A/N: Ok here is the second chapter. This one still sorta introduces the character, but I promise that next chapter we will see some familiar faces!

On with the story!


The ride to the Madedras hotel was quiet, with Gregory only making comments about some of the buildings, but they were few and far between.

When the taxi pulled up outside the hotel Gregory got out and opened the trunk as well as Natalie's door and helped her out. He then grabbed her bags from the trunk and set them down beside her. He glanced at the meter.

"Here you are Natalie, safe and sound. That'll be fifty-five dollars and sixty cents," he said. Natalie smiled at him and handed him some money, picked up her bags with ease and walked towards the hotel entrance.

"Keep the change!" she called out as she entered the hotel lobby. Gregory looked at the money in his hand. She had given him two hundred dollars.

"Thank you miss!" he called back. He smiled as he put the money in his pocket and climbed into his taxi and drove away.


Natalie just nodded her head and smiled, and continued into the hotel. The Madedras was a very luxurious hotel with elegant furnishings. The floor was polished wood and the walls was dark red wooden panelling. A hall runner stretched from the entrance up the middle of the room to the reception desk. To the left of the desk was a door way which led into the lounge, and to the right was an elegant staircase and an elevator.

"Welcome to the Madedras, do you have a reservation?" the receptionist asked when Natalie approached. She set her bags down and placed her handbag on the desk. She removed her sunglasses and pushed them up into her hair to keep it off her face.

"Hello, yes I do, Natalie Constantine," she replied smiling. The young male receptionist smiled back at her and began to type her name into the computer but stopped.

"How do you spell your last name?" he asked shyly, as if he was embarrassed. Natalie could tell that he was new, that she was probably the first person he had served. She smiled at him again.

"C…o…n…s…t…a…n…t…i…n…e," she spelled out for him. While he searched the computer for confirmation of her reservation Natalie went through her handbag, searching for her pen and cheque book.

"Ahh….yes….here you are Miss Constantine," he smiled as he reached behind him and grabbed her keys off the hook, "You're in suite 409. That's on the fifth floor,"

"Thank you……Tyler," she replied when she spotted his name tag. She always thought it nice to refer to staff by their names instead of referring to them as 'you'.

"Would you like to pay now or when you check out?" Tyler asked, his cheeks slightly flushed. It wasn't like he hadn't seen beautiful women before, he had, but none of them ever spoke to him with respect or called him by his name.

"I'll pay now I think, that'd be easier, do you mind if I write a cheque? I don't have any money on me at the moment I just gave the last of it to the taxi driver," Natalie smiled. She liked Tyler, there was just something about him.

"No, no, that's fine, a cheque is fine," Natalie smiled and began to write out the cheque. Before he could tell her how much it would be she ripped the cheque from the book and handed it to him.

"That should cover it," she said. She took her keys off the counter, collected her luggage and headed for the elevator.

"Wait miss, this is too much, we can't accept it," Tyler called out to her.

"Nonsense, it is not enough. I know how much the room will be, and I also know how much room service will be. There is enough to cover that in the cheque. The rest I hope will go to ensuring that my stay is enjoyable," Natalie stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes miss," Tyler put the cheque in the cash draw then turned back to Natalie, "Miss, allow me to take your bags upstairs for you. It's the least I can do."

Before Natalie had a chance to respond Tyler was taking two of the bags off her.

"Thank you," she smiled. She pressed the button for the elevator then waited for the doors to open. When they opened she stepped inside, Tyler close behind her. Tyler pressed the button for the fifth floor.

"Do you like working here Tyler?" Natalie asked. She faced the doors as did he.

"Yes miss, the people are usually nice and the pay is good," he replied quickly, as if he had rehearsed the line. Natalie looked at him and they both laughed.

"You're new here aren't you?" Natalie asked when her laughter subsided. Tyler looked at her and nodded.

"Is it that obvious?" he cringed. It was clear to Natalie that Tyler was trying to appear to be experienced at working in a hotel, for what reason she didn't know,

"To me it is, but I've been in enough hotel's to know when someone is new or not." Tyler gave her a puzzled expression.

"Hotel receptionists and even concierges barely ever offer to carry a guest's bags to their room, they usually give that job to one of the maids. Back in the old days receptionists and concierges would carry the bags but that has died out, so I knew that if you offered to carry my bags then you must be new," Natalie explained. Tyler just silently nodded his head. "Don't worry, it's not a bad thing, trust me,"

The elevator stopped moving and the doors opened. Natalie stepped through into the corridor and began walking to suite 409. The corridor had a yellow/gold theme with soft gold carpet and yellow panelled walls. Small elegant tables lined the walls every few metres, and each held a vase of lilies.

Suite 409 was the eighth door on the right. Natalie inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. The room before her was beautiful. The carpet was a royal red, and the walls were blood red. In the middle of the room was a red love seat with gold edgings. In front of the seat there was a glass coffee table. A large TV adorned the wall in front of the table. Around the room were tables with vases. On one there was a bowl of pot-pouri.

Tyler moved into the room and opened the first door on his left. He picked up the bags and took them into the new room. It was the bedroom. He came back out and took the two bags Natalie still held and put them with the others.

"This is the living area," he indicated the room they were in, "This is the bedroom, the next door along is the kitchenette. On the other side is the bathroom," as he spoke he pointed to the rooms.

"Thank you Tyler, do you have the time?" Natalie inquired. Tyler glanced down at his watch.

"It's five fifteen," he replied.

"Shit! I need to go!" Natalie swore. Tyler looked startled.

"I have an appointment and it's across town, I really have to get going," with that she made her way towards the door but stopped, "Here, take this, for your help," she said as she slipped a fifty dollar note into his hand. She forgot that she had told him earlier that she had no money on her.

"Thank you," he replied, shocked. Natalie ushered him out and closed the door behind them. Tyler headed for the elevator and Natalie headed for the stairs.

Natalie ran as fast as she could down the stairs and out of the hotel. She stood on the curb and considered hailing a taxi, then thought against it; she knew how she could get there faster.


A/N: Ok what do you think? I hope that you like it!