Page 72 of Range
A few more steps and I was near the driver’s seat. I pressed my body into the cushion and pressured the break with my right foot. The engine started with ease.
Click.
Clack.
Click.
Clack.
I walked through the lobby ofThe Madison Hotel. Uncertainty plagued me. I wasn’t sure if it was the jeans I’d chosen that I regretted or the choice of handbag. Nevertheless, something felt unforgivable. Still, I pushed through the lobby with my chin in the air.
Click.
Clack.
Shades concealed my identity. They darkened the beauty of the establishment, but didn’t disguise it. The fixtures were grand and gold, making bold statements in the boutique-style hotel. It wasn’t small by design. It was small due to preference. Only a select few could obtain temporary residency, whether it be for a night, a week, or a month.
I was greeted near the elevator. Because the wait was crucial, compensation for the time you lost was in the form of small bites and bubbles. A member of the hotel staff, dressed in a full tuxedo, approached me with a bottle of champagne in one hand and a glass in the other.
“Champagne, Ma’am?” He asked.
“Yes,” I replied, taking a look at the tag on his shirt, “Sebastian.”
His lips curled into a smile as he nodded in my direction.
“Can I ask your name?”
He poured champagne in the glass. I watched it bubble as he filled it nearly to the brim.
“You’ve already asked,” I informed him, “But, no– you can’t have it.”
His smile didn’t fade. In fact, it widened as a chuckle parted his lips.
“Understood.”
He offered me the glass. I accepted, placing it up to my lips.
Ping.
The light on the elevator lit up as the familiar sound welcomed me inside, along with six other guests with champagne in their hands.
My eyes landed on Sebastian as my back pressed against the back of the elevator. His eyes were exactly where I’d predicted they would be.
On me.
His brown skin was flawless. So were his thick eyebrows and long lashes. His lips were kissable. But, his employment was questionable. A runway or film better suited him. A tray, champagne, and glasses didn’t match his profile.
Hmph. I thought, settling with the idea that not everyone was willing to seek their full potential. Safety was comforting. Safety was risk-less. Safety was soothing.
Like Kason.
I closed my eyes and withdrew oxygen from within the walls of the elevator. Sebastian was the analogy of my life I wasn’t sure I wanted to address at the moment. I was feeling good, even with that unforgivable thing lingering in the background. Until it revealed itself, I’d continue to go about my night.
Hardly fazed.
Hardly caring.
Hardly giving a damn.
