"I trust you will enjoy your stay, madame," the hotel manager said. "If there is anything you require, please do not hesitate to ask." He dimmed the lights as baggage porters left the room.
The guest was a slim dark-haired woman of about thirty, dressed in a business suit. "Thank you, I want just to be alone for tonight."
"As you wish. You will not be disturbed." He gave a small bow. "Bonsoir."
"Yes, goodnight. Thank you."
She made certain the door was locked behind them, and then entered the bathroom for a long soak in a very hot tub. The flight had left her exhausted.
She emerged dressed only in a soft cotton robe and hotel slippers, toweling damp from the ends of her hair. The porters had left her tastefully matched luggage by the bed.
She picked up the smallest bag, a zipped case with leather fastenings, and laid it on the bed, where she traced a finger to the monogrammed initials: R.H. She drummed her fingers lightly, and then picked up the bedside telephone. She considered a moment, but replaced the receiver. Deftly, she unzipped the bag and threw back the lid.
It was filled with gorgeous lingerie: beautiful garments of satin and silk, neatly folded soft shades of pastel pink, frills and lace, wafted in fragrant perfume. She ran through the contents, then pushed the case aside and stood up.
Her purse lay on the dresser. She lit a cigarette and snapped the lighter shut. Her reflection stared back from the dresser mirror. She went to the window, where she gazed out at the late evening traffic far below. No sound carried up, and she saw no movement in any of the hundreds of towering office windows that glittered all around. She stubbed out the cigarette, closed the drapes, and switched on the bedside light.
Seating herself in front of the dresser mirror, she took a small bag from her purse and laid out items of make-up. She worked moisturizer into her arms and neck, and then powdered her face and bare upper chest. The robe hung off her shoulders, exposing toned flesh over the fine hard ridges. She took up a scarlet lipstick, and leaned forward with a pout, gliding the slender tube across her lips. Its hard waxy tip pressed into the supple flesh, rolling the upper lip and smoothing the sullen protuberance of the lower as a vivid smear was left behind. She smacked the crimson tumefaction together with an appreciative murmur and opened her mouth just a little, catching the taste. She tucked back a stray lock of lustrous hair, still damp from her bath. A dash of mascara was all her lashes took, that with a light dusting of shadow made her eyes shimmer like coal. Using a tiny vial of perfume, she dabbed a touch under her ears and on her wrists, rubbing them together as she stood, nearly satisfied. She raised one bare leg on the dresser stool, her robe falling open, and brushed perfume lightly on her thighs.
Now she unknotted the robe and tossed it over a chair. Although naked, her body was warm from the bath, and the room was comfortably heated. The shiver that ran through her was one of anticipation. She opened the case and turned back its cover, then ran once again over the contents.
On top lay a sheer nightgown. She picked it up by thin straps and held it against her body, feeling the cool fabric glide across her skin, admiring the line of her trim figure in the full-length mirror to one side of the room. Her dark mound showed hazy through the gossamer fabric, and her breasts pressed lightly, nipples stiffening at its sensual caress. She laid the nightgown on the bed, and then pulled out a peach-colored short chemise folded together with matching satin tap pants. Once again she admired herself in the mirror as she held the top to her body. She fondled the panties, running a hand inside, enjoying the material slippery over her fingers, and then replaced the set in the case, folded just as before. Her eyes lit on a different choice.
She drew from the case a jet-black corset. Luxurious and beautifully made - an elegant construction of sleek satin and rigid ribs binding powernet panels - the mere touch of it seemed to excite her. Low cups were firmly padded and underwired, creating rounded protrusions that even unworn suggested the form of quite perfect breasts. At the hem, from each side hung three metal-tipped ribbon garters. The clasps rattled deliciously as she held the corset out.
Eagerly she slipped her arms through adjustable straps, reaching behind to fix hooks to eyes. It appeared awkward but she was more than experienced, and frantic fingers nimbly found each fastening. By holding her breath she managed to fix the hooks from the small of her back almost to shoulder blades, pinching the bone. She tugged up and around to adjust the fit, feeling her flesh squeezed and molded to the tight corset curves. Perfect.
She gazed at her reflection, transfixed.
Her form was of a slender flowing hourglass cinched at the waist. She smoothed her hands over and settled her breasts, which while not overlarge had been forced upward by the restrictive ribs, their creamy tops spilling over half cups to peek provocatively above shallow lace trim. The dark aureole showed through, swollen nipples pricking the delicate fabric. Her cleavage appeared voluptuous, each breast thrust up by the soft padded cups, a dark inviting cleft pressed firmly between. She turned to admire the effect in the mirror, loose garters clicking as she thrust out a hip, their metal clasps cold against bare thighs.
She knew what to look for in the case, and drew out a nylon stocking. Old-fashioned yet timeless, it was the kind made by specialists: charcoal dark, fully fashioned, ultra sheer, with reinforced heel and toe, and a seam the length of the back. Like the path traced by a lover's finger it reached from the vulnerable heel up shapely calf to the wide smooth back of the thigh, ending just shy of a welt in darkening shades to black. A silky second skin.
Expertly she balled the stocking between her hands and poked a toe in. Pedicured nails stretched the pocket for the toes, and she fed the ball out, gently rolling the fitted fabric over her foot and - ensuring the seam was properly aligned - up her calf and over the knee. She drew the stocking fully upward, stretching the fabric out, enjoying the caress of cool nylon the length of her leg. She smoothed the stocking from the bottom to the top, making sure of the fit, and then fastened the front garters and pulled the rear taut, thumbing a button inside its ribbon and rounding out the stocking top before snapping the metal fastener over, so that each was perfectly aligned. With fingers almost trembling she rolled the other stocking on, and fixed garters to that side fastidiously as before. She turned to the mirror once again.
Her long legs shimmered in the soft light as she stepped out to see her full length in the mirror. Pale skin seemed to glow in contrast to the inky black of the corset. The dark triangle of her pubic hair stood out, perfectly framed between long straining garters. She felt heat rise between her legs.
Returning to the case, she rummaged through and found what she wanted - a pair of black panties: full cut, silky smooth. She stepped in and excitedly tugged them up her stockinged legs, the filmy garment sliding smoothly to her thighs where it was pulled tight over soft fleshy buttocks. The waistband snapped tight, just short of the corset, its garters stretched taut underneath. She ran a hand across the cool material, feeling the curve of her rump to her wide bony hips. Fingers slipped between her legs, pressing the silk and holding it to her mons, then lightly pulling so that the soft gusset thrilled against her lips. She gasped at the sensation of lust.
Feeling giddy, she calmed her beating heart and returned to the case, sifting eagerly inside an elasticized pocket. A smile curled her red lips.