Victor in Trouble by Alex Finley

Author:Alex Finley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Smiling Hippo Press

Chapter Nineteen

Max stepped out of the taxi and gazed up at the magnificent Russian Bear Hotel. A sweeping portico protected its expansive curved driveway. Mustached men in sharp red uniforms and gold caps lined the entrance, waiting to help the exclusive clientele out of their luxury cars and through the sparkling glass doors. One of the men took Max’s suitcase and ushered him inside. Max drew in a sharp breath as he entered the lobby. The giant domed ceiling was covered in glittering stained glass, ruby red, golden yellow, emerald green, and sapphire blue, laid out in a geometric pattern accented with flowers and vines. Arches of gold motif framed a series of semicircular windows that lined the upper reaches of the wraparound mezzanine level, where revelers could observe the vast marble floor below. Natural light poured in through the glass dome, reflecting the bright colors down on dozens of small round tables and glinting on the white leather chairs that seemed to scoop up their patrons as they sipped their cocktails and nibbled on deviled eggs, surrounded by enormous, elephant-eared plants.

Max was stunned and delighted. The hotel had been less grand when he last saw it during his university days. It had still been considered a top hotel in Moscow back then, but the standards were a bit different. He recalled one of his professors telling him about an American business delegation that had come to Moscow in 1989, that tender year when Russia was emerging out of its cocoon. The professor had been one of the hosts of the delegation, whose members stayed at the Russian Bear Hotel. At the time, the hotel was drab, with water-damaged walls and peeling paint on the industrial ceiling. The hotel had no computer system, and employees had written down each guest’s information in pencil in a thick notebook before sending them off to their assigned rooms. Since the hotel was large but the check-in system was lacking, many guests had found their assigned rooms were still occupied or had not been serviced. One member of the delegation, Max’s professor had recalled with a laugh, found a dead fish wrapped in newspaper in the clothes closet.

A kind woman in a red velvet hat tapped away on a state-of-the-art computer system and checked Max in to his room. She then directed him to a table in a corner to check in to the conference.

A very tall woman in a very short black dress smiled at him from behind the table. “Welcome to Self-Determination Elation,” she said. “We are very happy you are here.” She handed him his name tag on a Self-Determination Elation lanyard along with a schedule of events. “I am Adriana. If I can help you with anything, you will let me know, yes?” Her long blond hair and blunt row of bangs framed her bright green eyes. “Anything. My colleagues and I are here to make sure you have a good time.” She gestured out to the crowd, and Max noticed several young women in short black dresses flirting with men adorned with lanyards.

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