The Maitre de merely looked Richard up and down in feint annoyance and wondered if any other excuse was going to be offered. Bette sighed in exasperation and looked over at Shane and Lena expecting them to jump in with a proper explanation before they were thrown out.  Lena stepped toward the Maitre de and tried to explain.

“We had just been admiring the view in the hotel lobby and, well I was so overcome by the beauty of the city from there, I just knew the view would be breathtaking from up above,”

The Maitre de looked upon her and the other with a snob like manner, and looked towards the young steward beside him as if to send him for security.

“That and” stepped in Shane as the Maitre de started to whisper something to the steward “Miss Fairbanks wanted to check out the hotel suites, especially the penthouses of course and decided rather than wait for a proper tour that we should come directly up”

“Miss Fairbanks?” asked the Maitre de hardly blinking at the mention of the name

“Dana Fairbanks, one of the more, how would you say, important guests of the party your holding downstairs” interjected Lena

Dana who had been too pre occupied in the thoughts of what she and Alice could be doing in one of the hotel suites, had perked up at the mention of her name and started to come round to the story the other were feeding the odious Maitre de.  She stepped forward a little and smiled at him sweetly, and the Maitre de finally showed some recognition as he saw her, remembering their brief introduction upon her arrival.

“Ah yes Miss Fairbanks” he said glancing at the others of the group “And all these peopleare with you?”

“Well these are my ‘people’” said Dana, earning a few glances from the group

“And how are you finding our hotel Miss Fairbanks?” asked the Maitre de, with the ease of a man used to sucking in all situations.

“Oh fabulous, I was just wondering what the suites are like, the halls alone are so amazing, but as Lena, she’s one of my publicists, explained, we did particularly come to see the view”

“We were enjoying it immensely until we were interrupted” replied Dana with a slightly arrogant air