His Secret Palace

Chapter 4 - Riding Center

I’m on way to the Diamond Suite. I push the little trolley along and knock on the door.

“AAAAAAAH FINALLY! COME IN!”

Wow! Is it just me? Or did he just talk to me like I’m his dog? Either I wasn’t fast enough, or this man is so crazy about Choco Royal that he can hardly wait…

I walk in and find a young man, in his twenties, sitting on the sofa in his underwear. He’s watching cartoons on a huge plasma screen. “Where’s my Choco Royals? I’m starving here!”

I lift the silver dome in front of him. The customer grabs the bowl without even looking at me. I think I did everything right. Mission accomplished! I start heading out of the door with the trolley, but he calls me back.

“Hey! You, girl! Wait just a second! You’re new, aren’t you?”

Did he just call me ‘girl’? I find that so demeaning. I’m sure he wouldn’t have done that if I were Margaret. What I do know is that I have to remain professional. I’ll tell him the truth. “I just started yesterday.”

“I think you were probably recruited more for your looks than your actual ability to follow a basic instruction. These Choco Royals are soft. You put the milk on them too soon. That’s a rookie mistake. I’ll eat it anyway… but be careful next time.”

I turn around and start walking towards the door. I hope I’ve managed to hide my annoyance from Mr. Pain-In-My-Ass.

“Wait up! I found your new nickname! Cereal Killer!”

I grit my teeth and walk out of the room. The stupid nickname better not stick! It’s bad enough that Damian has started calling me ‘Junior’.

I take it on the chin and trot back to the service elevator while mumbling under my breath. “Cereal Killer! Jesus! What’s with this guy!”

I look up and notice there’s someone else in the elevator. It’s a handsome young man in a Secret Palace uniform carrying two buckets of paint.

“From the look on your face, I’d guess you’ve just come out of the Diamond Suite! Allow me to introduce myself! I’m Mike Hell Angelo.”

I laugh. That’s pretty funny. “Congratulations on the Sistine Chapel! It’s sick! Nice Nickname!”

“That’s what Eric Devin from the Diamond Suite called me when I first met him. he saw me with a brush in my hand and said I must be a pretty crappy painter if I work here at the Secret Palace, so…”

“So… he gives everyone he meets a stupid nickname?”

“Yeah, as far as I know! It’s usually a really dumb pun. Yeah…”

I like this guy already. I take a look at the buckets he’s carrying. “And what are you going to paint with all that?”

“It’s not for now. It’s for tomorrow.”

I don’t ask him any more questions. Every employee here has specific tasks. I’m already trying to do mine! That’s hard enough.

“Well! Good luck! See you then!” he nods his head as the elevator doors open.

“Thank you! It was nice running into you.”

As he’s about to hope off the elevator, he gives me a friendly smile.

“Excuse me… It’s not that I don’t like your nickname, but what’s your real name?”

“I’m Owen. I’m a steward here. What’s yours?”

“Meridian Sasha. I started yesterday.”

“Nice to meet you, Meridian Sasha. Welcome to the Secret Palace.” We smile at each other as the doors close.

As soon as I get back to the reception desk, the phone rings again. It’s the Diamond Suite… I pick up. “Yes, Mr. Devin? Go ahead. How can I help you?” I don’t want him to hear the annoyance in my voice. He’s only the fourth guest I’ve dealt with so, but he’s definitely the worst.

“I was you to put ten cases of Cadieux champagne aside for me tonight! And make sure it’s vintage!”

“Of course, sir! I’ll take care of it right away. You can count on me.”

“And don’t mess it all up like you did with the cereal. Don’t open the bottles right away or there’ll be no bubbles.”

“Of course, sir. Thank you for the sound advice. I’ll be very careful.” I hang up. I so want to throw the phone at the wall. That guy really pisses me off. He’s f*****g with me! Let’s just say it like it is!

***

After completing my ‘champagne mission’, I walk past the ballroom. It’s one of the most luxurious rooms in the hotel. I see the hot mystery guy in there. He’s wearing a really nice suit. He’s with Margaret.

“We must maximize the space for the waltzing. I think we need the podium on the right-hand side. I want every guest in the Secret Palace to think he or she has the best seat.” Actually he’s telling Margaret what to do! “Anyone who’s here for the charity auction should be seated as close to the podium as possible, so that they can bid easily.”

“Right, sir! I’ll see to it that the guests are all happy… just as they are every year!”

Okay… he’s a high-ranking guy who works at the Secret Palace! He’s probably a manger or something. I must have looked like such an i***t giving him that robe…. That guy’s probably my boss. He’s probably my boss’s boss!

He walks away from Margaret and goes to see a man who looks like he’s in charge of decorating or something. Margaret’s coming my way. “In a few days’ time, the Secret Palace’s annual gala will be held in here. It’s an extremely important event. The reputation of the establishment is at stake. Everything must be absolutely perfect.”

“I understand. I’ll do my best to deal with any requests I get from the guests.”

“Everyone will be needed to be at a specific place at a specific time. Mr. Kauffman will be over there by the windows. He’s slightly agoraphobic, so we’ll have to make sure he doesn’t have a seizure or anything during the gala. The windows should help him to forget that he’s in a crowd. We don’t want him to feel suffocated.”

While Margaret is talking. I see an older man going to talk to the hot boss guy in the suit. “James! I hope things are going well.”

“It’s a last-minute rush. It always is! But I’m confident it’ll all go to plan.”

Okay, so… his name is James. I think the name ‘James’ is intriguing. There are so many mysterious and mythical men called James! James Dean, James Stewart… And James Bond! I’ve always had a weakness for 007 and his magnetic charisma.

