Chapter 45

When we reached the elevators, he kept on going, like a sleepwalker in his jammies. I stopped and gave his arm a gentle tug. "Woah there. I think you missed your stop."

He turned to look. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry 'bout that."

And then, he turned in the opposite direction, as if preparing to head back to the bar – or into traffic for all I knew.

With a sigh, I gripped his arm and turned him toward the nearest elevator, which thankfully was already open. When he made no move, I gripped his elbow and practically dragged him into the elevator myself.

I asked, "What floor?"

He gave me a blank look. "Uh-huh."

Damn it. Speaking more slowly now, I said, "What floor are you staying on?"

His brow furrowed. "Fourteen-ninety-nine." He hesitated. "Or ninety-eight."

Obviously, he was giving me a room number, not the floor. But it was easy enough to figure out. I hit the button for the fourteenth floor and prayed for the best.

As the elevator carried us upward, he fumbled inside his jacket and pulled out the card key to his room. It slipped from his fingers onto the elevator floor. He stared, silently, down at the thing, as if he couldn’t figure out where it had come from.

With a sigh, I reached down and plucked it up. But when I held it out in front of him, he made no move to take it. Instead, he only frowned as he slurred, "I hate those things. Used to be, you'd get a real key."

That was before my time, but I nodded anyway and held it out a little closer. And yet, he still made no move to take it. His bottom lip gave a quiver as he said, "Normally, Tiffany does that."

"Does what?" I asked.

"The card key thing."

Oh, for crying out loud. It wasn't that difficult. And if he didn't know how to use it, why was he carrying the card key at all?

I said, "Well, she's not here, so…"

Looking more unsteady than ever, he muttered, "Fucking Zane Bennington."

"I know," I said. "You told me."

He brightened. "I did?"

"Yeah. Downstairs."

"Oh. Okay."

He still hadn't taken the card, which was probably for the best. When the elevator doors opened onto the fourteenth floor, I grabbed his hand and practically dragged him out of the elevator and then down the hall, watching room numbers as I went.

When we reached room 1499, I asked, "Is this the one?"

When he replied with an unsteady nod, I swiped the card key into the slot and heard the telltale click of the lock disengaging. I gave the door a tentative push and breathed a sigh of relief when it actually opened.

Behind me, the senator slurred, "You're really nice."

I turned to look. "Uh, thanks."

"Not like him." He gave a snort of derision. "Or her."

He didn't say who he was talking about, but it was easy to guess – Zane and Tiffany, who'd been doing who-knows-what in some elevator.

As we stood there, I half-expected Tiffany to appear in the doorway at any moment. After all, this must be her room, too.

I had to wonder, if they didn't make up, which one of them would be sent packing?

I didn't plan on sticking around long enough to find out. So I wished the senator a good night and made a move to leave, only to have him envelope me in a giant bear hug. "You're really nice," he repeated.

I said the same thing I said the first time. "Uh, thanks."

"Smell nice, too."

"Uh, okay."

I made a move to pull back, but the senator only held on tighter. "I like your hair." He gave it a noisy sniff and mumbled, "Smells good, too."

I gave a nervous laugh. "Thanks, but I'd better get going."

As I spoke, it took me a moment to realize his hands were creeping lower. Almost before I knew what was happening, he'd cupped a cheek in each hand and gave them a firm squeeze.

I yanked myself backward just as I felt both of his thumbs going in for the crack.

I glared up at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

He looked to his room. "You wanna go inside?"

What the hell?

I gave a bark of laughter. "No."

He mumbled, "My ass isn't that hairy." He perked up. "If you want, you could shave it."

I didn't know whether to laugh or slap him. The only upside was that I highly doubted he'd remember any of this tomorrow.

I gave a shudder. If only I could say the same for myself.

I dodged past him and scurried down the hall, not looking back, even as he hollered out, "Come back, you fucking tease!"

At that particular moment, he sounded almost sober, and I couldn't help but wonder if the whole drunk-as-a-skunk thing had been only an act to get me up here.

But no. It couldn't be. After all, he'd been staggering when talking to Tiffany, too.

Hadn't he?

I decided not to dwell on it, and just thanked my lucky stars that I hadn't been even more foolish.

I made a mental note to avoid him like the plague in the future. And I might've managed it, too, if only it weren't for what happened the very next morning.