Hotel Lamia

JENNY

The calm I had felt in the bath was completely gone. I was standing in the middle of my crappy flat, soaking wet, only covered by a worn-out towel.

It had felt so real, so intense, that my heart was still pounding. I looked down at my hands. There were imprints on my fingers from the sharp edge of the tub, so I knew at least that part had been real.

I reached down to my still-pulsing pussy. My clit was swollen, and my juices were dripping down my thighs.

I desperately tried to come up with a reasonable explanation, but my mind drew a blank. I shook my head, deciding that I must have fallen asleep and had an orgasmic dream or something.

Nothing else made sense.

Bzzz bzzz bzzz.

My phone was going off in my bag. I picked it up to see a text from my manager.

I grabbed a clean shirt and some black slacks and headed into the bathroom again. The size small shirts that fit perfectly around my waist and over my shoulders couldn’t contain my boobs, so I had to wear a medium so I didn’t look like a streetwalker.

I put my curly hair up in a messy bun. It didn’t look half bad, though I knew it wasn’t quite up to the posh standard of Hotel Lamia. Beggars can’t be choosers. This was what they would get when calling me in on such short notice.

I sacrificed a minute to dab on some concealer under my baggy eyes and put on some new mascara.

***

I hurried toward the alley, but as soon as I turned the corner, my body froze, like something was holding me back. My gut twisted with unease.

I looked around, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Why did I feel like this? There was nothing to be afraid of. I wasn’t a skittish person. I had more balls than a lot of men. But something deep inside me was trying to tell me something.

The alley was quiet and empty. Not even a rat, and there were always rats digging through the bins.

The silence was unsettling. That was probably it. The silence was making me nervous.

I pushed it aside and ran the five meters up to the employee entrance. As I bolted in the door, I crashed into Rob.

“Finally!” he exclaimed. I cocked an eyebrow at him while I tapped my watch.

“You texted me seven minutes ago,” I replied with annoyance.

“Oh! Anyway! There’s a big company dinner in the banquet hall in one hour, and everyone decided to come early to get a buzz going before dinner, without letting us know. So now the bar is packed, and Pete is tending it alone since Julia decided to be sick today. So go! Run! Now!” he yapped, waving his hands, shooing me off.

I rolled my eyes and dumped my bag in my locker.

Inside the bar, poor Pete was running like a madman, pouring brandy and handing out beers to the impatient guests.

I rolled my shoulders and quickly assessed my end of the bar. It was just as immaculate as I left it. Good. That would make my job easier.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and anyone in between!” I hollered, smiling broadly as I gestured to the guests.

They looked up and started moving toward me.

I let go of every thought, every emotion, and just moved. The patrons called out their orders as I swirled around, grabbing bottles, pouring drinks, accepting payments, and smiling while I did it all. I was efficient as fuck.

I cleared my line in under twenty minutes, so I waved over more of Pete’s line. Thirty minutes, and the guests were spread out among the tables, chatting and laughing happily.

I chuckled at Pete, who looked like he’d just been hit by a bus. His strawberry-blond hair was tousled and messy, and beads of sweat covered his forehead. He wiped them away with a towel before his dark green eyes met mine. The corners of his mouth turned upward into an amused, cheeky smile.

“How are you so amazing under pressure, Jewel?” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

I sighed, exasperated. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? What does my name tag say?” I whisper-shouted. I was so sick of having this conversation.

“Jenny. But Jewel is such a cool name!” he replied.

I gritted my teeth. “I don’t care what you think. It’s not my name anymore! End off!” I snapped as I turned around and started wiping down my station.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

The name was like cruel reminder of my youth. I had changed it years ago, but one slip-up, and Pete had figured it out.

Someone had called out “Jewel” in the lobby as a pet name to some prissy princess, and I, like a brainless idiot, had reacted to it.

Pete had promised not to tell anyone, but now and again he tried using it. I would shut him down every time.

I exhaled heavily, trying to clear out the annoyance. The guests were starting to move toward the banquet hall. Some of them were already swaying a little, and let me put it this way, the conversation in the group was no longer professional.

We had a few hours to clean up before they would most likely be back. I grabbed a tray and started gliding around the tables, picking up all the dirty glasses. Within five minutes, I’d placed a total of seven trays on the counter.

I glanced at Pete, who nodded his head. As usual, he would run them through the dishwasher, while I cleaned the tables.

