It was just before midnight. The hotel room was dark. Light only came into the room through the gap under the bathroom door. It was quiet. Only the sound of the shower could be heard from the bathroom.

Amadeus was lying casually on the bed with his hands on the back of his neck. The comforter was pulled halfway down and his stomach was hanging out. In the meantime, he had already taken off his own clothes. A pair of underpants was the only thing he was still wearing. But certainly not for long. At the moment, however, he was still waiting, while he stared at the ceiling. The evening had been pretty successful so far. It had been easy to get through to her. They had had dinner together. He had told her a few stories about his work. She had hung on his lips with excitement. As a man he had of course paid the bill all by himself. She was grateful. After all, she was only a maid. Normally she was surely only allowed to serve such meals. On the way back, she had clung to his hand. It was curious how she turned away in embarrassment every time he complimented her, yet her grip only tightened. It was probably instinct. After all, she had seen the banknotes. In any case, he had her completely in his grip, but tomorrow his fingers would open again. Even if he had hinted at more, she was just a nice toy, but no good for more than that. He would have to disappoint her. He was not a man who could commit to just one woman. There were simply too many in the world and she was on the scale of a seven at best, and only if he was very generous. Her breasts were too small. Her bottom was too flat. Her clinginess was extremely annoying. The red hair was not his cup of tea either. When he had first seen her, it had still been somehow appealing, but it had probably only seemed that way because the color was so rare? In the restaurant, he had seen several women with red hair and would have preferred to swap her for one of them on the spot. They were all better and better equipped. Fortunately, he would not have to see her again as of tomorrow. The pretext was clear from the start. After all, he was leaving. He was leaving the country. She should know that. He had made no secret of it. So it should not be a big problem for her when she wakes up alone. But maybe he could offer her something like a long-distance relationship? It was worth a thought. Rosenberg was an important trading post. It was not entirely unlikely that he would come back here in the near future, and it was always good to keep options open if it could be done without too much effort. He would think about it later...

The rushing became quieter and finally stopped. No more noises came from the bathroom. It was about time. This was the first time someone had thought it necessary to shower beforehand. How dirty was she? It was probably a good thing that he had brought condoms with him, although he would rather not use one, but that was probably only natural. If she would not ask for it, he would probably leave it off after all.

Now it was only a matter of minutes. Perhaps he should create a more pleasant atmosphere. There would be candles in the drawer of the nightstand. On the other hand, he would have to get up and walk across the room to get the lighter out of his pants. It probably was not necessary.

Amadeus rolled onto his side and looked out of the window. The curtains were still open. Normally he would close them. But when she had been standing there earlier, she had babbled something about the stars. Seeing the night sky was most likely triggering some romantic feelings in her. She said her star sign was that of the red healer and that her horoscope said she would receive a sign today or something like that. He had tried really hard to memorize it so that he could score points with it later, but in the end it was just too soporific. In any case, it was better to leave the curtains open. It was certainly good for her mood. There was only a park in front of the hotel anyway. No one could watch them. As a bonus, the brightness would also make her body more visible. So why not do it with the curtains open? It seemed like a win-win.

A light switch clicked. The bathroom door opened and warmth flooded into the room. Footsteps pattered across the parquet floor and a beauty came into the room. In the dim light of the night, her face seemed as white as snow, but her hair was still red as fire. Her body was wrapped in a bathrobe and steam rose from her.

He said nothing. He just smiled and took the blanket aside to show her where to put herself.

As she came over to him with her bare feet on a rug, he had to try hard to keep his smile from turning into a grin.

She quickly scurried under the blanket and pulled it up over her head, giggling quietly as she did so.

He was surprised. He had actually expected that he would have to work on her further first. The giggling did not match her at all. The fact that she kept her bathrobe on in bed was more in keeping with the impression he had of her. But maybe she was not as much of a little mouse as he thought? It would be nice not to just have a corpse in bed for once. With this thought, he slid closer to her and noticed the heat. It was like sliding up to a radiator.

~How hot was she showering?~

"You're very warm?"

~You took quite a long time.~

"Erm... There was only hot water..." she mumbled from under the covers and he could hear that she was happy.

The fact that she was still hiding was not good. It was probably necessary to work on her some more after all.

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He leaned towards her. He then noticed that her hair was still completely dry. Why had she showered for so long anyway? Or was it just because the shower was not working properly? Maybe he should complain to reception. It was bad enough that he had to stay in such a cheap room in the first place and then not even everything was working? In essence, it was forbidden to rent out normal living space to tourists in Baele, which meant that the hotels were all overcrowded. If you wanted a vacation home, there were only ever any on the outskirts of town, which made them useless. On the side, he reached under her bathrobe and touched her stomach. His fingers stroked her breasts with gentle pressure from her belly button upwards and then he played with her nipples. Of course, Amadeus also understood why the vacation homes were forbidden. The hotels certainly belonged to Ms. Von Rosenberg, or rather, ~Marah.~ He had to pay his respects to her. It was wise to ban the competition. He would do the same. In general, she was a great woman and would make a perfect partner. She was a cunning businesswoman and she was a slut. Even if she hid it under those long dresses, he had seen pictures of her. She was like a lioness in heat and no one could satisfy her, so she was always on the prowl. Amadeus was not an idiot. He knew he did not have enough power ... yet.

