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Happy Anniversary

Chapter 5

Three days before their anniversary, the young couple had their suitcases and bags packed for their trip to the Pantheon hotel. Time off for both of their jobs had been given; all the loose ends they could consider had been taken care of. Really, all that was left now was to switch off the electrical appliances, lock the door and begin the journey.

Since the hotel was a long drive away, about 4 hours, Jordan and Abigail had agreed to depart while the day was still early, starting their travel around noontime. Since it was a long drive, the two decided to divide the journey: Abigail would take the wheel for the first half, and then they would take a small break before Jordan took over.

They finished a last-minute check for any supplies they may have forgotten. They were certain they had packed the essentials: toothbrushes; changes of clothes; formal wear for the dinner they would try to have on the date; everything seemed to be in order. As the two began their journey, Jordan took a glance back at their apartment, a little saddened to be away from home for a short time, but happy they were heading for somewhere that seemed just as nice.

They listened to some music as they drove, singing along to the songs that they both knew; there were a few love songs, some duets, and an occasional rock song to mix things up. After driving for half the trip, they pulled over to a nearby petrol station to stretch and refill the car. They grabbed some extra snacks for the road, and then continued on their way.

Within a few hours, they came across the road leading to the lake where the Pantheon was situated; the path was something out of a nature documentary, beset on both sides by tall trees that rustled in the wind, the sunlight filtering through gaps in the canopy. Ahead of them, they could see a large body of water shining in the afternoon sun; this must have been the lake that lay adjacent to the hotel, which meant that...

The first glimpse they had of the Pantheon was of a brightly lit facade of a building, the title of the establishment dazzling in the light cast upon it. As they approached, they noticed a smaller, less elegant structure behind the hotel: they soon discovered it to be a parking area, most likely for the residents and staff. It seemed out of place next to the shining building, but, they figured, it would be necessary: nobody would want to leave their vehicles somewhere too far from their lodgings, and certainly nowhere so secluded as to be dangerous.

The two drove up to the entrance of the hotel, where they were greeted by a valet: a tall lapin male, with combed-back blonde hair and a freshly ironed black suit with trousers. Since the couple had phoned ahead and booked their rooms prior, the sight of the man waiting to greet them was no surprise. They exited the car, greeting the valet and handing him the keys; the male rabbit gave a curt nod and smile, swearing he would not damage their vehicle in any way, and that they needn't worry for their luggage, as it would be brought to their room by staff.

The lobby of the Pantheon was almost as exquisite as the exterior, if not more so: columns of intricate design spread throughout the room, red carpets lining the floors, with marble counters and sleek mahogany doors; even the handles were made of what seemed to be silver! Jordan was absolutely stunned that a place like this existed. This place seemed fit for kings and queens to live in; if he had entertained the idea, he would have said that even gods would have envied this extravagant place.

"Excusez-moi, madame et monsieur? May I 'elp you in any way?"

Jordan and Abigail started, turning to locate the source of the voice. Their eyes settled on a grinning female equine standing behind the front entrance counter. She was dressed in a bright blue vest and long-sleeved suit underneath; her vest was buttoned up to her collarbone, and a simple black tie was draped over her uniform, making the ensemble seem perfectly symmetrical. Her hair was a light auburn colour, tied in a braided ponytail that lay over her left shoulder, with some bangs coming down to her green eyes. A nametag was pinned above her right breast: "Jeanne".

"'Allo, 'allo," the girl greeted them, a strong French accent punctuating her speech. "I am Jeanne. On behalf of ze staff, welcome to ze illustrious Pantheon Hotel!" She gave a courteous beaming smile, the expression making her eyes close in sincerity; it seemed surprising that she would enjoy greeting people in this way, seeing as she was more than likely paid to smile and nod. The thought occurred, however, that she must enjoy seeing people come in and experience the furbishing of the hotel.

"Yes, hello," responded Abigail, leading her husband by the hand to the counter. "We have a room booked for two, under the name..."

