Federal Affair

Chapter 8

Soft jazz music teased my ears when Nick and I slipped through the revolving doors into the Hilton Hotel. We were the only people in the lobby aside from the bellhop and a tall woman with bright red hair behind the front desk. I followed Nick to the check-in counter, almost hiding behind him in a way. I was way out of my comfort zone. The equivalent of a baseball sent flying out of the park out of my comfort zone.

"Back already?" The redhead piped up with a giant smile.

I raised my eyebrows in Nick's direction but he didn't acknowledge me.

"Kelly." He casually leaned against the counter, letting part of his bangs fall forward with a boyish smile. "I need a little help finding out some very important information."

Kelly inched closer to him, her curiosity peaked. "What's that?" she asked in a flirty tone.

Nick reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet. "I think this will help you better understand what I'm needing," he said, opening the black leather card sleeve and revealing something that only she could see.

I stepped forward to catch a glimpse but he slapped his wallet shut as if he didn't want me to see.

Kelly's eyes widened but she maintained her composure, straightening her name tag which listed "manager" beneath her name, and nodding. "I can assure you that everything in this hotel is up to par," she told him. "But I would be happy to assist you."

Nick smiled. "Perfect."

He gestured toward the door which read Employees Only behind her.

"Right this way." She allowed him access behind the front desk but refused to let me pass when I attempted to follow. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I can't let you back here."

"But-"

"It's company policy," she said sternly.

I didn't care to argue and back away, watching them disappear into some back office. Ten minutes passed and my feet were beginning to cry out in pain from standing in heels too long. I sat down on a cream colored chair in the lobby to relax while I waited. Ten more minutes passed and I'd begun to pace back and forth in front of the elevators. Surely it didn't take that long to rewind a tape.

Finally, Nick and Kelly immerged. He shook her hand and smiled, thanking her for her help. I met him halfway across the lobby and he snaked an arm around my waist, leading me back out to the sidewalk.

"Are you going to tell me what that was all about?" I asked as we stepped out into the chilly night air.

He walked me to the passenger side of his Audi, opening the door for me, expressionless. He didn't say a word until he'd taken his seat behind the wheel and turned the radio on so low I almost couldn't hear it.

"I don't know if this makes things harder or easier, but I wasn't wrong," he sighed, not looking at me. He kept his gaze focused on the BMW parallel parked in front of us, practically staring a hole through it.

He wasn't wrong. I didn't have to ask what he was talking about. I knew. It hadn't been a lie. It hadn't been my imagination. Derek had cheated on me.

"Oh," was all I could manage. I felt tears pricking my eyes, threatening to spill down my face. I refused to cry though, blinking the feeling away. I joined Nick in staring blankly at the BMW. I had no idea how I was supposed to act. I wanted to get mad, hunt Derek down, scream at him for breaking my heart. But I couldn't. I had done the same thing. I couldn't decide if we had every right or no right to be furious with each other.