my car.”
He grinned. “Girl’s gotta have priorities.”
“Exactly.”
Tex dug into his Kung Pao. Abby seemed a little young sometimes, but she was smart and independent and knew exactly what she wanted and how to go about getting it. And she’d been working her ass off for damn near ten years to make it happen. She had a plan for everything and he wondered if she had an idea about bringing a man into her life. She hadn't mentioned it. He figured she was probably too focused on her career and her hobby.
She was a little too well hidden in her non-descript clothes and he wondered if it was her size that made her self conscious. She wasn’t stick-thin, that was for sure, but she wasn’t fat by any means. She was tall, too, and maybe that intimidated a lot of men. Tex himself was 6’2” so it didn’t bother him. He could tell she had a very decent sized chest and a nice ass, but she never called attention to either of them. He wondered what was underneath all that fabric.
“You should come to Maria’s on Friday night,” he said. “The guys will be there. Slick’ll be there, too, but she’ll be working. You should get out of here once in a while.”
She looked like she was actually considering it. “I might. Thanks.”
“It can get a little rowdy on the weekends,” he told her. “But then again, you’re from Vegas, so somehow I’m pretty confident you can handle it.”
“Yeah,” she said smiling into her House Special Fried Rice. “After the Strip, Friday nights at Maria’s sounds like a day care.”
He smiled. He loved her sense of humor.
CHAPTER FIVE
Friday should have been a work day to look forward to, but Abby was frowning at the check-in screen in front of her. She’d only been at the Custer for a few weeks and she couldn’t possibly have increased its overall performance in such a short amount of time, but neither had she been made aware that the hotel was in such dire straights. Even at off-peak season, this week’s bookings were dismally low. As were last week’s and the week’s before that, according to the reports she’d generated onscreen.
She’d checked the totals for last summer’s peak season and the recorded bookings weren’t nearly as high as a hotel of this caliber should be. She tapped the keyboard and generated a report for books on this same week for the last five years and waited patiently for the printer below the counter to finish.
Back in her office, she spread the sheets across her empty desk and picked up a highlighter. According to the reports, three years ago, the Custer’s bookings for this same week in May began declining and still had not tapered off. She knew that the current owner, Burton Jr., had inherited the hotel from his father upon his death three years ago and it seemed the Custer had been in a steady downfall ever since. At this rate they would only be able to keep the doors open for a few short years.
Abby gathered the troubling reports and stacked them neatly together. She headed out of her office and down the hall toward Kessler’s office. Lord knew if the man would even be at work today. Or if he even knew what work was. As she neared the door, she heard the sound of two men laughing. She barely paused as she knocked sharply on the door and grasped the handle. Grudgingly Kessler acknowledged his visitor.
Abby swung open the door and came face to face with Burton Jr. himself, who was sitting in a chair. Kessler was rummaging through one of his own desk drawers.
“Mr. Burton,” Abby exclaimed, caught off guard that her boss’ boss was not only on the premises, but apparently having an impromptu meeting that she hadn’t been invited to. Abby’s blood boiled. Kessler knew damn well Abby wanted a sit-down with the hotel’s owner and he hadn’t bothered to let her know Burton was coming. The two of them looked like annoyingly
He grinned. “Girl’s gotta have priorities.”
“Exactly.”
Tex dug into his Kung Pao. Abby seemed a little young sometimes, but she was smart and independent and knew exactly what she wanted and how to go about getting it. And she’d been working her ass off for damn near ten years to make it happen. She had a plan for everything and he wondered if she had an idea about bringing a man into her life. She hadn't mentioned it. He figured she was probably too focused on her career and her hobby.
She was a little too well hidden in her non-descript clothes and he wondered if it was her size that made her self conscious. She wasn’t stick-thin, that was for sure, but she wasn’t fat by any means. She was tall, too, and maybe that intimidated a lot of men. Tex himself was 6’2” so it didn’t bother him. He could tell she had a very decent sized chest and a nice ass, but she never called attention to either of them. He wondered what was underneath all that fabric.
“You should come to Maria’s on Friday night,” he said. “The guys will be there. Slick’ll be there, too, but she’ll be working. You should get out of here once in a while.”
She looked like she was actually considering it. “I might. Thanks.”
“It can get a little rowdy on the weekends,” he told her. “But then again, you’re from Vegas, so somehow I’m pretty confident you can handle it.”
“Yeah,” she said smiling into her House Special Fried Rice. “After the Strip, Friday nights at Maria’s sounds like a day care.”
He smiled. He loved her sense of humor.
CHAPTER FIVE
Friday should have been a work day to look forward to, but Abby was frowning at the check-in screen in front of her. She’d only been at the Custer for a few weeks and she couldn’t possibly have increased its overall performance in such a short amount of time, but neither had she been made aware that the hotel was in such dire straights. Even at off-peak season, this week’s bookings were dismally low. As were last week’s and the week’s before that, according to the reports she’d generated onscreen.
She’d checked the totals for last summer’s peak season and the recorded bookings weren’t nearly as high as a hotel of this caliber should be. She tapped the keyboard and generated a report for books on this same week for the last five years and waited patiently for the printer below the counter to finish.
Back in her office, she spread the sheets across her empty desk and picked up a highlighter. According to the reports, three years ago, the Custer’s bookings for this same week in May began declining and still had not tapered off. She knew that the current owner, Burton Jr., had inherited the hotel from his father upon his death three years ago and it seemed the Custer had been in a steady downfall ever since. At this rate they would only be able to keep the doors open for a few short years.
Abby gathered the troubling reports and stacked them neatly together. She headed out of her office and down the hall toward Kessler’s office. Lord knew if the man would even be at work today. Or if he even knew what work was. As she neared the door, she heard the sound of two men laughing. She barely paused as she knocked sharply on the door and grasped the handle. Grudgingly Kessler acknowledged his visitor.
Abby swung open the door and came face to face with Burton Jr. himself, who was sitting in a chair. Kessler was rummaging through one of his own desk drawers.
“Mr. Burton,” Abby exclaimed, caught off guard that her boss’ boss was not only on the premises, but apparently having an impromptu meeting that she hadn’t been invited to. Abby’s blood boiled. Kessler knew damn well Abby wanted a sit-down with the hotel’s owner and he hadn’t bothered to let her know Burton was coming. The two of them looked like annoyingly
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