Angela Ziegler found herself eying up the entrance to the hotel from across the street. Yellow cabs and honking horns filled her peripheral vision and hearing but her sapphire eyes fixated on the neon sign both above the revolving chamber of doors and atop the whole skyscraper.
For a hotel it was more massive than others in New York City, like the Ritz and the Waldorf Astoria. It was tall, taller than any other building down on the street where Angela was. Crammed against other tall towers and buildings, and in the sight of the Stock Exchange to the right, all the way down to Wall Street, the hotel looked so out of place it was probably perfectly ignorable to any other citizen that wasn't a tourist.
She referred to the card that Moira had given her. 'For some… what do the Americans call it? R&R? Or even if you find yourself looking for something more heated… or permanent, I suppose… They told me they cater to anyone in need of a holiday.' The Irish woman had told her Swiss counterpart one evening as they both excavated the fragments of a nine millimetre bullet from a patient's spine, allowing the trauma care team to mend the bones and feeling to his legs. They were both lifesavers but Angela was always the lead to Moira's assistance. There, Moira had told Angela about a place she'd spent her two week leave the month before.
The Cupid Hotel.
The assistant but still very capable surgeon had handed the business card to Angela after theatre and the week after, the platinum blonde had called and booked a place at the New York location, deciding to make a holiday out of the whole experience. With a week worth of vacation from the Royal Hospital in London still available for her to use, Angela had made the trip to New York to stay at the hotel and see the sights a few days after calling. She needed the break and potentially something to break the routine of stress and boredom. She wanted much more, and Moira had given her the perfect excuse. Although when she laid eyes on the hotel across the street she began to think that her ginger coworker might have had a much different experience in the London version of the tower.
The outside of the guest skyscraper didn't look like much, a tall thing looking as if it was built in the forties with neon from the sixties that was somehow still powered. It didn't look the most appealing to Angela, but certainly to some people it would, those that preferred the styles of old-fashioned architecture.
Angela remained a while, a little nervous of what the hotel would yield to her. The way Moira had described the establishment in London, it sounded as if the experience was totally out of the world. But Angela was on edge about it. She peered through the revolving doors, as the street traffic quietened down. It was safe to cross the road and thus she took the first step in sequence toward the chamber of doors. Getting closer, she could see more of the lobby inside - it was amazingly light and pink to Angela, with cream and white accentuation around the walls. It didn't look busy but Angela could see a bellhop and a concierge near the door as well. The front desk was directly ahead, with a rather short looking woman with bright pink hair looking directly at Angela through the revolving doors. Her smile was wide and ever-visible in the beam she gave to the platinum blonde. It was all as if to say 'Yes! You! Come on in!' and Angela crossed into and passed the doors with her limited suitcase in hand and carry on bag in the other in her orange handbag. She had packed light, thinking she would buy anything she didn't need in the inevitable shopping marathon she would make later in the week. There was no way she would visit the Big Apple and not shop.
The concierge met her and stopped her promptly. "May I take your bags?" He asked her, looking to the bellhop too to ready service. It was unusual for all of this to take place before Angela had checked in. How did he know she had a room? How did he know which room she had even if she had checked in? Already alarm bells were ringing in her head. What kind of hotel had she just walked into.
"Excuse me?" She asked, her voice laden with her Swiss-German accent, wanting to inquire how this man had known that she was here for a room and vacation anyway.
The man suddenly retreated back behind his stand and looked to the woman at the front desk. "Sorry, ma'am. People don't usually come in without a reservation already in advanced. Do you have a reservation with us?" He then asked Angela. But what did he mean that people didn't come in without a reservation? While Angela had organised her stay online and later confirmed the booking over the telephone with their London office, she was now very curious as to his statement.
Angela nodded and looked very caught in the headlights, like a doe. This felt so strange and there was no one in the lobby aside from her and the staff, which felt even stranger. All she could think of was what kind of hotel this was. Was the London branch like this? "I called ahead before I left London? Dr Ziegler?" She spoke, looking between the man at the concierge's desk and the woman at the check in desk.
"Over here, Angela. Mr Howard and Mr Arrow will take your bags to your suite while you check in," The pink-haired woman at the check in desk stated, trying to ease the confused woman's mind.
Dr Ziegler made her way to the desk after handing her suitcase to the concierge. The confusion in her mind was even worse when she set her handbag on the desk and looked at the eyes of the bubbly lady. "Please tell me how you know my name… I called in ahead but only reserved a room under my last name…"
The secretary laughed a little. "Oh please forgive me. That's me opening my mouth again," She began. Her demeanour was extraordinarily vivacious, gorgeously light as if she'd never been sad in her life. At first it was a tad unsettling to Angela, as if the woman was completely mad, insane, but as she began to speak more and more, that sparkling aura she exhumed became something the soothed Dr Ziegler's soul and calmed her mind. "I never forget a face you see, eyes to faces and names with me it is." She told Angela and it slowly began not to matter, everything seemed as if it would be explained in time. Truly the woman's voice subliminally told Angela this as they spoke together.
"Have we met?" Angela asked, now even more confused, however. "Have I treated you in the past?"
The woman giggled a little, her laugh sending butterflies into Angela's tummy as she heard it. It was a light and completely natural laughter for how cheery it sounded. Nothing artificial was in her inflexion at all and her giggle was something angelic or godly. "Oh no! Sorry I'm being very vague, please forgive me. I'm Cupid," the woman introduced herself as, offering Angela her hand to shake and setting the keyboard aside. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She added, her smile completely ironed on her face and her eyes looking wide and dilated.
Angela's face dropped into an unamused look. "I don't take kindly to this sort of treatment, I'll have you know." She told Cupid plainly, even threateningly at the introduction she'd been given.
