd, can you have Andrea come up to my office? I need to give her some information on some guests checking in in a few days.”

“Absolutely, Mr. Chasez.”

JC hung up and removed his tie, then leaned back in his office chair and looked out of the picture window that faced the ocean. He reached for the remote control that lowered the blinds on the window and waited for the familiar, timid knock that Andrea gave when she came to him. If anything, he was helping the girl’s self-esteem. She was drop dead gorgeous but had moved to Islamorada right after graduating from a small college in South Carolina. She clearly had not had much experience dating and for some reason, JC found that to be a turn on. She liked it rough and she did whatever he asked her to do.

The knock came a few minutes later.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Andrea timidly walked in, closing the door behind her.

“Lock it.” JC ordered her and Andrea smiled at him before turning the knob firmly until it clicked. He stood from his chair and walked over to her. He reached for her breast and grabbed it firmly with his right hand, his thumb circling her nipple over the fabric of her uniform.

“Andrea,” he began and continued to rub her breast. “You can’t keep looking at me and making it obvious that you want me when you’re in the lobby.”

“I didn’t, I-“ Andrea tried to protest but JC shut her up with a firm kiss on the mouth and felt her melt into him.

“Yes, you did, Andrea.” He pulled away from her and began to back her into the corner of his office until he had her pressed against the wall. “Take off your dress, Andrea.” JC stood back and Andrea reached behind her and tugged at the zipper of her dress until it began to move enough that she could slide it down to the end of the clasp. She moved her arms forward so that her dress fell off and she stood in front of JC in nothing but a white bra and matching thongs. He’d told her to always wear a thong to work and she had listened today.

“Now take your bra off.”

Andrea again obeyed and JC folded his arms across his chest and smirked at her.

“Touch yourself.”

He sat down in his loveseat and unbuckled his pants, pulling them down to his ankles, his erection hard, firm, and glistening through the opening of his boxer briefs. Andrea began to tug at her nipples with both of her hands and then to his surprise, she walked her fingers down her stomach and to her center. To his delight, she began to rub her clit over her panties at the same time. She moaned and continued to please herself while JC watched and could barely take it anymore.

“Come over here, baby. Let’s finish this the right way. Get on my lap and fuck me.”

“Dude, I’m telling you, he’s sleeping with that new chick up front!” Joey was telling Todd late that afternoon. They’d both taken a lunch together and were down in the employee cafeteria.

“No way. Mr. Chasez’s not like that.” Todd shook his head vehemently and went back to his sandwich, then looked up at the television. “Ugh. Lebron James is the worst.”

Joey looked at him as though he were crazy. “I thought you loved the Heat?”

“I can love them but not love James.” Todd grumbled and took a handful of chips shoving them in his mouth.

“Anyway, you’re an idiot. Chasez’s a huge player. You know he was fucking some chick who used to work the Front Desk about two months ago.” Joey was holding his meatball sub in both hands and watched as a meatball slid out of the bread and onto his plate. “Dammit.” He sighed and picked it up between his thumb and forefinger, shoving it into his mouth.

“How do you know all of this?” Todd asked him. “You always hear shit before any of the rest of us.”

“I’m the head bartender. Do you know how much shit people spill when they’re drunk?” Joey shook his head. “This chick, the front desk girl, spilled to Ashley and Ashley told Chris.”

“Ok, fine. But how do you know about Andrea?” Todd wanted to know.

“You can tell. He looks at her like he wants to fuck her-“

“That doesn’t mean he is.” Todd shook his head and gulped down his bottle of water, then stood to his feet. “And besides, I’m pretty sure Andrea’s into me.”

Joey snorted and rolled his eyes. “Just because she comes over to your desk to let you know about important guests or ask you something means nothing. I’m telling you, she’s fucking the boss.”

“Well, until I see it for myself I don’t believe you.” But Todd’s expression told Joey everything he needed to know. It was that of confusion and doubt and Joey knew he had to believe something was up. “Although…” Todd trailed off and looked at Joey. “He does call for her a lot.”
“Because they’re fucking, man!”

Todd shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. I didn’t think Andrea would be that dumb.”

Joey looked at Todd’s face and felt sorry for him. Obviously, Todd had developed feelings for this girl and Joey felt bad for continuing to tell him she was sexing with the boss. He’d only done it to see if Todd knew anything but hadn’t stopped when Todd hadn’t had a clue.

“Look, I could be wrong. Just…just watch them, okay? You know enough about the hotel biz that things like this go down all the time.” Joey stood up and grabbed his tray, following Todd to the garbage cans.

Delaney had decided to go to the hotel late that afternoon to set up her office. It would be better than waiting until the following day when she might not step foot into it due to the meetings she had. There were two with Room Service that she had to attend, the general afternoon meeting with all of the managers to go over details for that afternoon, and then she and JC had to have a meeting with the Front Desk managers about late check-outs, which were apparently becoming a problem from the memo she’d received on her phone earlier that morning. That was the thing about the hotel industry – she would consistently always get memos even on the weekends.

