Page 69 of See Her

“You seem like you’ve had a lot,” I observe, watching her close her eyes briefly with a dreamy giggle. She’s waving around her now empty glass, slinging droplets everywhere, and I gingerly take it from her, setting it down on a nearby high-top table before she hurts somebody.

“Mmm-hmmm… yeah, I’ve had…” She taps a finger to her chin like she’s deep in thought. “I don’t remember!” She tosses her hair with more annoying high-pitched giggling. Her swift and jerky gesture makes her sway on her heels and she lists to the side. Instinctually, I reach my hands out to steady her, and unfortunately, she mistakes my gentlemanly act for interest, her eyebrows lifting as she leans in, grabbing at the material of my shirt.

“Whoa, easy there.” I nervously maneuver her to take a couple of steps back, so that she’s literally at arm’s length. Again.“I’d say you’ve definitely had enough.”

“Wowww,” she slurs out and looks absently around the room as if it will give her an idea of something else to say, before her squinted eyes pop open a little wider. “You’re such a gentleman… and you’re right… I should probably… go to bed.” She raises a suggestive eyebrow to go along with that unwelcome come-on.

“Right,” I mumble, releasing her and stuffing my hands in my pockets as I look around, trying to send the ‘not interested’ signal. “Do you have any friends here that can help you get back to your room?” I suggest.

“They’ve all already landed guys for the night.” She waves a clumsy arm. “I’m the last woman standing,” she borderline whines while batting her eyes up at me.

Fuck my life.

I don’t want to be the one to see this chick safely to her room, but I don’t see any kind of security or hotel personnel anywhere, and I doubt anyone else at this party even cares. Plus, I don’t need her following me around all night while I’m trying to blow off some steam. The sooner she’s out of the equation, the better.

I’ve been avoiding looking at her as I ponder this, but chance a glance at her condition to see her fading. She’s leaning herself against the table now, pushing both hands through her hair and closing her eyes. I recognizethe room is spinninglook from when I’ve seen it on Mayzie, and I know this girl needs to get out of here before she gets taken advantage of – whether she seems to care or not.

“Got your key?” I ask her over the pounding music, and she gives a slight nod as she looks up at me. “Let’s go, then. I’ll make sure you get to your room okay.”

She follows me the short walk back through the entryway where the elevator bank sits, and as she shuffles onto the car when the doors open, she stumbles. I catch her by the elbow and release her as soon as she’s steady. I hit the button when she tells me which floor she’s on, and I stand in the opposite corner with my arms crossed.

“So, are you a backup guitarist or something?” she asks with her head tilted back against the wall; her eyes shut against the harsh fluorescents of the elevator car.

“I’m nobody,” I tell her dismissively.

“You’re in one of the bands,” she argues. “You look too much like a rock god not to be.” She smiles, opening her eyes just slightly.

Time to shut this down.

“I’m married,” I inform her.

“So?”

Jesus. What the fuck kind of world have I landed in?

“So you won’t be getting anything from me except being safely escorted to your room,” I lay out for her.

“Like that really matters to you rock stars,” she snips bitterly, and I feel it suck all the oxygen out of the small car. I slowly blink and shake my head, not entertaining her drunken antics, but she’s not letting it go. She pushes off the wall of the car and takes a couple slow struts towards me. “Where’s your wife then?” she slyly challenges, placing her hands on the small of her back, making her chest push out.

“At home, where I want her,” I snap, lying my ass off with the second half of the sentence. “Safe, and away from bullshit like this.” I roll my eyes and thank everything holy when the doors open.

I let the blonde disembark first and follow a safe distance behind her as she teeters down the hallway. I don’t offer to steady her when she’s got a perfectly good wall running parallel to her stride.

When she stops in front of a door, she stares at the room number, swaying back and forth as she tries to bring it into focus while rifling through her small handbag.

“This your room?” I ask, trying to prod her along as I lean against the wall by the door.

“I’m pretty sure,” she nods sleepily as I hear a ding, signaling the arrival of an elevator car from another bank a few doors down. A gaggle of girls dressed similarly to the one I’m trying to shake come through, fawning over Josh who walks between them as they fawn and paw at him.

He chuckles suavely at the attention as one of the several women breaks away to fish her key card out of her purse to swipe it in the reader of a room across the hall and up a couple of doors, while the rest continue to giggle, and a couple hold up their phones for selfies.

Josh looks up and takes notice of me, and a couple of the girls follow his gaze. He says no words, but just stares at me like he wants to talk to me but doesn’t know what to say. The room door shifts open and his small gathering of groupies dart inside one by one, just as the blonde manages to do the same with her door. The movement gains my attention, but when I look her direction, she’s only holding it open as she looks me up and down once more.

“Last chance, rock star,” she tries to flirt, and reaches up to graze a hand down my torso, but I back away out of her reach.

“As I told you before,” I snap, making one last solid effort to hold onto my shit, “only one woman is allowed to touch me like that. Good night.”

I whip around before she can say anything in response, and stride off down the hallway in the direction of the other elevators.

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