The Dartagnan Brothers Hotel

Chapter 1

That was one of the most beautiful nights of the year. The stars illuminated a partially clear sky and the mid-season made the windy climate incredibly pleasant. Jonas Albuquerque was a man who liked to look in the mirror and admire his appearance. Thin, dark hair and a stubble shave gave him a cool look to someone his age. He wasn't really into exercising but his good genetics gave him a fair look for a man in his mid-twenties. He could never say no to meeting his friends, and whenever he was invited to something, he managed to go without missing work - which he hated - the next day, even if it meant a bad performance the next day.
Lately his life had been settling into a routine, he had been working in the same job for over two years, the same amount of time he had moved to that quiet small town. 'This situation is temporary ...', he thought when he got off the bus and realised where he was. He was used to a busy life as he had lived in several cities across the globe and his dream had always been to go out and see the world, without setting roots anywhere. He was there to save money as the job paid well and there were not many places where he could spend his hard earned money it in that city.
Two years after the fateful moment of he getting off that bus, he was still looking through the same small window, in a central apartment, which faced the same noisy traffic and the same lifeless people who repeated the same aimlessly path every day. Jonas was not the kind of man to whine and think his life was sad, quite the contrary, since he got there, he had made several friends at work, with whom he would go out to the only bar in town, the Black Hole. His biggest problem would come up as soon as he got home from work, he was always alone and his mind ended up drifting to the same old point, with the same old thought: the routine had taken over his dreams, and his life choices provided him with a loneliness that was not always welcome.
That Friday, he had been preparing for yet another invitation received - and accepted. Rodrigo Costa could be considered his best friend in that city, even though Jonas didn't like that term very much.
'There's a party at a hotel tonight, shall we?' said Rodrigo when showing the invitation on his mobile.
Jonas didn't even have to say he was willing, he really enjoyed a good party, and spending a night in a hotel would be something very welcomed in his routine, he even thought about calling work and saying he was sick so he didn't have to go to work the next day, but then he remembered that it was Friday and he was off that Saturday.
'Are you ready?' he heard Rodrigo ask when answering the phone.
'Almost, give me ten more minutes and stop by.' said Jonas, who needed a ride every time the party was a little distant.
He did not know where that hotel was, in fact, he was terrible in any situation that depended on location skill set, in addition to not knowing the city very well outside the center where he lived and worked. He depended on Rodrigo every time they needed to go a little further, besides not driving, by choice, the public transport system was terrible when necessary.
He heard the horn of Rodrigo's car and quickly descended the stairs - he lived on the first floor and was terribly afraid of elevators, despite using them whenever he needed to.
'What's up!' he said as he got into the car and shook hands with his friend. 'Where is this hotel then?'
'Will it make any difference if I try to explain it to you?' asked Rodrigo rhetorically without even looking at him.
'I was just making conversation...' said Jonas as he laughed at the situation, he was already used to that kind of joke, it was what made their friendship something he liked to cultivate.
'So, tell me, what's the deal with this party?' Jonas started talking again as they started to move away from the city center.
'I thought the idea was very good. Each person must rent a room for the night, and the rest, such as food and drink, will be all inclusive.' replied Rodrigo, looking excited about the night ahead.
'Interesting, but I hope the rates for the night won't be too high.' Jonas always looked for something to take away the night's expectations. He liked to be surprised at the end.
The path was longer than Jonas expected. They were already leaving the city and entering unknown lands. Even Rodrigo seemed a little confused by the GPS directions, but he followed its instructions very carefully. The path forked along an unpaved road, and Rodrigo's car, which wasn't something to really brag about, started to be flooded with dust, which made Jonas close the window to keep his clothes and hair from getting messy.
'Thank you.' said Rodrigo when noticing the kind gesture.
'How much time till we get there?' asked Jonas, now more and more excited and looking like a child.
'From what I understand, it's right there...'
The car started to slow down when the two saw the magnitude of the building that held the hotel. 'Welcome to the Dartagnan Brothers' Hotel', said the sign hovering over a grand arch of stones through which the car passed until it could reach the door that led to the main hall. The place was huge, Jonas couldn't understand how he had never heard of it before, much less what would lead someone to set up such a structure in a small town like that.
