Eloise was awakened by a splash of hot water. She opened her eyes to find herself lying in a bathtub, with a tall man in a jacket and jeans standing before her, holding a showerhead aimed at her.
In her memory, such a psychopath, who dismembered bodies, would dress like that. Just as she was about to scream, the man crouched down, and the scream caught in her throat. What a handsome man—his features were striking, with deep-set eyes and light brown pupils that shimmered with clarity.
Her dark fantasies about murderers instantly shifted to a romantic encounter, complete with pink bubbles. She looked down and realized she was fully dressed, even feeling a bit disappointed. "You're awake?" The man raised an eyebrow.
Wasn't that obvious? Eloise blinked, yet couldn't recall why she was here. The man, sensing her confusion, tried to gently jog her memory in a way that wouldn't be too awkward.
"I was smoking on the rooftop when I saw you... uh, swinging outside, hanging by a rope."
Eloise blushed, amazed that he could come up with an explanation for her bizarre behavior that wasn't along the lines of "peeping Tom." However, swinging on a rope? That seemed a bit far-fetched...
She decided to salvage her dignity and cleared her throat. "Swinging? Do I really look that boring? I'm the cleaner for this hotel, just out there washing windows."
The man glanced at her expensive evening dress. "Well, then." "I just love life and like to dress up a bit more elegantly while I'm working," Eloise stubbornly pressed on, regardless of how her face reddened, as if it were about to catch fire.
"Alright, now I'm off work. I need to get going." She rose from the bathtub, searching for her phone in her soaked, clingy clothes, only to remember that it had already met its fate, falling to the ground far below.
"Uh, what time is it now?" She had no choice but to turn to the man to ask for the time.
The man's gaze inadvertently brushed over her, the soaked fabric revealing the flesh-colored skin of her thighs and chest, the contours of her body accentuated by the tight material. Black strands of hair clung to her snow-white skin like a totem, reminding him of a creature—a "succubus."
Only a rather silly little succubus, though. "Two o'clock in the morning," he answered in a calm tone.
"So late!" Eloise jumped in surprise. "I need to hurry home!" She quickly crossed the bathroom and the suite's living room, pulling open the door, only to be jolted by the cold wind that swept in.
Shivering, she turned back and looked at the man pitifully. "Do you have any spare clothes? Can I change out of these wet ones?" The man froze for a moment, unsure, then said, "Let me see if I can find some clothes."
Fortune was on his side, as he found a loose-fitting set of black clothes in the wardrobe. Eloise frowned at the ordinary fabric and outdated style, but it was all she could settle for. Just as she was about to take off her wet clothes, she looked up. "Uh, you..."
The man understood and turned away. Only then did Eloise feel at ease enough to remove her dress. After a few seconds of thought, she also took off her soaked bra and underwear, reasoning that the loose clothes she was about to put on would likely conceal everything.
She raised her hand, her snow-white, full, balloon-like breasts perking up in the air, with the tips, a delicate red, trembling like a flower blooming at the peak of a snowy mountain. Below her flat stomach was a different sight. Sparse hair in the triangular region, the tightly closed petals of a flower barely visible within.
Eloise cupped her chest with one hand and spread her legs slightly, carefully drying each droplet of water from her body before slipping into the clothes the man had given her. The dry, fresh feeling brought her a sense of comfort.
She had no idea that the man, from the corner, had watched every movement she made through the mirror—each raise of her hand, each lift of her foot—his deep gaze flickering between light and shadow throughout.
"All done!" She flashed a bright smile at the man who turned around, "Thank you for the clothes. Now I really have to head home."
The man said nothing, watching as she walked into the elevator in the hallway, waving him a silent goodbye. The elevator doors closed, only to reopen a second later, with her still inside, looking completely bewildered. "You need to swipe your room key to use this hotel's elevator, didn't you know?" the man said softly.
Eloise had entered the top-floor venue with a familiar acquaintance, guided by the staff, and since she had no intention of staying at this hotel for the night, she had no reason to know this. However, her current persona was that of a familiar hotel housekeeper, and she had to maintain it, not allowing herself to slip up.
She feigned calmness, "Well, how could I not know! I just suddenly felt like I hadn't had enough exercise today, so I thought I'd take the emergency staircase down for a bit of a workout." The man reminded her, "This is the thirty-sixth floor."
"That's exactly why it'll be a good workout!" Eloise pretended to stretch, raising her arms for a couple of chest-opening exercises, then made her way toward the safety staircase at the end of the corridor. She pushed open the fire door, and the narrow, endless staircase lay in darkness, illuminated only by the faint green glow of the exit signs.
Eloise remembered that her phone, which could have provided light, was lost. Even if she had it, walking this path alone at night would still scare her half to death. She turned to the man, her face wearing a half-sobbing smile, "Um... would you like to join me for some exercise?"
The man stifled a laugh, looked at her, shrugged, and closed the room door behind him, "I suppose some exercise wouldn't hurt." He followed closely behind Eloise, inexplicably stepping into the dimly lit safety passage at a time when he should have been fast asleep.
