Page 165 of The Last Good Man

Once I’m done with my clothes, I ball up the paper towel, throw it in a trash container, slide my hands under the running water, and move my fingers through my tangled hair.

Oh.

What have I done?

It takes me a few good moments to remove his semen from my hair, and even so, I still smell like sex, smoke, and male cologne.

I’m doomed.

Despite how quickly I work, I’m still not done when the door opens and a woman walks in.

She looks at me, and maybe it’s me, but Ihave a feelingshe knows exactly why I’m here.

“Excuse me,” she says, pointing to the sink. “Are you finished?” she asks.

“Oh, yes. Yes, I am.”

I’m not. But I’malmostdone. My hair, dress, and blazer are all damp.

It’s a miracle my tights have no runs or holes.

I’ve been so preoccupied with fixing my outfit that I had no time to removethe smudges from under my eyes.

I step to the side, anxiously tugging at my hair.

There are no signs a man has stained my luscious tresses, but the woman still shoots a suspicious side-eyed glance while washing her hands.

She says nothing when I lock her gaze.

Without a word, she turns off the water and dries her hands before spinning away and exiting the restroom.

A sigh of relief shakes its way out of my chest.

Much calmer, I look in the mirror, run my fingers below my eyes, and remove the smudged mascara.

I dip my hand inside my purse and pull out my lipstick, concealer, and mascara.

Five minutes later, I’m content with the results.

I still look like it has rained on me, but at least I washed him off.

By the time I exit the restroom the rooms are half empty, which makes the situation more bearable as it’s easier to walk through and orient myself.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Emile had left. It’s been a while since I abandoned the venue to walk in the back.

He must’ve looked for me, perhaps even called me.

With that thought, I shove my hand into my bag and fish out my cell phone. My phone is dead.

The battery must’ve died.

All right.

Let’s look around.

I grab another drink from a tray and move around the room like nothing happened.

No sign of Emile.

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