She came through the back entrance and was just getting on the elevator when she spotted Joey and Todd coming back from the employee cafeteria. They looked like they were in a serious discussion and when they looked up and saw Delaney, their conversation stopped and they both smiled at her as they stepped on the elevator.

“Hello, Ms. Nixon.” Todd greeted her in his most professional voice and Delaney saw Joey subtly roll his eyes. “Are you just getting in?”

Delaney shook her head. “No, I’m off the clock today. Just coming in to set up my office and get ready for tomorrow.”

“Well, the hotel is almost at full capacity and-“ Todd had started to ramble and Delaney held up a hand to stop him.

“Todd, I’m off the clock. It’s okay. You don’t have to talk shop with me right now.” She turned to Joey. “So, what’s your specialty at the bar?”

“I’m good at all of it.” Joey grinned at her. “But I’m told I make a mean Pina Colada.”

“Great. I’ll be up later to try one,” Delaney told him as the doors opened on her floor. “See you guys later.”

She stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to her office. There were only a few boxes left to be unpacked and she hoped to do that within the hour, then go take advantage of Happy Hour at Chancey’s. As she was unlocking the door, she turned to see Andrea descending down the steps that led to JC’s office. Her face was flushed and Delaney could see that she was clearly upset. She shook her head and walked into her office. No sense in getting involved in office drama. If that girl was stupid enough to do that with the boss, then she deserved whatever she got. It was a cruel way of thinking and one that Delaney probably wouldn’t have thought before going to work in the hotel world, but she’d seen it far too much to even care anymore.

JC zipped up his pants and sniffed his fingers, the scent of Andrea still lingering. He’d had her twice in one day, even convincing her to stay for a second shift just so he could get her again. She wasn’t the best at blowjobs but he’d eventually gotten his need met that second time and sent her on her way. She’d seemed quieter this time but he hadn’t paid it too much attention because all he’d cared about was getting into her once more before shutting everything down. He sighed and hit the remote to open the blinds again, turned off his laptop and gathered his things together. As he walked down the stairs to the hallway, he looked down towards Delaney’s office. It had been a welcomed relief not to have her around that day. In fact, he wondered why he’d decided to hire her at all when he knew he could do this job in his sleep.

He headed towards the lobby and nodded briefly at the front desk agents as he passed the desk, then looked over at Concierge where Todd was instructing a new employee on the computer. Guests were wandering about the lobby, some in bathing suit covers and others in resort attire. They all knew who he was and he gave the most professional of greetings when he passed them. He was a schmoozer and damn good at it.

“Okay, I’d like to try this Pina Colada that you’re famous for.” Delaney was sitting at the bar at Chancey’s, which was decorated in a nautical motif. The bar was marble like everything else in the hotel but had little pieces of shell poking in and out of it. Delaney was surprised she was able to find a seat at all with how crowded it was but luckily had spotted the seat almost as soon as it had become available.

“You got it, Ms. Nixon.” Joey tipped his head at her and went over to the blender. In less than a minute, she was sipping on one of the best cocktails she’d ever had.

“Well?” Joey stood back, wiping off a beer mug.

“Wonderful.” Delaney smiled at him. “And I’m not just saying that, either. What’s your secret?”

“My wife grew up in the Bahamas,” Joey said. “When we were dating and I had just started out in bartending, her dad showed me how they do it on the island. It’s the main reason I got the job here as Head Bartender. I had to show them just how creative I could be. The secret is that there’s a hint of vanilla rum. Just a hint, not a lot of it. But it changes the entire taste.”

“You’re right.” Delaney had to agree with him, though she knew nothing about mixing drinks. “This is the best Pina Colada I’ve ever had.”

“I’ll be sure to tell my father-in-law. He’ll be pretty impressed that my boss likes it.” Joey went back to work and took another order from the next guest. Delaney sipped slowly on her drink and looked over her shoulder to see Chris and Ashley not far from where she was sitting. They were involved in what looked to be a pretty intimate conversation. Every so often, Chris would reach over and stroke Ashley’s cheek and Ashley would rest her hand on top of his. They were quite in love and Delaney envied them. Chris was not the type to compete with Ashley like Cale had competed with Delaney. It was obvious just by looking at them. Cale never wanted anything good for Delaney and even though she’d already started with the manager position at the Ritz when they’d married, he was always trying to talk her out of staying. He’d pretended that he was fine with the position he held at the bank, but ultimately Delaney made more money and it drove Cale mad with jealousy.

“Want another one?” Joey interrupted Delaney’s thoughts and she looked down to see that she’d downed the drink in a matter of minutes. She knew if she had another it would be difficult to drive the short distance it took to get to her house.

“Huh? Oh, no thanks.” Delaney quickly stood from the chair and gave Joey her card.

“No way, Ms. Nixon. It’s on the house.” Joey assured her and handed her card back to her. “Compliments of my father-in-law I’m sure once I tell him.”

Delaney shrugged and gave Joey a small smile. “Fine. Thank him for me.” She grabbed her purse and waved to him as she left the bar.

It was too bad everyday at The Chancellor wasn’t filled with Joey’s specialty drinks. Although judging from how yesterday had gone, Delaney figured she’d probably be a fixture at the bar if she and JC continued to butt heads.