Eagles - Hotel California

Life In The Fast Lane

Life In The Fast Lane

"Security!" She was drunk, as usual, and felt she needed another.

The next time she focused and took a look around, the only thing visible was the front of his shirt. He was leaning in close and taking the glass from her hand. "I'll get you to your room." Now his beefy hand was under her elbow, helping her from the deck chair. Ah well shit, now he's carrying her.

"I was hoping for another round." She murmured.

"Maybe later, you need to take a little nap." He was tucking the blanket around her body.

Janice's father hired him to keep an eye on her. Ever since she was a preteen and discovered what extreme wealth would do for her. And she took advantage of it. Maximo was hired to try and keep her out of the spotlight. The tabloids were vicious.

Maximo sat on the sofa and pulled out his phone. He was learning Spanish on an app. He repeated each word and tried to memorize it. He took the job years ago because the money was ridiculous and he thought he'd use it to go to college. It ended up he was part of the family, following Janice all over the globe. He fell in love with her over the years, but no one knew. That was the one piece of advice men gave him over the years. Don't fall in love with the client. Oops.

She wandered out of the bedroom a few hours later, hair mussed and nothing but her underwear on. Maximo pushed up out of the chair and pulled out the coffee maker. She sat on the chair staring out the window. When he brought the coffee over to her, a sad zing went through his head, she was starting to age. He could see the fine lines around her eyes and mouth.

She looked up and smiled at him. He stood looking down at her with these thoughts running through his head. Her smile faded and they looked at each other. Slowly, she took his hand and pulled herself to stand. Never releasing it, she took him to the bedroom and crawled onto the bed. He started shaking his head no. No... No... Kneeling on the bed she unbuttoned his shirt and started working on his belt.

"This is a very bad idea, Janice."

"I know. But I'm not changing my mind."

His pants fell to the floor. She rolled back and pulled him close. For some reason, he didn't stop. He dove in. Arms tangled, lips moving everywhere, he tasted everything he'd been desiring for so long and she did the same. He slid into her and jutted his hips once...twice. Then stopped as he realized what he was doing.

"Don't stop. Faster... faster." Her legs were like a vise. He could feel her nails on his arms and went nuts. Everything he imagined it would be like faded into a hot, burning reality. He got lost in her arms, in all the sensations he dreamed about. It was fast, wild, and wonderful. As they lay panting, he groaned and moved to sit up on the bed.

A hand on his arm stopped him. "We both wanted this for a long time."

She did? He never saw it. Now what? "I didn't know you had those feelings, Janice."

"You know as well as I do, that Daddy would have killed you."

That was true. "So what changed now?" He sat, looking at her reclined on the pillows, looking like a princess.

"I got tired of the fast lane. Tired of all the fake friendships, fake smiles, and fake places. Like this resort. Nothing here is real, it's all made up to give people a good time. But it's not a good time when you go home alone. I'm tired of being alone."

"You have lots of friends."

"You, of all people, know that's not true. They're friends with the money and good times."

"I guess. But it's what makes you happy."

"No. And I talked with Daddy about you. Told him how I felt. He said he's known for years. And if you're the one that makes me truly happy, I should go for it."

Her father had recently retired and was in the Bahamas with a very lovely woman. So Maximo assumed he understood Janice's point of view.

"I'll still protect you, Janice, no matter how this turns out."

"I know." She walked into the shower. "And bring me coffee?"

He chuckled. "That too."

Word count 753


Lyrics ▼

He was a hard-headed man
He was brutally handsome, and she was terminally pretty
She held him up, and he held her for ransom
In the heart of the cold, cold city
He had a nasty reputation as a cruel dude
They said he was ruthless, they said he was crude
They had one thing in common
They were good in bed, she'd say
"Faster, faster, the lights are turnin' red"
surely make you lose your mind
(Life in the fast lane) yeah
Are you with me so far?
Eager for action and hot for the game
The coming attraction, the drop of a name
They knew all the right people, they took all the right pills
They threw outrageous parties, they paid heavenly bills
There were lines on the mirror, lines on her face
She pretended not to notice, she was caught up in the race
Out every evening, until it was light
He was too tired to make it, she was too tired to fight about it
surely make you lose your mind
(Life in the fast lane) yeah
(Life in the fast lane) everything, all the time
(Life in the fast lane) a-ha
Blowin' and burnin', blinded by thirst
They didn't see the stop sign, took a turn for the worse
She said, "Listen baby, you can hear the engine ring"
"We've been up and down this highway, haven't seen a goddam thing"
He said, "Call the doctor, I think I'm gonna crash"
"The doctor say he's comin', but you gotta pay him cash"
They went rushin' down that freeway, messed around and got lost
They didn't care, they were just dyin' to get off, and it was
surely makes you lose your mind
(Life in the fast lane) yeah
(Life in the fast lane) everything all the time
(Life in the fast lane) a-ha