Page 133 of The Alternate Captain
“Sorry—I got distracted then.”
“Call your sister. She’s really worried about you, bud.”
That knot sits heavy in my stomach. But I agree and hang up.
Before I call Vicky, I pull out my notebook and jot down the date and time, and pen a few words about the situation and how I’m feeling. Then I check it over before dialling Vicky’s number.
“How are you, Johnny?” she asks, her voice shaking.
“I’m okay, Vic. I’m just feeling exhausted, and I need a break,” I say.
“Where did you go after the suit fitting?”
“I just needed to get away,” I say.
And then she starts flooding me with questions, but I get a notification that there’s a call waiting and Kelly’s contact card pops up.
“Look, I’ll talk to you another time. Just trust me on this, will you? I know I’ll miss Ladies’ Night, and I’m sorry, but trust me.”
Once we hang up, I dial Kelly and she answers straight away.
“Where are you?”
“At your hotel. In the lobby,” I say.
And then I spot her hurrying towards me, cello in tow.
“Call the lift, quickly,” she says, looking behind her.
“What’s going on?” I ask, following her inside the elevator that’s stopped in front of us.
She nibbles her thumbnail as we ride up to the sixth floor, and as soon as the doors spring open, she leads me down the corridor and pulls inside room ‘606’.
“Darren is on to us,” she says as soon as the door closes behind me. “He started asking me all these questions, wondering why you’re here, and then—shit. He made out he was calling my brother and I panicked, Johnny.”
I take her cello from her, setting it in the corner, and then I walk forward and wrap my arms around her.
“Okay, so we didn’t think it through. We’ll figure it out,” I say.
She pulls back and looks right up at me. “Johnny—”
I lean down and kiss my name right from her mouth.
“What happened to that dress?” I ask, kissing her neck.
She giggles, and it sends a fucking shiver right through me.
“Johnny... I’m being serious here. I’m worried.”
“I’m sorry, I’m distracted,” I say, raising an eyebrow.
“Last night?”
“Fucking last night. Wanna see if we can do it again?”
I feel like my hunger for her has pushed all seriousness aside. And I’m fumbling out of my suit quicker than I care to admit. I want to be naked. And I want her naked. In that bed. Or on that dressing table, actually, because that looks good.
“Johnny,” she giggles, pushing at my chest.
