As the car pulled up to the hotel entrance, Sophie thought how wonderful the place looked. She was very excited, as it was such a special occasion to have dinner here and stay overnight. Dominic had frequently taken her to lovely places like this, but it was different this time. They were celebrating the publication of her first novel, the writing of which had taken up most of her time for the last few months and they were both looking forward to the romantic break and time spent together without interruptions that this would provide.
As the car came to a stop, the valet opened the door for Sophie to alight, Dominic already standing by her door offering her his hand before she had a chance to even place her feet on the ground. The valet took care of parking the car and dealing with the overnight bags, which left Dominic and Sophie free to check in to the hotel and go straight through to the restaurant as they were slightly late for their table reservation and were already dressed for dinner.
As they stepped into the hotel, Sophie noticed the myriad of decorations covering the walls in celebration of some international cooking event, the type of which she was not entirely sure, however it all looked spectacular to her. She was with the man she loved and anticipation of the evening to come was more than enough to have her happiness assured. Walking through the foyer she was amazed by its design, the front elevation made up entirely of softly tinted green glass, extending 12 floors up at an angle of approximately 50 degrees, making the wall a roof and the roof a wall of sheet glass, displaying the night sky from the interior of the atrium to perfection. Looking up, this wall of glass seemed to expand and rise up above them, shimmering fragments of light refracting off the patchwork surface like a myriad of eyes staring down at them.
A perfusion of indoor plants were scattered about the foyer, illuminated from their bases by specially designed spotlights that cast shadows up and across the leaves, making them shimmer. There where potted palm trees and numerous types of shrubs abounding, clustered in small groups giving an intimate feel to the very large open space of the building as a whole. The highlight of this vista was the waterfall that drew the eye towards it, which for all intents and purposes looked quite natural, spilling out of the wall and flowing down into an artificial stream stocked with Koi Carp and various aquatic plants.
Tropical plants of varying textures and colours and heights surrounded this water feature, creating a rainforest like garden for the delight of the patrons, the sound of the running water soothing on the ear. More potted palms and bamboos where grouped around the floor separating the restaurant into sections and creating small alcoves where diners could sit in relative privacy from the prying eyes of other guests, the cleverly lit garden looking incredible in the rapidly fading light.
Walking across the floor towards the restaurant, Sophie and Dominic negotiated a timber bridge suspended over the indoor stream, stopping for a second to take in the sight. Flowing over pebbles that had been set in the base of the stream, the water was so crystal clear that the fish were easily visible from above. Dominic ran his hand over Sophie's back and down to the swell of her buttocks, groaning with delight in her ear as he discovered the slight ridge of her tiny thong panties beneath her gown. Caressing her buttock seductively, he urged her forward and they entered the restaurant reception. The maitre'd greeted them and showed them to their table which was in the furthest corner of the restaurant, in a part of the building which cantilevered out over the freeform outdoor swimming pool. Separated into two halves by the building suspended above it, the pool flowed underneath the structure and opened out again into another large pool on the far side of the restaurant next to the golf course. Looking out over the greens there was a clear view of the river and the abundant small pleasure craft cruising at this time of the evening.
Sophie and Dom seated themselves at their table that was situated just next to the window on Sophie's left. It was a very private and secluded setting. Looking to the right, Sophie could see into the main atrium of the hotel through the spaces between the plants, although she suspected that from the other side she would go unnoticed. There were people milling about in the foyer waiting to be escorted into the gaming room of the casino or perhaps they were meeting friends outside the cocktail lounge, most were dressed formally for dinner.
Domenic perused the main menu before asking Sophie what she would like to drink. Ordering a Cointreau with lemonade for her and a crisp imported pilsner for himself, he took her right hand in his and turned it to kiss her palm.
