Charlotte Jones had spent most of her adult life working in finance, from school to college, to University and onto a succession of tedious jobs. She had worked her way through one failed marriage and reluctantly surrendered this fate as her future.
It was with lacklustre energy she set off for the two-day business conference after a colleague dropped out through illness. She normally kept clear of participating in these mind-numbing events allowing the men to grab the attention but she'd been unlucky in catching her boss's eye at the wrong moment.
The young pretty boy eye candy concierge barely paid her any attention as she signed in and passed her on to the older porter with barely a flicker. This continued during each seminar, with her presence melting into the background.
Taking her usual seat towards the back, Charlotte made herself as comfortable as possible in the stiff plastic chair. Shifting herself down to avoid any eye contact with the speaker she settled in for the forthcoming tedium. The stifling atmosphere was only changed by a noticeable frisson that ran through her surrounding male colleagues.
As she watched the faces of the men around her openly drop Charlotte discovered that she wasn't the only female present. A tall long-haired brunette had slid onto the front row and was the object of their attention and she shone in the spotlight. When she turned her head to listen Charlotte saw the beauty and understood the attraction.
She had flawless white skin, broken only by her plump red lips and dark alluring eyes and Charlotte realised she had joined in the adoration. When those sultry eyes caught her looking she panicked and made a self-conscious attempt to cover, much to the amusement of the woman.
At the end of the talk, Charlotte escaped to the bar but failed to grab the barman's attention, as the throng of men now shoved their way to the front. She took her leave to a quiet table in the back to relax till the next excruciatingly dull meeting.
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Tess had no such problem in gaining anyone's attention, never mind a barman. With a wave of her hand, his eyes locked on her and the men melted into the background. "Two G&T's please." A man to her left offered to pay but she politely shot him down, "that's so kind but my company pays for all my expenses."
Tess was the polar opposite of Charlotte, she exuded confidence and basked in the gawping response from the males. Her long raven hair swung extravagantly down the contours of her back in stark contrast to Charlotte's short Karen-style blonde.
With each self-assured step closer, Charlotte felt increasingly inferior and knew every man in the room was thinking the same. Heads turned and watched as the tall beauty swished her way passed them and headed to the mousey woman who sat all alone.
"May I?" the question was accompanied by a wide, ruby-lipped smile. As Charlotte nodded she squeezed in alongside, her curvaceous bottom wriggling into the small space. "I saw you inside and I just had to say hello. Safety in numbers."
She patted Charlotte on the hand and at the touch of her warmth, she felt a burning rush to her face. "Yes, just us two I think."
"If I hear one more boring man explaining to me about how to make money, I will scream." Tess's laugh exposed her gleaming perfect teeth, "Please tell me you're here for day two."
"Yes, I'm staying overnight here and leave after the afternoon session." Charlotte sipped her cold G&T to quench her suddenly dry throat.
"Marvellous, I was afraid I'd be all alone." Tess reached an arm around the blonde and squeezed her tight, "Let's make a pact, to keep each other company through this boredom."
Normally Charlotte was not a touchy-feely person, she liked people to keep some personal space from her at all times. This woman was encroaching on all of her boundaries but she failed to pull away from her magnetic pull. As they shook hands in agreement, electricity ran through her from the surprisingly strong grip of the stranger.
"I'm Tess," she slid her white business card over.
The card was elegantly printed with her name, company and business number and fishing through her handbag Charlotte returned the gesture. "I'm Charlotte."
"Normally I try to keep clear of these conferences but it just happened to coincide with a friend of mine's event tonight so I thought kill two birds." Tess swung her elegant long leg over her knee and dangled it to the room full of watching male eyes.
"That was fortunate, was type of event is it?" Charlotte turned her gaze into the dark hazel eyes inspecting her.
"A sporting event," she giggled at the furrowed brow before her. "I'm not a sports lover either but this is unlike any sporting event I'd ever been to either." Tess ran a finger enticingly over her thick red lips, "I have a plus one, you really should join me."
Charlotte was enjoying her new friend's company and didn't want to disappoint her but sport was really not her thing. "Oh, I don't think that's my kind of thing."
"Nonsense, are you going to spend the night alone in this tedious hotel or come out on a night out with me." Tess leaned in till her nose was a millimetre from touching, "I promise you this night will be an eye opener that you will never forget."
Feeling her warm breath teasing her face, Charlotte succumbed feebly. She nodded and was astounded as Tess flung her arms around and hugged tightly. Without thinking her arms responded, wrapped around Tess and squeezed, content in the embrace.
Tess planted a deep lipstick kiss on her cheek, "I'll pick you up at reception at eight." With a smile, she rose and gave a cheeky wink goodbye, "See you later."
As the whirlwind disappeared through the foyer Charlotte sat in a daze, happy to feel some human contact and disappointed she had gone. Her mind then contemplated what kind of night would she have in store for her.
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Charlotte changed from her black business suit to a navy business suit and immediately wished she had packed more imaginatively. The doubts for the enjoyment of this evening grew as soon as Tess left and she wished she had shown some restraint from the charisma of the newcomer.
As she approached the reception Charlotte drank in the visage of Tess who waved towards her. Dressed in a tight crimson evening gown with her long black hair cascading down her ivory shoulders, her face lit up with those devilish red lips. The cocky concierge looked flustered and uncomfortable in her presence and she was enjoying toying with him.
"Did you bring nothing but business attire?" Tess cocked her head as she teased before engulfing Charlotte in a tight hug. "Only teasing, still look hot."
"I didn't think I'd need any," Charlotte whispered and succumbed to the intoxicating perfume that bathed around her. For a split second, she closed her eyes and rested her head on the warm bare skin of Tess.