I cracked one eye. Blonde. Fake lashes still glued on. Lips smudged with last night's red. She was curled on her stomach, face half-buried in the pillow, breathing slow like she belonged here.
She didn't.
I sat up too fast. The room spun. Hotel suite, Caesars Palace, top floor, all gold trim and floor-to-ceiling windows staring down at the Strip like it was mocking me. Empty bottles on every surface. My jacket slung over a chair. Her dress, some tiny silver thing, crumpled on the floor like trash.
"Hey." I nudged her shoulder with my knuckles. Hard enough to wake her, not hard enough to bruise. "Time to go."
She stirred. Moaned something soft. Turned her head, blinked up at me with mascara-streaked eyes. "Morning, baby..."
"Not your baby." I swung my legs off the bed, stood, didn't bother covering up. Grabbed boxers from the floor, yanked them on. "Get dressed. I got shit to do."
She sat up slow, sheet slipping down. Tried a pout. "You were so sweet last night."
.
"Last night's over." I walked to the minibar, empty, of course, then to the bathroom. Splashed cold water on my face. Looked in the mirror. Eyes bloodshot. Jaw tight. Same old Cal. "You got five minutes before security walks you out."
She laughed, like I was joking. "Come on, Cal. Don't be like that."
I dried my face with a towel, tossed it on the counter. "I'm exactly like that. Move."
She huffed, climbed out of bed, started hunting for her clothes. Panties first. Then bra. Dress. Shoes. All while shooting me these little glances like she was waiting for me to change my mind.
I didn't.
When she was mostly dressed, heels in hand, hair a mess, she stopped by the door. "You're really gonna kick me out like this?"
"Yeah." I opened the door for her. Hallway light spilled in, harsh. "Bye."
Her lip trembled. Eyes filled. "You're an asshole."
"Old news." I didn't shut the door yet. Just waited.
She stormed past me, barefoot, clutching her bag. Halfway down the hall she started crying, quiet at first, then louder, like she wanted someone to hear.
Perfect timing.
The elevator dinged. Doors opened. Jake, Holland, and Kei stepped out, freezing when they saw her.
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Morning entertainment?"
The girl shoved past them, sobbing harder now. "Fuck all of you."
Holland watched her go, then looked at me. "Classy."
Kei sighed...long…tired, and jogged after her. "Hey, wait...let me get you a car."
I didn't watch. Just leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed.
The three of them filed in. Jake kicked the door shut behind him. Holland dropped onto the couch, grabbed a half-empty water bottle off the table, took a swig. Jake stayed standing, arms folded, staring at me like I was a problem he had to solve.
"Nice," Jake said. "Real nice."
"Save it."
Holland shook his head. "She crying all the way to the lobby?"
"Probably."
