Room 452

by T. L. Quinn

  I turn to my other work friend Erin. “Here girl! We’re getting drunk tonight!”

  She throws hers back while I take my second one. Erin is pretty much my best friend since I don’t really do much outside of work. I love how we both can have our own lives and do our own thing. Sometimes we won’t hang out for a month and then we’ll spend five days straight together. I can’t handle friends that need to see you all the time. Sometimes I just need my space.

  She adjusts her too short dress. “Cheers to our last day in paradise. May we both get trashed and find a hot guy to shag.”

  I laugh and click my mixed drink up against hers. I’m already feeling the buzz from my first two shots. “That’s the plan.”

  She turns and looks at me. “What’s been going on with you and Sawyer this week?”

  I whip my head toward her. “What are you talking about?”

  She grins and wiggles her eyebrows at me. “Oh come on! He’s been giving you that look all week ever since you guys had that dance on the first night. Oh my God! Did you hook up and not tell me?”

  I laugh again. “What look? And are you crazy? I’d rather sleep with Gregg in accounting than be anywhere in the vicinity of Sawyer.”

  She cringes. “Gregg. Oh gross. Your hatred for Sawyer runs deeper than I thought.” She jokes.

  Billy, our other co-worker, walks up to us. “I heard I missed the shots. What’s up with that?”

  I smile at him and grab his hand. “C’mon! Best part about resorts is having a bar on every corner of the room.”

  All three of us head to the bar and order another round of shots. The bartender pours three out, and we are about to take them when I hear a voice behind me. “I’ll get in on that.”

  Erin and Billy smile, but my smile drops from my face before I even turn around. I whip around and face Sawyer. “I didn’t buy you one.” I say with a little too bratty of a tone.

  He gives me a half smile. “The resort is all-inclusive. You didn’t need to buy me one.” He snaps back as he nods at the bartender to pour him one.

  Erin pulls Billy’s arm. “Let’s take them over there. I’m not getting in the middle of this.”

  They both walk off, and I call out after her. “Traitor!”

  I grab the shot off the bar and throw it back before Sawyer even has his in his hand. The alcohol burns my throat and then warms my whole body, and I realize it probably wasn’t a good idea to take so many all at once. I can already feel my brain functions slowly shutting down.

  Sawyer throws his back like it’s water, and his face shows no sign that he just downed straight up alcohol. He smirks down at me. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

  I lean back against the bar. “I always avoid you. You just haven’t been seeking me out obsessively.”

  He throws his head back and laughs. “Sorry, but when a beautiful woman looks at you the way you look at me, you can’t help but obsessively seek them out.” He leans closer. “No matter what you may think about me, I am a man first and foremost.”

  I don’t have time to come up with a comeback because suddenly the smile drops from Sawyer’s face as something catches his eye across the room. “Fuck.” He mumbles under his breath. “I’ll be back.” He says to me as it looks like he tries to hide.

  “Please don’t come back!” I call out after him as he walks away, but I am curious as to what he’s hiding from. I glance to where he was looking, but nothing stands out to me.

  I turn back to where he left, and I see him trying to leave. There’s a crowd of people blocking the door though, so he is trying to squeeze through them. He freezes up all of a sudden, and his face drops. He turns around and puts on a fake smile as some girl approaches him.

  They are talking for a minute or two when he suddenly points over at me. I open my eyes wide and almost choke on my drink since I realized I was just standing here staring at them while I sipped on my cocktail.

  I quickly turn back toward the bar to try to pretend like I wasn’t stalking him. I twirl my straw around in my drink and don’t dare look back that way. I hear a throat clear behind me. I turn and see Sawyer with some cute little blonde girl. He gives me an awkward smile. “Uh...this is my girlfriend Blake.”

  My eyes bug out of my head, and this time I really do choke on my drink. “Excuse me?” I ask through my cough.

  He steps up next to me and wraps his arm around my back. He leans his mouth down to my ear. “Just keep your fucking mouth shut for three seconds.”

