Page 491 of His Virgin Romance Series

BRIE

“How are you?” I asked.

Alani was looking much happier since the incident with the Beaumonts had been dealt with, and her name had been cleared. She had reverted back to the old Alani that I was familiar with—cheerful, playful, and easy-going.

“I’m doing great,” she told me. “But for a second there, I was terrified.”

“I can imagine.”

“You don’t know how grateful I am to you,” she said, looking at me earnestly.

“Hey, you don’t have to thank me—”

“No, I do,” she insisted. “Any other superior in your position would have taken the guests’ side over mine. They wouldn’t have bothered to check tapes and speak to the boss on my behalf. They would have just assumed they understood the situation and acted accordingly.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said, feeling slightly embarrassed by Alani’s obvious gratitude towards me.

“No, it’s true. I’ve worked in two other hotels before this one, and in both places, I watched how the superiors always yelled at the staff, whether it was their fault or not. If a guest makes a complaint, their word is taken as gospel, and no one cares about the other side of the story.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“We’re expendable, Brie,” Alani said. “But a guest must always be kept happy.”

“That’s not how I see it at all,” I said firmly. “We’re in the hospitality trade, and of course a guest must be kept happy…but within reason. If they do something wrong, they should be held accountable. Seth feels that way, too.”

Alani smiled. “I heard what he did for Simon,” she said.

“He’s suspended without pay for three months and won’t be eligible for any raises during the course of this year while his behavior and performance is being evaluated,” I nodded. “But considering the story he told Seth about his mother was true, Seth paid for her operation himself.”

“That was a wonderful thing he did,” Alani said. “Did you have anything to do with his decision?”

“Not even a little bit,” I said, giving credit where credit was due. “That was all Seth, and I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

“You’ve been a good influence on him.”

“Oh, I don’t think that decision has anything to do with me.”

“I think it does,” Alani said with certainty. “Seth was a decent boss beforehand, but he was never very involved with the staff. Nor would he have handled the situation with the Beaumonts the way he did if you hadn’t been there.”

“You really believe that?”

“I honestly do,” she said. “I can’t believe you haven’t noticed the difference.”

I thought about it for a second and then sighed. “To be honest, we don’t spend enough time together for me to notice much of anything.”

“He’s still very busy, isn’t he?”

“It’s been months now, and things don’t seem to be letting up.”

“He does have other hotels to see to,” she pointed out.

“I know,” I said. “And I don’t hold it against him for being busy all the time; it’s just sometimes…”

“What?” she pressed.

I sighed again. “I guess it feels like our relationship is stagnant. It’s like we’re living in this bubble that’s removed from the outside world. We work, and we come together at the end of the day, but sometimes it feels like sex is the one thing that bonds us.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Alani said, with a smile.

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