The hotel was not really to Robert's taste. It was one of those big impersonal places with a lot of marble and palm trees in pots. The staff wore burgundy uniforms with oval name badges, and spoke as if from a script. Still, his room was reasonably comfortable so the place would suit the purpose of his visit.
When he'd checked in this morning the girl on the desk had been a pretty blonde, and Robert had rather enjoyed flirting with her, but when passing reception this evening he noticed she had been replaced by a rather sour-faced woman who looked to be in her late forties.
The bar he was now sitting in had mirrors everywhere and Robert glanced at his reflection in a pillar. He didn't look bad for forty-two. His dark hair was hardly thinning at all, and although perhaps not classically handsome, he thought he looked alright.
He shifted a little uncomfortably on the stool. Robert was not used to wearing a suit, but this evening he had dressed particularly carefully, choosing a dark jacket and trousers with a light blue shirt and navy tie. He had even put on a new pair of boxer shorts.
He glanced around the almost empty room. The barman, listlessly cutting up lemons, was young enough to be his son. Over in one of the alcoves was a large sweaty man reading a newspaper. The only other occupants were a couple, a little older than Robert, who seemed to have passed at least the last fifteen minutes without speaking a single word to each other. He hoped that wasn't how he and his wife would end up in a few years. He fingered his wedding ring and wondered whether he should take it off.
As he returned his gaze to the half finished lager, he suddenly realised that while he had been looking around someone had entered and seated themselves further down the bar. A little thrill of excitement tingled up his spine as he took in the sheer black stockings, tight black skirt reaching to just above the knee and white open-neck blouse. Her dark wavy hair was held back with a gold clasp, and her red lipstick made a sharp contrast with her pale complexion. Robert tried not to stare too hard.
Emma was enjoying herself. She'd had a lovely bath and washed her hair and shaved her legs, and she felt cleaner and fresher than she'd done in ages. It was great to get away from home for a while and revel in a bit of luxury. After she had dressed in the new clothes she'd bought herself that afternoon she had carefully removed her two rings and put them in her purse. She felt quite naughty doing it, but it was thrilling all the same.
She ordered a gin and tonic from the young lad behind the bar and glanced to her left. He was looking at her again. He had quite a decent looking suit on and he kept turning and smiling at her. She wondered what he was thinking. He was coming over!
"Can I get that for you?" he said.
"Ermm, okay then," she replied. She studied him closely as he paid for the drink, absorbing all the details of his appearance. "Thanks."
He turned to her and smiled again, "No problem. This place is a bit dead, it's nice to have someone to talk to, do you mind if I join you?"
"No, not at all."
"Why are you staying here, do you like it?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah, it's nice," she said, "I'm, er, just staying here while I'm at a conference nearby. How about you?"
"I'm up on business too. Phillip, by the way."
"Sorry?"
"My name, Phillip."
"Oh right, sorry. Marianne."
He smiled, (rather cheekily she thought) "Marianne," he repeated.
"Yes but my friends call me Marie."
"And what should I call you?" he asked, darkly.
"You can call me what you like," she was laughing now.
They chatted for a while, and later as they walked together in to the dining hall, it seemed natural to sit together. The waiter showed them to a table in the corner of the large room and gave them the menus.
"You don't mind if I sit with you?" she enquired, seating herself opposite him, "You're not meeting anyone else? Your wife?"
"Oh, er no." He glanced nervously at the ring on his left hand.
"Okay, so you're free tonight then?" she smiled.
"Yes, I'm free to do whatever I want, I suppose."
"That's good then, what would you like to do?"
He smiled back and looked directly into her large brown eyes. "Well then, er, well I-I don't know. What are your plans for this evening?"
"Hmmm, well I'm enjoying being here talking to you and you seem very nice and I was thinking that maybe we could- oh yes thank you, I'll have the paté to start please and then the salmon."
The waiter was looking at Robert now. Robert, rather flustered and irritated by the interruption took a few moments to place his order. "I'll have the soup and salmon. Can we get a bottle of that as well please," he said, pointing at the wine list.
When the waiter had disappeared Robert said, "You don't mind me ordering some wine?"
"No that's fine."
"Sorry, you were saying, before?"
"What?"
"You were saying what you'd like to do. Later?" he pressed.
"Oh yes! Wouldn't you?"
"What?"
She stared intently at him. "Well I was thinking that maybe we could have sex!"
Robert raised his eyebrows, "Are you always this forward with men you've just met?"
She laughed, "No, never, this isn't like me at all. It's just that we're both here. We're both adults. We've got a night off from normality, we may as well enjoy ourselves. What do you think? Don't you want to then?"
"Oh, no, I mean oh, yes, 'course I want to, yes."
"Good."
They continued to look across the table at each other for a while before she continued. "So tell me what you like."
"Sorry?"
"What do you like? In bed? What are you into? You know?"
"Oh, er, right, I see. Well, er, normal stuff really. Nothing weird or anything."
She laughed again. When she laughed Robert could see her bra pulled tight against her blouse. He was starting to get very excited.
The starters came and they ate in silence for a few minutes, occasionally glancing at each other and smiling. Emma was delighting in the role she had adopted and revelling in her new found forwardness. She studied him carefully across the table. He is actually pretty good looking, she thought. Although he doesn't have a strong face, he smiles a lot and he has beautiful eyes.
"So then," she continued, "are you going to go into any more details?"
Robert had finished his soup. He wiped his mouth with a napkin as he considered his answer. "Like I said. Nothing strange or kinky."
"Oh come on," she teased, "There must be something you've always fantasised about?"
