Page 36 of Room Service

The thought was accompanied by fear. The only solution was to never tell her about it because I didn’t want her to be disappointed in me.

But all of it… it became so real for me after I decided to take that pill. I knew Trent could have any woman he wanted. Unlike him, I didn’t treat sex as a game. I’d waited for a long time because it meant something to me, and I wanted to give myself to someone special. It wasn’t for the sake of any religious beliefs, but because the only man I’d ever wanted was Trent, despite how he’d always treated me.

Now, I’d done it. But because of it, I could never get near him again, and it made my chest ache.

I didn’t think I could fall asleep, but at some point, I must have drifted off. Even as I slept, it was fitful. Trent showed up in my dreams and I’d keep waking up from them drenched in sweat, my body squirming on the couch, either from lust or fear.

By the time it hit the morning hours, I’d barely rested. I turned on Laura’s TV, deciding against trying for more sleep. There was some black and white movie playing, and I left it on. Not that I paid attention to it at all.

“I’ll have to leave,” I muttered to myself. “Definitely.”

A couple of hours later, I woke Laura and we got ready to head back to the hotel. She was delaying, so I went ahead. I hurried to the hotel, then to my room to get dressed. I pulled on the most official clothes I had—a blouse and a skirt with a coat pulled over it.

I went to the manager’s office for probably the second time since I got hired. He looked up at me, surprised, and I thought he’d only just walked in. It was a bit early, but it didn’t matter.

“What can I do for you, today?” he asked, probably recognizing me from the kitchens since he patrolled around the place sometimes. “Is there a problem I can help you with? Is it something to do with the kitchen? It’s usually the head chef that comes to me with complaints…”

“It’s nothing like that,” I said quickly, reassuring him.

“Oh,” he sighed, looking relieved. “Good, because with the new guy in upper management, I’d have to take any complaints up to him. What did you want to see me about?”

I clasped my fingers in front of me, twisting them together in a moment of indecision. I thought about how I could barely sleep last night and firmed my resolve.

“I wanted to ask for a transfer to another location,” I said. “How soon would that be possible?”

I knew I’d surprised him, but I was more determined in my decision. Just thinking of running into Trent made my heart want to leap out of my chest and run away.

This was the only hope I had if I wanted to get out of this thing between us with some pride left.