The first thing I heard was the shout through the door.
'What the fuck is going on? What do you think your doing!?!'
I was glad I wasn't on the receiving end of it, but was intrigued as to who was, and what exactly was going on. There was some more shouting, but nothing really audible, so I continued to focus on my task, folding napkins. Pretty tedious, but hard to get wrong.
I heard the door crash behind me.
'Jesus! What a bunch of idiots!'
It was Alan. My boss.
I didn't know whether to acknowledge, agree or ignore, so I stayed focused on the napkins.
He started banging around next to me: pulling open drawers, slamming them shut, knocking items around, generally making a mess. He then stopped. Took a couple of deep breaths and turned to look at me.
'Sorry.'
He looked down and took a few more deep breaths.
'We're just very short staffed and I don't need people failing to do their own jobs, let alone not doing the additional work that's needs to be done.'
I inwardly smiled but tried not to let it show on my face. Ever since I started working at the hotel a couple of months ago, it seemed as though there weren't ever enough staff. The lack of them generally seemed to be top of Alan's list of annoyances. I didn't really know much about hotels, or the service industry at all, but even at 21 with degree from a decent university, jobs were proving hard to come by. This wasn't perfect but at least I could pay my rent.
'I know you haven't been here long, but I'm going to need to ask you to help me out.' He look at me and tried to smile, but looked tired. I felt sorry for him but wasn't sure what he was going to ask. He sighed, 'could you possibly clean out some of the bedrooms for me? I wouldn't ask, but I desperately need someone who isn't a complete moron.'
I wasn't sure what to say. I'd never been involved in room cleaning so I had no idea what I would be required to do but didn't think it could be too hard. I looked at his face and I couldn't say anything else. 'Ok.'
'Oh god, thanks!' He replied, 'it's not anything difficult. You'd just need to empty the bins and tidy up a bit. You can do floor 7 so it shouldn't be too bad.'
He told me what needed doing, gave me a few pointers about dos and don'ts, and then sent me on my way.
Shit I thought. What had I let myself in for?
************
Up on floor 7 the first couple of rooms I did were completely uneventful. I knocked on the door, no one answered, I let myself in, changed the sheets, ltidied the rooms, emptied the bins and left.
This particular floor had some of the more expensive rooms. Businessmen, rich clients on holiday, that sort of thing, so generally they were out during the day and it was nice and quiet and easy.
Until I knocked on room 721.
Now this was the most expensive room on the most expensive floor. It covered one whole corner of the hotel. It was essentially four rooms in one: a large lounge area, a smaller room with a dining table and a bedroom at either end, both with their own en suite. I didn't know who was staying here, but who ever it was had a lot of money!
I knocked and waited. No answer.
I knocked again, just to check, and still no answer. Like the other rooms, I carefully opened the door and called out 'house keeping', waiting for a moment before I came in. Still no answer. Definitely no one home.
So I went in and started with my tasks.
I'd only been in the room a matter of seconds when I heard one of the bedroom doors open behind me and some soft footsteps padding on the carpet. I turned to look and saw that a young women had come in to the main sitting room.
She was beautiful. Petite and slender, shoulder length brunette hair, delicate, elfin like features.
And she was completely naked.
On seeing me she had stopped, rooted in place. I too was frozen to the spot. We just stared at each other.
It was a matter of moments, a few seconds at the most, but it seemed to stretch on and on. I didn't know what to do but it seemed as though she finally snapped out of it because she screamed.
'Arghhhhhhhh!!'
If it was to shock me in to action it had the required effect. I turned away, started mumbling apologies and stumbled for the door.
I knocked in to a few things on the way to the door, but as I got there, someone started hammering on the door from the other side.
Bang! bang! bang!
'Ms Davenport!? Ms Davenport!?'
He didn't sound happy.
Bang! bang! bang!
'Ms Davenport!?.....Isabelle!!' The shouting continued but it was the use of the first name that worried me the most. Fortunately it also had an effect on the woman, Isabelle I presumed, still standing just inside the door of sitting room. She snapped out of her trance and started moving towards me and the door. As she did so she picked up a dressing gown from the sofa and in one flowing movement seemed to flick it on and started calling back to whoever was on the other side.
