I was walking back to my room after a long day spent in conference rooms (why is sitting in seminars so tiring?) when I saw a human shape dart behind a soda machine. That made my old cop instincts spring to life, and I walked up with one hand under my leather jacket. To my shock, I found a smallish young lady, naked as the day she was born, with one hand between her legs, the other across her chest, and a mortified look on her face. One arm across her bust wasn't really enough. I looked up and down the hall and didn't see anyone after her.
"What the hell? Are you OK? Someone do something to you?"
She blushed a little deeper.
"Bad practical joke, but I could really use some help."
I was already pulling my jacket off and draping it around her shoulders. It reached most of the way to her knees. She looked down.
"Uh, my hands are busy. Can you help with the zipper?"
I reached down and zipped it to her neck, trying not to brush her bare body with my knuckles. The jacket bounced around a little and with some flopping her hands appeared out of the sleeves. She smiled a little at me.
"Thanks, that's a lot better."
"No problem. Want to tell me what's going on here?"
She sighed.
"I'm here on a bachelorette party weekend. The other girls were getting too drunk and rowdy and I decided to take a shower and go to bed. You know how the bathroom's right by the front door? As I came out they shoved me out the door and stole my towel. Called me boring. I was trying to figure out how to get help without walking through the lobby stark naked when you showed up."
"Some friends you have."
"Friends of my brother's fiance. Nice enough girls when sober, but they get a lot wilder than I'm used to when they start drinking."
"Well, let's see what the front desk can do."
The desk clerk's eyebrows rose when he saw me walk up with a young lady in tow who appeared to be wearing nothing but my jacket. He was too well trained to comment.
"Henry, this young lady is having a serious problem with her suitemates. Can you find her a small private room for the night? Bill it to our corporate account."
A murmur of protest came from behind me as Henry searched the computer.
"Sorry, Mr. MacAlpin, but there's three conventions in town and we're totally full."
I reached for my wallet and pulled out a fifty, but Henry waved it off.
"Thanks for the thought, but we honestly don't have another room available. If we did your company would already have it on the house. We don't want our guests having bad memories, and we appreciate your business."
I pulled the girl aside.
"Look, I was a cop long enough to know a working girl when I see one. Am I correct to think that you really are a nice young lady in a bad spot and not trying to set me up for some crazy ripoff?"
She looked more angry than shocked.
"What the hell? I'm some sort of criminal who runs around naked? Fuck off, I'll figure this out for myself! Here, take your damn jacket back!"
I grabbed her hands before they reached the zipper.
"I just said that I don't think that's what you are."
Over her shoulder I saw a couple of college age guys watching with great interest. I gave them my hard eyed cop stare and they decided to wander off toward the dining room. She relaxed.
"Look, I have two beds in my suite and you can use one of them if you don't want to go back and deal with those drunk girls."
She looked doubtful.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I have nieces your age and I'm doing what I would want another man to do if he found them in your position. It's up to you but it's the best I can do right now. You heard Henry."
"You're a cop?"
"Ex cop. Not that I haven't known some shady ones, but I'm an honest man."
"And Henry seems to respect you."
"I'm in corporate security now. My company uses this hotel a lot. They know me inside and out, and vice versa."
She sighed and then smiled at me.
"OK, let's make the best of this, roomie. My name's Ellen Cabot, by the way."
"Mark MacAlpin. And yes, I'm descended from the original."
I turned to Henry.
"Henry, give me a key card for, what room was it, Ellen?"
"1613."
"You know I'm not supposed to do that, Mr. MacAlpin."
"And you know I wouldn't do anything that would create a problem for you."
On that basis we swapped the key card for my fifty.
"OK, let's go get your stuff."
There was a chorus of squeals when I opened door 1613.
"Oh crap! She got security!"
"No, she found the stripper! Put some music on!"
I dodged some brightly colored lingerie that came flying at me and looked away from a bleached blonde with her miniskirt at her waist stripping off for a second volley.
"Knock it off, ladies! I'm not security or a stripper. Ellen's just getting her stuff and we're out of here."
"Aw, a body like that and you're not a stripper? How about trying it for once?"
The girls cheered. Christ Almighty. Ellen popped back up clutching a carryon bag and I backed out of the room behind her. Once the door closed, she looked up at me and grinned.
"You look like you saw a ghost."
"Those girls really are crazy. I thought I was going to get stripped naked myself."
"And here I've already got your jacket, and you're not getting it back until I have a chance to get dressed. That would have been a problem, wouldn't it?"
"Better not to dwell on it. Come on."
We took the elevator multiple stories up to my suite. Ellen stopped dead just inside.
"Wow, this is nice."
"We send this hotel a lot of business. They can afford this. Say, do you want to go out for dinner or order in?"
"Can we order in? I've had about enough adventures for one night."
"Sure. You like scampi?"
"Love it."
"I'll order and you go on in the bedroom and sort yourself out."