I sat at the hotel's bar by myself. I held my glass of Chardonnay to my lips, sort of rolling the large bulbous glass from side to side. I was deep in thought, in sort of a trance really. I was thinking about all of the deadlines I had at work and realized that I had been sitting there not long.
I looked up to the right of me to meet the gaze of a man. He smiled. I resumed drinking my drink. I crossed one leg over another exposing just enough of my thigh through the slit of my skirt to make apparent that I wore thigh highs and apparently he noticed. He made his way over to me.
He waved to the bartender.
"I'll have another scotch, and..." he turned his head, his eyes meeting mine.
"Amaretto on the rocks."
"What brings you to this part of town?" he asked.
"And how would you know this is not my hometown, born and raised?" I asked.
"Well...It's your body language. You have an air of uncertainty. You're not entirely sure of what you are doing here with these men watching you like hawks, most of them hesitant to approach you." He scanned the room. "So, what brings you here if I may ask for the second time?"
"I am doing an investigation for an article I am writing." I told him.
"And what may be the topic?"
"It's an instructional piece, really. I'm trying to help men realize what to and not to do when tying to pick up women, you know teaching them about ways of captivating a woman at the first meeting and how to interest women into remaining in their presence after the first drink, then possibly until long after."
"Really...and how did I do?"
.
"I don't know...the night has just begun. You are doing alright so far with the drink offer." I said with a laugh.
He looked across the bar and pointed out a woman with a nod of his head.
"So, how might I get the attention of her sitting over there."
"Well for starters, you would probably not be too successful after approaching me first. She'd probably feel like second best."
"Fair enough. What about if we were to leave this place and start over at the place down the street. Stay on opposite ends of the bar. I can show you how I approach women, the outcome of it, and you can include me in your article as a man who knows what he is doing." He gave a slight chuckle.
"Really," I said facetiously.
"So in the process of teaching men you are in a sense discovering things for yourself. Discovering what
you
crave. Hoping to get what you want from men without having to ask for it explicitly."
With an air of certainty I turned around and said, "Oh I know what I want. Know what I need." And I gave him a wink.
"No. I don't think you are entirely sure of what you want, or what you need for that matter."
"Really....and what makes you so sure....."
"The lump in your throat before you tried to tell me you know what you want. The way you are biting your lower lip as I continue to talk." He followed my movements. "The way you fidget in your seat, pretending to get more comfortable by switching legs in your cross-legged position." He continued to analyze me. "Fumbling through your purse in search for lip gloss when your lips are already moistened enough to save them from being chapped for the rest of the winter. Surely you are curious. Think about the article you are writing. You are interested in discovering yourself how to be wooed, to be won over. To be wanted. He said this slowly, seductively. "Wanted" rolling off his tongue, followed by a half smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
I could feel my face burn and knew it was turning a brilliant red color. This was confirmed by the wink of his eye.
In defense I said, "Are we going to the bar down the street or what?"
We entered the bar. It was a little livelier than the last. He entered first and I followed behind with enough time in between for it to not be apparent we were together. I walked over to the bar and sat beside a woman who I noticed later after placing my purse by my feet.
He made his way from the bathroom and came between us. He went through the script of ordering his drink and asking what the lady wanted as he had done with me back at the hotel. I guessed her receptivity of his offer to buy her a drink resulted from the delight she felt of being the woman Tom chose to speak to.
Small chit chat started between the two of them. The mentioning of staying at the hotel. I assumed there were sparks of some sort as I heard giggles coming from her.
And then the ever famous, "What brings you here?" resounded only it came from her.
"I am on business. I'm doing investigation for an article." he told her.
She asked what the article was about and he said, "On learning what women crave."
I was caught off guard and choked on my drink.
He brushed slightly against me. I started smiling and wanted to begin laughing.
There was a moment of silence. I guessed his remark had made her second guess if she wanted to be talking to him. But her words came out, almost intentionally loud enough for me to hear.
"Really..." I heard her say.
"Well, Darling, in that case when you invite me back to your hotel room, be sure to invite her as well."
The glass that was almost to my lips stopped halfway. I was sure I heard what I did but was not entirely sure if she was serious. Or that she was speaking of me even.
Tom turned to me and said, "I assume you caught the room number?" And he winked.
I sat in the bar alone. I stared into nothing for several moments, as I had been doing back at the hotel bar before meeting Tom's gaze. I bit my lower lip and twirled my straw in my drink.
I began imagining the scene of the bedroom I would soon enter. Or would I? The woman's nude colored stockings strewn across the bedpost, her red lace bra fully exposed through her opened suit jacket. Candles were burning in the room. The smell of a freshly opened bottle of red wine was in the air. The straw from my drink loosely dangled in my fingers as I continued to stare forward.
I nodded to the bartender and gathered my purse.
In the elevator I thought of the way he looked at me. Almost saw through me. Could he feel the heat resonating from my cheeks as I blushed? I had an image of the way he winked at me. I should have been angry at him for making me feel as if I am not an expert in my field of study.
I didn't even really know why I was on my way to his room. Wasn't sure what would come of entering the room. What would be in store? I was slightly nervous. His wink and his seductive trailing of the word "wanted" re-entered my mind.
Room 237 was before me. I took a deep breath.
