Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
On the way back down the hall, I heard a struggle as I passed a little alcove off of the hallway that contained a vending machine. I realized it was a girl being practically mauled by a man whose advances she clearly didn’t want. He’d cornered her, and her arms flailed as she tried to push him off.
“Get off her!” I shouted as I leaped in and used all of my might to shove him away.
“What the fuck?” he spewed.
“Can’t you see she’s telling you to stop?” I panted.
“Oh my God, thank you,” the girl whispered to me.
“What the hell is going on?” A voice came from behind me.
I turned, surprised to find Tristan standing there. But maybe I shouldn’t have been. This floor had been blocked off for the band and crew.
“This guy was pushing himself on her, when she was clearly resisting,” I explained.
“Are you alright?” he asked her.
“Yeah,” she muttered.
Tristan turned toward the guy. “What the fuck is wrong with you, man?”
The guy looked at the floor. “I had too much to drink,” he slurred.
Tristan took his phone out. “Not an excuse…” He spoke to someone before grabbing the guy by the arm and dragging him down the hall.
Left alone, the girl and I chatted for a bit. She looked about my age, in her early twenties. She explained that she’d met the guy downstairs at the hotel bar, and he’d invited her to come back to his room. Turns out he worked for the tour company, which is how he’d had access to our private floor. After following him upstairs, she’d decided she’d had too much to drink and told him she’d changed her mind. But he’d followed her down the hall, then forced her into the vending area.
After thanking me one last time, she went back downstairs in the elevator.
I was going back to my room when I heard Tristan’s voice behind me.
“Emily. Wait up,” he said.
I turned, surprised he remembered my name. “What’s up?”
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Sure, why?”
“You didn’t seem okay when I left, and I just want to make sure you’re good.”
“Yeah.” I forced a deep breath in and out. “I am.”
He cocked his head. “You sure?”
“That was a little triggering for me,” I admitted. “He was basically attacking her.”
He frowned. “Triggering…because something happened to you?”
“Nothing happened to me, but…” I trailed off as a rush of heat warmed my cheeks.
“Can I get you a water or something?” he asked.
My head pounded. Everything that had just happened hit me like a ton of bricks. “You wouldn’t happen to have ibuprofen, would you?”
“Yeah, of course I do. Somewhere around here.” He gestured down the hallway. “Come on. I’ll get you some.”
I followed Tristan into his room, which was a full-on suite. Depending on the offerings of the hotel, I was told sometimes Tristan stayed in a penthouse; other times, he ended up with the best room on whatever floor the band’s management had booked. There was no doubt he got preferential treatment as the star of the band. I wondered if the other guys secretly hated him for it. Each of the band members at least got their own rooms, while the crew had to share. Thankfully, I really liked Layla.
I stayed close to the door as Tristan sifted through some stuff. There were a bunch of papers with handwritten words scattered on his bed. A leather jacket lay over a chair. He’d lit a candle on the bedside table—smelled like vanilla. This scene was a little different than I might’ve imagined in here. Much more Zen.
He zipped open a bag. “I guess you didn’t realize wrangling drunk assholes was part of your job?”
“Thankfully, it’s not, usually.”
“I kind of feel guilty now,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because you wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me.”
“What do you mean? The condoms weren’t for you…”
He froze for a moment. “Condoms?”
“That’s why I was over here. To drop off condoms for Atticus.”
“What a jackass.” He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, what I meant was, you were nervous about taking this job to begin with. I told you nothing bad happens on tour. And then you ran into that situation tonight. I was the one who told Doug to hire you.”
I nodded as understanding dawned. “Thank you for putting in a good word, by the way. I wasn’t sure you remembered me. We haven’t spoken since the tour started.”
“Don’t take it personally. Tour’s just been crazy. I’ve been meaning to say hello. Just under different circumstances.”
I nodded. “Why did you tell them to hire me? You don’t even know me.”
“I liked that you didn’t know who I was. That was the first time in a long time someone’s looked me in the eyes and seen a normal person, not some musician they’ve made a million incorrect assumptions about.”
“I saw more than your eyes in that bathroom, unfortunately.”