The metal doors slid opened and Luke gallantly stood aside so that Olivia could exit the elevator. He followed closely behind her, the black leather bag slung over his shoulder.
"Down the hall and to the right," he instructed. Olivia took a deep breath and followed his directions, her sandals sinking into the plush carpeting.
"It's right here, room 609," he cheerfully announced. She stood aside as Luke reached into his pocket and took out his room key. Even though she knew it was unrealistic, Olivia silently hoped that the key would not work. That maybe somehow he had made a mistake and their first night together would be delayed. Indefinitely. But much to her disappointment, the key slid smoothly into the lock. As he turned the key, she could hear the clicking sound of the door unlocking. Her heart fluttered as he turned the knob and swung the door wide open.
"After you," he grinned. Olivia's feet had never felt so heavy. She felt lightheaded as she hesitated for a moment and then walked slowly into the darkened hotel suite.
Luke entered, flipped the switch on the wall next to the door, lighting up the front room. Olivia looked around. It was nicer than she had expected. She thought it odd that a professor at the University of Missouri could afford such lavish accommodations. But then she remembered that the American dollar went much further in a poor country like Vulmonia than it did back home.
Luke could see the surprised look on Olivia's face. "I come to Vulmonia about twice a year to do research. And also for pleasure. I always stay here at this hotel, so they give me a bit of a discount."
"Oh, I see," Olivia murmured.
Luke narrowed his eyes and cocked an eyebrow at the young girl.
"Sir," she quickly added. "I see, Sir."
"Mm," Luke grunted in mild approval. He looked over toward the living room area and pointed next to the couch. "They've already sent your luggage over."
Olivia heaved a sigh of relief. Even though there was nothing wrong with the shorts and tank top that she was currently wearing, she was eager to put on something more modest the next time she went out in public. It was clear that in Vulmonia, they had different ideas about what constituted a skimpy outfit.
"I would imagine that you'd like to take a shower," he said pointing toward where the bathroom door was, through the bedroom.
"Oh, yes Sir! I haven't had a proper shower in days!" The idea of taking a hot shower seemed like heaven to Olivia in that moment.
"I saw on the local news that after you ran the obstacle course, they just hosed you down. Sprayed the mud right off you," he chuckled. Olivia began to blush furiously. "Did you realize beforehand that your bikini bottoms had come off in the mud pit?"
Olivia clenched her jaw in anger and lowered her eyes in embarrassment. "No, Sir. I didn't realize," she said through gritted teeth.
"It was quite a surprise," he smiled. "But not an unpleasant one." Olivia did not respond. She just stared down at the floor. "Well, the bathroom's all yours," he continued. "I'll lay out an outfit for you to put on. I'll leave it on the bed. You can get changed in the bedroom after your shower. I'll just be out here in the living room making some phone calls. Just come on out here after you've showered and changed," he said nonchalantly.
Olivia stared up at him dumbly for a moment, not able to move. She was overwhelmed by all of the events that had already taken place. And she was terrified by what was to come. She could not believe this was happening. She wondered if there was any way she could elicit his sympathy.
"Well," he said expectantly. "What are you waiting for? Go take a shower." He did not sound angry, but he was firm.
"Ye ...ye ... yes, Sir," Olivia stuttered. As she made her way to the bedroom, she saw Luke walk over toward the couch and set down the black leather bag. He effortlessly picked up her overstuffed suitcase and set it down on the coffee table. He unzipped it and flipped the top open. "Now," he mumbled to himself. "Let's see what you have in here. What would I most like to see you in?
Olivia stood frozen with her hand on the knob of the bedroom door, watching Luke digging through her personal possessions. When he noticed that she was not moving, he looked up at her and gave her a stern look. With a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, she pushed the door open and slowly made her way through the bedroom and over to the bathroom.
The bathroom was white and pristine. There was a deep wide claw-foot bathtub on the right hand side. And off to the left there was a shower area with a rain shower head. Olivia fantasized for a moment about how nice it would be to take a long hot bubble bath in the large tub. But she knew that if she did dot make an appearance in the living room soon, she would be in trouble.
She turned the shower on and adjusted the temperature. Then she slipped her feet out of her sandals and peeled off her clothing. It was the fist time in three days that she had been naked with some degree of privacy. Not forced to strip down in front of a crowd of leering men.
As she stood under the hot spray of the shower head, she lost herself for a moment, just enjoying the physical sensations of the warm water caressing her sore abused body. It stung quite a bit at first when the water made contact with her bruised buttocks. But soon her sensitive skin became accustomed to the the gentle warm spray. She let out a long sigh as the water rained down on her.