Anything You Want: River Jewel Resort Series Book 1 (3 page)

As luck would have it, Lexi’s machine picked up. Sydney left her a short but detailed message about her plans and promised to call as soon as she was checked in. Grateful, she didn’t have to deal with an emotional good-bye; she hung up the phone and continued to gather clothes and necessities for her trip.

Sydney had no idea what she’d find in Indianapolis, so she packed for every possibility. The many boxes and bags of fancy, never worn lingerie she’d bought to surprise Roger with, she left in the living room with a note for the landlord to do with as she pleased. She didn’t need them anymore.

As Sydney placed the last box on the floor, a flash of another man’s arms holding her as they made love under a waterfall, flitted through her mind and brought flush of heat that slithered through her body, warming areas that hadn’t been alive in quite a while. She shook her head and chalked it up to reading too many romance novels and resumed her preparations.

Two hours later, Sydney’s SUV was loaded and ready to go. She placed the apartment key, a note for the landlady and a hefty check on the dinette table. Satisfied everything was secure, she climbed into her car and drove away from her past towards whatever the future held for her.

****

When Sydney pulled up in front of the palatial resort, she was greeted by a handsome valet. He opened her door her for and held Sydney’s hand as she exited her less than new vehicle.

“Welcome, Ms. Hartman. We’re so happy to have you here.”

Sydney was astounded by the man’s use of her maiden name. She remembered reserving the room in her married name, Blake and was a bit confused.

“Thank you.” His name tag read; “Javier” and when she looked into his dark brown eyes, every coherent thought left her rattled mind.

“Our bell-hop, Kevin will be along to gather and deliver your luggage to your suite. Enjoy your stay.” With a smile and a bow, Javier hopped into her car and away he went to the resort’s parking garage.

Sydney walked through the glass, front doors of the RJ resort with a mixture of awe and trepidation. To say the place was beautiful was an enormous understatement and Sydney didn’t trust herself to open her mouth and speak of the gorgeous surroundings. Every surface gleamed with an ethereal shine and glow. ‘Heavenly’ was the only word to describe it.

As she approached the front desk, a knock-out sexy concierge smiled a welcome greeting. “Hello, Ms. Hartman. Welcome to River Jewel Resort and Spa. How was your trip?”

“Um, hello. Thank you. It was very, um, liberating.” Sydney smiled and felt a little strange for being so enamored by the woman’s beauty. Sydney was a straight, heterosexual but if she ever switched ships, this woman would be her choice of first mates.

“Ms. Hartman? Are you alright?”

“What? Oh, yes I’m fine. Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.” Sydney felt heat creep over her face as she was positive her cheeks were now crimson and she looked away quickly. “Maria, is it? Lovely name by the way. Could I ask you something?”

“Anything, Ms. Hartman. How can I help?”

“I was just wondering, why have you and Javier referred to me as ‘Ms. Hartman’? I know I used my married name, Blake, when I made reservations. Not that I mind, but I’m a little confused.” Sydney fiddled with one of the hotel pamphlets left on the ornate desks for guests to help themselves to.

“Would you rather we call you ‘Mrs. Blake’? I’m sorry if we’ve made a mistake, but we were informed of your impending divorce and the owner has all of your information listed under ‘Ms. Hartman’. I can change that if you’d prefer.” She was so gracious and kind, Sydney felt persnickety for even bringing up the issue.

“No, no it’s fine. Your boss is right. I signed my divorce papers recently. I guess it will just take some time to get used to having my old name back. And please, call me Sydney. I’ve never been one for formalities, anyways.”

“Of course it will take time. I’ll bet you‘ll also be much happier once the ‘old you’ is back to match your name, am I right?” Maria’s understanding tone and kind eyes touched Sydney. She had no idea how these people knew what they knew about her, but in the whole scheme of things, it really didn’t matter. The resort was beautiful, the staff was amazing and she was there to enjoy herself.

