The Saint's Devilish Deal Read Online Free Page B

guests to postpone their visit until your three month stint as boss arrives won’t help me pay this month’s bills. You do want there to be a villa to run in three months, don’t you?” She said nothing but her creamy skin stretched taut over her sculpted cheekbones. Dios, he really had to get over this attraction to her.
    Or hurry up and get her back in his bed.
    “Are you blaming me for guests canceling their registrations?” she asked sweetly. When Santiago only raised an eyebrow in response, she continued. “Do you really think I’m that stupid, Santiago? I may not have been born into the Cruz Resorts family, but I do know how to run a business. If you’d like a reference, call Dana in Bristol Bay.”
    “Six couples have canceled, Esmerelda. That isn’t a coincidence.”
    “Let me get this straight. You blamed Tobias for the Napa deal four years ago. Now you’re blaming me for canceling reservations I knew nothing about? Get a grip, Saint.” He frowned at her use of the old nickname. He'd hated the English-version of his name since they were children, insisting he was no saint and proving it with countless pranks. But the name stuck, no matter how un-saintly his actions. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, in another sexy, stiletto number, against the hardwood floor. The metallic pink sucked him in for a minute before he pushed his mind out of her shoe and back to the conversation.
    “Fine, I advised Cori to raise her rates, but that was months ago, and it was across the board. All of the resorts in Vallarta probably received the same notice. The fact that she waited until now to do it isn’t my fault, but if you’d like I’ll pay the extra fee until we start making more money.”
    Santiago ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t want your money, pequeña.”
    “No, you want my villa. Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on here?”
    His phone bleeped. Santiago glanced at the display and hit the ignore key, sending the call to voicemail. Playing resort manager was one thing. Answering that particular call quite another.
    He needed to change tactics. Santiago needed Esme’s support for the rest of the staff to fall in line; it was the only way he would win. “Don’t you think, in light of the cancellations, that the smart thing would be running the villa as a team, no matter who is in charge?”
    She clenched her hands into fists. “Easy to say when you’re the one running things and making accusations, isn’t it? Why don’t we stick with what Constance wanted? You run things for three months and then I’ll clean up your mess.”
    Santiago bit back a smile. Working closely with Esme was the best way to keep tabs on everything she planned. With the added benefit of having a sexy office partner to look at when things got boring. He took a step forward and she immediately backed up to the wall. Nervous, was she?
    “Since you’re so interested in my plans for the day, this afternoon I’ll make a few phone calls to friends on the circuit to get some guests in the door. A few radio and magazine ads in San Diego and Mexico City should fill out the rest of my three-month calendar nicely.” He ticked ideas off on his fingers as they came to him. Why was it that his brain only fired on all cylinders when he was arguing with Esme? “Since we’re talking about teamwork, however, Cori is the best confectioner in Vallarta, so maybe you could have one more conversation with her about her prices?”
    “And what do I get if I help you now? Run out of town once this ridiculous six-month arrangement is over?” She cocked her head to the side as if figuring him out was as hard as an advanced math placement test. “Yesterday, if you can think back that far, you told the chef to change the menu to cold sandwiches and beer, instructed housekeeping to spend less time in the rooms, and ignored Jack’s request for a new pool filter.” She ticked his perceived slights off on her