Even though it’s early, the sun is already starting to slice across the autumn sky. I hate how dark it gets in early winter. The short days filled with dreary weather are enough to put anyone on edge. Normally I’d stay south this time of year. That way I wouldn’t be worrying about when the clouds will change from dropping rain to snow. I suppose after I get Red to Portland, that’s where I’ll head.

The thought gnaws at my gut, but I push it away. There’s not much I can do about it. As much as I love having her in my life, as much as she makes every day exciting, and even as much as I love how she’s helped me escape my own demons while we’ve been fighting off hers, nothing changes that she’s only in my life temporarily. There’s nothing I can do to stop her from going away. She never told me this was anything more than a destination road trip. It’s what I promised her. And I need to keep that promise.

Even if it aches inside to think of my life without her.

I focus on the exits, knowing that mine is coming up soon. I told Red I’d take her to a nice place and let her chill for a night. I pull off the freeway, driving into the city and toward our hotel for the evening. I scoped out my map on my phone at our last pit stop, and purposely picked the nicest hotel I could find close to the freeway.

Pulling into the parking lot, I feel like I did a pretty good job as the fancy entrance of the Ritz-Carlton welcomes us. Cutting the engine, I smile at Red, but she doesn’t return it. She’s already holding my helmet in her hands, looking up at the hotel like I just drove her to the front door of a castle. Her pink lips are parted with surprise and her green eyes have doubled in size.

“This place is too expensive,” she whispers her protest.

I slide off my seat and hold out my hand to her for balance. “You just let me worry about that. It won’t cost you a dime,” I reassure her.

“Oh, I can’t. I don’t deserve this. I can’t repay you.” She starts trying to shut me down, but I won’t hear of it.

Holding up my hand, I hush her stream of worries. “Don’t tell me you don’t deserve something nice, Red. You deserve a hell of a lot more than a night in a fancy-fucking-pants hotel. Let me spoil you tonight.”

She clamps her lips shut and keeps the rest of her concerns inside. I wish I had more time with her. That I could spend days and weeks and months showing her how much better she really does deserve. Not just with nice hotel rooms or expensive things. Those things have their place, but it shouldn’t be to prove someone’s worth. I’d show her by making her breakfasts and washing her back when she took a bath. I’d show her with the way I’d worship her skin with my tongue and how I’d let her talk for hours, listening intently to every word. I get the feeling that these are little things she’s never had. Just tiny fragments of kindness that would build her up. Just little moments I’d happily share with her forever.

And since forever isn’t an option, I’ll take the short time we have left together.

“C’mon.” I grab her delicate hand and lead her to the front doors. At first she walks slowly, like she’s in a haze, but her pace picks up and we strut across the front lobby together like we own the place.

“Welcome to the Ritz-Carlton, sir. Do you have a reservation?” A hoity-toity looking woman with a pinched expression stares over her glasses at me.

“Sure do. It’s under Rogers.” I slip my credit card from my wallet and slide it across the counter. She doesn’t look any more impressed with me, but at least she directs her judgmental eyes to her computer screen as she pulls up my details.

“Ahhh, yes. I see you made this a few hours ago.”

I wouldn’t think that’s a bad thing, but the way she says it makes me wonder.

“That’s the one.” I ignore her snobby attitude. I’m not going to let some customer service agent with a chip on her shoulder start this stay on the wrong foot.

The woman sniffs and types my information onto the screen. I look around the foyer while she makes up our key cards and soak in the luxurious space. With the high gilded ceilings and the Roman style columns, they certainly know how to make a first impression.

“Here you go, sir. Your room is on the fifth floor and our elevators are across the lobby to the right.” She vaguely nods in the direction.

“Sounds good.” I snatch up the keys and my credit card and start to walk Red over. “Oh, just one more thing,” I turn and yell across the space to the receptionist.

“Sir?”

“There’s an all-you-can eat breakfast buffet here, right? The website I booked through, Traveling on Parole, mentioned that.”

The woman pales and her lips turn down. “No, we don’t have anything like that available.” Her snark seems to have been replaced by some other emotion. I just can’t place it.

