The Seduction of Destiny Rhode [The Seduction 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (3 page)

All she was sure of was that for once, she wasn’t going to ignore her own needs and desires, and she wasn’t going to live her life in fear of disappointing people who never seemed pleased with anything she did no matter how hard she tried. For just this once, she was going to follow her own heart and chase dreams. Maybe it was entirely cheesy to think, but her life was about to begin, and for once, she was going to embrace it!

“In her day, this place must have been spectacular.” Destiny waited as Aiden stood looking around the lobby in a white linen, perfectly unwrinkled suit. Sunglasses in his hand, dark hair perfectly in place, he looked like he just stepped out of a magazine.

Though she desperately appreciated his confidence, Destiny couldn’t speak. The overwhelming nature of what she’d done had caught up with her somewhere the night before, and now she was just this side of a full-blown panic attack.

The elevated area off the main lobby where they were standing had once been a lobby bar. Though the place came with everything right down to the wineglasses, the poor thing had fallen by the wayside over the years, and the wineglasses weren’t going to do her much good when there was little to no staff, no guests to speak of and a lot of updating required before it would look as sharp as it had a decade before.

Although, as she looked around examining her hotel, she also noticed that the carpet wasn’t stained. It was actually in pretty good shape. The pool table and jukebox didn’t look any the worse for wear. The tables, cane-back chairs, and bar stools all seemed to function well, and though their tropical-themed fabric may have been brighter at one point in their past, they were still perfectly useable.

The lobby just beyond where she and Aiden stood boasted two stunning fountains and a host of tropical foliage that drank in the sunlight from four large skylights. There was generous seating and even a white baby grand piano to the left of the main doors that probably needed tuning, but might be a nice asset at some point for welcoming guests.

She tried to smile, but her stomach turned over.

“Oh good God, what have I done?” She sunk like a stone into the nearest chair and put her hand to her forehead.

Aiden rushed to her side, dropping to one knee in front of her. “Destiny, it’s going to be fine. Better than fine!”

She looked down into his beautiful eyes and sexy smile, and mostly felt nauseous.

“Aiden, I’m a middle-aged woman from Kansas. I dress like it’s still the fifties. I wear your classic librarian hairstyle. I’m not stylish or hip or modern, and I’m not even sure I know what is anymore. I have no work history. I never went to college. I raised babies. I have no business trying to be a hotel magnate in Orlando, Florida!”

He laughed and took her hand. “Destiny, I like your style. It’s quirky, but it suits you from the tip of your red head to the pointy little shoes you like to wear, and you don’t need to know the latest trends to run a hotel, that’s what designers are for. Maybe you’ve never had a job in your life, but you are one smart woman. You’ve raised two amazing kids of which I am in awe. You more than have the brains for this, and you have all the right in the world to make it happen. You want to know why I was willing to give you the money for this place? Why I cosigned the loan for you when you refused me?”

“Insanity?” A strand of hair fell loose and toppled over her right eye.

He chuckled. “No! It was the passion in your voice when you called me. Which, by the way, I was very glad you did, though totally shocked at the same time.”

She gave him a half smile and looked around
her
hotel again. It was ginormous. What the fuck was she going to do with it?

“Well, you were the only person I knew who could tell me exactly how insane I was and quite frankly, I thought maybe your family would want it. I
never
thought in a million years that I…that you…” her stomach turned again and she groaned.

“I know, it’s daunting, but, Destiny, I have faith in you. Besides all the things I already said and all the things you don’t know that are completely teachable, you have a
very
good eye for potential. You have a good gut. Look at this place.”

She looked at him instead, hoping he’d pick up on the fact that she thought he’d lost his mind as well.

“Picture this bar at happy hour, full of conventioneers.”

She looked at the bench along the back wall that had three tables set along it with a few chairs and could almost see men in suits laughing, drinking.

