Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 79670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I stare at the door for a couple of minutes before I hear him say, “I’m not leaving.” His voice is clear as day. I make the mistake of looking through the peephole, seeing him look straight at it. “I’m not leaving,” he repeats again, right before he turns and walks down the stairs. I should look away, but instead, I stare out of the same peephole I should have used before I opened the door. I see him straddle his bike, then the sound of the bike fills the street. He takes one look at the house before he puts on his helmet and kicks up the stand. He leans forward before he pulls away from my house. Only when I hear the sound of the bike moving away from my house do I let out the breath I was holding in from when I closed the door. My forehead leans on the wood as I close my eyes, but now all I can do is see him, and I hate it, so I flick my eyes open again. “What the hell are you doing here?”
TWO
ROMEO
I look back at her door one more time before I put my helmet on. Kicking the stand back, I lean forward to put my hands on the handlebars. The bike revs under me when I turn the right handle, and then I take off. My GPS in my ear is set for the hotel I booked this morning when I was flying in.
The minute the plane touched down, I knew I was going straight to her. I didn’t know what I was going to get, to be honest. I didn’t know if she would slam the door in my face or kick me in the balls. One out of two isn’t that bad. I smile when I think about the shock on her face when she opened the door. Fuck. For the past eight months, I’ve had a memory of her that replayed over and over in my head but nothing, and I mean nothing, could do it justice. Not even looking at the pictures of us could do her justice. She was even more beautiful than she was when we were together, and she was a ten before. Every time we walked into the room, I would see how everyone would look over at her. How people would smile when she would speak to them because she took the time to talk to everyone and not just the fake Hollywood bullshit you usually get. The genuine kind, and she remembered everyone. And I fucked it all up. Threw it all away.
I zigzag through the string of cars before following the directions to the Ritz-Carlton. Pulling up to the front door, I put both my feet down before I shut off the bike, and then kick the stand in place. I take off my helmet, running my hand through my hair. The valet guy runs up to me. “Welcome,” he greets, and I don’t know if he recognizes me or not, nor do I care.
“Where do you want me to park the bike?” I ask, knowing he probably doesn’t have a license.
“I can take it for you,” he assures me, holding out his hand for the keys. I pull the small key out and hand it to him, along with my helmet. “Just let me know when you need it again.”
“Will do,” I reply, disembarking from the bike. I see a man in a black suit rushing out toward us, and I know someone must have alerted them I was here.
“Mr. Beckett,” the man in the suit says, coming outside. “I’m Frederick, and I’ll be assisting you during your stay.” He extends his hand to me, and I hold out my own.
“Pleasure,” I say, shaking his hand and then looking around. I see a couple of people have taken out their phones and are no doubt either filming this or taking pictures. I’m sure a couple will pop up somewhere. “Can you show me to my room?”
“Of course.” He nods at me. “Right this way.”
I follow him inside as he walks away from the main lobby to the side. “From now on, you can use the entrance in the back,” he tells me, walking to a small elevator. “They will be able to assist you from there so you don’t have lurkers.”
“Thank you,” I reply to him as the elevator pings and the golden doors open. I step in, and he presses the button for the top floor.
“This is the only elevator that can lead to your suite,” Frederick says, and we ride up the rest of the way in silence.
The elevator doors open, and there is no hallway, just an ivory door. He holds out his hand for me to step out first. He follows me out and then scans his card to open the door. He walks in front of me and waits for me to walk into the room. I enter the living room and look over to the left where there is a room, the open door shows me that it’s an office. “This is the dining area,” he informs me as he puts his hands behind his back. “We have a chef on-site twenty-four hours a day.” I just nod at him.