Love at your service

It was ten days later when Jess stepped out of the taxi in front of the Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. It was a very modern hotel that looked more like an apartment building than a hotel. It was huge and Jess had read that it was one of the largest hotels in the world. It definitely showed.

The porter that had taken her small suitcase from her showed her to the Front Desk. With her professional background Jess noticed that it was a well-run desk. She was immediately welcomed to the hotel by a friendly though slightly nervous male receptionist. His name badge read: Neal, trainee receptionist. She smiled at him reassuringly; it was obviously his first day on the job alone. All the other receptionists were busy helping other guests. When she checked in under her name, he gave her the key card to an executive suite on the top floor. Jess was impressed, but her face didn\'t show it. She inquired if Todd Levinson was present, but Neal told her that he was due to arrive the next morning. So she was to spend her first night in Las Vegas on her own!

The porter took her up to her suite, opened the door for her and placed her suitcase in the hallway. He gave her a short tour of the suite, showing her the bathroom, sitting room and bedroom and explaining the amenities. She tipped him on his way out and closed the door behind him. The suite was absolutely gorgeous; it had a large four-poster bed and a bathroom that featured a double Jacuzzi. It might well be a honeymoon suite! Jess first decided to put away her clothes in the large wall-size closet, so she could hang out the business suit that she wanted to wear to the interview tomorrow. It was a black formal business suit and it was perfect for making a professional impression.

When she had finished she looked at her watch to see that it was only 5 PM. Before she would go down to the restaurant for dinner, she would spoil herself with a lovely hot and scented bath. She went into the bathroom, turning on the radio for some background music.

When the bath was full, smelling vaguely of lavender, she removed all of her clothes and lowered herself into the bathtub. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the relaxing sensation of the hot water with the aromatic bath oil. For a moment she thought that she heard a door open and close, but she realized it must be the door to the suite next door to hers...



Ben Carter always made an impression wherever he went. As he walked through the hotel lobby many women turned to look at him because of his good looks. He was tall and well built with broad shoulders, a slim waist and strong legs, a result of his daily trip to the gym. His short hair was dark and wavy and his eyes were a piercing blue. When he was not smiling, they seemed cold and distant, but when his full lips curled in a smile they could melt a gletscher.

Carter Hotels had started out small when his grandfather Aloysius Carter had opened his first hotel in New York 40 years ago. After that many hotels had followed and both Ben\'s father Stephen and Ben himself had followed in his footsteps. When Stephen Carter died in a car accident at the age of 47, Ben had become the owner. That was 10 years ago and being 35 now, he had made the hotel chain even more successful.

Ben told the porter that rushed to his aid that he didn\'t need any help. He had only brought an overnight bag, since he would be staying for just one night. Tomorrow night he would fly home to Denver, where he owned a beautiful chalet just outside of the city. The Carter Head Offices were located in New York, which had been his father\'s choice, who had loved New York and all it\'s excitement. Ben himself preferred to live in Colorado where he spent his weekends. During the week he stayed at his apartment in Manhattan. The commute was starting to become a drag though and he regretted all the time wasted in travelling up and down. So he was in the process of developing plans for building a Carter Hotel in Denver and then after that also moving the Head Office there.

He had come to Las Vegas for a quick look at how their newest hotel was coming along. It was due to open in a month and he always liked to keep a close eye on the developments. So far everything was going according to schedule. The outside of the hotel as well as the hotel rooms were finished, the interior decorators were now finishing up the public areas. It would be another exclusive Carter Hotel that he and his grandfather could be proud of.

Another reason that he was here was that he would sit in on the interviews that the future General Manager of the Carter Las Vegas, Todd Levinson, was due to have with the candidates for the Front Desk Manager position. The rest of the management positions had already been filled with staff from within the hotel chain. The Front Desk Manager had been filled also, but the person in question had received a better job offer somewhere else. So now they were looking for a replacement. Normally he wouldn\'t sit in on these job interviews, but since he was in the area he might as well. He always liked to know the people that worked for him. Besides that, Todd always appreciated Ben\'s opinion and insight when it came to hiring new personnel.



