Chapter 9

"I can't believe we're snowed in until morning," Kim complained, staring out the hotel window.

"And I can't believe you booked a room with two beds for four people," Lana shook her head, not looking up from her book.

"It's all they had left," Kim protested. "And I even used my AAA discount so we still got it dirt cheap."

"Look, why don't you girls share one bed and me and PL will take the other?" Brian suggested.

"Like hell!" Paul spoke up. "I got dibs on the sofa."

"Why not? It isn't like we haven't shacked up before." Brian made kissing noises toward his partner.

"God, you are a sick freak," Kim replied.

"Hey, I pay you to put up with me being a sick freak."

"Yeah, slave wages."

"Something tells me this is going to be an interesting night," Lana said. "Me with three people that have totally lost their minds."

Paul was messing around with the music channel, trying to find something to interest him before finding a good classic station .

"Aw, dude, you're not going to torture us with that emo shit again, are you?" Brian asked.

Lana looked up. "And what exactly is wrong with classics from the sixties?"

"Yeah," Kim agreed. "Better than that Nickelodeon crap you expose me to all day long."

"Looks like you're outnumbered, dude," Paul grinned.

Brian flipped him off in response.

"How many times I have to tell you I don't row that boat?" Paul asked.

"Anyway," Kim spoke up again, gathering her sleepwear. "I got first dibs on the bathroom."

"This could take awhile," Brian warned.

"Bite me, Brian," Kim shot back before heading to the bathroom.

"I'd rather bite PL," he grinned.

"Good God," Lana groaned. "Here we go again."

"Dude, there's ladies present!" Paul said, making a face.

"Where? Oh, sorry about that, Red. I thought you meant the creature from the black lagoon that's hogging the john."

"I heard that!" Kim bellowed from the bathroom. "Remember that the next time you want something and won't get off your lazy ass to get it."

"Brian, that's a terrible thing to call her. Kim does a lot for you," Lana spoke up again.

"She does a lot of shit to me too."

"Not that you don't ask for it most of the time," Paul interjected. "Really, man, you need a better hobby than torturing your secretary."

"Like you never drive Red here crazy," Brian laughed. "I bet she could tell stories."

"Actually, Paul's not all that bad," Lana said, "when I'm not still trying to figure him out after all of this time."

"Ha! Nobody ever has PL figured out. I'm a very confusing book to read," Paul grinned.

"Yeah, you're confusing all right. Then again, I always liked a challenge," Lana responded.

"Get in line, sister," he laughed.

"Don't flatter yourself," Lana retorted. "I'm not that impressed."

"HA! You tell him, Red!" Brian cackled. "Dude just got owned by his secretary!"

"Don't you have something to do?" Paul asked, frowning as he watched Lana make a phone call.

"Yeah, I want to clean up, but Kimberly's hogging the bathroom."

"Shower together and save water," Paul quipped.

"Now who's the sick fucker?"

"Winter weather advisory until seven tomorrow," Lana said, changing the subject and hanging up the phone. "An additional two to four inches of snow is expected."

"Christ," Paul complained. "Which means we'll either be stuck here with another day's room charge or at the airport for who knows how long."

"Hey, don't complain to me; I didn't ask for all of this."

"I know you didn't," he said, realizing he'd been harsh. "But I'm not used to this cold shit, as you can tell."

Lana nodded and smiled. "Yes, sixty degrees to you is freezing, and it's open the windows and let in the breeze for me. I guess that's the price you pay for getting a Northern native for a secretary."

"And it's been worth every nickel," he grinned back.

Just then, Kim had come out of the bathroom, dressed in a T shirt and sweats. "Next!"

"Thank God," Brian groaned. "Now I can take my exit from this love fest."

Kim stared at her boss' back as he headed into the bathroom. "What was that about?"

"Who the hell knows?" Paul shook his head. "I guess we aren't supposed to compliment the help."

"Figures." She yawned. "I think I'm going to take advantage of one of these beds now that I'm clean and comfortable, and then check the email while His Highness is showering."

"That reminds me," Lana said, reaching down for her laptop. "There's some things I should be checking on too."

"I'm bored," Paul began to whine.

Lana rolled her eyes as she checked some sites and email. "Are we going to go through this again? You have to be the most bored person in this country."

"Could always throw in a movie," Kim suggested with a smile. "There's a whole stash of them over there in the green bag."

"Thanks, Kimbo," he replied, then glanced at Lana. "Killjoy."

"Five minutes ago, I was worth every nickel," she said, not resisting the urge to laugh. "Now go pick out your movie. I'm a little bored too."

--------------------------

The next morning, the sounds of the television caused Lana to stir; the last thing she had remembered was settling into the bed next to Kim and they had been watching some odd movie Paul had chosen and was engrossed in while he was spread on the sofa.

As she slowly started to come around, Lana thought she had felt someone pressed against her.

Thinking nothing of it, she began to turn around, finding Kim in the next bed, Brian sawing logs on the sofa….and her own boss next to her in bed.

"OH MY GOD!" Lana screamed, jumping out of bed. "Paul!"

"Huh?" He had barely roused, and then realized what was going on.

Oh shit! Paul thought, now wide awake.

"Lana, I swear to Christ I didn't try anything," he protested, showing he had been dressed in boxer shorts from the night before. "See?"

"You were all but spooning me!" she cried. "And put some clothes on; were you brought up in a barn?"

The ruckus had woken both Kim and Brian, both of them looking at the other pair before them.

"What's going on?" Kim asked.

"When I went to sleep last night, you were beside me. How the hell did he get in bed with me?"

"You were having some weird nightmare where you were making some noises," Kim said. "He wanted to stay with you for a couple of minutes to see if you were okay, so I moved over to the spare bed and Bri the couch. I guess all of us went to sleep after that."

"I swear, I didn't do anything else," Paul protested again.

"Still, good God." Lana shuddered.

"Aw, man, and to think I missed the big love scene," Brian joked before Kim threw a sock at him.

"Relax, Lana. It was innocent. You guys fell asleep in the same bed, and unlike some other people I know, Paul can be a total gentleman," Kim reassured her.

"Fuck you too, Kimberly," Brian stuck out his tongue.

"No thanks, you aren't my type."

Lana cleared her throat, still a little uneasy she'd woken beside Paul. "I need a shower. Kim, can you get the weather report for us and see how the flights are running?"

"No problem," Kim nodded, going for the phone. "No guarantees, but maybe we'll be lucky and get out of here today at a decent hour."