Ann: A Love Story Ch. 59

"Wait here baby, I'll go check us in," I whispered to Ann, who was awake, but a still little groggy.

"Okay," she said softly as she smiled at me, her eyes open but glassy.

Ann had slept the vast majority of our trip from Colorado to Omaha. She was awake when we left Loveland, but she drifted off about a half hour into the trip. I roused her at the state line so we could take the now obligatory pictures by the roadside sign welcoming us to Nebraska. And that was interesting, because even though she was tired, she was surprising energetic while the camera was on her naked body. She did her poses perfectly, flirting with me through the lens.

Yet once we were back at the car, and she was putting on her clothes, Ann asked if she continue her nap. And I didn't have a problem with that...I could see the fatigue that she was feeling wash back over her body once I'd put away the camera. She'd only asked for another hour to sleep, and she said she'd drive the rest of the way once she woke up. But I knew she was exhausted. She had to be after what I had put her through the night before at the cabin in Estes Park. It was a wonderful, memorable night, but it took its toll on Ann physically...and mentally. So much so that her body was telling her to shut down and recharge.

She'd woken up just once between the state line west of North Platte, Nebraska, and the point just outside of Omaha where we'd be staying for the night. I had pulled off the interstate for gas, and Ann felt the car stop. She shuffled inside the convenience store part of the gas station to pee. When she came back out, I saw her eyes, still just half open. I nodded toward the passenger side of the car, letting her know it was okay for her to get in on that side. She was back asleep before I finished navigating the onramp back onto the interstate.

Ann woke up for good when we were a little more than halfway between Lincoln and our final destination of Omaha. We were traveling in the left hand lane, heading northeast along I-80, and we'd been experiencing high winds for hours as we headed dead east. But now that we'd turned more toward the north, those gusts had become crosswinds. Most of them weren't a problem...the car was packed, and that weighed it down a little. Still, I had both hands on the steering wheel at that point, just to be safe.

We got hit with a sudden gust that had to be close to 50 miles per hour, hitting the side of the little Honda Civic, and pushing us over the centerline between lanes. It felt more like strong turbulence in an airplane, pushing us around with a heavy jolt. Fortunately, there were no cars on the other lane, and I was able to hold the car stable and bring it back to our side of the road smoothly. But it still rocked the car hard enough that it woke Ann up, startled and confused.

"What was THAT?" she said at the time, suddenly scared and gasping for air.

I responded by putting my hand on her thigh for a second, saying, "It's okay, babe. It's gotten really windy, and we just got hit by a gust, that's all. Don't worry...we're going to be getting off the interstate really soon. We're almost there." Then I put my hand back on the wheel in case we got another gust of wind.

When I had said that to Ann she got a bewildered look on her face...but then again, she was still in that foggy state when you wake up from a deep sleep. She didn't think when I'd said that we were 'almost there', that I meant we were almost to where we were going to be spending the night. She thought I was talking about a place to eat lunch. But lunchtime would have been 5 to 6 hours before. I hadn't bothered to stop, because Ann was sleeping, and I'd eaten such a huge breakfast that I wasn't really hungry. Instead, I just kept driving, making good time along the way.

I could tell Ann was confused, but she just needed time to wake up. Having slept so long, and not knowing it, was making it difficult for her to adjust to. Heck, she was having a hard enough time just sitting up straight. If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was a little inebriated. But this was just one of those times where she needed a moment, so she sat still, not saying anything. She was letting things come to her, sitting still with her eyes open as her systems sort of rebooted.

~*~*~*~*~*~

We'd just pulled under the awning of the hotel we'd be staying at for the night. It wasn't a mainstream chain hotel. This was a local one, and it appeared to be a rather nice one at that. It wasn't big, and it wasn't grand. It was modest and comfortable. And I wondered how Nancy and Tina found it.

Telling Ann I was going to check in, I walked inside the small lobby towards the front desk. A young guy who looked to be in his mid 20's was behind the counter, dutifully doing some mundane task that I'm sure was important only to his boss. He looked up as he heard the door, and gave me a warm, polite smile as I approached the counter.

