Hayden barely knew her aunt Dee. When big shot lawyer Warren Williams called to say she had been left an inheritance Hayden thought it would be a piece of jewelry or a small sum of cash. Nothing prepared her for owning and running a beach resort...
When she got back to the lobby Mike's daytime replacement Stella was sitting at the desk. Her long manicured nails clipping along the desk making that click click click sound. Stella smiled in between bouts of chewing a large wad of pink bubble gum as she thrust forward her hand holding out a stack of messages for Hayden.
"You've got messages. Six of them. They're all from Mason. He wants to know why you didn't meet him for your overview this morning."
The messages were on tiny squares of paper, each scribbled in blue pen, letters sloppily looped with hearts on the i's. Hayden tucked them in her kapri pocket and kept walking. Learning the organization of the company was not her first choice for fun activities today, but it was necessary. She stopped mid hall and turned back towards Mason's office.
After a small amount of rapping on the door she opened it to find Mason behind the desk staring out the window.
"Mason, I'm sorry I'm late. I slept in and went to find a decent breakfast, err, lunch."
He turned quickly, his face wide with surprise as if woken from a daydream and surprised to find it wasn't real life. "It's fine, it's your resort, you're free to do what you want and keep hours you want, we didn't have an actual time panned out anyway."
His oversized leather chair swiveled to face the desk and immediately started rambling in monotone about delivery schedules, legal policies and members of the staff who were top tiers and in charge of things like schedules. By the time he got to maintenance Hayden stopped pretending to be interested; her mind had already imagined two harlequin scenes with Warren and made a weekly grocery list. She was officially in a state of purgatory that even her imagination couldn't keep her occupied enough to endure it.
"Well? Is it?" He asked with a hint of annoyance.
Haden scoured through as many brain archives as she could but couldn't rewind back to what he was asking. She was at a loss. Her mind screamed bail out! Use the bathroom! Vomit. But all seemed like horrible options given the circumstances.
"I've gotta be honest Warren. I, I mean Mason. I'm overwhelmed. Between the jet lag, the sun, the constant input, it's too much. I'm not sure what your background is or how much you came in knowing, but this is going to take me months. I used to teach painting classes. My business experience is balancing a checkbook with under 200 dollars at its peak. Maybe I'm in over my head?"
Mason's face took on a stone like mask. "I get it. I totally get it." He moved to her side of the desk and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's a lot, and it may seem to be drowning you right now but let's slow it down. Take this week and just hang out and observe. See how it works and take some notes. We've got nothing but time."
His hand felt warm resting on her shoulder, she tried to sit still and just let it sit there, and act unphased. She couldn't take her eyes from his, searching within the swirls of color for the mean conniving part she was sure was in there. She reminded herself that it had to be him trying to sell the resort and despite how real his concern seemed she pulled herself to a standing position causing his hand to hang in the air.
"That sounds like a great plan. But next week. This week I've got to go through Dee's things and get my apartment set up. I'm living out of boxes and I don't do well like that."
While his face registered puzzlement at his hand and her shoulder, obviously not used to being withdrawn from, he nodded. "Ok then. There's plenty of time. It's not like I'm going anywhere and you can get acclimated. I do have a few papers I need you to sign. Supply requisitions and a tax form, your employee package, things like that." He gently guided her back into the empty seat while her mind whirled with ways to put the papers off.
She sighed. "Let's do it in the morning. You fried my brain. Can it wait?"
"It's all quick and standard and there are some things I don't want to put off. It's just a signature." He took out a red business folder and sidled his chair next to hers. She could feel heat coming off him under the dusty blue Oxford button down. His face so close to her own she could see his temple vein.
"Well, mail already ran today anyway so tomorrow morning bright and early it is."
Mason adjusted his tie and rolled his chair backwards creating more space between himself and her. She noted the coolness in his voice. "You're the boss" he muttered as he placed the folder in his top desk drawer and locked it.
"Okay then. I'm off to make a sleeping space. I'll be in the same spot at eight." With that Hayden rose from the chair and bolted toward the door.
She didn't talk to anyone in her way back to her room. All she needed to do was wait for Mike to get on duty, break into the office, snag the folder, and have Warren look over the documents. Preferably without the lawyer part of him knowing she broke into the desk to get them. That shouldn't be too difficult.
Warren answered the phone on the first ring. "Miss me already?"
Hayden felt heat run across her cheeks as a smile widened to its permanent 'Warren is adorable' position.
"Of course I do. Can you meet me at my place later? I've got some papers I want you to look over."
His reply was immediate and enthusiastic. "Why don't I just pop over now, I just so happen to be in the area."
In her giddy, and honestly sex craving state, she almost agreed before remembering she didn't actually have the papers and would have to commit a felony before getting them.
"No, no that won't work. I've got to clear my bed first. For sleeping!!! Clear my be for sleeping. Not for your visit, obviously. I can't spend another night on the couch, my neck won't take it and I have to find a way to box up some of Dee's stuff."
"Alright. I can help if you want me to, off the clock of course. I know it's probably hard to go through. You just call me when you want me. Otherwise I'll keep beating off these beach girls and keep my calendar clear tonight."
Hayden envisioned Warren caveman style with a club swinging at bikini clad girls all trying to oil his chiseled chest. She shook her head to clear the thought before she joined him with a club of her own.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll clear the bed and then give you a call. I mean, oh forget it. I am so hanging up!" As she hit the end button she could still hear his laughter. Even through the magic of the phone it danced in her ears and made her feel warm.
The warm fuzzies ended when she looked around. Her life really was in boxes stacked around all heaps of Dee's things. And there in the middle was the heart shaped bed in the bright red sheets. How do you even get sheets for a bed like that?
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Not the decor I imagine, but believe it or not heart shaped beds aren't uncommon in suites of hotels and Vegas. Because, you know, everything goes in Vegas. Lol
******************************************* Well, there ya go. Nothing like some breaking and entering (again), bed talk and cave man visions to set up a night. Hahahaha. Good luck Hayden, you're gonna need it.
Elvis released "You're the Boss" in 1961. Another version was released in 1963 for the movie Viva Las Vegas with none other than Ann Margaret!
