Hope you like it or I'm not playing any more.
- JPT
The lift doors opened and Ryan made his way across the lobby to the hotel bar. Since he had left his room, his mind had not let up. Question after brooding question flashed through it. What was he doing? Didn't he have enough problems with this Eddie thing, and especially with Caro, without adding further complications? He had done no more than leave his room and walk to the bar and already he felt more guilty than usual. Did even an intention to have a drink with another woman constitute something about which he should feel guilty? It's not like anything was going to happen? Caro couldn't have a problem with his having a drink with a work colleague, could she? After all, that other thing was over. It was in the past. It was just Caro now.
If Ryan had expected the hotel bar to be something other than hotel bars always are, he would have been wrong. It was too tacky to call bland but the bar had that soulless quality in common with any he'd seen. A sort of characterless character.
Ryan paused inside the door, scanning for the woman. His eyes took in the tasteful purple walls - mauve, he corrected himself, it's probably called mauve - and the bamboo bar stools and furniture. What is it with bamboo, he wondered.
There. Beyond a wall of palms or ferns or something he saw her. She was seated by a table and she was not alone. A man sat opposite her. He seemed very intent on whatever she was saying and, whereas she seemed relaxed and at ease, the man was sitting on the edge of his seat, leaning towards her as she spoke.
Ryan was considering whether he should forget it and just go back to his room when the pair appeared to finish their conversation. The man stood and walked towards the exit. Towards Ryan. Ryan watched him close the short distance between them and wondered whether he should offer some casual greeting. Most likely this man knew Phyllo or Feelo far better than he - should he say hello? The etiquette of situations like these had never been Ryan's strong point. The man solved Ryan's social problem by making no eye contact with him as he passed.
Phyllo, who had been watching her companion leave, caught Ryan's eye and waved. Ryan waved back and walked towards her.
Jesus she was beautiful. Ryan would be lying if he said that he hadn't noticed her figure as she left the meeting earlier that day. She was certainly no skinny, size zero catwalk model. Christ, what a body. As he approached, Ryan sneaked a glance at the curve of her crossed legs, her skirt above her knee. A cartoon image of himself, tugging at his shirt collar as steam escaped, popped into his head and he grinned.
"Hi," he said.
"Hey," she replied, "have a seat."
Ryan sat in the seat vacated by the man that had just left. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything" he said, pointing alternately to the seat and the door.
"No. That's all taken care of. Would you like a drink?"
Ryan looked at her glass, which was almost empty. It had an inch of something clear and fizzy remaining. He nodded: "that'd be great. Thanks a lot."
In the impossibly easy fashion of the beautiful, she immediately caught the attention of a waiter. He appeared by their table far more quickly, Ryan thought, than he would have if he'd been called by a man. Phyllo indicated that Ryan should order.
"Vodka and 7UP," he ordered, taking a punt.
"And I'll have another gin and tonic," she said. Gin, shit, thought Ryan.
"Certainly madam," said the waiter, smiling for just a little too long at Phyllo before leaving.
"So," said Phyllo, "how are you liking it so far?"
"It's fine," Ryan replied, recognising that the small-talk section of the night had commenced, "it's a bit of a culture-shock."
"I'm sure it is. What have to gotten up to so far?"
"Not too much." said Ryan, "Had a bit of a drive around. See the sights, you know?"
Phyllo laughed. "Seeing the sights, eh? What sights have you seen in
Ryan paused, slightly taken aback. He hadn't really expected to have to come up with a cover story so soon. "Yeah, well, not too many. I know that now," he conceded, grinning and hoping she'd buy it.
She smiled and nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry," said Ryan. "I'm not sure I caught your name properly in the meeting today."
"It's Philé," she replied.
Ryan, who had met his share of people with unusual names since he arrived in
"I think that it's Greek originally, but it's been bastardised along the way I suspect," she offered.
It was Ryan's turn to nod. He felt awkward. Small-talk had never interested him greatly and this sort of forced conversation always made him a little uncomfortable. The waiter arrived back with the drinks, bringing a welcome distraction. Philé signed a stub with her room number and left five dollars on the tray as a tip. The waiter thanked her and, as he moved away, Ryan noticed him making a valiant effort not to look at her chest.
Philé sat forward and leaned towards Ryan, who began to feel some empathy with the waiter's dilemma.
"Okay," she said, "You don't seem very comfortable with the small-talk. I had hoped to ease you into this, but I'm just going for it."
"Eh?" Ryan was confused.
"Ryan. I know why you're in
Ryan started. What the hell?
"I know that you're looking for someone. That you're looking for Eddie Roberts."
"What, how?"
"It doesn't matter how, Ryan. It just matters what you do now."
Ryan felt like he'd been slapped in the face. He felt himself blushing furiously and he could feel the blood rushing in his ears. What was going on?
"Listen Ryan," Philé said, "I, and some associates, also have a very pressing need to find Eddie Roberts and we believe that you may be able to help with that."
"What do you mean," asked Ryan, still trying to figure out what was going on, "I'm not a detective."
Philé took a sip from her drink. "Detectives have already failed to find Mr. Roberts, Ryan. You, however, have something that they do not." She took another sip as Ryan stared at her blankly. She looked into his eyes briefly before standing.
"It is now in both our interests that you find Eddie Roberts, Ryan." She began to walk away. "I can make an excuse for you in tomorrow's meeting. We'll talk soon."
