Page 22 of Pursuing Desire

I turn to look out the window so that he doesn’t see me smile.

The poor guy isn’t used to living on a budget. He’s used to high-end hotels and people to see to his every need. He’s going to have a hard time with this, and I’m going to love every minute of it.

We somehow survived day one. We spent almost sixteen hours in a car together, and we didn’t kill each other. In fact, we’re getting along better than I could have anticipated. Other than our little squabbles about food and hotel, it’s been smooth sailing. Though we ran into quite a bit of construction and traffic today, I think we are doing pretty well overall on our time. It’s almost midnight, so we used every allowable minute to drive.

About halfway through the trip, we switch drivers. We’ve barely left this car, other than quick stops at gas stations, and my butt is hella sore. Now we’re about to pull into the hotel Dax chose outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“Exit right here,” he says while pointing to the right.

I slow down and get over onto the exit ramp. “Where are we staying tonight?”

“It’s a hotel near the exit ramp. They’re advertising that they offer all suites and free breakfast. Should be nice. I’m surprised I was able to snag it for such a steal. Only two hundred dollars.” He puffs out his chest like he’s proud of his find.

I chuckle to myself. “You know these suites aren’t going to be the same as the types of suites you’re used to, right? There’s probably no concierge or room service.”

“Of course, I know that.”

But does he really know that? His overly boastful tone gives me reason to doubt his words.

We pull into the parking lot. I glance into my rearview mirror and see Taylor’s red sedan pulling in behind us. I guess she managed to keep up with us today.

“Let’s go check in,” I say as we get out of the car. Dax stops and stretches his arms high and to the back. Good to know he’s as sore as I am. We stop at the back of the car to grab our bags.

Taylor doesn’t talk to us but follows as we head into the lobby. Her camera is in a bag slung around her chest, so it seems we have a small reprieve from being recorded. I expected Taylor to check in after us, but instead, she moves toward the elevators.

Dax steps up to the elderly lady at the front desk and gives our names.

She greets him with a delighted smile. “We’ve been expecting you.” She clacks loudly on her keyboard for a minute, then grabs some cards in a drawer. “I have your room all ready. Here are your key cards. Just take the elevator to the second floor, and your room is down the hall to the left. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you,” Dax says. He turns to me. “The show must have called ahead and taken care of it when I put the request into their app earlier.”

We’re walking away from the front desk when a thought hits me. “Do you think our room will have cameras? That would be so creepy.”

Dax thinks for a second. “I agree. That would be creepy. I hate to ask it, but where did Taylor go? Hopefully not to hide a camera in our room.”

I purse my lips while thinking. “That’s a good question. When we get into the room, we need to look around. Just in case.”

It doesn’t take long for us to find our room. Dax opens the door and steps inside. “I guess this is their version of a suite? Not exactly what I was hoping for.” His nose is wrinkled in distaste.

The room is dingy and old but passably clean. I’ve slept in worse. There is a kitchenette, a living room area, and a closed door which, I assume, leads to a bedroom.

Dax drops his things on the sofa and bends down and begins running his hand along the bottom of the sofa and peering under the coffee table. He must be looking for cameras or listening devices. I put down my stuff and help him with the search.

After a few minutes, he taps my arm and shakes his head. He mouths, “Nothing.” But then points to the bedroom door.

We head into the bedroom and look around. Nothing on the walls or ceiling. There’s very little in the room except for the king-size bed, which I can’t seem to take my eyes off of. Dax is thoroughly examining every inch of the room. Finally, he stands up straight. “Okay, I think we’re good. I don’t see any cameras or anything.”

“That’s a relief!” My eyes focus on the large object taking up most of the space in the bedroom. “Now we can discuss the bed situation.”

Dax shrugs. “We can share. It’s a big bed.”

“I don’t think so,” I say sweetly. “I noticed the couch has a pull-out. You can sleep there.”

He looks at me in horror. “No way. I’ve never slept on a pull-out couch, and I don’t intend to start tonight.”

“Ha! Please. I’m sure you’ve slept in some interesting places in your life. That couch is probably better than some.”

His smug look tells me I won’t like what he’s about to say. “Well, usually, there’s a warm body pressed up against me. That tends to make everything okay.”