As he walked over to the Front Desk, several female guests tried to make eye contact with him and it annoyed him, as it always did when women had the tendency to throw themselves at his feet. The fact that he was a good-looking and successful businessman made him a popular target for women that were out to find themselves rich husbands. Unfortunately for them, he wasn\'t the least bit interested in marriage. He preferred his single status that allowed him to date any chosen woman for a short while, no strings attached.

The young male receptionist seemed nervous as he was checking him in. It didn\'t help that his female colleagues were standing next to him, giggling foolishly as they looked at Ben. The poor guy was new at his job and stuck with a bunch of uncooperative colleagues that were more interested in Ben than helping him. After struggling with the computer for a while, he finally handed a key card to Ben, apologizing for the long wait. Ben told him not to worry about it and thanked him for his help, giving him a friendly smile.

He walked over to the elevator, entered it and pressed the button to the Executive floor. He looked at his key card, room no. 1015. The signs in the hallway of the Executive floor pointed to the left.

Room no. 1015 was at the end of the hallway and after inserting the key card, he opened the door and entered the suite that Todd\'s secretary Julie had booked for him. Todd would arrive tomorrow morning, since he was still enjoying his last day of holiday in Florida. He had told him that only one of the applicants, a Mr. Van Zant from Glenwood Springs in Colorado, would stay overnight at the hotel. The rest of the applicants were all locals of Las Vegas. Well, he would meet with Mr. Van Zant in the morning together with Todd. Tonight, he wouldn\'t have to think business! He was planning on an early night in. It was Thursday and he had been in New York all week and had worked late nights on his proposal for the Denver investors. He needed a tasty meal, a shower and most importantly, a good night sleep!

When Ben threw his coat on the large four-poster bed in the suite\'s bedroom and loosened his tie, he noticed that the door to another room was slightly ajar and music seemed to come from behind it. What was going on? Did the housekeeping attendant forget to turn off the radio or was there somebody still at work? Great, that was all he needed, not! He longed for some peace and quiet.

As he opened the door to what turned out to be the bathroom, Ben couldn\'t believe what he saw in front of him. Although the room was steamy, he could see a woman lying in the bathtub, covered in foam and her eyes closed. She was obviously enjoying her bath! All he could see of her was a waterfall of blonde curls that fell over the edge of the tub. Ben stood startled in the doorway.



\"What on earth do you think your doing here and who are you?\", a voice rang through the bathroom in a harsh tone.

Jess was woken violently from her daydreams by this voice that sounded awfully near. She instantly got up from her lying position and turned to see who had startled her, forgetting all about her nakedness. While doing so she gave Ben a full view of her upper body and he couldn\'t help but look at her full breasts that were still wet from the water. As she looked at this stranger staring at her she felt her face blush and quickly put her hands over her breasts. Her slim hands with the long fingers hardly covering them.

\"What am I doing?, she yelled, I am taking a bath, that\'s pretty obvious. The question is: what are you doing in my room? And stop staring at me!\"

Ben turned his eyes away from the lovely sight in front of him. \"Lady, I don\'t understand how you got into my room and it\'s a nice try but I can find my own roommates! Come to mention it, I prefer to get to know someone before taking a bath together!\"

It was unbelievable, now the women even snuck into his hotel room to try and seduce him! What would be next? Throwing themselves in front of his car? He had to admire her guts though. How had she managed to get past security and get into his room?



Jess looked in awe at the extremely handsome man that now had his face turned to the door. His angry looks scared her a little. He had full jet-black hair and she couldn\'t help but wonder how it would feel when she would run her hands through it! Wait a minute, Jess, this man is accusing you of breaking into his hotel room and trying to get into his tailor-made pants. Well, she would have to set him straight and he would have to get his own room! She had enough of men thinking that they could order her around! Calm down, Jess, she told herself. You are naked in a room with a complete stranger. Only God knew what his intentions were!

