Trials

Fifteen minutes after Eva hung up the phone, she heard the first automatic door open. There were two in a series - so that one could be locked from the inside at night. Closing and hiding her crossword book was a finely tuned skill by now and it was done before the second door opened. Straightening her uniform and tightening her posture, Eva looked to the two possible guests and smiled.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her demeanor professional, yet inviting.

"Yeah, I called in earlier about a room for a week," The shorter of the two men approached the desk. Ah, so he was good looking in person. Smelled great, too. It wasn't difficult to keep the smile on her face after that perk.

"Okay, great. I'll need to see an ID. Your method of payment, sir?" She asked, making sure to make eye contact. She noticed that both men smirked and the shorter of the pair let out a short laugh.

"Okay..." AJ said, handing over his Driver's License and Credit Card. Funny. Usually his disguises didn't work. He turned back to Kevin and winked, mouthing 'I told you so' at him before looking at Eva again.

"Alright, you wanted a king, right? Let me see what I have..." Eva hit the keys she needed to, to make the reservation. Damn she hated this system. All DOS. No mouse. It sucked. And to top it all off she'd just started. Went from a Windows-based system at a different hotel to DOS.

Finally bringing up the right screen, Eva looked down at the License, filling in the Last Name and First Name screens as she went along. Shaking her head, she wondered why the hell Kevin and AJ from the Backstreet Boys were checking into the damn Red Roof Inn a mere 15 minutes away from... ah hell, it wasn't like they couldn't afford it.

"What brings you to a hotel? You practically live down the street," Looking up, she gave AJ a funny smile, "I could come find you now," she said, in a faux eerie voice, while waving his ID around. She loved messing with the very few locals that came in. They knew how it was.

"I told you she'd know!" Kevin whispered towards AJ.

"Shut up. I didn't shave and wear this God awful shirt to cover up for nothing. Tell me I fooled you for a second?" AJ pleaded. He gave her a look that said 'otherwise I'll never hear the end of it.'

"I knew the whole time," Eva looked at Kevin and winked. "Kevin was a dead giveaway."

Yeah, she was a fan, but she knew one of them already. Never met the other guys, just Howie. She did some website out of a favor for this guy in a band. Helped him promote a little... and he was too broke to pay her. So, knowing she was a fan, he brought her out to dinner. She didn't think anything of it until Howie walked in the restaurant and sat down. THAT was the encounter where she nearly shit her pants. She wasn't going to do it again. She couldn't stand being taunted by Howie. That little runt.

After entering a fake address into the computer, Eva handed AJ's license back to him. "I didn't put in your real address. God knows some future employee of this hotel would go back and look at it or something. But you didn't hear that from me," Eva said off-handedly, as she continued to enter his Credit Card information.

"Thanks," AJ replied, as he put the card back in his wallet.

"Howie told me it took you a long ass time to get that," Eva quipped, without looking up. She swiped the card and placed it on the counter for him. He looked up at her and his jaw slacked.

"Howie told you that?" he asked, his eyebrow raised. Sure, Howie told her that. And he was a monkey's uncle.

Eva laughed. He was acting like a fan would if she'd said that. It was hilarious. "Don't give me that look, here, I'll show you something," Eva said, pulling out her cell phone. Bringing up the Phone Book menu, she searched for Howie's number by name. "Look, H-O-W-I-E," the phone brought up the number and asked if it should call it. AJ and Kevin both looked at the phone and their eyebrows shot up.

"How'd you get his number?" Kevin asked, suspicious. Maybe she knew someone at the phone company.

"Okay, fine. Fine!" Eva was near hysterics right now. She pressed the "OK" button on the phone and listened to it ring. "D... it's Eva," she chortled.

"Hey Eva. I was just heading out. What's up?" Howie could hear her laughing and was willing to bet it was something good.

"Okay, I have two people standing in front of me who DO NOT believe me that I know you. Wanna know what's funny about that?" Eva was dying.

"What?"

"Kevin Richardson and Alexander McLean are standing in front of me," Howie joined her laughing.

"Let me talk to J," Howie managed. Eva complied.

"How many fine chicks do you hide from me man?" Was the first thing out of AJ's mouth. Eva blushed. Howie knew she had a thing for AJ, kinda. He made fun of her for it ALL THE TIME.

"No man she's at work, she's checking us in... I'll tell you later, it's kinda... I don't know. No, Howie just because she knows you doesn't mean she can know... I don't mean that in a mean way it's just really private, I'll tell you later... okay, seriously, just because she's hot doesn't mean I'm going to tell you! Look, she's standing right here, I'm using her minutes... okay D, yeah I'll call you back when we get to our room... bye..." AJ hung up the phone and placed it on the counter. "Sorry. I can't help if I..."

"It's fine. At least you didn't make jokes about my last name. I'd rather be called 'hot' and 'fine' than called a 'born alcoholic,' Eva rolled her eyes at the thought of her last name's jokes. People never left her alone. When your last name is 'Cuervo' the Jose and Tequila jokes never end.

"Oh, so that's who Howie was referring to when he said he had a friend who's best bet would be to work at a ba..."

"Don't even go there, please?" Eva cut AJ off. "I wouldn't want to work at a bar, thank you," she sighed, and began the process of making keys for their room. '1-1-8' she punched, inserting each key to program it. She pulled the paper sheath for them from the basket in front of her and slid them in, writing the room number and check-out time where she was supposed to.

"Alright. Let's get this party started. Your room is straight down the hall. Room number is written on the envelope holding the keys. From 11p.m. to 6a.m. we lock our doors so if you come back use the key to open them. Breakfast is served from 6a.m. to 10..."

"It's all good. Don't worry about breakfast. I know I won't be up early enough for it!" Kevin interrupted. Eva couldn't help but smile. She hated being cut off on the phone but she loved it when people didn't want to hear the stupid schpeel she had to dish out after checking them in. Kevin and AJ both smiled in return.

"Thanks, Eva, goodnight," AJ and Kevin said, almost in unison. 'goodnight' was the only thing she truly made out.

"Have a good night," she said, waiving them away. "Enjoy yourselves, boys," she mumbled to herself, after she was sure they were out of range. A scenario that so many of her kind, fans, dreamed about was probably going to happen and she was in absolute shock. Gee, Kevin and AJ in one room with a King Sized bed. She had to get her mind off it. Looking around to see that the lobby was empty, she opened the automatic door, turning them so they'd stay that way. Running outside, she lit a cigarette. "Wow," she said, to herself, "Howie never told me about that."

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