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They had hotels around the world, and with time zones, his global marketing team was constantly working on different promotional campaigns, such as Easter, Valentine’s Day, or Christmas.
Or dealing with any number of media requests or crises. From one day to the next they could be answering questions about someone dying in one of their rooms, which happened way more often than most people realized. Or about how sustainable their hotels were, or whether a celebrity was staying with them.
And everything else in between.
Which was where Olivia came in. She was a public relations expert.
Fletcher had hired her two years ago after spending a lot of time choosing the right candidate. Mostly because he knew he would be working with this person very closely.
Olivia had two team members in New York—Katy and Thomas—and a handful of others who looked after key regions in Oceania and Europe.
Fletcher had been impressed with Olivia from the day she started. She had an excellent work ethic, managed her relationships with the media well and had a quick mind, often thinking outside the box when they were in a crisis.
She seemed to enjoy, as much as he did, batting around ideas while the two of them mulled over challenging situations.
Often, they guzzled coffee in his office and used whiteboarding strategies.
Fletcher pulled his laptop out of his bag and plugged it into his docking station, then slipped off his Tom Ford coat.
“Morning Mr. Dufort.” Scarlet, his personal assistant, took his coat and hung it up in the wardrobe. “Coffee?”
“Yes, God. A long black please, Scarlet.” He needed something strong this morning. “Is Olivia here yet?”
“No, sir.” She left to get his elixir.
Fletcher took a moment to catch his breath, gazing out at the view of Manhattan and the field of rooftops. He spotted one or two helicopters landing and taking off, transporting executives like him to their offices, and saw the sun finally peeking through the clouds.
His eyes returned to his office and the sofas where he’d spent hours with Olivia.
Had he found her attractive when they met?
Absolutely.
She was a beautiful woman, even with all her wild red curls. Still, Fletcher was surrounded by gorgeous women, so there had been no red flag warning him not to employ her.
Frankly, they all blended into one another most days.
At the time, he’d been focused more on her experience and impressive interview. He had been confident she would do a great job and be passionate about working for the Dufort brand.
And she had been.
Because he was ultimately responsible for the Dufort name and its reputation, they worked closely every day. He did the same with all his managers, but public relations required more of his attention, as it had with Olivia’s predecessor.
Over time they had built a solid professional relationship, getting to know one another a little more personally as any colleagues who worked closely together did.
Until one day things shifted.
First, he noticed her laugh. Like,reallynoticed it. In a different way.
Her eyes had sparkled, and their gazes held as they shared a joke. They had caught themselves and looked away.
One day he found himself taking in the curve of her breasts during a meeting which, thankfully, no one else was in. She had glanced up and his eyes had met hers. Time had slowed as they both acknowledged silently how their connection was shifting.
Fletcher knew, even back then, he needed to do something to control his reaction to her. The last thing he wanted was for Olivia to resign. Or make a complaint.
He tried to mask his feelings.
Then he realized his attraction wasn’t one-sided.