"No really, Angie, I promise, I'm the real thing. Greek Goddess, Goddess of Love and Relationships at that, and I'm here to find your perfect match. Hence the name of the hotel… or did you think the pink neon was just for show?" She then giggled at her little joke. "Come on, surely you knew there was some truth to the legend? I know every relationship you've ever had honey. Harold when you were in high school, then that fling with the woman from Human Resources at your University. Even Ellen that time you went out with Moira after your first successful surgery. All of those leading you here. Oh I know it all sweetie… Even little Lovejoy that you keep under your pillow, good pick that model."
The face looking back at her changed again to one of stupefaction, even complete surprise and a little embarrassment at the mention of Lovejoy. Angela was utterly shocked at this but it seemed to all make sense; massively crazy and illogical sense, but the evidence was very compelling. Of course she did not fully believe it but it began to seem plausible, extremely so. The thought that Moira could have set this whole thing up seemed to be the only other alternative, and it was not hard to put faith in Moira being a prankster, she'd done mischievous things to other doctors and surgeons before.
"It seems you still don't believe me," Cupid remarked. "Well, what about this?" The imposing goddess had reached under her counter desk and revealed a gilded longbow with an equally supremely crafted quiver of gorgeously white arrows attached. Cupid blushed a little as she held her tools in hand and showed them to Angela- they were not weapons at all. The arrows had tips of hearts in rose pink and the bow itself was so glorious it looked as if it had been designed and developed by beings of a higher plain than the world.
"What the heck?!" Angela exclaimed. "Is that a real bow?" She shrieked, looking at the golden guilding of the main stone piece and then the white of the ivory it seemed to be made out of. She supposed that if it was ivory, it would not be from the physical realm, but from Mount Olympus or whatever realm the gods, or at least Cupid lived in, or had lived in.
Still blushing, Cupid set the bow and quiver on the table to fully demonstrate its design to Angela in an effort to make her believe. "No, no, it's not a real bow, well it's not a real bow anymore. It was, back in the day when I used to try a different approach to getting you lovebirds together with your soulmates, but it didn't work that well. It sacrificed free will for compatibility. I don't do that anymore," Cupid replied. "It' was just how I used to deliver my magic. I just shoot one of my arrows at two people and poof! They're madly in love." Cupid smiled. "I have a crossbow model too, gotta keep up with the time ya know. But I tend not to use them much nowadays. You can do it all on your own now I promise." She then held her hands like a mother would in consolation.
Angela, once again looked puzzled. "Do what?"
Cupid smiled at her once more, her face full of glee that they finally onto talking about her business. This was of course the part of her role that she simply adored. The topic of love and all things to do with it. She put her bow away and turned fully to face Angela as she straightened and relaxed her shoulders. Her glassy magenta eyes were gorgeous looking and her plump lips remained in such a goofy but quirky grin. Overall her entire person looked petite and pretty. Although Angela could not find any wings around her back; if they were there at all they must have been small winglets like the traditional interpretations of Cupid suggested. But Angela was still perplexed as to why Cupid was a woman and not a male like in the mythology. Either way, she felt as if she was much more comfortable with this Cupid than she would be if they were a man. Her magenta eyes looked all powerful and so pretty.
"Love, Dr Ziegler. Surely you knew that was the business I like to keep myself in. And I promise you by the time your…" She checked her computer screen again, bringing up Angela's check in details again and seeing where she was booked and for how long. She readied the online profile ready to be filled in - all check-ins fulfilled one. "Week stay, was it? Just a week, for your first time?"
Angela nodded. "Yes, I only have time for a week, unfortunately." She confessed, looking as if she wanted a fair bit more time to spend away from the surgery.
Cupid made a clicking sound with her teeth behind her lips and began to type on the keyboard. "Okay then, a week is a little short to work with but we've made matches in just a day before. It's all about how well people," she slotted her fingers into each hand and clicked again with her mouth. "Click, how people click together. Some are fast, and then some are slow. Anyway we'll soon fix you up with someone cute. Someone you would only meet in your wildest dreams." She settled, but stopped with a swift palm to her own forehead. Angela was shocked to see someone so rapid in her thoughts and actions but, the woman was charming in her own little way. "You… You're here for a match, right? Not just a fling? I mean we do flings, we have a 'Friends With Benefits Suite' free if you're looking for that, but that package is pretty restrictive on where you can go and who you can interact with." Cupid explained briskly, talking so fast but Angela understood it all. "Some people come for that and they leave like buzzing bees, but surely you're here for something a little more exciting right?"
In reality, Dr Ziegler didn't know what to make of it all, love, she wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for in that arena - Moira had only mentioned rest and relaxation when talking about the Cupid Hotel, and that was what Angela had come for also. It had dawned on her now that Moira must have chosen said package Cupid was talking about. While the thought did cross Angela's mind, she decided that giving the matchmaking services a try. After all, if this was Cupid, the real Cupid, Goddess of Love, the matches Angela would be receiving would surely be the best there could be. She was still sourly unsure how Cupid even knew her name and face, gods were gods but not all-knowing as she understood it.
"Yes, I'm here for the full experience. If there's a comprehensive matchmaking service here I'd like to sign up." She asked the pink-haired woman, even cracking her own smile a little at the infectious grin that Cupid had had this entire time. her positivity was also viral and all worries and stresses Angela seemed to have had before entering through the threshold of the hotel was dissolving in her mind until she felt only excitement and curiosity folding in. With those feelings filling her mind she was open to possibilities of love that Cupid and whole hotel had to offer her.
