Big Daddy Sinatra: There Was a Ruthless Man (The Sinatras of Jericho County Book 1) (13 page)

“I
wanted to be here,” he said.
 
“I’m proud
of you.
 
You took a chance and won.”

Jenay
smiled.
 
Her parents viewed her
associate’s degree in hotel management as a failure, not a victory.
 
But Charles gave her hope.
 
“Thank-you,” she said.
 
Then she extended her hand, knowing that he
wasn’t going for that.
 
“Good night.”

To
her shock, however, he went for it.
 
He
didn’t pull her into his arms, or kiss her goodbye.
 
He shook her hand, released it, said his own
goodnight, and then left.

Jenay
felt a coldness she didn’t expect to ever feel from Charles.
 
It was as if he could turn her off as easily
as turning away.
 
So she turned too, and
went inside of her house.
 
But as soon as
she closed the door, she fell against it and fought back tears.
 
She was angry at herself for feeling this
way, but she felt this way.
 
She would be
in New Mexico in a few days, and far away from Charles Sinatra.
 
Yesterday, or even this morning before he
showed up, such a reality would have been fine with her.
 
But tonight, after spending the day with him,
after having that magnificent sex with him, after realizing what a wonderful
gesture it was for him to show up at all, gave her a different feeling
altogether.
 
It wasn’t fine with
her.
 
It was for her, on some level, a
shame.
 
A sad, crying shame.

Even
her living room was a reminder of his brief presence in her life.
 
That white dress, her graduation dress that
she had shopped so long to find, was lying on the floor as if it was nothing
more than a heap of material.
 
And the
way he ate her, and pumped her, and filled her to overflowing was as alive in
that house as her very presence.
 
It was
the start of a beautiful day.
 
A
beautiful day that didn’t end up quite as lovely.

She
pushed off from the door and began to retrieve her clothing and her shoes.
 
But just as she was picking up that dress,
knocks were heard on her front door.
 
It
felt too quick to be anyone else.
 
It
felt too coincidental.
 
She therefore dropped
the dress, hurried to the door and, without even looking out of her peephole,
she opened the door.
 
To her inward
delight, it was Charlie.

He
looked so serious that it almost scared her.
 
“What’s the matter?” she asked him.

He
stepped inside of her house, and closed the door.
 
“There is no way,” he said, as he placed his
arms around her waist, “that you’re going to New Mexico to work in some fucking
Econolodge.”

Her
heart began to pound. “No way?” she asked.

“No
way,” he said firmly.
 
“I own a hotel, a
Bed and Breakfast, in Jericho.
 
You’re
coming there.”

But
Jenay was floored.
 
“
You own a Bed and Breakfast
?”
 
She had always thought of his businesses as being factories and
such.
 
She never dreamed that he would
own a B & B!
 
She wasn’t even sure if
she believed him, although, she had to admit, he’d been very up front with her
so far.
 
“How did you come to own a Bed
and Breakfast?” she asked him.
 
“I
assumed you owned factories, not hotels.”

“I’m
a venture capitalist, Jenay.
 
I own
various businesses in Jericho, and I have investments in various businesses
across the country.
 
That’s why I’ve got to
be in New York tomorrow.
 
That’s how I
earn a living.”

“But
how did you come to own a B & B?” she asked again.

“The
same way I came to own a bank, rent houses, everything else,” he said.
 
“I acquired it at auction six months ago, and
decided it was worth holding onto.
 
But I
haven’t had a chance to do much with it.”

But
Jenay was still amazed with his previous comment.
 
He owned a
bank
?
 
She didn’t know people
owned banks!
 
At least not
one
person.

“There’s
a few other upscale hotels in town, and another B & B, but I think mine can
give them a run for their money with the right person at the helm.
 
We aren’t giving anybody a run for a damn
thing right now.
 
I think we may be dead
last in terms of the upscale spots in town, and I just haven’t had time to give
it the consideration and attention it needs.
 
I believe you can change that.
 
I
want you at the helm.”

“Who’s
running it now?”

“Beatrice
Moynihan.
 
She’s the staff
supervisor.
 
A holdover from when I took
it over.
 
She understood I would
eventually hire a GM whenever I got around to it.
 
So don’t worry.
 
You won’t be taking anyone’s job, if that’s
what you’re concerned about.”

Jenay
could hardly believe it.
 
Talk about
fate!
 
But why didn’t he mention this
before?
 
“Did you just now decide to
offer me the job?” she asked him.

He
didn’t hesitate.
 
“Yes,” he admitted.

“But
why?
 
You knew I was considering offers
months ago.
 
Why didn’t you offer me the
job then?”

“You
hadn’t accepted a job in New Mexico then.”

She
didn’t understand.
 
“You offered me a job
because I accepted a job in New Mexico?”

“I
didn’t expect you to take a job that far away.
 
It made it too complicated.
 
I
have too much on my plate as it is to be flying to New Mexico every week.”

“Why
would you have to fly to New Mexico every week?”

“To
see you,” Charles said bluntly.
 
“I’m not
ready to say goodbye.”