“No worries, we’ll get by. Won’t we?” I glance over at Red and she bites her smile, giving me a look that tells me to quit fucking around. “As long as you got a bathtub to mix moonshine in, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” I call out over my shoulder and head to the elevator.

I guess the front desk clerk figured out I was messing with her because I can hear her indignant sigh all the way across the lobby. That’s what she gets for being so stuck-up. I click the button to summon the elevator and look over down the hall at the open double doors leading into the hotel ballroom. Inside there’s a crew setting up tables and decorating the dance floor for some kind of function. I squint my eyes and read the sign outside the door. “Velvet and Eric’s Reception.”

“Do you see that?” I nudge Red and she looks where I jerk my chin. “Didn’t you win that bet at lunch?” I remind her about how she scarfed down the hungry man special. Even I had trouble finishing it all, but she ate every last bite on her plate and looked like she could’ve asked for seconds. I’m not sure where she packs that food away, but I was damned impressed.

“What are you suggesting?” Red tilts her head at me, but I can see the sparkle of recognition in her eyes. She’s sharing the same thought I am.

“Sounds like the perfect place to do some dancing, don’t you think?”

“There’s no way we’ll get in. We don’t have any clothes for it.”

I didn’t think of that.

We gather inside the elevator and get out at the fifth floor, quickly finding our room. I ditch my bags on the floor and whistle low as we take in the vast space. With a king-sized bed and an open concept living room, there’s more than enough room here to relax. Not to mention all the places to fuck Red. In the bed, the shower, the couch, the edge of the desk. My cock twitches to life at the thought.

“So, were you serious about taking me dancing?” Red drags me from my epic sex fantasy.

“You wanna crash the reception?”

“I was thinking we could hit up a bar or something. I mean, unless…”

“Unless what?”

“I mean, the sign said it starts at seven. It’s only five now. We could probably hit up a mall and get some clothes. It might be fun.” She giggles at the idea.

“I imagine if the reception is here, it’s gonna be fancy. I’ll have to find a suit.” I pluck my phone from my jacket and start searching for local stores.

Red plops down on the huge bed and lifts the bedside phone to her ear. “Yes, I’d like to know where I can go to buy a nice dress. Mmhmm. Okay, thank you.” She hangs up, grinning.

I found a store downtown and pull up the driving directions.

“She told me there’s a boutique uptown I can go to.” Her eyes sparkle and her cheeks flush with excitement. I haven’t seen this side of her before. It’s nice to see her unburdened by the asshole I left hogtied in her apartment.

“Okay, well, my place is downtown, so it’ll be faster to split up. How about we get you a cab so I can use my helmet? We’ll meet back here as soon as we can. Here.” I slide a few hundreds from my wallet and roll them up as Red walks over to me and I place them in her hand. “Get something nice. Let’s have some fun with this.”

“Oh, I couldn’t spend this! No, this whole thing is too crazy. Besides, we probably shouldn’t split up, right?”

That worry I’d only just seen leave her eyes is back. I hate it. I hate seeing her weighed down with constant fear. I won’t let it take her back. Not tonight.

Tonight she’s mine.

“Red, don’t do that. No one knows we’re here. There’s just no way. Here, gimme your phone.” I hold out my hand expectantly and she hands it over.

I quickly find an app from the store and download it on her iPhone, then download the same one to mine. Within a couple minutes I have them synced up with our locations being shared between them.

“There, now if you need to know where I am, or if I need to come get you, I can just find you on my phone. But we won’t need it. Just take the money, grab a cab, and get a nice dress. Let me have this night with you, please?” I finally ask nice. “It means a lot to me.”

“What if we go through all this trouble and can’t even get in?” She tries to feebly argue, but the fight just isn’t in her.

“Then we go somewhere fancy and have a night out.”

She pauses, biting her lip. Her eyes flicker down to my outstretched hand and she seems to come to terms with it. Grabbing the money, she pushes it down in her pocket and when she meets my eyes, I can see that excitement has returned.

“Okay, let’s do it.”