Wild Nights(5)

Still groggy, slightly hung over, and tired as hell, I positioned myself in line and grabbed a plate. On the other side of the buffet steam table was a pair of familiar eyes and an all too familiar smile. Blaze was standing on the other side of the buffet staring me down. He must have stayed overnight at the motel.

 “Good morning,” he smiled.

I didn’t return his smile. I didn’t even acknowledge him. I averted my eyes further down the line and kept moving.

He followed me on the other side of the table, move for move. “You can’t ignore me forever,” he said. “I know you liked last night. I know you want more.”

He laughed, flashing his perfect smile. In that moment, he seemed so harmless. Why did he have to be so damn sexy and good-looking?

I continued to ignore him as flashes of our rendezvous from the night before played through my mind. I couldn’t help myself.

 “So that’s how it’s gonna be?” He said, growing frustrated.

 “Please leave me alone,” I finally said. “Last night was a mistake. I’m not that kind of girl.”

 “Huh. Could’ve fooled me,” he whispered, eyes scanning my body. “I thought I made you feel pretty good. I’m pretty sure you were begging me to fuck you for a solid hour.”

I shuddered. Tess and Raquel were watching my every move from the table a few feet away. I took a seat with them, my back towards Blaze.

 “That guy won’t stop staring at you, Molly,” Tess said. “Is that the guy from last night?”

“I can’t believe you had some random guy over. What if he would’ve been a serial killer, Molly?” Raquel said.

 “I know. It was really stupid of me. It won’t happen again,” I said. “A lapse in judgment.”

 “Yeah, it was really stupid,” Tess said.

 “I really don’t appreciate you bringing some perfect stranger to the motel where we’re staying,” Raquel began. “I have a husband and children at home. I don’t need to be murdered in Tulsa, Oklahoma all because you wanted to get a piece.”

“I don’t need a lecture,” I said. “I made a mistake. A really dumb mistake. It won’t happen again. It’s over and done.”

 “Fine,” Tess said.

 “Fine,” Raquel mimed.

 “I’m not hungry anymore. I’m going to go shower and get ready for today. I’ll meet you two down in the lobby in a half hour and we can head to the tradeshow together,” I said, grabbing my plate and walking off.

As I ran-walked to my room, I imagined getting back and finding someone had broken in. I imagined something horrific happening to me and Tess and Raquel not being able to save me in time.

I turned around and went back to the table. They were surprised to see me again.

 “Okay, I’m going to be honest. My pride isn’t worth it,” I started.

They both looked up at me with wide, curious eyes.

 “After you went back to bed last night, those bikers lingered outside our rooms. I almost had to call the cops. I don’t feel comfortable going back to my room alone, and I think we should stay in a different place altogether for the rest of the trip,” I said.

 “Why can’t we just switch rooms?” Raquel asked.

 “Because the guy I hooked up with is pretty persistent. And he’s staying here. He could easily find out where our new room is,” I said.

Tess rolled her eyes, and Raquel shrugged her shoulders.

 “Guess we don’t have much of a choice now do we?” Tess said. “Thanks, a lot, Molly.”

 “Let’s all go back to the rooms together, I’ll shower and get ready and we can pack up quickly and check into a new place down the road,” I proposed.

I sat with them as they finished their breakfast. We trekked back to our rooms, and I hopped in the shower. I got ready as fast as I possibly could, packed my things, and knocked on Tess’ motel room door. No answer. I tried Raquel’s door. No answer.

Bitches, I thought.

I grabbed my bags as quickly as I could, heart racing as the thought of seeing Blaze crept in my mind.

I wheeled my suitcase down to the lobby to check out. Tess and Raquel were sitting in the lobby next to their luggage.

 “Thanks for waiting for me,” I said, taking a seat next to them. “I was really freaked out when I came out of the shower and you two were gone. What if something happened to you?” My real concern was myself, but I couldn’t admit that.

 “We need to hurry up and get to the show. We still need to set up our booth and check in,” Raquel replied.