Page 9 of Hard Fix

“Can you open the door so that I can come in? It’s weird talking like this. I don’t like barriers between us.”

Oh, I’m well aware, Mr. Roads. Well aware of you and your lack of respect for boundaries. I knew my face was burning red. How to ditch this hellish one-night stand and commit it to the archives of sealed cases in my head… A file I’d never pull out ever again, except maybe for dry spells when I was in need of some romantic inspiration. I hated this guy—oh, who was I kidding?

Ugh! I don’t even let myself sleep around! What are the chances? Of all the men in the world, this had to be my rotten luck.

“I’ll be out in a second. Could you possibly run and grab me a cappuccino, light foam, extra cinnamon?” Picky coffee so wasn’t me; I’d drink it black and from 7-11 if that’s the only option. But this pickiness was a necessity today.

“Of course. Anything else? Sweets or a sandwich? I can order room service?”

“Just the coffee, thanks!” I was holding my hand over my heart so it wouldn’t dive out of my chest. I didn’t know why this was difficult. It wasn’t like we were in a relationship. I didn’t generally like lying to people.

When I heard the click of the door closing, I flung open the bathroom door and scanned the floor for the rest of my discarded clothing. It looked like a tornado came through this suite last night. I wondered if Eddie always brought someone back to the room when he was on the road. I heard a ripping noise as I pulled on my stockings. Great. I’d look the part. I assembled my hair into an elastic and rubbed the mascara from under my eyes. One of my shoes was under the bed. Sure, I liked sex as much as the next girl, but I felt like a whore when housekeeping knocked on the door and my ass was in the air as I extracted my shoe.

Go away! I wanted to scream, but it wasn’t the housekeeper’s fault. “One minute. Coming!” I managed to get out.

“Mr. Roads, would you like breakfast in your room?” the voice asked through the door.

Mr. Roads. God, what if Mr. Roads knew who I was and this was all some kind of sick setup? I wa being paranoid, I told myself, slipping out the door at the other end of the suite. The maid stared at me as I pulled the door closed quietly, as if a baby were sleeping.

“Shall I come back later?” she asked me from halfway down the hall. I nodded my head exaggeratedly as she shrugged and hung a Do Not Disturb sign on the doorknob. Meanwhile, I fled to the opposite elevator bay from the one we’d come up in. I’d never fled the scene of the crime so fast before, but anyone watching would have thought I was a seasoned pro. Then again, I’d never slept with the competition before either. Then it dawned on me as I descended the million floors of the nicest hotel in Springfield. Maybe this was the way to take down the competition. Offer him something sweet he simply couldn’t refuse. Then what? I wouldn’t know how to manipulate a man like Edison even if I wanted to.

When the doors dinged open in the lobby, he was standing right in front of me. A giant coffee in one hand that smelled absolutely delicious and a bag of pastries in the other that I would probably never eat because I make them better myself in my own kitchen.

“I’ve got to let the dog out before he pisses on my couch,” I blurted out. I didn’t actually have a dog, but Roads’ CEO didn’t need to know that. I could see he had words on the tip of his tongue, but I didn’t wait to hear them. Instead, I cast my eyes to the floor and rushed right past him.

5

Edison

A heart is to a human as an engine is to a car. Mine had stalled out in the lobby of the Oak Moss Luxury Suites in Springfield. Someone had tossed a cherry stone right into my carburetor.

“What’s gotten into her?” I mumbled to myself as I stepped into the car. I had to look at myself mercilessly in the mirrors as the elevator pulled itself back up to the penthouse.

“What? I’m not running after her, if that’s what you’re thinking,” I said to my reflection. “I don’t like anybody that much.”

I was lying to myself, and it was painfully obvious.

“Okay, I liked her a lot. Apparently, it wasn’t mutual.”

No more talking to myself.

I took a sip of the coffee. Not bad. I’d never had it with cinnamon before, but I’d drink it like this if that was how she liked it.