Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
The throbbing in my head, along with an extreme case of cotton mouth, pulled me from “passed out bliss” to “instant regret.” That sentiment grew when I opened my eyes to daylight and unfamiliar surroundings.
I was in a hotel room…
Why?
The pain made it harder to recall the night before. I’d been drinking with Miranda. She’d gone to check whether the bartender was packing. And then Konni had shown up, and I had fallen onto his lap.
My eyes went wide, and awareness of physical discomfort receded as I remembered what I’d done next.
I’d kissed Konni’s neck.
A slow dread filled me.
Please no. Please no.
I slowly turned my head.
Konni lay on his side, facing me, a picture of masculine perfection even asleep. The arm resting over my waist, his bare chest, and the hickey on his neck killed any hope that we were platonically sharing a bed to sleep off too much drinking.
Fuck.
Carefully, I lifted the blanket covering my chest and confirmed what I’d already felt. I was naked. All the way down to my toes.
My heart started to race, and not in a good, sleeping naked next to a hottie way.
I’d slept with a man who’d invested time and money pursuing me. That was the biggest no-no in my How to Stay Single book ever.
I needed to leave. Fast.
Don’t panic, Soph. Every girl has had to dick and dash at least once in her life.
Moving with precision, I painstakingly slithered from the bed without disturbing him. Then I picked up every article of my clothing scattered on the floor and hustled to the bathroom, careful not to shut the door all the way or turn on the light.
My makeup-smeared reflection had me cringing. I looked like a crackhead. A crackhead who’d had a lot of fun based on the hickies I was sporting. Just on my neck, though.
As I turned my clothes right side out and quietly dressed, I tried to remember anything from after falling onto his lap. But there was nothing. And that really pissed me off because sleeping with someone like Konni was definitely something I wanted to remember.
All that flirting.
All those long looks.
Shit! What if he’d actually spanked me and I missed out on that?
Twisting in the mirror to inspect my ass for residual hand prints, I froze at the sight of a tattoo on the back of my shoulder. It was a small circle of light orange and yellow flames about an inch and a half in diameter.
Stunned, I stared at it for a minute before I licked my finger and rubbed at the mark. It didn’t budge and was a little tender.
I’d gotten a tattoo?!
I silently screamed my anger, pocketed my underwear and bra, and fled, slipping from the room with my shoes and purse in hand.
The soft click of the hotel room door was the only audible sound I’d made inside the room. Outside the room, I bolted, my feet tapping out a rapid beat that rivaled my racing heart.
At the elevator, I put on my shoes and waited until I was inside the elevator to text Miranda.
Me: WTF? Why am I at a hotel? What happened last night?
The door opened while I was still waiting for her reply. I checked the time. It was still early, thankfully. Then, I checked my location. I was at a hotel downtown. An expensive one. Which made me wonder who in the hell Konni was to throw around that kind of money.
He was either trying to impress me, which screamed “I’m a man interested in a long-term relationship,” or he was actually really well off, which was a huge red flag. Wealthy men his age were never single.
I swore all the way to the lobby restroom, where I freshened up so I didn’t look like a train wreck while I waited for my pickup.
Miranda called when I was in the back seat of my female-driven rideshare.
“You seriously don’t remember?” she asked.
“Would I be asking if I did? The last thing I remember was falling over onto his lap.”
“And making out like he was the best dessert you’ve ever seen and had to have,” she said.
“I asked if you wanted me to take you home, and you said no. Your hand was wandering south, and I wasn’t about to stop you from what you were obviously lusting after.
And he sure didn’t mind either. He promised to respect your boundaries and send you home if you changed your mind. You didn’t, did you?”
“I don’t know what I did, Miranda. But I woke up next to him, naked, with a string of hickies and apparently a tattoo. I’m not blaming you for this, but you’re definitely on friend suspension.”
“What? Why?”
“Friends don’t let friends do stupid things.”
“How was having a good time with your Angel a stupid thing? He’s hot. Nice. And we both know you needed a good lay.”
“I think he’s well-off. Like really well-off.”
“And that’s bad?”
“Yes, that’s bad. Men his age, with his looks and apparent wealth, are never single. Did I wreck someone’s home? Is some little girl going to watch her mom and dad get a divorce and wonder why?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Breathe, Sophie. He’s single. I promise.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I asked, and I can smell a lie. He’s single. You didn’t wreck someone’s home. You’re not your dad.”
