It was our first road trip together, and I didn’t want to waste it on sleep I could get back home. We only had a few hours to make the trip count and that started the second I got into her truck back at home.
Darkness surrounded us as we pulled into the roundabout in front of our hotel. Valet rushed toward the truck and began opening the doors straight away. I stepped out with only my purse in my hand. Lyric was right behind me with her purse strapped across her body.
“I’ve already checked in on the app. The key is digital so we don’t have to go to the front desk,” she informed me as we watched the valet attendants get our bags from the back.
“We can carry them up ourselves,” she told them, grabbing one and handing it to me while she kept the other.
I assumed it was my bag that she’d given me. I wasn’t sure because I’d never seen either of the Michael Kors weekenders. Both beautiful, they were in different colors. Mine was eggshell and brown. Lyric’s was black all over with speckles of gray here and there.
“Are we in a rush?” I asked in my attempt to keep up with her pace as we headed for the elevators.
“Not really. I’d like to be out by eleven and back by three. We have a forty-minute drive to my brother, so we need to check out by six-thirty.” She pushed the button and an elevator pinged instantly.
“Gotcha. Where are we heading?” I stepped on before her.
“I hate clubs, and I know that you’ll agree with me on that so I was thinking of a lounge that stays open until the wee hoursof the morning.” Lyric pushed the button that displayed the number thirty as the doors closed behind us.
“I’m loving that idea,” I chimed in, holding onto the rail as the elevator ascended.
Lyric and I were much the same. We loved the same things, had the same taste, and preferred peace over chaos. The only difference between us was she’d never let a man tear her confidence and sanity to shreds.
That’s why we bonded so well. She was exactly who I would’ve become had Dewayne not entered my life. She mirrored the me I was desperate to be, which was why I loved and respected her so much. A lounge was right up our alley.
“I figured you would.”
We stepped off the elevator and walked a short distance to our room. There were over fifty floors in the boutique style hotel. I didn’t even want to calculate the numbers in my head as they pertained to how much Lyric had possibly paid for the room, so I simply asked.
“How much is this hotel a night?” From the thick carpet underneath our shoes to the wallpaper on the walls, it was spectacular.
“Right at five hundred. Laike’s treat, not mine. He’s funding the trip since he got us out here. So, don’t hold back. Everything is on his tab and his pockets aren’t shallow. Have the time of your life because I plan to.” She tittered.
“That would sound like music to my ears if I didn’t have a two-drink alcohol tolerance and preferred clubs over lounges. There won’t be a light show, bottle show, insane entry prices, or unlimited shots. I can’t hang. Maybe I’m getting old.”
“Lies. Because I can’t hang either, and I’m not old. We’re the same age. That just isn’t our thing. Never has been, or at least since I’ve known you. If it’s chill, we want in. That’s it. That’s all.”
“The lounge life is my type of life,” I concluded.
“I made a tiny list of some near, but it’s one in particular that I’ve heard good things about,” Lyric shared as we stepped into our hotel suite.
It was stunning. The double beds were both queen-sized with thick linen and a gift bag on each. For once, something at a hotel was actually complementary. Inside the bags were body washes, toothbrushes, mouthwash, body scrubs, and a small Bluetooth speaker.
“I’m going to shower before I even sit on these sheets,” I told Lyric who was digging through her bag of goodies as well.
“Me too,” she looked up and replied.
The suite was equipped with two bathrooms, one on each side and near each bed. I chose the one closest to the full-length, floor-to-ceiling windows. The small sign that was attached to the corner of the shower, which also had a full-length window inside, assured me that no one could see my privates through the glass.
We’re thirty plus floors up with one-way views. Your secrets are safe here.
I could see outside, but no one could see inside of the glass. With that notion, I stripped down to my bare skin instantaneously. The shower automatically started when I stepped in, allowing me to change the temperature with the small dial that was near the door.
“And two Disaronno sours, please,”I requested from the waitress after ordering a serving of Cajun pasta and garlic knots.
“For you?” she turned to Lyric and asked.
“I’ll have the same, minus the drinks. She was ordering for us both,” Lyric responded.
The crushed velvet booths and marble tabletops were direct indicators of the lounge's customer aesthetic. Their inventions were to attract the middle to upper class African Americans who enjoyed a good time in a clean, luxe environment. It was designed with women in mind, the plush swings instead of chairs at the bar were proof.
