The receptionist stood behind the large dark wooden counter which ran along the whole length of one wall. She stared at a screen hidden from view below the countertop and tapped on the keyboard.She heard the revolving entrance door swish and caught out of the corner of her eye a couple approaching the counter stopping a few metres away. The gentleman was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans with a button-down white shirt with brown brogues. Over this, he had a long cream trench coat. The woman was dressed in a long paisley pattern maxi dress with a white cardigan over her shoulders and flat plimsolls on her feet. Both were hugging the handles of small cabin size stroller cases.She looked up and smiled at the couple, “Hello can I help you?”The gentleman strode forward, “Yes we would like to check in please.”“Certainly, sir do you have a reservation with us, could I take your name please?”“Yes, it is for three nights, under the name of Carr.”There was the sound of the keyboard clicking, “Ah yes here we are,” the receptionist turned to a box and flicked through the paperwork eventually removing a single sheet of A4 paper attached to which there was a tiny folded piece of card. She removed the card and placed the paper on the counter along with a pen.“If I could just get you to check the details and then sign and date, here, here and here,” she marked three crosses at various points down the piece of paper. Did you drive here today?”She looked up and Mr Carr nodded, “Great if I could also get you to write the registration number of your car here.”Another cross was added to the paper.She watched as Mr Carr read through the details slowly, stopping at each cross to sign and date before continuing the downwards procession. She glanced at Mrs Carr who had remained a few steps away from the counter and was steadily looking around the hotel lobby taking everything in. Mrs Carr’s gaze returned to the counter and realising that the receptionist was looking at her she dropped her head and stared at the marbled floor tiles.Mr Carr completed the last signature and pushed the paper back towards the receptionist.“Thank you, will you be wishing to eat in our restaurant tonight?” she flashed him a wide smile as she asked that question.“Yes I think we will,” Mr Carr replied.The receptionist noticed that at no point had he consulted his wife, she presumed the lady with him was his wife but then over the years she had seen it all so it wouldn’t come as any surprise if she wasn’t. Still, it wasn’t her place to pry just to check people in and try and make their stay with the hotel as pleasant as possible. “That’s great, Sir what time would you like me to book a table for, the restaurant opens at six and the last reservations are at nine, all time slots are currently available?”“I think half seven would be good, what do you say dear, half seven alright for you, give you enough time to put a bit of slap on?”The woman stood away from the counter and seemed a bit surprised to have suddenly been consulted on something and it took her a few seconds to respond before rather weakly she nodded “yes that would be fine.” Before returning to her scanning of Bostancı Escort the hotel lobby.The receptionist tapped some more keys, “Ok that is all booked for you Sir, half seven in the restaurant if you just give them your room number when you arrive, they will show you to your table. Have you stayed with us before?”“No, not in this particular hotel.”“That’s fine, here are your key cards, your room is number 210 which is on the second floor. If you just go through those double doors on the left you will come to the lifts. When you come out of the lift on the second floor just follow the signs to your room. Hope you have a pleasant stay with us and if there is anything else I can be of service with just ring down to reception and I will endeavour to sort it for you.”Mr Carr nodded his thanks and picked up the key cards, “Thank you, come along dear, here they have given us two cards so you had better take one just for safekeeping.”He waved a card at his wife who took it, clutching it in her hand as she followed after her husband towards the lift.—–Mr Carr waved his card in front of the handle and the light flashed green, opening the door he swiftly pushed his card into the little cardholder on the wall which also operated the electricity for the room and several lights came on.Mrs Carr followed him in wheeling her case towards the bed where she sat down on the end.“Well Susan, this is not a bad room,” Mr Carr said as he walked over to the desk below the flat-screen TV on the wall and flicked open the room’s information pack. He quickly skimmed through the information leaflets as he simultaneously operated the remote to turn on the TV.“Ah good they have a menu in here, do you want to look at it and choose what you are going to have tonight. Save us a bit of time tonight, hey dear.”“Yes Peter, I am just going to use the toilet, I will have a look at it shortly.”Susan stood up and walked back towards the room entrance taking the door to the left and into the bathroom.She found the light switch on the second attempt, why did hotel rooms always have so many light switches and why put them all together at the entrance to the room. She bunched up her dress, pulled her knickers down and sat on the toilet.God this was going to be a long weekend, why had she agreed to come away with Peter. Break out of the old routine he had said, do us good to get away but he hadn’t asked her where she wanted to go and now, they were here to do God knows what she would far rather have stayed at home with the kids and the dog and watched her soaps and a good book.She stood up flushed the toilet washed her hands and returned to the bed, picking up the menu. The choice was pretty limited but she managed to find something on there to eat and returned the menu to Peter who was now flicking through the channels eventually settling on a programme where people sold antiques they just happen to have lying around at home in an auction after an expert had given them a valuation. She closed her eyes and nodded off.She was woken sharply by Peter giving her a nudge and informing her it was time to think about getting ready Bostancı Escort Bayan they only had an hour and a half before they were due down in the restaurant. She sighed, why did he have to wake just then she had been enjoying that dream at least she thought she had as she couldn’t remember what it had all been about now, it definitely involved a young gentleman in a park she thought but then again, well it didn’t matter she was awake now better find something to wear and go and get showered.