Alliances
Part 18
Chicago, Illinois is the third largest city in the United States, and the largest inland city in the country. The more than one-hundred sixty-year-old city is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan. Chicago is best-known for its diverse cuisine, and its urban style.
United Airline's flight 6329 landed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport shortly after two-thirty in the afternoon. Sue Ellen waited in her first-class seat, until the majority of the other passengers had left the plane. Sue Ellen arose from her seat, and walked past the flight attendants waiting by the exit.
Sue Ellen thanked the flight attendants for a pleasant flight, as they in turn wished her an enjoyable stay in the Windy City. Sue Ellen absently glanced at her wristwatch, out of habit, more than anything, not particularly concerned about the time.
Sue Ellen briskly walked through Concourse B of Terminal 1. She retrieved her overnight bag from the baggage carrousel, and walked outside to the passenger loading zone. One of the sky caps asked her if she needed a taxi, Sue Ellen graciously accepted his offer, and smiled as a taxi pulled up to the side the loading zone.
The taxicab driver eyed Sue Ellen's reflection in his rear-view mirror, and asked, "Where to, Ma'am?"
Sue Ellen replied, "The Fairmont Hotel, please?"
The taxi cab driver glanced in his side view mirror, as he pulled out into the airport traffic. Sue Ellen was jostled around in the back seat of the taxi cab, as the driver swerved in and out of traffic at speeds much greater than he should have been traveling. Sue Ellen found his need for speed unusual, since his fares were time dependant.
Sue Ellen found herself recalling the words to a song she used to listen to, 'Life in the Fast Lane.' The taxi driver's speed was much too fast for her tastes. Sue Ellen glared at the taxi driver when she saw him staring at her in the rear-view mirror. The driver diverted his attention back to the road ahead, and abruptly brought the cab to a screeching halt in front of the valet parking doors at the Fairmont Hotel.
Sue Ellen paid the taxi cab driver, and left him a small tip, just to let him know that she was less than pleased with the frightening trip to the hotel. The taxi driver muttered something in his native tongue. Sue Ellen was certain it was about her, but dismissed his insult, attributing his attitude to lack of breeding.
Sue Ellen sauntered through the hotel doors, as a doorman smiled at her, and looked to see if she was unescorted. It was rare that a woman as beautiful as Sue Ellen Ewing graced the lobby of Chicago's Fairmont Hotel without being followed by the careful scrutiny of a spouse, or significant other.
Sue Ellen stepped up to the reservation desk, and said, "Hello, I'm Sue Ellen Ewing. I have a reservation for the Fairmont Suite."
The reservation attendant said, "Yes, Ma'am. If you would please sign this release form, I'll hand you your room key, and our concierge will help you with your luggage."
Sue Ellen took the plastic access card from the reservation attendant, and said, "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I only brought an overnight bag."
The reservation attendant said, "Very well, then, Mrs. Ewing. Thank you for joining us at the Fairmont, and we hope you have a pleasant stay. If you require anything at all during your stay, please do not hesitate to call us."
Sue Ellen smiled, and said, "Thank you, very much."
Sue Ellen fidgeted with the hotel suite access card while she waited for the elevator car to take her to her suite.
The elevator doors opened, and Sue Ellen peered inside the car. She didn't want to ride in the elevator with complete strangers, and was relieved to discover the elevator empty, as she stepped inside the car. Sue Ellen pressed the button to the floor for her suite, and looked up to watch the lighted floor numbers change, as the car ascended to the floor she requested.
Sue Ellen walked out of the elevator, and glanced at the sign on the wall with the arrows displaying the directions to the suites on the floor. Sue Ellen walked through the hallway, and stopped in front of the door to her suite. She placed the plastic access card into the slot above the doorknob, and waited until three red lights flashed, allowing her access to the suite.
Sue Ellen glanced around her, before stepping into the suite, making sure that no one was lurking in the hallway, waiting to do unspeakable things to a woman traveling by herself. Sue Ellen clicked her tongue in her mouth, as she realized how pitiful she must have looked, worrying about such things, in broad daylight.
