by Lola Gabriel
Maybe one of the other guests lost their pet? She opened the door and slowly crouched down on her knees. She tentatively held out her hand, and the animal immediately licked it.
Sasha crawled closer to it, and it licked her face.
“Wow,” she said with a chuckle, “you’re really friendly. What kind of dog are you?”
The long snout and pointed ears made it look like a German Shepard or a husky, but Sasha couldn’t be sure. She’d never seen such a big animal up close with such wild features. She began to think that it might have escaped from an animal sanctuary nearby.
“Someone is probably looking for you,” she mumbled. “Well, you can stay with me tonight, and tomorrow we’ll find your owner.”
She went back into her room with the dog trailing behind her. Sasha lay back down on the bed to sleep, and she saw the dog curling up on the ground by the foot of the bed.
Just before the sun came up, Sasha heard her four-legged guest scratching at the door again. Mechanically, she got out of bed and opened the door.
“You want to go back outside? You have to pee?”
She let the animal out of the room, then closed the door and lay back down. A few minutes later, she realized what she had done.
Sasha jumped up and ran outside in her night clothes, yelling, “Come here, boy! Come here…” She paused when she remembered she didn’t know the animal’s name. He wasn’t wearing a collar, and so Sasha had no idea what he was called. “Um, dog! Dog, come back! Black dog, I’m over here!”
When she turned around to keep looking for the animal, she bumped into someone else, and her apology died on her throat when she realized she’d bumped into Nolan.
Who was currently shirtless.
“What are you doing?” he asked her.
“Um…” Sasha shook her head to herself. She had to focus. “There was this enormous dog—” She held up her arms, stretching to try and show the animal’s size.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, there was a dog here last night,” she said. “I let it stay in my room, and when I let it out just now, it ran off. I don’t know where it is. I wanted to find its owners, if he even has them.”
“I’m sure it will be ok.” Nolan flashed his toothy smile at her. “If the dog was as big as you say, it can probably take care of itself.”
Sasha scanned the horizon once more before sighing in surrender. “Well… I guess. I hope he’ll be all right.”
“Who knows,” Nolan said, “he might come back.”
“Maybe,” she replied with a frown, feeling as if she had let the animal down somehow.
Nolan must have noticed her concern. “Seriously, don’t worry about the dog. It’ll be fine. How about a swim to take your mind off it?”
Sasha raised her eyebrows. “The sun just came up! And besides, it’s freezing.”
Nolan leaned closer to her before whispering, “Indoor pools exist in small towns, too.” He laughed “I was going to go by myself, but if you’re interested, I can wait. Or do you have plans with Diesel?”
Sasha thought it over briefly. She didn’t have plans with Diesel, but she wanted to see him. However, she knew he’d be working on her car all day. Going for a swim sounded a lot more fun than just sitting around in her hotel room. Besides, she did have a swimsuit in her suitcase, since Alejandro had told her he had a hot tub.
“You’re overthinking this, I can tell.” Nolan’s tone was snarky. “It’s just a nice, warm swim, little lady.” He got closer to her. “I promise you, I won’t bite.”
Sasha pulled slightly away from him. He hadn’t sounded reassuring at all.
Everything was a long drive from Pine Bend, but the pool was worth it. Nolan took Sasha to a small resort he worked at. With Christmas just a few days away, the place was packed, but the clubhouse, where the heated pool was located, was closed. At least until Nolan could fix it. Sasha sat in one of the lounge chairs and watched him work, slightly annoyed that he hadn’t told her he needed to repair the heated pool.
Once the heating element was replaced, Nolan flipped a bunch of switches then jumped into the water.
“Isn’t it still cold?!” Sasha was on the edge of her seat.
Nolan’s head bobbed up and he shook the water from his face. “Not to me.”
Sasha watched him swim around for a while. Had his shoulders been a little wider, he’d have the perfect swimmer’s body. He was cutting through the pool like he’d been born in it.