“Now look at the lobby and picture the families, the kids with the Mickey Mouse-shaped balloons, the laughter and the smiles.”

She looked out over the totally empty lobby, but something in her shifted the picture to one like Aiden envisioned. She looked at the long registration desk and pictured a line of people waiting to check in. At the guest services desk, a honeymoon couple made plans for a romantic dinner cruise. Flags from all different countries hung along the entrance out front welcoming people from all over the world. It almost seemed real, but how does one go from winning a Floridian getaway to owning a hotel?

She guessed one had friends like Aiden Grand. He truly had believed in her unlike anyone ever before in her life, and she’d gotten carried away with it, but what if she
could
actually make this all work? Was there really a possibility?

“Are you the new owners?”

Destiny jumped to her feet. A woman not more than five feet tall, a little plump, and as flaxen blonde as they come with her hair piled high atop her head was standing beside her. The woman’s voice was nasally, and she wore a tropical shirt and a pair of white shorts and glasses so thick it was a wonder she could see at all when she took them off.

“I guess that would be me,” Destiny said, not feeling at all confident in her new title.

“Wonderful.” The woman held out her hand. “I’m Mrs. Murphy. The old owners assured me they’d mention me to you.”

“Oh! Mrs. Murphy, yes.” She smiled. “Yes, they did. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Apparently Mrs. Murphy and her Chihuahua, Tiger, were permanent residents of the hotel, and conditional on the sale of the property was that she be allowed to stay in her suite of rooms.

“Good, I just wanted to make sure there’s no trouble.” She adjusted her glasses that she wore attached to a rhinestone-encrusted rope around her neck.

“No, Mrs. Murphy, of course not. This is your home. You stay as long as you want.”

Mrs. Murphy appeared to be checking out Aiden rather thoughtfully, to the point Destiny felt a blush come on.

“Aren’t you yummy.” She looked up at Destiny. “You’re one lucky lady.”

“Oh, God no! No. No. No.” The blush was as good as a blaze now, and Aiden’s laughter really didn’t help.

Mrs. Murphy was looking at her as if she’d lost her mind, and her glasses magnified her eyes so that she looked almost like a cartoon character, a cartoon character wearing an awful lot of powder-blue eye shadow.

“It’s not like that. He’s married.” Destiny smiled like somehow she’d explained everything with that, but when Mrs. Murphy continued to look at her as if she’d lost her mind, she felt the need to add, “To someone else.”

She very nearly told the woman that not only were she and Aiden not having sex, but she wasn’t having sex with anyone…nor did she plan on doing so. Luckily Aiden jumped in just in the nick of time, extending his hand and his charm to the woman, pulling her focus entirely from Destiny, who heaved a sigh of relief.

“Mrs. Murphy, it is a great pleasure to meet you, and if you need anything, either Destiny or myself will be more than happy to see to your needs. Is Tiger well?” Aiden enchanted the woman.

Destiny watched, utterly impressed. Mrs. Murphy smiled and pushed playfully at Aiden’s arm. An actual giggle escaped her lips.

“Oh, I like you.” She looked at Destiny pointedly. “Married or not.”

Destiny’s stomach flipped again. What the fuck did one say to such a thing? Maybe the problem was it had been so damn long since she’d had sex that she was certain her vagina had closed up shop and gone on vacation, a long, extended vacation.

“My wife and daughter arrive this weekend, Mrs. Murphy. I will be certain to make introductions as soon as they’re here. We’re staying in the suites on the floor above you, so we’ll be close if you should need anything.”

“Why, thank you.” She practically twittered.

“You’re welcome. Is there anything else right now?” Aiden smiled, showing his dimples.

“No, I suppose not.” She was being dismissed and clearly was looking for some excuse to stay on longer.

As she started to leave, she looked pointedly at Destiny. “You need to speak up more. Men don’t want the shy ones anymore. It’s that Snooki girl they all go for. Push your boobs up and speak a little louder, honey.” She, of course, modeled what she meant by “push your boobs up” as she walked away.