Sue Ellen dialed the number to J.R.'s mobile phone, but he wasn't answering. Sue Ellen left him a voice message, telling him that she was in Chicago, and she would try to call him after the press review. She softly whispered that she loved J.R., and missed him, before ending the call.
J.R. gazed out the window of the plane, as the pilot announced that they would soon be landing at Chicago's O' Hare International Airport, and advising all of the planes' passengers to move their tables into their upright positions, and securely fasten their seat restraints. J.R. was too far into his daydream to pay attention to the announcement.
J.R. pulled his mobile phone out of his shirt pocket, and dialed the number for information. A message scrolled across the screen of his phone stating that no telephone service was available.
"Damn!" J.R. cursed aloud.
J.R. had completely forgotten that mobile phones seldom worked on airplanes, something to do with the electrical system of the plane interfering with the computer circuitry of the mobile phones.
J.R. grumbled, "Modern technology, my ass."
The elderly female passenger in the seat adjacent to J.R's snorted, as if she were offended by the stranger's blasphemous remark.
J.R. found the elderly woman's reaction amusing, and chuckled aloud, as he speculated what she would think if he had said what was really on his mind.
J.R. arose from his seat, as the pilot thanked the passengers for flying United Express to Chicago, and wishing the passengers a pleasant stay in the city, or a safe journey to their final destinations.
Sue Ellen checked her appearance in the mirror in the entryway to her suite, and reapplied her lipstick. She glanced at her watch, and decided that now would be as good a time as any to get a head start on the press review. She tossed her overnight bag on top of the king-sized bed, and walked out of the door. She double-checked that the door was securely locked, and headed down the hallway to the elevators.
J.R. pulled his mobile phone out of his shirt pocket, and redialed the number for information.
A nasally sounding voice answered, and asked, "What city, please?"
J.R. said, "Chicago, uh . . . Illinois."
The nasal voice asked, "What number, please?"
J.R. rolled his eyes. How the hell would he know the number for any florist shops in Chicago?
J.R. bitingly said, "I'd like the number to a florist, please?"
The nasal voice queried, "Which florist, Sir? I show listings for over six-hundred florists in the metropolitan Chicago area."
J.R. snorted, and said, "Never mind," as he pressed the end button on his mobile telephone.
J.R. would have to instruct the hotel's concierge to order the roses for Sue Ellen, and arrange for the flowers to be delivered to her suite. That was, after all, what the concierge did best.
Sue Ellen waked through the hotel doors to the waiting limousine that would drive her to the convention center at McCormick Place. McCormick place was located directly across from a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan.
Sue Ellen instructed the limousine driver to take her to the convention center, as she adjusted her position in the seat in the back of the limousine.
J.R. paid his cab fare, and tossed a twenty-dollar bill at the taxicab driver who dropped him off at the Fairmont Chicago Hotel. J.R. walked through the hotel entrance, and across the lobby, stopping at the reservation desk.
The reservation desk attendant smiled at J.R, and said, "Good Afternoon, Sir. How may I help you?"
J.R. grinned his broadest Texas grin, and said, "Hi, my name is J.R. Ewin', and my wife Sue Ellen Ewin' is stayin in the Fairmont Suite, and I'd like to surprise her when she gets back from a meetin' at the McCormick Convention Center. I'll pay any additional costs for another door key."
The reservation attendant said, "I'll have to ask for identification, Sir. Just a precautionary measure for the safety and security of our guests, you understand?"
J.R. was glad that they requested to see identification. Lord knows what type of weirdos might be runnin' around Chicago. The Ewing's had certainly dealt with their fair share of entanglements with lunatics, and whack jobs over the years. Why would Chicago be any different from Dallas?
The reservation attendant handed J.R. the door access card, and asked if there was anything else he required.
J.R. said, "Yes, I would like you to order two dozen bouquets of red, and yellow roses to be delivered to our suite. I'll stop by the concierge desk later on, and pick up a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice. Oh, and a plate of strawberries and whipped creme."
The reservation attendant informed J.R. that his request would be quickly fulfilled.
