Free Marooned in Miami by Sandra Bunino

 
     
    Chapter 1
     
     
     
    A crack of thunder startled Jason Royce from deep thought as he stared into his short glass of bourbon at the hotel’s bar.
     
    “Senor Royce, you are quiet tonight, is everything okay?”  asked Carlos, the hotel’s bartender.
     
    Jason looked up from his glass and gave Carlos a small smile. “Yeah, Carlos, everything is fine, although I wish this storm would move out to sea. The grand opening of the Pearl Del Mar is in a couple of weeks, and I’m worried about the schedule. I have a new project breaking ground in Salt Lake City a month from now, and I’ll need to move my operations over there soon.”
     
    “I’m sure it will blow over, just like all the other storms we get this time of year. I haven’t seen Miss Jessica yet during your stay. Is she here with you?”
     
    “No, I’m afraid you won’t see Jessica here again. At least not with me.”
     
    “I’m sorry to hear that, senor.”
     
    Jessica. Young and beautiful was always a dangerous combination as far as Jason was concerned. Jess had him convinced she was not with him for his money, and he actually believed her. Maybe it was wishful thinking, or he simply let his guard down. That was until a few weeks ago when he came home early from a business trip and caught her in bed with their personal trainer, Rex. Personal trainer my ass. He cursed the decision to hire Rex, not to mention the thousands of dollars of state of the art gym equipment he bought. He had just wanted to make her happy and comfortable after she moved into his Seattle mansion two months ago. Jessica burned him, big time. If walking into his bedroom and catching them in the act wasn’t bad enough, what hurt him most was she didn’t even try to explain or ask for forgiveness. Jessica simply packed all of the clothes, jewelry, designer shoes and handbags he’d bought her and left. She even withdrew all of the cash from their joint checking account without a word. Cold. That was the only word to describe her actions.
     
    Jason decided to swear off women for a while, but he was always a sucker for heels. So he was easily distracted from his conversation with Carlos when he heard the low clicking of heels walking through the lobby. From his barstool, he first spotted those sexy black stilettos. His eyes wandered up her toned calves to her tight linen skirt. Since she was facing the elevator he leisurely admired the way her skirt hugged her tight ass. Did he just imagine the outline of thong panties through her skirt? He needed to know more.
     
    “Excuse me, Carlos.”
     
    Walking toward the mysterious woman, his eyes continued to travel up to glossy, thick, dark hair that flowed down her back as she animatedly talked on the phone. She was sexy from behind, and he wasn’t disappointed when he approached her at the elevator. She was taller than he expected, probably just about six feet in those heels. Her linen suit showed off her curvy body. She was preoccupied with her conversation, so he used the opportunity to admire the way her silk blouse tugged around her full breasts as she moved. He curiously wondered about her story. She was definitely a high maintenance woman. Rich housewife? No, she carried a laptop bag and was in the middle of a business conversation. He became even more intrigued.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Stephanie Thomas talked on her cell phone with her boss, “Rick, I’ve told you why I like staying here, I just need a break from the pharma crowd. You know I’m not into the after hours drinking and partying scene at the Convention Center hotel.”
     
    Her job as a pharmaceutical rep involved extensive travel and as she panned the lobby, she smiled in appreciation of her find. “My hard work paid off. You should see this place. It’s beautiful, quiet and relaxing, just what I need right now.”
     
    Rick called her a “Google Goddess” because she always Googled the hotels near her business meeting locations to find obscure