Checking In

This one goes out to my muse decoyedhom—without whom this story would never have been written. Thanks!

*****

It was a slow vacation season; the rising prices of gas and having newer hotels open just across the street had meant that the only guests staying at the Rutherford Inn were traveling businessmen and military personnel who wanted to stay at a more "comfortable" hotel. This was also a nice way of saying that the hotel was "cheap".

"So, how many arrivals have we got today, Derek?" Jade asked after she clocked in.

Jade was the newest member of the Rutherford staff. She was replacing a girl by the name of Yvonne, who was moving to California in the hopes of finding a better paying job. Since Jade was about to start her last year of college, she needed a job for the summer and working at the Rutherford Inn was just the thing.

"We only have three arrivals checking in today. Two of them are businessmen going on to Las Vegas in the morning. The other one is a guy in the Army traveling to Pensacola," Derek answered, looking bored out of his mind.

Derek was the guy who worked the morning shift, he was in charge of checking people out and Jade was in charge of checking people in when they arrived at night. Derek was a tall guy, in his mid 20's, with short light brown hair and glasses. Since he worked the front desk, all guys had to wear a nice shirt, a tie with a pair of nice slacks or pants. Today, Derek was wearing a red shirt with a black and red tie and black slacks.

"You look nice today, Derek" Jade commented as she went back into the main office to put on her nametag.

"At least I match. Greg had a fit the other day when I was wearing a blue shirt with a green tie. He started going into his "we are representing the hotel" speech but got stopped when a guy came down ready to check out"

Greg was head supervisor on duty in the mornings. He had a difficult time dealing with the fact that we weren't getting more guests at the hotel and that meant he took it out on everyone, including his front desk staff.

"Don't let him get to you, Derek. Greg is just mad at everything these days. I know I'm new and all, but if you ask me: he could use a good lay."

Derek almost spit out his water that he was drinking. Jade was supposed to be this soft spoken, quiet, attractive girl. To hear her say such things about their boss was quite shocking.

"Jade! How can you say such things?"

Jade was busy trying to keep from laughing. It had been a boring week, and she wanted to shake things up at work any way that she could; and talking about her boss in this manner seemed to be working.

"Derek you are so funny! Just because I'm quiet and shy around the customers—when we have any—doesn't mean that I'm shy about everything in life."

Derek put his cup down and turned to look at her standing next to him. Jade's dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun behind her head, which showed off her black hoop earrings. She was wearing the black and white uniform of the hotel: which was a white tuxedo shirt with black buttons under a black vest over a form-hugging black skirt. Out of all the girls that had to wear the uniform, Jade looked the best in it. Derek couldn't help but notice how nice she looked and realized that he was staring and quickly looked away; blushing as he did, embarrassed of his inappropriate behavior. Jade was quite the attractive girl; she had dark brown eyes that matched her olive complexion that was capped off with a nice, inviting smile of white teeth. Derek finally noticed this, and attempted to hide his true feelings.

"Oh, sorry Jade, your comment just caught me off guard."

Seeing the way that Derek stared at her gave her an idea.Why don't I play with him?She thought, as she moved behind Derek to rub his shoulders.

"What are you doing?"

"You look tense Derek. Let me help you relax."

Derek had no idea what Jade was getting at, but having her rub his shoulders was helping him relax.

"You're not offended that I was staring at you?"

"No. Why should I be? You were just shocked that I made a comment about Greg and you got all tense about it."

Jade stopped rubbing his shoulders to lean in closer to Derek and whisper into his ear.

"That's why I'm helping you to relax."

A blush spread across Derek's face for the second time that day. Jade could see his ears turn red and felt his neck get hot under her hands.

"Derek, are you blushing?"

Instead of answering, Derek got up off of his chair, grabbed his keys and went to go clock out.

"Did I say something wrong?" She asked, watching Derek walk off without as much as a glance back in her direction.I guess he was blushing after all, Jade thought and she giggled to herself when Derek came back and waved her goodbye before he walked out the door. Jade had always guessed that Derek led a sheltered life and now she had his reaction to her touch to prove it.

