Claire made it into the kitchen without running into Jason again. She’d almost expected him to be waiting for her outside the restroom, but the coast was all clear. Julie pressed a glass of something strong and fiery into her hand and told her to drink up. Alcohol was something Claire almost never consumed and this particular one brought tears to her eyes but as instructed she finished it completely. The burn of the drink in her stomach seemed to settle it and her nerves. Julie refilled her glass again, and soon she was feeling much better although maybe a little lightheaded. She was also quite certain she was actually giggling.
All her worries about Jason seemed to melt away, and she was enjoying joking around with the waiters as they came into the kitchen for their next tray. Distantly she was aware that she’d just finished her third drink… Or her fourth, and that maybe she should slow down since it would soon be time to drive home.
Finally, the party was starting to finish up, and Claire gathered her stuff to walk out with Julie. They always escorted each other for safety, and Claire felt herself stumbling on her walk to the car. “Claire, I think I need to drive you home; you’re in no condition,” said a concerned Julie. “Hey Max lives in the Columbia area; you can catch a ride with him, stay right here while I go talk to him.” She assured Julie she would not move, and she leaned against the car waiting for her to return.
She saw a figure walk back towards her, and in her alcohol induced haze it was a male and assumed it was Brian. She walked towards him with an apology on her lips for the inconvenience of the ride and came to an abrupt halt when she recognized not Max but Jason instead. Claire stared at him with what could only be described as a deer in the headlight’s expression. “I thought you were already gone?”
“We’re parked across the road and its taking awhile to get everyone together to leave since a few of the guys have had too much to drink. It looks like you have the same problem, and as we’re going back to Harold’s, I assured your friend Julie that I would see you home.”
“But you can’t,” stammered Claire, “what about your own car?”
“My friends and I rented a car for the evening since alcohol would be involved as anyone responsible would do.” Her cheeks burned at the not too subtle insinuation that she was not responsible. Claire still stood silently, hesitant to get into the car even though it looked churlish to refuse.
Jason seemed to take her silence for agreement and placing his hand on her elbow he effectively steered her towards the passenger seat of her small car. He settled her in the front seat with instructions to buckle up. Jason shut the door and went around to the driver’s side and was forced to adjust the driver’s seat before he could fit his length into the car. The compact size of the car brought them into a much closer proximity than she was comfortable with. Claire reluctantly handed her keys over to Jason and settled herself as close to her door as she could for some much-needed breathing room.
Chapter Seven
She remained quiet as Jason drove her small car with ease down the now empty streets. The silence was finally broken when Jason sardonically asked, “So not only do you strip, you also have a drinking problem?”
Claire jerked upright indignantly replying, “I told you I’m not a stripper, and I certainly don’t have a drinking problem. If you must know, that part is your fault!”
“I’ll play along, how is your drinking my fault?”
“If I’d not been upset from you groping me in the women’s restroom, I would not have resorted to alcohol to settle my nerves,” Claire defended hotly.
Seeing Jason’s mouth tighten into a hard line, Claire feared she may have gone too far in her defense, but what could he expect? He accused her of being a stripper and an alcoholic all in the same sentence. “When you put it out there Claire, you have to expect people will take you at face value. Apparently, you enjoy this type of work, or you’d not spend your spare time doing it. Even going so far as to beg off work under the pretense of visiting family,” continued Jason.
The silence after that last comment seemed to linger as if Jason was waiting for her to defend herself. Her stomach picked that moment to start to rebel, the nausea increasing with every moment that passed. Never being one to drink much alcohol, even in social settings, Claire’s stomach was in protest mode as the churning became harder to ignore. “Can we stop off at the next rest area please?’
“We will be back at Harold’s soon, can’t it wait?” asked an impatient Jason.
“No, it can’t, please pull over at the next opportunity.”
Jason replied in a surprisingly gentle voice, “Just hold on, there’s a rest area coming up soon.” Claire hoped that she would not cap off what was already a humiliating evening by throwing up all over her boss. He does deserve it though. She was grateful to see lights up ahead as they approached a rest area. As soon as Jason parked the car, Claire bolted from the seat and out the door.
Thankful that the area was very quiet and deserted due to the late hour, she barely made it into a stall before becoming violently ill. She lost track of time as her stomach continued to heave. Claire was startled to feel someone behind her and realized too late that in her haste, she’d failed to latch the stall. She turned around in shock to see a concerned Jason.