*** Front Desk ***
It was so noisy I could hardly think. The lofty hotel lobby had become an echo chamber for the excited chattering of the teenage girls scattered throughout the foyer. I was surprised to see their numbers when we arrived, and I had to abandon my boss in the midst of them in order to check in. Leaning over the front desk, I shouted at the receptionist to be heard over the din, "Are you sure? Could you check again please? It's Walker. Timothy Walker."
I wasn't about to panic yet, but I was starting to get a sinking feeling. Organizing this business trip was my first big assignment for the company, and things were not going well. Already, our flight had been delayed, and my luggage was lost.
I peered nervously back at my boss. Happily, she was occupied talking to an older woman, probably a client, and not stewing about my growingly evident incompetence. The pair, in tailored business suits, looked out of place amongst the bustling mob of young girls, but then again Ms Strickland always seemed to stand out in a crowd. Her sharply defined legs and full, firm body looked more bikini model than executive, but her straight black hair and dark, impassive eyes left no doubt that she was, in fact, a demanding, no nonsense boss.
"Sir, did someone cancel the room?" the receptionist asked.
"I don't see how. Only my boss and I knew the travel arrangements."
"Pardon?" The receptionist squinted her eyes as if that would help her hear better.
"I said, 'NO'."
The receptionist glanced impatiently at the long line behind me and then turned back to her computer.
I looked back again over my shoulder. The other woman had grabbed my boss's arm and was laughing. Were they scoffing at my screw-ups? It was a good thing that my boss, despite her reputation, had been tolerant with me while I was learning the ropes, or at least she had been before today.
I first met Ms Strickland in the company gym. As I was doing bench presses, she walked over and scanned me up and down. She was wearing a tight leotard, and I was afraid that she thought I had been stealing glances at her. She didn't know that I would never do anything that depraved. I had been brought up in a strict Christian family, and although I'm not as religious as I had once been, I have made an effort to remain above moral reproach. In fact, as she stood over me and demanded my name, I had to avert my eyes from her nipples, which were poking up under her work-out suit. I'm embarrassed to admit that I started to get an erection and had to shift my hips on the bench to hide it. Nevertheless, a few days later, she had me assigned as her intern and insisted on me organizing this trip for the two of us. At the time, I thought I had been lucky, but now I felt the opportunity turning against me.
"Eee-yoo," the squeal of a girl standing behind me in line snapped my attention back to the receptionist. "I'm sorry sir, but I only have the one room for you."
"But that can't be right. I made the double reservation myself."
"Yes, sir. That's what we have for you – one room, one double bed."
"Yeah ... no, but when I said 'double', I meant ..." Then I started to doubt myself. What had I booked? Unfortunately, the confirmation message was in my missing luggage.
Eyeing the restless line-up behind me, the receptionist proceeded to process me, swiping credit and key cards through her computer with practised hands.
"Well, you must have another room I could get."
The receptionist chuckled, "No sir." Then noticing my desperate stare, she stiffened her mouth. "Sir, it's the Midwest College Cheerleader Finals this week. There are no rooms available in the whole city."
She slid my cards to me, and I dragged them off the counter. As I turned dejectedly towards my fate, the two girls behind me jostled into my space to ask for a new card for their room, alternately interjecting, "No, you did! ... No, you did!" by way of explanation. Theirs was an eminently more forgivable problem. As I trudged back across the foyer, I could feel my balls tingle anxiously.
*** Lobby ***
The route back was a slalom course of boppy, overly energetic girls who intermittently lurched into my path. Preoccupied by self-pity, I didn't notice a young girl stumbling backwards towards me until her bum squished into my groin. She yelped on contact and spun around immediately. Her friends screamed with equal surprise but then prevented her retreat by continually pushing her back into me. Each time she fell against me, her hair pressed up against my nose, tickling it. The strong smell of her youthful perfume sent a chill down my spine.
Finally, I held her in place and backed myself away, the skin of her arms squishing delicately in my grasp. Turning bright red, she clasped her hands over her mouth in horror. Then she spun around and flailed at her cohorts, who parried and shrieked in defence.
I turned back around and noticed that I had become the centre of attention. My boss, with a scowl, beckoned me curtly to hustle over.
"Accosting young girls, Mr Walker?" the older woman asked as I arrived. She looked to be in her late 50s, thin, attractive and well maintained but with a skin that had been tanned a bit too much and a rough voice that hinted at hard living.
I blushed. "No ma'am. She just fell into me."
"And do girls always fall for you, Mr Walker?" The woman unexpectedly caressed the back of my head and ran her fingers through my hair. I shivered.
"Timothy, this is Mrs Robertson," my boss said, and once I heard the name, I recognized her immediately as the VIP client whom we were targeting on this trip. I had prepared a briefing on my laptop specifically for her.
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." I wanted to extend my hand, but she had sidled up so close to me that I couldn't move without hitting her.
Mrs Robertson mussed my hair playfully. "My goodness, Beth, you brought a young one this year. I hope for your sake that he's eighteen. Or should I say for our sake?"
"That depends, Doreen."
"On what, Beth? His year of birth?"
"No, on you signing a Letter of Intent this year. I found that our ... uh ... promotional campaign last year did not result in much business for us."
"Oh, Beth, I thought I explained that to you. We just had a bad year; that's all."
"Yes, well, all the same, you'll understand if I get a signature this year before Timothy ... uh ... shows you his PowerPoint."
The woman hummed sceptically.
"I'm twenty, ma'am," I volunteered. I'm not sure I had followed the gist of the conversation, but I wanted to reassure her that she wasn't conducting business with a minor.