The elevator doors open a few seconds after settling to the bottom floor of my hotel, and I'm greeted by the sight of a pleasant-looking petite Asian lady. I step out past her, instinctively uttering a genial "hello."
"Hello," she returns the informal greeting as she steps into the elevator. As the doors close, I take one more sideways peek. "Mmm, not bad," I say to myself, audibly but under my breath, just in case anyone else is around. She's just a bit out of place, dressed very nicely in heels and a cream-colored business suit skirt and jacket this late at night. I'm sure not dressed to impress, in just shorts and a t-shirt, on my way out to my rental car to grab my computer bag to look at last minute emails before going to bed. I'm spending three days on the West coast visiting a couple clients, and tomorrow is the last day of the heavy stuff before wrapping things up and heading home the next day.
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
The next morning, I'm standing at the elevators, waiting patiently for the bell to sound indicating one is stopping at my floor. They must be crowded with hordes filtering down from their rooms, as this is the typical checking-out and off-to-work time. Sure enough, the next one is full, but not too full. I step toward the open doors, the occupants adjusting a bit to let me in. I stand to the side, looking toward everyone instead of straight ahead, and say a subtle "good morning."
"Good morning," a single voice says as about three other heads just nod. The voice is coming from a woman in the back, partially obscured by the two ugly dudes between us. When the crowd shifts slightly, I'm able to see her - it's the petite Asian woman I passed last night. Not sure if she recognizes me or not, but if she does, I'm glad I've shaved and dressed nicely, business casual, for my meetings today. She peeks at her phone and gives it a swipe, but doesn't pay more attention to it than what's going on around her, including another glance my way. Now that I have a better look, I'm pretty sure she's Japanese.
As we exit the elevator, I motion for her to go before me. She is quite classy, dressed in a simple crisp white blouse, dark charcoal skirt that ends just above the knees, and dark stockings and heels. She walks over to the side out of the way of foot traffic and then gets out her phone, swiping and tapping and flicking as I pass her, headed toward my meetings.
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
After a day of somewhat successful meetings, I go to dinner with one of my clients. Arranging with them to stop by their office sometime the next morning before returning home, but not too early, I head back to the hotel late. Walking through the lobby with my computer bag, I spy, wouldn't you know it, the same Japanese lady I'd run into twice before. Waiting for the elevator, I find myself drawn to her. She's sitting by herself in the otherwise deserted lounge area, earphones in and looking at her computer, a large bowl and an almost empty glass pushed aside. The elevator opens, but I ignore it. Just on the off chance that I could strike up a conversation with her, I decide I'll park myself nearby and pretend to work.
Two tables away is the right distance – not too close to be creepy but close enough to monitor her activity and look for an opportunity to make eye contact or say hello as I open my computer and log on... might as well check email.
I am beginning to understand why I felt drawn to her. She's really quite attractive, maybe in her early 30s, with shiny jet black hair, curled under slightly, cut short enough to just touch her shoulders. She's dressed the same way as I remember her from this morning, in a white blouse and dark skirt, her stocking-clad legs and shiny heeled shoes set perfectly together as she sits up straight, clicking and talking away. She must be in a video conference.
She looks right at me while I'm admiring her. I look away and down at my computer, then look 'around' to try to make my behavior seem normal, my eyes returning to her after a moment. She's still looking my way, and our eyes meet, acknowledging our mutual recognition, giving each other the faintest of smiles. Good, I think – she's actually seen me looking and I must not be too creepy because she seems quite comfortable.
She says her farewells in English, then seems to wrap up in Japanese and clicks around some more, pulling out her earphones, apparently done with her call.
After a couple minutes of clicking and typing, our eyes meet again. I am going through in my mind what I might say to her, and how to start, glad that I'm still dressed nicely from the business day as not to be too inferior. I wonder if she's attracted to American men? And older men... though I'm not much older, my blond hair graying a bit at the sides giving me what I hope is a "distinguished" look. And I'm not hunk by any means, 5 foot 8 and not muscle-bound, but I keep myself fitter than most by eating somewhat healthy and staying active by running, hiking, and taking care of my own house and yard. Just maybe I'm her type?
Soon, she closes her computer, stows it in her bag, and gets up from her table. It's now or never.
"Hello again," I blurt out, attention fully toward her.
"Yes, hello... and not from the elevator this time." She is walking toward me. I thought I'd have to block her or chase after her to have a conversation, but she's making herself available.
"Yes... looks like I'm not the only one working late tonight."
"You are working too?"
Well, sort of. I have my email open, but I wouldn't if she weren't here. "Yes, catching up on emails before I leave for home tomorrow."
"I have two more days, at least," she says, setting her bag on the table beside me. Is she actually going to stay and talk?
"At least? You mean you don't know how long you're going to be here?"