I let out a shaky breath.
“Am I still on friend suspension?”
“I have a necklace of hickies and have to pick up Mom from the hospital in an hour. What do you think?”
“I’ll promise to be good to you from now on, baby,” she said in a sultry voice. “Take me back, and I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”
Her teasing helped diffuse my lingering panic.
“Fine, I’ll take you back this time. But you'd better make sure this doesn’t happen again. You know I don’t do long term, and if he’s still single, that’s the only logical explanation.” I huffed out a sigh. “Why me?”
“Because you’re adorable when you’re drunk, have a great sense of humor, and are level-headed in every aspect except for romantic relationships, which makes you appealing to chase.”
“You’re warped.”
“It’s the predator in me.”
“Well, I need the protector to come out. Men are fine for fun, but nothing else, Miranda. If there’s even a glint of ‘ever after’ in his eyes, you block me hard, got it?”
I saw we were almost to Lunar Pulse.
“I’d better go. We’re almost to my car.”
“Okay. Text me when you’re home with your mom. Do you need me to come in tonight?”
I briefly thought about it. “No. If he shows up, I’ll tell him to get lost. He might not take a third-party rejection as seriously.”
“Call me if you need me.”
“I will.”
I hung up and caught the driver’s soft brown gaze in the mirror. She had her long red hair pulled back into a high ponytail threaded through her ball cap.
“Sounds like you had a rough night,” she said without judgment.
“Yeah. Sorry for the drama.”
“Nah, I don’t mind. Glad nothing happened to you, though. Some girls haven’t been so lucky after blackouts.”
A conflict of emotions rushed through me. Guilt. Regret. Fear. Most of it was because I couldn’t remember a damn thing.
She parked next to my car.
“This must be a decent place then?” she asked, looking at Lunar Pulse. “No drugging problems?”
“Yeah, it’s decent. My uncle runs it and watches. There are plenty of cameras from different angles. It won’t stop a drugging, but it makes it a little less likely. He also has lidded cups if you ask for them.”
“Good to know. Have a safe day.”
She didn’t pull away until I was in my car, which I found really thoughtful. I gave her a larger tip than I probably could afford, then headed home to shower and change.
The hot shower and concealer had worked wonders at erasing my mistake. Very little evidence of the night before remained by the time I arrived at the hospital, and I was able to knock on Mom’s door with a smile.
She looked up from the paper the nurse was showing her.
“You’re just in time,” the nurse said. “We’re going over her discharge instructions.”
I listened closely, asking questions and adding calendar reminders for appointments. When Mom and I left the hospital together, she was bruised and moving slowly, but doing well, all things considered.
“I’m so sorry, Sophie,” Mom said as soon as we were alone in my car.
“For what?”
“For all of it. The accident, the scary call you got, not being able to work for at least six weeks…” She sighed.
“That truck came out of nowhere. He didn’t even slow down.
We made eye contact through the windshield in the seconds before it happened.
I will never forget the terror on his face or the sounds.
The engine screaming, then the crunch and shatter of everything. ”
She rubbed her face with her unhindered hand. “I think I need sleep.”
“You can have as much as you want. Did you eat breakfast?”
“Yes. They made sure of it.”
“Good. Then you can go straight to bed as soon as we’re home.”
She was out cold twenty minutes after getting back, which I was thankful for. I sent Miranda a message saying we were home and that she was fine. Then I called Uncle Jay.
“About time you called,” he said instead of a hello. “I was going to give you another hour before I tried calling you.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Mom was discharged this morning, and I woke up late.”
“Late and without regrets?”
I cringed a little. “Mostly.”
He grunted an acknowledgment.
“Not all relationships are bad, Sophie-Girl. Some are really good.”
“Meh, it’s like playing Russian roulette, though. I’d rather not take the risk.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough. I just want you to be happy.”
“I know.”
“How’s your mom?”
“Good. Sleeping. They said to keep her on pain relievers for the next few days, but more for the bruises and muscle strains than the break. They kept saying how lucky she was and that the airbag and seat belt saved her from worse.”
“I’m glad she’s okay. Dinner’s on me tonight. It’ll be delivered to your door at four so you can get her situated before you come in.”
“You know me well.”
“I should. I helped raise you through your interesting years.”
I laughed quietly. “You did. See you tonight. And thanks for dinner.”
“Anytime.”