Page 40 of The Comedown

Julian whistles, plucking the petals off the flower one by one before grabbing another from the vase. “Double? This bozo better be worth it.”

“One room. One night. I’ll take whatever you have,” I tell her, pulling out my wallet and lifting my eyebrows. “And you can charge me whatever you want.”

“I apologize, but there’s nothing I can do. Truly. All the rooms have been reserved for tonight already.”

“By who? Is there a convention in—”

Her eyes skate over to Julian, and I cut myself off, hanging my head to shake it. This can’t be happening.

A noise like a shoe scuff pulls my head up like a puppeteer holding its string, and I find Julian towering over me as he stands on the shiny marble counter between me and the receptionist.

“Aw, little lamb, you’ve severely underestimated me.”

He sticks his hands in his pockets and rocks on the balls of his feet, asking, “How so?”

“By assuming I need a bed at all.”

I push off from the counter, heading back to Victor, who I left in the parking lot. I don’t think Victor’s his real name just like the name I gave him isn’t mine, but that’s the beauty of the dating app I use. We’re all incognito and looking for the same thing—anonymous sex. After the past few days I’ve had, not to mention the ludicrous “dinner” with my ex I just endured, I need this. I need this.

Shoes landing on the freshly mopped floor go off like a grenade, startling the silence, and I pick up the pace.

“I gotta see this guy,” Julian says behind me.

“No. You don’t,” I say without turning around, but he catches up to me in the parking lot in a matter of seconds, so I stop, folding my arms over my chest. “What are you doing?”

“I just wanna meet the guy you blew me off for.”

“I didn’t blow you off. I did my job and now I’m enjoying the fruits of that labor.”

“With a fuck,” he snarls.

I grin. “I knew you’d understand.”

“I don’t.”

“What part don’t you understand?”

“The part where you sneak off to go fuck a rando in his Porsche.”

“How do you know what kind of car he drives?”

He waves a hand out to his side, gesturing to a gunmetal-gray Porsche…with Victor sitting inside…waving back.

Stop waving, Victor.

“We’ll use my bus,” I say, unlocking my phone.

“Antonio’s not around, if that’s who you’re about to call.” Julian’s lips are curved into a smug smile when I look up at him.

If only I hadn’t given Antonio the keys back this afternoon.

“Maybe I’ll use your bus. You said it yourself, you can fuck all you want on there and nobody says anything.”

Julian pushes into my space, not quite touching me, but only just. “Don’t go near my bus.”

“I don’t take orders from you.”

“Don’t. Go. Near. My. Bus.”