Brandon showed up with a cart with six bags on it. Alan had almost reached the front of the cab line. People gave us dirty looks as we joined him. I could feel the day catching up to me. We’d lost an hour traveling from the Midwest to the Southeast. My legs and back ached from taking a couple of sacks tonight. A good swim and soak in the hot tub sounded like just what the doctor ordered. Something I liked about the Ritz-Carlton was they were all about service. If you asked, they would try to make it happen, so even if the pool were closed, they would open it up for me.
Alan got us a van and we all squeezed in. After the cab driver loaded our bags, I tipped the cabstand guy so he would return our cart, then jumped up in the front and told the cabbie where to take us. Everyone was excited to be in Atlanta. We took the expressway to downtown and were quickly at the hotel. Brandon had reserved four rooms all side-by-side. The rooms were set up in pairs with a pass-through door that would connect the two rooms if need be. Brandon made the mistake of asking who wanted the other single. If it had been me, I would just have assigned them places, and if they didn’t like it, they could trade. Of course, I would have kept the single for myself. Ty ended up winning after a heated game of rock-paper-scissors.
I asked the desk clerk where we could eat. He said either room service or the hotel bar.
The pass-through doors were in between a single and a double room. That made sense if a family traveled together. I opened my door and found Jim and Brandon sharing a room. That meant Ty’s room connected with Alan and Jake’s room.
We all went downstairs, and the desk clerk directed us to the bar. It had a sophisticated red and black theme. We found a table in the corner big enough for all of us. The barroom was full of people either having a fun weekend or going to the game. There were a couple of tables of Alabama fans. At the bar, there was a young woman in a little black dress being chatted up by two older men with Alabama polo shirts. I looked at Brandon.
“Do you think?” I asked, and nodded towards the bar.
He grinned and shook his head at me. Leave it to Alan.
“What’re you talking about?”
I was saved when the server showed up, took our drink orders, and brought us menus. I glanced at the prices and saw it was $18 for a hamburger. I knew my guys weren’t used to big-city hotel prices.
“Get what you want. I’ll put it on my room bill,” I told them.
I didn’t want them to blow half their money for the weekend on a hamburger the first night. I had picked the hotel, after all. I’d have to think things through next time, because I didn’t want them to think of me as an ATM machine, either. What I did want was to expose them to new experiences and for them to have a good time. They ended up ordering burgers. I got a salad with grilled chicken on it.
When I finished with my meal, I told Brandon to hang out with the guys and sign for the check. The young woman at the bar was alone by now. I’d watched the two men buy her a drink and then leave with smiles on their faces. I wondered if she was the front person, or if they hadn’t worked out a deal. When I got closer, I saw the woman was younger than I’d first thought. I’d assumed she was in her late twenties but now estimated early twenties.
I sat down next to her, and she gave me a sideways glance. The bartender came over, and I ordered a hot tea. She gave me a curious look.
“I have to get up tomorrow,” I said.
“So why did you come over here to get your tea? I’m sure you could have gotten it at your table,” the woman said.
“I thought you and I might have a conversation.”
“Did your friends put you up to this?” she asked.
“No,” I said as the bartender brought me my tea.
He brought a selection of bag teas, a pot of hot water, and some lemon slices. I selected a mint-flavored tea bag and poured the hot water over it. I took in a deep breath to catch the aroma of the tea as it steeped. The young woman watched me as I took my time and finally tried it.
“So how does this work?” I asked.
“How does what work?”
I simply smiled at her. She glanced around and then looked back at me.
“Is it just you, or do you have a couple of friends? Unless you’d be interested in entertaining all six of us?” I asked.
“How many would you think would work out best? Did you want one for each one, or could someone maybe entertain two at a time?”
We negotiated a price. I ended up ordering four women, one for each room, and we agreed they would be there in forty-five minutes. That would give me enough time to go use the hot tub. I returned to the table.
“Are we all set?” I asked.
“Yeah, what do we want to do next?” Alan asked.
“Well, if you go up to your room, there will be a date for you in a little bit. You might want to make sure you have some cash to tip her and plenty of condoms,” I said.