Outside the hotel in his car, Derek cursed at himself for letting his feelings show on his face.

"She is your co-worker, for crying out loud! You can't have feelings for her! In any event, Greg would kill you!" Derek thought as he started his car and headed for home.

Things were slow at the front desk, like they always were. So, Jade had started bringing books to work in an effort to help pass the time. She was just getting to the good part of "To Kill a Mockingbird" when the front desk bell rang. Startled, she looked up to see a very attractive looking man wearing sunglasses. He had dark hair slicked back off of his face to show that his complexion was that of a typical American. Jade was guessing he was of Asian descent as she walked over to assist him.

"Yes? How can I help you sir?"

She noticed that he was dressed in a clean form-fitting tailored suit, which hugged his broad shoulders perfectly. The gray color clashed nicely with the blue of his shirt, which matched his gray and blue tie. The man took off his sunglasses to reveal dark, hypnotic hazel-brown eyes that seemed to read her every thought. Her first thought was how well he dressed followed by how exotic and handsome he looked compared to most of the sloppy tourists who stayed at the hotel.

"I was wondering if you had any rooms available for the night," he asked, staring directly into her eyes.

Jade's hands fumbled around on the keyboard of the hotel computer, its beeping bringing her out of the trance.

"Oh, um, yes w-we do have rooms available. What kind would you like?"

The man set his sunglasses on the counter and clasped his hands together while he stood leaning into the front desk.

"Do you happen to have a room with a king sized bed and a hot tub in the bathroom?"

Jade clicked a few keys on the keyboard, looking down at the screen. Without looking back up, she answered him.

"As a matter of fact, we do," she said in a manner of pure professionalism.

"I'll take it, how much?"

Jade looked up then to find that the man had leaned in closer to look at the screen upside down; or at least that is what she thought. He was really trying to get a better look at her long legs under the tight skirt, admiring their smoothness, and the shapely curves of her hips and body.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize that you were trying to see the screen. Um, the price for one of those rooms is normally $150, but since we are so slow, I'll give it to you for $100."

The man leaned back, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket.

"That's very kind of you."

"Don't mention it," Jade said, trying not to blush as the man brushed against her hand, touching it for a second, to give her his credit card.

He is so handsome, I bet he is married and wants the hot tub for a romantic get-a-way with his wife, Jade thought as she went through the motions of checking the man into the room. She glanced out the front doors to see a very nice Mercedes Benz out front but no wife in the passenger seat. Surprised, but intrigued, he wondered if he was staying for business or pleasure.

"I will need to see your driver's license before I can process your credit card."

He gave her his driver's license and Jade noticed how confident he was and thought that he was older than she was. Looking into his eyes, she saw a hint of youthfulness in them. She looked down then at the card in her hands and noticed that the date put his age at 24.He is so mature for being only three years older than I am, Jade thought. The name on the card was Rocky Lee, a unique last name that hinted at his exotic Chinese heritage. She gave him back his driver's license, noticing his gaze on her body.

Jade ran the card and gave it back to the man, along with the key to his room. When he took the key with his left hand, Jade noticed that he was not wearing a wedding ring.Maybe he just likes big beds and hot tubs, she thought, giving him a very warm smile.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be here all night to assist you."

"I'll do that. What was your name again?"

"Jade, my name is Jade."

"Jade, it was nice meeting you." He said flashing a great smile that made her knees weak, extending his hand to give her a quick handshake, his hands softly caressing hers for only a second.I hope he didn't notice me checking him out earlier. He really is handsome,Jade thought as Rocky left her to head up to his room.

After she checked the exotic man in, Jade calmed herself down enough to finish "To Kill a Mockingbird". She was sitting behind the front desk, pouring over a new book, "A Tale of Two Cities" when the sound of a man clearing his throat made her look up. It was Rocky, and her heart immediately skipped a beat.

"Good evening once again Jade, I was just wondering if there was a bar in the hotel."