The building's facade was composed of two huge pillars that were connected by thick vines, which gave an incredible charm that mixed with the brick coloured walls from the rest of the building. Its height did not impress as much as its beauty, and, despite not having more than two floors, Jonas was unable to see the end of the structure in its extension. Rodrigo seemed ashamed to be arriving with that old car in a place of such magnitude, but his expression also showed euphoria and anxiety for the party that awaited them. Jonas could no longer contain his desire to visit that place, he could certainly find very interesting people there, since he was tired of always going back to the Black Hole and always seeing the same faces.
'Good evening sir, you can leave the key in the ignition, I will park the car for you.' said the sole valet who were standing by the main entrance.
Rodrigo just nodded and opened a small smile out of the corner of his face, whilst Jonas took the lead so the two could make their way towards the reception. The hotel lobby was even more stunning, the building's right foot was at least five meters high - Jonas wondered what awaited him in the rooms on the second floor - and the floor was all covered in marble. The walls were white, full of mirrors, and the ceiling held a dazzling chandelier that illuminated the room only by the gleaming of its crystals. With each step he took, Jonas increased his speed, the reception desk was guarded by only one woman, and, oddly enough, there was no queue for registration at the Dartagnan Brothers' Hotel.
'Are you sure we arrived on time?' asked Jonas, finding it strange that no one else was around.
'Yes, it says 8 p.m right here. We're actually fifteen minutes late.' Rodrigo replied, looking again at the digital invitation he had received on his mobile.
'A little late, we should be among the first to arrive,' thought Jonas as he calmly approached the reception. The woman behind the counter was exuberantly beautiful. Loose and messy blond hair and shiny little earrings that broke the hair barrier and matched the incredible blue of her eyes. Jonas had never seen teeth so white except in toothpaste commercials. She was wearing a short dress that covered her entire torso, and just above her right breast a name tag showed her name: 'Lara Farlet, Receptionist'.
'Good evening gentlemen, how may I help you today?' the woman's voice left Jonas gaping and speechless.
'I've got an invitation to the party today, we would like two rooms.' Rodrigo went ahead, showing the digital invitation so that the discomfort from the silence would be broken.
'Let me check the invitation...' said Lara whilst Jonas couldn't make enough effort so he would take his eyes off her face.
'Can you be a little more discreet?' whispered Rodrigo as he nudged him with his elbow.
Jonas realised he was static and began to admire the beauty of that place to disguise how stunned he was with Lara's presence. 'I want to marry her.', he thought whilst realising how superficial his desire for beautiful women was.
'Your invitation only entitles you to one ticket, Mr. Rodrigo.' said Lara, turning her eyes towards Jonas, who was now looking silly again without understanding anything that was happening.
'I understand, but when they sent me the invitation they told me that I had the right to a plus one.' replied Rodrigo with confidence.
'Exactly, a plus one. But as far as I can tell, your friend should not be a plus one.' she said, emphasising the words as she opened an uncomfortable smile, realising Jonas still stared at her.
'Well, yes, do you have any problems with my sexual orientation?' said Rodrigo with a politically correct tone. His wits amazed Jonas, who had not agreed to that approach.
'No problem at all, I believe you will be needing only one room then...' she reciprocated trying to end that little game that she knew was a way to circumvent the rules, after all, by the way Jonas looked at her, it was very unlikely that those two were a couple.
'I thought it was two rooms, despite the love, we'd like to have some privacy.' replied Rodrigo whilst trying to get out of that mess.
'I think I can make an exception.' she said as she typed on the computer again.
Within a few minutes the two were each holding a different room key.
'I made a point of putting you in interconnected rooms, so you won't be far from each other after enjoying the party. I apologize, but Mr. Dartagnan did not warn me about the sexual orientation of each individual guest.' Lara tried to correct the mistake, whilst Jonas kept looking directly into her eyes. 'The price is one hundred and fifty for each room, which includes the ticket to the party.' she finished whilst Rodrigo handed her a credit card.
'Thanks for the comprehension. Jonas?' Rodrigo kept his seriousness as he nudged Jonas once again to get him back into the real world.
