The man stopped beside me and looked down through his tiny glasses that perched on the tip of his bulbous nose. "You've been chosen."
I looked at Vinnie and Howard, seeking confirmation that this strange scenario was really happening. "For what?"
"Please come with me." The man turned on his heel and marched back toward the building.
A stubborn streak in me wanted to buck and stay put at the edge of the pool. But the other half of me felt tingly inside wondering if it really had beenhimin that white robe. My curiosity won and I quickly grabbed my towel and clumsily dried off while I hurried in. Vinnie and Howard were hot on my tail.
I swung open the tinted glass door just in time to see the little man disappear around the corner, headed toward the row of private rooms. The hallway was draped in shadows with only small sconce lamps on the walls to highlight the room numbers. If memory served me correctly there were twenty private rooms, ten on each side of the hall, and then five deluxe suites with extra amenities. It came as no surprise when we found ourselves at the sought-after corner suite.
The little man stopped outside the door and held his hand up. "Just you. The others need to go away."
I turned to Vinnie and Howard and shrugged.
"It's okay. We'll catch you later," Vinnie said, patting me on the back.
Howard smiled giddily and the two of them walked off, peeking over their shoulders several times.
The man turned the knob and pushed the door open. The main lights were turned out, but a small lamp glowed by the wet bar, which was stocked with bottles of wine, champagne, and soda.
"My name's Rex," I said, partly to the little man and partly to the dark silhouette sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to me.
The little man shook his head as he nudged me into the room and closed the door behind him. "Your name doesn't matter, sir."
That stung a little. I was just being polite. But in places like this, it was true. Names didn't really matter.
So there we were...alone. Just the two of us. I stood awkwardly inside the room, dressed in only a black pair of swim shorts with a dripping white towel hanging on my arm. I wasn't sure what to do next.
"Take off your clothes," the mysterious stranger commanded.
