Page 102 of The Stalker

14

The Sandwich

Tatiana was sittingon the sofa of the tour bus with Jesse. It was early in the morning, and they were having a meeting before he went to sleep for the day.

“So, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” Jesse said in a wary tone.

“What is it?” Tatiana asked.

“Sleeping on the sofa is untenable. It was bad enough before I switched to night shift, but it’s gotten so much worse since. It’s uncomfortable at best, but so hard to sleep during the day. The last few weeks have been terrible.”

Tatiana sighed because she’d wondered if this was coming. It had been four weeks since they’d been in the hotel and Jesse had officially switched to the night shift. On more than one occasion, she’d seen him awake during the day when he should be sleeping.

“Okay, I can take the sofa,” she told him, resigning herself to taking the uncomfortable sleeping quarters off him.

“I had another idea. Look, with the secure door and us being on the move, Hayden is safe on the bus with you here. I can sleep in a bunk on one of the other buses. When we stop somewhere, I’ll come to the bus to escort Hayden off with you if you need me to.”

Tatiana frowned at him. She wasn’t a fan of the idea, even though it did make sense.

“I don’t like it at all. I’m on the same sleep schedule as Hayden, so I’ll be asleep when he is. That leaves him vulnerable when I’m sleeping. It would be better if you took the room and I sleep in a bunk on another bus.”

Jesse gave her a rueful smile. “Are you really going to be comfortable traveling on a separate bus?” Tatiana cringed, and Jesse laughed. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. I don’t think Hayden would go for it, anyway. I expect that he will be fine with me being out of your way—” he paused just long enough for Tatiana to ascertain a certain meaning from his words before he continued “—so you guys don’t have to tiptoe around my sleep schedule. It basically makes the main living area of his bus unusable during the day. By all means, though, get his opinion on the matter.”

Tatiana considered it for a minute before she stood and walked to Hayden’s room. Jesse was correct that sleeping in a bunk on another bus would be infinitely more comfortable than sleeping on the sofa for either of them. It didn’t mean she liked it at all.

She knocked on Hayden’s door, and he called, “Come in.”

He was lying on his bed and reading a book. He looked up, and when he saw her, his face split into a smile. Over the last month since they’d spent time in the sauna together, Tatiana had managed some semblance of professionalism with Hayden.

The sexual tension was always there between them, and she’d masturbated while thinking about him more times than she could count. However, he’d received more emails from his stalker, and her fear for his safety had grown even more intense.

“Hey, can you come talk with Jesse and me? We need your opinion.”

“Sounds interesting.” He carefully placed a bookmark in his book and set it aside before standing and walking over to her. “I’m all yours. Let’s go.”

He smiled down at her, and heat flooded through her body. She ignored her very strong urge to throw him on the bed and have her way with him, instead turning on her heel and leading the way back to the sofa.

Jesse looked up as they approached and smiled, “Morning, Hayden.”

“Morning,” he replied as Tatiana sat on the sofa next to Jesse again.

Hayden sat down next to her, and Tatiana was incredibly aware of his body next to hers.

“What’s up? Tati said you guys need my opinion on something.” Hayden looked at them with apparent curiosity.

“I think I should sleep on another bus,” Jesse said.

“Why?” Hayden asked.

“Sleeping on the sofa is a complete bitch. It’s uncomfortable as hell, and even with noise-canceling headphones and a sleep mask, it’s very difficult to sleep through the day. I’m also aware that it makes a lot of your bus basically unusable for most of the day. If I slept in one of the bunks on the crew bus, it would be a lot more comfortable.” Jesse shrugged his shoulders.

Hayden frowned and didn’t say anything for a minute or so. Tatiana could see him thinking it through, and he caught her eye as he did so, causing him to frown further. She wondered what he was thinking as she waited for his response.

“The crew bus isn’t going to be particularly comfortable, or quiet for day sleeping,” Hayden pointed out.

“I know, but it’s the best option we’ve got,” Jesse said.

Tatiana pointed out, “I did offer to sleep on the sofa.”

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