Chapter 5

“We head to the hotel, get some food, get some rest, and then we’re heading down to the river tomorrow for some rafting. I’ve got transportation all arranged.” There was an amused look on his face again that had me slightly uneasy.

We had reservations at the El Tovar Hotel, located near the edge of the Canyon, about 30 minutes from the visitor’s center. Rich booked us separate suites; I think I saw the bill for two nights and it was over two grand. First class indeed! My room was 444 and he was right next door.

I opted to take a nap and then a shower and told Rich I’d meet him downstairs for dinner around 8 pm. When I arrived at the dining room, I saw him seated at a table, talking to an exceptionally attractive young lady. Of course I wandered over and sat down.

I was introduced to Loni. She worked in Scottsdale, just outside of Phoenix, at a printing company. She was a proofreader, and while she was talking to me and Rich, I was thinking about wanting to proofread her. Absolutely gorgeous, black curly hair, blue eyes, and a killer smile.

The two of them seemed quite cozy as we ate dinner and had a couple of drinks. I learned that she was young, not too far out of high school, and was saving up to go to college in Boston, something to do with the fashion industry. Rich had a background many years ago working at a printing company, so I saw the connection across generations.

“Loni here is a designer,” said Rich, pointing at her breasts, or at least I thought he was, because that’s where I was looking, “and she designed and made this dress herself.”

The young woman blushed, which suited her peaches and cream complexion perfectly.

“I’m quite impressed,” I said, trying not to look at where I thought her nipples would be situated and instead focusing on cutting my steak into precise pieces. It had been a while since I’d been laid and I was feeling the urge.

As dinner progressed, Rich and I learned that she was the homecoming queen, no surprise there and that she came in second in the state, almost getting to represent Arizona at the Miss America pageant.

“Well, I can’t imagine that there was anyone who was more charming, intelligent, and more attractive than you, Loni,” said Rich with a bit of a southern drawl, despite living in Pennsylvania.

She blushed and put her hand on top of his. “Oh, you’re just a charmer there, Mr. Rich!”

I mentally rolled my eyes and saw where this was possibly going, so before dessert, I said that I needed to get back to my room and work on some things for tomorrow, and bid them good night.

A good night indeed, I thought, as I walked up the stairs to my suite. Good luck with that, old man!

The following morning I awoke early, having gone to bed earlier than usual, trying to compensate for the time zone change. My gear was packed, so all I needed to do was get some coffee into my system and wait for our ride.

As I left my room I heard a muted voice coming from around the corner, then a door closing. Thinking nothing of it, I started toward the staircase, and coming from the other corridor was none other than Loni, almost crashing into me. Her first words were “Oh, sorry--” and then she recognized me and her eyes went really wide.

“Shit!” She blushed, then said “Have some fun today!” and then realized her somewhat inappropriate double entendre having just come from Rich’s room. Her blush went to bright red and she went scampering down the steps, two at a time.

I looked back toward Rich’s room and shook my head a bit, the rueful smile melding into a slight grin as I made my way down the stairs, albeit far less antelope-like than Loni.

I was on my second cup of java when Rich ambled into the dining room, Mr. Cheshire’s grin present. I could hear a slight whomping noise progressively getting louder.

Ignoring the obvious, I moved on. “So, when does our ride get here?”

Before he answered, we both saw a helicopter arrive and touch down.

“That’s our ride,” he said, grabbing some coffee for the road.

A helicopter ride? He really is going balls to the wall with this height thing, I thought.

Riding in a helicopter can be a cool experience. It’s a whole different experience when you fly out over the Canyon and then you drop very quickly down into the gorge. I’m just glad I didn’t eat breakfast. I heard Rich go “Oh shit” quietly and then he closed his eyes. The man has cojones, I thought silently, I’ll give him that.

Once we got partway down the Canyon’s wall the pilot leveled off for the most part and the rest of the trip was breathtaking.