The Nephew (Thomas Sangster)

II. Mr. Sangster

"Yes sir, Grace here will get you signed in right away. I'm Olivia Winters, the manager of Penton Hotel and Suites." I offered a gentle smile and a handshake.

"Good to meet you. I'd love to take a tour after getting settled. My uncle has spoken highly of the staff here." He smiled back and proceeded to sign in. "Would you accompany me to my room, Ms. Winters? I hate to sound so forward, but I have some business to attend to and I think talking to you could get a few things out of the way."

This was something of an awkward request, but I'd definitely been asked worse things. "Of course sir, would you like to go up now? Let me call someone to get your bags." After I called the bus boy, we headed towards the elevator. Unfortunately, our elevators, while furnished with marble flooring, mirrored ceilings, and bright lighting, weren't exactly the largest. I found myself uncomfortably close to Mr. Sangster, as Bernard (the bus boy) looked at us apologetically, his luggage trolley taking up all but the two square feet that our guest and I occupied. There was an awkward silence as he cleared his throat, gazing at the ceiling. I grimaced, shifting uncomfortably and accidentally bumping into him in the process. This lead to my immediately turning around without thinking, finding myself nose to shoulder with my hand on his chest to steady myself. "Oh! Sorry, I-"

"You don't have to apologize for touching me." He chuckled, grinning down at me. I removed my hand and took a step back, but hit my ankle on the luggage cart and tripped. Quick as a flash, his hand flashed out and grabbed my elbow, his other arm slipping around my waist as I grabbed his shoulder in a panic. He pulled me up slowly, chest to chest, my eyes wide and cheeks red. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Great, now I'm embarrassing myself in front of an attractive British customer. "Um, yes, I'm fine. I must seem so clumsy to you, I'm so sorry."

"No, no, it's alright! Don't worry about it, really." The elevator door finally opened and I happily followed Bernard out and began to lead the way to the presidential suite. I thanked the Bernard as he unloaded the bags and unlocked the room.

"Welcome to your suite, sir!" I said brightly, walking into a huge white room, complete with a teal brick wall with a fireplace and a gray sectional couch. "This is the living room. You'll find a list of television channels and free movies on the couch there. If you'd like a fire, you can call room service and we'll send someone up immediately. The kitchen is just behind that wall. You'll find that we've already stocked the fridge with a few complimentary snacks and beverages. I recommend the raspberry cheesecake. There's a bathroom behind that door, a guest bedroom there, and the balcony is through those doors, it's got a nice private pool and minibar. Your master bedroom is here." I pushed open a set of double doors and strutted through to a room with wine red walls and a large bed in the middle of the room. "We have a walk-in closet here and the master bathroom there. You'll find a very nice jacuzzi bathtub in there. I hope you enjoy your stay!" I smiled, turning to him and folding my hands behind me.

"I'm sure I will, thank you."

"We weren't sure how long you were planning on staying here, Mr. Sangster."

"About two months I think. I have a lot of...catching up to do. You see, I'm hoping to get better acquainted with the hotel, my uncle just announced that he will be passing the hotel down to me, as you know."

"That's..really? Sorry, I'm just a little surprised. Mr. Penton didn't mention anything when we met last week."

"Oh, he said he was going to tell you." He frowned.

I tried to seem more excited, smiling and saying "well, I'm sure the hotel with thrive under your control."

"I hope so." His expression changed to a soft smile, his warm brown eyes searching mine.

"Um, if you don't need anything else, I might head back downstairs."

"Actually, if you would help me unpack, we could get started on the tour almost immediately."

I blinked and stared at him for a few seconds before realizing he was serious. "Oh. Um, of course." Unpack his bags?? Was he insane? Still, customer first. Not to mention future owner. I followed him back out to the living room and helped him bring his luggage to the bedroom, setting it down on the bed. There were only two bags, which was surprising as he planned on staying for two months. "Is this all you have sir?"

"I only have the essentials with me; I have more coming on Tuesday."

I smiled at him and looked down at the bag I'd just opened. Right on top was a box of condoms. Essentials??? How soon was he planning on banging somebody? Could he not wait three days? OH MY GODS I'M ALONE WITH HIM IN HIS ROOM UNPACKING HIS CONDOMS. I stared at them awkwardly, my mouth slightly agape. Suddenly his hand darted out and grabbed the pack of condoms.

"Ah, I'll just, um. Sorry. I'll take those." He stammered, blushing and tossing them into a drawer in the bedside table. "Terribly sorry. Ah, the rest of the things in there should be...innocent."

I laughed awkwardly and moved on, hanging up some shirts and pants and setting out shoes. I didn't run into any underwear, which was quite a relief. I really did not need to know whether he prefers boxers or briefs, I already knew his preferred condom brand and size. We finally finished and I offered to begin the tour, vowing to put all the collective awkwardness of the day out of my mind.

~**~

New chapter in record time! It's incredibly short and very filler, it's just kind of a character introduction. Next chapter will be the tour of the hotel and new characters!