Chapter 205 - Room 412 (5)

The cab arrived in front of Jeff's hotel, and Jeff carried JoAnna out.

As the cold night air hit them, JoAnna started stirring up, and Jeff kept her down. He had to hold her under armpits while trying to look at her face, because her legs were like jelly.

"Hey, JoAnna, where do you live?", he wanted to send her home.

JoAnna mumbled something in her drunken stupor.

He held her face in his hand and looked at her closely. Her eyes were closed, but her lips were moving.

"Where do you live?", Jeff repeated.

He saw her grimace. Her body convulsed, and he had just enough time to move away as she started vomiting. However, his pants and shoes were not lucky, as they were soaked in her barf.

Jeff thought that he is going to explode from rage. He inhaled sharply, ready to scold her, only to feel her leaning on him completely. Jeff looked at her face and saw that she passed out again.

His rage was swelling, but what is the point of scolding a person who is not conscious?

…

Jeff brought JoAnna to his room and placed her on the sofa as gently as he could, considering how angry he was. He checked her from top to bottom and observed that she does not have any barf on her. However, the smell coming from him was nauseating.

Jeff quickly went to the bathroom to clean up. After taking a shower, his soiled clothes were in a plastic bag for dirty laundry which he hanged outside the door.

Jeff glanced at JoAnna and saw that she didn't move. 'How unsightly', he frowned while making a phone call to the reception to request for them to pick up his laundry immediately since he was heading back to LA in the morning.

When he finished the call, he heard a 'thump' sound. Jeff turned around and saw that JoAnna fell from the sofa, and now she is sprawled on the floor... still passed out.

Jeff rubbed his temples. How can a woman act this way? He walked toward her and observed her for some time, his face showing that he has an internal battle going on. Eventually, he decided. First, he removed her shoes. Then he lifted her up and placed on the bed.

Jeff observed her face. 'Now that she is quiet, her appearance is… decent.' He felt that something is stirring up inside him while looking at her. As if some invisible force is pulling him closer to her. He didn't realize at what point he moved to be only few inches away from her face, observing her features closely in a dimly lit room.

JoAnna stirred up a bit, and he quickly straightened up while pulling a blanket over her. He hesitated for some time before going to sit on the sofa.

He watched her outline under the blanket and wondered what got into him that he stopped to ask her for her name? If he just moved on, and left her at the fountain, she would eventually go home, and he would not have to deal with a drunk woman. But it was too late now. She took over bed, which was supposed to be his, and he is stuck with the sofa... or maybe he can go and sleep next to her. Jeff shook his head. 'No, no, no... I don't know her. And she does not know me. What will she think when she wakes up?'

Jeff stood up, took one extra pillow and a blanket, and did his best to get comfortable on the sofa.

...

JoAnna slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was in an unfamiliar room, in the bed. Looking through the window, she can tell that it's morning. She glanced under the blanket and noticed that she is still wearing clothes from last night. 'Last night... right. I was drinking with ladies from work. How did I end up here? And where is this?'

JoAnna heard a sound of someone typing on the keyboard and propped herself up on her elbows, lifting top of her body. She was looking at a man who was sitting at the table in front of the laptop. His exquisite profile reminded him of someone, but she could not remember who. JoAnna cleared her throat, announcing her presence. The man didn't make any movement indicating that he heard her. 'There is no way he didn't hear me, right? Unless he is deaf.'

She pushed herself up into the sitting position and continued looking at him. JoAnna thought he looks familiar but could not remember from where. 'Whoever he is, nothing happened, right? I'm still in my clothes.'

"Excuse me, did I pick you up at the club last night?", JoAnna asked innocently.

Jeff's hands stopped typing. He slowly turned around and gave her a piercing gaze.

JoAnna's eyes widened. She saw that he is upset, but she didn't fear him at all. As if something told her that no matter what she does, that man in front of her will never hurt her. He looked like a dog who is all bark and will not bite. She smiled at him and tilted her head lightly.

Jeff found her infuriating. Is this a way for a woman to act? "If one of us picked up another, I picked you up... you are in my hotel room. All right?"

'What an ego! He is really riled up by the thought that a woman can pick him up?' He was too worried about his manly image. Jeff's grouchy attitude jogged her memory. "412!", She exclaimed. "How did we end up together last night?" She could not remember previous night, but she was in a good mood for some reason. JoAnna slid out of the bed, adjusted her skirt and went toward the sofa. There was a coffee jug and a cup. She poured herself coffee, took a seat on the sofa and sipped coffee while observing Jeff.

Jeff still didn't respond to her question. Silently he was doing breathing exercises to calm down. Why did he find this woman so infuriating? Like she knew how to push his buttons and make him angry without even saying a word. Finally, he spoke. "If you remember 412, can you also remember that my name is Jeffrey?"