Guided Love (Prick #1) (21 page)

Camaron looks like I just punched him in the gut. He doesn't know what to say. He starts to say something about Roni and I lose it.

“Oh and you know what, Camaron, Roni could go FUCK A DUCK! She may be a skinny beauty but her soul is ugly and I think you deserve each other.”

With that, I turn, walk out the door, and start down the road. I am so pissed I don't even know where I am going. I find myself sitting on a stool at Kester's thanking the Lord above that none of the pricks are here. I just need some alone time, just me and a bottle of Jack. I am five shots in and completely numb. I look at my hands and I can't feel them. I start laughing and see that everyone at the bar is looking at me. Even Turner, or is it Travis, the bartender, who I now know is married and has three children, has cut me off and is staring at me like I am a pathetic girl. I am about to fall off the stool from laughing so hard when I feel a pair of strong hands grab a hold of me. The hands are strong and warm and are around my waist. The man helps me back onto the stool and I look up to see it’s Axel.

I just got in from Ma's and I was about to message Samantha to come over to have some chocolate cake, when my phone goes off. I look down and see its Travis from Kester's calling. Damn, someone is drunk—that’s the only time that Travis calls me.

“Hey, Axel, just wanted to give you a heads up, Sam is here and she is blasted. She keeps saying Camaron could fuck ducks; I thought I would call you rather than him.”

“Samantha? Okay, man, I am headed there now. Please, just keep her safe until I get there. Oh and cut her off.”

“Already done man and will do.”

With that, we hang up, I grab my jacket and head out the door. I really want to see what is up and pound on Camaron's door and see what he says, but obviously it was bad if Samantha is wasted; I’ll deal with him later.

I walk into the bar and see that it’s pretty scarce. Just a few locals. I turn and look at Travis when he points to my Samantha sitting at the bar, laughing to herself. As I am approaching she starts to fall, I wrap my hands around her waist and put her back onto her stool. She looks up at me and then brushes her long brown hair away from her eyes.

“What's so funny, gorgeous?”

“Pfft, that right there. You calling me gorgeous. I am so not gorgeous. I am disgusting and pathetic. There is no way a hottie like you would ever find my curvy ass gorgeous.”

She looks back at Travis motioning for another shot and he just ignores her. She turns around again and looks at me.

“Oh, hey there, lucky charm. You, my friend, are here and looking just magically delicious. Can I eat your marshmallow?”

Then she starts laughing again.

“Well then, Samantha, let’s go; I’ll take you home, babe.”

“Hell no! I am enjoying my time here; me and Travis, we are best buddies. Right, Trenton? I mean, Travis, we are the bestest pals there was ever.” She continues to giggle and corrects herself again, “I mean ever was.”

Nodding to Travis to let him know I got this, I throw down some bills and start to help her put her coat on.

“Come on, Samantha, let’s get you home.”

She shakes her head no quickly. So quickly, she loses her balance and grabs a hold of my arms. “No, I can't go back there, not tonight I need to just stay here. Things will be better if I just stay here.”

“What happened, sweetheart? Did you and Camaron fight or something?”

With tears in her eyes, she nods at me. “It was horrible, Axel; I can't go back there I can't do it.”

I pull her close to me and wrap my arm around her waist so that I can keep her steady and hold her up.

“It’s okay, I’ll take you back to my place.”

She looks up and shakes her head no again.

“No, I can't be in that building, Axel, I can't. I’ll sleep here, just find a nice box and I’ll sleep here.”

Damn, she is being stubborn. “Okay, Samantha, whatever you want darlin', let’s go this way, I’ll get you settled into a hotel.”

She is smiling up like it’s Christmas morning.

“Yes, I hope they have a mini bar. I definitely need a room with a mini bar.”

She starts to stumble forward a little as she is laughing again. We get to the Double Tree and make our way to the front desk. The girl at the front is watching us as I try to get Samantha to continue to walk. She is definitely out of it. Tomorrow will be the worst hangover she has ever felt. She is making animal noises with each step and lucky me and the front desk clerk she is pretending she is a goat.

“Good evening and welcome to The Double Tree, I'm Veronica; are you checking in?”

Before I can answer, Samantha decides that she is no longer a goat but a very vocal woman.

“Your name is Veronica. I know a Roni, she is a whore. Are you a whore, Veronica? Are you going to bash my heart out with each and every moan? Are you going to fuck the man I have been loving too? Are you whore . . . are you going to be better than me? He never loved me, you know that, Axel? He was never going to love me. No one will love me; I am a pathetic loser. I suck at everything I do. I gave up my dreams to come here and be with him. I gave up everything I knew. I am so alone, I am alone and fat and not a Barbie. He only dates Barbies, you know that Veronica. I know a Roni, she is a whore. You’re not a whore are you?”

With that, I cover her mouth. “Sorry about my friend here. She is having a horrible night and she is a bit drunk.” Veronica is stone-faced staring at us. She has bleached blonde hair that is straight to her shoulder blades. She looks like she could use a good drink or a hard fuck to loosen the stick that is up her ass.

“You think. I would say she is more than a bit drunk.”

“Could I please rent a room for a few days?”

