by Ella Goode
Smooth Kisses
Ella Goode
Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
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Blurb
As the head of customer relations for a luxury resort, Serena Smooth's job is to make sure everyone's vacation is completed without a hitch. That means finding the right toy for a crying baby or delivering flowers on a wedding anniversary or booking the hard-to-get reservations. She's so good at her job that everyone calls her Smooth. There's not a problem she can't solve--that is until Andrew Lennox,
the new owner, storms into town.
As the head of Lennox Luxury Living, it's Andrew's job to make sure that every resort is running perfectly which means a hands-on inspection of his latest acquisition. When he arrives on the property, he realizes that the greatest asset is one Serena Smooth and he won't stop until he has her in his bed with his ring on her finger. She claims she's too busy, but he's determined to be the one wrinkle she can't smooth out.
1
Smooth
“Smooth?” There is a soft knock on my door. I sit up, realizing I must have dozed off as Violet pokes her curly blond head into my office. I only meant to lie down for a minute. It is a Friday night and as always we are going to be busy. The VIPs still haven’t arrived and it has been one thing after another today. Some days go well and others are a disaster. I never know what situations will arise but I am always equipped to deal with whatever is thrown at me.
“I’m up,” I say, trying to sound a little more chipper than I feel. I’m not sure what is wrong with me these last few days. I have been in a weird funk and I can't shake it. It could be because the resort has been bought out by a new company. No changes have been made and current staff is to stay in place. The new company consists of a bunch of different resorts all over the world. Although the contract states that they keep the current employees, I know I have to continue to put my best foot forward.
There is no time now to try to figure out if that is what has me in a funk or not. Generally my own issues have to be put to the side because I am too busy fixing everyone else’s. My nickname wasn’t earned solely on it being my last name. Fixing guests’ issues and making sure everyone has a pleasant experience is my top priority.
“There are two old ladies out in the lobby area and-” She makes a scrunched-up face. Drunk is my first thought. Of course they are drunk. It’s a Friday night at a resort. “Someone complained.” She rolls her eyes. I stand. God forbid two older women have a good time on their vacation. People need to mind their own business. Yet I can’t say that. It’s my job to go and check it out for myself. Whoever made the complaint could be watching. Although I know the old ladies are only trying to have a good time, I have to make each of my guests feel as if their issue is important to me.
“You have to please them all,” I say against the normal you can’t please them all. It’s my motto. The one I try and live by around here. I am pretty good at it. “I’ll be right out.”
She nods, giving me a soft smile while holding her tongue that I need more sleep.
“You won’t miss them,” she adds before slipping back from my small corner office. I spend more time sleeping here than in my actual place. To me it really is no different. I live in one of the manager apartments here on site. It was part of why I took the job. I not only needed a job but a place to live. They offered both to me and I’ve spent the last year trying to make myself irreplaceable. I was fresh out of hospitality school and on a mission to carve my own path. One that would make my name recognizable in the industry. To be honest, I think I enjoy being needed. To feel like I am doing something right, that I belong. I don’t want to lose my footing with the resort being owned by someone new.
I’ve always been good at reading a room. I have a knack for how to handle people. Between that and having the last name Smooth, it’s all everyone around here calls me. I’ve climbed the ladder quickly. There isn’t a job title available that fits my job description. Everyone has begun to call me Smooth because that basically sums up what I do on a daily basis. I calm people down and get situations under control. The resort manager began calling me Smooth a few months after I started here, referencing my interactions with guests.
I work late afternoons and evenings. It’s peak time for people to get the most out of control. It is a resort, after all. I also always make sure I am here when VIPs arrive, and a big group is coming in tonight. This morning has brought on a variety of things on its own. I’m currently running on no sleep.
I slip my wedges on before running my hands through my long blond hair and straightening my skirt. I find it easier to deal with guests when they feel as though you fit in with them. Dressing in the hotel uniform usually puts people on edge. I want our guests to feel at ease when I listen to their concerns. The only thing that gives away that I am part of the staff is the small name tag that reads Selena.
I head out of my office and spot the two older women. They are currently laughing loudly. I have to fight a smile at them bickering like the oldest of friends and laughing while they do it. I take off on a run when I see the one woman start teetering. I barely make it in time before she hits the ground. The other woman grabs her in time with me and we right her in her chair. Yeah, it is cut-off time. I hate to do it but I need to. They’ll be thankful in the morning. I just want to make them thankful now.
“You ladies doing all right?” I ask with a smile on my face.
“Aren't you a pretty thing?” the one that almost face-planted into the cement says to me. She looks to be in her sixties. “I bet the boys are all over you. Remember those days?” She squeezes the arm of her friend who is sitting next to her.
“They’re still all over me. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she throws back. This time I’m the one laughing.
