I swallow hard. "Your hotel? You own one?"
"Own is a very esoteric word in my world."
* * *
He takesme in his Maserati about an hour away from his mansion, where I find myself standing in front of a ritzy hotel in which I’d never be able to afford a night on my own even if I saved every penny I could possibly make…for a month. My excitement level is through the roof knowing I’m about to step inside the fanciest place I’ve not only ever been about to set foot in, in my life, but have ever seen.
The check-in process is seamless, the people behind the desk moving with lightning, practiced precision to keep the boss happy…and themselves employed.
It's at the elevator that I see a familiar face. The FBI agent from the hospital.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Tony blurts out at the man. I put myself in between them, trying to be a visible reminder to Tony to keep his cool, not that I could even come remotely close to stopping him if he couldn’t.
We don’t need this right now. All I want is Tony inside me, not locked inside a jail cell.
"Just keeping tabs. Where is your son?"
"He's with his grandmother, you prick. There's no reason for you to be here right now."
"It's a spot check."
"In a fuckin hotel?"
I may be a foot away from Tony but I can feel his tension rising, and in response, I place my hand on his wrist.
"I told you I'd be around."
The elevator dings and I usher Tony inside. "Keep your tabs on me you prick. You're not going to find anything. Just keep wasting your time. Maybe when you're done you'll find a real job and a hobby to go with it."
The doors close and Tony punches the wall, the metal denting but he doesn’t shake out his hand in pain or make any gestures whatsoever that would reveal ‘weakness’.
"It's okay, Tony. Like you said he's got nothing on you so there's nothing to worry about."
"I try to change my fuckin life around and it's still hounding me. The government's going to be on my ass until I'm in a casket. This is why you deserve better. This is what you’re going to have to put up with when you're with me."
"But the situation is already over. We're in the elevator and it's just you and me now. Let's focus on that."
He leans his head up against the elevator wall and lets out a deep breath. The second that he turns and looks at me there's a softness that overtakes his eyes. "You always know how to calm me down. You deserve some credit there."
I smile at him.
We step into the room and there isn't much talking, not that I would expect any from him. I also enjoy it because no matter how much I want to know what's on his mind, it's thrilling to not know and to wonder.
I followed his lead from then on out. He helps me wash my hair in an act of gentleness I didn't think he had in him. God how I love when his long, crooked, calloused fingers run through my hair.
With my hair pulled to the side as he massages it, he leans in and gives me a little kiss on my neck before slowly pulling back before he loses his ability to restrain himself until the time is right.
After washing my hair, he says, "Why don't you take a bubble bath? I'll be in the bedroom when you're finished, waiting to give you a massage."
Who is this man? The brute that I’ve known thus far is non-existent. I mean, I can see the man I’ve come to know by looking into his eyes, but the man I’m getting right now is a complete romantic and I'm melting in his grasp, in response to his words, at the thought of what comes later. Soon.
As much as I enjoy my bath, surrounded by candles and bath bombs, all I can think about is what's awaiting me in the next room. As impatient as I am I soak in the moment, splashing about in the bath as my Spotify playlist bumps Taylor Swift, transporting me into a whole different world. It's the opposite of the first day that I met Tony. There's not an ounce of fear in me as I lie in the tub.
I can only take so much waiting though. Getting out, I dry off and wrap myself up in an oversized, extremely plush towel. When I step out of the bathroom, Tony is lying on the bed in his boxer briefs watching sports. As soon as he sees me, he clicks the TV off.
I'm not close enough to the bed to see if his eyes widened at the sight of me in a towel. But he does seem enthused.
"You look beautiful. Seems like you needed a day like this."