Free Patience by Sydney Lane Page B

have to give her props. She doesn't bat an eye.
    "James. Eric James." I almost feel sorry for him. He doesn't have a clue his eye is blackening and swelling as we speak.
    A few more minutes pass. Her eyes nervously scan over the screen as her fingers fly over the keyboard. "Mr. James, sir, I'm sorry, but the hotel has been overbooked. There are no suites available tonight." She pauses when he curses under his breath. "Sir, the Grove Park Inn would love to pay for your accommodations at another hotel. And issue a credit for a future stay with us."
    "But I made reservations." His grip tightens on my hand as he shifts foot to foot. "You don't have anything?"
    "Sir, the hotel has overbooked, and we take full responsibility. I can get my manager if you'd like to speak to him." Again, her eyes linger on his face.
    It's time for me to intervene before she asks about the lump on his face. "You know what? That's fine. Let's just take their offer, and we'll find something else. We're here, we're together, and we'll get a free stay the next time we come." His disappointment is obvious, but I know he won't make a huge deal out of it.
    "Yeah, sure." He exhales sharply, running his hand through his hair in agitation. I hate to say it, but he's totally sexy with his black eye, Metallica t-shirt, and disheveled hair. She prints a voucher for the other hotel and hands it to me.
    We walk back to the car, and even though I'm a little bit disappointed, my excitement overshadows it. I'm in Asheville with the guy of my dreams, and nothing is going to mess that up. With a bounce in my step, I smile in his direction. "Oh, come on, let's make the best of it."
    This has been a wonderful day.
    Nothing can go wrong,

 
    Chapter 20
    Eric
    Well, this totally sucks. While I drive to the other hotel, Jenna chatters and giggles the whole way. She acts as if nothing is wrong, and it makes me really want to believe that.
    It's just that I wanted this night to be special. And staying at the Grove Park Inn was part of the magic of the trip. If she's happy, though, I'm happy.
    When I pull into the lot for the other hotel, I'm pleasantly surprised. It looks like an average budget hotel, but at least it's not rundown. Other than the creepy clerk who kept staring at me, everything seems clean and tidy.
    I can breathe easier now, knowing that the night may not be lost at all. Romance, after all, is not about the place but the person. The feelings. Jenna.
    After we register and get our room keys, we return to the car and get our luggage. When Jenna begins pulling out bag after bag, I'm astounded. "We're only staying one night, Jenna." Although I do like it when she bends over to hand me her suitcase; it gives me another enticing view of her legs and ass.
    I brought one bag. She brought three.
    "I know, but I had to be prepared. You didn't exactly tell me your plans." I really don't care how much she brought with her. The only thing she's going to need is what she wears to dinner tonight.
    "I did tell you that you wouldn't need clothes, though, right?" When she grins at me over her shoulder, I instantly get hard. She doesn't know it, but her little game is almost over.
    She enters the room first, and I hear an audible gasp. I'm almost afraid to ask, and when I walk in behind her, the foul odor is the first thing I notice. It reeks of something that smells suspiciously like dog shit.
    "What the fuck?" Her words, not mine.
    What looked decent on the outside was nothing but a sham, hiding the very old, very outdated inside. And questionable cleanliness. The bed looks about as comfortable as the floor, and the carpet has multiple stains throughout. For several speechless minutes, we stand without moving and observe our new room.
    "Hell, no. We are not staying here. No way." My voices shakes in anger. This is not going to happen.
    I grab my phone, calling the Grove Park to ask if there's been a mistake, only to be told that this hotel is the only one with vacancies due to