"AH!" Jeanne interrupted before Abigail could finish. "You must be ze 'appy married couple! Pour votre anniversaire, non? Oui, oui, we 'ave been expecting you!" She ducked behind the counter, rattling sounds emanating beneath the marble top. She sprung back up a few seconds later, holding a shining key with a heart-shaped bow, attached to a large wooden label, upon which was engraved the word: "Aphrodite". Jordan recalled the name: that was the name of the Greek goddess of love and sexuality; certainly fitting for their anniversary plans, though it was a coincidence to be sure.

Jeanne handed them the key, almost giddy at the idea of the two of them living up to the reputation of the room's namesake. "'Ere you are, madame. Your room is on ze fifth floor, number fourteen. I 'ope ze accommodations are to your enjoyment." Again, that beaming grin appeared on her face. "Merci, et profitez de votre séjour!" She gave one last courtesy before turning back into a room behind her, presumably to continue more work.

Jordan and Abigail strolled over to the lift, pushing the button to take them to the fifth floor. As they waited, Jordan surveyed the lobby, noting all the other guests of the hotel. While he did see the usual coupled pair here and there, some people were on their own; perhaps they had simply heard of the Pantheon's reputation and had decided to visit?

Yet, looking again, some things seemed to be a bit...off about some of the occupants. He spotted a tall leopard woman over by the far end of the room, reading a book. However, when he blinked, he seemed to spy a male leopard, not a female; perhaps he was misjudging, thinking the spotted feline was a woman when she was not, and yet...He could have sworn her breasts were there, prominent and noticeable. How could he misinterpret that as being male?

Looking around again, he noticed two panthers unashamedly entangled and passionately kissing in another corner; he would have called it out, but perhaps the hotel allowed for displays of public intimacy? The two seemed so close together, if they weren't in a public area, Jordan was certain they'd have ripped off their clothes and copulated then and there. Strangely enough, for the longer he stared, the more indistinct the two seemed to be; they almost seemed to blur together, almost like they were one entity, but when he shifted his focus, they were separate again.

A loud bell startled him from his reverie: the lift had arrived. He and Abigail entered the small cubicle and pressed the button for '5'. Before the doors closed, they heard someone calling out: "Hey, hold the door!"

Jordan's hand shot out and grabbed the door before it shut, pulling it open to allow a slightly stocky lion dressed in a blue bathrobe; possibly he was a current guest at the hotel. Part of his paunch was expanding the robe in several places, but he seemed to be otherwise healthy; though he did seem a bit out of breath here and there, but it didn't sound too severe. He leaned forward and pushed button marked "8". He was holding a small bucket of ice, with several water bottles in it.

He turned to them then. "Thanks for that, pal. Hate waiting for these things, let me tell you." The lion had a strong Irish lilt to his words, and he spoke rather quickly, making it hard to make out some of his words. His mane was very short, a golden-brown colour, almost close-cropped to his head; it had some streaks of white and red in even spacing. How or why the lion had decided on that particular look, Jordan could only speculate.

The male lion snapped his fingers, as if remembering something vital. "Argh! Where are me manners?" He extended his hand towards the couple. "Oi'm Alastair. Noice to meet new folks 'round here." They shook hands with Alastair in turn; he had a very firm grip, especially for a lion. If he'd wanted to, Jordan was sure his hand would have broken under the strain of his grip.

Abigail responded first. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Abigail, and this is my husband, Jordan."

Alastair's ears perked up at the fact. "Ah! Hitched, are ya? Don't get many ring-wearers 'round here. Mostly just couples looking for a new experience: girlfriends, boyfriends, swingers, you know."

Jordan cringed at the words: if this hotel catered to those sorts of people, was it really such a prestigious place? Alastair must have noticed his distaste at that, and continued. "Oh, no, don't make a fuss. This place is legit, Oi can tell ya. Plenty of rich types comin'-an'-goin', too. Oi've been here before, see, and Oi know the clientele of this lot." He gave a quick nod. "All types, no discriminations. Fancy blighters, I say. They don't allow thievery, crime, or any violence. Forcible ejection, they practice."

That allayed some of the couples' fears: if this building was host to people of wealthy stature, was open to all types of people, and prevented any type of misdeed, then there wasn't much for the two to be concerned about.

