Emma looked out the window of the car as it whisked through the streets of Miami. It was mid-afternoon, and the sun was shining. The streets were busy with locals and tourists weathering the heat and the humidity of the beginning of the summer.
Her mind was nowhere in particular and for once it felt good. The past year had been so busy and exhausting, the change of pace, for once, was good and exactly what she needed. She needed to resource herself, charge up her batteries before the next big rush in her life. The beach, the sun, cocktails and sleeping in were exactly what a doctor would have prescribed if she had gone to see one.
She had gone far enough away from all the hassles and most probably where no one would expect to find her, and it was perfect that way. Despite the jetlag, she wasn't too tired. That was one of the perks of flying first class, you could sleep almost as if you hadn't left the comfort of your own bed. The only downside had been the relentless flight attendants who wanted to make sure that she was well taken care of and that the level of their service was impeccable… a bit too impeccable.
She snapped out of her abyss by her phone ringing. It had been sitting on the seat next to hers since she had gotten inside the executive sedan that had picked her up at the airport. Luckily, the driver wasn't too talkative or prying and aside from a few quick glances and smiles in the rear-view mirror he hadn't bothered her. She moved her attention from the window to her phone and picked it up. She put it on mute and looked at the screen. She sighed as she saw his name. It was Sebastian and she didn't feel or want to talk to him… not for a while longer. He too, was one of the reasons she was getting some breathing space. She knew that if she refused the call, he'd know and would automatically try to call again, so instead, she let it ring until her voicemail picked up, knowing fair well that he would leave a message. She bent over and dropped the phone in her bag. Maybe at some point in time she would forget it was buried under all the stuff she had and as they said, what was out of sight was out of mind.
"Miss Fontaine"? said the driver as he looked at her through the rear-view mirror.
She made eye contact with him and smiled. The driver shouldn't have to bear all the weight she was carrying on her shoulders, he was merely doing his job and there was no reason for her to be rude or unkind to him. That was a quality she'd always had. No matter how bad or tough things got, she never took it out on others. She was always polite, smiley and friendly.
"Yes"?
"We'll be at the hotel in five minutes. I'm terribly sorry about the bad traffic".
"Thank you. The ride has been pleasant, you needn't apologize for something you have no control over".
He simply nodded and smiled before returning his full attention to the road and Emma resumed her people watching.
Petra walked into Rafael's office apparently quite distraught.
"She's late. I've been standing outside near the entrance for the past twenty minutes looking like a fool".
Rafael leaned back in his desk chair.
"I'm surprised you were down there so early".
"Rafael, I mean come on, her plane landed two hours ago. How long can it possibly take to get here"?
Rafael stood and walked over to her. "I think you've forgotten how busy the airport is this time of year. On top of that, it was an international flight, she had to go through immigration, get her luggage, go through customs and face the heavy traffic".
"The driver probably took her for a grand tour of Miami".
"Next time get a helicopter".
She rolled her eyes at him.
"Besides I don't really understand the big fuss. It's not like we've never had celebrities here before".
"I just want her to feel welcomed here. The first impression is the best".
Rafael looked at her.
"Alright fine, I like her a lot. I'm a big fan, what can I say".
He smiled at her. It was childish almost but cute.
Petra's phone buzzed, she looked at it and grinned. She rushed out of Rafael's office without saying another word. He took that as a cue that she had arrived. Even though he had initially decided to stay put in his office, he had to admit that he too was curious to meet Emma Fontaine. He followed Petra.
As Petra and Rafael arrived outside, the driver was opening the passenger door. They waited within a reasonable distance of the car and watched as Emma got out.
Petra put on her most welcoming smile and Rafael found himself mesmerized as he watched Emma walk towards them. The light summer breeze was blowing her long brown hair. She was about Petra's height (without heels), slender and wearing a pair of blue jeans, a red blouse and a pair of New Balance sneakers. Her beautiful brown almond-shaped eyes locked on his and she smiled. There was something so genuine about her smile that he smiled back naturally.
She stopped in front of them.
"Miss Fontaine, I'm Petra Solano. It's a pleasure for us to have you here at the Marbella", Petra said as she put her hand out towards Emma.
Emma shook her hand. "Well, thank you for having me. I've heard wonderful things about your hotel. I can't wait to experience them for myself".
Emma turned her attention to Rafael.
Rafael shook her hand in turn. "I'm Rafael Solano. If there's anything you need during your stay, don't hesitate to let us know".
"I appreciate that and will keep it in mind. I guess the main thing I'm looking for is low-key and discretion".
"Of course. You've come to the right place. You shouldn't have any issues regarding the staff, we'll do our best regarding our other guests", said Rafael.
Emma nodded. "I'm sure that after a day or two, things will settle into place, but I appreciate the gesture".
Petra showed the way inside the hotel.
"We've set you up in the Presidential suite. There aren't many guest rooms on that floor and only people who have rooms up there can access the floor via the elevator. However, your agent seems to have forgotten to send us your list of requirements".
"That's simply because there is no list of requirements. I'm a very simple person Ms. Solano. As far as I know I haven't become a diva as of just yet", Emma said as they entered the elevator.
"And may I say, that is something I admire about you. How you have not let all of it go to your head".
Emma smiled as Rafael discreetly and softly nudged Petra. Getting a compliment from Petra was never easy, but he was afraid she was going to go a bit overboard.
"Thank you. I guess it's important to never forget where you came from".
Before Petra could answer, the elevator doors opened, and they stepped out and walked over to the Presidential Suite door. Petra handed Emma her key card.
"Again, if you need anything, day or night, don't hesitate".
Emma nodded and watched them leave. She put the key card in the slot and opened the door. She entered the vast and luminous suite. She dropped her purse on the sofa and looked around. There was a bar and a dining room table for six to the right of the living room. Huge bay windows let the light flow in and gave an amazing view of the ocean. She headed to the left and arrived into the huge master bedroom. There was a king-sized bed, a night stand on each side of it with designer style lamps. Next to more windows was a desk and next to the door she imagined led to the bathroom was a huge walk-in closet. From where she was standing, she could see that her luggage had already been brought up. She opened the door and gave a quick glance at the bathroom. It was spacious and had an Italian shower and whirlpool bathtub, perfect for relaxing.
She headed back to the main part of the suite and headed for the bar. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and poured herself a glass. She looked at her watch. It was almost 6pm and not only was she getting tired, but she was also getting hungry.
Still with her glass in hand, she headed towards the bay windows that led to the balcony. She stepped out on it and took in the beautiful scenery as she listened the to swaying sound of the waves. She turned around and looked towards the inside of the suite. There were a lot of blue elements to the room and the decorations were quite chic and expensive. It was a bit too perfect and upscale for her, but then again, it was the Presidential Suite. She smiled as she thought that maybe she should have given a list of simple, no frills requirements.
Within the hour, she had finished the hamburger she had ordered through room service and was exhausted. She went to retrieve her phone from her bag to charge it and winced when she saw she had a total of 5 missed calls from Sebastian. Luckily, due to the time difference, he was asleep by now,
letting her temporarily off the hook. She plugged the charger in the plug near her night stand and then realized she hadn't unpacked yet. She sighed. The simple thought of unpacking now made her even more tired, as if that was even possible, so she did what she would have done had she been home. She closed the curtains and stripped down to the bare minimum before sliding into the cozy, soft and comfortable bed.
As she dozed off, she wondered if it was humanly possible to sleep for the next three days... and even if it were possible, would it even be enough?