After twenty minutes of Veronica typing away on her computer, she hands over the room key and to the elevator we head. We get to the room and I lie Samantha on the bed. I make sure to lie her on her side, because there is no way she isn't going to puke sometime soon. I take her shoes off and bring the covers up over her.

She grabs my hand and holds it. Looking up at me, all I can see in her face and eyes is pure sadness. I have a pain in my chest just looking at her lying there like this.

“Why are you so nice to me? I am so broken, Axel, I am so alone.”

I tuck the covers around her, take my shoes off, and lie down next to her.

“You are not alone, Samantha, I am here right here for you. Rest now, just close your eyes and get some sleep.”

Within minutes, she is snoring. Her purse that is on the table continues to buzz, I get up and grab it from her bag so that I can put it on vibrate and see she has 15 missed calls and 1 new text message. I know it’s wrong and none of my business but it’s on her screen so I look at it. It’s from Camaron.

Sam I am so sorry about tonight please forgive me. Take some time and then come home. Please. I need you, you are my best friend

I turn the ringer on vibrate and put it on the side table. I get back into my spot next to her and turn on the television. I’ll stay up a little while longer just to make sure that she will be okay.

I am dying! I have this pounding in my head and a pain behind my eyes. I feel like I am spinning; I am so dizzy I have to puke. I slowly open my eyes and see a bright light coming from the windows.
Where the hell am I?
I am laying on my stomach in a nice cozy bed; where that bed is I have no clue. I hear a door open and shut but it sounded like a slam. I moan and grab my head, hoping that I could just die quickly.

“Good morning, Samantha. I brought some supplies to help with your hangover.”

With my eyes still closed, I whisper back, “Axel, what happened and where are we?”

I feel him next to the bed. I open my eyes and see he is kneeling so we are eye level.

“We are at the Double Tree, a few blocks down from Kester's. Travis called me last night because you were pretty out of it. I was gonna take you home, even to my place, but you were adamant that you were not stepping foot into the building, so I brought you here.”

It’s all coming back to me now. Camaron and Roni having sex on my couch and he tattooed over my name and called her his anchor. Damn, I wish I didn't ask what happened it was better not remembering.

“I brought you some Ibuprofen, a V8 and some other remedies that you may need all there on the table. Here, take the pills now; here is the water.”

He hands me the pills and I lift my head ever so slightly and swallow down the pills. I pray they work immediately.

“Okay, Samantha, you are checked in for the next three nights. I didn't know how many days you wanted to stay. If you need anything, please just text me or give me a call. As your boss, I am giving you a few days off. Stay here and recuperate. If you need me, don't hesitate to call me. I am off to work, I have a few appointments coming in this morning.”

I try to tell him that I’ll be in tomorrow, but Axel won't hear it. He says he wants me to stay here and clear my head. He said he made sure not to get a room with a mini bar. I snicker at that, as I can't even look at a bottle of alcohol without purging.

“Thank you, Axel. I really appreciate you taking care of me last night.”

“Anytime, Samantha.”

With that, he leaves and I turn over, staring at the ceiling. Slowly, my mind starts to clear a little. I think I remember calling someone a whore last night. Ugh, I just want to die. I slowly get up and make my way to the table of “supplies,” as Axel calls them. I look and see four bottles of water, a bottle of Gatorade, a small two ounce bottle of Jack Daniels,
Yeah, that isn't gonna happen,
and a bag that has a greasy cheeseburger. Just the smell of the burger has me running for the bathroom. I go to rinse out my mouth and notice that he also bought me a travel toothbrush and toothpaste. Seriously, I owe him big time. I finish up and crawl back into bed. It seems like I just closed my eyes when my phone is vibrating across the nightstand. I open my eyes and realize that I have been asleep for the last four hours. I look down and see
Axel Calling.

“
Hello?”

“Hey, Samantha, how are you feeling?”

“A little better, but still feel like death.”

“Gotcha, do you want anything to eat? I am pretty much done for today.”

“No, I get sick at the thought of eating right now. Hey, could you do me a favor though?”

“Of course, what do you need?”

“Could you go over to the apartment and get my laptop from my room?”

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll be there within the hour.”

With that, Axel hangs up. No goodbye or see you soon, just hangs up. I laugh that I am annoyed by this, it’s always been a pet peeve of mine. When I look at my screen, I see a text message from Camaron. I click on it and see he sent it an hour after I left the apartment.

Sam I am so sorry about tonight please forgive me. Take some time and then come home. Please. I need you, you are my best friend

Yeah, what a freaking liar! He hasn't even messaged me asking if I am okay, or where I am and why I didn’t come home. Damn, I thought I meant something to him. I am his best friend for crying out loud. I should hold some type of priority in his life. I mean, honestly, he has known me for years; he just met this evil Barbie a few months ago and he chooses her over me, really. Yeah, I am completely replaceable.

I get up, grab the bottle of Gatorade off the table, and flip on the television. I am flipping through the channels and settle on
Beaches
. Yeah, this wasn't a smart decision. I am a sobbing mess when the door opens and startles me. Axel is walking through the door with my laptop under his arm and a KFC bag in his hands. I haven’t eaten all day and the smell of chicken makes my stomach actually growl.       Axel looks at me and then the TV and grabs the remote from the bottom of the bed.