Nights With Parker by Alice Tribue Page A

night wearing that little black dress. The way it clung to her was truly a magnificent sight. She’s stunning, and what makes her even more appealing is that she doesn’t know just how beautiful she is. Getting through dinner was torture, but having to let her go because of an emergency at work was absolute hell. I’d been picturing all the different ways I could peel that dress off her just as the phone rang. A guest fell asleep with a cigarette in his mouth … in a non-smoking room, nonetheless. Thankfully, the moron didn’t kill himself, and the fire was contained to just his room. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t have my father and brother breathing down my neck as soon as they got word of what had happened. What did they expect me to fucking do? Should I do a room check every night to make sure everything is on the up-and-up? I didn’t sign up to run a summer camp. The only bit of good news I received is that last night, the inspection deemed the hotel (with the exception of the affected room) inhabitable.
    Now, I’m sitting in my rinky-dink office, and I use the term office loosely, trying to figure out the fastest way to get this shithole up to Parker Hotel standards. The list is massive: new façade, roof, paint, flooring, furniture, linens. In other words, a major overhaul. The most logical thing to do first is to hire an independent contractor to make sure that this place is structurally sound and free of rodents, insects, and mold. Once that’s taken care of, the rest will follow suit.
    I hit send on an email detailing this plan to my father and brother when I hear a knock on my office door. I call to whoever it is to come in, wondering where the hell the temporary secretary I’ve hired has gone. I’m not at all shocked that she’s gone rogue … It’s typical.
    I know the woman as soon as she walks in, looking a little frightened and unsure of herself. Her blond hair is pulled back into a tidy bun, but I can see that it’s interspersed with a good amount of gray. The beauty of her blue eyes is hidden behind the dark puffy bags underneath, and her frame, which is neatly dressed in all black, is too slender for her build. This woman has suffered and wears it openly, but even through all of that, I can see plain as day that this is Riley’s mother. Today is her first day in her new role.
    “I’m sorry to bother you, sir. I’m Colleen Sims, and I …”
    “Yes, Mrs. Sims. Welcome back. Was your trainer not out front to meet with you?”
    “Actually, sir …”
    “You can call me Oliver.”
    “Oliver, I just wanted to come in a little early so that I’d have the opportunity to thank you for what you’ve done for me. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after the housekeeping staff was let go, and ...”
    “You don’t have to thank me. I was told you’ve been an exemplary employee, and I need someone who I can trust to manage the new housekeeping staff. Do a good job and that’s all the thanks I need.”
    “Of course, sir,” she says with a smile that resembles her daughter’s.
    “Thank you for stopping by, Mrs. Sims,” I say, dismissing her quickly. Not because her presence annoys me but because deep down it’s eating at me that I’ve blackmailed this woman’s daughter into sleeping with me. It bothers me that I wanted Riley so badly that I used this woman’s situation to my advantage. Mostly, I dismiss her because I do not intend to change my arrangement with Riley, and it’s easier to follow through if I’m not forced to interact with her mother too often.
    When my phone rings again, there’s no need for me to look at the display. After the email I just sent to my father and brother, I know it’s one or both of them on the other line.
    “Hello,” I answer gruffly, unable to hide the fact that I’m already annoyed by the phone call. Nothing pisses me off more than being checked up on like an errant child.
    “I just got your email,” Jacob states, telling me something I