I grabbed some disinfectant and started cleaning my way through the room. Some of the tables were so sticky with dried, sugary drinks that I had to put my back into scrubbing them. The last table was one of those jobs.

Deeply focused on the job, I suddenly felt a light tickle on my lower back. My shirt had slipped out of my slacks as it usually did when I scrubbed like this.

I paused for a second but quickly got back to work.

When it happened again, I slowed my movement a little. Something warm slowly stroked over my exposed skin. Heat spread throughout me as I felt a pressure against my ass. I jerked my body to the side.

What the fuck was that?

I scanned around the room, but it was completely empty. Pete was probably still in the kitchen. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, I sensed a presence behind me. I snapped around only to face the wall.

Okay, that’s it! I need a break!

I walked back just as Pete emerged from the kitchen. “I’m taking a break!” I stated, a slight shiver in my voice.

“You okay?” he asked, his eyes scanning my face.

“Yeah. I just need food and some fresh air,” I replied, plastering on a grin.

When faking a smile, most people wouldn’t be capable of making it reach their eyes. But mine was perfect.

“All right, then. The crowd won’t be back for at least another hour,” he replied, completely letting go of his concern.

I hurried past the kitchen and out the back door. I leaned against the cold bricks and let my body slide down until I was squatting. I rubbed my temples and tried to regain my wits.

What the fuck was going on with me?

“Evening, miss. Are you all right?” a male voice said, pulling me from my thoughts.

I slowly looked up at the man standing just a few meters away from me.

“I’m fine, thanks,” I said as I rose to my feet.

He took a few steps closer. “You don’t look fine. You sure you’re okay?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

The dim light by the door reveled his sharp, clean-shaven jaw and thin lips, but his eyes were hidden in the dark shadow of the fedora on his head. He was wearing a black trench coat, black leather gloves, and he had a long umbrella tucked under his left arm.

“Just stress of the job. I’m fine, really,” I said, sending him my perfect fake smile.

“All right, miss. I bid you a good night, then,” he said and walked further down the alley. I glanced after him. What a strange man.

Just as I turned around to open the door, he called out to me. “Beware of the darkness.”

His words chilled me to the bone. I spun around to ask what he meant by that, but he was gone.

Ripping the door open, I hurried inside. I took a deep breath and wiped the thin layer of perspiration from my neck. I would not let this freaky shit affect me. I was stronger than this. I was not some scared little twat.

I went to the kitchen to request my food and was handed a spare plate from the banquet dinner. I loved working the afternoon or evening shift, just because of the delicious food.

I took my grub to the break room and sat down to eat. It didn’t take more than a few minutes before Rob came stomping in with his permanent scowl.

“You’re on break already?” he spat.

“You called me in before I had a chance to eat. So yeah, I’m eating. I assume you don’t want me to pass out while working behind the bar,” I barked back.

I wouldn’t let him have a go at me unless he actually had a reason.

“Shit! I didn’t think of that,” he said, looking a little embarrassed.

That was as much of an apology as I would ever get from him, so I waved him off.

“Great, now let me eat so I can get back to work,” I said, giving him a crooked half smile.

He huffed a laugh and walked away.

He wasn’t a bad boss, really. He just got easily stressed, and he was short tempered. But I knew how to handle him.

I ate just a little bit slower than normal, savoring every last bit of the food.

After cleaning up, I went to the locker room to freshen up. I brushed my teeth and washed my hands before looking over myself in the mirror. I noticed a tiny speck of sauce on my white shirt.

Crap!

I grabbed a clean one from my locker and started unbuttoning the dirty one. If Rob saw the stain, he would make a fuss about it. Better to just change now and avoid his whining.

I let the soft fabric slide of my shoulders and drop to the floor. Suddenly, I felt a warm graze on my left shoulder. I could feel it, but I couldn’t see what did it.

It trailed down my arm, all the way to my wrist. I watched in the mirror, eyeing the place where I felt the sensation.

It trailed up again, and when it reached my shoulder, it squeezed. I could clearly see small imprints on my skin, like an invisible hand was touching me.

I stood completely still, more curious than scared now.

Warmth spread on the left side of my waist. I tried to keep my breath calm and steady, even though my lungs were desperately screaming for more air.

My neck tickled as the hairs on the back of my neck moved, as if someone was breathing on me.

“What are you doing?” I whispered over my breath.

Then it abruptly stopped.