The small goddess beamed once more, reaching over the desk and grabbing Angela in a warm embrace, making the doctor's cheeks blush pink. "Amazing! Oh my gosh you're gonna love it here. We've got everything that you could ever hope for… We have indoor pools, outdoor pools, bars, clubs, salons, everything, Angie! You're gonna fall in love with us I promise, as well as your matches. Already I can see you settled in and happy, getting it hot with someone utterly gorgeous, tanned skin, lusty dark eyes, a six pack you just wanna run your tongue over as your sliding into bed with them after a date under the stars somewhere," Cupid clicked again. "Ugh! You're gonna just die over this vacation I can see it now… So many matches and only one is gonna make you drool in a way that'll make you fall in love, Angie. I'm already jealous." The now ecstatic goddess explained some more, falling back to her computer as she filled in some more of the check in data with a flush appearing at her upper bust. The goddess seemed to have such plans already for Angela and the platinum blonde was a sitting duck for a week's worth of adventure and perfectly harmony. She turned back to Angela with the same infectious smile. "So. Why don't we get your profile up and running?" She asked the doctor, full of glorious excitement for the steps ahead and her eyes filled with intent for her once they were completed, even Angela felt excitement flaring in her heart.
Angela, smiling a similar grin, agreed, and Cupid began.
"Okay, so I assume your gender is still cis female?" She asked, and Angela nodded once more with a hum. "And your orientation? I know you had that fling with the guy in high school but you know by now what parts get you excited, right?"
"I'm an out and proud lesbian, so if you could make sure all my matches are with women, that would be fine." Angela told her a little firmly but still happily.
Cupid clicked her lips again and smiled. "Okie dokie, out and proud lesbian, gotcha. Transgender inclusionary?" The pink-haired matchmaker asked, cautiously. While she didn't know the answer, Cupid always handled the topic with extreme care, yet prejudice. "We have an absolute zero tolerance policy on those who have discriminatory beliefs about transgender people, and we also have ways of telling when someone is lying about them." Cupid ironed out.
With her hands up defensively, Angela gasped. "Don't worry, I'm not like that at all. Being transphobic is simply disgusting, and yes, if a match I'd have would be with a trans woman, there would be no issues at all. I love them all the same. Women are women, no matter what's between their legs." She confessed as honestly as she could, nothing hidden, nothing untrue. Cupid smiled at her in relief. All Cupid offered her again was a squeeze of her hand in gratitude, as if to convey a message of thanks. One was not needed for Angela, she simply believed it was normal and simple to love the way she did. She could not see how people of the opposite belief could even think the way they did - it was barbaric to be so misogynistic. And embarrassing. "What is the next question?" Dr Ziegler asked attentively, the whole process was actually making her enjoy the moment and take in the positive, pink atmosphere of the hotel lobby - it felt so much different to the entire world outside the door chamber and she was so galvanised to see not only her room, but indeed the rest of the hotel that awaited up the elevator. Cupid had already mentioned the place holding all kinds of venues and attractions, although some of them seemed impossible. Angela guessed she would soon find out just what sort of places the hotel would have.
Cupid moved onto the next question swiftly, filling in a few of them that were obvious or already previously known to her. Her eyes, her hair, her nationality (sometimes it was handy to know in case a match had a previously ugly experience with a partner of the same nationality and was feeling prejudice, it was not ideal but people were people), her job and other meaningful details that a match might find interesting. Her zodiac sign would be a detail of high note - so many cared so deeply about one's zodiac. "Okay then… hobbies, sweetie? What'd'you tend to do when you're not saving lives and cutting people open?" She asked, now abandoning her computer and leaning her elbows over the desk to listen. Her expectation seemed to be extensive, comprehensive, Angela thought. She was looking for as much detail has she could get to fulfill the profile as well as possible. Her eyes told Angela she had high expectations for her.
"Well, I do a lot of aerobics and acrobatics, yoga and other gym activities. I'm fairly nimble on the pommel horse in the leisure centre near my flat in London…" Angela began, Cupid was listening fully engrossed and astutely to every word, noting them all down in her mind. Amazingly, as she paid attention, the sections of the matchmaking form were filled out on the computer screen. She was not even touching the keyboard and yet the keys were typing away. Angela's eyes widened and she stammered, realising only now that Cupid, was indeed the genuine article. "I'm also very much into cooking, I love to watch shows like Masterchef and Hell's Kitchen when I can, usually on the weekends I take off and Moira can handle theatre without me," she added, sounding shy but still confident, as if applying for a job. Her tone became even more profaned when she added her next part. "I'm also very concerned about the environment, so I try to do my part and keep it clean - I recycle as much waste as I can and grow a lot of my own food even in my flat. I have a personal greenhouse in a shared plot with Moira and our friend Lucio."
Cupid's eyes grew wide. "Ooh, a very green thumb indeed. There's women here who're going to simply adore you honey." She told Angela, turning back to the keyboard and meeting the inhuman typing with her own. "Is that everything?" Cupid inquired. "Shall we talk about entertainment? What kinds of music do you like?" She carried on, moving to the next topic. Angela's eyes blew up as hers did and her cheeks grew redder, her smile growing too.
"I'm… Well, I have a very deep love for The Beatles, as well as The Police and The Sex Pistols." Angela replied almost instantly, with more enthusiasm than any other question the goddess had asked her yet. Her eyes were so wide and Cupid felt such passion come from her.
The pink-haired woman giggled. "So a large fan of Brit Rock I see? That's fabulous, absolutely fabulous, honey. Got that influence from Lena I take it?"
"You know Lena?"
Again, Cupid giggled. "Oh of course I know Lena. She and Emily still come to our London location every year for their two week stay. Three years they've been together and we made it happen, yep! They're even considering having their wedding here!" She chatted, fulfilling more of the matchmaking form and seeming to complete a lot of it before turning to Angela again. "Any other bands or groups you're absolutely fanatical about? Or do I end it there?" She asked, just to cover all bases. She knew Angela didn't tend to compete in any other hobbies and her movie and television collection was easy to extrapolate from her social media profile that she had linked when reserving the room. Everything else was superfluous or it would impede on the ability for a match to be made.
