Page 9 of Tyrant

I stare at it, then stare some more. The writing is so bad it’s harder than usual to pick the words apart. There’s also the fact that everyone is looking at me while I glare at the counter, and it’s beginning to feel like the walls are closing in around me. This should be easy and something I could breeze through, but the anxiety of not fucking it up starts to be a bit crushing. My vision tunnels and suddenly all the words seem blurry. I don’t need glasses, I can see just fine, but apparently not right now. Someone clears their throat behind me, and just when I’m about to flip my shit, break the fucker’s neck, and tell everyone else to fuck right off, Blair steps forward.

She smiles kindly to the chick behind the counter, then grabs a pen and scans over each paper. “I can only imagine howfrustrating that must be for you. I’ll get these filled out, no problem.” She jots the information down quickly, then hands the forms back. “Here you go. Do you need anything else from us, Jennifer?”

“Let me program your keys and you’ll be all set. Thankfully, that machine doesn’t need my booking program. I’ll call up to your room when we’re able to process everything electronically. If I miss you, no biggy. You can stop by to check for an update anytime if you want to,” she tells Blair, seemingly much more comfortable dealing with the pixie beside me. Jennifer slides our keys in a black box-looking thing, types in the room number, the machine beeps, then she’s handing the keycards over. “Free WIFI, the password is your last name and the room number.”

“Name and room number?” I question since I only just managed to catch the end. I was too busy glancing around the entryway and at everyone else to hear the rest of what she’d muttered. I tuned out from her spiel once Blair took over handling the papers for me. She hands me my ID and credit card as Jennifer begins to explain the details again, a little less patiently, and it takes everything in me to pay a lick of attention because Blair’s hand just brushed against mine, and I swear it zapped me. The brief touch was enough to drive me wild, which is basically insane in my opinion.

“Yes sir, your name is Chris Knight, so your password would beKnight313.”

“Got it,” I grumble. “Thanks,” I remember to say as we’re walking away, not wanting to come off as a total meatheaded tool. As we get away from the desk and the prying eyes, I say, “I appreciate you having my back-back there. She started talking and mixed with the gibberish she wanted written down, I couldn’t focus anymore.”

Blair offers me an easy smile, nodding. “Of course. It’s the least I can do when you’ve had mine several times already.Besides, after riding so much the past few days, it’s amazing we can both think or even hear correctly. I still feel like I’m vibrating a bit.”

My brow scrunches up in thought, trying to work out the times she’s thinking of with me having her back. Nothing comes to mind, aside from when I offered her the ride initially. We get to the room, and thankfully, the key works, so the outage must be affecting downstairs and not the rest of the hotel. I’m shocked to discover only one bed in the mini suite when we enter, but then it hits me: I only booked one bed because I didn’t have any guests coming with me when I was checking out the local hotels to the concert venue. “Shit, I’ll call down and ask if they have any rooms with two beds.”

“I can sleep on the floor,” she responds without hesitation and it fills me with fury. She should not be so damn accommodating, and whoever made her this way is a complete asshole.

“Absolutely not.” I immediately disagree, shaking my head. “I’ll call downstairs and see if they can get us moved.”

She finally gives in. “Okay, thank you. I’m going to take a shower while you figure out if we’re staying in this room or moving.” She points to one of the complimentary bottled waters near the fridge and microwave, and I nod. Blair can have whatever the fuck she wants, but I know she’ll barely ask for a thing. I’ve learned that much about the quiet but proud woman over the past few days. She takes the water and the bag of all her belongings with her, flashing me one more grateful glance before she disappears into the other room. I wish she’d taken some of the candies and snacks from the bowl next to the water as well. Sure, I’d have to pay out the ass for them, but it’d be worth it knowing she’s eating whenever she feels hungry.

She cracks the door, calling through the small opening, “Hey, there are some toiletry items in here, travel stuff. Mind if I use them?”

“They’re all yours, Sugar. You let me know if somethin’ is missing and I’ll have them bring it up for you.”

The bathroom door closes, and I head for the phone. I even pick it up, but then the thoughts of sleeping next to her the past few nights under the stars all alone hit me, and I hang the receiver back up. We haven’t needed two beds before now, and the last thing I want to do is put distance between us, setting us back a step. The space would only work against what I want to accomplish and that’s Blair completely naked, writhing beneath me, and moaning my name.

