Five Star Attraction. Jacquelin Thomas

“I will,” she promised.

       Natasha hung up the phone and then went to check on Joshua one more time. She sat down in the chair beside his bed, watching him as a smile tugged at her lips.

       Malcolm was in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee when Ari walked out of the guest bedroom. “Want some?” he asked.

       “Sure,” Ari responded. “Where’s Chef Ricardo? I’m sure he’d have a fit to find you helping yourself to coffee. I think it’s impolite or something.”

       Smiling, Malcolm handed him a cup of steaming-hot coffee. “He offered, but I insisted on doing it myself. Ricardo left for a grocery run this morning. Apparently, he takes care of all of the shopping when it comes to the kitchen. He told me that he gets here at 7:00 a.m. and doesn’t leave until after seven in the evening. He has weekends off, however.”

       “How did you sleep?” Ari inquired.

       “I slept pretty good. Missed your mother, though.”

       “I still haven’t gotten used to sleeping without April.” A wild flash of grief ripped through him. “Dad, I miss her so much.”

       “She was a wonderful woman.” Malcolm took a sip of his coffee. “Oh, the food is already set up in the conference room. We’re going to have a working breakfast with Ira and Natasha.”

       “I don’t trust that woman,” Ari stated at the mention of Natasha’s name.

       “Get to know her, son, before you make any assumptions.”

       Ari eyed his father. “I know you, Dad. You don’t trust her any more than I do.”

       There was a knock on the door.

       Ari followed Franklin into the foyer and greeted Ira with a handshake.

       Natasha entered the elegantly appointed quarters a few minutes after Ira arrived. Ari felt his pulse involuntarily leap with excitement.

       She greeted everyone before saying to Ari, “Good morning. I really hope that we can find some common ground today.”

       He cleared his throat, pretending not to be affected by her. “My position hasn’t changed, Miss LeBlanc.”

       “I see.” She switched her purse from one side to the other. “Well, if you will excuse me, I need to speak to Ira before we get started.”

       Her perfume attacked his nostrils, casting a spell of seduction. His heartbeat throbbed in his ears. Ari couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away as Natasha made confident strides across the marble floor, her hips swaying gently as she walked.

      What is wrong with me?

       His pulse skittered alarmingly. Ari was knocked off guard by his response to Natasha. Never had he experienced anything so powerful. None of this made much sense to him. He took a few minutes to gather himself before joining the others in the conference room.

       Malcolm surveyed his face a moment before asking, “You all right, son?”

       Ari ignored the amused look on his father’s face and nodded. He sat down beside his father and across from Natasha.

       She looked up from the document she had been reading just as he took his seat, but she didn’t say a word.

       Ira closed the door to the conference room so that they wouldn’t be overheard. “I trust you and Ari slept well, Malcolm.”

       “We did,” they responded in unison.

       Natasha was the first to speak. “Mr. Alexander, I would like to offer my apologies if I said anything to offend you yesterday. It was not my intent. I had only hoped to offer advice on what should be done in regards to the hotel properties. I never meant to imply that you should rescind your rights to the rest of the estate.”

       “Miss LeBlanc, you will find that I am not easily offended,” Malcolm responded. “My son and I are anxious to return home, so we will make this quick. I am not prepared to make a decision today regarding the estate. When I get home, I intend to discuss it with the rest of my family. As soon as we decide what is best for our family and the DNA results are back, I will meet with you and Ira. You will know what we have decided at that time.”

       Ari silently noted that Natasha and Ira both looked surprised by his father’s response.

       After a moment, Natasha said, “I completely understand.” She pushed away from the table and said, “I look forward to our next meeting. Safe travels to you, Mr. Alexander, and to you, as well, Ari.” She checked her watch. “I have another appointment in an hour, so I really need to get going.”

       “I’ll walk you out,” Ari stated as he rose to his feet.

       He waited until they were out of the conference room before saying, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss LeBlanc.” His heartbeat throbbed in his ears.

       She looked up at him. “Really?”

       They halted their steps. “You sound surprised.”

       “I am, because that’s not the impression I got from you.”

       He was struck speechless for a moment.

       Natasha flashed him a quick smile. “Ari, I really hope you enjoyed your brief stay, but I’m sure you’re very anxious to get back to your family.” Her eyes traveled down to his left hand. “I look forward to hearing from your father.”

       Ari inhaled her intoxicating fragrance, savoring the light floral scent. “You have a good day, Miss LeBlanc.” He thought he detected a flicker of interest in her intense, warm brown eyes, but it was gone in a flash.

       After she was gone, he went into the guest bedroom to grab his overnight tote. Just as he entered the master bedroom to retrieve his father’s garment bag, a woman wearing a maid’s uniform walked in.

       “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, looking panicked.

       Ari smiled. “You’re fine. I just came in to get this.”

       When he returned to the conference room, Ira and Malcolm had finished their discussion. Ira was putting documents into his attaché case.

       Franklin appeared in the doorway to announce, “The limo is waiting downstairs to take you to the plane. I wish you a safe journey.”

       Ari and his father said their goodbyes to Ricardo and to Franklin.

       They took the elevator down with Ira.

       “Dad, I really don’t think you should sell the hotel properties,” Ari said when they were on their way to the airport. “We are more than capable of successfully managing the chain, despite what Natasha LeBlanc believes.”

       “When we get home, we will sit down with the rest of the family to examine all of our options, son. We will make this decision together—the same we have always done.”

       Pleased, Ari closed his eyes and settled back against the lush leather seats in the back of the limo. He wished he had seen more of Los Angeles, but there was time. He would be back.

       Natasha LeBlanc would just have to accept that he was now a part of her world.

       “Mr. Chase, these are the primary areas found to be in need of attention,” Natasha began. “Inefficient service provided by undertrained and insufficient numbers of staff, poor levels of communication between management and ground staff, standard rooms and suites needing work, and the sports facilities were often unavailable due to an outdated booking system. However, on the positive side, this hotel had excellent food and a loyal sector of repeat customers aged sixty-plus.”

       “We have a new employee training program in place, and, of course, retraining will be done by all of the employees,” said Mr. Chase.

       “This is a good investment for you, but in order to maximize your dollars, you are going to need to upgrade your rooms—this will increase occupancy.” Natasha