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."
Room service soon appeared with two plates of scampi linguine, two glasses, and a cold bottle of Chardonnay. I added a tip, signed, and sent the guy on his way.
"Hey, Ellen, dinner's up!"
She popped out of the bedroom. Her wild black hair had been brushed into a smooth ponytail, and her makeup had been refreshed, but she was still wearing my jacket. Odd, but whatever. Her blue eyes sparkled.
"Wow, that smells good!"
"Yeah, this place actually does a decent room service meal. Want a glass?"
"Sure."
She took a seat across from me at the tiny table, ate a little linguine, picked up her glass, and eyed me a little.
"So how come a good looking guy your age isn't married? Or are you and I'm missing something?"
"I was married. Five years ago she was killed by a drunk driver."
"Ouch. I'm sorry."
"So am I, but there it is."
"Was that when you were a cop?"
"Yeah. Tell you the truth, after that the Department started getting complaints that I used excessive force to arrest drunk drivers. My career was in jeopardy and a friend of the Chief offered me a job as head of security at his tech company. I think the Chief saw what was happening and pulled some strings to get me out of a bad situation."
"What was happening?"
"Every time I caught some selfish idiot driving drunk I saw the guy who killed Kristen. I'm not admitting that I was abusive, but I didn't tell anyone twice to shut up and cooperate."
"What happened to the guy who killed her?"
"In seven years he'll be out of prison and she'll still be dead. So anyway, I like what I do, the company's doing great, and I make a hell of a lot more money than I did as a cop. Things could have turned out worse. What about you?"
"I'm about to start my second year of law school at Georgetown. My big brother's about to marry this girl- who's actually a real sweetheart- and her friends felt obligated to invite me for this party. I think they're taking the chance to relive their sorostitute days."
"They do seem like a pretty wild bunch."
"I've never seen them like this before, but when we're thousands of miles from home inhibitions get loosened. I'm sure they'll calm down when we get back to Connecticut."
"That's where you're from?"
"Yep. You?"
"Seattle."
We chatted casually as we finished dinner. When we were done she stood up.
"You going to lock me out if I put this cart out in the hall? Least I can do to help."
"Not hardly, Too much of that around here for one day already."
I took my last glass of wine out on the balcony and sat thinking as I stared out. I had stumbled across an incredibly sweet, smart, pretty young woman, but I had promised that she was safe with me and I couldn't make a move that might make her uncomfortable. Besides, she was way too young for me. I don't want to be a dirty old man. Really fun girl, though. I heard the door slide open behind me. She stood there with her own wine glass in her hand.
"You going to wear my jacket all night?"
She set down her glass and deliberately settled into my lap.
"You put it on me. I think you should take it off."
Her tongue traced my ear. The movement brought her round hip against my hand, proving that she was still totally nude under the jacket.
"Ellen! What the hell are you doing?"