14. Sara
14
SARA
T he knocking coming from the other side of the door echoes throughout the glossy walls of the white marble bathroom. It’s the same type of knock that occurs when someone sheepishly disregards a do not disturb sign. Weak, but relentless nevertheless.
I’ve been hiding in here no longer than thirty seconds, because I didn’t know what else to do when I found none other than Drew Dawson propped up on one elbow on his side, legs bared wide, whipped cream leaving nothing to the imagination. Rushing into the bathroom to barricade myself behind a locked door had seemed like the best plan. Not to mention I haven’t looked at myself in the mirror since yesterday afternoon. I couldn’t just stand there and let him witness me in my most feral state.
Now I’m hyperventilating with both hands gripping the sides of a very beautifully crafted porcelain sink.
“Sar? You okay?” Drew’s voice comes from behind the door. “Was the cream too much? Sorry, it was the cream, wasn’t it? You know what, I’m getting rid of it right now.” I hear a sigh, followed by the unmistakable sound of a towel chafing against skin. “Are you okay?”
“Fantastic!” I call as I turn on the faucet and splash water across my face. My gross, wilderness-splattered face.
It’s worse than I’d imagined.
Mascara smudged at the corners of my eyes, dirt lining my cheeks like cheap salon contour, hair wild and identifying as something even a bird wouldn’t roost in. Religiously combing my hair thoroughly before bed and in the morning isn’t just one of my rituals, it’s essential maintenance for every female with even a dribble of Mediterranean blood. Our hair is just made different. Skipping a session is playing with fire.
There’s no way I can let Drew see me like this.
And since when did he start calling me Sar ? I rinse my hands, watching in horror as grime washes from my skin and collects in the basin. No wonder Jack left so abruptly at the watch tower, I’m hideous.
“What are you doing here?” I call. “I didn’t know you had vacation time planned?”
I hear a laugh followed by a light thud, like he’s rested his head against the door or something. “I’m still technically working. Laptops in my bag. Hey, you didn’t get my messages?”
My nose wrinkles, and my eyes squeeze shut. “No, I…lost my phone.”
“Oh, then shit.” He laughs. “Well, I guess this makes things kind of awkward.”
“Ha!” A yelp of accidental laughter.
“Sar,” he begins again, seeming to compose himself because his voice gets a little lower and more serious than I’ve ever heard it. “Sara. I guess I thought we had a connection. And then there was that night at SB, you know that Friday we both stayed late, and I really thought we had a connection. I messaged you a bunch of times last night because I was curious, but you didn’t reply. I guess I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I called Amber…”
My hand covers my face as my pulse thumps against my temple because what the hell did she tell him? I glance at the door from my stooped position at the sink.
“She told me about this place.”
Curse that woman.
“I know it’s impulsive showing up here like this. I don’t always think before I make a decision. But when I looked up this hotel, I couldn’t understand why you’d spend all that money on a place like this when you’re supposed to be on a hike. Then I figured it out…”
Shit. He’s onto me. I’m busted. I’m so damn busted.
I’m about to yank open the door, beg him to hear me out, but he starts talking again. “This place is for us, isn’t it? You and me, Sara.”
HUH?
“I’m right, aren’t I? I could see it in your eyes in the lobby, when I said I was jealous I wasn’t going with you. You didn’t say anything because the wheels were already turning. You were already planning this. You wanted me to come out here.” I hear him chuckle to himself. “I said you had a wild streak. Man, I was so right. I don’t miss with this stuff.”
I’m silent because I’m so embarrassed. He couldn’t be further off the mark. He’s so wrong, I have to cover my entire mouth so I don’t laugh. Yes, the plan was to get Drew to notice me, but this is crazy. Him showing up here is crazy.
He’s wrong. So wrong. Wrong to the point it kind of makes me feel a little weird about ever liking him in the first place .
Although…it beats telling him the actual truth, doesn’t it? God, more lies? It’s like I’ve learned nothing.
“Are you still there?” Drew asks a little worried. “Can you just tell me I’m right? Starting to get a little nervous out here.”
My head snaps up to my reflection in the gold-framed mirror. I’m starving. I smell like roadkill. My armpits are sprouting fur.
“Everything’s fine. Give me five minutes,” I say as I fling myself behind the glass shower screen. “I just have to freshen up,” I call over the sound of the golden stemmed showerhead, which bursts to life as I peel clothes from my grime-caked body.
“Cool.” Drew’s voice perks up, and I can practically envision the dazzling smile spreading across his perfectly sculpted face. “I’ll go get more strawberries.”
He’s gone before I can yell for him to get me something more substantial.
I grab a fresh razor from its pack while internally squealing with joy at the array of products in front of me.
I scrutinize the bottles then immediately begin to lather myself in soapy liquid, scrubbing and shaving every crevice of my body until my flesh is red and irritated.
Five minutes later, I’m drying off, and stepping into one of my silk slips, noting how its soft pink tones almost blend perfectly with the vibrant pink of my scoured skin. I slap on some moisturizer, hoping it’ll ease the sting; then I pull on a cotton robe, tying it tightly before I step out of the bathroom and into the room.
The door handle twists and Drew reenters the room. He’s wearing one of the hotel’s robes tied loosely at his waist, his gleaming chest spilling out from where the material overlaps in the center. He strides over to where I’ve seated myself on the bed and sets a bowl of strawberries on the nightstand. I smile, trying to ignore my stomach that’s currently sick with famine.
“So, about the whole hotel, hiking situation…” I begin as Drew takes a seat next to me on the bed.
