A New Vista

Chapter 31

And so there I was, exiting the taxi in front of The Lotte. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but I needed somewhere to stay. As I walked through the large hotel lobby, people stared.

I held my head up high as I confidently made my way across the room. The elevator boy stared at me. I probably looked like a mad woman, my dress torn and my hair a mess.

"Floor five, please." I told him as I stepped inside. He pressed the button and we were on our way up.

I slowly walked down the hall as I looked at the room door numbers. I realized that the room I was looking for was at the very end. After placing my suitcase on the floor, I turned around. The elevator boy was poking his head out and staring at me.

"Can I help you?" I asked loud and clear as I took out the room key. I placed it in the lock then turned it, the room door opened effortlessly.

"No, Miss. Sorry, Miss." He answered then returned back into the elevator, pulled the Victorian gate closed, and returned downstairs.

I turned towards the door and kicked my suitcase inside. After entering, I slammed the door shut. My mouth fell open after I saw exactly what type of "room" this was.

It wasn't a room, it seemed to be a chateau. After walking down a small corridor, I was welcomed to a large living room. Tasteful couches were all arranged around a coffee table, while tall windows lined the walls.

I could see the starry night matching the sparkling lights from the streets below and the lights seen in the multitude of windows. The city was lively and beautiful as ever.

Walking into the bedroom, it was large with a bed that had lots of drapery. It almost resembled the bed that Paul took my... well... the bathroom could be accessed from the bedroom.

It had a large tub and a separate shower. There were double sinks as well. The bathroom itself was extremely large. I walked to the mirror and looked myself in the eyes.

"Paul..." I practiced. "We are not having sex. What happened in front of your house was a mistake. I so obviously have feelings for you and that's the only reason... no."

"Paul, it's over. Thank you, but no thank you. If you'd really like to help me, you'd give me cash to go back home." I said into the mirror. Too harsh.

"Paul... we had something but..." I looked down at my destroyed dress. Sighing, I unzipped the dress and left it on the bathroom floor. Walking into the living room, I went into the corridor where I left my suitcase.

I dragged it more into the hallway, then got on my hands and knees to search for pajamas. My clothes were a mess, and more of Paul's letters were mixed in with them. I looked up as the door began opening.

Paul. He's the only one who would have a key. Housekeeping would knock first.

The door swung open, and what I saw caused me to gasp. It surely wasn't Paul. It was a tall man who had darker features than Paul. Honey brown eyes, a more pronounced nose, sun-kissed skin although it wasn't summer. He had full, pink lips. Above his lips was a small beauty mark, that perfectly fit his face.

He looked down at me with furrowed eyebrows, he seemed to have been coming from somewhere special. He had on a fancy suit that fit him well.

A girl walked up behind him and stood next to him. She made eye contact with me and scowled. I was surprised to see the girl accompanying him was colored.

"Who is she?" She asked the tall man standing in the doorway. He still held onto the doorknob. The fella seemed shocked to see me, but not displeased. A grin was across his face, which seemed almost psychotic given that he hasn't asked me any questions as to why I'm in that suite.

"Well, who is she?" The girl asked again. I looked down at myself and remembered I was still only in my underwear, garter belt and stockings. I quickly got an armful of clothes and covered my chest as I sat on the cold floor.

"I have no idea." The man grinned. His curly brown hair fell in front of his forehead. He was dangerously unbothered by my nudity or my presence alone.

"I— well— you see, a friend of mine..." I stuttered, then man stepped in. He stood next to me and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his fancy slacks. I looked down at the Italian leather loafers on his feet, then slowly looked up his body.

My cheeks got hot as I noticed the bulge in his pants, then quickly blinked to look into his eyes.

"She's in your room naked, Marlon! You obviously know her!" The girl shouted at the mystery man.

"You know what? Get the hell out, Patricia." The guy who I assumed to be Marlon shouted. The girl huffed then turned around to walk down the hall.

The sexy stranger walked to the door with his hands in his pockets, then smoothly stuck out his foot and shut the door with it. Then he walked back to me and crouched down next to me, charismatically putting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"Hello." He said as he looked to me with a smirk.

"Hi there." I said awkwardly. There was a silence that filled the room between us. I tried to keep the pile of clothes I was using to cover myself from falling.

"So... are you going to tell me why you're trespassing or should I call the police?" He asked nonchalantly.

"No, I'm not trespassing... you see..." I said as I stood up hectically. While standing up, the pile of clothes began falling apart and onto the floor.

Now all I held against my chest were a sad pair of shorts, my stomach was exposed. I squeezed my thighs together as if I wasn't wearing panties.

"Don't worry, it's nothing I haven't seen before." The guy shrugged as he looked up at me, still crouched toward the floor. He slowly stood up and stuff his hands in his pants once again.

Then, he slowly looked me up and down as he walked around me. He paused once he got behind me, I could feel his eyes burning into my back. I squeezed my eyes shut as he finally made his way back in front of me, then opened them to see him smirking.

"You're so delicious, I'd hate to have to call the cops on you." He said as his eyes burned into me. He chewed on gum as he looked me up and down.

"That won't be necessary, I haven't done anything illegal." I pleaded, holding onto those shorts like it was the end of the world.

"Well, here you are, someone I've never met before in my room and I don't know you. So who is the one whose a criminal here?" He asked with a chuckle. "Now please, gorgeous, explain yourself. And while you're at it, tell me your name."