“I guess… we check in and head up to the room Savior booked for us?” he suggested.
“Sounds as good of an idea as any,” said Tapestry.
The front entrance doors were automatic, and slid open with a whoosh. The lobby on the other side was playing soft jazz music. A clerk sat behind the counter, smiling and nodding to Malcolm and Tapestry as they approached.
“Hello,” said Malcolm. “We have a reservation. It should be under ‘Adams’, I think.”
It was the fake last name Savior had instructed him to use. Malcolm watched, a little nervous, as the clerk considered them.
“Ah, right,” said the clerk. “The newlyweds. Your father in law was very specific about the two of you getting a romantic room.”
“My… father in law,” said Malcolm. “Sure, of course.”
“It’s already paid for,” said the clerk. “All I need from the two of you is a signature, and you can head right on up to the Erotic Suite.”
“What?” Tapestry frowned and folded her arms.
“That’s what it’s called,” said the clerk. “Complete with a jacuzzi, a vibrating bed, a cabinet full of scented oils, various toys, and edible underwear. I’ve hear nothing but praise for it from the other couples who’ve stayed there. The two of you are quite fortunate that it was available.”
“You hear that, honey?” said Malcolm, grinning. “It sounds like we’ll have lots of stuff to play around with.”
Tapestry’s face turned deep, crimson red. She looked like she was suppressing the urge to glare at Malcolm, and struggling with it.
She needs to work on her acting skills.
“The bag boys will bring your luggage up,” said the clerk. “For the Erotic Suite, the general cleaning format is reversed, so our staff will only come into the room if you place the paper signal on the door knob. Keep that in mind, especially if the two of you have an… intense night.”
“We… we’re just… it’s not…” Tapestry spoke through gritted teeth, trying and failing to find a way to explain the situation without blowing their cover.
“She’s a little reserved when it comes to this kind of thing,” said Malcolm, putting an arm around her. “Come on shnookums, let’s go check out that edible underwear.”
“I… am going… to murder you,” whispered Tapestry.
They followed the bagboy into the elevator, up to the seventh floor, and then into a large, romance themed suite. The bed was in the shape of a massive heart, and there were several strategically placed mirrors on the walls and ceiling.
“Thanks,” Malcolm said to the bagboy. He gave him a small tip before he left, shutting the door and turning to find Tapestry checking for something under the bed.
“There must be… some type of smaller sleeping futon here, or something,” she said.
There wasn’t, and other than a couple of chairs, it was just the bed and the floor for sleeping options.
“We’ll have to share the bed,” said Malcolm. “Will you survive that, or is it too traumatic for you?”
“I’m sure they have something,” said Tapestry. “We could get in touch with the front desk.”
“We have a cover to keep up, remember?” asked Malcolm. “What’s your deal? It’s not like we haven’t, well, you know…”
He and Tapestry had been intimate with each other on a couple of occasions in the past, though it wasn’t a regular thing. Their last encounter had been before their headquarters had been destroyed, and neither of them had spoken of it since.
“What’s my deal?” asked Tapestry. “This is insulting. Marriage isn’t something that you just ‘pretend’ for the sake of a cover story.”
“Well…” Malcolm walked up behind her and set his hands on her shoulders. “Maybe we should take our pretending to the next level?”
Tapestry elbowed him in the stomach, hard. Malcolm doubled over, staring at her in surprise.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like this before…
“I’m not going to debase the sanctity of real marriage for the sake of a disguise,” she said, bitterly.
“You could have just said that!” said Malcolm. “Jeez, has anyone ever told you that you have really sharp elbows?”
Tapestry’s expression softened a little.
“Sorry,” she said. “It’s just… I was married once. For many years… before I lost my husband.”
She sat down on the bed, and Malcolm joined her, after determining that she was no longer in a mood for violence.
“My bad,” he said.
“I’m going to take a shower,” said Tapestry.
Malcolm stood up when she did. He held his hands up in mock surrender.
“Relax,” he said. “I just want to check out the jacuzzi.”
And okay… maybe I was possibly hoping to jump in the shower with her.
CHAPTER 13
Malcolm had seen swimming pools with less water volume than the jacuzzi in their bathroom. It was currently empty, but the massive, auto-filling spigot promised that it wouldn’t take long to ready if they so desired.
Tapestry gave him the evil eye until he left the bathroom once she was ready for the shower. Malcolm listened to the sound of her starting the water, suddenly feeling like it had been an eternity since he’d seen her naked.
Tapestry is so mean.
He found the remote for the flat screen against the wall across from the bed and turned it on. Surprisingly, it was tuned in to one of the Vanderbrook local news stations.
“The #nosavior movement has been gaining in popularity online,” said the female anchor. “Many people in Vanderbrook blame the champions for the recent episodes of unrest.”
“It’s easy to understand why, Diane,” said the male anchor. “More often than not, their battles against the demons and sprytes they hunt spill over into the streets, causing property damage and often death.”
“The support is not unanimous, however,” said the female anchor. “The counter movement, #savedme, is also gaining in popularity. Joining us live is Brett Larson, with a local woman who says that she has indeed been saved. Brett?”
The scene cut to the street, where another anchor stood with a finger to his ear.
“Thanks, Diane,” said Brett. “A local bank in Vanderbrook suffered a robbery a week and a half ago. I’m here with Misha Bartwell, who says that a champion showed up and saved the day.”
The camera panned to a woman standing next to Brett. Malcolm recognized her immediately.
“Not just the day,” said the woman. “Wind Runner saved me. The bank robbers were unloading their guns. There was nowhere for us to run, or hide. If he hadn’t been there, I would be dead.”
“You heard it here,” said Brett.
“I’m serious!” said the woman. “It’s easy to blame the champions for their failures, because we’ve grown so used to their successes. It’s not about a movement, or a counter movement. It’s about the fact that I’m still alive, because of him.”
Malcolm turned the TV off. He couldn’t stop himself from grinning, ear to ear.
Tapestry was still in the shower, and Malcolm felt bored and a little antsy. He opened his luggage and looked at the clothes that Wax had prepared for him.
It was all high-end stuff, suit jackets, dress shirts and pants, and several clip-on bow ties. Malcolm also found a pair of nerdy looking glasses with a note attached to them.
“Wear these so nobody recognizes you as Wind Runner?” Malcolm frowned as he read it out loud.
Who would be dumb enough to think that a pair of glasses would disguise someone’s identity?
He kept the glasses nearby, figuring that it was better than nothing, and it was important for him to go unnoticed. He changed into a full suit, surprised by how perfectly it fit him, and then put the glasses on.