“I don’t know about you two but I’m not looking for boys,” I tease. I’ve seen enough boys in my time. The college ones can be the hardest to deal with. “But I do know I have one cabana left for tomorrow. I’m thinking it’s got your names all over it.” I always keep spare cabanas. Those things can get any guest under control. They aren't cheap and they’re always booked out. I always keep two for my bidding.
They both perk up at that. “I’m going to have Violet here escort you to your room to fill out the forms.” Violet pops up out of thin air. That’s her talent and I freaking love it. She doesn't miss a thing and is always there when I need her. She’s always lurking somewhere in the shadows when I’m dealing with guests. We work well as a team.
I help one of the ladies out of her chair. Violet helps the other. “You ladies get some shut eye so you can be up bright and early for that cabana. I’m going to send breakfast over.”
“That’s so lovely, dear,” one of the women says. She leans in and I know she wants a hug. The tipsy drunk people always do. I give her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before Violet heads off with them. That was easy enough. They can sleep it off. They also don’t realize that I pretty much sent them to bed but in a smooth way, as everyone else would call it. That is the key to this entire job. People have to feel as if they are making the decision for themselves.
“
They’re checking in.”
I give Nate a nod. I’ll let them start to get settled in before I go up to check on everyone. I make my rounds, stopping into a few of the bars and saying hi to random people I’ve met since they arrived. I stay a little longer in one of them and even get pulled into doing a karaoke song before I can once again slip off.
It’s my job to make people feel welcome. To make sure that they are having a good time. They spend their hard earned money to be here and I want to make sure everyone is getting what they paid for. I want them to want to visit us again in the future. With a review-driven business, customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance. This resort might not be mine but I take great pride in it. People come to places like this to make memories and I am determined to make them good ones.
Over the past year I’ve received many recognitions and awards testifying to my hard work. If only my mother could see me now. I bet she wouldn’t say that I’ll never make it without her. So many times she has uttered those words to me. I used to believe her when I was younger. She was the reason I learned how to get out of sticky situations to begin with. Her moods were volatile at times and I learned at an early age to get myself out of tough spots without stoking the fire more. The days of her messing with my head are over now and I am proud of who I’ve become. My success is my own and no one is going to take that from me.
“Are they booked in?” I ask Nate as I come around the front desk. I click away on the computer. They booked the penthouse along with the whole second floor. They aren’t even filling all the rooms they blocked off but they want privacy. No other guests are allowed to be on their two floors and it has to be the same housekeeper and butler for their entire stay. An odd request but it isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with one. Someone obviously has control issues as well as privacy issues. Maybe a mix of both.
You really never know what you’re going to get with a bachelor party weekend. Some can be tame and some make my skin crawl. Either way it is clear this crew has the money to do anything they want.
“I’m going to pop up,” I tell him.
“Need help?” Nate wiggles his eyebrows.
“They that cute?” I ask with a laugh.
“I wouldn’t call them cute.” His voice drops for only me. “Fucking hot.” I shake my head. “If they go down to the pool or beach the ladies are going to be crawling all over them.”
I scrunch my nose at that. I get it’s a bachelor party but I hate when I see the groom doing things he really shouldn’t be. Things that would likely make him remain single. Cheating has always twisted my insides. My own mother was a cheater. She went from one husband to the next. She was already in the bed of whoever the new one would be before she was out of the last one’s. I saw a trail of broken hearts in her wake. Some of them I felt bad for, the others not so much. I swear that woman is a real-life siren. I don’t know how she manages it but she’s always had men eating out of her hand.
“They have a whole area blocked off just for them,” I remind Nate. They even brought their own security to ensure everything stays private. The man who put this all together—or rather, his assistant—has gone all out. I’ve also heard the word ‘private’ five million times now.
“Yeah.” Nate mock-laughs. “I’m sure they’ll send all the girls in bikinis trying to go over there away.” Truth. They all could be married though. Except the groom. Who knows? You really never know how these larger parties will conduct themselves. I am about to find out.
Violet appears a moment later as I close out my screen. “One drunk, a few others are tipsy.” Her voice drops like Nate’s did, for only my ears. “One is glued to his phone. Might have a stick up his ass.”
I snort. A terrible habit of mine. It makes Violet laugh. “All handsome.” She wiggles her eyebrows like Nate.
“Up I go,” I say, heading for the private bank of elevators and hitting the button. It opens instantly for me. I check my emails as it rides up, wishing they contained my new guests’ names. They booked everything under John Smith. I don’t understand the need for so much security. I know no one in the group is famous. Violet or Nate would have said something. There is no way that either one of them would be able to hold that little bit of information from me for any extended period of time. If they knew, then you could bet your last dollar I did too.