I make a call, but it’s to the concierge, asking them to bring up a variety of shit they think my travel companion might need if she was short of supplies. I gave them her size and description to the best of my knowledge, and they promised to send one of their shoppers up with supplies. All courtesy of my credit card on file. Never stayed at a place like this with everything I want right at my fingertips. Sure, it comes at a cost, but I already warned them it’d max out if they tried charging a cool grand on it, and they assured me they’d keep it reasonable.

Not gonna hold my breath, but after traveling with Blair and her asking me for virtually nothing…Well, it makes me want to buy her whatever she sets her eyes on. Not that I’m set up for that sort of thing financially. I have enough cash saved to get by with what I need and spoiling a woman on a rare occasion won’t set me back too much. Helps I live at the club, no rent or anything to worry about, so it just collects in my bank account.

The bathroom door opens sometime later, steam billowing out as Blair enters the tiny room to find me sitting on the edge of the bed, hands clammy like it’s prom night, and I’m about to fuck the virginity out of some chick I’ve barely been dating for two months. No pressure at all. “The water is divine; I feel five pounds lighter after the massage the hot water gave me. So, are we moving rooms after all?”

I should tell her the truth. It’s the right thing to do and if I was a good man, I would. I’m not. “Nah. Talked to the front desk, but it looks like the hotel is full. I asked for a cot, but they seem to be out of everything right now. Looks like we’re sharing a bed unless they find another room for us before we leave.”

Her lips twist into a frown for a beat, but then she loses it, her expression softening as she gazes at me. It’s rare a chick looks at me the way she does. It’s usually out of hate ‘cause they think I’m a grumpy asshole or filled with lust over the idea of fucking an outlaw biker. No one just offers me kindness as Blair seems to do without a second thought. “No worries, Tyrant. I appreciate you asking and for letting me stay with you. I’ll sleep anywhere so long as it has air conditioning during the day and some sort of breeze at night. Since we’re in the desert now, though, I have a feeling after what you’ve told me, I won’t want a breeze at night.”

I chuckle, while inside I’m fist pumping in relief. She bought it, and now I’ll get to have her in my bed tonight, exactly like I’d been daydreaming about all day long yesterday through to this morning. It’s hard to think of little else when she’s sitting so close to me for eight hours every day and then sleeping pressed against me for at least eight more at night. Sixteen hours out of each of the past three days has been filled with us intimately close in proximity to each other. I don’t feel like I’ve known her for less than a week, but closer to knowing her for at least a month or more. All the talking we do in the evenings has only further cemented the notion. I like her. I respect her. Most of all, I’m more than ready to drop trow and fuck her. “You can eat those snacks if you’re hungry.” I gesture to the bowl filled with bags of Chex mix, chocolate macarons claiming to be gourmet, and honey oat granola bars. I don’t like any of that shit anyhow. I’m not much of a junk food eater unless it’s Moon Pies and sweet tea.

“They’re free, like the waters?”

I nod. Another lie. A small one, but my soul’s already going to hell, so what’s one more added to the mix of my transgressions. Fuck it. “I asked them to bring up some more stuff, so if anyone comes to the door with a bag, you can answer it.” Her eyes grow wide, so I quickly follow up with, “Or not. Tell them to leave it against the door and grab it when they roll out or holler for me. I’m going to hop in the shower to get this road grime off me but can hurry out if you don’t feel comfortable.”

She nods. Biting into her lower lip as she stares at me. “Can I do something?”

“Of course,” I grumble the words, head tilted as I don’t know why she’d be asking my permission for anything. She can do whatever the fuck she wants, and if anyone protests, they can deal with me. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

“I’ve been wanting to do this but not appear too forward in doing so,” she softly admits, then she’s standing in front of me. My brows leap to my hairline as she leans forward, wrapping her arms around my waist. Her hands rest mid back, keeping it completely innocent, but her pressing against my front this tightly as she wraps me in a hug has me feeling some type of way. She possesses a power she doesn’t realize she holds in the palm of her hands…how to turn me to putty for her. She gives me a strong squeeze in the process that has my arms coming up to wrap around her in return, not wanting to let her go so soon.

When was the last time someone hugged me like this?

“You’re not too forward for me,” I manage to choke out. My throat’s suddenly dry, along with the weird ass tightening in my chest. My heart pitter-patters right along like it’s a drum building up a crescendo. “Your hair smells nice,” I mumble absently.

She pulls away, beaming up at me. She has to be the nicest person I’ve ever met before. She offers her beautiful smiles to me like I’ve somehow earned them when I’ve done nothing of thesort. She claims she doesn’t have any money, but her looking like that is all the currency I need. Knowing she’s happy, and believes I did something right, makes me feel on top of the fucking world.

Chapter 7

Blair

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