\"Hum, excuse me Mr..., could you hand me the bathrobe? It\'s hanging off the back of the door. I would feel a lot more comfortable talking to you when I am dressed. I am sure that enjoying my bath is out of the question now.\"

The insecurity in her voice surprised him; it didn\'t at all sound like the sophisticated and flirtatious women that he was used to. He picked up the robe and without turning, handed it to her. He heard her getting out of the bath and he would have given anything to see the rest of her naked body. What he had seen of it so far was very promising. Normally he wouldn\'t have hesitated to turn around and look, but something about her made him decide not to. He was sure she would be awfully embarrassed if he did. She was so close to him now, that he could smell her: a combination of lavender and her own feminine smell. It was very sexy!

\"Ok, you can turn around now, I am decent\". It sounded so old-fashioned, that Ben couldn\'t help but smile. \"Look, there must be some mistake, this is my room, I checked into it this afternoon, room no. 1015. I can show you my key, it\'s in my jacket pocket\".

Jess walked over to the closet and retrieved her key card from her jacket, showing it to him. It was the exact same one as his. Could she be telling the truth?

As she stood looking at him expectantly, he took the time to take in her appearance. Her hair, still damp from the bath, fell in a mass of blonde curls over her shoulders. It covered most of her face, but he could still see her big green eyes that looked at him continuously, as if preparing for any sudden move he might make. She had a small straight nose and lush rosy lips, wearing no make-up. Lips made to kiss, hard and long. She was tall, though not as tall as he was, and she was undoubtedly a woman. Her breasts as he had already been able to see, were large, just how he liked them. He was a real breast man. Though not extremely slim she wasn\'t overweight either. Furthermore, she was blessed with very feminine hips, a round buttocks and long everlasting legs. Ben thought she was absolutely beautiful and he felt a familiar stirring in his stomach. Damn, he said to himself, concentrate Ben, you still have a problem.

For some reason though he felt that she was telling the truth. She looked more like a deer staring at the headlights of an approaching car than the sultry temptress that he thought had broken into his hotel room. He almost felt the need to protect her, to take her in his arms and tell her that he believed her.

\"Well, you are probably right, they must have made a mistake, checking us in. I am sorry if I scared you\", he said, smiling at her. \"I will go down to reception and get another room\".



Jess felt as if she would melt on the spot! She had already thought that he was handsome, even when he had looked at her accusingly. Now, however, with his smile reaching his incredibly blue eyes, he looked good enough to eat! So did the rest of his body actually! Momentarily, she could forget about her promise to stay clear of men. When she thought of his accusations of her trying to break into his room, she finally felt the nerves leave her body and she started to laugh. It was a sexy, hoarse laugh and it sent shivers down Ben\'s spine. Looking at her sincere relief and realizing the humour of the situation, he joined in laughing.

\"The least I can do is offer you a drink while you\'re here. What can I get you?\"

\"A gin and tonic would be nice, thank you\".

\"Great, I think I\'ll join you\".

When Jess had finished preparing their drinks from the well-stocked minibar, she turned to hand him his glass.

\"To unexpected company\", she toasted.

\"To unexpected company\", Ben returned.

They both took a sip from their drink and their eyes met over their glasses. Jess couldn\'t help but blush again. What was wrong with her? He wasn\'t the first man she had ever had a drink with. Although it was the first time that she was dressed in nothing more than a terry robe and the man in front of her was the sexiest male creature she had ever met!



Ben noticed the blush that covered her cheeks and he thought it made her even lovelier. She seemed so natural, so pure and so real. She was a refreshing change from his usual dates! As he had finished his drink and it seemed time to get up and leave; he couldn\'t help but think that he wanted to spend some more time with her. Spending a lonely night in his room with no other company than a glass of Cognac didn\'t seem that attractive anymore. Before he knew it then, his mouth opened and he heard himself asking her out to dinner! Her eyes, first looking cautious, then lit up and she got out of her chair. She reached out her hand to his and said: \"I would love to have dinner with you, uh..., I don\'t even know your name!\"

\"Ben, just call me Ben\", he uttered, surprised at his own caution.

\"And I am Jess, just Jess\", she replied. She felt a little hurt that he obviously wanted to keep a distance between them. But, she decided then and there, it would suit her perfectly, because she wasn\'t after a relationship either. She was at a crossroads in her life, and she didn\'t need any excess emotional baggage!

\"I will come and pick you up at 8 PM\". Saying that he turned to the door and left.



