Chapter Nineteen
Flame…
The Waldorf moved all of us to a different floor.
I’m not sure if it was Joe’s doing or being worried about a lawsuit.
Either way I was glad we weren’t anywhere near our old rooms. Leaving Cyn and Chaos in the lobby, Michelle and I went up to the new room.
I hoped she’d open up if we had some privacy.
At least she looked better. This whole fucking thing scared the shit out of me.
I didn’t want her to be alone until they figured out who was behind this, and I figured it would be a fight.
After sliding the keycard into the lock and opening the door I handed the plastic card to Michelle. “Wait here for a sec while I check the room.”
“Who are you? James Bond?”
I waggled my eyebrows at her. “I can be. You know I love role play.”
Her giggling followed me into the room as I flipped on the lights and checked the bedroom, bathroom and opened all the closet doors. I wasn’t taking any more chances. Poking my head out the door, I smiled. “All clear.”
“Ohh I feel so much safer now,” she said as she batted her eyelashes. It was good to see my Michelle back, or at least mostly back. She was still pale as shit.
“Good. So how about some room service and coffee?” I’d said the magic word, her eyes lit up as soon as she heard the “C” word.
“Hell yeah.”
“Pick out what you want and I’ll call and order it. You can take a shower if you want and I’ll wait for them.”
“Aww my knight in shining armor.”
“You know it.”
The smile from a moment ago was gone. Uh oh. What the fuck did I do now?
“Babe, I’m sorry about all of this. It’s not how I wanted to celebrate you getting home.”
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t do this.”
“No not the drug part, but the rest of it—the fighting, closing you out, all of it—it’s my fault. I missed you so much and I’m so glad you’re back.”
“I missed you too, baby. It was way too long to be away from the woman I love. But I’m not going anywhere for a while. So no worries. Okay? We can talk after you’ve had coffee and something to eat.”
She nodded, asked for a toasted bagel and cream cheese along with the coffee, and then turned towards the bedroom. As I reached for the phone she raced back and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Wow. I could get used to this.”
“Yeah? Good. I wanted one more hug before my shower.”
“You can have as many hugs as you want and whenever you want them.”
“What about when you’re on the road?”
“We’re going to have a talk about that, but not now. It can wait ‘til later. Go get your shower, babe. Unless you want company?” Cupping her butt, I couldn’t resist pinching it. She squeaked in surprise and tried to look mad but laughed instead.
“You know if I hadn’t just been in the hospital I’d say yes. But I feel disgusting right now. I’ll definitely take you up on it later.”
“It’s a deal. Now get before I don’t care how dirty you are.”
Her giggles followed her into the bathroom as I picked up the phone and dialed room service.
Michelle…
The heat of the water washed away the hospital stink, thank God.
It made me gag just thinking about it. I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly trying to make the urge go away.
Nothing worse than the pre-puke feeling—hot, sweaty, shivering, and all that saliva.
Yuck! Being in hospitals reminded me of when my parents died, and I tried to avoid them.
But I guess this time there hadn’t been any other options.
As I tried to remember everything about last night, I kept drawing a blank.
Over and over but I knew there was something missing, some vague memory stuck just out of reach.
I needed to remember. Was anyone creeping around me last night?
I didn’t remember feeling like I was being followed.
The other day yes, but last night not really.
So when was I drugged? The bar? Or did it happen when the room was trashed?
Although how would I have slept through that?
I’d have to have been drugged first. Definitely the creepier option, and if they could get into the hotel room once what’s to stop them from trying again?
Rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, I shivered even though I was standing under steamy hot water raining down on my shoulders.
I would miss this shower when we went back to Cyn’s apartment.
We had to go back there, right? Where else would we go?
It’s not easy to find an apartment in the city.
Although I guess we could move to New Jersey and I could find a teaching job there.
Shit. I can’t believe the freakin’ bitch fired me. Morality Clause my ass. What did I do? Date a rock star? End up in the hospital? There was nothing she could use to prove I broke the clause except I guess she didn’t have to. Stupid private schools.
Getting rid of the hospital stink helped, but it didn’t solve the overall problem.
Who was the stalker, why were they doing this, and how the hell we were going to stop them before something else happened?
Could it be Bob? He seemed too—I dunno—invisible.
Did he even have the balls to do something like this?
And how the hell had he pulled it off, if it was him?
With a sigh, I wrapped myself in one of the fluffy white robes the hotel supplied and went to find Flame. The sound of his voice made me hesitate in the bedroom doorway. I didn’t want to walk out in the robe in front of just anyone, and especially not in front of some room service dude
After a few seconds I realized he was on the phone.
Pulling the robe tighter, I figured I’d give him a hug to let him know I was there, but his back was to me.
His words sounded angry but he was almost whispering.
I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I was about to let him know I was there when he slammed his fist down on the table.
Shit. Angry Flame. Who the hell was he talking to?
I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t trying to listen.
Hell, I couldn’t hear what he was saying anyway, but I didn’t want him to turn around and see me there.
I wanted to know who or what pissed him off so much.