"That's the main ones," Angela replied once more, looking around the desk. She was so eager to see the rest of the hotel now, she was growing a little impatient. All of this was so extraordinary, and Moira hadn't said a word. Did she even have to go through this? So many questions floated in Angela's mind but the thought of a week-long experience at this hotel was now such a thrilling prediction she just could not wait to head upstairs.. "Is there anything else you need to know?" She asked, wondering if she could have her key and get to mingling.
Cupid could see the anticipation in Angela's eyes, written all over her face. "Nothing that I don't already know," she told Angie with a little giggle. "That's all I need." She reached behind her desk and held out a small key with a love heart threaded onto the chain and the floor number and room number on the tag. The key looked old, but the metal work was beautiful. "I've put you into one of our Florence Nightingale suites on the thirty-fourth floor, closest one to the sauna and nearby pool, which is on that very same floor. If you need anything, Sterling will be there to see to any need you have," The goddess explained with her still remaining smile ever present. She looked just as excited as Angela had become. "Now your profile is live but we'll only match you when you want to be matched, we know some people might not want to be bogged down with a million requests to meet all in one batch. Please note that while you're on a date, people will be restricted from messaging or requesting you. And if you need anything that Sterling can't help you with, I'm right here, twenty-four seven for you Angie.
"Please enjoy your stay and experience at The Cupid Hotel, and good luck, sweetie." Cupid wished her and handed her the chained and lovely looking key.
Angela took the key and smiled with glorious exhilaration. "Thank you. I'll be sure to call if I need anything." She then took her handbag off of the counter and headed towards the elevator. She walked inside, quickly pressing the button and relaxed, letting herself being taken to the top floor. Angela was still feeling a little confused about this place, although it was considerably less enigmatic than when she was looking into the lobby from the street, now that Cupid had explained it a little better. She sighed, embracing herself into the soft tune of the music playing in the elevator. Moira had thrown her in at the deep end but the platinum blonde was rather happy she had. It was a learning experience and now she was fully thrilled to seek out a new adventure in the realm of matchmaking. Angela could not help but think about the wonderful women she was going to meet in the hotel, and connect with. While she wanted to come away from here with possibly a partner or someone to meet with again on some dates, she was open to any possibility.
xXx
Angela's face was amazed when she saw her room, walking inside after letting herself in with intrepidation and still nervous anticipation - the corridor was covered in red carpet and an illustrious mauve wallpaper, the doors the most splendid of wood carved to exquisite taste. Even the door handle was lovely as she let herself walk through the threshold of room two-four-oh-three. The suite was almost a large apartment, resembling a penthouse and seemed to be in many angles bigger than her own flat, yet Angela knew she was not on the top floor of the building. It was therefore extremely strange just how it could be so massive and spacious, as if bigger on the inside. The width was hard to grasp and ceiling was hardly low either - a chandelier dangled beautifully from it with sparkling crystals adorning it, with an open window at the end of the suite leading to view of an outdoor pool.
An outdoor pool.
"This... doesn't make any sense at all now," Angela admitted aloud, peering into the window and seeing the open sky outside and the summer sun blazing down on the gorgeous pool front landscape. Wherever the pool was, it certainly was not New York City at all, it hardly looked like the east of America in general, more like Tunisia, but then she knew that since she was dealing with a goddess of unimaginable power, anything could be physically possible here. And yet it all seemed utterly stupefying to Angela as she looked out the window. She walked to the center of the room, placing her satsuma-coloured handbag on the table near the door. Angela assumed her bags would be in the bedroom of the suite, and she wanted to explore the rest of this gigantic suite. Already she was having flashes of her weekend party in Vegas when she and Moira both graduated medical school with honours. Both of their families had chipped in to send the duo to Las Vegas for just a weekend and they had stayed in a villa in Caesars Palace. This room threatened already to demolish the villa in terms of size.
As she scoped the room out she noticed there was a small kitchen unit, nothing massive like the common area that was first but it was kitted with an oven, a cooler and some other appliances for coffee and light meals. She supposed that this would be in case she brought company back here from one of the matches. The thought was appealing and made Angela smile as she looked over the white and yellow tiling of the unit. The main room was a common area, like her living room back in London . There was a colossal television as blu-ray player, but no cases. Already Angela deduced that she could theoretically have any via the 'Sterling' that Cupid had mentioned at the check in desk. Before she could make her way to the bedroom however, she saw something roll up to her leg. It was a small sphere, resembling a squishy ball on top of a smaller ball. In it's center, was a glowing blue light that moved about like an eye. As it looked up to her, the eye demonstrated a happy expression.
"Hello there, Dr Ziegler! I am Sterling!" The ball introduced itself in a electronic voice, the tone was low, such as the presenter of 'Pointless' on the BBC that Angela watched most nights, but with an air of lightness and childish flair that made the spherical machine utterly adorable. Angela wanted to cuddle it already. "I am programmed to aid and assist you in anything you may need during your stay here!" Sterling beeped in adorable sequence. Already Angela was cringing over how charming the spheroid attendee was.
Angela's eyes widened. "What in the world?" She gently pressed the small sphere, feeling it's body was made of a squishy material. "What are you?" She inquired, still in shock over how lovely their voice was, but so curious as to what the thing was to begin with. "Are you part of a welcome package?" She asked sarcastically, prodding their spherical shape and gently rubbing the soft hide.
"I'm a service-bot!" The little ball replied in the same lovely voice as before. They were really charming. "My fellow attendees are assigned to all new guests here at the hotel. We serve as a welcome guide, information specialists, counsellors, helpers, even butlers should you require!" Sterling informed her, shifting in the air in the spheroid monitor body. Whatever they were officially, Angela wondered if she could take him home, for they were perfectly endearing.