'Yes thank you very much!' he said whilst looking for a little bit of seriousness and also handing over a credit card for collection. He was finding the situation quite amusing, not to mention uncomfortable.
'Your room is on the second floor, I see that you didn't bring luggage for the weekend, will you need anything? I might be able to arrange something to any of your needs.' said Lara whilst Jonas was looking surprised once again. Each time one of them opened their mouth, he learned more unknown information about the so called weekend.
'Good! If we need it, we will let you know.' said Rodrigo, trying not to look directly at Jonas.
'You can call me Lara, sir.' she said as she pointed, with the most delicate hand Jonas had ever seen, to the badge holding her name. French-style painted nails with a white gold ring loaded with a small diamond.
'And you can call me Rodrigo.' he said, trying to be courteous. 'This is my partner Jonas.'
'Sure...' grunted Jonas when he realised his sadness as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life now thought he played for the same team as her.
The two finally went out to the building's elevators holding nothing but the small magnetic card that served as a key to the bedroom doors.
'What fucking idea was that?' whispered Jonas as they walked quickly to the elevators.
'Shush. I'll explain later!' replied Rodrigo as he tried to take Jonas's hand, before being slapped away.
Jonas reached the front of the elevator and started looking for any set of stairs that would relieve him from an upcoming headache. At the other end of the lobby, he could see two huge marble stairs that interconnected at the end, he even felt how good it would be going up each step so he didn't have to go into that cubicle.
'Do you reckon...'
'Don't even think about mumbling about the stairs Jonas, do not embarrass me!' Rodrigo interrupted before Jonas could suggest anything.
'Embarrass him?' thought Jonas indignantly. They hadn't been there for ten minutes and Rodrigo had already make that whole scene at the reception and forgot to comment that the party would last for the whole weekend. 'I'm going to have to stay in the same underwear for three days.', he stomped as he realised whilst his friend pressed one of the buttons on the elevator so the doors would close.
As the elevator went up, Jonas clung to the small banister that ran at the back of the motorised box. His elevator phobia came from his childhood, when both of his parents died in a tragic accident, in an old building, on a visit to a foreign country, when he was still to young to remember anything. Since then, after being raised by his grandparents, Jonas had never had any idea of what was to have a father or a mother.
As it was mentioned, by the beautiful Lara, the two rooms were separated by a sole door. They went straight into Rodrigo's room, and to Jonas's surprise, who expected a stunning room, it contained nothing more than a small bathroom and a single bed. There was no television, telephone, air conditioning, not even a ceiling fan. 'One hundred and fifty for this?', he thought as he opened the door that interconnected the two rooms and lost any hope that his was different. The bed looked good. On top of it were some white towels that smelled of fabric softener and just two pillows, which led Jonas to think that he would have to go back to the reception to ask for another one, he had this habit of always having three pillows and would not be able to sleep without satisfying it.
'Don't get into it, asshole. This party will be so good that you won't even feel like sleeping!' said Rodrigo whilst realising that Jonas had an expression of disappointment towards his own bed.
'It's three days, Rodrigo! Three!' he repeated with a strong tone. 'You could have mentioned it, right!?'
'I had no idea that the party would go on for the whole weekend, but you heard the girl at the reception, anything you need, just ask!' said Rodrigo as he threw himself on Jonas's bed whilst looking at him with confusion in his eyes.
'Her name is Lara, and speaking of her, what chances do I have now?' he asked rhetorically as he reminded his friend of the scene at the reception.
'Just stop with the nonsense, what chances did you even have before? There will be so many women at this party that you soon forget about this so called Lara.' he made a mocking tone when saying the woman's name.
'Oh, I'm sure it will, I've already lost any hope, did you not see the empty reception when we arrived?' asked Jonas as he opened each drawer on the nightstand to see if there was any clue as to how they were going to arrive at such a party.
'Relax! Soon someone will come to pick us up for the party, so just stop whining for a bit.' he finally explained what Jonas really wanted to know 'I'm going for a quick shower to wash off the dust from the road, you should do the same.'
'And how am I supposed to fix my hair if you didn't tell me that we would be here for all this time?' he asked angrily. If there was anything Jonas was vain about, it was his hair.
