ONE
PORTIA
Portia Flemming had been called a lot of things in her very long life. Some of those names were good. Others, not so much.
But a lady could get used to this brand-new title.
Resort Manager.
If Mama could see her now, she would laugh her ass off in her grave, all the way down to the depths of Hell.
Portia Flemming meantlazyto some, mostly Mommy Dearest.
Others knew the truth. They knew Portia Flemming was actually synonymous withMost Likely to Succeed.
Who did the devil ask to run his new pet project for him?Portia fucking Flemming.
She scanned the lobby of Hellscape Holiday Resort with a smile that made the rubber plants blush. Everything she could see was hers to run. Sure, it was done in the name of Lucifer, but still. He wasn’t here to deal with the inner workings of the resort.
It would be hers to run as she saw fit.
“Portia,” Una called out with that panicked little pixie voice she always used whenever something wassupposedlywrong. There rarely was anything truly tragic. It wasn’t Una’s fault she was easily excitable, but the pixie had other qualities. No one was as organized as Una. More than that, Una was loyal to Portia.
That was an important quality to have in staff, especially when choosing who would run the reception desk in Lucifer’s newest and only resort. Una was Portia’s girl and the very first creature hired to work at Hellscape Holiday Resort. With Una behind the desk in the lobby, nothing untoward would be happening without Portia knowing about it.
This was a holiday home for demons, after all.
Demons, vampires, witches, shifters. If the imagination could come up with it, there was every chance it would end up in the halls of Hellscape Holidays. Not only as guests but also as staff. Who else was Portia supposed to hire?
Humans?
Gross. Forbid the thought. Kick it right out of your head. No human would ever set foot in her resort.
“Una, my sweetie, what has got you in a tizzy?” Portia asked her employee with a warm smile.
“There is a problem. We’ve overbooked a few of the rooms. A handful. There are four guests without rooms. That’s more of a handful than I can … handle. That’s a whole lot of hands I’m using.” She flipped back and forth in the reservation book, her wings moving just as fast.
Portia’s smile widened. “Una, settle down. You’ll hurt yourself. So we’ve overbooked.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Hmm, that’s too bad. I’ll just have to get creative.”
“What?” Una’s eyes and wings were in complete synchronization as they both beat fast enough to create a small draft in the lobby.
“Oh, come on, Una! You know we can mess with the guests. It’s basically our mandate, you know that. Lucifer was clear. Free rein.”
“But how can we mess with our guests if they can’t stay in the hotel because we haveoverbooked the rooms.” Her tone finished on a note so high-pitched that it could make dogs weep, but with a slight wince, Portia continued to smile at the distressed pixie.
“Una, Una. Think about it. We have them wait in the hotel bar while we fix the issue. Then, from across the room, what do they see? Someone they would like to bone! And just like that, we get two guests … or more … sharing a room for the duration of their stay. More bodies in the hotel at all times. Overbooking can be our friend.”
Una’s face fell as she understood Portia’s plan. “Oh. That’s an idea.”
Portia shook her head, making her long red hair move through the fragrant air. It was all magic, but Portia would love to bottle the scent.
“It’s not an idea, Una. It’s a stroke of genius. This is already my favorite job.” She clapped her hands together excitedly.
“Now, you just send those guests to the bar. Tell them their rooms aren’t ready yet. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“You got it, boss.” Una returned to the big leather-bound book and stared at it intently.
With a satisfied nod, Portia went to the bar right away to welcome those special guests, getting a bit more of her attention during their stay. She followed the pale gold veins of the white marble tiles all the way to the hotel’s adult beverage stronghold …