  I glare up at him, but curiosity gets the better of me so I don’t say anything. Instead I smile over at the girl. Her smile is huge as she looks back at me. “I’m so sorry for interrupting your night, but I just couldn’t believe it when Sawyer told me he was in a relationship. I had to see it with my own eyes.”

  I laugh because I agree with the girl. I’d love to see the girl who could handle his ass all day. “Oh you know.” I giggle.

  Sawyer’s hand grips my side harder, and he pulls me up next to him. “She’s been begging me to dance all week. It was good seeing you.” He says.

  The girl smiles at him again like she’s in love with him. “Good to see you too. I should get going now anyway. Our shuttle for the airport is leaving soon.”

  Sawyer nods and then grabs my hand and pulls me toward the dance floor before I can ask him what the fuck is going on. Since this is a nightclub, it’s not like the music is romantic. More like bump and grind and then grind some more.

  Sawyer places his hands on my hips, and I sway away from him a little. “Want to tell me why the fuck I just covered for what I can only asume was a booty call gone wrong?”

  He smirks at me, and then he pulls my hips forward so that I am pressed up against him. “Gone wrong is an understatement. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if she somehow found out I was going to be here this week and booked a vacation at the same time under the guise of it being a work trip.”

  I throw my head back and laugh. “A stalker is an unexpected twist. I half expected most girls to run from your room screaming.”

  “There’s definitely screaming involved.” He smirks at me.

  I roll my eyes and step back. “I think I’m going to go track her down and tell her the truth. I love to see you squirm.”

  I try to walk away, but he pulls me back so my back is pressed up against his chest. Then he roams his hands down my sides as he moves to the beat behind me. I should pull away, but the feel of his hands on me again is doing crazy things to me.

  His mouth presses up to my ear. “I’m not opposed to physically restraining you here until she’s gone.”

  I must be drunk because I laugh at what he said. “Why would you trust me to go along with this? I don’t even know why I did. I was just too curious to see how it played out.”

  I turn and face him and dance down and then back up his body. He groans when I run my hands up his chest. He whips me back around and grinds up on my ass as he whispers in my ear. “You’re the only girl here that it’d be believable that I’d settle down with.”

  My whole body freezes as I try to process what he said, but then he adds on. “Plus, I knew you’d do what I tell you to.”

  I pull away fully this time. “Alright. I think this little experiment is over. Let’s just say I wasn’t any more impressed by boyfriend Sawyer as I was regular, asshole Sawyer.”

  I smile at him condescendingly and then walk away to find Erin again. I find her by the bar, and she smirks at me as I approach her. She raises an eyebrow at me. “Nothing going on, huh?”

  I roll my eyes. “Trust me. Absolutely nothing.” I look around the club. “C’mon, let’s not let that man waste any more of our time. Come find some guys to dance with us.”

  She smiles at me. “I need another drink first. I have to get my fill while they are free.”

  I laugh and agree, and we throw back another shot before taking our cocktails out to the dance floor. I grind up on Erin, and she sways down my body to the ground and back up.
It only takes moments before there are guys surrounding us.

  We each move from one to the other. Too old. Too young. Looking at me way too creepy. I move my way back to Erin, and then Billy comes up to us with more drinks. “Billy! Our hero!” I can tell I’m already more drunk than I should be, but I take the shot from him anyway, and then all three of us dance for a while.

  My eyes find Sawyer across the club. He’s talking with some chesty girl in a mini skirt. Ahh, back to his usual ways again. At least now I don’t have to worry about him bugging me anymore.

  I dance up against Erin again, and that’s when I see him. Tall, dark, and handsome. Check. I can’t tell if he’s a local or a vacationer, but either way I know I found my guy for the night.

  I give him a seductive smile as I sway my body to the beat. He knows the drill, and moments later he is up behind me getting a feel of what’s to come. I do the same as I move my body against his. I reach up behind me and run my hand up his neck and into his hair. The music consumes us, and our bodies move in perfect rhythm. I can just tell by the way we move together that it will only get better once his clothes are off. He steps back.

