Page 35 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 2

She returned to stand in front of the mirror, giving a pep-talk to her reflection. "All right, Traci Jackson. You just proved you're an excellent therapist. You've earned your seat at this conference. You've worked hard and have important information to share. So stop being intimidated by assholes like Robert Meyer and get your ass back out there and knock 'em dead."

Chapter Two

"We have the National Association of Psychologists in house this week. They have three hundred in attendance and will be taking up the entire ballroom level for their breakout sessions."

"We are running close to sold out, so make sure we are staffed appropriately. I'm short housekeepers today, but luckily we're mostly stay-overs which will help."

Sean Campbell sat at the head of the long conference room table and listened as his leadership team provide their status updates. He had to force himself to pay attention. These Tuesday morning executive staff meetings were starting to get routine. He reminded himself that was a good thing.

The hotel had been in real trouble when he took the position of General Manager almost two years ago. He had been grateful to have something to take up so much of his time; something constructive to stay focused on.

As he looked around the table, he was proud of the team he'd assembled over the last two years. He had methodically evaluated and then remediated the multiple problems left behind by his predecessor. His team had turned things around relatively quickly. The fact that they had recently been named the top hotel in their ownership's portfolio for the second quarter in a row proved his work here was done.

Unfortunately, he was in no position to move on to a new challenge. He had other priorities now. He allowed his thoughts to drift until he sensed all eyes on him.

He had no choice but to admit his error. "Sorry about that. Can you repeat the question please?"

His good friend James Hanson, the Director of Security, smiled at him indulgently. Sean had good relationships with everyone on his team, but Jimmy was the only one who dared to cross the line at times with the big boss. "Earth to Sean. Are we cutting into your daydreaming time today?"

"I'd suggest you just repeat the question before you start cutting into my firing employees time."

The room burst into laughter, proving they all knew their boss had a good sense of humor.

"I was just reporting that I've hired one new guard to replace Johnson, and I asked all of the managers to take turns swinging through the women's restroom on the ballroom level. We've had smokers in there again. I keep finding evidence, but I have yet to catch the culprit. We've had the fire alarm go off accidentally twice now. We can't afford to have it happen again. We received notice that the city is going to start fining us for false alarms."

The men's eyes met across the table. Both men had their suspicions of who their phantom smoker was, but they had yet to get proof. The banter continued around the table as Sean nodded his approval to James for how he'd just handled a rather delicate situation that had been brewing over the last few weeks.

The meeting finally came to an end. Sean was anxious today. Getting word of renewed smoking in the ladies’ room wasn't helping. He'd thought he had that problem under control. He didn't like finding out he'd been lied to.

"I'm going to walk the floor, Shirley. I'll be back in thirty minutes."

"Okay, Mr. Campbell. Would you like me to order you some lunch?"

"Sure. Just some soup and a half sandwich."

"You got it. It will be here for you when you get back."

"Thanks, Shirley. You're the best."

"It's about time you noticed." The elderly administrative assistant broke into a grin.

Sean took his time, stopping to talk with employees throughout his travels in the hotel. He loved this part of his job. He was aware that most GMs don't bother making daily rounds, but he was certain his constant interaction with his staff was the key to his success in turning the hotel around. It drove him crazy when he heard other leaders trying to make executive decisions without talking to the people on the front line of the business.

He eventually made it to the ballroom level. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to check the women's restroom for smokers. His brain knew that if he were serious about catching the smoker, he should return later in the day.

Like after school lets out.

He was thinking about the best way to handle the situation as he rounded the corner to the ballroom foyer. He was almost bowled over by a very upset woman. She emitted a forlorn sob just after impact. She'd been carrying a tall stack of portfolios in her arms and the velocity of their collision sent the contents of her arms crashing to the floor. Before Sean could even react, she'd fallen to her knees, frantically trying to gather the folders, glancing over her shoulder nervously.

Sean bent down to assist her while he apologized. "I'm so sorry, miss. I didn't see you coming around the corner. Here, let me help you."

Sean had gathered several folders and looked up to deliver them to her when their eyes met. He was glad he was already kneeling because the sight of her beautiful brown eyes overflowing with tears nearly knocked him on his ass. An urge to reach out and hold her took hold and Sean had to shake his head to break out of his trance.

He finally found his voice. "Is everything okay, miss? Is there something wrong I can assist with?"

She quickly swiped at the tears steaming mascara down her cheeks, a flash of anger in her eyes. The woman glanced nervously over her shoulder again. Whatever she saw had her rushing to stand, quickly grabbing the messy pile of folders from his arms. Even though she hadn't spoken yet, and Sean was concerned that she might be in trouble. He pushed to his feet just as she began to wobble on hers.

He was aware he might be about to cross a line, but he did it anyway. Sean reached out with both hands and placed them on her arms and he held her steady while she regained her balance. Hoping to lend her some of his strength, Sean moved closer. He couldn't shake the feeling that she needed it.

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