J.R. walked back outside to the valet parking area, in front of the hotel doors, and asked the doorman to hail a taxi to take him to the convention center. Seconds later, a taxicab pulled up in front of the sidewalk, and J.R. opened the back door.
J.R. climbed into the back seat of the taxi, and said, "The McCormick Convention Center, please, and step on it."
The taxi cab quickly drove along Columbus Avenue, and turned left on Michigan Avenue. The taxi driver took the exit to the Stevenson Expressway Northbound, and brought the taxi to a halt in front of the McCormick Convention Center on 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive. J.R. paid the exorbitant cab fare, and tipped the driver, then turned around to walk toward the convention center.
Sue Ellen stood behind a dark oak podium in one of the large press rooms at the convention center. Camera flashbulbs were blinking like strobe lights, even before the press review had begun. Sue Ellen carried a handful of flash cards with prearranged answers to some of the questions the press corps would most likely ask her regarding the upscale line of Valentine Lingerie.
J.R. stood outside the conference room, watching for an opportunity to convince a few members of the press corps to extend the time for the press review well beyond its scheduled time frame. J.R. stopped a young, female member of the press corps, and briefly explained his plans for him, and Sue Ellen.
The young woman understood completely, and empathized with J.R., conveying how sweet she thought his surprise sounded, and how she wished her husband would be so generous with his love. J.R. instructed the member of the press corps which questions to ask, knowing Sue Ellen would feel obligated to give a detailed answer to the questions.
J.R. offered the young woman money for her efforts, but she declined, and said that nothing would make her happier than playing the role of cupid for J.R. and Sue Ellen. Besides, she commented that it would give her the opportunity to ask the owner of Valentine Lingerie such marvelous questions.
J.R. graciously thanked the young woman, and shook her hand, as she and her cameraman walked into the conference room.
J.R. smiled a wide grin, as he muttered to himself, "Hit 'em with the charm, J.R. It gets 'em every time."
Sue Ellen answered question upon question about the new upscale product line for Valentine Lingerie, each question seeming longer, and more detailed than the last. Sue Ellen refused to answer questions about the new model, and requested that all personal questions pertaining to the model or Sue Ellen, herself, be submitted in writing for her review later on.
The press corps review for the new Valentine's product line lasted well into the early hours of the evening. Sue Ellen nervously glanced at her watch, becoming disappointed as the minutes turned into hours. Sue Ellen found herself getting frustrated as she realized that she would probably wind up spending the night in a strange hotel room, in a king-sized bed without J.R.
J.R. watched as the crowd of photographers, and members of the press corps gradually filtered out of the convention center doors. J.R. walked to an obscure corner of the conference room, and waited until he saw Sue Ellen leave the convention center. J.R. walked out of the convention center, and hailed a taxi. J.R. asked the taxi driver if he could drive him to the Fairmont, and offered him fifty dollars, if he could get him there within fifteen minutes.
The taxi driver grinned, and said, "You got it, Mac."
J.R. anxiously kept his eyes on the road ahead. They were two car lengths behind Sue Ellen's limousine. The limousine stopped in front of the entrance to the Fairmont. J.R. asked that the taxi driver wait until Sue Ellen was inside the hotel.
The taxi driver said, "It's your dime, pal . . . I'll wait all night, if you'd like."
J.R. watched as the limousine pulled away from the entrance to the hotel. J.R. paid his cab fare, and handed the driver a hundred-dollar bill, telling him to keep the change. J.R. closed the door to the taxi cab, and quickly walked into the hotel lobby. J.R. grinned as he saw a pair of high-heeled sandals tapping on the floor of the elevator car.
J.R. walked over to the concierge's desk, and said, "Hello, my name is J.R. Ewin'. I called down here earlier, and requested two dozen roses be delivered to my wife's hotel suite."
The middle-aged woman behind the concierge's desk smiled at J.R., and said, "Yes, Mr. Ewing, two dozen bouquets of red and yellow roses arrived about an hour ago. Would you like us to have the non-alcoholic, sparkling grape juice, and the strawberries and whipped creme you requested earlier, delivered to your room, now?"
