I looked up at her with a lump in my chest. My room was fine, but only when I knew she was a phone call away. Suddenly the hotel seemed very large and lonely, and my cell foreign and unwelcoming. What’s more, her outfit was for someone else. I knew it was ridiculous, but I was jealous.
“I told you I wouldn’t leave you alone or lock you in your room, though, and I meant it. Claire’s a good girl. I think you’ll like her – she’s a costume player, like me. If you’re ready, I’ll take you to her room.”
I stood, and without speaking I turned off the computer and slid the chair under the desk. In the elevator, Jane seemed to sense my unease when she threw her arm over my shoulder. She was taller than me again. “I truly am sorry we aren’t able to spend the whole night together, Cupcake, but Claire will take good care of you – I’ve made sure of that. I’ve told her a lot about you, too, so I know you’ll have a good time. And don’t forget: I know what I’m talking about. I’m psychic.”
She kissed me behind the ear, and her mouth lingered there, tasting, nibbling, as the elevator stopped and the door opened. Then she turned me toward a trio of doors so much like her floor that the center door could have been hers.
“Claire is on the left.” Jane nodded her head in the direction while she wiped her lipstick from my neck. “She’s already inside, and she’s expecting you, so just go right in. I’ll come find you after midnight. You’re going to have so much fun!”
Then she squeezed my ass and trotted me off the elevator. The door closed behind me, and I could hear all that I knew of the rest of my life whirring away.
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