“You’d have to be an idiot to want to be with me?”

“Yes! You just tried to sexually assault me! Now, get out!” I stormed across the room and jerked open the hotel door. “You’ve overstayed your welcome. In fact, you were never really welcome. And if you don’t leave, I’ll have security escort you out!”

By the time I pulled up the GPS on my phone to find out where the fuck Ari’s hotel was, the cab had already driven me five blocks in the opposite direction. He had claimed to know where we were going. It had taken everything in me not to punch him in the back of the head for his stupidity and get in another cab. All I wanted to do was get to Ari and talk to her like a civil human being. I couldn’t ever manage that shit when it mattered.

I couldn’t stop running through what I was going to do once I got there. Find her, apologize, fuck her. Things would get better.

She needed to know I trusted her, that I wanted to tell her about these things. I’d just freaked the fuck out at the thought of leaving her. If I signed, then we’d be on tour, no doubt about it. Hollis would ship us out with some shithole band, and then who knew when I’d see her next? I didn’t want to have to face that before I was ready. I didn’t want Ari to have to face it at all. She deserved better.

But that didn’t mean that douche bag Henry could have her.

I hadn’t understood what he was saying when he thanked me. I’d been so pissed off at everything that was going on that I hadn’t realized he was thanking me for sending Ari straight into his arms. I’d never let that happen, not if I could help it.

I jotted out a text to Ari, letting her know I was on the way.

Coming to The Kimberly. Please meet me downstairs. We need to talk.

The cab stopped outside of The Kimberly. As soon as I paid the fare, I jumped out of the car and into the drizzle that had started on my way over here. I ducked under the overhang, and the doorman pulled the door open for me.

“Hey, man. Did you see a girl walk in here? Blonde about yea-tall,” I said, holding my hand up to my shoulder, “in a nice black dress and jacket. I don’t know. Maybe ten minutes ago?”

“Sure, I saw her. She was here with a man in a suit,” the doorman offered.

He was warily eyeing me, and I realized I probably looked like shit compared to the normal clientele at this place.

“Yes. Most likely. Did you see where she went?”

“Last I saw, she went up in the elevator with the gentleman she was with.”

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Fucking fuck.

My first instinct was to ram my hand into the side of the brick building. Pain exploded through my arm, and I cursed loudly.

“Sir, are you all right?” the doorman asked. He looked as if he wanted to find out what the hell my problem was and force me to leave, but instead, he stared at me as if I were some strange specimen.

My knuckles were throbbing, and it looked as if I’d broken the skin. I shook out my hand, trying to ignore the pain. The real issue here was that Ari had gone upstairs with Henry.

Upstairs to her hotel room.

With Henry.

My brain wasn’t wrapping itself around the concept. What the fuck? She had said they had kissed over break, but that he meant nothing to her. Now, he was here in New York. It all seemed so…coincidental. Too coincidental.

She wouldn’t cheat on me. She wouldn’t fucking do that to me. I needed to talk to her. I needed to hear it out of her mouth that she wasn’t fucking some dude in an expensive-ass hotel room to forget about me.

I fumbled with my phone and went back out under the awning. She hadn’t responded to the text message I sent earlier. I clicked her number and hugged the phone to my ear. It rang three times before going to voice mail.

“Hey, this is Aribel. Leave a message after the tone.”

“Ari, answer your phone. We need to talk. Call me back.”

I hung up, feeling like a complete fucking idiot. Who was I to chase after a girl like this? My whole fucking life, chicks had pursued me. Now, I was turning into a goddamn lunatic at the thought of Ari being with someone else. I’d do anything to make this right.

Maybe she was already in the lobby. Maybe she’d gotten my message, and she was coming down to see me. I pushed past the doorman in a hurry.

My eyes scanned the small lobby in earnest. An older couple was sitting on a sofa. Otherwise, the place was empty.

No Ari.

No Henry.

Nothing.

I stormed over to the front desk and tried to put a smile on for the female desk clerk. I could be charming even with this fucking thundercloud over my head. I could get what I wanted. She would tell me how to find my fucking girlfriend.

“Hey,” I said.

The woman glanced up at me and then back down at her computer screen, unimpressed.

Right. Classy-ass joint. I’d need a bit more of my usual swagger than what I was mustering up at the moment.

“Hello, sir. How can I help you?”

“Hi, Rachel,” I said, reading the gold name tag on her chest. I ignored the small amount of cleavage peeking out of her top and directed my gaze into her almost black eyes. “I’m trying to locate someone who is staying here.”

She gave me a look that told me to explain, so I jumped right in.

“I’m trying to find Aribel Graham’s room. She told me she was staying here, and I’m supposed to meet her, but she didn’t tell me what number she was in.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you with that. We keep all our customers’ information private.”

I laughed confidently and leaned against the desk. “I get it. I totally hate asking, but I think her phone is dead. I just got into the city. See, I’m on tour with The Drift and wanted to see my girl when I was finished.”

“The band, The Drift?”

“That’s the one,” I lied.

She seemed to look at me a tad more appreciatively, but I still hadn’t moved her. “I really wish I could help, but if she didn’t give you that information, I absolutely cannot provide it.”

“All right. I don’t want you breaking any rules.” I shot a smile that said I’d love for her to do nothing more. “But can you call up to her room and let her know I’m down here?”

“I would if I could, but I can’t,” she said diplomatically. “No outside contact with customers. You have to understand.”

She cast her eyes back to the computer monitor. It was a dismissal. I couldn’t fucking be dismissed.