Katie's Quest Ch. 09

Kieran's first thought when he saw the Grand Floridian Hotel was that it didn't look like a hotel at all. In fact, with its vaulted red roof and conical spires, it reminded him much more of a castle, or perhaps some sort of old-timey mansion. Everything about it, from its soaring towers to its huge bay windows to the literal red carpet laid outside its front entrance, screamed of elegance and luxury. Kieran couldn't help but gawk at it. He knew he looked ridiculous, knew he looked as provincial and naive as a rural farmer coming to the big city for the very first time, but he just couldn't muster the energy to care right then.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Katie asked.

"It's amazing," he agreed. "I knew the hotel was going to be nice, but I wasn't expecting...this."

"If you think this is impressive," she said with a wink, "just wait till you see what it looks like on the inside."

"Just so long as you promise to catch me if I faint," he replied drily.

She giggled. It reminded him of the small crystalline bells tinkling. "Of course I will, if it comes to that. I know you'd do the same for me."

That and more, Kieran thought, but he didn't dare say it aloud.

The moment Kieran pulled up outside the hotel's front entrance, a man--dressed in what was unmistakably a valet's uniform--seemed to appear from nowhere. By the time Kieran put the Porsche in park and switched the engine off, the valet was already hurrying over to attend them.

"Welcome to the Grand Floridian Hotel!" he said, with a big smile. "Do you have a reservation?"

"We do," Katie said, fishing her phone out of her pocket to show him the email confirmation she'd received.

"We just need to get our bags and check in at the desk."

The man peered at her phone's screen. Whatever he saw appeared to satisfy him. "Wonderful! We're so happy you're staying with us, both of you." The way he said it, it didn't sound rehearsed. "Shall I park your car for you?"

"Er...yes, please," Kieran said. "Just let us get our stuff out first."

"Of course, sir," replied the valet. He took a step back, waiting patiently, as Kieran popped the trunk and began getting their luggage out. Katie's suitcase, he noted, was about twice as heavy as his own. Kieran was used to lifting heavy things in his father's shop, but even he struggled a little with its weight.

He was so focused on the task at hand, he didn't see Katie turn to the valet and discretely hand him a $50 bill. "Whatever he wants, whatever he asks for, give it to him," she said, with a conspiratorial smile.

"There's more where this came from if you do. Make sure the rest of the staff know, okay? I want my friend to get the royal treatment."

The man took the tip eagerly and stuffed it in his lapel pocket. "I'll see to it, ma'am," he replied, in an equally quiet voice. "He will lack for nothing."

"Thank you so much." Katie beamed, and walked back over to Kieran just as he finished unloading their bags. He made to carry them inside, but the valet nearly fell all over himself to do it first. "Oh, no, sir. Please, allow me. We'll take your bags up to your room once you've checked in."

Kieran tried his best not to let his relief show and failed miserably. "Thank you."

Katie elbowed him playfully. "Awww, what's the matter? My bag too heavy for you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. What'd you put in there, cinderblocks?"

"Just the necessities," she assured him.

"Necessities for what?" Kieran drawled. "A zombie apocalypse?"

Katie rolled her eyes good-naturedly but said nothing. The valet led them inside--even stopping to hold the door for them both despite the bags he was carrying--and Kieran promptly stopped dead in his tracks.

If the outside of the Grand Floridian was elegant and beautiful, the inside was breathtaking. The entryway opened up into a cavernous space dominated by the huge, elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The floor was made of swirling marble tiles, polished to a mirror sheen, and the chairs, couches and other furniture were all of the most decadent kind: huge, velvety cushion and dark hardwood that gleamed with shine and care. A huge gurgling fountain, surrounded by bronze statues of children frolicking, stood near the center, and the whole of the place was laid out in gleaming white walls and decorative plaster. It put Kieran in mind of the art deco style of the 1920s, but only of the most decadent sort.

"What do you think?" Katie asked, coming to a stop beside him.

It took him a second to regain the power of speech. "Reminds of the inside of the Titanic." Hesitantly, he walked over and placed a hand on the arm of a nearby chair, feeling the soft, luxurious texture of it. "I've never seen anything like this. Not in real life. "First the Porsche and now this. This isn't just a hotel. This is the kind of place where millionaires and movie stars go to get away from the limelight. No wonder the nightly rate was so much! "Have you stayed here before?"

"Nope! It's my first time, just like you." She twined her fingers in his, and Kieran fought against the urge to groan with pleasure. His cock immediately stiffened and he was thankful for the relatively loose-fitting jeans he was wearing. Anyone watching would have mistaken them for a young couple.