'Justin!' She shouted, 'Justin......' I thought was done for. '.....I'm ok, I'm fine.'
Now that was a surprise.
They were still shouting her name and they obviously had a key as the door started to open. She was still moving toward me and as she got there, pushed me behind the door and then stopped it from opening more than a metre with her other hand.
'I'm fine, I'm fine Justin, honestly it's ok.'
'What happened Ms. Davenport? Can we come in?'
She peered round the door. 'I'm naked Justin, I've just got out the shower. I don't really think that would be appropriate would it?'
I could hear the smile on his face, 'oh I don't know. You sounded like you needed help.'
'Why did you scream?' This was a new voice. Someone standing, it sounded, behind Justin.
'I....erm....I.....stubbed my toe.' She didn't sound convincing, but then I knew she was lying. 'I'm fine. Honestly. See you guys later.' She went to shut the door.
'Are you sure you're ok? You sure you wouldn't like us to come in and check? Justin again.
'Check what?' She replied, 'There's nothing here.' And she said that, she lent back from the door, glanced briefly in my direction, and gave a barely perceptible wink.
'Leave it Justin.' It was the other voice again, 'she said she's fine.'
They paused for a moment more, then I heard them move away and Isabelle shut the door.
'Who...? I began, but Isabelle put her finger to my lips and whispered, 'Shhhh.'
We were still standing right by the door and she leaned forward, head to one side, and listened. She took her finger from my lips and put them to her own and again whispered, 'Shhh. They'll still be able to hear us here.' She pointed over to the other side of the room where there were three sofas on three sides of a large rug. Her other hand was holding her dressing gown together and we slowly moved over.
When we got there we stood in between the sofas and she faced me, standing touching distance away. I could see her features even more clearly now, her hair framing her face, her grey eyes shining and a smile just touching the sides of lips. She smelled of vanilla, the soap she used in the shower I presumed, and I carefully inhaled. It smelled wonderful. She was so close I could feel the heat emanating from her body, she was glowing and looked radiant. I guessed she was about my age, but perhaps that was her confidence, which despite the initial scream and look of apprehension, was now exuding from every pore of her body. She was in chanted of this situation, she knew it, I knew it, and she knew I knew.
'Who...?' I started again, pointing at the door, but again she stopped me by placing a finger on my lips.
'No, no. Before I answer any of your questions, you're going to answer mine. Who the hell are you!?' She spoke firmly but looked amused.
'I work here. I'm cleaning the rooms. I'm sorry, I did knock but no one answered. I....' I was stammering over the words now and she stopped me again.
'Shh,' her finger was back on my lips, ''Don't worry. I'm sorry if I scared you, I just didn't expect you to be standing there.' She paused and looked at the door, then starting smiling, 'That was a close one wasn't it?'
'Who are they?'
'Security. My dad gets a bit paranoid. He's rich, but he's not as important as he thinks he is.' She looked over her shoulder and waved in the vague direction of the room next door. 'They're in the room over there, but they can't hear us in this part of room.' She looked directly in to my eyes, 'or in the bedroom.' The slight grin was back. I wasn't sure if she was teasing me or if it was just the way she was. Some people are naturally flirtatious.
She paused again, and carried on staring at me. God she was beautiful. I didn't know whether to try and carry on this conversation or whether to try and leave. I was torn but serious conscious of the heavies next door.
'So...' I began. She didn't let me go any further.
'So,' She started, 'as you have interrupted my morning, what are you going to do to make it up to me?'
'I'm sure I can speak to the manager and we can find something...'
'Not the hotel silly,' the interruptions were becoming a habit. 'I don't need anything from the hotel, I want to know what you can do to apologise.'
....
My mind was blank.
'Well if you can't think of anything, I certainly can.' And with that she took a step backwards and sat carefully down on the sofa just behind her. Her legs were on the floor and as she leaned back in to the cushions, the bottom of her dressing gown starting rising up. Rather than try to stop it though, she let it happen, and then slowly started opening her gown. Suddenly she was completely naked in front of me. She licked her lips and spread her legs wider.
'Come and lick my pussy.'
She said it so matter of factly that I initially thought I'd misheard. That certainly wasn't what I expected, but who was I to disappoint a young lady. There was just a nagging doubt at the back of my mind.