Today was a slow day.
The conference was dragging, normally enthusiastic and vibrant Jenni was feeling lethargic and sleepy.
Out side the weather was of an angry frame of mind. The wind was swirling round the tall buildings and creating eddies and whirlwinds just for fun.
No one with any sense was out there playing with the wind. So the wind was trying harder and harder to come into the hotel and join the people there.
Rain was taking a trip across the city riding on the back of the wind and revelling in the speed.
Great sheets of rain hurled themselves at the hotel screaming at the people inside to come and play.
One poor soul did venture out and wind caught him and threw him up into the air to meet the clouds and the rain.
He fell back with a grunt and scurried back into the comparative safety of the hotel.
Jenni of course saw none of this, no one in the hotel did. The double gazing and technology created by the architects and the builders saw to that.
Man has learned to keep wind and rain outside, most of the time, but wind can still summon up the terror and power to join them inside. But today wind and rain just could not summon up the energy to try. Instead they just howled and screamed in frustration while in side the people sat and listened to terminal presentations dulling the brain and extinguishing life itself.
The lights came on and Jenni crawled out of the hall jostled by the men who were in such a hurry to escape to the bar.
She hated men. Every man she had known had either hurt her or let her down. Same thing really she thought. Being let down hurt as much as being physically beaten.
Jenni winced remembering some of the more effective beatings from her ex husband.
Life then had been even darker than this. She laughed out loud, "god" she thought "I have escaped all that why am I feeling so down?"
She looked around at all the dark suited men hurrying to get drunk.
Conferences were always the same. A chance to try and show how masculine they were. A chance maybe to pull some piece of skirt and take it back to a room for some bad sex.
Jenni stopped, "what is the definition of bad sex then?" She knew that this was now going to prey on her mind. She knew the signs, all the other information being presented would now be churned up with this over arching question.
See the problem was going to be that to define bad sex you had to define good sex.
Jenni thought back over all the heaving and sweating that had been her lot over the years.
Was any of it good? Was it ever possible to have 'good sex'?
Jenni was beginning to think so.
She started, looking around to see where she was.
The press of frantic alcoholics had thrust her into the lounge bar of the hotel.
Already some of the younger men had downed a couple of lagers and were shouting to the bar staff for more.
Representatives of suppliers were starting to gather round them the influential people who they hoped they would make friends with.
All over the bar there were people greeting long lost friends. These were delegates who attended every year she wondered if these were the only friendships they ever had.
She looked around and sighed. Her job was to network, to use her expense account to loosen tongues and make contacts and perhaps start the path to some business.
Jenni was an attractive woman and there were men beginning to drift towards her. They were unsure if she was available but hey this was a conference so chances are she was.
Jenni was aware of someone standing too close. There is a personal space that surrounds us all and this person was inside it without being invited. Jenni tingled with apprehension. Too many people had done this before and she was beginning to feel that she would scream and make such a fuss that....
A soft voice of a woman said "I know a much quieter bar than this, do you want to escape?"
Jenni turned and saw a tall woman dressed in business power suit, immaculately coiffured with the most amazing skin tone.
Bright sparkling eyes told Jenni that this person understood something about what was going on in Jenni's head.
"High my name is Joanne. This stinks I want out, coming?"
Jenni just nodded and followed a small dumpy man in the inevitable dark suit grabbed her by the arm and started blathering on about some intensely boring detail that had been covered in one of the presentations. His voice sounded like a throttled ferret and he held her naked arm with a hand that was modelled on a piece of wet cod.
Jenni took a deep breath and looked intently at the man. He smiled taking this look as indicating a shared interest in the subject.
Jenni had had enough. She snapped inside and her right knee rose as if pulled by some invisible puppeteer. The man's eyes opened wide in surprise. No pain just yet just surprise. The pain from his groin started to flow up into his consciousness and he gurgled and his face turned red.
He didn't speak, he could not, he didn't lash out, he couldn't. He just lost height. Bending from the middle his head sank down towards the floor.
Jenni watched with a detached interest. No feeling just a cold detachment as she watched him shrink.
Joanne put a hand on her shoulder and the pressure moved Jenni away from the little man.
He by this time had found a table to rest one hand on and the face had returned to its normal grey pallor and the look of total incomprehension.
Jenni and Joanne move silently and quickly out of the crush leaving the little man alone with his discomfort.
"You are a bit tight this evening" said Joanne, "I think you need to find some space and relax."
Jenni was shivering and trying hard not to cry. Jenni had never cried; well not for as long as she could remember.
They crossed the wide entrance atrium of this ridiculous hotel. The concourse that lead to the booking desks was deserted now.
Joanne guided Jenni out of the hotel and onto the street.
Wind had got bored and had moved on to other more interesting places. Rain was despondently dripping onto the London streets turning them into mirrors that reflected the lights of the shop windows and cars making a dazzling show that should have caused the audience to gasp in wonder.
Instead everyone had heads down and was bustling to find shelter in the underground or a bus.
Jenni and Joanne were not dressed for the rain. Jenni felt the cold wet spots exploding in her face and falling intrusively down her back.
"Where are we going?" she shouted at Joanne.
"I know a quiet bar just round the corner. We will be safe there"
"Safe?" Jenni thought "what's that when its at home"
Joanne was in charge now. Jenni was puzzled slightly by this. Jenni was normally in charge but tonight that power she used to keep the world under control had failed her.
They rounded the corner and ducked into a small doorway.