Seeing him angry like this was a first, at least for me. He was usually pretty even tempered.
Backing into the bedroom again, I opened the bathroom door and slammed it shut. Then walked into the living area talking like I didn’t know he was on the phone. “I’m all clean. Wanna play?”
Flame flashed what I figured he thought was a smile but it came across more like a frown. He held up a finger, the universal sign for give me a sec, and then turned away. At least I could hear some of what he was saying now.
“I’ve got to go. But listen to me, you stay away or else.
” He slammed his phone onto the table so hard I’m surprised the screen didn’t crack.
Shit, he was pissed. Who the hell was he talking to?
Stay away or else? Now what? What the hell happened while I was in the shower?
I was about to ask when there was a knock at the door.
Flame got up and went to the door signaling for me to stay back.
He checked the peep hole and smiled. “Room service. Your coffee has arrived, babe.” Pulling the door open, he let the bellman wheel in the cart.
I waited in the bedroom doorway staying out of sight.
I still didn’t want anyone seeing me in a robe but my friends.
Besides, it gave me a few minutes to try to figure out what was going on with Flame.
His mood changed so quickly in the last two minutes he had to be hiding something or at least trying to hide it from me.
“Thank you, sir.”
I muffled my laugh. It was weird hearing Flame called ‘sir’.
But I guess it was part of the job if you were on staff at a hotel like the Waldorf.
As soon as the door clicked closed I made a beeline for the cart and the silver pot of pure heaven.
The scent of the dark roast coffee filled the room and called me like a bear to honey.
“Ahhh coffee. All will be right in the world now.” Flame laughed as I poured the coffee into the white porcelain, followed by two sugars and some cream.
Perfection in a cup. Inhaling the scent, I smiled and took a sip savoring the taste like a fine wine.
Of course Flame laughed even harder then. “What?”
“You crack me up. Coffee is just not that good. I’m sorry.”
“The hell you say. It’s the best thing ever, especially after the crappy decaf shit you brought me in the hospital.”
“Okay, maybe after that. Even the regular coffee was pretty suckful.”
Nodding, I took another sip before spreading cream cheese on my toasted bagel. I kind of expected the bagel to be cool and hard already but it was still hot and the cream cheese melted perfectly. If this was any indication of the rest of the day it was going way up from where it started.
“Not trying to be nosy but who had you so pissed off?”
“Huh?”
“The phone call.” Gesturing to his phone, still laying on the coffee table. I carried my bagel and coffee over to the couch and sat down, balancing the plate with the bagel on my lap.
“It was nothing.”
Chewing the bagel, I watched him tense. Oh yeah he was hiding something. So much for not keeping anything from each other. “I’m not buying it. Sorry. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop but I sure as hell saw you slam the phone down. You can’t tell me something didn’t piss you the hell off.”
The guilty expression on his face said everything as he carried his cup of coffee over and sat next to me on the couch. “It was Chaos. They wanted to come over and ask you questions about last night. I told him now wasn’t the time.”
I may not know him as well as his band does, but I sure as hell knew when he was lying to me.
I had a couple of choices, call him on it, or let it go and see what happened next.
And I haven’t been totally honest with him either about the whole Bob thing.
Maybe we needed to have a ‘come to Jesus’ talk and get everything out in the open, otherwise I’m not sure how this relationship was going to work out. Without trust what else mattered?
“When do we have to go the police station?”
“They said tomorrow will be fine.”
“We have the rest of the day to ourselves?”
“Yup, if that’s what you want.” I couldn’t figure out his expression— a cross between lust and irritation. Was he pissed at me?
“Are you mad at me?”
“No fuckin’ way. Why would you think that?”
“You look it.”
“Nope. Babe I’m looking forward to a lot of alone time. But the rest of today is up to you. Since I’m not sure how you’re really feeling you get to take the lead,” Flame replied.
“Don’t I always?” His cheeks turned pink, and as he took a drink of coffee he almost choked.
Okay, really, who wouldn’t laugh at that?
I couldn’t help it. And I almost choked too as I took a bite of the bagel and chewed while I tried to figure things out.
Still a little woozy, probably from the drugs, I didn’t feel like dealing with everything.
It’d definitely be better to let it work its way out of my body.
More coffee, lots of water and maybe sex.
What was I thinking? Of course there’d be sex.
I’d been waiting for Flame to get back and he owed me a shitload of private time.
Hmm, just thinking about messing around with him sent a thrill through my body.
Yup. It’s time to move to the bedroom and work on my recovery.
“You must be feeling better. You’re a lot feistier than you were earlier.”
“Maybe.” As I stared at the bottom of my empty coffee cup and my disappointment must have shown, since he grabbed the cup and saucer and got up.
“Uh huh, I know you are,” Flame said as he poured me another cup and added the cream and sugar.
He was one of the most thoughtful men I knew, we had to find a way to make this work.
He was the first person to find a place in my heart since my parents died—well except for Cyn. “What’s going on in your head now?”
“Me? Nothing.”
“You’re grinning like the Cheshire Cat.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tried to keep a straight face. Really I did.
“Right. Whatever.”