Lethner's Service

Chapter 02 - Who are you?

Winter Season in St. Louis

It’s freezing cold outside. It is expected that there are a lot of hotel room promo packages. Most of the hotel customers are couples reserving luxury rooms. Based on the reservations I had placed over our system, all the rooms are occupied and reserved by now.

I work as a hotel front desk receptionist. I’ve been so busy multitasking with the key controls, room reservations, receiving phone calls and emails, cashier works and filing records that I never notice, I almost skipped my lunch.

“Bree! Have you taken your lunch?” Allison, a male hotel housekeeper approaches me in the front desk.

“I’m waiting for Enid to replace me here. Did you see her around?” I answer while combing my hair, looking at my palm-sized mirror.

“I’ll go around and find Enid for you.”

“Oh that’s sweet of you, Ally. Thank you.”

Ally has been a great companion and I’m really blessed to have him as my friend. He’s seven years older than me and I really appreciate him for treating me like his little sister.

“Uh-oh! Seems like you’ll be having a bad day, sweetie. I’ll go ahead.” he excuses himself when he notices a couple approaching my front desk.

With furrowed eyebrows, I try deciphering what Ally has just said.

“Good Afternoon.” a tiny voice of a lady greets me.

It was too late for me to notice that the couple approaching my desk a while ago were Frazer, my ex boyfriend, and Liana, his new girl.

Indeed, Ally’s right. I’ll be having a very bad day.

Ally knows that Frazer is my ex lover because this sweet ex boyfriend of mine never forgets to fetch me during my end shifts. During those days when I am totally blinded by what most of us call “love”, Frazer’s always sitting at the lobby waiting for me to finish my work and would drive me home safe and sound not until this Liana came and ruin our relationship.

Liana’s clinging her arms on Frazer’s left bicep like a leech. They’re both wearing ash gray couple jackets. Liana’s jacket has a heavy print on it which says “NAP QUEEN” while Frazer’s jacket says “NAP KING”.

How itching sweet of them!

“Good Afternoon. How can I help you?” I joyfully greet them with a wide smile plastered on my beautiful face.

“Good afternoon. Do you have any rooms available for tonight?” Frazer asks me like I’m just a normal front desk receptionist, like we’ve never been into serious relationship, and like nothing happened.

He deserves a hard blow from me. I mean the hard punch and not the one that you’re dirty mind is thinking.

“Do you have a reservation?” I formally ask.

“No, we don’t.”

“What room? A double or single room?”

“Is there a single room for one night?”

I’m certain that they’ll be doing something inside the hotel room. It’s winter. Its freezing cold and what would I expect from a clingy couple who wants to reserve a room for a night?

A sleepover or a prayer meeting?

“Let me just check our system.” I start typing on the keyboards of the computer in front of me, searching for single vacant rooms while wishing to all the gods, goddesses, and fairies in the world that there’ll be no single vacant rooms for these two.

I know I sound bitter but frankly speaking, I don’t want to see these couple here. There are hundreds of hotels all over the city, so why the hell would this jerk choose to reserve a room inside the hotel where I’m working exactly on my shift?

Obviously, he just wants me to be jealous with this Liana girl who looks like a thirsty donkey wearing a dead of night shade of red matte lipstick. Her curls aren’t curled properly. Her hair looks more of a mess. I don’t like how bright her blush on is. She looks like a tomato nearing to rot. With those dangling earrings which look like little old dream catchers, she really has no idea about sense of fashion. If you put sarcasm in my words, I obviously like the lady who took over my place.

It’s not that I hate everything about her. I just don’t like the idea of us breathing the same air.

After checking on our system, I secretly smile for the fairies granted my wish. No single rooms available for tonight and I am secretly rejoicing!

“I am afraid that we are fully booked tonight since I’ve been receiving a lot of room reservations through phone calls and emails this morning. There are no single rooms available as well as luxury and double rooms. Sorry.” Liana rolls her eyes upon hearing me.

“Okay, could you recommend another hotel?” she asks me with her irritated voice.

“You could try the Bristol Hotel.”

“Would you mind calling them to see if they have any vacancies?”

“Would you mind getting the hell out of here and check it yourself?"

If only I could scream those words in front of her.

“No problem.” I reply and manage to put extensions to my patience despite of Liana who’s getting into my precious nerves.

I grab the telephone from my side and call the digits of Bristol Hotel which is only meters away from here. After an estimated two-minute conversation over the phone, I hang up from the call and glance to the sweet couple in front of me.

“Yes, they still have some rooms available Madam.” I emphasize the last word to insult Liana and based on her reaction, it worked.

