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

by Monroe, Mallory

  Even this floored Charles. “Monday? That’s not enough time to relocate across the country like that. What’s wrong with them?”

  “It’s enough time for me. I told them so. I have very little. The house I rented was furnished, and I haven’t received my check from the insurance company, so I don’t even have a car to worry about at this point. All I have to do is pack my bags, hop a plane, and get there.”

  “As simple as that?” Charles asked regrettably.

  “As simple as that,” Jenay said, sadly. “My life is as simple as that.”

  Charles looked at her. So this was really it. If she was in Boston still, there would remain that temptation, or that hope, however he viewed it. But with her in New Mexico, there would be nothing. He was too busy, and she’d be too busy, to have any kind of hope of a cross country relationship. It really wouldn’t work.

  He got out of his car and walked around to the passenger side door. Jenay watched him walk. Her news seemed to cut him short. She saw a look in his eyes that seemed to verge on a cross between sadness and disappointment. Which surprised her. She had wanted to see if more could come of their pairing, but she wasn’t at all sure if he wanted more. Now she was beginning to think that he might.

  He assisted her out of the car and then walked her, with his hand on the small of her back, to her front door. It had been a long day. But to her complete surprise, he declined to come inside.

  “I’ve got to be in New York,” he said, “so I think I’m going to move on.”

  That sounded so firm to Jenay. He was going to move on. “You have to be in New York tonight?” she asked him.

  “Tomorrow.”

  Jenay waited for more, such was why did he suddenly need to be there tonight then, but he didn’t give her more. And she wasn’t about to beg for it.

  “Thanks again, Charlie, for coming. I really do appreciate it. You didn’t have to come, but you did. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “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.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Two Days Later

  “We need to give her a chance,” Megan Townsend, the bookkeeper, said as she put another batch of files in the cabinet. She was a slight woman in her twenties, a little over five-feet-two, with stringy blond highlights and big brown eyes.

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Beatrice replied as she typed in the last sentences of her status report. “You’re the bookkeeper. Your job isn’t on the line.”

  “Who says your job in on the line?”

  Beatrice looked at the younger woman as if she had to be kidding. “He’s bringing in an executive general manager, Meg. A GM. I’ve been the manager here since before he even took over ownership of this place! Why would he need an executive manager when he already has me, if it’s not to replace me?”

  “I thought you were the supervisor.”

  “Supervisor. Manager. What’s the difference?”

  Megan knew the difference, and she suspected Beatrice did too, but to keep the peace she kept on filing.

  The door to the office opened. “Knock-knock,” a voice said as the door opened. Both ladies looked up. It was Paige Springer.

  “Miss Paige,” Megan said, “what are you doing here?”

  Paige and Beatrice exchanged a glance. “Give us a few minutes, Meg,” Beatrice said.

  Megan didn’t like it. She had files to review. But she knew she didn’t have a choice. She left the room.

  Paige sat down in front of the desk. “Has she arrived yet?”

  “I told you eleven. She’ll be here shortly.”

  Paige crossed her long legs. “Tell me all you know. Who is she again?”

  “Jenay Franklin,” Beatrice said. “That’s all I know. All he said about her was her name. Oh, and he wanted me to prepare the VIP suite for her.”

  “He did not,” Paige replied, astonished.

  “He did too,” replied Beatrice. “She may not mean squat to us, but she’s apparently a big deal to him.”

  Paige didn’t like to hear that. “Did you look her up?” she asked.

  “Of course I looked her up!”

  “And?”

  “And there’s absolutely nothing on her. I Googled her and everything. I don’t know a thing about her.”

  “And he makes her manager,” Paige said, as if she still couldn’t believe it.

  “Excuse you,” Beatrice said. “He made her Executive General Manager. As if he wanted to make sure I understood perfectly she was going to be the boss. My boss. It’s just awful.”

  “It’s Charles,” Paige said. “He does it his way and he doesn’t care who he hurts. That’s Big Daddy. Asshole extraordinaire.”

  “So you and he are still off again then?”

  “We’re on and off from minute to minute. You know how it goes. I try to be friendly with him, but he just makes me so angry! I heard he may be fooling around with Abigail Ridge again, but I think that’s just a rumor.”

  “It’s no rumor,” Beatrice said. “He never stopped fooling around with her. She doesn’t tell, that’s why he’s kept her around longer than anybody else. At least that’s what I heard. She doesn’t brag about the fact she can get Big Daddy Sinatra in her bed, and he likes that.”

  “I wasn’t bragging either,” Paige insisted. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating. But I’m no slut like Abby. I refuse to let a man keep me a secret, I don’t care how open our relationship may be.”

  “You think this Jenay Franklin is another don’t tell, quiet one like Abigail?” Beatrice asked.

  “I’ll know when I see her. He has a particular type.”

  “You, in other words,” Beatrice said.

  “There you go,” Paige said with a finger point and a smile, although, deep down, it was hardly funny.

  Jericho City Limits.

  Jenay’s heart was racing as she drove into Charlie’s hometown for the very first ti
me. Although the sign said City Limits, it looked more like the countryside. Rolling hills of grain. Windmills. Farms. Lots of jagged, rocky coastline. It was beautiful. She was digging on the sense of peace, and tranquility. She felt as if she could really love it here.

  Until she drove five miles further, and arrived in the heart of downtown.

  It was still a beautiful place, filled with beautiful Tudor-style buildings and brick-lined streets. But the townspeople gave her the kind of stares that nobody would want. Not that they were angry stares, or repulsive in any way. But they were plentiful. Everybody, it seemed, was watching her as she drove through town.

  She knew some of the stares had to do with the fact that she was driving Charlie’s car, but everybody in the town couldn’t automatically see a black Jaguar and figure it had to belong to Charles Sinatra. Or could they? Charlie owned so many businesses, and so much land, and the town wasn’t a big city by any barometer. It would still be saying a lot for all of the people she passed to know one man’s car, but maybe not. And then again, she thought, maybe it was more her they were staring at, than the car. She’d never lived in a small town in her life. She wouldn’t begin to know the dynamics.

  The GPS system inside the Jaguar gave her turn-by-turn navigation that took her right where she was going. She, thankfully, didn’t have to ask any of those busybody town folk for directions of any kind.

  And then she was there.

  There it is, she thought, as she drove up the long driveway that lead to the hotel’s main entrance. Jericho Inn, it said on the large stone at the entrance. Although the name left a lot to be desired, the look was magnificent. It was an old-styled bed and breakfast that had the look and feel of a grand old elegant mansion. She was surprised. She had tried to check it out on the internet, but discovered that Charles hadn’t gotten around to investing in a website yet. It was still that new to him. But no website? For a business? She knew the place needed help. But she thought it would be just like, well, just like helping out a Motel 6. But it was nothing like she expected. It was actually a very beautiful, upscale hotel with a resort look and feel to it. But that didn’t make Jenay feel any better. Just looking at the place made her feel overwhelmed; as if it was way too much. How could she, a woman with very little practical experience, run a place this vast?