More questions filled Angela's mind over how this little droid could work, or what else they could help her with. "How do you function?" Angela inquired. "I've never seen a robot so advanced before." She added, thinking of the robotics program at her university in London when she was studying. Robotics there were incredibly mundane and mediocre, this was something out of a sci-fi novel or movie like Beebee-Eight or Artoo-Deetoo.
"I apologise but I cannot reveal any details of my creation," the tiny monitor informed her. "It's kind of a secret. Wouldn't want the wrong people having access to advanced artificial intelligence like myself." He safeguarded against her. There had been people trying to do it. Cupid must have guarded her plethora of secrets close to the chest.
Given the ambition and utter impossibility of this entire hotel, Angela could not blame her at all. "That does make sense," she admitted to Sterling. "Alright, if you're here to help me, would you turn the shower on for me while I go and change?"
"Most certainly, Dr Ziegler," Sterling accepted, floating out of the main common room, heading towards the bedroom and the en-suite. Again Angela had absolutely no idea how he would turn it on, but he was so cute and helpful. Angela followed the small automaton, walking up the along the smooth carpeted floor, her small heels beginning to make her feet a little worn. She long for flats now, the standing at the front desk had taken all enjoyment out of wearing the minute wedges. She was soon in a bedroom that seemed to be more at home in a royal palace rather than a hotel, with gold trim and a large four poster bed with with a duvet of her favourite shade of orange. To her left was an open door to the en-suite bathroom, the sound of rushing water emanating from it. Once she peered inside she saw the shower, which doubled as a bathtub, again gilded with gold over most of the place and all the tiling and linoleum was perfect to the sight. The bathroom alone would have cost what she made in a quarter. The rest of the suite another two years.
Sterling hovered back over to her as she gawked at the rest of the bedroom and bathroom, his small servos making a high-pitched whooshing sound that resembled a light wind. "It's ready when you are, Dr Ziegler!" He chirped with an enthusiastic beep that made her grin. "Don't worry about the water going cold, the shower will automatically detect what temperature is right for your skin and your mood. Should you find yourself stressed, the water will turn colder, and should you bring a match home, it may turn warmer with increased steam." Sterling explained once more, so intelligently but with his personality dominating his tone. He was eager to assist.
"Wow," Angela expressed. "This place is really advanced." As she started to undress herself, she decided it might be best to learn as much as possible about this establishment from the little robot. "So, Sterling," she began. "Could you tell me more about this hotel? How it works and such?"
"Of course!" The robot replied. "What would you like to know, Dr Ziegler? I can divulge what information is available to guests," Sterling alluded, hovering around the room and leading his own wat over the bed so he was not explicitly looking at Angela as she undressed and wandered into the shower. As if reading her mind, he continued. "If you're firstly wondering the most obvious question, Dr Ziegler - as in how your hotel room could also contain a view of an outdoor pool, the answer is fairly simple if not thrilling. Dimensional shifting!" The robot explained to her as she stepped into the stream of perfectly heated water. "This entire building is a self contained spacial expanse. That is to say the inside is a pocket dimension." Sterling clarified at the precise pace that made sense to Angela, as much as it could.
The floating orb turned to face the door and continued. "It exists flawlessly outside of normal spacetime and inside a different reality so it can have an infinite space! It can also act as a gateway to other places and dimensions, very handy if you and your significant other want to go somewhere special." He added, making Angela think of a morning date a Venice. She accepted the proposal of thought - if the hotel was its own dimension with the ability to open doors to other places, any couple could take the perfect date. That was what Cupid had in mind, Angela thought. "Think of it this way," Sterling spoke again as she washed herself. "If you wanted to go to Venice or Paris with your date at any time during the day, you could. Any door can lead to anywhere here. Just open one door and suddenly, you're there." He rounded off.
Impossible, and yet absolutely genius, to one with infinite power such as Cupid. That was what she had told Angela at the front desk, when saying the hotel had so many attractions. She meant that the hotel literally had all the attractions anyone could want, for it could contain them, and take you to any it didn't have close by.
Angela accepted it, it all seemed to make sense, beyond the laws of conventional physics, but it was truly acceptable to her. This place was making sense more and more now, and the possibilities began to well and surely seem endless. Angela supposed they could well be. It was a good thing she her own mind. Not just governed by logics, but also open to the outrageous. This was as fictionally real as it could get and she was eager to see and learn more. "Alright, so what happens when I get matched up?" She put to the small droid.
Sterling beeped with heightened enthusiasm at the question on the process. "Of course, the form you helped fill out at the front desk is currently live. Should you wish to be put with someone, simply inform myself, and we shall find your most compatible match within minutes," Sterling replied. "I'd then show you a hologram of said match and if you'd like to meet them, that's more than acceptable! Your data would be proposed to them and a meeting could be set up in even less time." Sterling promised, his tone even more cheerful. "In fact, it's guaranteed for you to meet your true love here."
"True love?"Angela asked, suddenly mulling the thought over in her mind from the comfort of the soothing shower. She had never thought about love much since entering medical school. The idea of there being such a thing as a true love or a soulmate, someone that another person would connect with so profoundly that they were unquestionably meant for each other, it was something from a fairytale that Angela could not really believe in. It was simply so far away to her. "That's... astounding," Angela admitted. To think at that very moment, people in this hotel were having their dreams come true and sharing their happiest days with the ones they loved. The scale of it all was immense and unreal. "But one thing I would really like to know is… how did Cupid know who I was?" She asked next, thinking back to how Cupid called her by her first name as soon as she called her at all.
