Four Seasons Hotel

Claire climbed out of the taxi, a frown marring her face as she gazed at the hotel. Last on the L.A. Sunset Strip, the Four Seasons Hotel was the smallest and the most unpretentious building around. Claire counted the floors. Just seven stories high. At least, it won’t be too crowded.

A car door slammed, and her sister came to stand beside her. She looked as perplexed as Claire was.

“Is this it?” Phoebe asked incredulously. “Its reputation surpasses the building.”

“Maybe the inside is better. Let’s go see.”

They grabbed their luggage and went through the revolving door. Two steps inside, they paused. Decorated in a classical style, with a plush beige carpet covering the whole floor, the reception was warm and inviting. Elegant, not spectacular, as they had expected.

Claire approached the front desk. The receptionist was busy working at the computer, and Claire studied her. She was young, not more than twenty. But what really captured Claire was her beauty.

Straight black hair fell to her waist. Eyes, a sparkling turquoise, gazed at her from a pixie-like face. Ethereal was the word that came to Claire’s mind to describe the girl.

“Hello, can I help you?” Her voice was soft and somewhat breathy.

“Uh... yes. We have a room booked,” Claire said. She grimaced. Compared to the receptionist, Claire’s voice sounded dull and flat.

“Under what name?”

Claire looked at her sister. Phoebe was the one who came up with the idea to take a short holiday. All the arrangements had been left in her hands.

“Phoebe Morrison.”

The girl searched the computer. “Phoebe Morrison, a room for two.” She reached under the desk and produced a key. “You’re in number eighty-eight. Elros will take care of your luggage. We hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you, we hope so too.”

“Please, follow me,” a masculine voice said. They turned to find a man holding their suitcases. Claire hadn’t heard him approach. “My name is Elros, and I’m assigned to your floor. Anything you need, just grab the telephone in your room and press five. I’ll be with you as quickly as I can.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

They followed Elros to the elevator. Claire stared at his broad back. Like the receptionist, he too was young and good-looking. Also, very tall. Around six feet five, Claire assumed, as she looked him up and down.

Phoebe pulled her out of her thoughts as she grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. “Have you noticed how striking everyone is?” Her sister pointed to another porter as he helped an older couple with their cases. He, too, was attractive.

Claire nodded, and Phoebe smiled. “Maybe we’ll find our prince charming around here.”

Claire pulled her arm out of her sister’s grasp and frowned. Before she could say anything, the elevator doors slid open, and Elros gestured for them to proceed in front of him. Phoebe sashayed in first. Claire shook her head and followed her. Elros entered last and pressed the button.

“You’re on the seventh floor,” he informed them.

Phoebe thanked him, her lips curving in an enticing smile.

Claire sighed. There she went again. Her older sister never ceased to search for her prince. Unfortunately, her standards were high, and none of the men she dated ever reached them. Phoebe wanted the perfect man, the man of dreams. A man, Claire knew from experience, was impossible to find. But Phoebe was optimistic. As long as she searched for him, she would find him.

As for Claire, she wanted someone more normal. A man who could be her best friend and lover. A mature man who knew how to make her laugh. A few years ago, she thought she had found him, but Christopher had become too childish. And as a child minder in a day-care center, she had enough children to take care of and didn’t need another one. So, after seeing him for nearly two years, she decided it was time to move on. He wasn’t the man she needed. Claire had been single for a year now and enjoyed every second of it.

The elevator stopped, and Elros proceeded towards their room. He placed the suitcases inside, gave them the key, and bid them a nice day.

“Wait.” Phoebe rummaged through her bag. When she extracted her purse, Elros shook his head.

“We don’t take tips. The management takes care of that. Another thing I forgot to mention. We have two rules our guests need to observe. Mobile phones work only in your rooms. They won’t work anywhere else in the hotel. And please, refrain from taking videos and photographs. Any cameras we see will be confiscated and returned to you at the end of your stay.”

“Why can’t we take pictures?”

“The management likes to leave the hotel attractions... let’s say a secret.” He smiled. “We love to astound our guests and can’t do it if pictures leak on the Internet.”

Claire stared at him, one eyebrow raised. A plausible explanation, albeit a weird one. What kind of entertainment did they offer? Curiosity stirred in her, and she hoped she didn’t have to wait long.