  Wait what? Why did he step back? I whip around and see Sawyer with his hand gripping my dance partner’s arm. He whispers something in the man’s ear, and my date looks almost apologetic. He gives me a small smile and then walks away. He walks away!

  It takes me a second to realize what is happening, but then I go to chase after him. I know my normal stance would be to never chase after a man, but dignified or not, I’m getting laid tonight.

  I take a few steps, but Sawyer grabs my arm and pulls me back. I glare up at him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  He snears down at me. “I told him hands off my girl.”

  I open my mouth wide. “Sawyer! I’m not your fucking girl.”

  He smirks at me. “Too late now. I told him you were mine, but you’re too drunk to know better. He’s not going to put his hands on you.”

  “Christ! What is wrong with you? You can’t just cockblock every single guy so I have no choice but to sleep with you!” I shout through the music.

  His smirk grows. “Can’t I?”

  I smirk right back and decide to call his bluff. “You talk a big game you know.”

  He cocks his head to the side. “I never say anything I can’t back up.”

  Got him. I grab his hand and start pulling him off the dance floor. I hear him laugh behind me. “What are you doing?”

  I don’t answer and pull him all the way out of the club. The night club building was attached to our hotel. I keep walking all the way to the elevator by our rooms. Sawyer smiles at me as we wait for the elevator to open. “What exactly is your plan here, Blake?”

  The doors ding open, and I push his chest backwards until we are both walking into the elevator. He looks at me confused. I quickly turn and press the button for my floor. I turn back around and push Sawyer back against the wall. I reach my hand up around the back of his head and pull him down until his mouth connects with mine.

  Sawyer opens his eyes wide and pushes me back immediately. I step back and smirk back at him triumphantly. I cock an eyebrow and place a hand on my hip. The elevator dings open, and I step out. Might as well use my bathroom since I’m up here. Maybe I can sneak back into the club and find my man from earlier. Sawyer follows me out as I walk toward my room. “What are you doing?” He asks.

  I shrug as I pull my key out. “Freshening up since I’m already here. What are you doing?”

  He laughs. “You pulled me here.”

  I raise an eyebrow at him. “You know why I brought you here. You were just too chicken shit to follow through.”

  He opens his mouth and breathes out a laugh that turns into a smirk. “You little fucking brat.” He growls.

  Then my body is pushed back against my door as Sawyer presses himself all the way against me as his mouth smashes to mine. The kiss is so overpowering that I can’t even let out a gasp. He bends his knees and lifts me until my legs are wrapped around his waist.

  I stick my room key in the slot, and he pushes us back into my room. My body slams against the nearest wall, and I moan into his mouth as his tongue swipes inside mine. I thrust my hips forward as my fingers grasp into his hair.

  His tongue slips into my mouth again, and then suddenly it’s like every ounce of passion leaves his body at once. He pulls away and pushes me off his body. It was so sudden that I don’t even have time to process that we aren’t making out anymore.

  He lets out a harsh breath, and then he spits out almost angrily. “You’re drunk.”

  I laugh. “Why am I being scolded?”

  “Because you’re pissing me the fuck off.” He grits out.

  I smile. “Ahh...music to my ears.”

  His face remains angry, and he is still breathing hard. I take a step forward and run my finger down his chest. “Oh c’mon. You aren’t going to let a little liquor get in the way of this now are you?” I try to sound sexy, but I’m not sure if it came out slurred or not.

  I stand up on my toes so my mouth can reach his neck, and then I run my lips up his neck to his jaw where I kiss my way forward. He grabs my wrists and lifts my hands from his chest. “Not. Like. This.” He spews.

  I give him an evil smile. “It’s now or never. C’mon Saw. Don’t you want to get this over with already? Show me what a real man can do, so you can check me off your list or something?” I say sarcastically.

  He narrows his eyes at me. “Watch yourself. I’d hate for you to regret your words in the morning.”

  I lean back against the wall and laugh. “I highly doubt it’d be my words I’d regret in the morning.”