I study her while she talks for a minute, neatly poised before me, standing barely five feet tall, maybe five-foot-two at the most, with narrow hips and a trim waist, Just about her only movement is the way she adjusts her simple but elegant bracelet, just a string of beads or pearls, which matches the necklace I can see laying on her smooth skin inside the collar of her blouse.
I'm sure I just invited her to join me, because before I know it, she's seated across from me, asking me about my work. I tell her a few things in general about my role in my business software consulting company, and she seems to be tracking and interested.
Turns out she is indeed here from Japan, a young but very mature and well-presented executive for a company specializing in contact lenses. Yes, corrective lenses, but her company also manufactures the kind that people wear for style only, as an accessory or to change their appearance, which are evidently very popular in Japan. She handles areas related to the company's products, like materials procurement and quality as well as materials inventory management and manufacturing operations.
Even though she's petite, and young for her position, she has a mature, strong, fairly deep voice, and that coupled with her poise, presentation, and command of two important languages, makes it clear that she's worked for what she has and her company is fortunate to have her. She gets sexier and sexier with each sentence... sure, she is classy, but engaging enough in her personal conversation for a guy like me to conjure some dirty thoughts.
Speaking of personal conversation, I ask her about how it feels to come all the way over here for meetings and facility tours and such not knowing when she'll be able to go back home. She misses her daughter very much, but things at home aren't great other than that. Her husband has not dealt well with her success, wanting her to stay home and have more kids. She thinks he's threatened by having a business-savvy wife, while many of his friends and family have quiet, home-bound wives doing the traditional wifely stuff while they are the alpha business men.
"He has actually withheld sex from me, saying he will do it only to have more kids."
Wow – it's kind of a shocker. We've barely met, and she's already gone there! "Hmmm, sorry to hear that."
"We used to be very adventurous, sexually. But not anymore."
"Well, things aren't very, umm, adventurous for me at home either." The whole reason I'm having this conversation is because I'm not getting what I want at home and wonder if perhaps a fantasy of getting it elsewhere might become a reality one day.
"I am a very sexual person. I thought that maybe it's because as I got older he wasn't attracted... but I think it's more about being jealous of me."
If I had someone like you who wanted to be sexually adventurous, I'd be banging you every night! And most mornings. I paused. Oh, okay, good, I didn't say that out loud. "Um, well, if I may say... I don't think it has anything to do with the attractive part. He must just be messed up, jealous, wanting you to be domestic."
"I should just fuck someone else," she says, loud enough that if anyone else were around, they might hear. "Maybe just a stranger." She's not getting angry or emotional or anything, just saying it, even playfully. Wow! She just went from business to pleasure in under a minute.
"Do you think he's having an affair?"
"Oh, I don't know. I don't even care. It's not emotional any longer. It's just... physical needs."
"So, you are thinking of an affair?" I pause. "If I may say... I'm not saying you should, but, you probably have people you work with, or friends, who would be willing."
"But that might have a lot of drama, and I don't want that." She looks me right in the eyes, smiling maybe just a bit more than she has thus far. "Maybe I should fuck a stranger."
Is she really suggesting... me? "Well, there wouldn't be... complications."
"No, no complications."
"Just as long as there were... precautions, protection."
"Oh yes. I'm very sexual, but I am careful, not stupid."
"This stranger...." my words are nervous, but I figure I'd have fun even if this wasn't really going to lead anywhere. "He could be someone in another country, someone you just run into on a business trip, someone to help you get rid of some stress that your work is giving you."
"Not from work. I can handle work stress... but stress from not getting any dick...." She laughs ever so slightly. I'm glad her voice isn't any louder, because people are walking by, two chubby older ladies, heading for the bar.
"You'd do that, with a stranger you just met?"
She smiles at me, a dirty smile. "Do what?"
"You know, relieve some stress."
"You mean fuck him?" Her voice is a bit louder. I'm pretty sure the ladies heard her, as one of them seems to step awkwardly and try to look our way with her peripheral vision.
After I think they're out of earshot, I say quietly, "Yes... you'd fuck him?"
"I think so. Maybe someone I just met in the hotel lobby?" Her tongue comes out a bit, and she draws it in slowly to wet her lips.
Okay, I'm going for it. "Well, I think I might fuck someone I just met in the hotel lobby." But my voice isn't as loud as hers is.
"Of course you would."
"But I'd want to get to know her, maybe over dinner... but was that your dinner?" I point at the bowl on the table where she was sitting.
"Yes, so, you can't know me over dinner. Besides, I might not want to be known."
Until now, it was "him" and "her" and "someone." Now it's "you" and "me." Things are looking good.
"How about a compromise? Not knowing, and over dessert?"
"You'll buy me dessert?" I nod. "Okay, but all the knowing will just be the hot sexy things, not personal things about life."