“Excellent. Where is that hotel?”

“It’s near South Grove.”

“Could you show us that hotel on a map or something please?”

This Liana is really getting into my nerves. Why is she requesting a lot of things? She’s a local for Pete’s sake. She should know where the f**k Bristol Hotel is located!

Do I look like that little girl with short hair and bangs who loves to travel with her friend monkey, and carries a purple bag on her back with map inside the pocket, and communicates to her friends, overcomes obstacles, and reaches her goal?

–and yes I'm referring to Dora the explorer.

“If there's a place you gotta get, I can get you there I bet. I'm the map!”

My goodness!

I think I am hearing my subconscious singing that dancing map's song on that interactive show I used to watch when I was a kid. My minds too jumbled right now.

I let out a sigh before answering.

“Certainly. We are here and the Bristol Hotel is here.” I point the location of the hotel with my index finger on a map near my glass table. “It’s about five minutes by car.”

“Thank you. Let’s go honey.” she quickly pulls Frazer and leaves me with my nostrils puffing an invisible amount of smoke.

Liana sways her hips and flaunts her butt while my ex boyfriend’s arm is on her waist.

WHAT AN EYESORE!

I just close my eyes.

Inhale

Exhale

This day’s beautiful and I am beautiful.

Don’t let a bubble gum, a shoe lace, a random bumper, and a freaking couple ruin your day Bree.

You’re too gorgeous to be stressed.

“Good Afternoon!”

I almost scream on top of my lungs when I heard someone greeting me again. When will I have a break from entertaining these people’s hotel inquiries? I’m so tired right now. I swear!

I just want to hide under the desk and pretend that there’s no receptionist available at this time. I look at the customer in front of me and felt startled for a couple of seconds when I realize who he is.

“It’s you!” we both utter in chorus.

MR. BUMPER WITH A HUGE BULGE!

I blink my lashes several times before finally saying a word.

“Good Afternoon. How can I...h-help you?” I stutter.

Damn!

Why does he look so hot even with just a plain black shirt?

“It’s really a small world. Hi Quinn.”

There he goes calling me by my second name again.

“If memory serves right, you’re Jacob? I heard you shouting your name at the park.”

“Yes, you got it right Ms. Briella Quinn Wilder.” he smiles at me while looking at my left chest where I had my nameplate pinned on my uniform.

Actually, he mispronounced my surname.

It’s 'wil-dər as in the wilderness and not

ˈwī(-ə)lder as in a wild animal.

I know it’s a waste of time if I’ll correct his pronunciation so for now, I’ll just keep it to myself and maybe correct him some other time.

“How did you know that my name’s Quinn by the way?” I ask him curiously.

“I saw your tattoo on the left side of your neck earlier. It says Gaelic O' Quin. It’s where the name Quinn was derived and if I’m not mistaken it was derived from descendants of wisdom, reason, and excellence.” he smartly utters.

“You got everything correct except for one thing Jacob. It’s intelligence not excellence.”

“Oh yeah, whatever it is. I like your name. It sounds unique and I find you so cool with that tattoo on your neck.”

“Should I take it as a compliment?”

“Of course you should. I rarely compliment names of women.”

“I’m just wondering how you read my tattoo. It’s written in Greek fonts.”

He didn’t answer. He gives me a sweet smile instead –a meaningful smile with a cute dimple that shows off from the left side of his poreless cheek.

“Okay, Jacob. How may I help you?” I ask him to bring my mind back to my work and that is attending to his hotel needs.

“I have a room reservation in the name of Lethner.” He informs me while his attention’s focused on his phone’s screen.

“Let me look on the system.”

“Sure.”

My eyebrows furrowed upon checking on the PC. Emery, our hotel manager, reserved a room for Jacob. Why would she reserve a room for two? Are they up for a business meeting? Are they a couple?

Why the hell would I care anyway?

I turn to Jacob and inform him about his room reservation.

“Yes, it says Lethner here. Someone reserved a single room for you. One night, bed, and breakfast.”

Lethner

Is Lethner his second name? It sounds sexy...again. Why does everything about him sound and look so sexy?

Why am I suddenly getting curious about this guy?

He’s tapping something on his phone and I don’t know why but I’d like to get the hell out of this desk and take a peek on whatever’s on his phone’s screen. Was it a text from Ms. Emery?

“That’s correct.”

Correct? What correct? The text from our hotel manager?

Stupid! He's referring to the details of his reservation.

My mouth forms an “O” when I realize how silly I am.

“Yeah, the reservation details. Correct. Correct?” I asked, looking stupid.