“Oh, good God,” Destiny mumbled through a forced bright smile.

As Mrs. Murphy rounded the corner of the lobby and moved out of sight, Aiden’s face cracked, and within a moment he was caught in a bout of full-blown laughter.

Destiny playfully slapped his forearm. “It’s not funny!”

Yet even
she
was laughing pretty hard by this point.

“Look, Mrs. Murphy’s monthly bill alone pays a large portion of your bank payment, so you may have to put up with a bit of love advice from time to time, but it’s worth it! Plus, she isn’t wrong.” Aiden gave her a slow once-over from head to foot, making her want to go hide behind one of the potted palms. “Push your boobs up and speak a little louder, and I’m sure you’ll have all the men you can handle.”

They both spiraled into laughter once more. It was such a good feeling to simply laugh, and she realized it had been too long since she had. Maybe things weren’t as bleak as she was trying to paint them. Perhaps she just needed to hold onto a lighter attitude and roll with things a bit more.

“Oh, Aiden, do you
really
think I can turn this place into a destination?”

“I do. I really truly, absolutely, no bullshitting you,
do.
It’s a mile and a half from Disney, maybe five miles from Universal, Sea World, Harbor Gardens, centrally located to both coasts. You can arrange tours for people to go deep-sea fishing. You’ve got a ton of convention space, you can host weddings. I mean,
damn
, Destiny there’s
so
much potential here, and I will help you all the way.”

There was so much she hadn’t thought of before, but he was right. There was unlimited potential for her to do any number of things. Though the hotel had seven hundred rooms, many of them needed updating, and currently there was fewer than fifty filled. The restaurants and bars hadn’t been opened in months, and there were currently no convention bookings, but they could change all that. There was nothing hard work and dedication couldn’t fix here.

“Don’t mean to interrupt.”

A thick Irish brogue sent tiny little shivers right up her spine, and when she turned to look over her shoulder at the man attached to that brogue, she discovered he was take-your-breath-away damn fine looking as well.

“Ronan.” Aiden exchanged a bear hug with the man.

Ronan stood every bit as tall as Aiden, although the two contrasted one another in every other way. Aiden, even when dressed casually, wore expensive fabrics and rich colors as the teal shirt he wore today attested to. Ronan was wearing very tight-fitting jeans with an equally as form-fitting black tee, and there was a tiny tear at his right shoulder that Destiny had the most overwhelming urge to poke her finger through. Aiden’s black hair was gelled and in perfect place, while Ronan’s wavy dark-golden hair hung haphazardly to his shoulders. Aiden was clean shaven. Ronan had a thick five o’clock shadow that looked like it was on purpose.

Aiden put his arm around Ronan’s shoulders and turned him to face Destiny.

“Ronan Kelly, this is Destiny Rhode Ramirez.”

She hated that name. “Just, Destiny,
please
. I stopped claiming Ramirez when I stopped claiming the man who came along with it, and Destiny Rhode sounds too much like a song or a path at a new age preserve.”

Ronan laughed heartily, and Aiden looked at her as if she’d sprouted something from the top of her head, but as was his way, he quickly recovered and finished the introductions.

“Destiny, this man is your savior.” He beamed.

“My
what
?” she choked out.

Ronan held out his hand to hers. She took it limply.

“It’s nice to meet you, but I’m no one’s savior. For God’s sake, Aiden.” He turned a roguish smile on her. “But I am here to help you.”

Unless it was help her bathe, which she’d seriously consider, she wasn’t sure she was interested in help from him or anybody else. She was in enough debt, and couldn’t afford more.

“I’ve taken a look around the place, Aiden. It’s everything you said it was and I can definitely get my teeth into this project. I’ll have to start with a skeleton crew until the Madrid job is finished, but after that, I’ve cleared four months. I think that should be more than enough.”