Room Service

Martin

It was two days before Christmas, and I arrived in Dallas to hold a client’s hand while we overhauled their security protocols. Worldwide Suites, a large hotel chain, had decided to part ways with their existing cyber security contractor after a nasty data breach. They brought SecureITech in to create new systems and have them in place by the time their existing contract ran out, which was January 1.

Since they’d suddenly become skittish about us making the deadline, as SecureITech’s executive vice president of technology relations, I was dispatched to ease fears. Being an EVP doesn’t keep you from traveling on holidays. If anything, it makes you more susceptible to it.

Did I have plans for Christmas? Yes, in fact, I did. But those had been laid to waste.

I took off my glasses and rubbed my tired eyes as I sat in the back of a cab on the way to my hotel. It’d been a long day between the early morning flight from San Francisco and a packed agenda of meetings to ensure everything was on schedule. The good news at the end of the day was that the CEO felt like the project was in good shape. The head of IT was still worried, but I hoped he’d see over the coming days that SecureITech would deliver as promised.

I read over the last e-mail of the evening from the team in our main office, and the day’s task list was completed as expected. Thankfully when the cab pulled up at the hotel just after nine, I was done with the day’s work. I was ready to get some dinner and crash.

The hotel, Worldwide’s flagship in Dallas, was very nice. As I got out of the cab, a bellman offered to take my bag, but I declined since it was easily manageable. The large lobby featured a mix of natural colors and stainless steel, in keeping with the chain’s comfortable but modern look. Clearly there was even a branding pattern to the decorations, as they looked the same as what I’d seen earlier in the day at the corporate office. Here, though, the three-story waterfall in the atrium had colored lights behind it to add to the holiday festiveness.

At the check-in desk, there was one person already being helped, so I was next in line. A door to the rear office opened, and the guy saw I was waiting, so he stepped up to a terminal and called me forward.

“Good evening, sir. Welcome. You have a reservation?” He spoke with an accent that was a great mix of Southern and Spanish.

“Yes. Martin Bell.” I handed over my driver’s license and credit card since I knew he’d ask for those next.

The name tag read Jose Juarez, Assistant Manager. As he took my cards, I noted a few hairs on the back of his hand that trailed towards his wrist and disappeared inside his suit jacket. I loved that on a guy, a bit of hair that peeked out.

Jose smiled, and all the lights in the lobby reflected in his dark eyes. He was attractive, with closely cropped dark hair. It was hard to tell under the suit what kind of build he had, but he certainly filled out the suit nicely. The dark-blue shirt, part of the corporate colors, looked good on him.

“I see you’re with us through the New Year on an open reservation.” He typed more on his keyboard. “And you’ve been upgraded to a deluxe business suite.”

“I didn’t request an upgrade.”

“It looks like this came from corporate. I can check on it further, if you’d like.”

He looked at me with an open, gentle expression. He must excel at his job, because I couldn’t imagine him not being able to defuse any situation within minutes.

“That’s okay. I’m in town doing work for corporate, so they must have done it this afternoon.”

“Oh, very good. What do you do, if I may ask?”

“IT security.”

“That doesn’t sound like a very exciting way to spend the holidays.” He returned my cards. As expressive as his eyes were, his face really lit up when he smiled.

“It’s not,” I said, breaking into the first genuine smile I’d had all day. “But when you’re needed on-site, you show up.”

“We’ll do our best to make your stay as comfortable as possible. You’re on the thirtieth floor, room 3023. The restaurant is open until ten and room service until midnight,” Jose continued, handing me my keycard. “If there’s anything you need as you’re getting settled, just ring the desk and let us know.”

I needed dinner and then some sleep. Getting up early for the flight had me wiped.

“Thank you,” I said. “I think I’m going to get dinner since I may crash once I’m in my room. Any recommendations?”

Jose considered, and I studied him. “If you’re going straight to sleep, perhaps something light from our restaurant. The Caesar salad is very good.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“The restaurant is just beyond the elevators, around this way.” He pointed the direction to take. “Shall I have your bags taken up?”

Jose was on his game. I would’ve just taken them with me. “That would be great. Thank you.”

“Our pleasure.” He waved at one of the bellmen, who relieved me of my bags. He was gone before I could get money to tip him.

“He’s fast.”

“Yes,” Jose smiled. “He’s one of our best. You should go get your dinner before they start closing up.”

“Thank you again. Have a good night.”

“You as well, Mr. Bell.”

At the restaurant, I was seated immediately. It was a typical hotel restaurant, with booths and tables and a neutral decor that couldn’t offend anyone’s sensibilities. I ordered the Caesar with chicken, and it was delivered right away, along with a glass of red wine. Jose’s recommendation was perfect. Whatever spices they used on the chicken were tasty, and the tangy dressing was delicious.