Elros excused himself and left. Alone, Claire and Phoebe surveyed the room. Also furnished in a classical style, there was nothing fancy in it. It was similar to other hotel rooms.

“I’m worried that we’ll be highly disappointed,” Claire said.

“We’ve just arrived. They could have left the best stuff hidden for later.” Phoebe opened her suitcase, took her toiletries and fresh underwear, and dashed for the bathroom. “I’m going to take a bath and sleep for a few hours. I feel a bit jet-lagged.”

Claire threw her luggage on the bed. An envelope flew down on the floor. She hadn’t seen it lying on the covers. She picked it up. Inside, she found the program for the evening.

“Phoebe, they left us a program. Dinner is served at seven.”

“That’s great,” came the muffled reply through the door. “What’s after dinner?”

Claire scanned the contents. “A musical on the autumn stage.”

“Oh, I love musicals.” Claire heard the water turn off. A few seconds later, Phoebe emerged wearing a towel and drying her hair. “Autumn stage? The theme works with the hotel name.” She winked at Claire and disappeared back into the bathroom.

Claire snorted. She needed this break and wanted much more than a stage with a theme. The reviews had described the experience in this place as the most fabulous vacation they had ever had. But no one wrote the reason why it was perfect, and there weren’t any pictures to view. The criticism alone hadn’t impressed her, but Phoebe’s curiosity had won. And Claire had needed the distraction, so she agreed to book at The Four Seasons. The last holiday she’d taken had been three years ago.

Phoebe came out wearing only her underwear and slid under the covers. “I’m going to call reception and arrange a wakeup call. Are you sleeping?”

Claire bit her lip as she thought about it. They still had several hours before dinner, but although she was tired, she knew she wouldn’t sleep. “No, I’m going to take a shower and explore around. Maybe I find something interesting.”

“Okay. Let me know if you do. And check out the rest of the staff; see if they are all handsome.”

Claire headed for the shower as Phoebe phoned the reception. When she finished, her sister was snoring softly. Claire left her sleeping and went down to the foyer. Several people sat at the small tables scattered around in the reception area. She assumed they were hotel guests. Some nodded a greeting as she passed by them.

A sign pointed the way to the dining area, and Claire followed it. She entered a large room and gasped. The room was huge. All that space was able to seat the entire hotel in one night.

What intrigued her the most, though, wasn’t the sheer size of the room. On the opposite wall, a cream velvet curtain covered its whole surface. It couldn’t be for decoration purposes only. What could it be hiding?

Without thinking twice, Claire moved towards it. Halfway across the room, a voice halted her. “Excuse me, but you shouldn’t be here.”

The voice was polite, but Claire sensed an underlying coldness in it. She swiveled around and met a cold green gaze. The woman was gorgeous. Claire’s gaze slid over the girl’s body, clad in a waitress uniform, and up again. Dark red hair, pulled in a tight bun, showed from under her cap.

“Sorry, I was looking around.” Claire smiled, but the waitress remained impassive. Her smile faltered.

“Dinner is served at seven, as I’m sure you know from the program left on your bed. Until then, please, refrain from coming here.”

Claire bristled at the arrogant tone the girl used. “Yes, I apologize again.” As she started to leave, she noticed several staff members watching them. Some were amused; others had the same cold expression as the waitress. Claire blushed, ducked her head down, and left the dining area. Better if she went back to her room and waited there.

Just as she reached the elevator, joyful laughter rang out. Claire glanced in the direction it came from and saw a man seated on a sofa. A group of girls surrounded him, completely hiding him from her view. Only his legs showed. One girl sat on his lap, while the others leaned over him from the sides. The girls giggled, but it was the man’s laughter Claire heard the most. It carried above the other sounds and washed over her senses. Warmth invaded her body, and her stomach fluttered with a horde of butterflies.

A crazy desire to approach the group and dismiss the girls around him took hold of her. But the ding of the elevator brought her out of her stupor. She hurried inside it and pushed the button before she embarrassed herself further.

The door closed, but the man’s chuckle stayed with her all the way up to her room. She shook her head to clear it. Luckily for her, Phoebe was still asleep. She had no desire to confront her sister when her emotions felt so confused. Her reaction baffled her.

Claire lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. It was too early to prepare dinner. She closed her eyes and tried to blank her mind. But the man’s laughter refused to go away, and it accompanied her to the land of dreams.