Strut Her Stuff

Emily tried and tried to push away the idea, but found herself unable to. She took a deep breath, and shook herself. Emily let her face form a slight smile, as she confidently opened the stairwell door.

Once she rounded the corner, she began garnering a lot of attention. First, a man on his way to the gym did a double take, his eyes widening. She briefly reached to cover herself, but withdrew her hand. Next, a woman on a sofa looked up from her magazine. She shook her head, and raised her eyebrows in a surprised and aghast manner. A young boy, and an older man briefly stopped their chess game, before the boy repeated “Grandpa! It’s your turn!” Emily blushed lightly, and felt... excited? She felt like butterflies were fluttering in her stomach, but she felt no urge to stop. Instead, she couldn’t explain why, she kept walking on as if there was absolutely nothing wrong.

As she approached the front desk, she noticed a small line in front of her. The woman from earlier was asking about a parking spot, and behind her was a father who held the hand of a small girl. The girl turned around, and immediately began laughing. Her father turned around, and immediately averted his eyes with a surprised look on his face. “Look away, it’s rude to stare.” He spoke softly to his daughter. Emily shyly rubber her elbow, and nervously turned her leg. She waved at the girl awkwardly, who waved back before being forcibly turned by her father.

The woman in front of the pair finished her business, and made her way towards the front door of the hotel, managing a wink towards Emily. She waved lightly, patiently waiting in line. Considering her situation, she thought about skipping the line. But something inside her found waiting in plain view to be far more enjoyable.

As the man in front of her bickered with the front desk about a hair he found in the shower after checking in, the girl slowly turned back around and approached Emily. She looked down at the girl, who looked puzzled. “Why are you naked?” She asked bluntly. Emily was taken aback for a moment, and before she knew what she was doing, she bent down to the girl’s height. “Because I want to be.” She said with a light whisper. Before she could respond, the girl’s father swept her up in his arms. “Sorry about that” He said shamefully. He quickly moved for the elevator, his daughter thrown over his shoulder.

Emily was brought back to reality, as she heard a woman behind the desk speak “...Excuse me? Next?” Emily turned around, seeing a wide eyed woman behind the counter, averting her eyes to the left and smiling shyly. Emily resumed her confidence, and walked uncaringly to the counter. “Sorry, I got a little distracted. I was wondering, is room 440 the room I’m staying in? I’m pretty sure, but I need to check. I might be locked out.” She said, putting her elbows over the counter. The woman stifled a laugh, and said “I would ask for some form of ID, but I don’t think you have any.” Emily smiled slyly. “You’re correct, sorry about that.” She said, faking her sincerity.

The woman furiously typed away at the keyboard, looking for something. She found what she was looking for, and turned the monitor towards Emily. “Is this you?” She said, pointing to a picture on her parent’s facebook page. Emily nodded her head up and down, confirming.

“Alright, that’s good enough for me. Here’s a new ID card for room 440. If you would like I can give you my jacket?” She said, beginning to reach behind her for a blue jacket on a hook. Emily briefly considered it, but quickly shook her head no. “That won’t be necessary.” She said, reaching for the card. She turned around, and began walking towards the elevator, a beaming smile on her face. As soon as the door closed behind her, she realized she couldn’t take it anymore, and began methodically satisfying her urges. By the time she finished, she collapsed onto the floor in a satisfied mess. It was then she realized she hadn’t pressed a button, and quickly pressed to go up.