Stein's Girl: 5 - Samuel
Angelique placed the walkie talkie on the Hotel's front desk, much to the surprise of the young man sitting behind it.
"Jo said to tell you that she quits. She's going to be too busy fucking me to work here any more." Angelique smiled wickedly at the look on the young man's face before laughing and walking towards the hotel bar. In point of fact, Joanne had said no such thing. The woman had been incoherent at the end and now she slumbered, naked and exhausted, in the arms of Kat, who was in even worse shape. Angelique had no doubt however that Joanne would gladly quit her job in exchange for frequent sex and she realized now that she was going to need a regular harem to keep herself satisfied. Which was why she had left the hotel room almost immediately this time in search of fresh flesh. She did not want to end up babbling in a vending cove again.
There were several couples seated here and there in the dimly lit room that served the hotel as restaurant and bar. Only a few of these even glanced at her as she entered. Those that did were will rewarded for Angelique looked quite stunning. She had put on her new red dress and it clung to her shapely hips and breast. No one even noticed that she wasn't wearing shoes. Angelique looked around but she saw no one that struck her fancy. Without an immediate target, she decided to head for the bar. She did not have a chance to reach it before events took a sudden turn.
"Heather!" The cry, anguished and loud, came from a man seated alone, in a dimly lit corner near to the bar. There was a crash, the sound of a chair hitting the floor, and then a second later, another crash, the sound of glass breaking. Angelique, along with everyone else in the room, turned to stare at the source of this noise.
The man who had yelled was staring at Angelique, tears in his eyes. A waitress was already heading to the spot.
"I'm sorry," said the man, "I'm so sorry."
"It's alright sir," soothed the waitress. Angelique just stared. The man was about thirty, dressed smartly in a gray dress shirt and good quality slacks. His brown hair was just beginning to thin and he had the merest shadow of a beard. There was something endearing about him to Angelique, something soothing and familiar. For a moment her thoughts were on something other than sex and she took a step towards the man.
"I'm so sorry." The man was speaking to Angelique now. "For a moment there you looked exactly like my wife and... I... maybe I've just had a little too much to drink."
"Is your wife here," asked the waitress as she swept the beer soaked pieces of glass into a dustpan.
"She died. About six months ago." He dabbed at the tears in his eyes with a paper napkin. It was clear that he was truly distraught. "I'm sorry," said the waitress sympathetically.
The man addressed Angelique again. "She looked just like you. Just a little difference in the cheeks and nose. You could be her sister. You aren't related to any Masons by chance."
Angelique did not know what to say. She shook her head slightly. "I don't know."
"She was a Mason before she married me and became a Carpenter. That used to be a joke of ours." He smiled weakly. "I'm Sam. Samuel Carpenter."
"I'm Angelique."
"Can I buy you a drink to make up for yelling at you. Must have scared you to death. You just gave me such a turn. You look just like her, at least in the face."
Stepping gingerly, mindful of broken glass on the floor, Angelique took a seat at his small round table. The waitress stared oddly at Angeliques legs, noticing her smooth bare feet, but she said nothing. For some reason she found herself thinking of her boyfriend.
"I'm not thirsty," said Angelique, watching the man as he too sat back down. This strange man with his tear streaked face made her feel strangely maternal, as if she wanted to take care of him, holding him to herself tightly. She had not felt that way about anyone since her awakening earlier in the day. All others she had viewed merely as objects she could use. Not so with him. She did not understand the feelings.
"Bring us two beers," Samuel said to the waitress, "and sorry about the scene." He seemed to have his emotions a little better under control.
"No problem. Are you staying in the hotel?" She did not want to give him any more to drink if he was driving anywhere.
"Yeah. For the night."
"Okay then. Two beers it is."
Samuel looked again at the woman now sharing his small table. Her likeness to Heather was uncanny, at least to the Heather he remembered from college, before the cancer took away her health, her hair and 60 pounds. If it wasn't for the smaller nose and higher cheekbones, not to mention if one were to be perfectly honest, the bigger tits, she would have been Heather's perfect double.
"Are you staying in the Hotel?" He smiled as he asked, trying to change the mood, trying to not be a crying stranger in a bar.
"Room 432," said Angelique and then, remembering her problem, she looked up at the clock. She had about twenty minutes she assumed before she grew desperate. She looked back at the man, this time trying to assess his potential as a lover. Thus far, the only two men she had interacted with in any significant fashion had been the store manager who had kicked her and Kat out of his store earlier and Kat's fiancee, who had chased them out of his house with a gun. Neither reacted to her quite like women did. She wondered if she could seduce this man or would he too end up chasing her away.
"I'm on the third floor. I come here on business about once a month. I used to bring Heather, that's my wife and we would leave the boy with her mother. I actually live not far from here but the boss pays for the hotel room and so I take it."
Angelique nodded in what she hoped was a sympathetic way. The waitress came back and placed the beers in front of them. Samuel sat back and was silent while she worked, saying a quiet "thank-you" when she finished.
After the waitress walked off, Samuel leaned forward and asked, "What about you, are you from around here or what?"
"Maybe," said Angelique and she too leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. Sam smelled her suddenly, an odor of cinnamon and spice. It made him think suddenly of the pies Heather used to make around the holidays.
Damn, he thought to himself, as tears started to form again. He took a hasty drink of beer followed by a deep breath. "Sorry," he apologized again, "I can't seem to get Heather out of my mind tonight. You do look just like her. Though you look sadder somehow. She was always happy, even when she was sick. Always knew what to say to make me feel better."
Angelique's heart moved within her, thawing and she had a sudden vision of this man, younger and happier, holding a baby to his chest, beaming with delight. Reaching out her hand, she touched his, holding it. He looked at her and suddenly smiled, feeling strangely better. The smell of cinnamon was stronger now. He didn't feel quite so bad when he smelled it.
"Sorry about the tears. I've been drinking slowly for the last hour and it must have got to me more than I thought. Probably should quit before I get good and drunk."
"So quit."
"Right after this drink." He laughed.
"No, I mean it, quit. I have something else you can do." She sounded suggestive and he looked up, not knowing quite how to respond. The look on her face was both tender and hungry. It was an odd combination."
