Douglas's Dilemma - Chapter 9

A delightful surprise awaits Douglas.

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"Why thank you, beautiful." Douglas gave Tiffany a charming smile and entered the hotel room after the latter held the door open for him.

"You're welcome, hotshot," she said, walking after him to close the door behind her.

Douglas took in the luxurious penthouse suite with its spacious layout, multiple rooms, and top-of-the-line amenities. He let out a whistle of admiration as he saw the private hot tub, spa-like bathroom, and high-end toiletries.

The open-concept design added to the sense of grandeur and made it easy to move between different living areas seamlessly.

The bed was fit for royalty, adorned with luxury materials, and covered in the finest cotton sheets. Its placement by the floor-to-ceiling windows provided a stunning ocean view, shimmering under the soft blue light of a full moon.

Douglas pivoted, his gaze locking onto Tiffany as she shed her jacket. He raised an eyebrow, scratching his head in confusion. "Where did you pay this from again?"

Tiffany sat down gracefully at the sturdy oak dining table and crossed her legs, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress. She smiled at him confidently and spoke, "Being a beloved international superhero with a charming smile has its perks, you know? Brands and companies from all over are dying to have a piece of me. Do you have any idea how much this face is worth?" She gestured towards her face with her finger, emphasizing its value.

"Don't get cocky now, okay?" Douglas teased as he collapsed onto the soft bed. He patted the spot next to him, inviting Tiffany to join him.

Tiffany's joyful expression turned into one of disappointment, causing Douglas to look at her quizzically.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Are you expecting someone? Oh, right." Douglas remembered. "Room service! How convenient. What did you order?"

Tiffany approached the door and hesitated before opening it, glancing back at Douglas with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, honey. But I didn't see any other option."

The door flung open.

"What is she doing here?" Douglas sprang up from the bed, his good mood fading like a sandcastle being washed away by a wave from the sea at the sight of Illyana standing in the doorway.

"Sup, Dougie," Illyana smirked and strolled into the room, completely at ease.

Despite his initial reluctance to see Illyana, Douglas couldn't help but be captivated by her appearance. He let his eyes roam freely over every curve of her body as she busied herself, placing her bag in a corner and greeting Tiffany. As usual, Illyana's outfit left little to the imagination, with a double-slit skirt that tantalizingly revealed glimpses of her upper thigh with each step. When she bent over to grab her phone from her bag, she unintentionally - or perhaps intentionally, with Illyana, one could never be sure - gave him a deep view of her cleavage.

"Okay, judging by your amicable greeting, I assume you've concocted this together?" Douglas said as he approached the two girls. They both stopped their greeting and turned to look at him.

Illyana grinned at him, her face glowing with excitement like a child on their birthday morning. "You can finally kiss me now."

Douglas glanced at Tiffany. "Is this what this is all about?"

Before Douglas could speak another word, Tiffany approached him and grasped his hands in hers. "I love you, Douglas. You know that," she said earnestly. She kissed the back of his hand. But we need to overcome this hurdle before we can take our love to the next level." Tiffany glanced at Illyana the moment she uttered the word "hurdle.

Illyana cleared her throat, catching Douglas's attention. "Just in case you didn't realize it, I'm the 'hurdle' in this story."

Douglas scowled at Illyana and redirected his focus to Tiffany. "By giving her powers?" he asked, pointing at Illyana.

Tiffany reached out and took hold of Douglas' face with her warm hands. "Listen," she pleaded. "I know this all sounds impossible, but this is what we need, what you need." She leaned in as if to kiss him, but Douglas stepped back.

"No, we do not! Who put that idea in your head, she?" He pointed at Illyana.

"She actually came up with this herself," Illyana said.

"You're going to kiss her, Douglas," Tiffany said as she slowly backed away towards the door. "Whether you want it or not."

"Where are you going? Don't you dare leave me here with her?" Douglas walked after Tiffany.

"I'm sorry, Douglas." With that, she quickly opened the door and closed it before Douglas had the time to squeeze through it.

"Damn it, Tiffany! What is wrong with you!" He pounded his fists against the now-closed door. Through the barrier, Tiffany's muffled voice replied, "There is plenty of food and drink in the fridge and pantry for both of you to survive for at least a week. So don't worry."

"I'm not planning on staying here in this blasted room for a week with her!"

He began to pound on the door with his feet. On the other side of the door, Douglas heard the familiar sound of Tiffany using her heat vision. Bright red flashes of light peeked through the crevices of the door. He caught a whiff of burnt metal, signaling that Tiffany had sealed the door shut, rendering his attempts to kick it open useless.