“Come on!” he called from a far corner of the pool. “It’s warm now.”
“I don’t know…” Sasha looked closely at the water. “It hasn’t been that long.”
“Just try it,” Nolan insisted. “You only live once.”
Sasha pulled herself off the chair and approached the pool. She knelt down to stick her hand in and Nolan grabbed it, yanking her into the water. She screamed and started splashing around, trying to keep her head above the water.
“It’s all right! It’s all right!” Nolan laughed. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist.”
Sasha bit back a snarky remark. While she had known from the very beginning that Nolan could be a jerk, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he had upset her. She decided not to pay him any more attention than he was worth, wanting to enjoy herself as much as she could. The water was warmer than the air surrounding her, so she began to relax.
“I know, let’s have a race,” Nolan said with a competitive smirk.
“A race?” Sasha was still wiping water out of her eyes.
“Yeah, it’ll warm you up. Ready? Go!” Nolan took off like a shot without giving her the chance to deny his request.
Sasha yelled, “Cheater!” She tried to catch up, but she couldn’t. When she reached the other side of the pool, Nolan apologized.
“That was unfair,” he said. “This time, let’s have a real race. I’ll even let you get a head start.”
“No!” Sasha was out of breath. “I don’t want to race again!”
“If you beat me,” Nolan said, a mischievous look in his eye, “I’ll tell you the truth about Chastity and Diesel.”
Sasha perked up. She hadn’t thought much about Chastity and Diesel before their little encounter with her in the road, and now she couldn’t stop thinking that there was a lot more going on between them than she would’ve guessed at first glance. This was her chance to get some answers, since Diesel didn’t seem too keep about giving her some.
They lined up again.
“Okay, I’m going to count to ten before I start swimming after you.”
Sasha shook her head. “Twenty-five.”
Nolan smiled “All right. I’ll count to twenty-five. Ready?”
“Go!”
She beat the blond to the punch and started swimming as quickly as she could. Every time her head came above water, she could hear his counting. Time was running out.
“Here I come!” Nolan announced before pushing off the wall and swimming after her.
He sliced through the water easily enough to win, even after allowing her to have a head start.
“Damn it!” Sasha struck the water. “You’re still cheating!”
“How? I counted up to twenty-five—”
“I know.” She wiped her eyes. “I was really hoping to get my questions answered, though.”
“Maybe next time.” Nolan caught her hand. “Now…” There was a playful look on his face. “What do I get as my reward?”
Sasha scrunched up her eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
“If you’d won, I was going to sing like a canary… but you didn’t. I won.”
She hadn’t said anything about him getting any kind of reward if he beat her, but maybe he’d just ask her a few questions about her personal life. It did seem fair.
“Well… what do you want?” Nolan took her other hand and started to lead her back to the shallow end of the pool.
“Can I have… a kiss?”
Sasha pu
lled away from him. That didn’t feel right to her. When she was around Diesel, she felt drawn to him, like an unspoken bond existed between them. Diesel always spoke kindly to her, always made sure to respect her space, and she felt safe in his company. She enjoyed being around him
With Nolan, there was always the lingering anxiety that made her keep a certain distance between them. Besides, no matter how attractive he was, Sasha didn’t feel drawn to him the way she did to Diesel.
“No,” she told him. “I don’t owe you anything.”
Nolan rolled his eyes. “Fine, then how about a kiss on the cheek?”
Sasha didn’t see any harm in that. After all, when she had traveled to Europe the previous summer, she had kissed dozens of people on the cheek as a form of greeting. Maybe he would leave her alone after this.
As she leaned in, though, Nolan turned toward her slightly, and the corners of their mouths touched. He took the opportunity a little further. He kissed her, gripping the side of her face to keep her close.
Sasha pushed against him, but Nolan just pressed her harder against the pool’s edge. Sasha began to panic; no one knew she was had come here with Nolan, no one even knew where she was, and no matter how hard she tried to push him away, he was stronger than her.
