For a while, nothing happened. I figured the way the first two men had been dismissed so quickly had cooled the mood around Marcia. She stayed at the bar, relaxed and confident, sipping her drink while men stole glances at her from every direction.
Eventually, another man approached. He looked about our age, tall and broad-shouldered, with the build of someone who had once been an athlete and never entirely lost the habit of training. His fitted shirt stretched across his chest and arms, and he carried himself with effortless confidence.
From across the room, I watched them fall into easy conversation. Marcia laughed softly at something he said, tilting her head in that flirtatious way she had when she was interested. When the moment felt right, I casually made my way toward the elevators.
The timing couldn’t have been better.
The elevator doors opened just as Marcia and her new companion arrived beside me. We stepped inside together. The man smiled politely and asked what floor I needed before pressing the button.
“Looks like we’re neighbors tonight,” I said.
That was all the signal Marcia needed.
Before the elevator reached our floor, she was pressed tightly against him, kissing him with startling hunger. One of her legs curled around his hip as his hands settled at her waist. I stayed near the back wall, silent and invisible while the air inside the elevator thickened with tension.
When the doors opened, I let them walk ahead. In my hand was one of the hotel’s spare key cards, and I made sure to notice the room number before continuing farther down the hallway.
A few minutes later, I walked back past their door. Even through the heavy wood, I could hear Marcia’s muffled laughter and breathless sounds from inside. I lingered only briefly before returning downstairs to the bar to wait for her.
Near closing time, a sharply dressed man slid onto the stool beside me and placed a sealed envelope on the counter.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“I’ve been watching you and your wife,” he replied calmly. “I thought you might find the contents interesting. If not, throw it away.”
Before I could ask anything else, he stood and disappeared into the crowd.
A short while later, my phone rang. Marcia sounded dazed when she told me she was downstairs near the valet stand.
When I reached her, she looked flushed and disheveled in a way that contrasted sharply with her usual elegance. Her dress hung loosely from one shoulder, and her expression was dreamy and unfocused, as though part of her mind was still somewhere upstairs.
“How was it?” I asked quietly.
She turned toward me slowly, blinking as if trying to process the question.
“What?”
“I asked how it was.”
Marcia drew a slow breath and pressed her legs together before answering. “I’ll tell you when we get home.”
During the drive back, I rested my hand lightly on her thigh. The warmth of her skin sent a jolt through me, but it also reminded me of the envelope sitting in my jacket pocket.
The next morning, while Marcia still slept, I carried a cup of coffee onto the patio and finally opened it.