Just seeing him again brought a smile to her face. Marking her place in the book she got off her stool and walked around to the front of the desk.

"Our bar is right over here, Mr. Lee." She said, leading him through the doors and into the darkened bar. Only a few people were sitting in the booths, drinking and smoking in the hazy atmosphere. There was no one sitting on the stools except the bartender, who was watching CNN on the mounted TV. Jade was just turning to leave when Rocky stopped her with a hand on the crook of her elbow.

"Jade, would it be too forward of me to ask you to have a drink with me? I mean, you looked so bored sitting there behind that desk and I could sure use the company."

A smile escaped her lips at the invitation to spend some time with this mysterious man.

"No, it's not too forward of you, Mr. Lee. I would love to have a drink with you."

"Please, call me Rocky." He said, leading her into a corner booth, away from the other patrons. The sudden privacy in his actions sent small alarms through her brain. She was having drinks with a man she barely knew, who sent shivers down her spine every time he looked into her eyes.

They each ordered their drinks and started talking about the general stuff: school for her, work for him, life in general. Just talking about casual stuff made her relax enough not to feel alarmed when his hand drifted to rest on her thigh after he laughed at her joke. They continued to talk and stare into each other's eyes. The sexual tension that they had both felt since they met at the front desk was growing steadily with every word they spoke. The conversation soon landed on the question of ethnicity.

"From your look, and your last name, I would guess that you are of Asian descent?"

"Yes, in fact I am Chinese. What about you? Your dark hair and tanned skin shows that you are of an ethnic descent."

"Yes, I'm actually Native American, or American Indian if you like, it doesn't matter."

"Is that so? You definitely look it. Your skin is so smooth and silky," he said, caressing her face. She was about to move closer to him when his cell phone went off.

"Oh, you'll have to excuse me for a minute Jade. It's my office; I should only be a minute."

"Take your time, I'm in no rush." Jade said, taking another drink of her white wine spritzer.

After hanging up his cell phone, Rocky turned back to the lovely lady that was still sitting next to him.

"Jade, it pains me to have to leave you, but I have to go up to my room and complete some forms for work. I need to e-mail my boss and send him some files for my meeting in a few days. I'm actually staying here until he gives me the thumbs up to go on to Chicago. Having me make a few stops along the way to this meeting must have been cheaper for my company, I guess. This is the fifth stop I've made in two weeks."

Having Rocky explain his situation to her made her like him even more, but it also reminded her that he was a guest and would be leaving as soon as his boss said so.

"No, I understand, your work needs to get done and I should get back to doing mine. It was nice talking to you Rocky; I wish you good luck on all of your endeavors." Jade said, raising her glass. Rocky raised his glass and they toasted to good luck before both going off on their separate ways.

Back behind the front desk again, Jade found herself thinking a lot about Rocky.He is so attractive, funny and smart! I can't believe that he asked me to have a drink with him. His eyes were so dark, so penetrating; they made lose myself for moments at a time. What am I saying? There is no way a guy like him and a girl like me could ever be together!

Little did she know that far above the front desk, on the top floor in the best room in the hotel, Rocky was pacing in his room unable to focus on his work.She is beautiful, smart and funny; it blows my mind to think how much we have in common. I mean, she is going into her last year of college, but she is so mature for her age. Her eyes were gleaming so much that I couldn't help to stare into them. Shaking himself from his thoughts, Rocky stopped pacing and picked up the phone in his room to call down to the front desk, to call Jade.

It took a while for Jade to realize that the noise she was hearing was the phone ringing. She picked it up, not used to the act of actually talking into it; she said an uneasy "hello?" into the handset.

"Hello? Is this Jade?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"Rocky, I was just calling to ask you something."

Thoughts were running around in her mind as to what he could possibly need at this hour.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

Looking around his room for a reason to ask her up to his room, he just settled for the truth.

"Well...the truth is...I need assistance in helping me relax enough to do my work. Since I'm all alone up here on this floor, I thought that you could come up and keep me company?"

There was a strict rule at the Rutherford Inn about going up into the guests' rooms. Especially not to rooms that were currently occupied by extremely attractive men who traveled alone on business trips.

