Sat at the bar I look around the Hotel Excelsiors Lobby Bar darkly chuckling to myself and the perceptions of happiness all around me. The whole day had become such an extravagance, an overly pretentious overly commercialised horse shit excuse dressed up as a holiday to milk hard earned cash from over sentimental assholes.
"Get you another one." The young attractive redheaded barmaid asks spotting my tumbler has been drained of its contents. I take a glance through the bar and decide from what I see that time to take her up on the offer.
"Please a Brandy ...a single this time over one ice cube."
She smiles sweetly at me, the little dimples set in her young cheeks enhance her natural beauty. As she turns away I follow her with my eyes, shapely toned legs are accentuated by the shortness of her black skirt and the black heavy denier nylons she sports.
Immediately my eye is caught by the blonde in a red dress who appears at my side. My roving eye eye casts over her now, her perfect physique wrapped up in the figure hugging dress, a black seam running from the hem of the dress down a denier that's several shades lighter than the girl behind the bar, to meet exquisite black high heeled shoes with a slender black ankle strap. "Can I order a bottle of champagne to room 915 please" she states leaning slightly over the bar to a slight scruffy looking male bar tender.
He obliges and sets to preparing the order diligently enough, as I take a deep breath inhaling her slight floral, gently spiced perfume
"Surely someone should be buying an attractive woman like you champagne on a night like tonight ....even if they have to sob that anonymously."
"Oh..." she turns to me with a mix of a look between disdain and cheek, she has an beautiful face that's lightly made up "...Is that an offer from a stranger?"
I laugh shaking my head noticing the barmaid slide the Brandy along the bar towards me, rudely I don't acknowledge her, I keep my attention fully on the blonde in the red dress. "I'm not stupid enough to buy into all this overhyped overpriced bull shit utopia of what love should mean."
She audibly scoffs at my response "That despite being handsome is why you're drinking alone on Valentines."
I don't react. I don't acknowledge her any further as she steps away from the bar without further interaction and heads back through the crowded room to a lone male in an expensive looking grey suit, they exchange a conversation, he looks over and I give a nod and raise my glass in his direction The epitome face value perfect happy couple. How deceiving looks can be. Knocking back the Brandy in one swig I step down from the bar stool leaving a twenty note on the bar, a significant overpayment for the two drinks I've had, even at inflated hotel bar prices.
I head from the bar and through the main foyer towards a bank of four elevators set in marble and gold decorative surround. Stabbing my finger against a gold coloured button as double doors to my left slide immediately open. I step inside the lift a little glad to be the sole occupant as the doors close following a slight delay. Choosing the 9th floor as my destination. The elevator whirs softly into life as it ascends.
On arrival on the 9th floor I step from the carriage and head along the narrow door lined corridor before stopping midway down the corridor and inserting the key card into the door. The door unlatches and I step inside the room , the nondescript looking double room is no different to when I'd left it a little over twenty minutes earlier.
The windows of the room face out across the City skyline at night. I glance across the bed littered with rose petals, taking a lighter from my pocket I light the dark red candles positioned on the bed side tables. My eye line then falls to the red nylon ropes and black leather cuffs attached to each corner of the bed. The ropes stretch out across the mattress, the leather cuffs sitting in stark contrast amongst the red petals atop the pristine white Egyptian cotton sheets. Sat at the base of the bed the black blindfold.
There's one subtle difference to the room as I switch off main lights leaving only side lights to cast atmospheric light amongst the flicker of the candles. The ordered bottle of 'Veuve Clicquot' champagne sits on the dressing table alongside of two stem crystal glasses. I take one last cursory look around the room, happy everything is as it should be, as I'd planned.
I step away from the bed and into the rooms en-suite bathroom I leave the light off, I close the door but I don't lock it.
I wait in the darkness,
Minutes pass, how many I'm not sure as I stand waiting patiently in the darkness, my breath calm and quiet even as I hear the click of the key card in the door. I hear their voices. Her surprise, her genuine shock at what she finds. I hear him speak. Muffled words through the walls I can't fully discern what's being said. Edging closer to the door of the en-suite, keeping deathly silent as I strain my hearing.
"Oh my ....oh my god ...wait how did you? ...when did you even?" She offers with a palpable nervous system excitement.
"Surprise." he calmly states