Deep down, in his most secret heart of hearts, part of Kieran wished it were so. That part of him, immune to all logic and reason, persisted no matter how many times he attempted to stamp it out. This didn't dissuade him from trying again--he pushed such thoughts away and tried to focus on the grandeur around him instead.

The front desk was as luxurious as the rest of the Grand Floridian--an antique-looking piece of dark red wood and gleaming brass. The young woman behind it was gorgeous, but compared to Katie she looked rather plain. "Good afternoon," she said cheerfully. "Welcome to the Grand Floridian. Do you have a reservation?"

"Yup!" Katie chirped, using her phone to show the other woman the details of their booking. "It'll be under Petersen, a reservation for two. Right here, see?"

"Let's see..." The woman glanced at Katie's phone, then tapped out something on the computer in front of her. "Yes, here it is. You're all set, Ms. Petersen. Though..." Her eyes flicked to the screen and back to Katie.

"You're, ah, certain these details are correct?"

"Absolutely." Katie said, and discretely slid the woman another $50 bill. The clerk glanced at it, then at Katie.

"Not a word," Katie murmured very softly. "Please?"

The clerk took the tip and slid it into her lapel pocket with a single nod. Kieran, of course, noticed none of this--he was still taking in the sight of the hotel. "Everything seems to be in order, ma'am," she said. "Here are your room keys."

She held out two plastic cards, one for each of them, and gestured at the elevator. "You'll find your lodgings on the top floor. Please enjoy your stay, and let us know if you need anything." She gave Katie a meaningful glance. "Anything at all. Here at the Grand Floridian hotel, we pride ourselves on the highest possible level of quality and customer service."

"We will," Katie assured her. She turned to him, smiling. "Shall we?"

Kieran nodded, still a little dazed. "Yeah, of course! I don't know about you, but I could really use a shower."

"Tell me about it," Katie said.

The elevator was just as grandiose as everything else Kieran saw so far, with doors the color of polished brass. Soft music played from hidden speakers as he and Katie stepped inside it--though to Kieran's surprise, the valet was already waiting for them. "Going up, sir?" he asked.

"Er...yeah."

"Very good, sir." He pressed the button for the top floor with a flourish and the elevator began rising. It was the smoothest elevator Kieran had ever been in--there was no lurch when it began its ascent nor when it came to a halt. The doors opened with a soft ding, and the valet stepped aside to make room for them. "You'll find your bags already inside, as promised. Please, don't hesitate to let our staff know if you think of anything else we can do for you."

The man's almost fawning subservience made Kieran a little uncomfortable, but Katie rescued him from having to reply. "Of course. You've been very helpful so far. I'll make sure to let the manager know, too

"That is most kind of you, miss." The man grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you!"

The doors slid shut again, leaving them alone in the spacious hallway with room after room lining either side. "I'm getting the feeling you do that kind of thing a lot," he said. "Compliment people to their manager, stuff like that."

"Yes." Katie's normally-cheerful expression turned serious. "Dad always taught me that good service should be rewarded. I'm not naive--my family's been lucky, really lucky, and it's incumbent on us not to let that go to our heads. Honestly, one of his greatest fears is that we'll let money corrupt us, turn us into snobs who take everything and everyone for granted. I'm not going to let that happen--I can't stand people who think that having money means they can treat others like trash. I've seen so many YouTube videos about rich assholes acting like everyone's beneath them, Kieran. It really, really makes me angry."

"So you go out of your way to be the exact opposite," he finished. "That's a great mindset to have--your dad raised you well."

"As did yours," Katie said. "He raised his son to be an honest, hardworking, good-hearted and down-to-earth guy. It's one of the reasons I love hanging out with you so much. You're so genuine."

Kieran felt his face grow warm. I should say something, he thought, but could not find any words. What could a young man say, when praised by such a stunning young woman? If that bothered Katie she showed no hint of it--she led the way, bold as always, to one of the larger suites and unlocked the door key. "Welcome to our home for the next three weeks!" she said, and pushed the door open.

Kieran paused as the implication sank in. "We're--we're sharing a room?"

"Didn't I mention that?" Katie asked, her face a picture of innocence. "I am so sorry, I thought you knew. Yeah, it's just one room. I hope that's okay with you. I promise, I'm not a bad roommate or anything...are you angry with me?"