Sterling laughed in a synthetic way, charming again like the rest of him. "The goddess probably knows you had a relationship in the past. One that you believed you were in love with the other person," the robot stated, developing the answer in a way that also made sense like his explanation of the hotel itself. "If anyone has believed themselves to be in love with anyone else at a point in their lives, then Cupid has met them."
Angela knew that did make sense, but she suddenly thought about the rest of the hotel, and more specifically about her room in general. Looking around the bathroom she thought of the cost, she had to know at what expense was all this luxury. It was going to cost her a fortune and she felt dread in her stomach, especially after leaving her credit card information with the hotel online to reserve her stay. "Sterling?" She called. "How much does all this cost? This suite alone seems more expensive my entire flat at home."
"Fear not, Dr Ziegler. Just as this isn't any ordinary hotel, the price is simply the same as the average other." Sterling remarked. "Cupid doesn't have any need for money, although she does gladly donate all revenue gathered to charities that attempt to fight against domestic abuse, and those who offer counselling for victims of it as well as other types of abusive relationships." The spheroid informed her.
"Oh... that's quite a noble cause," Angela responded, feeling galvanised evermore to learn that the hotel helped fight a plague of the realm of companionship. This hotel was amazing, something that shouldn't exist yet it did. How Moira had discovered this place, she didn't know, but perhaps her old rival had actually done a good thing by suggesting this place. Angela knew that she might as well make the most of this place. Stepping out of the shower she thought about the rest of the hotel there might be on offer, and a lot about how much Cupid had alluded to, as well as what Sterling had informed her about.
If the hotel was a gateway to potentially anywhere, then anything could be explored with another person. And while she had a week to do it, Angela thought about the plethora of thrilling memories and experiences that were potentially simply a request to Sterling away. He would be the one to find her a match through the network of guests staying here, and there could be a meet-up at any location. Should Angela try something big on the first attempt? She decided to try something a little tame for the first match, and hoped that it would be with someone compatible, Cupid had hoped as much for her at the front desk.
She came out of the en suite in her bathrobe and sifted through the suitcase for something to wear. "Sterling could you assist me tonight?" She asked the floating orb with the chivalrous voice.
"Why, of course, Dr Ziegler, what is it that you require?" The droid asked with loving intent. He was so eager to help he whirled in a circle.
With an equally eager tone, Angela smiled and told him. "I'd like to make a match tonight. And if it would be okay, I'd like to meet them at a poolside bar for some drinks." Angela told him, for now dressing herself in the satin bathrobe with floral patterns she'd brought from home. It was not new or impressive as she'd owned it for some time but it was the most comfortable thing she had packed in her suitcase for the trip. It would clothe her until she figured out what to wear for the date. She realised she had not bothered to pack any kind of swimwear apart from a single one-piece bathing suit in a navy colour as she had seen the hotel advertised a pool. She did not know it would be an outdoor one of course. "And… Is there anyway I could get a bikini and shawl? I only packed a bathing suit." She added at the end.
Sterling beeped happily. "Of course, Dr Ziegler. A bellhop will be by shortly with precisely what you require. As for your match, is there anything you would like in particular? A certain demographic from which to pick? You've received many requests since your profile when live." The sphere explained, at which point the door exhumed a knocking noise. The bellhop was like lightning.
Angela opened it to receive her outfit, which already looked gorgeous to the eye. "No… Um, could it be with someone I'd be most compatible with? Athletic… Determined… Charming?" She asked, narrowing the endless possibility of women down to a few numbers, and atop the stack would be one she was already most anxious to meet as she dressed.
"Analysing the network now." Sterling informed her, and within seconds he was beeping with the result. "I believe I have found a nominal match for you, Dr Ziegler." He reported.
Angela nodded, soon fully dressed and eying herself in the mirror. The ensemble had even come with a straw hat and she loved it. In fact she adored the whole outfit, which struck her as an inevitability. Cupid said she'd fall in love with the hotel itself, and it was already happening quickly. Sterling was lovable. "Alright, let's see who I've got." She told him.
The robot's optic glowed softly and it displayed a hologram in front of Angela. The hologram was of a woman, slightly taller than her and so much better toned, especially in her lower abdomen, as she was wearing a similar ensemble to Angela now. She was of Arabian descent, likely Egyptian, with darkly tanned skin, brown, long and beautifully luscious hair and a tattoo under her right eye. She was wearing a rather beautiful blue gown (the abdomen of which was a little translucent) and her shoulders and arms were fully exposed, showing her proud muscles. Angela blushed softly at her holographic image. This woman, whoever she was, was the most beautiful, exquisite woman she had ever seen. She was already feeling her heart strings being pulled at the sight of her. She was just the woman Cupid had been describing at the front desk.
"Who…" Dr Ziegler stammered she was so overcome with complete lust and want. She very much wanted to see this woman for real, to meet her. "Who is she?" Angela wondered, eager to learn this woman's name.
"Her name is Fareeha Amari," Sterling stated happily. "She checked in yesterday at our location in Egypt! She's rather into slightly slender women like yourself, is very loyal to her partners and is quite proud of herself, very confident and determined." He informed her. "As you requested, she is athletic, as you can see from her physique, and determined in her ambitions in life. Her occupation is in an international police force - she has worked with Interpol on many occasions. I do believe she ticks all the boxes, Dr Ziegler."
The platinum blonde was astounded, and moonstruck. "She sounds amazing!" Angela expressed. All her life she had wanted a partner who was confident about themselves, dedicated to their life and to whatever person was in it. She smiled. "Can I meet her?"