Rodrigo didn't even give him the courtesy of an answer, as Jonas realised that all that nuisance was already starting to tire the atmosphere on that room. As soon as he was alone, he laid down on the bed to fiddle with his mobile. Without any sign of reception, he decided that he would go back to the front desk to ask for the internet password, but this time he would appreciate the beauty of the artist who designed that magnificent staircase. The hotel corridors were tiny, two people would be crammed by it, and if one of them was too fat, they would have to walk in a line. He could not understand how all that magnitude turned into petty and badly decorated rooms, maybe it was Lara trying to get them back for all that ragged lying of being a couple. There was no reason why Jonas should be angry, after all, if Rodrigo hadn't lied, they would already be on their way back home, and the only destination would be another tedious night in the Black Hole.
'You again...' said Lara, noticing his presence as she moved around behind the front desk.
'Yes.' he started by expressing an embarrassed laugh. 'There's no cell phone reception here? Could you give me the internet password, please?' he asked, trying to remember the good manners he had learned from his grandparents.
'No reception, no internet.' she replied dryly without even looking at him.
'Really? What if I need to speak to someone?' he asked, looking deeply at her as he sought attention.
'We have a phone at the reception, you can use it at anytime you want.' she replied pointing to the old device the laid in front of her, one of those that you'd still have to rotate a wheel to dial the numbers, Jonas had not seen something like that since he left his grandparents' house more than ten years ago. 'If you don't want to use it, just wait in your room and soon someone will be there to pick you up for the party. And may I suggest you take a shower?'
He soon turned his head and made his way back to the bedroom. That shower story was starting to irritate him. 'What about my fucking hair?', he thought as he got even more angry with Rodrigo for not giving him all the information he needed about the weekend. He was one of those people that liked to leave the house prepared. He climbed back up the stairs - as he would avoid getting into that elevator for as long as he could - and knocked on Rodrigo's bedroom door. Nobody answered. He decided to enter through his door this time as he took the magnetic card out of his pocket and waited for the small green light to allow him access to his own room.
He crossed the door that connected the rooms in search of Rodrigo. No sign of him. The bathroom door was wide open and the bed was already disorganised. 'Typical messy, and he still left me here alone.', he thought as he returned to his room in the hope that his friend would soon return to pick him up. Three ringings echoed inside the room as someone was knocking on the door. 'Rodrigo must have forgotten his key.', he thought as he got out of bed and ran to open the door.
'I see you ignored my advice about taking a shower...'  said Lara whilst Jonas tried to hide the surprised expression on his face as he found himself admiring her radiant beauty once again.
'Hmm, what are you doing here?' he said, ignoring the unnecessary comment.
'I told you that soon someone would come to pick you up for the party. Nice to meet you, I'm someone.' she replied sarcastically.
'I didn't take a shower because nobody told me to bring a suitcase, and I wouldn't have the means to fix my hair.' he tried to explain himself when he realised how ridiculous it sounded as the words left his mouth.
'I told you to ask me for anything you might need, I would have brought you some ointment for your hair, but you just want to know about cell phones and the internet. Now there is no more time, the Dartagnan brothers await the arrival of every guest so that the party can begin.' she finished with a slightly more friendly tone, maybe she realised that Jonas was a bit out of his comfort zone.
Jonas started walking next to Lara as soon as he closed the room's door behind him. He hadn't noticed, whilst he was at the reception, but besides being beautiful, she smelled very good and had a body that was sculptural. 'I need to pay more attention to things,' he thought as he found himself daydreaming.
'Is this your first time here?' she asked, trying to lighten up the tension.
'Yes, I didn't even know about this place, I'm not from around here.' replied Jonas, seeking a normal conversation.
Silence reigned as they passed the reception again after what seemed like an eternity inside the elevator. Jonas was embarrassed to show such a tiny fear to such an interesting woman, with each step they took, she became more mysterious and attractive.
They passed through a huge glass door behind the desk where Lara was then working, which, by the way, was now empty. 'The organisation of this hotel does not live up to its facade.', he thought as he realised that anyone who was late would have no chance of being located in that immense maze. Despite the beauty of all the decor, after crossing the glass door, Jonas realised that all that extension was just more and more of an extensive and narrow corridor with doors that, according to his imagination, could not lead anywhere other than rooms .
