Love Temptations

'I'm sorry, Mr. Myers,' The receptionist told him apologetically. 'But it seems that the hotel is fully booked for this evening. Hearing that, mark Myers could feel his blood pressure rising. 'But I've booked a room over the internet and paid for it. Look, I even have a receipt here to prove it.' He fished around his pocket irritably for the slip of paper he printed. Long plane journeys never got along well with him; it generally left him in a foul mood. Now, all he wanted was to get into his hotel room and sleep.

The receptionist looked at him sympathetically. She understood his anger. Besides, it was summer in the states and hotel rooms were scarce. 'I'm really sorry, Mr. Myers.' At this point, the hotel manager walked in. From the look on Mr. Myers's face, he knew that something was wrong. After consulting with the receptionist, he turned to back to Mr. Myers. 'Don't worry, sir. You will get a room for the night,' he turned then to the receptionist. 'Give them room 312.' 'But, sir...' A look from the hotel manager silence the receptionist. She turned back to Mr. Myers,' Please hold on while I see to the arrangements.' In a few minutes, Mr. Myers, his wife and his twin daughters, Erica and Renee were shown to their room. Exhausted from the flight, they had left most of their luggage unpacked and soon fell asleep. 'Renee, why did you rummage through my luggage?' Sixteen year old Erica went to her suitcase to find it unlocked and totally messed up.

'Huh? No,' Renee look surprised. 'Actually, I want to ask you why you went through mine.' 'Why did you girls leave all your clothing inside the toilet?' Their mother was the first to use the hotel bathroom. She came out with her damp hair wrapped up in a towel. 'Now, run along and clean them up.' Erica and Renee looked at each other and went into the bathroom. There, their clothing were strewn all over the place. Pieces of their clothing were mixed up in a pile next to the sink, as if someone had tried them on. 'Very smart,' Erica remarked.'You thrown your clothes in, just so that no one will suspect you.' 'Oh yeah? How come I've got more clothes in here?' Renee retorted, annoyed. 'This is a sick joke.' 'Yeah! And I didn't do it!' Erica picked up the last of her belongings and stormed out of the toilet. Renee quickly gathered her clothes and followed her sister. 'well, I didn't do it either.'

'Isn't it a bit too early to start fighting?' Their father rubbed his eyes sleepily, as he sat up in bed. Both Erica and Renee threw each other a disgusted look and started to pack their suitcases. After they had all washed up, they left their hotel room. The same thing happened in the afternoon. Both Renee and Erica has returned to their room first, while their parents loitered in the casino. Their clothes were scattered all over the bathroom, but this time it was worse. The twins looked on in dismay as they saw their intimate articles all over the place. Silently, both picked up their clothes. At that moment, both knew that the other did not do it. Just then, they heard the key lock turning and thought that their parents had returned. Quickly, they grabbed everything and ran to their suitcases. Even after their clothes were back in their suitcases, their parents had not returned. Renee threw Erica a puzzled look. Both wen to the door and looked outside. Their parents were just strolling slowly down their corridor. 'Mom, dad, you just came back?' Erica asked mildly.

'Yes,' their mother replied. 'Why?' 'Oh nothing,' Erica replied. They went back into the room. Erica did look at Renee, and saw the same question reflected in her eyes. 'Right ladies, let me ease myself and them we'll go shopping,' their father said with a sigh as he disappeared into the bathroom. A moment later, his angry voice boomed out from within the bathroom. 'Erica! Renee! he called. There was something in his tone that told them that something was wrong. The girls only knew it when they entered the bathroom. The mirror was covered with lipstick marks. The girls looked on in horror. The mirror was spotlessly clean earlier. 'Dad, we didn't do it,' Erica told her father. Renee was nodding her head vigorously too. Mr. Myers looked at his daughters dubiously. He knew that although they were mischievous, they were not liars. 'It's a nit hard for me to believe that. You girls returned to the hotel room first.'

Both girls looked panic stricken. In a rush, Renee blurted out, 'we didn't do it, Dad. We really didn't. 'Yeah, actually, when we came in earlier, the mirror was totally clean. Our clothes were all over the place, but we cleaned up. We even heard you unlocking the door, long before you came back,' Erica was always more articulate. Mr. Myers frowned thoughtfully. He had a bad feeling about the room since he entered, but since he and his family were so tired, he accepted the room anyway. Giving his daughters a stern warning, he let them off. 'Hello, Mr. Myers,' the receptionist greeted him warmly when he dropped by the reception to leave his key. His wife and daughters were waiting for him in the lobby. 'How did you fine your room?' 'The room's fine,' he replied offhandedly. His answer surprised her. She looked as if she wanted to ask more, but hesitated while biting her lip. Curiosity won out in the end.

'Did anything out of the blue happen?' she blurted. Mr. Myers looked at her, and remembered the incident with his daughters. 'Actually, something did happen,' and he went on to tell her about the incident. When he was done, her face was deadly pale. 'Let me check the computer,' as she looked into the terminal in front of her. 'There are a few spare rooms in the hotel today. Can I move your family into another room?' 'Why must we move?' Mr. Myers was puzzled. The receptionist deliberated for a long while before replying. 'The room was never rented out for a few years already. Two young female travelers had commit suicide in the same room three years ago.' When she said that, an involuntary shudder went through Mr. Myers. He did not hesitate any further and agreed to the change of room.

They moved to another room in the same hotel that afternoon. Since then, their holiday plans proceeded as planned.