An unfamiliar man’s voice thankfully interrupted them, and Sasha nearly screamed in relief when Nolan finally pulled away from her. It was the owner. He had come to check on the work’s progress.
“It’s almost sundown,” he said. “I’ve kept my guests waiting long enough, I think.” The short bald man looked more like he worried for a living than anything else.
“Sundown?” Nolan looked up at the enormous skylight. He became uneasy. “Well, then.” The blond pulled himself out of the pool. “We’ll be going.”
The last thing Sasha wanted was to get in the same car as Nolan, but he was her only means of transportation. She kept herself as away from him as she could, though, keeping her hand on her door’s handle the entire time, just in case he tried to do anything else. They made the drive back to Pine Bend before the sun set completely.
Finally, Sasha said, “I don’t want to go back to the hotel.”
“Oh?”
“I want to go to Diesel’s.”
A distant scowl spread across Nolan’s face. “Any particular reason why?”
Sasha didn’t answer. She hadn’t been wrong about him. He was more than just a jerk—he was someone who would go to any lengths to get what he wanted, and that included completely disregarding anyone else’s feelings. Even if Sasha told him exactly why she didn’t want to be in the hotel managed by his grandmother, he wouldn’t understand. He probably didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
“Listen, if this is about earlier—”
“Look,” Sasha interrupted, “are you going to take me there? Or am I walking?”
Nolan seemed surprised at her snappiness. He didn’t press her any further, which was perfectly fine with Sasha. “Fine.”
Sasha could see the surprise in Diesel’s eyes when he saw her standing at her door with Nolan just behind. Despite what had happened earlier, Nolan still had the same cocky grin etched across his face as he always did.
Diesel didn’t say anything. He simply wrapped a gentle arm around Sasha’s shoulder and began to guide her into the office.
“Goodnight,” Nolan said in a playful voice that made disgust crawl all over Sasha’s skin. She heard Diesel slam the door behind them, and she sighed in relief.
Nolan was gone. Diesel’s arm slipped from her shoulders, and he rested his hand on her lower back. Sasha hoped he wouldn’t feel her shiver.
“What were you doing with him?”
“Swimming,” she answered.
“Swimming?”
Sasha gave the faintest nod. For a moment, Diesel didn’t speak, and Sasha could see a myriad of emotions crossing his face before his expression finally settled onto his usual kind one.
“Did you have fun?” he asked as his fingers brushed her cheek.
“Not really,” she replied, and she meant it. Sasha put her hand on top of his. She wanted to forget what had happened—what could’ve happened, if the owner hadn’t scared Nolan away.
Diesel leaned in for a kiss, but Sasha pulled back reflexively.
“I-I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I just…”
“No, no,” Diesel quickly said. “No, you—I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Sasha added. “I do, I—I really do.” Diesel gave her a gentle smile that made it a little easier for her to breathe. “Just… not right now.”
“Okay,” he said, and Sasha squeezed his hand before dropping it. “C’mon, I’ll take you back to the motel.”
She smiled. “Do you want to stay with me? Or, I could stay here.”
“Although that sounds amazing, I can’t,” Diesel told her. “I… unfortunately have a prior commitment.”
Sasha remained silent on the drive back to the motel, the worst possible scenarios going through her mind. She wondered if he was meeting up with Chastity, but she immediately shook her head. Diesel liked her. He had wanted to kiss her, and the only reason he hadn’t was because Sasha had asked him not to just yet.
She had nothing to worry about… right?
Sasha spent the next morning anxiously pacing. Diesel had promised to visit her, and after being so close to him last night, she was on fire. She wanted to wear the nightgown she’d packed in case things had gone well with Alejandro. She also wanted to have time to do her make-up. Once she felt confident that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her when he walked through the door—and once she assured him she was okay with him touching her, of course—all she had to do was sit and wait for him. She wanted to make herself irresistible to him.
An hour passed, and yet Diesel didn’t show up, so Sasha put on a robe to cover herself up and played on her phone for a while to relax a little bit, ending up dozing off. A knock woke her, but she was disappointed to find Ms. Hendry standing outside her room.