Jess couldn\'t believe her boldness, accepting his invitation! She had always been very shy and hesitant when meeting men. It had taken her ex-fiancé Jason 6 months to get her to go out on a date with him! And when they broke up, she had made a promise to herself to forget about men altogether, since it would only cause her heartbreak. Strangely though, she felt so at ease with Ben, this perfect stranger. And now they were going out to dinner together. Well, she promised herself this one night with Ben would be one to remember. For once, she wouldn\'t think about the consequences, but just enjoy the moment. Maybe she would be better at one-night-stands than long and meaningful relationships? She wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. She was sure it would be fantastic. Nothing like the clumsy kisses that Jason used to give her! Ben wouldn\'t be insecure; he would take charge and take all that she was prepared to give. And maybe even more...

The alarm on the nightstand told her that it was about time to go and get ready for her unexpected date with Ben, just Ben. She opened the closet to see what was inside, but unfortunately, since she hadn\'t expected to be going on a date, she hadn\'t packed anything appropriate. And she didn\'t want to turn up for a date with the mysterious Ben in her business suit or the casual dress that she had planned on wearing for her lonely dinner! She quickly slipped in to the dress, put on her shoes and left her room to hurry to the boutique that she had seen in the lobby downstairs. She would treat herself to a nice outfit for tonight and make Ben proud to have her on his side.



It was incredible that a man like Ben had asked her out for dinner in the first place. He must be able to get a date with any woman that he would set his mind on. And he had picked her! Well not picked actually, they were more or less thrown together by fate. And she was a great believer in fate! Of course he wouldn\'t have asked her out if they had met under different circumstances. He was just being polite asking her out. On the other hand, when he

had looked at her in the bathroom and later again in the bedroom she had felt his eyes roaming her body appreciatively and she had felt extremely feminine. Had she imagined his sexual interest in her? Well, she would make sure that he wouldn\'t regret asking her out. All they would have together was tonight and she planned on enjoying every moment of it…



After explaining the situation at the Front Desk, the Supervisor had given Ben a different suite, apologizing extensively for their mistake. Well, Ben could hardly blame the inexperienced desk clerk, so he just took the key card from the man and went up to the Executive floor once again. His new suite was a carbon copy of the one that Jess was staying in. How boring! In all of his hotels, no two rooms were the same and it was one of their strongest selling points.

He went for a quick shower and got dressed for dinner. It was a shame the hotel wasn\'t fully booked actually, because then he might have had to spend the night with the sexy Jess! If she had let him, that is. She probably wouldn\'t, she didn\'t come across as the type of girl that would sleep with a complete stranger! He smiled at himself as he looked into the mirror, straightening his tie. His dark grey suit fit his strong body perfectly. All of his suits were tailor-made; it was one of the luxuries that he afforded himself ever since he had made his first million. He would take Jess to dinner at the fine dining restaurant at the hotel. He had dined there before and the food was excellent. He was sure she would love it too.

He looked forward to a nice dinner with Jess, she seemed honest and he felt very comfortable around her. If only he could control his physical desires for her! Ever since he had seen her in that bathtub, he couldn\'t help but picturing her naked in his arms and kissing her lovely breasts! His throat felt dry even thinking about it. For heaven\'s sake, you would think he had never seen a naked woman before in his life! On the contrary, he had seen many and some as pretty or as shapely as Jess. But he couldn\'t remember ever having been so distraught by the appearance of a woman. It promised to become an interesting evening, that was for sure!

At first he had thought she was one of those women that were desperately looking for a man to secure their future. But her story of the mix-up in suites had turned out to be true... She obviously must be a wealthy woman herself since the prices of the Executive suites at the Grand were impressive to say the least. Excellent, because then at least she wouldn\'t be after his money. Being rich wasn\'t exactly good for your self-confidence, because he always wondered whether a woman\'s interest in him was genuine. What did he care anyway, his brief engagement to Faith Donohoe had cured him of any desire to get married ever!

Tonight with Jess would just be a brief encounter between to people that were brought together by chance. They would enjoy their dinner together instead of having to spend the evening alone. He looked at his watch, it was time to go and meet Jess.