What a day! I had started early in the morning in the hope that I could get through my work and catch the early flight back to London but the fates were against me and, as meetings dragged on, I knew that I would not only miss the early flight, I would also miss the later one as well. II would be stuck in Prague for another night.
Since my divorce two years previously, I had buried myself in my work as an IT consultant and taken jobs that many others would have shunned at my age. Being away from home for weeks on end is no fun if you have a wife and family to go home to, but at 45 I did not have those worries so the opportunity to travel and be away from my small little house outside London was attractive. And the money was good as well!
So when I eventually completed my work, I phoned the Hilton who were looking after my bags and asked if I could stay another night. No problem said the girl on the Executive Club desk “We will put your bags into Room 815 – you can collect the pass-card from me when you get back. We will also phone the airline and get you on tomorrow’s flight.” Now that’s what I call service, it may cost more, but then it is often worth it, especially at times like these.
So I returned to the hotel, picked up my pass and went to my room to shower and wash away the stress and strain of a very full day. Refreshed, I dressed in a polo neck and slacks and thought about what to do with my extra time. I was not hungry (courtesy of the lavish lunch the client had bought) but was still feeling too tired to go out. So it was the Executive Club lounge for me and a quiet drink and catch up on the news reading the paper.
I settled into one of the nice leather armchairs and started to sip my large gin and tonic which the not unattractive girl had brought for me. I picked up the paper and started to read all the business news, glancing up from time to time to look at CNN on the TV in the corner. I was in my own little world until I heard a noise and then felt a cold damp feeling on my foot.
“Oh shit, I’m so sorry.”
I looked up and into the attractive face of a woman. We both looked down to see what had been my half-full drink, slowly seep into the carpet. “I just didn’t see your drink there and I was reaching to get a paper and …….” “Well I am just so sorry” Her face was flushed as she offered her second apology, a colour which enhanced her face, framed by dark hair cut into a soft bob. Her big brown eyes looked at me and then downwards to accentuate her apology. I would guess her age to be early to mid thirties, attractive rather than beautiful but with a warm look which would put anybody at their ease.
“Don’t worry about it” I eventually pulled myself together to say, “It is me who should apologise, I was so lost in my paper that I did not even notice you sit down in the chair next to me.”
“Well I didn’t want to disturb you. You looked totally engrossed and, well, I thought I could reach the paper and then…. Look I am so sorry” A hint of a smile came across her face and she sat back into her leather armchair. “Really, it’s not a problem, look lets each get a fresh drink from the waitress and say no more about it.” “What’s your poison then?” I asked, trying to look as sincere as possible, hoping that I could put down the paper and enjoy a nice chat which did not involve work.
“Vodka and tonic I think” was the reply. I hailed the waitress, placed the order and turned back to look into those lovely brown eyes. “So what brings you to Prague then?” I asked hoping that it did not seem like the worst chat-up line ever.
“Oh I am here to put together a conference for my company; we are looking at this hotel as a possible venue. How about you?”
“Oh I am working for one of the local banks, helping them design their new IT system”
The conversation started to flow, I found out she was new in her job, this was her first major assignment on her own and she was getting stressed out, hoping she was doing all the right things and covering ever angle required. I told her about my work in the bank, we had another round of drinks, we talked some more and then after we had ordered our third round of drinks she suddenly said:
“Here we are chatting away and I don’t even know your name. I’m Anne”
“Nice to meet you Anne” I said with a broad grin on my face “I’m Will” (oh how I hated being called Bill or, even worse, William).
“Back in a moment” she said rising from her chair, “I must go to the little girl’s room.”
I watched her walk across the room – the first time that I had looked at anything much more than her face, although I had already made a mental note of the lack of a wedding ring on her left hand. She had a soft sensual way of walking, just a slight sway of the hips which showed off her trim figure. She wore a business suit over a nice cream buttoned blouse– all very feminine but quite formal. When she returned the suit jacket and skirt had gone and she now wore a pair of jeans which accentuated her slim frame and long legs. I also noticed (or had I just failed to notice earlier) that the blouse now had one more button undone revealing, as she sat down, a glimpse of the top of her breasts. Not that she was well endowed; they were of medium size perhaps a B cup?