Waiting For August

Part 7~Drinks after dark

I checked in at the hotel and immediately headed up to my room. Henry had arranged a suite for me until I was able to find something a little more permanent. The room had a small sitting area with double-doors that led off to a bedroom with a king-sized bed and a private bath with a walk-in shower and a soaker tub. 

The first thing I did after dropping my suitcase onto the bed, was raid the mini bar. My nerves were frazzled, and I desperately needed to sleep. I downed two bottles of vodka all at once, hoping it might take the edge off. Digging into my suitcase I found the pills for motion sickness, popped two into my mouth and swallowed them down with a mini bottle of rye.

Sleep was something that other people did. Insomnia started to dominate me shortly after I'd turned twenty. I'd tried most of the usual things; a warm shower before bed or reading, meditating, anything to try and quiet my mind. Then I'd moved on to melatonin, and when that didn't work alcohol or sleeping pills. 

They all worked for maybe a night or two and then the sleeplessness returned. When it got really bad, I only slept every other night, which wasn't something I would ever recommend. It made working and going to school hard. I got through the day with copious amounts of coffee and the knowledge that I would probably sleep that evening. The mixing of booze and pills only happened when I became especially desperate for sleep and although I tried to be careful, I knew how wrong it was.

And today had been a stressor. Overwhelming.

I undressed and headed to the shower, adjusted the water to as hot as I could handle and stood under the spray as I tried to clear my head. I met my mate today. The person that was supposed to make me whole. And I was drawn to him. 

I yearned to wrap myself in his scent, absorb the heat of his body and hear his heartbeat within his chest. He had a pull on me that I could feel, like I was somehow anchored to him by an invisible tether. Could this wolf, this man, this stranger, really fill the hollowness that had haunted me since I'd lost my family?

But he was an Alpha and would run with a pack. And that was something that I didn't think I could handle.

Turning off the water, I towel dried my hair before wrapping a towel around my waist. Once in the bedroom, I could hear someone knocking on the door, just as my cellphone began to ring. I answered my phone as I headed to the door.

"Hello?"

"August. Thank God. I've been calling."

It was Denae. "Yeah, sorry. I was in the shower. Can you give me a sec? Someone's at the door." When I answered the door, Hannah was standing there wearing a little black cocktail dress. Without waiting for me to invite her, she came barging in.

"Oh, my God! Why aren't you dressed?"

For a moment I ignored her and went back to Denae. "Sorry about that. Hannah's here."

"Oh, good. Then I'll let her explain. See you soon." She hung up.

I looked to Hannah, but she was no longer behind me. Nor was she in the sitting room beyond. Instead, she was in the bedroom and going through my luggage. I bit my tongue at the obvious intrusion and greeted her instead. "Hey Hannah. S'up?"

"Why aren't you ready? We're going to be late."

Okay. I'll bite. "Late for what, exactly, Hannah?" She was now going through my garment bag as she looked at my suits. I'd brought three, plus the one I'd been wearing. Apparently, she was picking out clothes for me.

"We're meeting Denae for drinks. She's invited all of her clients and you have to attend."

Aw hell. If I'd known that, I'd never have popped those pills. "Okay, fine. I'll get ready." She nodded and at least had the decency to close the doors behind her as she left. There was no way I was wearing what she had picked out for me though, even if it hadn't looked that bad. I'd been choosing my own clothing since I was five.