“OMNISCIENT NARRATOR”
Maxwell walked out of the car with a sly smile on his face, he enjoyed treating Anna like that; the look of disappointment on her face was theatric. The truth was that Mr. Maxwell Blackwood was more than impressed by Anna’s presentation, he just chose to play tough and not express his real feelings.
He had put her to a test and she passed in excellence. The ideas she had presented were all brilliant and innovative, something he might have never thought of. The fact that it wasn’t even an obligation but she chose to put so much effort into it. He might have his issues with her but he couldn’t help but admire her sense of responsibility and business IQ.
Slowing down by the entrance of the hotel lobby, Maxwell waited for his assistant to catch up and then they walked in together.
“Did you need the whole day to get here?” he asked, purposely trying to steer up a fight. He just loved to annoy her and he was good at it. But Anna didn’t give him the response he craved, she just flinched her eyes at him and looked away, making Maxwell chuckle.
They went straight to the receptionist who greeted them warmly. Whether she recognized him or not, she could easily tell that he was a VIP from the moment he stepped in.
Mr. Blackwood was dressed in a three thousand dollars gray suit, with white inner shirt and a black John Lobb William shoes, his footwear alone was worth over ten thousand dollars, a classic wholecut oxford made from the finest calfskin. While Annabel was looking formal in her white long sleeve shirt tucked into black pants and matched with high heels. The files she chose to carry in her arm rather than put in her handbag made her appear more formal.
Mr. Blackwood had complimented the receptionist’s voice as welcomed them and Annabel scoffed, either out of jealousy or she felt he was faking it, probably to make her feel shitty.
“I am sorry Sir, but I have checked through the records and there has been no reservation for Maxwell Blackwood, are you certain that you had called in?” the receptionist asked.
Maxwell immediately turned back to Annabel, shooting her a questioning glance.
“What?” she muttered and spread her arms. “I did as you said, I called in for a reservation at The Prime Presidential motel and suites.” She added immediately.
“Sorry… Did you say motel?” the receptionist asked immediately and they both turned to stare at her.
Annabel paused for a few seconds before she nodded. “Yes, isn’t that right?” she said in a low voice.
“No Ma’am… I am sorry but this is Prime Presidential hotel and suites, not motel.” The receptionist clarified.
Mr. Blackwood turned back to Annabel immediately and shot her a death stare. “Really?” he barked.
“I am sorry, but I am pretty sure that you said motel.” She retorted in her defense. At this point, whether true or false, she was going to stick with that excuse, her pride would not let her take the fall.
“Oh really? And I am pretty sure that I said hotel, not motel… but you are clearly deaf and daft. Why do you even think I would meet someone in a motel?” Mr. Blackwood fired.
“Oh wow! So it is my fault now, huh? You are the one who was not clear with the instruction, and since when am I permitted to correct you? Also, why would you not meet someone in a Motel? What is wrong with a Motel?”
“You don’t get to ask me questions,” Maxwell bickered, he was ready to go low in order to win this argument.
“Exactly, I just do whatever you say, so why do you think I would question your choice of venue?” Annabel argued.
Their bickering ended when the receptionist burst into laughter, unable to hold it anymore. She found their petty talks hilarious.
“I am sorry Sir, I am sure it must have been an honest mistake but it can be fixed with just one phone call, there is not much damage done.” The receptionist said as they both turned to face her.
“Yeah, she is right, you didn’t need to go all cray cray on me. I can just call the motel to cancel the booking and then we get a booking here, easy peasy.” Anna said to his face.
Seeing that the both ladies had teamed up against him, and they were drawing attention, Mr. Blackwood chose to let it go. He knew how today’s world works, just one video record and the wrong information would be sent throughout the internet. He might wake up tomorrow to read the headline ‘Boss Embarrasses Worker’
“Fine…” he whispered under his breath. “Please find us something comfortable, we are only here for a meeting and would be leaving before nightfall.”
“Sure Sir, I have the perfect room for you; not too much and not too less, just the right amount of everything.” The receptionist replied with a smile. Of course she had to be alluring; her job depends on her service.
“Alright… by the way, I am supposed to meet Mr. Ratan Singh here today. Do you know if he is here already?” Mr. Blackwood asked, ignoring Anna who was still grumbling behind him.