I flipped through the apps on my phone to get to my Fitbit app to check my data for the day, which was probably going to suck since I was out of my routine. I noticed there were pings on Grindr. I hadn’t looked at the app in months, but in a new city, it couldn’t hurt to see who was around. The depressing Fitbit data could wait.

I had a dozen notifications, and I deleted the San Francisco-based ones. I looked at the three Dallas-area ones to see what the locals had to offer. RockyD didn’t do much for me, with a simple picture unlock. Hunter offered a Hiya and a picture of his dick.

Boring.

JJDallas, however, had a great chest with a dusting of trimmed hair that looked great on his light-brown skin, and he had dark hairs running down his arms too. His picture was just his torso, no head, and nothing below the waist. I respected that. My public picture was roughly the same since I liked some discretion.

His message was good too. Hey, techieMB. Love the picture, especially those nipples. Not sure what you’re up to tonight, but I get off work at eleven if you want to get a drink or do something else? Happy to trade unlocks too.

A guy who used full sentences was nice. Not even an abbreviation for “picture.” I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to last till eleven, though.

Between bites I typed back: JJ, looking good! Happy to trade pictures. Not sure I can meet up tonight because its been a long day. In town for a few days, though, so maybe later?

I clicked send, figuring I might hear nothing. The message had been there for more than fifteen minutes before I saw it. JJ might have moved on.

I finished dinner, signed off the bill, and headed upstairs. JJ hadn’t responded, which was probably for the best.

The room was beautiful. Well appointed, certainly a step up from the regular room I’d booked. Comfy couch, pivoting TV to watch from anywhere, a nice desk, and a comfy-looking king-size bed. The bathroom was a knockout, with a large walk-in shower complete with body jets. If the water pressure was good, I could easily spend hours in there.

As I unpacked, I saw my phone light up with a Grindr message. Once I had everything put away, I checked and found a response from JJDallas.

Techie, glad you responded. If not tonight, maybe another. You can check out the pictures. If you like, would love to see yours, and maybe see you in person.

When I opened his profile, my mouth dropped open. It was Jose from the front desk. No wonder he filled out the suit so well. His body was killer. It wasn’t a traditional gym body, as he had a bit of a stomach. I liked it... a lot. The one picture showing his cock got my attention because it was fat and uncut. His stats said he was six inches but didn’t offer up a girth measurement. It looked substantial.

Fuck.

He was right downstairs and would be done in less than an hour.

Did I actually want to mess around with someone who worked here? Not just in the hotel I was staying in, but for the client I was working for? It wasn’t like he worked at the corporate office, but still. Looking at his pictures while I thought about it wasn’t helping. Peeling him out of that suit would be fun.

My thumb quivered over the link to unlock my pictures for him. I was more discerning with mine. While he had a couple full-body nudes, pictures where I showed my face were clothed. I had the head chopped off in my nude shots. Would he like what he saw? I wasn’t gym fit, but I was lean since I was more into cardio than weights. I was mostly smooth except for some hair around my stomach that went into a treasure trail. My dick was pretty average.

What the hell. The worst that could happen was that he’d say no. I couldn’t imagine he’d risk his own job by revealing that he messaged a guest on a hookup app.

I typed a quick message to go with the pictures: JJ, you already know where I am. Come visit when you get off work if you want.

I sent it before I could second-guess myself.

I stripped out of my clothes and headed for the shower. Even if I wasn’t going to have company, I wanted to wash the day off. The shower was incredible—it even had a steam setting. It was heavenly. I planned to spend a lot more time in here.

When I finally stepped out, I checked the phone and found nothing. Maybe he got busy. Maybe he freaked out because I was a guest. Maybe he didn’t like the rest of what he saw.

Oh, well. I wasn’t going to fixate on that. I threw on a pair of boxers and lay back on the bed. I found a Big Bang Theory episode on TV—my favorite way to end the day. If I hadn’t found it on TV, I had the entire series on my tablet so I could turn off my brain and relax.

Still nothing on the phone as one episode ended and another began. Based on what he said, he should be off work, but something might have come up. I went back to the TV.

The phone’s buzz jerked me awake from my dozing. A new message from JJ: Got stuck dealing with a problem. Do you need to get to sleep? Would tomorrow be better?

I sent back: I’ve got an early start. Let’s plan on tomorrow night. Hope you’re able to finish up soon.

I made sure my alarm was set before putting the phone into the charger I’d put on the nightstand. I drifted off to sleep to Leonard and Sheldon arguing about spoilers.