The elevator pinged the fifth floor and the two stepped out. Before the doors closed, Alastair re-opened them, calling them back for a moment. "Listen. You two seem like nice chaps, so...Oi'm here with me sweetheart, and we was thinking...We plan on dropping down by the indoor swimming area in about an hour. Mayhaps you'd like to join?"

The offer stunned them for a moment: having a meeting with a complete stranger in a hotel they were unfamiliar with was not usually a good plan to go through with. But this man seemed very trustworthy, and Abigail, being trained as a psychologist, didn't recognise, or see, any traits that he may indicate harm to them. In the end, the three agreed to meet later, once Abby and Jordan found their room and got settled in.

Departing for the eighth floor, Alastair disappeared as the doors to the lift closed, leaving the married pair to search for their room number. Room 14 didn't take too long for them to find; Abigail inserted the key she had been given and unlocked the door, opening it to reveal...

...a brightly lit room, with the walls painted soothing shades of red, orange, and pink. There was a large windowed door that led to a viewing balcony directly in front of them, facing the lake below, pointing to the west to allow the light of the setting sun to illuminate the room. The bed was easily a king-sized mattress, with several heart-shaped pillows adorned near the foot. An adjoining room led to a bathroom with a large bathtub for the two to share in, as well as a shower filled with several different-scented soaps and body-washing lotions.

Several scented candles were littered around the room, unlit, all of which emanated mixed aromas of lavender, jasmine, cinnamon, rose, all flavours and scents that one might associate with love and romance. Jordan could see why the room was named after a love goddess: everything about this environment was steeped in intimate colours, shapes, and even scents.

True to the valet's word, their luggage had been brought to their room ahead of time; it lay just beside the bed, each suitcase and bag carefully placed besides each other. Abby and Jordan kicked off their shoes and placed them at the foot of the bed, before opening their respective suitcases to locate their swimming gear. They knew that, with a lake closeby, the hotel was bound to have some options available to guests to do swimming activities, so they had packed accordingly.

Before long, the two had dressed in their appropriate swimwear: Jordan now wore a simple red-and-blue pair of swimming trunks, with a matching blue towel draped over his shoulder. While he did not particularly feel the need to swim, he still felt the need to be courteous and dress accordingly, in case he wished to try his hand at floating again.

Abigail wore a black-and-white bikini top, adorned with stripes, and bikini bottoms in a deep purple colour. Her towel was a deep shade of red, and was wrapped around her waist; as a fashion statement or for practical reasons, Jordan was unsure. What he was sure of, however, was how stunning his wife appeared when she was dressed like this.

He took steps towards his wife as her back was turned to him, wrapping his arms around her midsection, his hands linking over her exposed belly. His lips tickled her exposed neck, caressing her fur and flesh with soft and tender kisses. Abigail uttered a short giggle before extricating herself from his grip, reminding him that they were expected. It would be a while until Alastair and his partner were to meet them, but they decided to check the indoor pool first, to get a feel of the location.

The two made their way back down to the ground floor, hoping to find someone to tell them the location of the pool. Fortunately, the woman at the front desk, Jeanne, was sitting by the computer there, so they decided to ask her. Abigail went to ask for directions, while Jordan took another look around the lobby. He still couldn't get out of his head what he had seen before. Or rather, what he thought he had seen.

Observing the area again, he stopped more oddities, if they could be called that. He spied a tigress entering a dining area past an open doorway. She was dressed in a sparkling green dress that reached her knees. Jordan would have called her beautiful, but since he was spoken for, he didn't voice this opinion; however, another thought crossed his mind. That lady looked very...masculine, in some areas. A faint muscle bulge here, her shoulders seemed to broad and powerful to be considered feminine, and...He would never have admitted this, but he could swear he spotted a small bulge in the dress where her groin would be.

A tap on his shoulder startled him from his thoughts; Abigail had returned, telling him that the pool was on a sub-floor, accessible by the elevators. He showed his pleasure at this, accompanying her to the lift to reach the indoor pool, casting his gaze back every now and then to where the tigress stood. Surely he must be seeing things? Perhaps he was fatigued from the long trip, and was simply tired. Jordan decided to chalk it up to that, leaving it for another time. Abigail pressed the lift button for the lower floors, and they began their descent, the idea that the Pantheon was more than it seemed never quite leaving Jordan's mind.