Regrets

12. Jeannie

She wanted to sleep, but she knew she couldn't. Not in this bed. When he finished rubbing her feet, she dragged herself to a sitting position and scooted over to the edge of the bed. She stood on wobbly legs and steadied herself against his shoulder. She walked to the bathroom and tried to fix her hair. It was hopeless. She stepped back into the entryway and picked up her bra. She felt his eyes on her as she leaned over. She shook her breasts side to side and he laughed.

She put on the bra and her dress from the closet. She considered asking for her panties back, but decided against it. She brought her shoes over to the edge of the bed and sat next to him. Before she had a chance to put them on, he was on the floor doing it for her, like a shoe salesman. She smiled. He was so cute and eager. She felt completely spoiled by him. She tousled his hair. "Thank you, Master," she whispered.

She stood up and he stood in front of her. He was still naked and sweaty. He leaned forward to kiss her, and she kissed him back, being careful not to rub her dress against his body. He held her face in his hands. It was a wonderful kiss.

She put her hand against his cheek, and headed for the door. She squatted to pick up her purse, and then she left.

She took a moment to get her bearings as the door closed behind her. She squinted against the bright light of the hallway. She looked around and then remembered the way back to the elevator. She waited for it for what felt like an eternity. Her mind was empty. She was in a trance-like state, similar to the way she felt when she first woke in the morning after getting a great night's sleep. As rare as that was. The elevator came and she tapped the 12 button. Before long she was standing in front of her door.

She slipped the card key in and the light flashed red. She tried again. Nothing. She knocked on the door and waited. No response. Fucking card keys, she thought. Real keys never had this problem. She reached into her purse and fished out her phone. There was a message from Steve. "Taking your lead on the pub crawl. Maybe we'll bump into you! If not, I'll see you back at the room later."

As she put the phone back in her purse she noticed another card key in there. She laughed and swapped it with the one in her hand. Oops, she thought, as she easily opened her door with the right key. The room was dark and empty. She took off her clothes and inspected her naked body before the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. She had small bruises and marks all over. There were obvious teeth marks on her inner thigh. She ran her fingers over them trying to remember when each was placed there.

Then she got ready for bed.

She was awoken by the sound of Steve stumbling into her room. "You smell like a bar," she said. "Please take a shower before you come to bed."

"Yes, dear," he replied.

She drifted off and did not wake up until the next morning when the sun spilled in. It was dark and she had forgotten to close the blinds before bed. She watched the strip of sunlight slowly move across the wall, as her husband continued to sleep off the previous night. She slipped out of bed and put on running clothes. She took her phone and both room keys, since she wasn't sure which was which. She quietly left the room.