Defy Desire

Chapter 37 - Tom

My foot had been pressed to the floor the whole drive. My car was screaming trying to keep up with the speed I was demanding and Lola looked petrified in the passenger seat. She had demanded an explanation from me the whole journey but I couldn't speak; I had to focus on getting to Maia. The drive had felt like days and I watched the time on my satellite navigation count down the closer we got to the place Maia was staying.

After several hours of torture, about four skipped red lights and a definite speeding ticket, we arrived at the countryside hotel. I pulled my car up right outside the entrance and Lola and I ran through the doors and to the girl at the desk.

'Hi,' I panted. 'I need to locate a guest here. Maia Morgan.'

'I'm not at liberty to give out a room number, Sir,' she said, looking vexed.

'Just call her room for me and check if she's okay, PLEASE!' I cried, and she frowned at me before forcing a smile.

'Two seconds,' she said, politely, and turned to her computer.

Her face was annoying me. This was no time to be professional. I needed to find her.

'There are no rooms here under that name,' she said, turning to me.

'Try Lexie Price!' Lola cried.

She turned back to her computer and then back to us with the same stupid look on her face.

'Not that one either,' she told us.

I slammed my fist against the desk and thought about why their room wasn't under either of their names.

'God, this is ridiculous!' Lola screeched, impatiently.

'Calm down,' I told her.

'What the fuck is going on here, Tom?!' she yelled. 'You better tell me why you forced me to drive hours and hours to come here?'

'Calm down!' I snapped back at her.

The receptionist glared at us and stood to her feet.

'The pair of you will be removed if you don't calm down right this second; we have guests here,' she said, sternly.

'Whatever just give us the room!' Lola demanded.

'There are no rooms under those names,' she said, through gritted teeth.

'What the fuck?' I hit the desk again harder.

'Sir, I will call security,' she threatened.

'Listen to me!' I leaned over the desk to her. 'You have a guest here who might be in serious trouble right now and we need to find her. They are staying at this hotel; she was drinking in your bar tonight. Please, we have to find her.'

'Sir, I can only go off what the system tells me,' she said, irately.

'Look lady, you're really starting to piss me off so would you please just do something to help us find our fucking friend before I lose my shit!' Lola barked, swiping her hand across the desk and knocking a stack of business cards across the floor.

'Lola, stop it! I'm so sorry.' I apologised to the girl. 'I'm sorry she did that, we are desperate, we need to find her.'

'There are no rooms under those names, Sir, as I've told you already,' she snapped, as she rubbed her chest. 'Now the pair of you need to leave before I call the police.'

I sighed and put my head in my hands on the desk.

'We'll never fucking find her, this place is huge,' Lola sighed. 'Tom what's going on, what kind of trouble is she in?'

I didn't even know where to begin.

'Look, I can try and see if any of the names you've given me match a card on file,' the receptionist said, and I stood up and looked at her hopefully.

She sat in her seat slowly while Lola and I waited patiently for any information.

'We do have a card on file under the name Lexie Price,' she said. 'She paid for a room but it's not being held under her name or the other name you've provided to me.'

'What's the room number?' Lola asked.

'I can't say,' she said.

'Oh, for fucks sake!' Lola threw her hands in the air.

'Lola, stop it,' I told her. 'Please, can you just call the room and ask for Maia Morgan. Ask if she's there and ask for her to come down to the lobby.'

'Yes, I can do that,' she replied, picking up the phone.

I waited patiently.

'There's no answer, Sir,' she said.

Lola kicked the desk.

'I can provide you with the name the room is under and you can contact this person yourself if you know them and find out the room number from them,' she said, giving me a look that told me she wasn't supposed to do so but was helping me out anyway.

'Yes, please,' I said, and nodded quickly.

'I'm not supposed to give out any information but a name should be fine,' she said.

'Thank you so much!' I smiled as she checked her records.

'Okay...the room has been booked under Dr. Tom Finch,' she said, turning to me. 'Does that help at all?'

'You have got to be fucking kidding me?' Lola said, as I stood there stunned.

'Excuse me?' the receptionist asked.

'That's him!' Lola yelled, pointing at me. 'Are you recognising the seriousness of this now, Lady?!'

'Do you have any I.D, Sir?' she asked me.

I pulled my wallet from my pocket and handed her my driving license. She studied the card then returned it to me.

'Sir, since the room is under your name I can provide you with a key card if you'd like?' she offered, smiling smugly knowing she had found us a loophole.

'Yes, hurry,' Lola told her.

'It's room 506,' she said, handing me the card.

'Thank you so much,' I said. 'Sorry again about her.'

Lola and I raced across the lobby to the lift and I pounded on the button waiting for the doors to open. We took the lift up to the fifth floor, which felt like a lifetime, and raced down the corridor, following the numbers on the walls.

'Here!' Lola cried. 'It's this corridor.'

We paced through the narrow space and I tried to control my frantic breathing as we neared closer to finding Maia. The room numbers passed by as we finally arrived at our destination after hours of worry. 503, 504, 505...506.