Page 60

We hang up and she texts me the address of the Monaco Hotel in Kansas City.

Three hours later, I’m walking inside Monaco Hotel’s luxury restaurant. I had about ten minutes to get ready, so thankfully my hair was still curled from yesterday. I threw on some mascara, deodorant, and an informal black dress and wedge heels. Not too shabby for ten minutes.

The restaurant is spacious, with high ceilings and crystal chandeliers. The front is all glass, facing out toward the busy city street, and filling the space with natural light. Classical music plays softly in the background as people enjoy their lunch. The patrons are all dressed nicely, looking like they just came from work. I glance around at the tables and booths, trying to guess where Bridget might be waiting for me.

“Isabella!” A tall, slender woman with a perfect blonde bob calls from a few yards away. She comes towards me, walking like a model would. She’s incredibly stylish and smells amazing when she leans in to do the French cheek-kissing thing.

I make kissy noises like she does, not really knowing what I’m supposed to do. “Aren’t you just darling!” she purrs in her accented voice. “Let’s have a seat.” She gestures toward the table behind her.

“Thank you,” I tell her as I slide into my upholstered chair. “The restaurant is beautiful.”

“Oh, darling, wait until you see the suites,” She smirks before taking a sip of her water. “Order whatever you’d like; lunch is on Monsieur Monaco.”

I laugh and take a sip of my own water. “I do love food.”

“Perfect,” she says, folding her cloth napkin and laying it in her lap. “So, we’d love for you to feature our rooms as well as our restaurants, cocktails, and spa services. The whole shebang!”

“That sounds right up my alley. How many locations does the Monaco Hotel have?” I ask, dreaming of the places I could travel to.

“Great question! We currently have ninety-nine hotels worldwide, but number one hundred is almost finished.” She winks. “We’re actually planning a big celebration for its opening next week, and would love you to come and write an article about the new location.”

“Wow, a hundred. Where is the new one?”

“Venice, Italy.” she says it casually, like it’s no big deal.

I nod my head, trying to play it cool. “I’ve heard Venice is lovely.”

“You’d love it! It’s gorgeous.”

The waiter comes and takes our orders, both of us selecting the strawberry chicken salad. I’m a sucker for anything that has blue cheese sprinkled on top.

While we eat, Bridget gives me a rundown of what my contract would entail. Basically, I’d be traveling one week, writing the next, and then repeat in a different location. My stays in any of their hotels will be covered, as well as meals I eat in their restaurants. I can even keep my current sponsorships and add new ones, as long as they’re not with competing hotels or spas.

I listen intently while she talks, which isn’t difficult since her accent is mesmerizing.

“Anyway, enough about the boring details. Let’s go see the rooms, shall we?” She folds her napkin neatly on the table and stands.

I follow her lead and stand next to her. She towers over me; she’s probably as tall as David. We walk toward the elevator, which has ornate golden doors, and she pushes the button for the very top floor. Even the inside of the elevator is luxurious, with mirrored walls and mosaic tile floors. When we reach the top floor, we walk out to a wide hallway with only four doors. That probably means these four rooms are gigantic.

Bridget pulls a keycard from a tiny pocket in the waistband of her fitted pencil skirt and opens the nearest door. When we walk into the suite, I have to work hard to keep my expression neutral, and not give away the fact that never in my life have I seen a hotel room like this. At least not in person.

The room consists of floor to ceiling windows, with a magnificent view of the city. Almost everything is white with blush and gold accents. The sofas are white linen and matching arm chairs sit across from them. There are fresh pink peonies in short vases around the room.

“This is gorgeous,” I say, attempting to keep the awe out of my voice.

I don’t think Bridget buys it because she’s watching me with a big grin. “Wait until you see the bedroom.”

She walks over to the large white French doors and pulls them open to reveal a giant bed that looks as fluffy as a cloud. I want to run and jump on it and roll around in the pillows. But instead I nod my head and smile professionally and walk inside the bedroom to investigate further.

A beautiful white-washed fireplace graces the area right in front of the bed, with another small sofa next to it. I turn the opposite direction to see a large bathroom with a gorgeous claw-foot tub is right off the large bedroom, with marble floors and more gold accents.

“Wow,” My cool facade finally falters. “When can I move in?”

Bridget giggles. “Isn’t it gorgeous?” She takes a few long strides and opens another door, this one leading to a walk-in closet. “Obviously, you won’t always stay in a suite; they book up pretty fast, but we’d love for you to do write ups about every type of room we offer so travelers of all budgets can see their options.”

“That sounds amazing. So what does a regular room look like?”

“Let’s go see!” She walks quickly out of the bedroom and toward the door.