"Um...Mr. Lee...we have a policy here at Rutherford..."

"You probably have some rule that states that you cannot go up to a guest's room is that it?"

A little shocked at how accurately he assessed the problem, Jade said yes.

"Jade, I have been on the road for over two weeks now. Working under these conditions is exhausting, not to mention lonely. I'm telling you all this because I know that we had a connection from the moment I laid eyes on you. I couldn't help but notice how you looked at me, too. I looked into your eyes and you could barely type on the keyboard."

Jade was rendered speechless as he described exactly what she had done when she first saw him.

"I know that you and I have a connection, Jade. I could feel it when I touched your bare thigh in the bar. I could see it in your eyes. Please, come up and keep me company. I know it's an odd request, but I saw the way you smiled when we talked. It would be more fun then being trapped at that desk all night for the next person to check in, and at this hour they might not come. Besides Jade, you said I could call about anything."

"I said you could call me if you needed assistance. Are you in need of assistance, Mr. Lee?"

The silence on the other end of the line made Jade think that he had hung up on her.

"Jade?"

"Yes?"

"Come up and let's chat, not many people listen to every word I say like you do. I work with people all the time that are just waiting for their chance to talk and besides I could use you're assistance. I have a stiff neck from the long drive. You can help me work it out of me."

The seductive tone in his voice sent shivers down her spine as she imagined the possibilities that could happen if she agreed to go up to his room.

Mouth almost dry, she agreed to come to his room and hung up the phone. Riding up the elevator, thoughts were running through her mind like crazy.What am I doing? I could be fired for this! Why did I agree to meet him, alone in his room?Palms sweaty and shaking she stepped off of the elevator and walked nervously to stand in front of his door.

Rocky was lying on the bed, listening anxiously to hear the knock on his door. When it came, it was soft and quiet, just like her. The sound raised him off of the bed and onto his feet to pad slowly toward the door. A second knock sounded, this time louder and more urgent than the first. He turned the knob on his door and opened it to reveal her trembling form before him.

"H-Hello Rocky, you asked for me, so here I-I am," she said, stammering with nervousness.

"Nothing but the best customer service here at Rutherford." He said, looking appreciatively at her still wearing her uniform.

He stared into her eyes, peering into her soul until she looked away, still shy at his piercing look. The smell of fresh sheets and his cologne wafted by her, bringing her attention back to the handsome man standing before her, staring at her body. He grabbed her hand gently and led her slowly into the room. She finally noticed that his shirt was untucked, his jacket gone and his tie was loose around his neck. He looked comfortable against the backdrop of the nice room. It dawned on her just how long it had been since the last time she had done anything like this.

"I've never done this before," she told him as he closed the door behind her making sure to lock it. Turning back to her, eyes searching hers, he asked her,

"You've never done what before, Jade?"

Looking around at anything but him, she answered him.

"I've never been alone, with an attractive man before." She said, feeling self-conscious and nervous.

"Oh" he said, his eyes lighting up.

"Happy to hear that you found me attractive, if only you know the way I had been imagining your body from the first time I saw you."

She blushed then, and tried to turn away, but his hand on her face stopped her.

"I imagined slowly undressing you, feeling your naked soft skin under my hands."

He had gently led her onto the bed now, slowly stroking her body with his hands; caressing her thighs to her knees, one hand running through her hair that he had pulled out of the bun to fall around her shoulders.

"While we were talking, I felt a connection with you Jade. You're special, you're different...the way you laugh and listen to every word I say..." he paused then, looking at her face. "The way you look. You must drive all the guys crazy at school."

This brought a laugh from her throat, and allowed her to relax to his touch.

"Yes, a few of them do like me. But none of them are as...intoxicating as you are." She said, as she started rubbing his arms feeling the muscles underneath his shirt. His hand was now caressing her hair, tossing it, catching a whiff of her perfume and the freshness of her clean hair.

"You're so confident and so sure of yourself. I can't imagine anyone else being like you."