AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bryce’s ears pricked up at that last remark. He was always keen to hear what other people thought a resort should deliver. While coming from a life of luxury and privilege had its obvious advantages, there were times when he found it tended to leave him at a distance from what the ordinary guest might consider as being important for their holiday stay.
“What sort of needs do you think the twenty first century traveler has? I mean, what do you look for in a resort such as ours?” He was enjoying this conversation. Getting a different perspective from another professional in the industry was gold.
The waitress arrived with their oysters and set the platter down in front of them. Two small hand plates along with oyster forks were laid out. Bryce’s stomach growled as he inhaled the smoky aroma. He and Vivian exchanged excited grins, before Bryce turned to the waitress. “These look amazing, where do you source your oysters from?” he said.
“Fresh from the market earlier this morning, please enjoy,” she replied.
Forks at the ready, they both gleefully dug in. As the first taste of butter and garlic hit his tastebuds, Bryce let out a hum of appreciation. They tasted as good as they looked. Delicious. His gaze settled on the next oyster which was about to be speared onto his fork.
It was Vivian who was the first to set down her fork. She had downed her half dozen oysters in what had to be world record time, then chased them with a sip of her beer.
“They were even better that what I remembered.”
I like this girl. She doesn’t need validation, she lets herself feel the joy of life.
When Vivian dabbed at her lips with her napkin, Bryce had to look away. His mind and manhood were determined to keep skirting the edges of lustful desire. And while he ached to have her naked and beneath him once more, he also wanted to find out everything he could about the real Vivian. With no lies now separating them, here was the perfect opportunity for him to gain an understanding of this fun, sexy girl. She might have plans to be rid of him after tonight, but Bryce Royal was determined…he wasn’t going anywhere.
“You were asking about what I wanted from a resort. Well apart from the obvious, such as making sure I have enough linen…” Bryce winched at that. “Sorry, I had to get that dig in on behalf of all the other guests who have gone without towels by the poolside. And those who have been forced to beg at reception for their bedding.”
Bryce nodded. “A huge order of linen arrived the day after you left. I swear that no guest will ever go without fresh towels or duvets again in any of our US resorts.”
He wanted to addespecially not on my watch as CEO,but the time didn’t feel right. Tonight was about them reforging their connection, not bragging about his career.
Vivian held up her hand, displaying three fingers. “My top three things are as follows. Firstly food. Not just great restaurants but a variety of places that serve the needs of guests throughout the day. Some places do a great breakfast, but then fail at lunch. Then others seem to put all their effort into the evening menu. For me its finding the right balance. I might want tacos by the pool during the day, but I also want the option of fine dining at night.”
He could heartily agree with her sentiment. One of his worst hotel experiences had been at a rival company’s new hotel in France where the main restaurant was closed for most of the working week. The in room dining options had been a scant toasted sandwiches and a terrible pasta that Bryce could have sworn was only cooked once a week and then reheated when ordered.
“I’ve stayed at places where I have had to resort to ordering in McDonalds.”
Her mouth opened on an ‘o’. “Wow. I didn’t think they had McDonalds outside of earth. Tell me Bryce, what sort of dipping sauces do you have on Planet Billionaire?”
She clapped her hands together, and her shoulders shook as she laughed at her own joke. Much as he wanted to take her to task over her Planet Billionaire jibe, Bryce couldn’t hold back his grin —and his relief. He was sitting sharing dinner with Vivian, at one of her favorite restaurants. And they were smiling at one another. This was more than he had dared hope he might find when he stepped off the jet earlier this afternoon.
“Aioli is my favorite sauce to have with my nuggets or fries. I’m guessing that yours would be barbecue.”
Vivian leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially. “Don’t tell a soul but its mustard. And my least favorite is apparently the most popular one, which is sweet and sour.”
Bryce held out his hand for shaking, relieved for a second time when Vivian took it. “I wholeheartedly agree. Sweet and sour is terrible. My brother Matthew loves sweet and sour pork whereas I would rather stick this oyster fork in my leg than eat it.”
She released his hand, and he sat back. Bryce was having the time of his life. “So food is number one, what’s next on your guest list, Vivian?”
Vivian held up her three fingers once more, twerking the middle one. “Toiletries. I need good quality ones and for my room to be restocked every day.”
That made sense. His resorts only ever provided the top shelf hotel-sized toiletries. They were the little treats which many guests took home with them. And while providing the toiletries cost more than a pretty penny, Bryce had learned long ago that they were often the deciding factor when it came to people choosing to return to Royal Resorts rather than go elsewhere.
“I would bet five bucks that you have a basket full of hotel toiletries in your bathroom at home in New York. You do, don’t you?”
“Darn right I do. And I also collect the snack packs and mini bottles from the hotels which provide them for free.”
She had him beat on that one. Royal Resorts made good money out of their mini bars. Then again in his experience, he had found that the so-called groovy hotels which did give away those little extras often cribbed their money back in over charging for other services. It was give and take, as his father often said.
Food and freebies. Bryce racked his brains, trying to think what the final thing on Vivian’s list would be. She didn’t strike him as someone who would put too much weight on things like gyms or car parking. “Is Wi-Fi your last thing? I mean complimentary and high speed.”
“Close. Yes, a good internet connection is super important, but the other thing that always gets a big tick are the power outlets. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve had to unplug the alarm clock just in order to have somewhere to charge my cell. The best hotels provide plenty of outlets and in sensible places.” She let her hand drop.
Bryce cast his gaze to his remaining oysters, not daring to explain that he carried a power strip with him at all times, so he didn’t have to go looking for places to plug his electronics in to recharge.
“Those things do cost money and have to be considered early on when building resort rooms. So has the Silver Havens got all those things, right?”
