Page 137 of Positively Pricked

Chapter 45

When we reached the elevators, he kept on going, like a sleepwalker in his jammies. I stopped and gave his arm a gentle tug. "Woah there. I think you missed your stop."

He turned to look. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry 'bout that."

And then, he turned in theoppositedirection, as if preparing to head back to the bar – or into traffic for all I knew.

With a sigh, I gripped his arm and turned him toward the nearest elevator, which thankfully was already open. When he made no move, I gripped his elbow and practically dragged him into the elevator myself.

I asked, "What floor?"

He gave me a blank look. "Uh-huh."

Damn it.Speaking more slowly now, I said, "What floor are you staying on?"

His brow furrowed. "Fourteen-ninety-nine." He hesitated. "Or ninety-eight."

Obviously, he was giving me a room number, not the floor. But it was easy enough to figure out. I hit the button for the fourteenth floor and prayed for the best.

As the elevator carried us upward, he fumbled inside his jacket and pulled out the card key to his room. It slipped from his fingers onto the elevator floor. He stared, silently, down at the thing, as if he couldn’t figure out where it had come from.

With a sigh, I reached down and plucked it up. But when I held it out in front of him, he made no move to take it. Instead, he only frowned as he slurred, "I hate those things. Used to be, you'd get a real key."

That was before my time, but I nodded anyway and held it out a little closer. And yet, he still made no move to take it. His bottom lip gave a quiver as he said, "Normally, Tiffany does that."

"Does what?" I asked.

"The card key thing."

Oh, for crying out loud.It wasn't that difficult. And if he didn't know how to use it, why was he carrying the card key at all?

I said, "Well, she's not here, so…"

Looking more unsteady than ever, he muttered, "Fucking Zane Bennington."

"I know," I said. "You told me."

He brightened. "I did?"

"Yeah. Downstairs."

"Oh. Okay."

He still hadn't taken the card, which was probably for the best. When the elevator doors opened onto the fourteenth floor, I grabbed his hand and practically dragged him out of the elevator and then down the hall, watching room numbers as I went.

When we reached room 1499, I asked, "Is this the one?"

When he replied with an unsteady nod, I swiped the card key into the slot and heard the telltale click of the lock disengaging. I gave the door a tentative push and breathed a sigh of relief when it actually opened.

Behind me, the senator slurred, "You're really nice."

I turned to look. "Uh, thanks."

"Not likehim." He gave a snort of derision. "Orher."

He didn't say who he was talking about, but it was easy to guess – Zane and Tiffany, who'd been doing who-knows-what in some elevator.

As we stood there, I half-expected Tiffany to appear in the doorway at any moment. After all, this must be her room, too.