Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“Stop doing that. You’re gonna agitate your skin.” Drawing out my wallet so I’m ready when I walk into the motel, I add, “I’ll be right back and then I’ll cut you loose; there’s no point chafing your wrists in the meantime. Just sit tight for a couple minutes while I get us a room.”
Rather than listen to me like a sensible person, she keeps thrashing about like her little ass is going to be able to pull off my door handle.
Girlfriends. They can be so crazy sometimes.
“Don’t scream when I open this door,” I warn her, giving her a serious look. “If you do, there’ll be consequences.”
“What kind of consequences?”
“The kind you won’t like.”
I don’t offer anything more, but I think I’ve given her an adequate amount of information. She’s not in any real danger, so I don’t know why she can’t just settle down.
I’m really pulling for her to be obedient in this instance and keep her tempting little mouth shut, so I am pretty disappointed when I push open the door and she screams.
“Help me! Please, someone, help me! I’m being held against my will—”
I shake my head, slamming the car door shut. I take a casual look around as I step onto the sidewalk, but there are no immediate indications that anyone heard her.
A motel like this probably has thin walls, but there’s also a decent chance the shady kinds of people it attracts are not the type to poke their nose into another lodger’s business.
That’s only a guess, though, and not one I’m willing to bank on. Knowing the damned girl is probably out there screaming her pretty head off every moment I’m away, I’m antsy and impatient to get this over with.
The woman at the desk might notice, but she doesn’t seem to give it a second thought. I guess she’s used to people acting squirrelly when they’re paying for a room here. That’s a very good sign.
“Do you have an end room available?” I ask.
She nods without looking up. “We’ve got one vacant. Only one double bed in that room, though.”
“That’ll be fine.”
I pay cash for the room and she passes me the key. I head back out to the car, hoping no one has heard Autumn, but knowing they probably have since I can hear her from the sidewalk.
Well, I warned her.
No white knights have come riding to her rescue, so she shrinks back a little when I get back into the car.
“Was it that hard to do what I asked you to do?” I ask, not really expecting a response.
She doesn’t give me one, either.
I drive down to our motel room on the end. The rooms next to it look to be empty. That’s quite a relief as well.
I would’ve cut her loose right away, but I told her there’d be consequences for disobeying me and she did it anyway, so I leave her ass in the car and go unlock the door by myself.
The room is small and dumpy with stained carpet and garish pink bedding that looks paper thin. The heater must not work well, because the room is cold. I’m not looking forward to freezing my ass off in that bed tonight, that’s for sure.
Then again, maybe I won’t be so cold. We have a double bed, and I’m not a scrawny man. I’m not bulky, but I do have a broad build. I’ll probably take up more than my half. Maybe we’ll share body heat and keep warm that way. I’ve gotta keep the girl close, anyway. Clearly, I can’t trust her yet.
We’re gonna have to address this tonight. When I take her home to meet my family tomorrow, I can’t have her acting this way. They won’t turn me in, but it’s unlikely they’ll be comfortable either, and I don’t want to ruin anybody’s holidays.
We’ll figure it out. For now I give the room one more look and then go back out to the car to get my bags out of the trunk.
Even though there was a body in it not too long ago, my trunk is clean. I keep it lined with cheap plastic that way when I have to transport a body, the clean-up is much easier.
Autumn glares at me from the passenger seat as I walk right past and take my things inside, knowing her bladder is full and she desperately needs to relieve herself.
Serves her ass right for not listening.
The room is sparsely furnished, but there’s a microwave and a mini fridge, so I can buy stuff for a makeshift breakfast in the morning. This is definitely not the type of motel that does a continental breakfast. At best, they may have a month-old stash of honey buns behind the counter for any clueless traveler who happens to ask for one.
I’m gonna pass on that. I spotted a travel plaza on the way to this motel, so once I get the girl settled in and I feel comfortable going that far away and leaving her here, I’ll make a gas run and grab us some snacks and drinks.