"Welcome sir, how may I help you?" he asked, which caught me by surprise. Not that he asked...it was more of how he asked; his voice thick with a British accent. And that was not something I had expected in the middle of Nebraska.

"I have a reservation, under the name Thomas."

"Ah yes, Mr. Thomas. We've been expecting you."

"Yeah...I get that a lot," I said with a laugh, thinking about how that was now becoming an expected line every time I went someplace. From having it said to Tina and I several times on the trip that Ann had set up for us, to now having that reversed a little as it happening to me and Ann on the adventure Tina was directing...it seemed normal to hear it.

But Charles, the manager on duty, at least, according to his nametag, didn't know that. He heard my reply, and said, "Pardon me, sir?"

"Nothing...I just seem to have a lot of people expecting me, that's all."

"Oh...on your holiday. Yes, I would imagine you have. Miss Roberts seems to be quite the travel secretary...very precise with her details."

"Miss Roberts? Oh, you mean Tina?"

"Yes sir. As I said, she's quite the taskmaster when it comes to details. But I trust you'll find that we've been able to accommodate everything she's requested for you and Miss Franklin to enjoy your stay here in Omaha."

I smiled, letting out a little chuckle, which caused Charles to give me an odd smile in return. "Sorry...Charles," I said as I looked at his nametag again to make sure he knew how I knew his name. "I just didn't expect someone with your accent...and when you said 'here in Omaha'...well, it kind of hit me funny."

"Quite all right, Mr. Thomas. I seem to get THAT quite a lot," he said in good humor.

"You can call me Neil," I said, trying to appear more gracious than I had been, what with the laughter and all.

He handed me the check in paper, and handed me a pen. "Sign and date at the bottom, Neil."

I scribbled my signature, and he filed the paperwork and reached into a cabinet and handed me a key. I got a glimpse inside it when he opened the doors, and there were only two keys left inside, the vast majority of the little pegs being empty.

"Looks like you have a full house tonight," I said as he handed it to me.

"There's a rodeo in town. Most of the inns are booked full, including ours."

I couldn't help but snicker when he said 'rodeo' and he smiled. "I appear to amuse you."

"I'm so sorry, Charles. It's just a little surreal. But that was pretty rude of me."

"Nonsense...I have a sense of humor. Most Brits do...how else might one explain Monty Python? And I suppose it is a little absurd when you think about it."

"I don't think it's absurd. I just found it funny. Thanks for being a good sport about it. So, this rodeo...I don't suppose that's what Tina has in mind for our night, is it?"

Charles smiled politely and said, "I'm not at liberty to say what it is, but I can assure you, Neil, it's a little more stylish than the rodeo. You'll find everything you need in your suite. The limousine is to arrive in ninety minutes."

"Limousine?"

"As I said...your evening is going to be rather stylish. I have you in the bridal suite. I know you're engaged to be betrothed, and the nuptials haven't taken place yet...but I thought you wouldn't mind considering the circumstances. Top floor...end of hall to the left once you exit the lift."

"Lift? Oh...elevator!"

"Sorry...sometimes I forget to Americanize my English."

"It's fine, Charles, I knew what you meant. I'll see you in a little while."

"Very good. Please enjoy your stay, and do let me know if you or Miss Franklin need my assistance with anything. I'm working the night shift, so I'm at the desk until 8 tomorrow morning."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ann was awake and alert as we rode up the elevator to our floor. In fact, she was animated; a whole host of emotions running through her as she bounced up and down on her heels. First, she was excited to be upright and out of the car, having been curled up asleep in the passenger seat most of the day. And, she was happy to be at the hotel, knowing that some kind of adventure might lie ahead...or at the very least, she and I would be together, which was something we were both looking forward to.

But Ann was mostly animated because she was upset with herself, miffed over sleeping the entire day away. "I still can't believe you had to drive all day today, Neil," she said in a disappointed tone.

"Ann, I told you...it's okay. I've driven farther than that by myself before. It's not a big deal."

"Yeah, but you also didn't have anybody to talk to."

I put my arm around her shoulder, squeezing her into my body. "I just said I've driven farther...by myself. It's okay. We're here, and now you're rested. And you obviously needed it, right?"

Ann nodded as she leaned her head against my shoulder, and sighed. "I promise I'll make it up to you, baby."

