I didn't even know where I was. Aside from being in my car and on the road, that is. Somewhere in between jumping into my Buick and speeding onto the highway I had totally lost track of wherever I thought I was going. Squinting through my salty tears and the pouring rain, I managed to make out a sign as it flew by. It read: Gas, Food, Lodging -- 2 miles ahead. A hotel. Who cared where I was? I wasn’t going home tonight anyway. Not after what happened.
But where to? If I’d been thinking clearly when I left I would have gone to a friend’s house, or to my mom’s. But honestly, I didn’t feel like getting lectured that night. I didn’t even feel like a shoulder to cry on. All I wanted now was a hot shower and a warm bed. Somewhere where the asshole wouldn’t find me. And where better than…The Town Place Suites Hotel, I decided as I pulled in and parked my car. Not only was it the closest place the highway, it was also the only hotel in sight that didn’t appear to be the kind of place that charged by the hour.
I turned off the engine and looked around the car for my umbrella. Damn it! Never with me when I need it, I thought. I had to make a run for it. By the time I reached the door of the hotel lobby, I was drenched. Oh well, I shrugged. I figured that I was unlikely to run into anybody I wanted to impress anytime in the near future.
I was dead wrong. As I opened the door, the man behind the desk looked up. I found myself gazing into the most gorgeous pair of big brown puppy-dog eyes I had ever seen, peering out at me from under the brim of a baseball cap. He must be my angel, I thought, momentarily stunned. As he slowly smiled, I knew that he must have been sent from heaven to make up for the horrendous night I was having.
Wrong again. The man’s smile widened into a smirk as he burst into obnoxious laughter. “Hey hot stuff!” he said, pointing at me. “You might want to freshen up a bit if you were planning on getting a date for later tonight.” He gestured to a mirror on the wall.
Almost afraid to look, I turned to my reflection. My face was a mess: huge dark circles around my eyes, and the drips of wet mascara running down my cheeks. My soaking blonde hair was plastered to the sides of my pretty face. I took a deep breath, and turned back to the man. He’d taken off his hat and tossed it onto a chair, revealing an almost completely shaven head. Now he was sitting perched up on the desk like a monkey, still grinning widely and playing with the piercing in his tongue.
Calling this jerk a man was too much of a compliment, I decided, looking him up and down. He appeared to be about my age 21-22, medium height, slim, and full of himself. He had one of those trendy tattoos around his upper-arm, and there was more hair on his arrogant chin than there was on his head. I decided I wasn’t going to let this little boy-man make my night any worse than it had already been.
“Anyways, if you’re about finished mocking my unfortunate situation, would you please consider doing your job and getting a room for me?” I asked, attempting to wipe away some of the running make-up with the sleeve of my coat.
“’K, sure.” He said, hopping down from the desk and punching some things into the computer. I took off my sopping wool coat and turned to search my purse for my credit card. When I turned back I caught the guy staring uninhibitedly at my ass, covered as it was in skin-tight wet denim. He was grinning again. I cleared my throat and handed him my Visa. “What room was that again?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest in an attempt to hide what I KNEW he’d be ogling next.