The Dom's Hostess

1. Nova

1

Nova

I walked along the sandy white beach, watching as the crystal clear water lapped at the shore. I was on my way to an important interview, but I couldn’t resist taking my time to take in the tropical beauty.

Leaving my work family at Club Contiki, the bar I’d worked at in the Florida Keys for years, wasn’t something I’d ever considered before, but when you get an invitation to interview for a job at a new Caribbean resort for one of the world’s most renowned billionaires, you’d be stupid to pass up that opportunity.

Galen Dunne, best known for developing cutting-edge automobile software, designing marine vessels that looked like they came straight out of a James Bond movie, and planning expeditions into space, was working on something a little different for his next project. The enigmatic billionaire now owned an island of his very own—and they were hiring.

Mrs. Chambers, the woman who’d contacted me through my work e-mail, told me they were searching for just the right people to staff this island. Galen wanted it to become a resort for the wealthiest of the wealthy, and they needed people with experience to run the place.

I’d been working as a concierge at Club Contiki for the last few years. Before that, my family had run a small resort inland. I’d grown up catering to guests. Making sure that everyone had a good time, or that they were left alone to relax—it came naturally to me. I was great at helping people achieve whatever they wanted.

When my parents retired, I looked for work in the same industry. Club Contiki took a chance on me, putting me in housekeeping at first. Their clientele—mostly celebrities—demanded they hire only people who knew how to control themselves around famous people.

Although I’d grown up catering to average people, ones with regular social status and normal jobs, I have a knack for regarding everyone for exactly what they are—human. In short, I’m not one to fawn over someone just because of their net worth or fancy career.

Treating all people with respect and judging them based on their character has been my motto. So far, it’s worked in my favor. After one summer of housekeeping, I moved forward to guest services. That meant I was doing much more interesting things than simply making beds and sweeping sand off the floor.

I’d had lots of fun working at Contiki, but maybe I’d have even more fun working at this new, mysterious-sounding resort—especially because that resort happened to be in the gorgeous Caribbean.

That’s why I’d accepted Mrs. Chambers’s invitation and invited her to be my guest at Contiki for the weekend.

With the summer season still a few months away, there were plenty of empty suites available. One perk of working there was being able to have guests from time to time when availability afforded it.

One of the hostesses had seated Mrs. Chambers at a table near the water, making sure she had a tropical cocktail in her hand. Her blonde hair flowed behind her in the warm breeze coming off the ocean, and she looked regal as she sipped the blue cocktail from the slender glass.

“Hello, Mrs. Chambers,” I greeted her with a warm smile. “I’m Nova Blankenship.”

Rising to a full six-foot-something, she reached out to shake my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Blankenship. Thank you so much for making me your guest this weekend. I have to say that no other candidate has offered such a gesture for me throughout this interviewing process.”

Motioning to the chair she’d gotten up from, I moved to take the one on the other side of the small table for two. The high bar-style chairs had my feet dangling over the sand while her long legs reached all the way to the ground where her bare feet trailed in the sand. “Please, let’s sit and get to know one another.”

With a nod, she picked up her drink again. “This is delicious, by the way. Thank you for having it sent to me. Is that a hint of mango I taste?”

“The bartender is a master of concoctions. He uses coconut water as the base and all sorts of tropical fruit-infused rums.” I crossed my legs at the ankles, propping one foot on the bar under the chair and leaning back to take in a nice deep breath of sea air. “I would love to know more about this private island Mr. Dunne purchased.”

“It’s gorgeous,” she said as she beamed at me. “He’s a genius, as you’ve likely already heard. His ideas are beyond compare, and this one is no different. His plan is to establish the private resort as a haven for the world’s wealthiest people.” She waved her long, elegant hand through the air as she shook her head. “I’ve already told you that in the e-mails we’ve exchanged this last month. I hate to waste time saying the same old things. Don’t you?”

“It bears repeating, I would think,” I replied with a smile. Molly, the waitress serving our table, walked up on one side of me, capturing my attention. “Good afternoon, Molly.”

“Afternoon, Nova.” She smiled and nodded at my guest that she’d met earlier. “Mrs. Chambers, are you enjoying your drink?”

“I am.” Mrs. Chambers took another sip. “When you get a chance, another would be great.”

“Of course,” Molly said before turning her attention to me. “You’re not on the clock, Nova. Care for anything?”

“Why not? I’ve got the weekend off to spend time with my guest.” I figured I could relax a bit myself. “Bring me one of the same, please, Molly.”

“I’ll be right back.” She looked over her shoulder at me as she walked away. “Should I make a reservation for you and your guest for dinner tonight?”

I’d already made all our plans for the weekend. I wanted to let Mrs. Chambers see what I could do. “That’s not necessary, Molly. I’ve already taken care of all the arrangements myself. Thank you for offering, though”

As Molly walked away, Mrs. Chambers’s expression looked to be one of approval as she gazed at me. “I’ve got to tell you that I adore your style, Miss Blankenship.”

“Thank you. And please, call me Nova.” I didn’t much care for formal names.

“Okay. Then you must call me Camilla.” Reaching across the table, she placed her hand on top of mine. “I don’t often ask anyone to call me by my first name.”

“I’m honored.” I meant that, too. I could tell the woman had a lot of credentials to back her up. I admired her already. “I’ve told you about my background in guest services, but what I haven’t told you yet is what I want for my future. Care to hear?”