"There's nothing to make up, Ann. I'm taking care of you right now."

"Why would you need to do that?"

"I don't NEED to...I want to. And I want to, because of what you did for me last night."

"Neil, we talked about that. I loved it, and it was what I wanted to do. Besides, it's not like I'm going to do that every week, so I don't want you thinking..."

I turned Ann in my arms, kissing her deeply as the elevator came to a stop on the top floor. "I know we're not going to do that every week, babe. But when we do, I don't think it's too much to ask that I pamper you the next day...okay? Now, not another word...we don't have a lot of time before the limo comes for us."

"The limo?" Ann said, getting animated again. I could see the excitement in her eyes as I took her hand and led her down the hall to our suite.

And it was quite a suite. It wasn't huge by normal standards, but that was because of the age of the hotel. Being an older, established place, the rooms were smaller just by the nature of the way hotels were built at the time. But it made up for the lack of actual floor space with the amenities it had...the room was spectacular. There was a kitchenette, a wet bar, and an open living area that made great use of the limited space with furnishings that hugged the walls. It was more of a cushioned pit than a couch.

Ann looked at it and smiled. "Oooh...we might be sleeping there tonight, in front of the windows."

The windows she referred to were big and open, taking up the far wall. But that was before we walked into the bedroom. Again, it wasn't big...but it seemed endless as we stood in the doorway.

I smiled as I looked at Ann, who turned to look at me. "Never mind...we're sleeping here," she said with a giggle.

Centered in the room was the biggest bed I'd ever seen. It was hard to say how big it was, because it wasn't traditional. It was round, about 15 feet in diameter, and it was covered with a plush red velvet bedspread. It looked like a huge red trampoline in the middle of the room. In fact, there appeared to be several of them, all over.

That effect was caused by the reflection of the bed in the mirrors that covered the walls. Each wall was mirrored from top to bottom, including the wall closet on the left side of the room. There was also a large round mirror on the ceiling, directly over the bed. Circling that mirror were twelve spot lights embedded in the ceiling, which were wired to a dimmer switch on the wall to allow for changes in the intensity of the lighting, depending on the mood.

I pulled Ann close to me and said, "I think we should fuck in here, and then sleep in the other room looking out at the stars."

A little shiver ran through Ann as she held me close. "God, I love you, Neil." Taking a step further inside the bedroom, Ann did a little spin. "This room is so sexy. I'm wet just looking at it."

"You're wet all the time babe. And I'm about to make you wetter. Come on," I said as I grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the bathroom.

The bathroom was surprisingly big when compared to the rest of the rooms in the suite. It had both an enclosed glass shower and a large tub big enough for two. I started running the water for Ann, and told her to get undressed. She let out a little shriek of joy as she started taking off the limited amount of clothes she had on, waiting for the tub to fill up. I poured in some scented bath oil under the running faucet, and the steam of the water filled the bathroom with the wonderful fragrance.

Once the water was ready, I had Ann slip into the tub. Once she had, I put a folded towel on the edge of the tub and had her lie back against it, using it like a pillow under her neck. Then, I pulled out the blindfold I'd used the night before.

"What are you doing, sweetie?" she asked innocently.

"We don't have a lot of time to get ready. I want you to soak in the tub for a little bit...and don't take off the blindfold. Okay?"

"Sure," she said confidently.

Once she had it on, I stripped off my clothes and turned on the shower. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Getting myself ready. No peeking...I want you to relax. I'll be with you in a little bit."

"Okay," she said disappointedly, presumably because she thought I was going to join her in the tub.

I hopped into the shower, and went about my duties quickly. When I'm motivated, I can take a shower in about 5 minutes, including shaving my crotch and washing my hair. I'd honed that skill in college, when I'd often stay out too late, and then had to get up in a rush the next day to get to an early class. And I'd perfected it over the years once I got out of school and got a job. I loved to take longer showers and take my time, but I found being able take an express shower came in handy on occasion...this being one of them.

I'd noticed an envelope on the top of the wet bar as soon as we entered the room, and I knew that was from Tina...through Charles downstairs. He's said everything we'd need was in the room, and I assumed it was in that envelope. As I got out of the shower, I toweled off halfway, and I slipped out of the bathroom to find out what was inside the package.

