Page 57 of Once Bitten

“Oh my god,” I felt all the air leave me from relief. “Oh, Larry that is such good news.”

“Yeah, that’s wonderful, congratulations,” Finn nodded, patting Larry on the shoulder.

“Yeah, he’s going home today, but they said there wasn’t anything to be worried about, mostly just making sure he’s ok on his feet after being cooped up for a week.”

“When did you get here?”

“I just did! I found out you weren’t at the Radisson and called around and found out you were here, so I’m here to find out where I’M going to sleep.”

“Well, um...we could go back to the...Radisson?” I offered, unsure of how to proceed.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re going to stay here as well, my treat. My PERSONAL treat, since you seem to have drilled it into Kara here to be frugal with company money.”

“No, Finn...that’s not necessary.” Larry shook his head.

“Oh hush, you deserve it after the week you’ve been through. Let me go arrange it, and I’ll be right back with your key.”

Finn walked over to the reception counter as I wondered again how generous he was.

“Ok, quickly, what the hell is going on with you two?”

“Wha? Nothing!”

“Yeah, he just puts up everyone at the Four Seasons.” Larry put on a ‘are you nuts?’ face.

I shrugged, “pretty much, he’s pretty generous. I mean, apparently he’s pretty rich in his own right but his stepfather only owns like 3 fortune 500 companies. He can afford to put you up at the Four Seasons for a night or two. Hell, even YOU could do that. Yeah, why DON’T you do that?”

“Because I’m cheap, you know that. But seriously, what the hell?”

“Shush, he’s coming back.”

Finn came back and we followed him to one of the waiting elevators.

“Well, they didn’t have any more suites on the same floor as Kara and me but there’s one just on the floor above. Did you want to go freshen up and join us for dinner in about an hour?”

“Yeah, sounds great. Meet me at my room?”

“Sounds good, oh this is us.” Finn held the elevator door open for me and then followed me out.

I watched Larry bug out his eyes at me as the elevator doors closed and I wondered how much more interrogation I was going to have to endure.

***

“And then he winks at me, as eef he a rock star, take a bite, and next minute he is coughing and choking and asking for a glass of meelk like a big baby!” Mati whooped with laughing, banging on her leg with her fist, as Larry and I wiped away tears from our eyes. Finn was not laughing, of course.

“It’s not funny. She said it was only mildly spicy.” He said defensively.

“Eet is what our babies eat in Tunisie,” she replied, adding to her own hysteria.

“Anyway, as I was saying before we were rudely interrupted by this unprofessional establishment’s waitress,” Finn tried to move the conversation off of focusing on him, “order whatever you like, but don’t rely on getting it,” he told Larry.

“I wouldn’t dream of ordering, Mati obviously knows what’s best,” Larry sweet-talked, which earned Finn a smack on the back of the head.

“That’s how I like my gentlemen,” Mati nodded at Larry, and gave him a wink as she wandered off to the kitchen.

“Wow, she is...wow.” Larry chuckled.

“Yeah, she’s pretty cool...to everyone other than me, apparently,” Finn grumbled.