  He continues to stare at me, and I think I’ve had enough. “Well, since this little game has come to an end, I think I’ll get back to what I was planning on for tonight, which didn’t involve you.”

  I try marching toward the door, but the second I have it open a couple inches, Sawyer slams it back shut. “You’re aren’t fucking taking someone back to your room, Blake.”

  I push my elbow back into his stomach. “I’m a big girl. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

  I try to pull the door open again, but he doesn't let me. I whip around and face him. “You can’t keep me here all night, Sawyer!”

  He leans down closer to my face and lowers his voice. “No, but I’ll make damn sure to not let you out of my sight.”

  I let out an exacerbated breath. “It’s our last night here. You really want to waste it stuck in this hotel room?”

  He leans back a little and gives me the cutest grin. “Swimming?”

  I cock an eyebrow, confused. “Was that a question?”

  He smiles bigger. “Yes. Where’s your suit?”

  I laugh. “What are we, twelve?”

  He nods. “Yes. Where’s your suit, Blake?”

  I bite my lip to hide my smile. I suddenly feel giddy like I really am twelve again gearing up for a day at the pool. “Relax. It’s in the bathroom.”

  I turn around and twist my hair up in my hand. “Unzip me?”

  I shiver as I feel Sawyer's left hand grip the dress while his right hand grabs the zipper. Instead of just pulling it down, he moves it down slowly inch by excruciating inch until my bare back is completely exposed to him. I swallow hard as his fingers linger on my lower back.

  I turn and face him, and give him a small smile. “Give me a second.”

  I close the bathroom door and blow out a breath as I quickly get out of my dress and into my swimsuit. I throw a long t-shirt on over top and slip my flip-flops on when I step out. Somehow Sawyer managed to go down to his room to change and back up before I even got out of the bathroom.

  He stands from the bed, and man does he look good. His tan skin contrasts with the blue of his swim shorts and white t-shirt. He smiles at me and then quickly walks over and grabs my hand and pulls me out into the hall. We quickly run down the stairs, and I giggle the w
hole way.

  He doesn’t let go of my hand as we walk up to the pool area. It’s really beautiful out here. There are multiple fountains and a few hot tubs scattered around the weaving pool. There are only dim lights with most of the light coming from inside the pool itself.

  There’s no one else here, and it’s really amazing hearing the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach with the warm, light breeze blowing through my hair. “Wow.” I breathe out. “We got the whole place to ourselves.”

  He smirks at me. “Yeah, no twelve year olds allowed at an adult only resort.”

  I giggle again. “Lucky us, huh?”

  He nods and then before I know what is happening, Sawyer has picked me up, and then I feel a cool rush as my body submerges into the pool. I panic-swim up to the top and gasp when I reach the surface. “Sawyer! What the fuck!”

  He didn’t even let me take my t-shirt off first. I see him smile at me as he crosses his arms across his front and reaches for the hem of his shirt. He whips it over his head in one swoop, and then it’s nothing but hard muscle before me. Well, I mean that’s all I can see. His abs clench as he takes the few remaining steps to the pool. I focus on the way his biceps curve up to his strong shoulders. I try not to drown while I drool over him and tread water.

  Moments later, he’s jumping in the water next to me. When he emerges, he flips his wet hair to the side and smiles at me. His smile glows in the dim lighting along with his piercing eyes. “Hop on.” He says to me as he grabs my arms and pulls me up on his back.

  He swims around the pool, dragging me around, and I laugh some more. “I really do feel like I’m twelve. My dad used to swim me around the pool when I was a little girl.”

  Sawyer pushes me off his back. “Ugh. No. Please don’t compare this to that. There is nothing sexy about that.”

  I swim next to him. “Is that what this was supposed to be? Sexy? How many times have you pulled this ‘come swim with me’ move on a girl?”

  He gives me a cocky smirk. “Many times. I’d never waste an original idea on you.”

  I splash some water on his face. “Good! I’m glad we’re on the same page.”