The bathrobe was getting in the way. It was time to get rid of it. But first he took off the blanket. Immediately thereupon, she raised her left arm protectively to cover her face with the sleeve.

Amadeus did not mind. He carefully took hold of her wrist and pushed her arm higher. His fingers slipped between hers and he skillfully lifted her arm to the side.

Two red eyes stared at him. The uncertainty was evident in her gaze. It was obvious she was a virgin. It was annoying, but he would deal with it.

"Such a beautiful face has no need to hide."

Struck by these words, she looked away shyly, yet then bit her lower lip with relish.

He could not figure her out. Once again, her behavior was so contradictory. It had been like this all evening. She was sending a signal, but at the same time one with the opposite message. If you were looking for a word for her, it would be 'Maybe'. Why was she so strange? Was there some kind of inner barrier that prevented her from showing what she was really like?

At that moment, a light dawned on him. Maybe she was disfigured somewhere? Maybe she had an ugly scar or something? That's why she did not dare to take off her bathrobe, even though she really wanted to. It was a bit of a gamble, but Amadeus firmly believed that his hunch was right and bent over her completely.

"You're hiding because you're scared?"

Her gaze returned at this question.

It was a hit.

"I don't care what others think of you or what you think of yourself. I think you're beautiful and nothing can change that. But that's not important to me either. The most beautiful thing about you is your character. That's what matters."

"You don't know everything about me."

"I want to know everything about you."

Her eyes lowered. She was probably thinking. Then she looked up again.

"Why?" she asked naively.

~Hm, Why...~

"Klara, I'm a banker. I invested in anticipation of a better future and I think the time I spend with you will increase in value."

A gleam flashed through her eyes. It was like little shooting stars. The line had worked. The sweet talk had worked. Her tension seemed to ease. The work was as good as done. The pleasure could finally begin. It had really taken long enough to get here.

"So, what do you think?"

She seemed irritated, then her mouth opened.

"My name is Claire."

Amadeus turned pale. "Claire? " He saw his chances slipping away. He needed a solution fast. "C-Calire... Of course, I know that. Klara is a different version of Claire. It's just that a lot of people don't know that. You only use it when you're in love, but otherwise it's rarely used."

Claire looked up. "In love?" she asked with a spark of innocence in her eyes.

Amadeus threw himself back in shock. Full of theatrics, he clasped his hand to his forehead as if he had just made a huge mistake.

"I shouldn't have said that. It just slipped out. Even though it's still far too early for that." His hand fell weakly on the varnish. "But I guess I should have known that I wouldn't be able to hide my true feelings." He straightened up and looked deep into her eyes. "The truth is, from the moment I saw you in the garden, I already knew. I knew that I love you." He immediately turned away towards the window. "I understand if you want to leave now. I deserved it..."

Amadeus was very sure that she would not leave. That would not be like her. And he was right. Her left hand lay tenderly on his and her fingers closed on his palm. So it was exactly as planned. After all, he had moved his hand further back so that she could grasp it more easily. Of course, he did not show any signs of that. Instead, his gaze went to her hand and from there up her arm as if he wanted to find out who it belonged to. When he looked at her face, he was surprised to see that it was her. Slowly, he raised his free hand and placed it as a fist on his chest. It was a touching moment of intimacy, if it were real.

She leaned towards him. Her knees had creased the sheet. Unfortunately, she was still wearing her bathrobe and there was nothing to see. A little further up, her eyes sparkled at him.

"I wouldn't go. To be honest, I was feeling just like you..."

"Just like me? What do you mean?"

She took her hand back and sat up straight again. Unfortunately, she also pulled the bathrobe over her thigh.

"When I served you and you looked at me for so long, I felt it. It was an enchanting feeling that I don't know very well yet. But I knew that this was the man I wanted to spend my life with. That's why I've been so nervous so far, because I didn't want to disappoint you."

When she confessed, she looked as if she was on the verge of tears. It was certainly very moving for her, but for him it was a shock.

"Lo-Love?"

Amadeus was at a loss for words. She loved him? What was wrong with her? The woman had obviously lost it. What had she felt? When she had put the cup down for him, he had grabbed her ass. Was that the enchanting feeling she meant? Was that what had convinced her that he was the right one? Her standards were surprisingly low. What was he even trying for? But now it did not matter. ~Whatever.~, he just thought to himself. If that was the case, it only made it easier. He would just sneak out of the room later and get another, a new one. It was nothing new either.

.../ End Part