Raina could barely keep her eyes open despite the adrenaline racing through her at top speed. She was only minutes from the Collins Concourse, the exclusive hotel located just outside downtown Jefferson City, Missouri. It was where she and Voz would be reunited after two months of long-distance phone calls. They were on tour again, this time for the Sequestered album.
This, the first day of the Labor Day weekend, would be the band's last show before a four-day break. It would be a much-awaited vacation for Voz, who had insisted Raina come down to spend time with him. He promised her a very simple, low-key vacation, mainly just the two of them exploring the city and enjoying each other's company. The other guys would be occupied with their own women; Don being the exception as he was leaving the city to join Maria in Texas.
Because their daytime schedules were out of sync, Voz would be at rehearsal when Raina arrived. He assured her that Devin would wait for her at the hotel to be sure she was shown to her room before he came back to join the rest of Jury's crew at the stadium. If she got there in time, she could ride back with Devin for the show. Due to traffic, she had arrived later than expected, and show time was drawing near.
Though security was intense, it was fairly simple for Raina and Devin to find each other easily. They remembered each other from their meeting while the guys were at Royal Records. He cornered the first bellhop in the lobby to retrieve Raina's luggage, had her turn over her car keys for the parking attendant, and told the boy where to bring the bags. He strode to the elevator and pushed the button. Raina could only follow. Silence stretched throughout the wait and the elevator ride to the penthouse floors.
Though it was called a penthouse floor, the only real floor deserving the title was the top floor; it was on permanent reserve for political dignitaries visiting the state's governor. The first three floors below that contained four elegant suites a piece, all of which could only be accessed by a key allowing the elevator to stop.
Devin lead her to PHS 3 and unlocked the door. As she carried in her small overnight bag, he stood quietly by the door. Compared to all the other road crew employed by the band, Devin was closed-mouthed and very efficient; at least, that's the way Voz told her Devin would be with her until he got to know her well. He peered through the peephole before allowing the bellhop admittance; made Raina check her bags. After the boy had turned over Raina's car keys, he tipped him and showed him the door.
He asked Raina if she needed anything. She didn't. He asked if she was ready to leave for the show. There would be no time for her to change at all; Devin needed to leave immediately. Raina was worn out, and there was no way she was going to meet Voz after so long, looking like she did, so she opted to stay at the hotel.
"If you decide to have dinner, call room service and ask specifically for Howard. He is in charge of providing for the band with minimal security problems. He's been instructed to help you and bill the band. I'll tell Voz you got here safely. If you made it here late, he planned to leave the arena immediately after the show. I should have him here by eleven-thirty." Devin asked her again if she needed anything. When he found she didn't, he turned and left the suite without a word or backward glance.
What a shock he was! Nothing like anyone Raina had seen. She smiled to herself and began to tour her set of rooms before unpacking.
The entryway where she and her bags stood opened on a miniature sitting room. It was decorated, as was the rest of the suite, in shades of cream, with accents of barely-there periwinkle blue. Tres' elegant. But at The Collins Concourse, the sitting room was outfitted to the hilt as a miniature entertainment palace. To the right was anything a guest could ever need to relax: a trailer-sized wet bar, complete with four matching bar stools with chrome legs and a stocked refrigerator with ice-maker; a built-in shelving complex that housed two color televisions providing cable, a VCR, ten of the latest movies, and a stereo with radio (a preprogrammed list of local stations and their music type included), tape player and a turntable - a system that any college coed would be extremely lucky to have in a dorm room, maybe even crazy to have there. To her left was a coat closet and a cushy-looking pit group closing around a coffee table of thick glass. Dividing the sitting room and bedroom was the bathroom/vanity area. To the left, a half-height swinging door opened on a vanity. It consisted of a table and mirror running the width of the space, and two chairs. Theater-style bulbs surrounded the area. On the open shelves were supplies provided by the hotel: shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, soaps. The bathroom on the right would have been the same as any other, if you discounted the step-up sunken tub and the specially designed shower with multiple heads for a complete shower massage.
But the bedroom was something else. After all she had seen, Raina didn't think it could be any better. It was. From the doorway, she was first struck by the French doors opening onto a balcony of umbrella-shaded furniture with a spectacular view. There were the usual sitting table, chairs, dressers, and nightstands in elegant oak. Another television was suspended from the ceiling. And the bed!! The bed was an oversized king on a carpeted platform, reachable only by going up two small steps on either side. It was covered from sheet to comforter in white and cream satin and covered in pillows. It was irresistible. She stepped up the steps tentatively, then sat on the edge of the bed. Oh, heavenly! She had to lie down, and when she did, she sank into softness. It was better than any waterbed she had been in, by far.
It had been an incredibly hectic day. Raina took off her shoes and almost giggled as she listened to them thump below her. She'd had so much to wrap up at work before the weekend, then the long drive to Jefferson City. It was only five hours, but with the holiday traffic, it was miserable. Maybe she could squeeze in a nap before she had to unpack and Voz arrived. Then she would be energized, as ready to jump and jive as Voz was after a show. The bed was so inviting, the room so elegant and relaxing, Raina's senses were soothed, her eyes closed.