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“Here,” Nelson said as he passed it back with cash. “Keep the change.”
Nox noted that Nelson had tipped her well and was inwardly pleased as he slid out of his seat. Good table manners said a lot and Nelson’s manners were impeccable. Well…impeccable if you accepted that Nelson was generally taciturn and that he lacked certain interpersonal skills.
That lack of personal awareness or charm followed them across the cracked, sleet-slicked parking lot. They ran for the office, ducking against the brisk, bitter wind as it began to rain in earnest. Nelson opened the door for Nox, offering the elderly woman behind the Plexiglass window a terse nod. She looked up from a romance novel and made an unimpressed grunting sound, emitting a plume of smoke from the cigarette clamped between her lips.
“You must be Minnie, the proprietor of this fine establishment,” Nox attempted cheerfully while rubbing his hands together to warm them.
There was a dry, wheezing chuckle as she sneered at him. “Sure. That’s me. Which one of you wants a room, Yer Highness?”
Nelson raised a brow at Nox, looking unsure before he stepped forward. “We’ll both be needing rooms,” he informed her as he flipped open his wallet and flashed his credentials.
“Huh.” She was unimpressed. “You’ll have to share or take it up the road, then. I’ve only got the one room and it ain’t a double.”
“Oh.” Nox whipped his phone out of his back pocket and immediately went to the window, hoping to improve the signal. It took a moment for a map to come up and Nox wasn’t encouraged by the few dots that had appeared. “I think there’s a Holiday Inn Express…” He enlarged the image and frowned when it calculated the distance. “About an hour and a half from here. And it’s booked,” he said when he tapped on the reservation button and saw the blacked-out calendar. The wind picked up and Nox reared away from the window when it was pelted with hail.
“We’ll take it,” Nelson told her with a grimace, making her cackle.
“I’m sure you will. But you lucked out. It’s the only room with a working Magic Fingers bed,” she added, winking at Nox. Nelson saw her and frowned as he slid his card under the slot in the Plexiglass.
“That…will be acceptable, I’m sure.”
“You look like you could use some magic fingers,” she said as she ran his card, then passed him a notecard to fill out. Her gaze swung to Nox’s hands and he snorted as he stuffed them in his pockets.
“We’re here for business,” he replied, causing her to burst into another rasping laugh.
“And I thought it was your honeymoon.” She slid a key across the counter after Nelson filled out the card with his information and the Continental’s license plate number. “Ice machine’s been broken for ages, but I got a tray in the fridge over there if you need some,” she said with a wave of her cigarette at the haphazard seating area in the corner. An orange velvet sofa and a rocker was arranged next to an old almond-colored refrigerator and there was an ancient-looking coffee maker and a stack of styrofoam cups on a console television that looked as old as Minnie.
“We’re…good,” Nox said with a wide smile, then gave Nelson a nudge to get him going. He was still grimacing at Minnie. “And it’s just a few doors down,” he noted, taking the key and instructing Nelson to move the car.
The lock took a little jiggling and Nox had to lean against the door to get it to open. Matters didn’t improve when he flipped the light switch and the lamp by the window came on, casting the room in a rusty glow thanks to the original ‘70s decor. The carpet was reddish brown and complimented the orange, red, and brown-striped polyester bedspread. An odor that was both stale and pungent reached his nose, making his eyes water.
“This is so bad!” Nox whimpered, then turned and waved cheerfully when the Continental’s headlights swung around the parking lot and aimed at the spot in front of the door. He waited on the threshold as Nelson parked and went around to the trunk. It slammed shut a moment later and Nox’s brow rose curiously when Nelson produced a suit in a dry cleaner’s bag and two black backpacks. “It’s not that bad,” Nox lied and stepped aside so Nelson could go in first.
“Here.” Nelson passed Nox one of the backpacks. He grunted at the room and headed for the long ornately carved dresser so he could lay out his suit, then went to inspect the bathroom. There was another grunt of disapproval, but it turned into a sigh of relief after Nox heard the sound of the shower being tested.
Nox stepped into the room enough to shut and lock the door. He fell back against it and peeked in the backpack. “What’s this?” He asked as Nelson quickly relieved himself of his coat. Nelson shrugged and hung it on a hanger in the narrow closet by the sink.
“An overnight kit. There’s a disposable razor, a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, simple bandages, deodorant, two pairs of socks…” He listed while swiftly yanking his tie loose. It was rolled and tucked into one of the coat’s pockets before he went to work on the buttons on his collar.
“And your underwear,” Nox noted, holding up two tightly rolled white T-shirts and two pairs of simple white boxers.
Nelson paused and his eyes tightened as they scanned Nox. “Those will probably be too big,” he said, ducking his head apologetically.
“They’re fine,” Nox said, watching Nelson for any sign of awareness. “I usually go commando and sleep in the nude, but I’ll wear the boxers,” he decided.
Nelson blinked back at Nox for a moment before he went back to efficiently removing the rest of his suit. He turned for the bathroom in his boxers and T-shirt, a clean set tucked under one arm, but paused. “They think that we’re…” His neck and ears turned red and Nox suspected that their server’s and Minnie’s comments had finally caught up with Nelson.
“Bless your heart,” Nox said softly as his head tilted and he enjoyed the firm roundness of Nelson’s ass and his thick, muscular thighs. “So when you said that work does it for you, you meant…”
“I don’t…” Nelson turned and shook his head. “I don’t think about that. Ever.”
“Ever?” Nox shouldn’t have sounded disappointed because Nelson’s eternal frown deepened as he continued to shake his head.
“No. Whatever it is that makes men think about sex all the time, I don’t have that and I’ve never…felt the need,” he added quietly.
“Oh.” Nox didn’t know what else to say. The rest of his responses were in the realm of “You have got to be kidding me.” and “Are you absolutely sure?” He didn’t think about sex all the time. But he had a normal, healthy appetite and he could certainly appreciate a nice-fitting pair of boxers. And Nelson filled his out so well and Nox could see that his torso was toned and dusted with just the right amount of hair beneath his white V-neck. I could do so many dirty things to that man. He kept his expression neutral and shrugged. “Hey, some people are ace and that’s cool.”
“Ace?” Nelson parroted.