Then, he presses a finger to my lips. “You don’t have to explain. I’m just glad it worked out. You’re one of the only girls in the office I couldn’t be totally sure was crushing on me.” He leans back to grab a strawberry. “Hey, you know this place has an insane gym?”
“I did not know that,” I say. “Um…so I guess a lot of girls crush on you, huh?” I say quietly as his last comment plays over in my head.
“Okay, that came out wrong.” He laughs. “Now it sounds like I think every woman I meet is in love with me.” He speaks from the corner of his grinning mouth, “I mean, some are.”
I raise my eyebrows, attempting to keep a neutral expression.
Then, I watch as he places the strawberry in his mouth, holding it between his teeth. He sets his gaze on my lips, and before I can register his intention, he’s swooping toward my face. The strawberry crushes into my mouth, and, afraid that it might tumble, and also not knowing what the hell else to do, I bite down on it hard.
“Ouch!” Drew pulls back, clamping a hand over his mouth while his entire face shrivels into wrinkles of pain. The strawberry rolls onto the rug at our feet.
“Oh my god!” I gasp as my hands fly to his face to inspect the damage. “I bit you! I’m so sorry, I thought your lip was the strawberry. Are you okay?”
Drew pats his bottom lip a couple of times, his face finally relaxing. Thankfully I haven’t drawn any blood. “So, you’re a biter? Cool.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and moves closer to me. “Man, you’re hot when you’re all natural and shit.”
I instinctively smooth a hand over my wet hair, suddenly conscious that I didn’t get around to applying even a shred of concealer.
“I’m serious.” He looks at me like he’s staring into my soul. My stomach is doing something weird, although that might just be because of the hunger. “It’s like you just got out of a spin class, I love it.”
Strange comparison .
I have no idea what’s going on here. Apart from being completely caught off guard by his presence in my hotel room, I’m also drawn to realize that I really don’t know much about Drew at all. In fact, it’s like the image of him I once had was all an illusion. And honestly, I’m struggling to be turned on about anything surrounding this situation.
I frown at myself for thinking this way, and for a second, I wonder if I’m being a prude because I’ve forgotten how to act around the opposite sex. Forgotten how to flirt, how to have fun, how to take advantage of being in a luxury hotel room with a man with symmetrical abdominal muscles and a jawline chiseled from marble.
But something isn’t right. Now that Drew’s in front of me, declaring his popularity amongst the woman in the office and forcing strawberries into my mouth, I wonder if perhaps, I’m not the problem here…
“Drew,” I say, trying to remain as compassionate as possible. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know if you being here is a good idea.”
His shoulders sag like he’s just been delivered life changing bad news. “I knew it was too much.” He shakes his head. “I told you I’m spontaneous, when I get an idea in my head…I gotta see it through. I shouldn’t have come.”
Now I feel bad.
“Hey, no harm done?—”
“Wait a minute.” He stands, gesturing for me to remain where I am on the edge of the bed. “Give me this one last shot?”
“What are you talking about?”—Drew opens his robe, baring his naked body to me— “Oh, Jesus Christ!”
I’m faced with Drew in all his naked glory. The fact it’s not the most shocking thing that’s happened to me in the past twenty-four hours, is most likely what keeps me from screaming and tearing my eyes away.
Instead, I allow my gaze to roam over his body. To his physique which leans toward the impossible side of perfection. It’s just one hard butcher’s block. No give. And a lot of veins. He’s perfect, I can’t deny that. And just like that, I’m drawing comparisons to Jack’s body. Jack’s solid body I slept against last night. I remember how it felt, like I could sink my hands into all the different layers of muscle. My mind wanders to the image I’ve stored of him naked in the tent, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s his body I wish was in front of me right now…
I gasp. How is it possible that I’m thinking about Jack when Drew, in his Godlike perfection, is right in front of me?
“Well?” Drew says wiggling his hips. “See anything you like?”
My eyes widen as I find myself face to face with his penis.
I tilt my head and fold my arms over my chest as I remind myself how long I’ve admired him, and how many girls would love to be in this position right now . Why am I hesitating? It’s a perfectly nice penis. I haven’t had sex in a long time, and here it is, being offered up to me in five-star luxury.
I lean closer and closer. It’s the most intense eye contact I’ve ever had. And it’s occurring between me and Drew’s penis.
Which is silly because penises don’t stare back…
Only this one appears to challenge that hypothesis, because…
“Ahh!” A shrieking gasp yowls from the deepest part of my chest cavity.
Drew springs back, eyes flaring as he tracks my gaze. He looks confused but mostly hurt, because above all it’s just rude to scream in horror when faced with someone else’s private parts.
“What happened?” He glances down, then back to me, begging for resolve.
“I…” I think fast. Clawing for an excuse other than the truth, because there’s no way I can tell him that when I looked at his penis, another man’s face appeared. “I…” While my brain chooses this moment to short circuit, I fight back the urge to spew, Your dick just turned into the man I spent the night in a tent with.
“Sara?”
When I continue to exercise muteness, Drew grows more visibly concerned. I draw in a rushed breath, “I thought I saw a bug.”
Immediately, his shoulders relax, and the smile slowly returns. “Wow, for a second, I thought there was something wrong with my junk.” He throws his head back and laughs. “There isn’t, right? I mean I’ve never had any complaints in that department, from anyone.” He looks down, admiring himself .
“No!” I say, wishing he’d stop talking about the abundance of women from his past. “Of course not. It looks very nice.”
It’s the moment I realize nothing short of jumper cables could have what it takes to summon a sexual connection between us. It’s the most wretched display of miserable chemistry.
“Drew. I’m so sorry, but you gotta put your penis away.”