"You can!" Sterling stated. "In fact, I've already taken the liberty of setting up a date for you!" He added, moving into the common room as Angela looked into her suitcase once more to discover something to wear over her bikini in case they did not end up going swimming. If Fareeha Amari was wearing such a gorgeous gown to this meeting, if that was what she was wearing right now, then Angela wanted to wear a similar article. Soon enough, Angela had changed into a beautiful white evening gown with long gloves and gold highlights. It slightly looked like a wedding dress, but Angela knew she wasn't going to be marrying anyone she just met. After all, she wasn't that crazy. She simply adored the femininity and beauty of the gown. The gloves may have been overkill but she would remove them if they got in the way of what she wanted out of the date.
She stood in front of the door to her room, holding her hand on the knob. "Where exactly do I have to go?" She asked Sterling, confused about how to get to her match in the first place. While she now knew that the hotel could lead anywhere, she was confused as to how to get there precisely.
"Just step through the door, Dr Ziegler," Sterling informed her. "It will automatically lead you to the location I selected for you to meet Fareeha."
Angela nodded, turning the knob. "Alright here goes." She quickly closed her eyes and strided through the door, heading out of her room. She felt the heat from the evening sun hit her body and the welcome heat of somewhere that was certainly not New York City. It felt so warm, so sublimely hot, a heat that could only come from either Australia or Africa, most probably the latter as the heat from down under had hurt Angela in the past.
As she stepped fully out of her hotel room and into the glorious outdoors, she suddenly felt a warm breeze hit her face, hot and sandy and still so warm her skin sung to her. She opened her eyes. "Oh my gosh!" Angela was no longer in her hotel, nor was she in New York City anymore. She was now standing on a balcony at a resort somewhere what appeared to be someplace like Cairo, clearly in some sort of restaurant, and below her, a wide and massive pool with the pattern of a dolphin under the clear blue water. Looking over the horizon and seeing the massive sand dunes, Angela knew exactly where she was. To the distance, she could see the shapes of the great pyramids and the mighty sphinx that stood before them. Angela was in Egypt, halfway around the world. "I can't believe it..." Angela was at a loss for words. She had been amazed by the hotel already, but this was something else. She had literally stepped through one door and been sent across the ocean in less than a second.
She looked around, wondering where her date could possibly be. Patience was not her strong suit, although she had worked with it as a surgeon, she had never needed to wait for results, however. As she leaned over the balcony and gazed at the setting sun on the horizon, near the pyramids and the beautiful Sahara deep in the far distance, she grew all the more tiresome of the nothingness. Angela had hoped so much for the stunning Fareeha Amari to be waiting for her at the bar when she had warped in. But Angela was left waiting. Suddenly, she felt a hand place itself on her shoulder, warm and tender, feeling very strong.
Angela turned around and looked up, blushing softly and shyly instantly as her eyes met sublime amber ones - Fareeha. Standing behind her was Fareeha Amari, dressed in the same blue gown as the hologram that Angela had seen. She was much taller than Angela had anticipated and there was a warm smile on her face.
"You must be Angela, right?" Officer Amari spoke, her voice thick with an Egyptian accent and just as fabulous as her physical frame. Her smile was even better than the one Cupid had given to Angela when she checked in. At hat point, she remembered that this was also the hotel. Sterling had mentioned Fareeha checking into the Cairo location, and thus this must have been it. The music coming from the bar filled her ears and she fell in love with the tune - Lionel Richie's 'All Night Long (All Night)' and the scents of spirits and gorgeous cooking swirled in the air. As the sun went down, the darkness crept in and Angie could see the staff turn the lights up a little. The aura was absolutely special, disappointing in zero ways. "I've, kinda been expecting you." Fareeha told Angela, being so bold as to take her hand right away. There was no doubt that either of them were the person they'd asked for.
Utterly shellshocked to Fareeha and how she looked, how her words inspired such a splendid beating of Angela's anxious heart, she nodded, confirming her identity. "I am... and you must be… Well, you're absolutely beautiful… Fareeha." Dr Ziegler pushed herself to speak.
Fareeha smiled, her divine lips curling in such a way that made Angela blush, her teeth were angelically white and her smile was like that of a goddess, even more than Cupid's was. "That's nice of you to say," she admitted, stroking Angela's cheek in another bold move. It was certain to deduce that Fareeha certainly was not nervous about this meeting or anxious. It was fair to say she'd struck gold with this match and loved what she saw in the glass of Angela's sapphire eyes. "But if I'm going to be honest, you look like an angel in this dress… Angela. And against that setting sun… How are you not a gift from the gods?"
Angela's heart melted, her fear and apprehensive thoughts all dissolving away until she could only feel in the heat of the moment as Fareeha held her hand and touched her cheek. She would all for more touching and tried to advance herself. With a slightly shaking hand she snaked it up the toned, chiseled forearm of the gorgeous study of physique and athletic study. She had never been so touched in all her life. This woman, Fareeha, was truly the perfect one for her.
"You are shaking, are you okay, Angela?" Fareeha asked, feeling the trembling as Angela touched her arm and pushed to feel more of her body.
Trying to breathe normally and move past the moonstruck haze the Egyptian woman had left her in, Angela stammered again as she spoke, tripping over her limp tongue. "Oh… Yes, I apologise, I'm very fine. I just… I'm very new to this kind of experience…" She confessed, her eyes wide and dilated as she gazed lovingly at Fareeha's face.
The security chief chuckled a little, which made her all the more attractive. "Let me guess… This is your first time at the hotel, right? Where are you… Sorry. Where did you come from?" Fareeha asked, her smile not fading from her face. Angela could not get enough of it.
She paused from sheer shock again. "Um, I was in New York, thinking I'd be making a holiday there… And then I stepped through my room door, and I saw the pyramids." Angela explained, looking away from her match to compute the magic that had unfolded before her since she had even entered the hotel in NYC. To be in Cairo in seconds, for it to even be sunset when she had entered the hotel at just after breakfast, magic was the only word to be used to describe the process. Sterling was right, spacetime didn't mean a thing to the hotel and to Cupid. Angela was still keeping up, but then she saw Fareeha's amber eyes. They were dazzling with the sunset reflecting in them.
