The Beatles stopped in the doorway, a little surprised, but not very. Girls had gotten past security to see them before. Just this afternoon they had found a girl in their car boot, after all.
This girl, at least, wasn’t screaming, but looked at them with a pretty smile. Her fair-skinned face was made up like an actress’s and her shiny black hair fell to her shoulders before coming back up in a flip, held back 의해 a red headband. She had on a red-and-blue dress that showed off her slender figure beautifully.
“There 당신 are,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for you.” She spoke as though the Beatles had just entered her hotel room and not the other way around.
The Beatles all murmured polite hellos, and then George spoke. “Look,” he said, “it’s nice to see our 팬 and all, but we’re tired. We’ll give 당신 our autograph, and then you’ve got to leave.”
The pretty girl shook her head. “Oh, no I can’t, not yet. I didn’t come in just to meet 당신 – although that was part of it,” she added, with a meaningful smile at George. “I’ve got to tell 당신 something.”
“Fine with us,” said George with a small grin, as he sat himself on the 침상, 소파 다음 to the pretty girl. “Why don’t 당신 tell us how 당신 got inside our hotel room?”
“Or how 당신 knew which room to go into?” added Paul, as he and the other Beatles took seats opposite the pretty girl and George.
“Or how 당신 knew which hotel we were staying at?” Ringo added.
“Knock it off, lads, she’s a fan,” laughed John. “She knows everything about us, don’t you?”
The pretty girl rolled her eyes. “Please. It was obvious 당신 were going to stay in the best hotel in the city, and then all I had to do was read the register. Don’t insult my intelligence,” but she smiled as she said it.
The Beatles noticed that she hadn’t mentioned how she’d gotten into the hotel room 또는 even how she’d gotten a look at the hotel register in the first place, but decided not to press the issue. “What did 당신 really want to tell us?” Paul asked instead.
“And who are you?” added George, staring at the pretty girl with a slight frown (but also with some admiration; she was quite lovely, after all.)
The girl took a breath. “My name’s Karen Dale, and I’ve got to tell you... at work today, I overheard some things, and I think – 당신 four are in danger,” she finished. Her dark blue eyes turned appealingly from one Beatle to the other, wide with concern.
“What?” came from all four Beatles at once.
“How could 당신 know a thing like that?” John demanded.
Karen frowned. “My dad manages a hotel – a different one – , my mum works for the local newspaper, I work at the makeup 샵 where half the women in the city come and talk about things, and I've got 프렌즈 all over the city. I know almost everything that goes on round here. And today, I heard some talking – some voices, I couldn’t make out everything, but they said something about... getting rid of you. For good.” She stared hard at the three Beatles sitting opposite her, and clutched George’s wrist with her small, perfectly manicured fingers. “You’ve got to believe me.”
The Beatles exchanged glances. “All right...” Ringo said slowly, “say there was someone saying that – how could they get at us? How could they do anything to us?”
Karen frowned. “I got into this hotel room, didn’t I? If I wanted to – hurt 당신 at all, I could have done it as soon as 당신 came in!” Her voice broke slightly. “It wouldn’t have been that hard.”
“What are 당신 telling us?” asked George, thick eyebrows wrinkling. “Not to let strange birds into our hotel rooms? You’re not followin’ your own advice, then.” He favoured her with a mischievous, sharp-toothed grin.
Karen smiled back. “No,” she replied. “I also heard these voices say that they were 연기 now because – 당신 four were trying to find new girlfriends? And they sounded angry.” She stared from one Beatle to the other almost accusingly.
John gave a small laugh, Paul raised his eyebrows, Ringo blinked, and George frowned a little harder. Karen had said she knew everything that went on, but they had only made the decision that very afternoon. “News travels fast 의해 the 팬 Post,” John remarked.
“So it’s true, then?” Karen demanded. “You are looking for girlfriends? How could 당신 think of that? Make yourselves unavailable all at once, and you’ll have all your 팬 mad at 당신 too – and you’re going to need our help when these other people start threatening you! Although,” she added thoughtfully, “I suppose it might be all right – 당신 know, if 당신 have four of your best 팬 around 당신 all the time on this tour, we could protect you.” She smiled at the thought. “Well, there’s one of 당신 won’t have to look for his girlfriend any longer,” she declared, wrapping her slender arms round George’s neck. “I volunteer. I choose you.” She planted a soft 키스 on his hollow cheek.
George frowned slightly. Yes, part of him liked being kissed 의해 this beautiful girl, but on the other hand – this wasn’t what the Beatles had decided to do. Find girlfriends who weren’t fans, that was what they had all agreed on. And he wanted to chase after his own girlfriend, not have her throw herself right to him.
“Look, Karen,” George started, gently unwrapping her arms from around him. Karen frowned. “You’re a nice girl and all, but – we had something else in mind.”
“Something else? Like what?” Karen frowned. “You’re not going to find anyone prettier than me, if that’s what you’re thinking!” She arranged herself on the 침상, 소파 to show off her petite figure to its best advantage, stuck out her glossy lower lip, and batted her heavily mascaraed lashes.
George couldn’t help admiring what he saw. No, George, he thought firmly. “Karen,” he tried again. “We’ve decided to find girlfriends who – aren’t Beatles fans.”
Karen stood up abruptly, abandoning her attempts to charm George. “You’re what?” she said very quietly.
Ringo decided to help out his friend a little. “It’s just so’s they’ll 사랑 us for other reasons,” he tried to explain, “not just ’cause they 사랑 our music....”
“That,” said Karen, her voice low and deadly, “is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of.” Her small hands clenched into fists. “You’re trying to find someone to 사랑 당신 who doesn’t 사랑 the Beatles. That’s what 당신 are, all of you, you’re Beatles! 당신 don’t take off your Beatle 슈츠 when you’re done on stage and – and transform into something different! It’s who 당신 are! 당신 try and find someone who loves 당신 without loving the Beatles and you’ll get someone who doesn’t 사랑 당신 at all!”
The Beatles all stared at her, not used to having a 팬 yell at them 또는 tell them off like this. It made them a little uncomfortable; they usually tried so hard to make sure the 팬 continued to 사랑 them as well as their music. They could only imagine what Brian Epstein would say about the effect this would have on their popularity.
Karen took a deep breath. “I can’t make 당신 listen to me,” she decided, her voice even-toned again. “You boys do what 당신 want, but trust me – this is the first time you’ve had a really bad idea, and you’re going to regret it.” She turned on her shiny red heels and marched out of the hotel room.
The boys stared at the door after her. “Too bad she was a fan, George,” John grinned at his friend. “She was quite a choice bird, wasn’t she?”
George was frowning thoughtfully. “Do 당신 think she knew what she was talking about?” he wondered aloud. “About us being in danger?”
“Maybe,” Ringo shrugged. “But maybe she just wanted an excuse to 날짜 you.”
“This doesn’t stop us trying to find our new girlfriends, though?” Paul looked at his three best mates. “I’m looking 앞으로 to mine.”
“If she’s half as good-looking as that Karen was, I’m there,” George agreed, smiling his mischievous smile again.
“Right,” John agreed with a decisive nod. “We won’t let what she said stop us. We can’t change our plans every time someone decided they don’t like us, can we?”
The other Beatles shook their heads, smiling, and 의해 the time they went to bed, they had put all feelings about their encounter with Karen out of their minds.