This man who James is talking to seems to be on another hierarchical level altogether Probably the MD or something…

Margaret’s standing right here! I’ll ask her! At least it’ll stop me putting my foot in it again in future. “Sorry, but… Who are those two men?”

“That’s Harold Yvain-Cadieux. He’s the manager… and that’s his son James.” The manager and his son? Right… “You won’t be in uniform on the night of the gala, okay? Do you have an evening dress you could wear?”

“Uh… I don’t know.”

“The dress code’s pretty strict. Its black tie and masquerade mask.”

This is going to be a real gala! Like something in a costume drama! Great! It’s the kind of event where I can feel like a princess. Just for one night! It’ll be so much fun!

“I’m sure you’ll find something and you’ll look lovely.”

***

As I wander down the hotel hallways, I get a call from Margaret in my earpiece. “Yes, Margaret? I’m listening. What’s up?”

“The guest in the Quartz Suite would like some donkey milk for his bath. He wants to keep his skin looking youthful.”

Huh? Who does that? But at this point I’m not even that surprised. There’s no point wasting time discussing the pros and cons of the requests with Margaret. I’m sure this won’t be the last of the weird requests I get while I’m at this place. “I’ll take care of it right away.”

Donkey milk? Does he think he’s Cleopatra or what? Where am I going to get that? I head to the front desk. Damian’s there. I decide to ask him. Maybe we can make a fresh start? I really need his advice on this one. “Excuse me, Damian?”

“Can’t you see I’m busy?”

No! I can’t see! There are no guests waiting at the desk. You’re probably playing solitaire on the computer. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Johnson would like some donkey milk for his bath. You wouldn’t know where I could get that, would you?”

“Come on, Mer… Honey…” Does he have to be so condescending every single time? “My address book is one of my most valuable assets in this place! It’s the difference between an amateur concierge like you… and an experienced one like me. There’s no way I’m giving you access to it. Get some experienced and maybe one day we’ll share a couple of tips.”

With that, Damian looks back at his screen, putting an end to the conversation. He really pisses me off. Never mind! He can wait! I’m gonna prove to him just what I’m capable of.

I take out my phone and start looking for farms in the area… I end up finding one with donkeys. It’s a half hour away. I could give it a shot. I start running out of the building. It’s time to take a spin in my Beetle!

***

I’m pretty proud of myself! Mr. Johnson got his donkey milk bath! But there I was thinking it would be the worst request of the day. Boy, was I wrong…

Mr. Devin asked for paintball guns for his party! Yes… paintball guns. I thought it was a joke at first. I had to ask Margaret’s advice on whether I should actually go ahead and get them or not… She told me that Eric Devin has some kind of immunity here.

I asked her what she meant and she said it was ‘money immunity’.

I think it’s indecent. It’s totally immoral what goes on here sometimes. I grew up with a single mom and we had next to nothing! Seeing people spending fortunes on such… bullshit… It kills me.

Anyway, it’s time for my break and I’ve decided to head over to the onsite riding facilities and see about learning to get on a horse!

This audition is really important to me. It’s a real chance and, as Larry said, I have to give it a shot! It’s now or never!

As I arrive at the riding center, I meet an older man in the stables. “It seems you’re too late. The riding school has just closed.”

He’s flat out turning me down before even hearing what I have to say. I’ve upset him. His whole body language is telling me to get out here… but I have to do this thing! I bet this guy likes strong women. I can just tell.

“Let’s start with ‘Good evening’, shall we? If you must know, I work here.”

The old man turns around and looks at me in disbelief. “My apologies miss. I’m sometimes a bit grouchy. So, you’re new, then? Welcome to the Secret Palace.”

“Yeah. I’ve only been here for two days. I’m a concierge. My name’s Meridian. You can call me Mer.”

The man keeps brushing one of the horses and doesn’t bother giving me his name. I won’t give up. “And you are?”

“My name is Miller. I’m in charge of the riding center.”

I decide to take a gentle approach after seeing how uptight he is. I walk over him and stroke the horse he’s brushing. By showing a real interest. I have a better chance of making this work. “Nice to meet you, Miller. That’s a beautiful horse you got there!”

“He’s as stubborn as a mule, but you’re right… he is beautiful. Do you like horses?”

“I love them! I was wondering if it would be possible to have a go? Like… right now? I’d like to learn how to ride a horse, you see?”

Miller drops his brush and bursts out laughing. “You’re joking, aren’t you? Do you think you could ride a horse in a half hour?”

“Well, I want to learn how to look like an sss on a horse. And I want to learn quickly.”

Miller is in hysterics. He looks so stunned that it looks like his eyes are going to pop out of their sockets… “Listen… I’m real glad you’re excited about learning to ride. But… you can’t just wing it.”

I gave it a shot, but what did I think would happen? My lies were bound to catch up with me one day. Why did I even put that on my resume?

Now that I’m here, I’m just not going to back down. I’ll have to insist and beg… even if it means looking a bit desperate.

“Sorry… but it’s really not possible. Plus, it’s getting dark out and I’m not staying around much longer.” Miller denies again.

I nod… but inside, I’m so frustrated. With that, Miller walks away with a wave of his arm. “Have a good evening miss. You should go home too.”

“I will. Thanks anyway.” I pretend I’m heading back to the hotel… but there’s no way I’m giving up on this. I hide in a bush and wait for him to leave. It’ll probably turn out to be total bullshit, but this audition is an opportunity I can’t miss… and life is for taking risks!

There must be a way I can get on this horse. As long as I stay inside the stables, what’s the worst that could happen?