Falling for the Shifter

PORTIA Portia Flemming had been called a lot of things in her very long life. Some of those names were good. Others, not so much. But a lady could get used to this brand-new title. Resort Manager. If Mama could see her now, she would laugh her ass off in her grave, all the way down to the depths of Hell. Portia Flemming meant lazy to some, mostly Mommy Dearest. Others knew the truth. They knew Portia Flemming was actually synonymous with Most Likely to Succeed. Who did the devil ask to run his new pet project for him? Portia f*****g Flemming. She scanned the lobby of Hellscape Holiday Resort with a smile that made the rubber plants blush. Everything she could see was hers to run. Sure, it was done in the name of Lucifer, but still. He wasn’t here to deal with the inner workings of the resort. It would be hers to run as she saw fit. “Portia,” Una called out with that panicked little pixie voice she always used whenever something was supposedly wrong. There rarely was anything truly tragic. It wasn’t Una’s fault she was easily excitable, but the pixie had other qualities. No one was as organized as Una. More than that, Una was loyal to Portia. That was an important quality to have in staff, especially when choosing who would run the reception desk in Lucifer’s newest and only resort. Una was Portia’s girl and the very first creature hired to work at Hellscape Holiday Resort. With Una behind the desk in the lobby, nothing untoward would be happening without Portia knowing about it. This was a holiday home for demons, after all. Demons, vampires, witches, shifters. If the imagination could come up with it, there was every chance it would end up in the halls of Hellscape Holidays. Not only as guests but also as staff. Who else was Portia supposed to hire? Humans? Gross. Forbid the thought. Kick it right out of your head. No human would ever set foot in her resort. “Una, my sweetie, what has got you in a tizzy?” Portia asked her employee with a warm smile. “There is a problem. We’ve overbooked a few of the rooms. A handful. There are four guests without rooms. That’s more of a handful than I can … handle. That’s a whole lot of hands I’m using.” She flipped back and forth in the reservation book, her wings moving just as fast. Portia’s smile widened. “Una, settle down. You’ll hurt yourself. So we’ve overbooked.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Hmm, that’s too bad. I’ll just have to get creative.” “What?” Una’s eyes and wings were in complete synchronization as they both beat fast enough to create a small draft in the lobby. “Oh, come on, Una! You know we can mess with the guests. It’s basically our mandate, you know that. Lucifer was clear. Free rein.” “But how can we mess with our guests if they can’t stay in the hotel because we have overbooked the rooms.” Her tone finished on a note so high-pitched that it could make dogs weep, but with a slight wince, Portia continued to smile at the distressed pixie. “Una, Una. Think about it. We have them wait in the hotel bar while we fix the issue. Then, from across the room, what do they see? Someone they would like to bone! And just like that, we get two guests … or more … sharing a room for the duration of their stay. More bodies in the hotel at all times. Overbooking can be our friend.” Una’s face fell as she understood Portia’s plan. “Oh. That’s an idea.” Portia shook her head, making her long red hair move through the fragrant air. It was all magic, but Portia would love to bottle the scent. “It’s not an idea, Una. It’s a stroke of genius. This is already my favorite job.” She clapped her hands together excitedly. “Now, you just send those guests to the bar. Tell them their rooms aren’t ready yet. I’ll take care of the rest.” “You got it, boss.” Una returned to the big leather-bound book and stared at it intently. With a satisfied nod, Portia went to the bar right away to welcome those special guests, getting a bit more of her attention during their stay. She followed the pale gold veins of the white marble tiles all the way to the hotel’s adult beverage stronghold … Lou’s Place. Portia wasn’t a fan of the name, but it was the boss’s idea. She would make it work, though. Better that than arguing with Lucifer. You picked your battles with him, and this wasn’t a hill she was willing to die on. Hell, it wasn’t even a hill she wanted to look at. Good thing the bar itself had a classic resort vibe. That, at least, was right as planned. The floor was made of pale solid wood, and all of the tones were in shades of white and gray with a few splashes of color here and there. Soothing blues, discerning reds, terrifying yellows. A cute little pineapple. An adorable dancing skeleton. Classic Hell resort vibe. Of course, the resort wasn’t actually in Hell. It was on Earth, so the vampires and other earth-dwelling or demon-born creatures could visit. In other words, Hellscape Holiday Resort was in the human realm and accessible to all creatures. Not humans. Portia shuddered at the thought. There was a small consolation: humans couldn’t actually find the resort. If they tried to swallow a spirit board, they would still never find the place. It was protected for a few very good … very top secret … causes. Portia wouldn’t miss interacting with humans. Here, in her new home and place of work, she would only see supernatural creatures. It was better that way for a few reasons, but she didn’t want to think of those pesky things on this, her day of victory. She waltzed into the bar, noting the band of ghosts playing on the small corner stage. The tune was good. Something for everyone would eventually be played. There were a few people in the bar, but given the resort was in a very powerful magic circle, the weather was controllable from Portia’s office.