He just nods his head with furrowed eyebrows.

“Can I see some ID please? A passport or an identity card are both fine.”

He grabs his wallet out from the back of his pants’ pocket and gives me his identification card.

“Here you go.” He hands it over to me and I can’t help but to admire how handsome he is on his ID. He smiles like a model endorsing a toothpaste. I like how white his teeth are.

“Perfect. Please fill out this form with your details.”

“Sure.”

After filling out the form, he hands it back to me.

James Jacob Lethner

That’s his full name. So Lethner is his surname. It sounds more of a first name for me.

My eyes start scanning over his filled out form. He looks younger than his age written on the form. He’s 29? I thought he’s just 26 or 25. Also, I can't help but admire his signature below the form. The strokes are quite unique.

“This looks fine. Your room includes breakfast in the morning. Breakfast is served between 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM in the restaurant in front of the reception. Tomorrow morning of your stay you have to check out before 11:00 AM. Is everything clear?”

“I have an important meeting tomorrow morning. Can I have a wake-up call tomorrow at 8:00 AM?”

“Certainly.”

“Does the room have Wi-Fi?”

“Yes, all the rooms have Wi-Fi, cable televisions and air conditioning. Let me just call someone to guide the way for you Jabes.”

“Jabes? Did I hear it right? Was it Jabes?” his facial expressions look so amazed like he had just heard the name Jabes for the first time.

“Yeah?” I answer with a raised eyebrow, “Jabes. Short for James Jacob. I saw your full name on your ID.”

Wow! I had just made an endearment for him. I’m such a welcoming and sweet kind of receptionist.

“Jabes sounds great actually. And by the way, you’re the only living being who calls me by that. Thank you.”

“Oh really?” I give him a fake giggle. “Let me go ahead and find an attendant to help you.”

“Sure. That would be convenient for me. Thank you Quinn.”

Just when I am about to call for an attendant, Enid hurries her way to me. She’s wearing the same uniform as mine but it looks like the buttons on her uniform’s nearing to give up.

I sigh in disgust. This woman really. I bet she’s late for having a good time with her lunch. She would just excuse herself for having an upset stomach, as always. Enid is really a food lover and a chubby liar. But don't get me wrong. I love Enid so much. She's the sexiest bestest friend of mine.

“Bree, I’m so sorry. I was –“

“It’s okay. You can exchange places with me now.” I smile at her, grab my bag, and go my way out the front desk.

She then takes over my place and looks at the guy who’s now busy typing something on his phone.

“Good Afternoon. How can I help you?” her voice sounds flirty.

She even bites her lower lip like she thinks she can sweep Jabes’ feet off and be a soft bouncy cushion when he literally falls for her.

What a concept!

“Oh thanks. I’m done. I’m just waiting for an attendant. Quinn already helped me.” Jabes smiles at Enid.

And when I say Jabes smiles at Enid, it means betting that woman’s life for I’m very sure that Jabes’ smile melted Enid’s insides including her pancreas, liver, intestines, and all.

I shake my head. Enid’s really unbelievable. I settle myself in finding a room attendant to assist Jabes.

“Hey August, can you please help Mr. Lethner here? I really have to go.” I ask August who happens to pass at the reception area.

I also walk near him and whisper on his left ear. “I’m really hungry. It’s past two and I haven’t eaten my lunch yet because of that lady there. I feel like eating Enid’s sagged arms right now.”

We both giggle before he taps my shoulder and grabs Mr. Lethner’s bag.

“I have to go. Bye Enid. Bye August.” I joyfully excuse myself.

“Bye. Have a great lunch.” Enid utters while fixing the lenses on her glasses still her eyes glued on the Adonis in front of her.

Brat!

“I will.”

Enid then smiles at me –the kind of smile which I exactly know the meaning. A smile intended to Jabes who probably caught her off guard at first sight.

She mouthed me “yummy” while pouting her lips to that guy like she’s a hungry cannibal and he’s her meal for tonight.

What a crazy lady Enid is. She may act like someone who had just jumped off a mental facility’s window but I still can’t deny the fact that I love everything about her –and when I say everything, it’s from her dead thumbnail on her left foot way up to her shiny, shimmering, and splendid split ends.

“Thank you Quinn.” I look at the owner of the voice. It’s Mr. Lethner smiling at me. He’s following August who’s heading the elevator.

“Enjoy your stay here Mr. Lethner.” I said.

Before he enters the elevator, he turns his head to my direction and sweetly smiles at me.

And oh!

He also gives me a sexy wink.

That Lethner-guy is something.

Who are you Mr. Lethner?