Ann didn't notice that I'd left, or if she did, she didn't say anything. She was soaking in the tub, humming happily to herself. I made my way to the bar, and opened the envelope. There inside, were instructions on where we would be staying the next night. I was stunned, but happily so. But as amazing as that adventure was going to be, I was more surprised by what Tina had in store for the night.

And I was surprised, because she didn't tell me. It simply said that it would all be taken care of, and that we just needed to go with the flow, and enjoy the evening. There was one hint though, which said I was to go to the closet in the bedroom. Heading back in, I quietly slid open the first of the two big heavy mirrored doors, but found it to be empty.

Going to the other side, I opened the other door, and found two hanging bags inside, with a note attached to each of them. One had my name on it, and it said I was to use what was inside...and then leave it when I was finished for the evening. The other bag had Ann's name on it, and it said that the contents were hers to keep.

I put both of the garment bags on the bed, and went back into the bathroom. Throwing the towel on the floor to use as a pad, I kneeled beside the tub and took a soft wash sponge, dipping it in the water. Grabbing a bottle of body wash, I lathered up the sponge. Ann moaned as my hands touched her skin as I started to bathe her beautiful tanned body.

Taking as much time as I thought I could, I cleaned my lover, pampering her as best as I could as I moved from place to place. I tried to be tender, knowing parts of her were still sore from the previous night. I looked at her wrists, and there were still some marks from the ropes that bound her. They were very faint...not nearly as noticeable as they were earlier in the day. Yet I remembered her talking to Elaine at the restaurant earlier in the day, and indeed, they did look sexy in their own way...like a badge of honor.

When I finished with Ann's body, I moved to her head, washing and conditioning her hair. I took off the blindfold, but she kept her eyes closed as she sat up so I could take my hands and pour water over her head. She was mewling as my fingers massaged her scalp, making it tingle along with the rest of her body. I loved the way her hair felt; wet and silky, just like her skin. I rinsed her hair thoroughly, and then I had her stand up and get out of the tub for me.

Much like she'd done for me a few nights before in Sacramento, I dried Ann off from her feet, up her body, making her warm and dry along the way. But instead of taking her bed once we were done, I took her by the bed, and showed her the bag waiting for her.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I'm assuming it's what you're supposed to wear for the evening. I have one too...see?"

Ann started clapping, and she jumped up and down a little, making her breasts bounce enticingly. "I LOVE this!" she yelped. Then she took off for the bathroom again.

"Where are you going?" I said, stunned that she ran away.

"I need to finish getting ready. You said we're going somewhere in a limo, so it's obvious we're going out. Unless you planned to do my hair and makeup, I need to get moving. I don't want to see what's inside yet, but take it out and let me know what we're looking at. Please?"

I hung the bag on the edge of the door to the bedroom and unzipped it. It was a dress. A stunning red one. Ann heard the zipper being pulled, and said, "So...is it a dress, or a pants suit...or..."

"It's a dress, Ann. I really think you're going to like it, if it fits."

"It'll fit. I have total faith in Tina...she's been so incredible so far, don't you think?"

Pulling the dress out to look at it in more detail, I grinned. "Yes...she...has," I said as I thought how Ann was going to look in it.

"What color is it baby?" she yelled from the other room.

"It's red."

"FUCK!" Ann snapped.

"What? It's gorgeous, Ann. You're going to look so hot in this thing."

"Not if I don't do something about my nails. Come here and help me...quick!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

It might have been the strangest thing I'd ever done. Curled up on a towel, lying naked on the bathroom floor, I was taking little cotton balls and soaking them in nail polish remover. I was working on taking off the bright yellow polish on Ann's toes. She'd finished doing her hair, and she was applying her makeup as I slaved away at her feet. And that's a little what it felt like; I was a servant, dutifully working to make his queen more beautiful.

When I finished Ann's feet, I stood up and took her left hand, working on her fingernails. She said she'd take care of the other hand once I got done. So, once I'd finished all that I could do for Ann, I went into the other room and opened my own bag, pulling out what I was supposed to wear for the evening. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.