5
Tyler
Tyler squatted before the door,his friends peering over his shoulder. I held back. I didn’t have a lot of hope.
He’d run out to their SUV and returned with a small, zippered set of tools, designed for what, I had no idea. But I watched him and his friends with a lovely view of three very nice backsides.
Tyler took a flashlight to the doorknob, and in his bent position, his jeans stretched tight over his hips, leaving the fluttering in my stomach to rev up a notch.
“So Bianca,” Randy asked, turning to me while Tyler fiddled with the lock, “do you have a nickname? Or do you just go by Bianca?”
I was flattered he wanted to know something about me. So many guys just liked to drone on about themselves.
“When I was a kid, someone down the street couldn’t say my name and just called me Bee. And it stuck.”
He gave me the hottest half-smile, and I squirmed. “So you go by Bee?” he asked.
I shrugged and nodded. “What can I say?”
“Hey!” Tyler shouted. “Check this shit out!”
The door connecting our rooms squeaked open like it hadn’t been touched in years.
Fuck yes. I had my room back.
I brushed past the guys and ran inside, never so grateful to see something so modest. There sat my suitcase in one corner, and my car keys on the table next to the TV.
“Oh my god. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I said, throwing my arms around Tyler. “I’m so relieved, thank you. Thank you, all of you.”
The guys stood at the doorway, respectfully staying on their own side.
“Looks like you’ll have your own bed tonight, Bee. But if you’re not too tired yet, you want to come back over to our clubhouse for a beer?” Austin asked.
Randy clapped his hands together. “Holy shit. I forgot we had beer.”
The guys disappeared back into their own room, so I followed. Moments later we were sitting around with cold ones in our hands. Which was strange, given the snowstorm raging outside.
“So, Bee, what do you do in the real world? I mean, when you’re not caught in snowstorms and getting locked outside your motel room without a proper winter coat?” Tyler asked.
And being rescued by three hotties…
“I mostly just take up space,” I said with a chagrined laugh.
When the guys gave me a curious look, I explained. “Since graduating from college, I’ve been doing corporate work, which is a fancy way to say I got a job working at a big box retailer. I won’t say who, but let’s just say they’re famous for their big red balls in front of their stores.”
“Ah,” Austin said. “I can guess who then.”
“I’ve earned my way up to assistant store manager. It pays the bills, you know? But it’s not like I’m curing cancer or helping people. Half of my job is basically making sure the store associates aren’t too stoned on the job, and listening as people try to pass off clearly broken crap as being factory defects on returns.”
“Hey, guys, what do you think of running across the street for some more beer before the place closes up for the night?” Randy asked.
Tyler jumped to his feet. “I’ll go. I want to stretch my legs anyway. All that time driving today has me wound up tight. Anyone want to join me?”
I could see the other guys had no interest in getting cold and wet again, and while I didn’t either, I was dying for something sweet to eat.
“I’ll go with you, Tyler. If I can borrow someone’s coat.”
Austin gestured toward his, all nice and dry now, propped on a chair near the heater. “My coat is your coat. Go for it,” he said.