Kieran couldn't reassure her fast enough. "Of course not! No, it's--it's fine, honest. Just a little surprising, that's all. We're good, okay? "And now that I think on it, I guess it makes sense. One room in this place costs an arm and a leg. It's no surprise that they used one room instead of two, when one is more than big enough.

He was about to say as much, but then he saw what the room looked like. And for the umpteenth time that day, Kieran was struck dumb. The suite was considerably bigger than the small house he and his father lived in--at least 2,000 square feet in area, if not more. It looked more like a luxurious apartment than a hotel room, with gleaming marble countertops, elegant and comfortable-looking furniture, a spacious kitchen and living room complete with a large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, and a bed large enough to fit at least three people at once.

One bed.

His blush deepened and he swallowed, his throat suddenly parched and dry. "Katie?" he rasped, his voice cracking.

Katie, who was already starting to unzip her suitcase, didn't look up. "Yeah?"

"...There's only one bed here."

"Oh." She looked up, saw what he meant, and bit her lip. "Oh. I didn't expect that." Her face, once again, was the very image of angelic innocence. It was also a facade.

Kieran didn't know it at the time, and wouldn't for some time afterward, but Katie had actually gone out of her way to ensure the room only contained one bed. It was all part of her master plan--a plan he was still blissfully unaware of.

For now.

"Let me go down to the front desk," she continued. "I'll see if they can put us somewhere else. But, Kieran, I have to warn you: this place often takes reservations six months or even a year in advance. There's a good chance they won't have a spare room to put us in, so please don't get your hopes up, okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I understand. And I appreciate you trying."

"Of course! You're my friend and I know you'd do the same for me." She stood and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Those few minutes seemed to drag on forever, but in truth she was back in less than five. "It's as I feared," she said, with an apologetic smile. "They don't have any spare rooms, unfortunately."

Unbeknownst to Kieran, this too was something less than the truth. In fact, Katie had slipped the concierge another $50 to make sure that their room wouldn't be switched--and to tell Kieran all the rooms were booked up in the event he asked about it further.

"I guess we'll just have to share, huh?" she continued. "But it's no big deal."

The thought of sharing a bed with Katie made Kieran's pulse skyrocket. No big deal? No big deal?! How is sharing a bed with someone of the opposite sex no big deal? "I don't know...are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "You planning on copping a feel or something while I'm asleep?"

"God, no!" Even the suggestion mortified him. "Of course not!"

"Then calm down and relax, Kieran. We're both adults and I trust you. We can be mature about this."Easy for you to say, he wanted to retort, but he kept it--and his lingering doubts and fears--to himself.

"You, er, brought pajamas and stuff, right?"

Katie rolled her eyes. "Of course. Didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Then we've got nothing to worry about! Let's be happy, okay? We're here, we've finally arrived, and we've got all evening free to do whatever we want!" She nodded at the bathroom. "Mind if I take the first shower? Once we're both refreshed, we can talk about what we'd like to do."

"Go ahead. I'll get a snack or something while you're in there."

"Sure," she said, "just don't get lost and be back soon, okay? I know there's, like, a stereotype that girls take way longer in the shower than guys, but that's not really the case for me. I'll be in and out in like twenty minutes or less."

"Good to know. Want me to, um, grab anything for you?"

"Sure! Cheetos, if they have them. The spicy ones if possible, regular if not." She licked her lips, apparently oblivious to how seductive the gesture looked to Kieran's male eyes. "I can't wait to taste them. I've got years of super-healthy eating to make up for."

Kieran chuckled. "Got it. One bag of Cheetos, coming right up." He rose, went to the door, and paused. "Katie?"

She stopped halfway through the bathroom door. "What's up?"

"I'm...really glad to be here with you. I'm glad you and I are friends."

She smiled. It made Kieran's knees wobble. "Me too, Kieran. More than you know."

Kieran watched her shut the bathroom door. A moment later, the sound of water running was heard.

He stood there for a good few minutes trying to make sense of Katie's cryptic words. Far better, he was sure, to focus on that rather than the fact that Katie was naked less than ten feet away from him.

More than I know? he thought, turning the phrase over and over in his mind. More than I know?

What the heck does that mean?

(Author's Note: The slow burn continues! I know you're all eager for the main event, as it were, but you'll just have to be patient a while longer--there's yet more to come before that happens, as our two heroes continue to grow closer and their relationship deepens. Thank you again to everyone who's enjoyed my work so far--your comments and feedback are most welcome, and I'm so happy so many of you are enjoying what I've written. Rest assured, things are going to continue heating up--and they might just come to a boil sooner than you think...)