Fareeha held her hands, looking at her with loving eyes. "Would you like to sit down? What are you drinking? Please, allow me to get you something. Are you hungry?" Officer Amari ran away with herself, the perfect smile still on her face threatening to never move. Angela didn't want it to. In fact, the only thing she wanted to happen to those lips was for them to be kissing her own.
Angela nodded. She needed a sit down because this woman was taking her breath away, literally and making her legs feel as if they were made of jello and other wobbly things. She was led to a nearby chair and sat in front of Fareeha, they eyes never parting. "I'll… have a small white wine, if they serve that…" She settled. Fareeha first hailed a waiter flawlessly and gave an order - a white wine, and her own small gin and tonic, with a small bowl of potato crisps.
"You are... everything I could have hoped for," Fareeha spoke, suddenly and profoundly once the waiter had left them be. "This is my third time at the hotel in five years. I've had some successes, they didn't tend to work... but I'm loving every second with you."
Angela smiled, her blush deepening, and she knew Fareeha could see it, her strong and stark eyes were mellow and yet a little predatory. The Egyptian woman was slowly undressing Angela with every word the platinum blonde spoke to her. "Me too... is this where you grew up?" Dr Ziegler asked, gently reaching forward across the small table and locking fingers with Fareeha again as she gazed deeply into her eyes again. While the more confident woman was giving Angela bedroom eyes, the more reserved Doctor was making out with her with her eyes outside of the hotel branch. She gestured to the city nearby, referring to the question.
The law enforcement specialist nodded politely. "My mother lives not far from this place actually. I live over in the states though." She admitted, leaning in closer as she spoke. "I'm here visiting her and I decided to try and make a match at the same time. Not many people know Cairo has a Cupid Hotel. Are you from Germany, or somewhere close to there? The accent you have is gorgeous, Angela." Fareeha was in love with her voice, and the more Angela spoke, the more she loved the twang of brashness of the Swiss-German.
Giggling, trying to cover her mouth with her free hand, Angela pulled away slightly, needing a swift drink as the waiter interrupted them to bring over the order. Angela sipped at the wine and it was superb. Fareeha joined her with a swig of her sparkling gin and tonic mix. "No, no I'm from Switzerland. But I don't blame you for being confused. The accents are pretty much the same." The adorable Doctor cleared up, setting back into her leaning position and reaching for Fareeha's hand once more.
"Really?" Fareeha remarked, her eyes dilating as she rejoined the conversation and curled her lips. "I guess you'll have to teach me sometime, if you'd like to." She winked at her playfully.
"I'd absolutely love to teach you German… If you teach me some Arabian. That is, if you know any of course. You may not, living in the states," Angela began to stumble again, causing her match to chuckle to herself, and drink again. Dr Ziegler copied and sipped her wine again, looking into Fareeha's eyes. She was in utter heaven, living out her dream romance with this woman, this supreme example of the feminine form and the glorious physical conditioning that Angela found more attractive than other physiques. Fareeha's form and her shrewd and bold personality ticked all Angela's boxes and she wanted so much more contact. She wanted Fareeha, already to undress her back in her suite. "Gosh, you're so beautiful. So toned and strong... and very confident I hear." She complimented Fareeha, feeling her way up the woman's toned arm once more. The shape and musculature was turning her on so exquisitely.
Smiling, Fareeha let Angela feel her fill of her toned arm, and teasingly flexed her bicep for her, making that blush return to Angela's cheeks. "Got it in one, Angie," Fareeha replied, smiling teasingly and keeping her muscle flexed. "Do you mind being called that?" She checked, relaxing her arm.
Angela flushed shyly. "No... Not at all."
Fareeha stroked her cheek again as she did on the balcony and Dr Ziegler's eyes went wider still. "Would you mind... if I... do something? Something I've wanted to do since I saw your eyes," Fareeha said. She gently cupped Angela's cheeks, pulling herself forward and gently kissing the blonde's lips. Angela blushed furiously, but then closed her eyes gently relaxing into the kiss. She felt completely entranced by the Egyptian woman's lips. When they broke her blue eyes opened and she breathed so heavily she felt her lungs float away from her, through her body. Had Cupid shot her with an arrow after all? Or was this the part she had done all on her own.
"I… Absolutely do not mind." Angela replied late. "Would you mind if I did something of my own?" She counterasked.
"Absolutely not…"
They leaned forward to each other again and began to kiss just as before, fingers interlocking into the other's and their kisses turned from adorable pecks into a deeper and more intimate exchange. Suddenly, Angela found herself on the kissing offensive, deeply making out with Fareeha back, letting her tongue slide into the other woman's mouth. Fareeha returned, their tongues dancing together in between their mouths. They kissed for what seemed like hours, gently caressing the other's lips with their own. This was so much more than anything Angela had expected. Her first match and already she was kissing Fareeha, for she was a lot, so much of what Angela wanted, so much of her perfectly envisioned woman, and for Fareeha, Angela was very much the same. She was feminine and slender, shorter and so deep and adorable in how she spoke and how she acted.
As the music died down to a lull and the general chatter of the bar continued into the night, with the sun fully set in the background, the pair kept kissing as the stars poked through the sky, a blanket of beauty. A lovely backdrop to a gorgeous match.
Both felt amazingly lucky, and fulfilled. Already this was a grand vacation, and Angela could not wait for more with Fareeha...
xXx
Author's note: Another collab I did with Val! This one is probably gonna be a series we'll both be making little one-shots for and if you want to as well, you can! Just be sure to let Val know by tagging it with Cupid Hotel!
See you next time!