—–“Good evening Sir, Madame do you have a reservation with us tonight?” the hostess asked as they entered the restaurant.“Yes, we are room 210, half seven.”The hostess looked down at her sheet of paper, “Of course, if you would just like to follow me,” she picked up two leather-bound folders and turned and walked towards a small table for two situated in a window.She turned, “Will this be ok Sir, Madame?”Peter nodded and beckoned for Susan to sit in the seat facing into the restaurant whilst he sat facing her and looking out over the hotel gardens.Once seated the hostess placed the folders in front of them, “here are your menus there is also a wine list, if you would like to look through them your waiter will be along shortly to take your drinks order, enjoy your meal. Sir, Madame.”With that, the hostess turned and returned to her station at the front of the restaurant leaving Peter and Susan flicking through their menus aimlessly.A minute or so later a young boy not much older than seventeen or eighteen dressed in black trousers, and a black shirt arrived at their table.“Good evening, my name is Robert and I will be your waiter for tonight can I get you anything to drink?”Peter looked at him, “Yes I will have a pint of lager please, Susan you know what you are having?”Susan looked up from the menu, “Yes can I have a glass of rosé wine, please.”“Certainly Madame, large or small glass?”“Oh, large please,” Susan replied.Robert walked away and return a couple of minutes later with a pint of large and a large glass of rosé wine. Setting them down on the table he stood up and took from his back pocket his notepad.“Are you ready to order or do you need some more time?”“No I think we are sorted,” said Peter, “I will have Fricassee of Normandy Chicken and Susan, what are you having?”Even though she had decided before they left the room what she was having she still took a second or two before she started to answer, “I will have the Soy & maple blackened salmon please but can you ask the chef not to put the chilli dressing on it please.”“Yes, certainly Madame,” responded Robert, “Do you want the chilli dressing on the side or not at all?”“Not at all, if you don’t mind, I don’t like spicy food.”“Not a problem Madame, the food is all freshly prepared to order there will be a little bit of a wait, I will be back shortly.” With that, Robert turned and left the table heading off around the corner and presumably into the kitchen.Susan looked around the dining area, there were few other dinners in at the moment, a couple of middle-aged women over on the other side of the restaurant and she presumed another Escort Bostancı couple hidden behind a pillar as she could only see the back of a gentleman who looked to be talking quite animatedly as he waved his arms about and exaggeratedly moved his head.Peter took a sip of his drink, “So when we get back I was thinking of speaking to the Operations Director and telling him that the current budget for this financial year needs to be revised as currently we are trading well below month on month sales targets and that is going to put serious pressure on the company as a whole.”Susan nodded, “should we be worried, your job is not on the line is it.”“No, we have been pretty profitable for the last few years but what with one thing and another this year we just need to consolidate, get things reorganised and get ready to expand again next year if we can.”Peter droned on about work, Susan occasionally nodded and made the odd acknowledging remark, her mind drifted, she watched other guests arrive and be shown to their tables. She paid keen interest in what the women were wearing and what they were ordering.Her meal was delicious the salmon was perfectly cooked and tasted delicious as she put her knife and fork down having taken the last bite she saw Robert escort a male to the table across from theirs.She glanced him up and down, dark blue jeans, black polo shirt, tightly trimmed beard and a mop of blonde hair. The polo shirt was not fitted but he looked to have a good body, he clearly worked out as she could see his biceps were toned and firmed, she noted that tucked under one arm was a book. She tried to catch a glimpse of the title but his arm was in the way and he put it down on the table before pulling out his chair and sitting down.“Susan, Susan are you off in your own little world again?”Peter’s voice dragged her back to the table, “Huh, sorry did you say something darling?”“I asked if your salmon was nice and are you going to have dessert?”“Yes, yes it was very tasty. I don’t know are you going to have one?”Peter stared at her, “Yes I think I might have the sorbet, give the chocolate fudge cake a miss tonight, we need to watch our figures.”Susan felt a flash of annoyance, was he including her in that last comment, she was the same size she had been in her twenties, he could bloody well go on a diet if he wanted but she was not going to join him.“I will need to see a menu before I decide,” said Susan before looking back across at the young man sitting on his own. It might not look it to everybody because of the loose-fitting dresses and cardigans she tends tended to wear but she had a fairly decent figure for her age she thought.The young gentleman looked up at that moment and noticed her looking at him. He nodded and smiled at her, she quickly looked away, her head falling forward so she looked down towards the floor. When she looked back at him, he had returned to reading his book.Robert came back and she decided to order the Vanilla crème brûlée. As she ordered she felt the young guy’s eyes on her, she felt inextricably drawn to look at him. Again, he nodded and smiled this time she smiled back her hand going up to her hair and curling a lock around her fingers.Robert brought her dessert and she ate it slowly glancing regularly at the guy who seemed to be staring at her intently now. Each time she would look and then glance away, he had a knowing smile and she was convinced that he had winked at her a couple of times.