She
considered him. “You’re not?”

“No,”
he said.
 
“I just said hello.”
 

She
laughed.
 

He
continued.
 
“I want to see where we can
go with this, Jenay.
 
I’m no kid, and
neither are you.
 
I don’t have time for
bullshit.”

She
nodded.
 
“And neither do I.”

“I’m
interested in you,” he went on, “and unless I’m reading you wrong, you’re
interested in me.
 
Right?”

She
wasn’t going to lie.
 
She was definitely
interested.
 
“Right.”

“Then
we should see where it leads.
 
That’s
what I think.
 
And since my businesses
are a major part of my life, you will need to be a part of that too.
 
Besides,” he added, “a long distance
relationship won’t work.”

“How
can you be so sure?”

“I
saw how those guys were looking at you at that college today, and even at that
restaurant.
 
You go all the way to New
Mexico and I’m sunk.
 
Some genius will
snatch you up in no time.
 
I wouldn’t
stand a chance.
  
So I don’t want to take
a chance.”

Jenay
smiled.
 
“So you want me to run your
business, a hotel no less, because you don’t want any other man to have me?”

Charles
had to smile himself.
 
“Something like
that,” he said.

“Exactly
like that!” Jenay responded.
 
“But what
about Albuquerque?
 
I already accepted
that job.”

“Tell
them you changed your mind.
 
Tell them
you just received an offer you couldn’t refuse.
 
Hell, they had no problem switching you up after you accepted their
offer.
 
Switch it again.”

Jenay
didn’t know what to think, or to say.
 
She just went from the prospect of living a lonely existence in a state
she’d never considered as an option, to a hopeful existence in a state she
always wanted to visit.
 
And Charlie
would be there!
 
It almost felt like a
lifeline.
 
Not that she was
drowning.
 
She wasn’t.
 
But in a lot of ways, she was treading water
fast.
 

“Okay,”
she said on the spot.
 
“I accept your
offer.
 
And decline theirs.”

Charles
smiled the smile of a man not so much happy, as relieved.
 
He grabbed her, lifted her, and kissed her on
the mouth, all in one fell swoop.

When
he placed her back on ground, she needed more answers.
 
“So when did you want me to start?”

“How
soon can you start?”

The
sooner the better for her.
 
She couldn’t
wait to get started!
 
“Is Wednesday too
soon?”

Charles
smiled.
 
“In two days?
 
You don’t play around, do you?”

“Not
when it comes to an opportunity like this, no, sir.
 
I’ll be too excited to wait much longer.
 
As I told you, all I need to do is pack and
go.
 
I can pack tomorrow, and take off
the next day.”

Charles
thought about it.
 
He could phone
Beatrice and have her get the staff prepared.
 
It was doable.
 
“Okay,” he
said.
 
“Wednesday sounds good.
 
And since you haven’t purchased an automobile
yet, I’ll leave my car with you.”

“Leave
your car with me?”
 
Jenay asked.

“One
of us will have to use a rental.
 
It may
as well be me.”

“But
I have a rental right there.”
 
She
pointed to the Ford on her driveway.

“And
tomorrow you have them pick up that rental.
 
That’s not how I roll, and that’s not
 
how you’re going to be rolling either.”

Jenay
smiled.

“I’ll
handle my business in New York and be back in Jericho by the end of the
week.
 
That’ll give you a chance to
settle into your new job without me around to give you fits.”

“Why
would you give me fits?”

“I
crack the whip, make no mistake about that.
 
I am not an easy man to work for, I don’t care who you are.
 
Ask any of my employees.
 
Ask my son.”

A
hesitation appeared on Jenay’s face.
 
Charles saw it.
 
“What is it?
 
What’s wrong?” he asked her.

“It’s
just that it’s all so sudden.”
 
She looked
into his big, green eyes.
 
“I don’t know
if it’s a good idea to mix my work life with my personal life like this.”

Charles
exhaled. “Yeah.
 
I know what you
mean.
 
It goes against everything I
believe in too.
 
But I think you have
what it takes to run the place, and I happen to like you too.”

“But
what if you stop liking me?
 
What if our
personal relationship goes nowhere?
 
What
if it doesn’t lead to where we think it might?
 
I wouldn’t be comfortable still working for you.”

“I
wouldn’t be comfortable either.
 
Which
means I’ll get rid of you.
 
Which means
that’ll be the end of your job at Jericho Inn.”

Jenay
was stunned by his bluntness.
 
“Then why
should I take the job in the first place, if it’s that risky?”

“Because
working at a prestigious B & B will look better on your resume than working
at a Motel 6, or an Econolodge or any such place,” he responded.
 
“And---”

“And
what?”

“And
at least we would have tried, Jenay.
 
At
least I won’t be an old man, and you won’t be an old woman looking back with
regret about what could have been, if only we would have tried.
 
At least we will have tried.”

Jenay
smiled.
 
Because she knew he was
absolutely right.
 
Although she was
terrified by the prospect of another failed relationship in her life, and a job
that could potentially go nowhere, Charles was right.
 
Nothing was going to beat a failure, but a
try.