J.R. said, "No, why don't you wait until I call you back in an hour, or so?"
Sue Ellen kicked off her sandals once she was securely inside her hotel suite. She looked around the suite, and smiled as she saw the bouquets of red and yellow roses that filled the room. She knew almost immediately that the flowers were from J.R. She had no idea that J.R. waited for her outside the door to her suite.
Sue Ellen wanted to relax in a hot bath, and the hotel suite's oversized garden tub would suit her needs more than adequately. Sue Ellen removed her jacket, and placed it on a hanger in the closet of her suite. She unzipped her pants, and folded them over a hanger, placing them next to her jacket in the closet.
Sue Ellen walked into the bathroom of the suite, and sighed aloud, as her aching feet were cooled off by the cold tile covering the bathroom floor. She leaned over, and turned on the water in the garden tub. She picked up a bottle of bubble bath, and removed the lid. She closed her eyes, and inhaled the scent of lavender. The scent would do wonders for her aching head, and with any luck, help her to relax enough to fall asleep.
J.R. carefully opened the door to the suite, and slowly closed the door behind him. He could tell that Sue Ellen was soaking in the tub, as he heard the sound of water splashing against the side of the porcelain bath enclosure. J.R. cautiously walked over to the other side of the suite, and sat in a chair to wait for Sue Ellen.
Sue Ellen leaned against the back of the garden tub, and closed her eyes. The warm water, and the scented bubble bath soon calmed her headache. Sue Ellen yawned, and decided she should get out of the tub before she fell asleep. Sue Ellen arose from the garden tub, and toweled off.
Sue Ellen picked up her nightgown and placed it over her head. The pale pink gown was open in the back, revealing Sue Ellen's perfect posture, and flawless bronze skin. Sue Ellen leaned over the basin of the vanity, as she removed her make-up, and washed her face. She was startled by the sound of footsteps behind her. Sue Ellen gasped when she saw J.R. walk into the bathroom.
J.R. placed his long, tanned finger at the small of Sue Ellen's back, and slowly traced his finger up her spine. His finger gently touched her silky smooth skin. She could feel his touch on every bone of her back. She watched his reflection in the vanity mirror.
Sue Ellen studied J.R., as his deep, blue eyes followed the agile movements of his hand. His touch was so soft, and gentle on her skin, it felt like a feather, as his finger moved up her back. Sue Ellen could feel J.R.'s hot breath on her neck, as he exhaled. She found it incredibly difficult to stand in front of him, and not have him pull her into his arms.
Sue Ellen inhaled, as J.R.'s finger slowly moved up her spine. She had never been so keenly aware of how aroused the touch of his finger on her skin could make her feel. J.R.'s eyes darted to Sue Ellen's reflection in the mirror. J.R. knew that the touch of his finger on Sue Ellen's back was affording him the desired response.
J.R. felt Sue Ellen tremble, as he continued tracing his finger up her spine. Sue Ellen softly moaned as J.R.'s finger came to a stop at the base of her neck. J.R. started to gently massage her neck, as Sue Ellen leaned into him. J.R. put his arm around Sue Ellen's waist, and pulled her to his chest. Their bodies fit together so perfectly, as if destiny had chosen one for the other.
J.R. moved his hand to the side of Sue Ellen's head, and imperceptibly turned her face to kiss her. The feeling of J.R.'s mouth on Sue Ellen's lips caused her to lose her balance. Sue Ellen's knees buckled from her reaction to J.R.'s erotic seduction.
Sue Ellen arched her back against J.R.'s broad chest. J.R.'s ragged breathing matched Sue Ellen's labored response to his skillful touch.
Sue Ellen lifted her hand to the side of J.R.'s neck, and whispered, "Make love to me, J.R."
J.R. lifted Sue Ellen into his arms, and turned around. Sue Ellen nestled her head in the crook of his neck, as he carried her over to the bed. J.R. lowered Sue Ellen on top of the sheets, and turned off the lamp on the night stand . . .