“If only I knew how to get the ‘old Sydney’ back” she laughed. “I’ve been Mrs. Blake for so long, I’ve forgotten what I once wanted or needed.”

“Well, we are here to help, Ms. Hartman, I mean, Sydney. Anything and I do mean anything you need or desire we can provide. We are here to please. In your suite, there is a computer and a booklet listing each of our various, shall I say amenities. Some of which are not available for perusal online. I’m sure you will find something that will appeal to you. If you need any help, just call me day or night and I can assist you through the process.” Maria passed Sydney’s key card to her with another angelic smile.

“Thank you, Maria. I hope you’re right.”

Sydney turned to approach the waiting elevator as Maria’s parting words echoed through her mind, “Remember, anything you want, Sydney. Anything.”

Sydney blushed again and waved as she stepped onto the elaborately decorated elevator complete with a velvet covered sofa, Swarovski crystal lighting and mirrored walls. She momentarily wondered why an elevator would need mirrored walls and a bench seat and then warmth settled between her thighs as the realization dawned on her.

“Oh my.”

The bell-hop gave her a wink and flashed his pearly whites making eye contact before Sydney could look away. What kind of place was this?

Chapter Six

Once she was settled in her spacious suite, Sydney had no idea what to do. Should she cuddle up on the king-sized bed piled with a vast array of pillows or should she venture out and explore the grand hotel and its grounds? In the end, she opted to stay in. After all, this trip was about what she wanted and what she wanted was some time alone.

Sydney wandered through the seven room suite, touching nothing except the plush carpeting. “It’s unbelievable. No wonder it’s so expensive.” As she tallied up the cost of her open-ended, prolonged stay, she knew it would be worth every penny. Heck, she could stay in any of the different rooms in her own suite each day of the week and never tire of her lavish surroundings.

There were four bedrooms and each in a different theme. The varied in decor from soft calming pastel shades to bright, heart-racing sexy tones. “They’ve thought of everything. I wonder if every room is as amazing as this one.” She retraced her steps to the full-size kitchen and opened the semi-hidden, oak covered refrigerator. Inside was every food and drink Sydney loved. Astonished, she opened the freezer compartment to find it filled with her favorite ice cream. She was as giddy as a school girl! Upon opening the many cupboards, she discovered the hotel had also stocked those with everything Sydney herself would buy, right down to her normal brand of coffee and creamer.

“Wow. How do they know these things?” It was almost a creepy feeling, but she felt so at home, she didn’t care how they knew. She was touched that the hotel had gone to so much trouble and had cared enough to make her feel so welcome.

Sydney decided to forego her favorite treat of late, the ice cream and instead grabbed a bottle of vitamin-enhanced water and retreated to the living room. There staring back at her were some of her favorite authors and every one of their amazing reads. Sydney was in pure heaven! Roger had never allowed her to keep her books on the shelves in his office and refused to build her a library for what he considered ‘a frivolous habit’. She never pressed the issue and lovingly packed all of her precious stories away in secure plastic tubs, where they would go unnoticed and unharmed.

The desktop computer caught her eye and as she sat down, the booklet of amenities demanded her attention. “Not that I could want for anything else. This place is perfect! But let’s see what else this place has to offer.”

Inside, detailed pages of things she had always wanted to do had her flipping through the seemingly ‘made for her’ booklet. When she reached the back section, her jaw hit the floor in surprise. There on page ninety-seven was the grotto from her dreams. Sydney let go of the book as if it had burned her hands. She jumped out of the ergonomic chair as her heart pounded and felt as though it were about to jump out of her chest. 

“What the hell? I must be losing my mind.” She knew there could be no way the hotel would know of her dreams. But then again, how did they know all of her favorite things? There had been no questionnaire, no survey. The whole idea of staying in that place, with people who knew so much about her personal life, rattled her nerves. She had to get out of there. She grabbed her purse and keys. Something was not right and she wasn’t staying around to find out what it was.

Chapter Seven

Sydney opened her hotel suite door and found the open elevator with the bell-hop waiting for her. “Hell, no.”

