Lost in You (#Book 2)

Chapter 8

Once outside, I hear a muffled cry through the swing door.  No one expects Austin knows that I spent the night here… “Miss Davis…?” I turn around abruptly. A hotel bellhop approaches, looking very uneasy. “Mr. William wishes for you to stay here, he’s worried about…”

“Is this some kind of joke?” I cut him flabbergasted. The bellhop looks extremely uneasy. Could it be that he is scared of Austin?

“Mr. William was very clear, he specifically asked me to make sure you didn’t leave the hotel today.”

“I’m not Mr. William’s prisoner!” I huffed.

“He’s worried about your safety. It’s really best if you stayed inside.” The bellhop insisted.

“That’s too bad because my cab is here.” I said as I make my way to my cab. The bellhop then rushes towards the cab’s back door to prevent me from getting in. “Are you a security guard too?”

“Yes miss, a bellhop has to know when to be… versatile.” He makes an awkward face.

I sigh. “Would you mind getting out of my way, please?”

The cab driver steps out of his vehicle, intrigued by the strange scene that’s taking place just next to his car. “Are you miss Davis?” he asked.

“Yes that’s right, it’s me.” I start to walk around the vehicle to get in through the opposite door. But there again the bellhop runs ahead of me and murmurs something to the driver. I have no idea what he’s saying. I can’t believe this!

“Please excuse me Miss Davis, there’s been a slight misunderstanding… We got off on the wrong foot.” The bellhop then opens the door of the vehicle for me. Something smells fishy, but hey… maybe he finally decided to let me go.

Once I’m in the car the driver starts. The inside of the car is particularly classy for a rental cab. But he only goes a few blocks before pulling over. “Is there a problem?” I asked.

“No, no problem.” He answers.

“Then why have you stopped?”

The driver looks at me awkwardly in the rearview mirror. “Well the bellhop just gave me one week’s salary for me to pull over and stay put.” The stupefaction must show all over my face. “I’m sorry; ma’am, but these are hard times… I need that money.” I’m surrounded by crazy people.

I look out the window and spot the bellhop on the sidewalk, all smiles. I’m so peeved that my words will easily be heard through the window. “Think you’re smart do you?”

“I’m just doing my job ma’am.”

I’m sure there’s smoke coming out of my ears. I find this bellhop pretty annoying but I know he’s just one of the thousands, at Austin William’s service. “I didn’t know bellhops carried so much cash around with them!”

“It’s not my money, miss, Mr. William left me an envelope for any mishap.”

Did he just refer to me as a mishap? “Am I the mishap?”

“Er… that’s not what I said, miss, let’s say the situation is unforeseen.” Austin William! The only man who can plan even what’s unexpected.

I storm out of the vehicle. “Well, if that’s the way it is, I’ll go there by foot!”

“No, no, if Mr. William learned that I let you… it could cost me my job!” he pleaded, but I am too furious right now. “Well you just tell Mr. William that Miss Davis still does whatever she god damn likes in this city! If I want to leave this hotel, I leave it! if I want to dance in the middle of the street, I do it!”

The bellhop seems more and more uneasy. “Uh… yes… but…”

“What’s your name?”

He seems surprised by my question. “Chris.”

“Well, Chris, would you shut your girlfriend up in a hotel room all day?”

“No! Well, I don’t…”

“What?” I asked at his incoherent words.

“I’m single.” He says.

“Um… sorry.”

“Miss, just let me talk to the driver… if I can’t hold you back, I can at least make sure you get to your destination safely.” Chris seems panicked. He knows full well that Austin is not going to be happy. I soften because I don’t want to be responsible for the firing of a man who hasn’t really done anything wrong.

I really don’t want this poor Chris to get in trouble because of me. He doesn’t deserve to be reprimanded. If someone’s to annoy Austin here, it’s me. “Okay. Hurry up before I change my mind.”

Chris nods and heads towards the vehicle still parked in front of the hotel. I sigh, exhausted but touched by Chris’s dismay. He seems to want to be loyal at all cost. There’s something admirable about his behavior, even if it annoys me. Chris hastens to go talk to the driver then he goes around the vehicle to open the door for me.