'Are we there already?' he asked, looking like an impatient child who couldn't wait for things to come.
'No sir, we'll be in the ballrooms soon.' she replied keeping her tone.
'Ballrooms?' asked Jonas implying his surprise about what Lara had just said. 'Wouldn't it be one ballroom?'
'No sir. Do you really think that Mr. Dartagnan would leave his guests in a room like the one you are in? As I told you, it was just so you could take a quick shower.' she looked at him and winked as if she knew how that conversation was irritating him.
'I already said it! I didn't...'
'Yeah, yeah, I understand.' she interrupted the conversation before he could start whining again.
To Jonas's surprise, Lara stopped in front of a small wooden door painted white as she stood in front of him to interrupt his walk. She ran a delicate hand through his hair as if she was fixing a strand that was out of place. 'I hate it when people touch my hair.', thought Jonas as he felt strangely comfortable with the soft touch that Lara infringed on him.
'Now.' started she. 'I need you to sit in the place that I will indicate to you, the Dartagnan Brothers will only start the party after everyone arrives. I think you're one of the last, so you won't have to wait much longer.'
'Aren't you going to join the party as well?' he said gallantly as he leaned against the door that would soon be opened.
'Yes I will.' she said smiling. 'But first I'm going for a quick shower...'
Jonas felt the tone of the joke and decided to join the laughter, after all, the woman was now giving a little opening to whatever his strategy was. The door opened and the astonishment began. That place was indescribably incredible. The chandelier that had impressed Jonas in the lobby had become a small lamp in front of the many huge chandeliers that shone over the huge ballroom. The light was off, so little glows distinguished the nuances of the room as they shone from the sparkling lights that hovered over each spot. Not much could be seen by the dark immensity, but Jonas could see that the main room forked in several corridors and open rooms. He could see a bar and several waiters walking with trays covered with champagne flutes, the smell of some delicious food fed the hunger of those who hadn't eaten in hours, and several very well-dressed people, all sitting around gigantic tables covered with towels and white huge plates made of heavy marble. 'These people have some weird fetish with these stones,' thought Jonas, who was of humble origin and had never seen so much extravagance in only one place.
'Now you stay here.' whispered Lara in his ear as he, once again, felt what he could not distinguish from a very good perfume to just the natural odor that the perfect genetic creation had given to that woman.
She left him in front of one of those giant table, where Jonas was surrounded by strangers. They were very elegant and very presentable people. He tried to find Rodrigo's ugly face somewhere, but was unsuccessful. Beside him, a man with gray hair and a practically full white beard, on the other side, an extremely elegant and well-dressed woman. Everyone seemed to be dressed socially, whilst he was wearing some old shoes with skinny jeans and a shirt he hadn't washed in months. The pitch black, slightly lightened by the shine of the chandeliers, did not allow him to see much more than that, maybe Rodrigo was at the same table as him, as he could not see its end. He had no idea of how many people were there, but he could see a simple and classic sign, that hovered above one of the doors, saying: 'Dormitories'.
Jonas realised that he would not sleep in the small room without air conditioning after all, which gave him a slight feel of happiness, although he was still annoyed with Rodrigo for not having told him that the party would be of such elegance. He imagined Lara dressed in a shiny long dress as he tried to untangle the tight pants he was wearing.
Much less than suddenly, the lights began to flash rapidly, the chandeliers no longer sparkled the crystals and the music began to play. It seemed like an incredible introduction, something worthy of a queen, but before Jonas could be even more impressed, as he looked for Rodrigo between a wink and another, a man holding a red staff, with a belly slightly tightened by a leather belt that was holding a huge black coat, walked down an even bigger and more beautiful staircase than the one he had seen in the main hall. 'He must be one of those Dartagnan Brothers' thought Jonas, feeling intimidated by the presence of which that man propagated as he descended each step.
'Ladies and gentlemen!' announced a low-pitched voice over the speakers.  'Please, a round of applause for Mr. Giovanni Dartagnan!' the echo of the clapping hands took over any other noise that could be heard there as people stood up as if they knew the routine to be followed, Jonas just went with it as he imitated the gesture.