She sidestepped the man and his watchful gaze and instead found the stairs. Quickly, she padded down the lush, burgundy, carpeted steps while the ‘boom, boom, boom’ of her heart echoed in her ears and all the while, she prayed she wouldn’t fall. She marched up to the concierge desk and to Maria with the shiny smile, fully prepared to throw a colossal fit if need be. There was no way she was staying in a twilight zone hotel, even if it was immaculate.

“I am leaving. I need you to have my luggage loaded into my car and I want my car brought her right now.” Sydney spoke in a low, level tone as to not cause a scene in front of the other guests who were waiting in the lobby. She inwardly shuddered as she looked the other paying guest over. They could stay in this asylum, but she was getting out as fast as she could.

“Ms. Hartman, what seems to be the problem? Surely, we can fix whatever it is.” Of course, Maria smiled and threw in some eyelash batting for good measure.

“The problem is, I have changed my mind and I want to leave now.”

“Was something wrong with your room? We have many others that would certainly fulfill your needs. Would you like to see…?”

“No! I mean, no, I would not like to see another room. I would like you to get on your fancy phone and please do what I asked you to do.”

“But Ms. Hartman, our employees are very busy. Perhaps you could go to the hotel bar, have a glass of wine and we’ll see what we can do.”

Sydney had had all she could take. ‘Go to the bar’? They probably laced the wine with loopy pills powerful enough to knockout a horse. 

“Maria, I am telling you right now that I need to leave. If you won’t help me, then call your boss so I can speak with him. Perhaps he will be more accommodating.”

Sydney’s last comments erased that annoying smile off of Maria’s face, but only for an instant. “As you wish Ms. Hartman.”

In hushed tones, Maria requested that the hotel manager come to the front desk, stating only that there was a problem with an unhappy guest. Maria hung up, turned to Sydney and in a voice sweeter than honey, “Ms. Hartman, please have a seat. Our manager will be with you shortly.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Sydney sat on an opulent lounge chair and berated herself for enjoying the comfortable piece of furniture. It sure beat the furniture she had at home. Home? She didn’t have a home anymore. She’d packed everything, broken her lease and high-tailed it out of town. And for what? A one way trip to the fanciest loony bin she’d ever seen. How could she have been so stupid?

“Ms. Hartman?” The sound of the man’s voice caused Sydney to flinch. She hadn’t heard him approach and it was unsettling that people just popped out of thin air at the River Jewel Resort.

“Yes.” She eyed him warily.

“Please come with me.”

The man held out his arm for her to hold onto, but Sydney paid no attention to it. “Where are we going?” The nervousness in her voice was hard to disguise and he smiled before he answered.

“We’re going to my office.”

“Alone?”

“Yes. Will that be a problem?”

“No. But just so you know I have a black-belt in karate.”

“Really?” The man suppressed a snicker. “Well, that’s interesting to say the least. But I assure you the need for you to show what I am positive are amazing karate skills will not arise.”

So Sydney didn’t know karate but this guy couldn’t know everything about her, could he?

His name was on the office door, Mark Willburn Now, she could put a name to the expensive-suit-wearing-smirker.

Mark offered her a seat in front of his enormous desk and sat in the chair opposite hers.

“Why are you sitting there? Shouldn’t you sit behind your desk?”

“Would you rather I sat behind my desk, Ms. Hartman? I will do whatever you like.”

These people and their pleasing ways grated on her already exposed nerves. “Sit wherever you like, Mr. Willburn. It is none of my concern as long as you do your job.”

“Well, I like to be close to our guests when they need to speak with me. I find it to be a more friendly way of doing business, wouldn’t you agree.”

“That’s not for me to decide. All I want to do is leave. I’d like my car and my luggage now.”

“Why may I ask are you so adamant about leaving? Were you treated badly? Was the room horrible? Was it not everything you could ever desire?”  His voice flowed over her like a welcoming, warm bubble bath. His mere gaze caused gooseflesh along her arms.