I pocket my phone as the elevator dings, announcing that I’ve reached the top floor. When the doors slide open I see an older woman standing there in a suit. She looks up at me from her phone.
“I’m Anna.” The woman holds her hand out. I step forward, taking her hand in mine. I recognize her voice instantly from having talked to her on the phone. Her cool blue eyes roam over me for a second as our hands stay locked. I can tell she’s sweet but maybe has a hard edge to her. I immediately like her.
“Selena.” I give her a warm smile. She gives my hand a small squeeze before letting it go.
“I was going to let you know they were in for the night but I think maybe I should introduce you.”
“It isn’t necessary. I’m sure they are ready for dinner after all the travel.” I step back. I can meet them later. Everything seems under control here so it isn’t necessary for me to disrupt them. The chef was set to start dinner when they arrived. It should almost be done. Tonight’s menu sounded wonderful. I got a glimpse of it when I handed it off to our head chef Omar. He promised to save me a plate. One I am looking forward to eating sooner rather than later. My stomach lets out a small growl at the thought of Omar’s cooking. Most times I get busy and forget to eat and today was no different.
“No, it is necessary.” Her smile is so big now. As if she knows a secret. I don’t want to be rude to Anna so I patiently wait for whomever it is that she’s insisting I meet. My mind races, thinking of that coy smile she wore as she walked away. She is definitely amused about something.
2
Andrew
“Who you looking at?” Dixon Neal asks or rather yells in my ear. The bachelor party is getting rowdy and loud. We haven’t had a complaint from the downstairs tenants yet so the soundproofing we installed between floors appears to be holding up.
“I’m waiting for someone to come up.” I’m slightly surprised that Dixon has even noticed I’ve been staring at the entry doors.
“Is it a new girlfriend?” Dixon waggles his eyebrows.
“New? That would imply I had one in the past.” I don’t do girlfriends. I don’t have time for that. I run two thousand hotels across the world, with twenty-five of them being five-star exclusive resorts like the one we are currently breaking in. Girlfriends take your time and attention away from business. Dixon, for example, used to happily work eighteen-hour days but ever since he met his wife-to-be, he keeps going home at five. For what, I have no clue.
“One day you’ll understand. Love is like falling into a vat of honey and never wanting to crawl out,” my friend announces.
“Please tell me that you didn’t write your own vows,” I say as I type out a reminder to track down the supplier so we can use them again for my next resort.
“What if we did?” Dixon says, looking slightly aggrieved.
“Then I’ll be sure to wear headphones because there’s nothing more off-putting than hearing you talk about your soon-to-be wife.”
Dixon bends downs from his perch on the back of the sofa and pats me clumsily on the arm—or, at least, I think that’s where he’s aiming. He’s drunk so he could have been reaching for my cheek for all I know. “So what that I’m not a poet? Tara loves me in all my nerdy glory.” He stretches out his arms and nearly tips over onto the floor.
I tuck my phone back into my coat pocket and drag my friend onto the seat cushion next to me. It’s crowded in here. I think the max capacity of this VIP suite is around fifty people. There are only twelve men in the bachelor party but somewhere along the way, we’ve picked up way more than that.
“Who are all these people?” I ask.
“People who a
re in love with love,” Dixon announces, waving his hand in the air. Two-hundred-year-old scotch sloshes over the side and onto the velvet sofa coverings. That’s going to need to be replaced. I wonder what the damage deposit is. We’ll have to up it since I have no doubt that this will not be the wildest party this suite will see.
Although...as I peer around at the near orgies that are taking place, maybe it is the worst thing that will happen in this place. It’ll be a good test to see how much damage the suite can withstand and still survive. Given its location and the stellar reputation of my resorts, there will be a lot of wealthy VIPs that will rent this floor out for parties and events, which is good for my wallet but not great for the furnishings.
These are all things I want to discuss with my new hire who I believe has just arrived. I spot the butler, Kevin, I believe his name is, crossing the room. “Try not to ruin the coffee table, Dixon.”
“Did it cost”—belch—"a lot?”
“No, but it’s glass and I promised your sainted fiancée that you would survive this week in one piece.”
“Ahh, you’re scared of Tara.” He nods.
“I’m not scared of the girl, but rather the mess that you’ll become if she leaves you.”
Dixon ponders this as I greet the butler. “What can I do for you, Kevin?”
“Sir, the person you requested is in the outer foyer.”
“Excellent. Is there a quiet place where we can meet?” My assistant, Anna, texted me in all caps that she has met her replacement. Apparently, Anna spent twenty minutes observing a resort staff member this afternoon and decided that we were going to steal her away. Anna said she’s too good to be stuck in one resort. She needs to be on the corporate management staff.