We drive through the streets as the buildings rapidly scroll by. The bitterness I feel towards Austin increases twofold. Or should I say Emperor William? The man who thought he could shut me up in a luxury hotel without me protesting…

I turn to Chris, who’s sitting next to me. The bellhop was so scared of Austin that he wanted to make sure I got to work safe and sound. “I’m sorry you had to accompany me when you probably have better things to do back at the hotel.”

“No, on the contrary, I appreciate getting away from the hotel.”

I find this compromise of letting me go, provided he accompanies me, utterly ridiculous. As for Chris, e seems really stressed-out by the situation. It’s too late to turn back now anyway, so may as well just face the situation! And I must admit that I feel better about travelling there by car rather than on foot.

Not so long ago, without Jake’s intervention, I would have been run over. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course miss.”

“Does Mr. William often book rooms in your hotel?” Yes I know! I’m taking this opportunity to glean all the information I can!

“You mean the Luxury hotel?!...” Smartass Chris is playing for time, or trying to change the subject…

“Yes, okay, but that’s not the point.”

“I can’t provide that type of information miss, I’m sorry!” he says. Ah! That answers it. There’s something fishy going on.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then! You wouldn’t have answered straight away anyway.” I smirk at him, proud of myself. As for Chris, he turns white.

“I… I…” he stammers. The poor thing! I’m not being very kind to him, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. I don’t want to hurt Chris, but I’m not done with him yet. I will go about it very gently. Play it wise Rach!

As I’m about to question him again, I realize that Chris is not paying me any attention and seems captivated by something he’s seen through the window. “Chris?” I called him.

“Sorry… Er… You should take a look at this miss.”

I look through the window at a newsstand on the other side of the avenue. I’m flabbergasted at one of the tabloids’ headlines. “Stop, please!” I jump out of the taxi. Chris follows suit as if to make sure I didn’t run the risk of being run over.

I see my face on every cover! In black and white, in color… oh no! Those damned paparazzi got me yesterday! ‘Austin and Rachel: is the engagement off?’, ‘Davis, the clerk who works overtime’, ‘Where’s the ring?’

I feel dizzy. I feel like I’m being whizzed around in a whirlwind. Is this what my life’s going to be like from now: seeing my face on the covers of magazines’, rumors about me published by the thousand, paparazzi trailing me in the street? I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.

“Miss, let’s not stay here.” Chris puts his hand on my arm to reassure me. We head back to the vehicle. We both get in. I’m piqued by what I just saw, and it must show on my face. “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.” Chris tries to assure me.

“I don’t really see how….”

“Celebrity is fleeting. Next week some other star will make the headlines because of some scandal.”

“I never wanted this, I’m not prepared for it.” I press my temples.

“Don’t get upset, it will be fine. Mr. William is used to dealing with this kind of stuff.” I raise my head and smile at Chris. He’s nice, but I think his words outrun his thoughts.

“So you know Mr. William well…”

“I… Actually…” Haha! I got what I wanted… proof that he’s been there more than once! I knew it! “It’s just that I’m one of Mr. William’s biggest fans, and like thousands of admirers, I keep myself up to date with his career.”

After all, I don’t see why he’d lie to me. “No matter, I’ll end up knowing anyway.” I’m ticked off all the same.

“Of course.” Chris nods.

We arrive at William Enterprises. Chris immediately steps out on his side and comes around to open the door for me. I thank him for accompanying me. “I know I was rude to you, but we both know who’s fault that is…”

“I’ve already had to deal with customers much nastier than you’ll ever be, miss… Excuse me for having asked the driver to stop, I had to find a solution quickly.” Chris says as he looks up at the William Enterprises building and shudders as if its boss was going to pop out and throw him into flames of hell.

Is that what Austin wants to inspire in people? Fear? I was already angry when we left the hotel. I never thought Austin was capable of keeping me locked up in a hotel suite…turning people into guardsmen even less so! And then as if that wasn’t bad enough, coming upon all these tabloids didn’t make things any better. I think I can safely say that it isn’t blood running through my veins, it’s absolutely dynamic!