"This is not the way, Tiffany; it's dangerous! Let me tell you. Hey, do you hear me?" he said, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Douglas let out a frustrated groan and stomped towards the living room. "Move!" he barked at Illyana, who kindly stepped aside to let him pass.

"We're on the 14th floor, Douglas," Illyana said as she saw him fumbling with the windows.

After some cursing and fiddling, he managed to open one of them. The wind rushed in, causing his hair to whip around his face as he stuck his head into the night sky. Down below, he could see countless points of light from street lamps, cars, and shops and stores, all contributing to the lively and bustling atmosphere of the city. He could also hear the sounds of honking cars and a train passing by in the distance.

"Help! Somebody! Get us out of here!" Douglas yelled, his voice fading away in the winds.

"No one's going to hear you way up here," Illyana said as she strolled to the fridge for a drink. She pulled open the door and was delighted to find her favorite beverage, a mango-flavored margarita, chilling inside.

How did she know? Illyana thought in pleasant surprise.

There were also plenty of cold beer cans, which she grabbed one of and opened with a satisfying sizzle to pour it into a glass. Humming to herself, she rummaged through the kitchen cabinets until she found a bag of Doritos chips with a matching jar of sauce. After dropping a greedy amount of chips into a bowl, she grabbed her drinks and returned to the living room, where Douglas was still shouting at the top of his lungs.

"It's useless Douglas, no soul is going to hear you. These windows are–"

Illyana's voice was cut off when she heard a voice screaming a few floors lower through an open window. "Will you shut the fuck up!"

"Yeah, zip it, or I'll come over there and shut you up myself," Threatened another person from a different window.

"Yes! Please come!" Douglas screamed back. "Release me!"

"Freak!" The answer came.

"My phone, where is my phone?" Douglas frantically searched his jacket pockets. "It was just here a moment ago."

Illyana followed suit, searching through her purse more calmly but already assuming that her phone was not there. "She must have taken them with her," she stated matter-of-factly.

Out of nowhere, the lights dimmed, and soft Western classical music filled the room, creating a romantic ambiance.

Douglas raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Did you do this?"

She let out a chuckle. "Do I strike you as the romantic type?"

Douglas muttered curses under his breath as he paced around the room in frustration. Illyana couldn't resist a smile as she lounged on the couch, taking another sip of her margarita, and watched Douglas' annoyance with amusement.

Douglas suddenly snapped his fingers as if a brilliant idea had just occurred. "The phone! Every hotel room has one for room service, right? Where is it?"

Illyana shrugged as she saw Douglas searching hastily through the room to see if there was a phone anywhere. "I don't know and don't care to be honest. Do you want some?" She offered him the bowl of chips. She slammed her feet on a table, got all comfy, and grabbed a magazine.

"Come," she tapped her hand on the couch beside her, inviting him. "Sit. Chill. Drink."

"I'm not going to sit, chill and drink with you!" Douglas snapped. "Not now! Not ever!"

"Suit yourself," Illyana said casually, making herself comfortable and sinking deeper into the couch. She rested her head on her arm and closed her eyes in contentment.

"Yes, found it!" Douglas said as he uncovered a phone hanging on the wall behind a curtain. He picked it up and frantically dialed, hoping to reach someone from the hotel staff.

"Hello? Room service? Oh, thank goodness. You have to come here immediately. I'm trapped in room..." He glanced at Illyana over his shoulder. "What was our room number again?"

"1467," Illyana said as she munched a handful of Doritos.

"Room 1467, on the 14th floor. We can't get the door open; you have to help us," Douglas said.

The voice on the other side of the line said, "I'm sorry, but you're not authorized to use our service. Have a nice day." The line disconnected with a series of beeps.

"Not authorized to what?!" Douglas began dialing again, but no answer came.

"Aaaargh!" Frustrated beyond belief, Douglas smashed the phone against the wall many times until it shattered into pieces.

"Are you done?" Illyana said, opening one eye as she saw Douglas heaving and breezing like some raging buffalo. "Here, have a cold beer."

In defeat, Douglas walked over to her, plunged on the couch, and chugged the beer in one go. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Is there more of this stuff?"

Illyana nodded. "More than enough to keep a rager going for several nights, full of eager boys who believe excessive drinking will help them get lucky and lose their virginity."

"Great," Douglas said, getting to his feet and loading his arms full of beer from the fridge and some salty snacks.

"What are you up to?" Illyana asked, watching him as he strolled to one of the bedrooms.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to get drunk."

"What am I supposed to do?" Illyana said.

The door slammed shut. "Whatever it is you're doing when you're lonely."

His voice was muffled through the door before the sounds of a loud TV could be heard from inside the room.