“Please.” She sat up, curiosity filling her pretty face. The woman had excellent bone structure. She couldn’t have been more than forty, and she’d kept herself in shape, too. “What does the future look like for you, Nova?”

Running my hand through my hair to move it out of my eyes, I looked up at the cloudless blue sky. “I love to work hard, and I adore living in paradise. I love what I do, and I want to keep moving ahead with this line of work. I want to move up and up until there’s nowhere else to go. I want to take college classes and gain a degree so that I can one day earn a management position with a resort.”

I thought about how I wanted to pay for my schooling and added, “I don’t want to get into debt to get my degree, though. That’s what I’ve been planning since I began working here three years ago, when I was just twenty years old. Out of every paycheck, I’ve put ten percent into an account to be used one day for tuition. And I would probably like to continue working as much as possible while taking classes.”

“Smart.” She picked up her drink and drained the last drops from it.

Molly returned with our drinks, replacing Camilla’s and placing mine in front of me. “Here we go, ladies. Is there anything else I can get you two?”

“How about some lobster nachos?” I asked as I looked at Camilla.

“Sounds yummy.” She licked her lips.

“Okay. Molly, an order of the nachos for two, please.” Picking up my drink, I took a sip. “This is so good.”

“I’ll let William know that you’re both enjoying the cocktails,” Molly said as she turned to leave. “I’ll get those nachos and be right back.”

Camilla c****d one brow at me. “And when you have enough money saved to go to college, will you need to be inland to do that?”

“No, ma’am. I’m going to take online classes.” I’d already researched everything and planned it all out. “I’ve already got the college picked out and everything. I’m just waiting on that savings account to fill up.”

Camilla chewed her lower lip, seeming to think about what she wanted to ask me next. Then it popped out, “You wouldn’t want to tell me what you’re making now, would you?”

Moving the drink off the cocktail napkin Molly had placed it on, I pulled a pen out of my pocket and jotted my salary on it before pushing it toward her. “There it is.”

“Hmm,” she mused. “I can see why it’s been taking you a while to get that savings account fattened. At this rate, it’ll take you at least three more years.” Tapping her chin with one long, pink nail, she looked deep in thought. “I can assure you that you’ll have what you need before a year has passed if you take the job I’ve got to offer you.”

“A year?” I asked with enthusiasm. I knew she was right; it would take at least another three years to save enough to start taking classes—and that was only if no emergencies came up to deplete the savings. “Okay, may I ask a few questions about this job?”

“Ask away.” Camilla’s eyes widened when Molly set down a heaping plattere of nachos. “Oh, my goodness. That looks and smells delicious!”

“I can promise that you won’t be disappointed, Mrs. Chambers,” Molly said with a grin.

Popping a lobster-covered tortilla chip into her mouth, Camilla moaned. “So good.”

“Thank you, Molly,” I said. “They do look especially great today.”

“I’ll be back to check on you ladies in just a bit. Enjoy,” Molly said, then left us alone.

Ignoring the food for a moment, I asked, “What exactly would I be doing at this job?”

“You would be making sure our guests have everything they need to have an enjoyable time.” She picked up another chip. “But that doesn’t mean you’d have to do anything that you don’t want to do.”

“So, this isn’t the kind of job where I’d have to accept any…positions that I might not want?” I wanted to make sure we were talking about the same thing. s*x.

With a nod, Camilla scooped up a good amount of the creamy lobster sauce. “s*x isn’t restricted between staff and guests. That said, we won’t allow our staff members to accept money or gifts in exchange for it, and we’d never ask it of them. We’re only hiring adults. Our guests will mostly be adults. We understand that these things might come about naturally, but some guests may bring younger family members or friends. Obviously, underage s*x is a no-no, but as far as staff and adult guest relations goes, Mr. Dunne hasn’t restricted interactions between them.”

“I don’t like to mix business with pleasure in that regard,” I let her know. “It makes for hard feelings and is bad for business in my opinion. I wouldn’t be having any relations of that sort with any guest or coworker at your resort.” Her description was giving me a better idea of what the job really was. “What you want is a concierge. Is that right?”

“Um,” she put the sauce-laden chip into her mouth as she contemplated my question. Swallowing it down, she took a drink, then answered, “We don’t want to call you by that title. We want to make things simpler. Your title would simply be hostess. You would be expected to treat everyone as your guest and make them feel welcome. It would essentially be what you’re doing for me this weekend: showing me around, planning activities—whatever the guest desires. And I’ve got to say that you’re treating me extremely well.

Nova, I think you would be perfect for this job. You’re much more impressive than anyone I’ve interviewed so far. So, please tell me what you’re thinking about all of this?”

Everything sounded great so far. “I would need to give my boss a month’s notice. He’ll have to find a replacement for me, and I would need to train them for at least a week or so.”

Getting up from her seat, she came around the table to stand next to me. “I would love to meet this boss of yours and be at your side when you tell him that you’re giving notice and coming to work at Paradise Resort as soon as he can spare you.” She leaned in close to whisper the salary to me, and my head began to spin.

“Really?” I had to ask.

She laughed, throwing her head back. “Nova, things are about to change for you, my dear girl.”

Excitement filtered in past the shock of being offered a great job with a salary I never would’ve expected. “I’m ready for that, Camilla. Count me in. Let’s go see my soon-to-be ex-boss.”