“Not yet Sir, but we do have a reservation for him today…. I know I probably shouldn’t tell you that.” She laughed nervously as she realized she had messed up.
Maxwell chucked. “But you have… Don’t be hard on yourself, it is just my charms,” he smirked.
Anna made a puking sound to express her disgust at his flirting, and the receptionist laughed.
“Don’t mind her, she is just a hater.” Mr. Blackwood said as he took the keys from the receptionist and headed for the elevator.
Annabel scoffed and followed behind him, she cringed hard at the thought of him being nice. As far as she was concerned, Mr. Maxwell Blackwood was not a nice person, he was the devil himself.
They arrived at the room and Mr. Blackwood walked in first, with Annabel following slowly behind. Her jaws dropped as she walked into the room, completely forgetting that she was holding a grudge for the embarrassment he put her through.
The walls were adorned with silk wallpaper in a rich shade of burgundy, the color of royalty and seduction. The bed was a behemoth, draped in Egyptian cotton sheets that shimmered like moonlight on water. The headboard was a work of art, carved from ebony and inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
In the center of the room, a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, its facets refracting light into a dazzling display of rainbows. The floor was covered in a thick Persian rug, its intricate pattern a maze of swirling colors.
But the most striking feature of the room was the bathroom. It was very wide and separated with transparent glass, making it possible for someone in the room to see through it. There was literally no privacy but that didn’t bother Anna, it is not like they were there to lodge, she didn’t think she would be needing the bathroom while she was here.
As she walked around admiring the place like a first timer, which she was anyway because she had never set foot in such a luxurious hotel room, Anna couldn’t help but imagine. The bathroom was also equipped with a steam shower, a Jacuzzi, and a his-and-hers vanity. The fixtures were all gold-plated, and the towels were as soft as clouds.
As you stepped out of the shower, you could wrap yourself in a plush bathrobe and sink into the deep cushions of the bed. You could then turn on the flat-screen TV and watch a movie, or you could simply lie back and enjoy the peace and quiet.
If this was what the receptionist thought as “Not too much”, Anna wondered what too much would look like. This was a room designed for relaxation and indulgence. It was a place where you could forget about your worries and simply enjoy the moment.
After shamelessly exploring the room, Anna turned around to find Maxwell sitting on the bed, although the bed was so large that she could also sit and her body would not come in contact with his, she chose to rather sit far away on the leather couch.
She noticed that he had his shoes on while on the bed and she was almost tempted to correct him, her mother would have hit her with the famous Chancla if she ever tried that back at home. Unable to concentrate on any other thing, Annabel kept stealing glances at Mr. Blackwood to know if he was staring at her but he seemed more occupied with his phone.
Clueless as to what to do or say, they both sat in complete silence; the only sound in the room was coming from Anna’s restless foot as she kept moving her legs. Anna wondered what he was so engulfed with in his phone. Was he on social media?
It just crossed her mind. Of course he was a successful and young business man, so he was bound to have a social life. She was curious to know what his life on socials would be like. Was he a ghost user or another egoistic extrovert who loves to flaunt their vanities online?
She immediately logged into her account and tried searching for him, she found his business pages but not his personal account. He must be operating with a different name, and this made her even eager to find out. She immediately became the FBI, going through related pages and names. Eventually, she found him… with the name Dave Murphy.
Annabel was confused, she was certain the profile was his, so why was he using a different name. it wasn’t even a nickname, I mean… it couldn’t be, right?
The page was locked and so she couldn’t view any of his posts unless she followed him. Annabel wondered if that was a good idea, what if he felt like she was stalking him? she didn’t want to give him the impression that she liked him even one bit, because she was doing this out of pure disgust… at least that is what she thought.
After so many conflicting thoughts, Annabel clicked the follow button. She immediately heard a din sound come from Maxwell’s phone on the bed and less than three seconds later, he stared in her direction.
Anna’s heart flipped and she looked away immediately. Did he find out? If he was online then he must have seen the notification! From the corner of her eyes, she could tell that he was still watching her. Her heart began to race as he moved from his position and turned to face her, but just then there was a knock on the door.