Standing by the reception desk, Clara frowned unhappily as she placed the phone back down onto its receiver. That was the second room this morning that refused to answer, and when one of the maids had tried to clean it earlier they'd been told in no uncertain terms to fuck right off. So, understandably, she was worried.
While considering what she could do, Clara heard the elevator ding. Watching to see who'd walk out she was pleased to see Graham and Georgia come out hand in hand. She'd had a damn good time with them and was hoping to cadge another invite, but while her mind drifted off to the possibility of getting a shag a thought occurred to her.
As Graham kissed Georgia goodbye for the day, he insisted that she should come back up to his, well, their room tonight, partly because they hadn't fucked for the first night since they met, and partly because he was completely head over heels in love. As he his way to the dining room for a spot of breakfast however, he was pulled out of his reverie by someone calling his name.
"Graham! Over here!"
Spotting Clara waving to him from the front desk, he popped over to see how he could help.
"Glad to see you, sir," Clara said professionally, Graham assuming because there were other staff about, "I was hoping you could help us with a problem."
"Of course," he agreed immediately, "as long as you don't mind waiting until I've had breakfast."
"No problem sir," Clara flashed a front-of-house smile, "more than happy to wait. The issue is that we've got two female guests not wanting to leave their rooms, and I was hoping that you could go up and find out why."
"I'm happy to help, but why can't any of the staff do it?" He questioned.
"Because, as a staff made up of women we can't force someone to let us in their room sir..."
"While a man can tell a woman to do anything he wants," Graham finished, "right, fair enough. I'll need a master key, their names and their room numbers."
The information all passed over, including the master key, Clara watched Graham walk into the dining room, happy to consider her part in this closed.
After breakfast, Graham made his way up to the fourth floor where the first lady stayed. Despite the master key he knocked politely, ignoring the gazes of other guests as he walked past.
"Victoria," he called out in a polite tone, "my name's Graham. Are you okay?"
He heard a noise in reply, but couldn't make out what was said.
"Victoria? Are you okay?" This time Graham got a response.
"Am okay," came a voice mainly muffled by the door than the thick accent, "you go now."
"I can't do that," Graham replied, "I've got to come in to make sure you're okay."
Without waiting for an answer, he pressed the master key against the lock, eliciting a beep and showing a green light. He pressed the handle gently and opened the door slowly.
"I'm coming in," he repeated, and as the door opened fully he was greeted by the sight of someone running into the ensuite as he shut the door behind him. His sigh of exasperation came from the heart, as this wasn't going to be as easy as he'd thought.
Knocking on the ensuite door, he tried again.
"Victoria, my name is Graham. I'm just here to make sure you're okay."
"I okay," came another muffled response, "you go now."
Confused by hearing practically the same response as before, something clicked in Graham's head.
"Victoria," he asked loudly and slowly, "do, you, speak, English?"
"Não."
He breathed out, a sigh of relief this time.
"Okay, right, great," he mumbled to himself while fiddling with the phone he had in his pocket, "okay, okay... where, from?"
It took a minute, but, using Google Translate on his phone to ask where she was from she finally answered, "Brasilia."
Nodding, he put 'Portuguese' as the language to translate to and started typing.
"Victoria," (he read in very poor Portuguese), "I am Graham, the hotel wants to make sure you are okay."
The moment he was finished he heard a flurry of words, but couldn't make them out, so typed in again.
"I cannot understand. Please come out, write me your words?"
Moving away from the ensuite door, Graham didn't know for sure that she'd understand his terrible pronunciation, but upon hearing the click of the lock he smiled happily. The door opened slowly to reveal a tall, olive-skinned, dazzlingly gorgeous girl although, unlike ninety-percent of the other ladies present, she was wearing much more than a skimpy bikini. Her black dress was traditionally conservative fair, reaching down to her ankles, while her hair was in a simple bun. Something that startled Graham was how little make-up she was wearing, yet she somehow seemed more beautiful than many of those present who wore more slap than the average episode of a soap opera.
"Hello," he spoke through google translate, "please type in here."
He passed the phone over carefully, making sure not to stand to close, standing in the corner of the room out of the way of the doors so she didn't feel trapped.
Watching her type, she kept glancing up at him as if he would attack any moment. Finally, she slid the phone over onto the bed and returned to standing by the bathroom doors.
'I am Victoria (it read), I am okay. I speak Portuguese and Spanish. I would like to stay in my room thank you."
As he read, Graham nodded as he typed a simple question.
'Why?'
'Because I do not want to participate in the... (struggle to translate), devassidão, unclean behaviour.'
Confused, Graham looked up devassidão, finding it meant debauchery. Looking up from the phone he could see that Victoria had pulled something out from the top of her dress. It was a necklace, a cross. A small, silver cross.
'You are Catholic?'
Nodding, Victoria held the cross in her hand.
'Why did you agree to come?' Perplexed by why she was here, Victoria began to type quickly.
'I did not understand. I stay in room so men cannot make me sin. I am not married. Please do not make me sin.'
A sigh of relief once more passed through Graham. He finally understood.