“Oh, my, look at you!” she said. “Getting ready for Diesel, then? Or is he already here?” The old woman pushed her way into the room and started straightening things.
“No, I’m not—” Sasha sighed in frustration. “Is there something you need?”
“I came to freshen up your room.”
“Doesn’t Nolan usually do that?”
“You’re Diesel’s mate,” Ms. Henry replied. “Don’t go getting mixed up with my grandson.”
“I’m not getting mixed up with anyone,” Sasha snapped. “Why do you keep calling him my mate? What does that even mean? Seriously, I just met him!”
Ms. Hendry laughed. “He’s a good choice, that one!” She patted Sasha’s hand. “He’s strong, and he has a good head on his shoulders.”
“You sound like a matchmaker,” Sasha mentioned. “Why do you want us to be together so badly?”
“Nolan thinks he’s a shoo-in for a higher rank if he finds a good partner,” the old woman said, “but a weak boy like that…”
Sasha stepped away, growing more confused the longer Ms. Henry talked. What did she mean with “higher rank”? Did Nolan only want her for some strange, weird purpose she was better off not knowing? Perhaps her initial thought that they all belonged to some cult wasn’t as farfetched anymore…
Sasha opened the door again, ready to ask the old woman to leave. She stopped when she saw Nolan standing there, a gasp catching in her throat.
“I appreciate you looking out for my lady, Granny,” he said, glaring at Ms. Henry, “but I’m here now. You can go.”
Sasha felt her blood boiling.
“Done with Chastity already? Well, I’ll be off, then.” Ms. Hendry shuffled out of the room just as slowly as she had come in.
“I’m not your lady,” Sasha said immediately.
“Don’t be like that.” Nolan’s voice was soft and persuasive. The blond pushed the door closed. “L
ast night was—”
The door swung back open violently enough to loosen the hinges from the wall. Chastity flew into the room.
“Pretty ballsy for a pipsqueak like you, Nolan.” She looked at the man slyly. “Get lost for a minute, would ya?”
Nolan paused for a moment, but ultimately had to comply. He pulled the crooked door closed, leaving Sasha alone in the room with Chastity.
Sasha was visibly shaking. She was sure she’d been lied to and that Chastity had come to even the score. She wanted to look Chastity in the eye, but something about the other woman forced Sasha’s gaze to the ground.
“You’re right to be scared.” Chastity closed the distance between them and grabbed Sasha’s face. She looked at the other woman intently. Their noses were almost touching. “You really are just a normal human.” A flash in Chastity’s eyes made them look feral for a moment. “What does he see in you?”
Sasha knocked Chastity’s hand away. “Stop with this mean girl harassment! If you have something to say to me, just say it! What, is Diesel your boyfriend or something?”
Sasha wasn’t expecting the other woman to burst out in laughter.
“That second-rate fleabag? He isn’t even on my level.” Chastity suddenly cocked her head, and she turned in the direction of the door. She’d heard something that Sasha hadn’t. “Well, I guess I’ll be going, then.” The redhead was about to leave when Sasha grabbed her by the arm.
“Wait, you come all the way here, barge in on me, and then leave with zero explanation?” she cried. “I want some answers!”
“That’s very brave of you.” Amusement permeated through Chastity’s voice. “However, I have no interest in playing games on your terms. Get your answers from your lover boy.”
At that moment, Sasha could hear Diesel’s voice at the door, calling for her. When she didn’t answer him, he opened the door. There was an awkward silence in the room before Chastity gave a quick wave and left as quickly as she had arrived.
“What was she doing here?” Diesel’s voice was flat.
“I have no idea!” Sasha was frustrated and supremely confused. “She just barged in on Nolan and—”
Diesel looked her over before Sasha could close her robe again, almost as if he wanted to make sure that she wasn’t wounded. Now was not the time to say she’d dressed that way just for him.
