Page 2 of Paradise Pride

“No, it’s fine. I could actually do with the overtime, and with only two guests it’s easy money.” Florence picked up a rainbow garland that had fallen off one of the palm trees and reattached it.

The preparations for the women’s Pride festival were finally done, and most of her colleagues, including Stella, her manager, had left. A few were still hanging around, smoking a cigarette before heading into town for a drink.

“Hey, guys. Just go without me,” she yelled at them. “There was a fuck-up with a reservation, and a couple of people just arrived, so I’m staying here tonight.” Her announcement was met with some protests, but the boys would be secretly relieved she wasn’t coming. They loved hitting on the ladies, and even though she did too, people always assumed she was dating one of them.

She waved them off and turned back to Robert. “So, how does this work? Do I turn the music on? The lights?”

Robert shrugged. “Honestly, this is a first. I have no idea, but I don’t want to bug Stella again. I just called her, and she was already in bed. I’d say do what you would normally do, apart from the announcements over the speakers.”

“Yeah, that would be weird.” Florence chuckled as she imagined her voice blasting through the silence, aimed at only herself if these guests didn’t come down to the poolside tonight. “Well, I’ll get the bar ready. Do you want a beer?”

“No, I’m good,” Robert said. “I’m technically on duty, so I’d better not.” He gave her a pat on her shoulder before he headed back into the building. “And no drinking for you either. Thanks, Flo. This should be an easy one.”

“Sure. Easy-peasy,” Florence muttered to herself as she turned on the pool lights and the string lights that adorned the tiki bars and the plants around the pool. Paradise Hotel wasn’t the best or the prettiest hotel in Benidorm, but with the rainbow decorations and the lights, it looked pretty charming tonight. She connected her phone to the speakers and put on her own playlist instead of the standard corporate one. If she was going to be here all night, she might as well enjoy herself, but first, she needed something to wake herself up. The hotel’s new coffee machines that had replaced the old, noisy ones were a blessing.

As she made herself a cappuccino, she heard one of the balcony doors above her open and looked up to see two women staring down at her. Unable to resist, she turned on the microphone. “Hey, there! The bar is open, ladies. Special one-on-one service, tonight only.” She smiled when she heard them laugh.

“Thank you!” one of them yelled back at her. “I’ll be down in a bit!”

Florence leaned on the bar and scrolled through her dating app, grimacing at most of the men and women who had ‘liked’ her. With the local dating scene being limited, she usually looked out for tourists, but there wasn’t much choice this week. She was excited for tomorrow, though: working at a women’s only weekend was right up her street. Personal relationships with guests were off-limits, but a little flirting was innocent and just what she needed.

“Hi.”

Florence jumped and almost dropped her phone in the sink. “Oh, hey! Welcome to Paradise.”

“Welcome to Paradise? Is that what they make you say?” The woman laughed. “It looks pretty cute out here, but I can assure you, our room is far from paradise, even though your boss gave us an upgrade.”

“Robert?” Florence chuckled. “He’s not my boss. He just happened to be here when you guys showed up, so they put him in charge.” She winked. “I don’t think it’s gone to his head yet, but let’s see what the night brings. And as far as the rooms are concerned, I agree with you. They’re not great.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be outside most of the time anyway.” The woman took a seat at the bar. “Are you here just for me?”

“For you and your girlfriend,” Florence said. “My name is Florence.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Meghan. It’s just me tonight, and Kim is not my girlfriend.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed. I just thought you were here for the Pride event and—”

“No, no, no,” Megan interrupted, waving a hand. “My friend is here to see her boyfriend, who’s a local, and I’m tagging along. Neither of us is gay, nor are we here for the event.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice, even though there was no one else around. “Are we going to be the only straight women here over the weekend?”

“I’m afraid so.” Florence shot her an amused smile. There was something adorably innocent about this woman. “But it’ll be fun. There’s live music and a DJ, and everyone will dress up.”

“I don’t have anything to wear,” Meghan said.

“No problem. Just grab one of those garlands. They’re everywhere.” Florence pointed to the cocktail menu. “By the way, what can I get you?”

Meghan shook her head. “I can go somewhere else. I’m sure you’d like to go home.”

“Now that we officially have occupancy, even if it’s just one room, someone has to be here, so you might as well stay.” Florence shrugged. “The drinks are free, and I can be good company. I’d love to have someone to talk to while I sit out my shift, and besides the drinks on that menu, I can make you anything you like.”

Meghan ran a hand through her long, dark hair and smiled. “Okay. But only if you have a drink with me.”

“I’m not supposed to drink on duty.” Florence glanced at the building. Robert always took naps on his nightshifts, and with hardly any guests in the hotel, he was sure to be fast asleep by now.

“There’s no one here.” Meghan pointed to the empty poolside. “It’s just you and me. If there was ever a time to have a cheeky drink at work, it’s now.”

“You’re right,” Florence said after a moment’s hesitation. “As long as you don’t tell anyone.”

“My lips are sealed.” Meghan’s smile widened, and she tapped the bar. “So, what are we having?”

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