Page 54 of Room Service
“Hi,” I say shyly, once I emerge from the bedroom, feeling a little better in the clothes Dorien brought to the room not long ago. I’m only dressed in some loose joggers and an over-sized jumper, so his guests will have to excuse my shabby appearance in my preference for comfortable clothes. I’m due another dose of painkillers in about an hour, but I guess the dull throbbing is going to be something I have to get used to for the next few days while my body tries to heal.
Dorien stands and comes over to me, taking my arm and helping me to the chair that he was just sat in. “You okay?” he asks as I get settled.
“I am, thank you.” I smile and feel a blush creep across my cheeks, because I am very aware of the two pairs of eyes staring at us from the couch. “I’m sorry about, well, this,” I say as I point to my face and laugh to try and lighten the moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dorien fighting a smirk, and then the two on the couch begin to laugh.
“Elise, meet Chantel and Gabriel,” Dorien says, and I smile at them both. “Chantel and Gabriel, this is Elise.”
“Nice to meet you,” Gabriel says with a head tilt, while Chantel is beaming at me, her eyes lighting up like Christmas morning.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she says, and I can’t ignore how stunning she is with her long, silky hair, bright blue eyes, and casual dress of skinny jeans and an off-the-shoulder tee.
“Finally?” I question, turning my gaze on Dorien. “Been talking about me, have we?”
“To tell them you were here, yes,” he says, but I see his eyes dart to them in warning, which just makes them crack up laughing again.
“Oh, we are going to have so much fun winding him up,” Chantel says, goading him, and I can’t help but instantly like her cheeky nature.
“For fuck’s sake,” Dorien mutters, and this time, I burst out laughing, holding my stomach as it hurts. “Will you stop hurting yourself?” he scolds me, but the laughter is freeing, delightful, and something I truly needed after a dark twenty-four hours.
“I’m fine,” I assure him, tears springing to my eyes. “Stop fussing.” Although, I kind of like it when he fusses, but I’ll keep that to myself.
“So, how did you two meet?” Gabriel asks, earning another scowl from Dorien. He knows full well how we met, I can tell from the glint in his eye that he’s goading Dorien further, and I see in these few moments that these people really aren’t just his friends, they’re absolutely his family, just like he said. Dorien doesn’t take shit from anyone, so this is the first time I’m seeing his dominant, intimidating self be put to the test, and as much as he scowls at them and curses, it’s easy to see they all have a bond that has been there for a long time. Unbreakable. Fierce. It humbles me that he has people in his life like this, just like I have Celeste. Speaking of, I need to contact her and let her know what’s going on.
I go to get up from the chair, but Dorien stops me. “What do you need?”
“I was just going to go and grab my phone to send Celeste a text,” I inform him, but he simply waves his hand at me.
“No need, she’ll be here when her shift ends.”
My eyebrows raise in surprise, because although he said earlier about me telling her, I didn’t expect him to arrange it.
“Oh, Elise, you have so much to learn when it comes to this terror of a man,” Chantel teases, but I know she’s not wrong. There’s so much I don’t know, and so much I want to find out.
* * *
I spent the next hour chatting with Chantel and Gabriel, Dorien chipping in every now and again, and by the time my meds had kicked in and made me feel sleepy, it was like I’d known them for years. They didn’t treat me like broken glass because of what my husband did, and they didn’t show any judgement for the fact that I am a maid and Dorien is, well, a powerful business with millions at his disposal. I can only assume they got a good vibe from me, even with me being visibly younger than him—not that our ages were mentioned at all. It hits me then that I don’t know his exact age, and fuck me for not asking that question sooner. The drama surrounding me has just been ongoing, not to mention that we weren’t going to delve into anything other than sex back when this first started. That worked out so well for us, I think to myself with a chuckle.
I’m lying in bed, waiting for Celeste to arrive, but I feel like I should go out into the main room, because having her come in here would be a bit too personal, what with Dorien being her boss too.
Christ, the hot mess that is my life right now is exhausting.
But even as I wonder how this is all going to work, I know that I wouldn’t have gotten through the last few weeks without Dorien being the only one to give me that high that only he can give, regardless of if it’s while he’s fucking me or not. Seeing him being so attentive for the last few hours has been eye-opening, and it’s shown me what a real man does for a woman they… care about? Does he care about me like I’m starting to care about him? Does he feel more for me than just a bond created by the need to escape? My heart hopes so, seeing as he’s not letting me leave his sight and all, but my head is wary, permanently scarred from being used for so long by those who were meant to do nothing but love me.
As I wander out into the hallway, I can see Dorien in the kitchen, a towel over his shoulder as he chops some vegetables, looking like domesticated bliss. Except, that’s not what we are. I don’t know if we’ll ever be domesticated bliss, but for a moment, it’s heart-warming to witness.
And as if he senses me, he looks up, his eyes raking up and down me as I lean against the wall, that fire that burns for him deep in my stomach igniting, despite the aches. Even with my face bruised, my lips still swollen, and the bags under my eyes regardless of the amount of sleep I’ve gotten today, he still looks like he wants to eat me.
I push off the wall and walk towards him, needing to be close to him for reasons I’m yet to acknowledge. I’m just going with it for now.
When I make it into the kitchen, I sidle up to him and push up on tiptoes, placing a light kiss on the bottom of his jaw.
“What was that for?” he asks, the knife still paused in his hand as his focus is solely on me.
“Just because,” I say with a shrug. Because this may not last forever. Because while the opportunity is there, I’m taking it. Because even if I never feel like this again in my life, I want to regret nothing.
“If you weren’t in pain, I’d be fucking you over this island,” he informs me, and my pussy tingles at the thought.
“We could just—”
