room, and I stayed back awhile in the bar, treating myself to a whiskey on Erich's expense, since he was paying for everything. Two young men tried to flirt with me, but I brushed them off.
Back in my room, I went to bed and sank into a deep, dreamless slumber, only to be roused by the phone the next morning.
“Hello Juliane, did you sleep well?” Erich inquired.
“Very, I haven't slept that well in a while,” I replied, serenely.
“Listen, it's almost 9 and I have to go to the meeting. Go ahead and have breakfast at your leisure and we can meet at around 1 o'clock in the restaurant.” Then he hung up.
I bolted out of bed. Dammit, I had slept through the entire breakfast. I saw it was drizzling outside, so I put on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. When I was done in the bathroom and had dressed, I made my way down to the dining hall, expecting breakfast to be over and done with, but to my surprise it was still underway.I proceeded to enjoy my first 5-star spread.
Afterwards I explored the hotel thoroughly, which offered a remarkable array of comforts and amenities. There were multiple saunas, a swimming pool, massage parlors, a gym and much more. I was curious about trying the sauna and asked the man at the entrance if he could provide me with a towel and a bathrobe.
“I'm sorry,” he said, looking down at me from his height, “but the sauna isn't included in the price of your room, you would have to pay an extra 75 Euros.”
Disappointed, I walked away. Where was I supposed to find that much money, when my university grant was a mere 450 Euros? If Daniel were not paying the rent, I'd be dirt poor.
I stayed in my hotel room until noon working on my term paper, which I wanted to present in a couple of days. Then at 1 o'clock I made my way to the restaurant. Erich stood outside, speaking to two men in dark suits. They carried briefcases and looked slightly menacing. There was also as a slender older woman dressed in a yellow suit, which had certainly not been bought at Walmart. She wore high-heel shoes, sported a hairdo that could only have been concocted by a celebrity stylist, and jewelry around her neck and hands that, if genuine, could easily have paid my way through college. She didn't only look elegant, but her presence alone seemed to enlarge the room, as people made a wide arc around her. She exuded power. Were it not for her hooked nose, she might have been described as beautiful in spite of her advanced age.
As Erich saw me approach, he quickly took leave of his colleagues and came to greet me.
“Did you have a pleasant morning?” he asked.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see the elderly woman sizing me up from head to toe, and as she saw me turn to her, she lifted her chin and sauntered off imperiously. In front of the hotel entrance, one of the attendants opened the back door of a large black Mercedes for her, and as she sank into the back seat, closed it after her with a pleasant “poof” sound.
I turned to Erich and told him that I had spent the morning in my room, because I wasn't allowed into the sauna due to the extra 75 Euros it would have cost.
He frowned, offered me his arm and led me to a table in the restaurant that the waiter had directed us to.
“Wait here a moment,” he said and left.
I was leafing through the menu when he returned. He smiled gently and said:
“Everything's in order, you can use any facility you wish, free of charge.” Again, I was impressed.
After lunch, we resumed our conversation and strolled awhile on the golf course, as the rain had let up. I held onto his arm and felt at ease. Never before, I thought, had a man understood me so well and been so attentive with me, apart from Daniel, perhaps. As the weather got a bit colder, I began to shiver slightly, and Erich promptly took me back inside.
“Why don't we take a sauna together to warm up?” he proposed. OK, I didn't see a
Back in my room, I went to bed and sank into a deep, dreamless slumber, only to be roused by the phone the next morning.
“Hello Juliane, did you sleep well?” Erich inquired.
“Very, I haven't slept that well in a while,” I replied, serenely.
“Listen, it's almost 9 and I have to go to the meeting. Go ahead and have breakfast at your leisure and we can meet at around 1 o'clock in the restaurant.” Then he hung up.
I bolted out of bed. Dammit, I had slept through the entire breakfast. I saw it was drizzling outside, so I put on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. When I was done in the bathroom and had dressed, I made my way down to the dining hall, expecting breakfast to be over and done with, but to my surprise it was still underway.I proceeded to enjoy my first 5-star spread.
Afterwards I explored the hotel thoroughly, which offered a remarkable array of comforts and amenities. There were multiple saunas, a swimming pool, massage parlors, a gym and much more. I was curious about trying the sauna and asked the man at the entrance if he could provide me with a towel and a bathrobe.
“I'm sorry,” he said, looking down at me from his height, “but the sauna isn't included in the price of your room, you would have to pay an extra 75 Euros.”
Disappointed, I walked away. Where was I supposed to find that much money, when my university grant was a mere 450 Euros? If Daniel were not paying the rent, I'd be dirt poor.
I stayed in my hotel room until noon working on my term paper, which I wanted to present in a couple of days. Then at 1 o'clock I made my way to the restaurant. Erich stood outside, speaking to two men in dark suits. They carried briefcases and looked slightly menacing. There was also as a slender older woman dressed in a yellow suit, which had certainly not been bought at Walmart. She wore high-heel shoes, sported a hairdo that could only have been concocted by a celebrity stylist, and jewelry around her neck and hands that, if genuine, could easily have paid my way through college. She didn't only look elegant, but her presence alone seemed to enlarge the room, as people made a wide arc around her. She exuded power. Were it not for her hooked nose, she might have been described as beautiful in spite of her advanced age.
As Erich saw me approach, he quickly took leave of his colleagues and came to greet me.
“Did you have a pleasant morning?” he asked.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see the elderly woman sizing me up from head to toe, and as she saw me turn to her, she lifted her chin and sauntered off imperiously. In front of the hotel entrance, one of the attendants opened the back door of a large black Mercedes for her, and as she sank into the back seat, closed it after her with a pleasant “poof” sound.
I turned to Erich and told him that I had spent the morning in my room, because I wasn't allowed into the sauna due to the extra 75 Euros it would have cost.
He frowned, offered me his arm and led me to a table in the restaurant that the waiter had directed us to.
“Wait here a moment,” he said and left.
I was leafing through the menu when he returned. He smiled gently and said:
“Everything's in order, you can use any facility you wish, free of charge.” Again, I was impressed.
After lunch, we resumed our conversation and strolled awhile on the golf course, as the rain had let up. I held onto his arm and felt at ease. Never before, I thought, had a man understood me so well and been so attentive with me, apart from Daniel, perhaps. As the weather got a bit colder, I began to shiver slightly, and Erich promptly took me back inside.
“Why don't we take a sauna together to warm up?” he proposed. OK, I didn't see a
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