Will you have dinner with me?

"Ehm, sorry!" Axel said in a hurry. He was just now realizing he had been silent for a solid minute. After blinking several times he hurried to attempt to take the food from the service cart. "I'm quite distracted tonight, my apologies," he said with a silly smile that tried to look... polite? Suggestive? Or, perhaps, only less awestruck.

"Don't worry, I guess you must have a lot in your mind," the waitress answered with a polite chuckle as she pushed the cart inside. "Please, let me place the food into your room's table. The chef sent a couple more things to our esteemed guest." She replied as she donned that smile that left Axel feeling like he just lost all basic functions. 

The waitress stepped inside and started to set the table, placing a rather luxurious sushi sampler plate, a bucket with ice and a chilled white wine, and finally set down a pair of freshly made dorayaki. The food itself smelled wonderful, a testament to a skilled chef and pristine ingredients, yet Axel was more focused on the one serving the dishes.

"Thank you, you're very kind. May I know your name?" Axel risked the question, anxious to know her name.

"Oh, it's just my work, but I appreciate your words. My name is Aiko, sir."

"Aiko... Axel, a pleasure to meet you." Axel tried to put on his best charming smile. Not even he knew why, but he felt strongly attracted to Aiko despite this being the first time they had met. "Actually, Aiko, would you please keep me company? Now that I see the sampler, it's way bigger than what I thought," he said, feeling bold.

"Thank you, sir. But I have work to do," Aiko answered, still donning her polite smile. 

"Oh... I see... what if I compensate you for your time? I can even speak with the head waitress so they give you the time off!" it was unusual for him to try and have his way using his money. But Axel knew he had to keep talking with Aiko, if anything at least to keep at bay the lingering bitterness that Rika's words had left him.

Aiko's smile tightened just a fraction at the mention of money, a familiar attempt to flaunt wealth and get things done his way. She was used to lecherous creeps always trying to get close to her, no matter how bland she tried to look. Memories of the last time she'd thought it was safe to take an apparent polite offer were still fresh; no tip was worth risking such a situation as much as she needed it for her tuition.

"That's kind of you, sir. But I can't just leave my coworkers to handle my workload while I rest." she retorted, not budging. She was used to rich people just flaunting their wallets, thinking they owned the world. But Aiko wasn't like that; she wasn't moved by money, no matter how much she needed it.

As Aiko finished uncorking the wine, she gave Axel a polite bow, saying, "Enjoy your meal, sir. Please don't hesitate to call in case you need something else." Not even waiting for a tip, she left in a hurry, not intending to entertain his behavior any longer, lest it escalate. She was no stranger to the debauchery of the wealthy, shuddering at the memory of the last man who had tried to get handsy.

After hearing the door close, Axel felt at a loss. He was used to having women trying to get into his good graces, some even going to lengths to get close to him. What was new to him was to be rejected when he expressed interest, which wasn't the usual for him. Not that he felt hurt, if anything he felt even more interested, especially after the chaotic morning he'd had dealing with Rika's antics.

Luckily for him, he had something up his sleeve; he had yet to give her a proper tip, which in turn gave him an excuse to seek her out without sounding weird or imposing. Of course, he knew this was but a flimsy excuse to get at least a bit closer to Aiko, he wanted to know why she had made such an impression on him. Perhaps it was exactly her attempt to look plain and inconspicuous given her work. Axel had traveled far and wide due to his family business and as such he did visit his fair share of hotels, all of them shared a theme: the waitresses usually tried to look as appealing as possible when dealing with wealthy customers in order to earn a big tip.

Of course, Axel wasn't interested in such display, mostly because he yearned for a real connection after having tasted what an interest-fueled relationship felt like, this last one being the epitome of it. No matter how much one spends, it's impossible to buy genuine relationships, Axel thought as he started to dive into the sushi sampler. Truth be told, it was quite a big serving, that too caught him by surprise.

Aiko walked the aisles down to the service elevator, exhaling on her way to the kitchen. The previous interaction had exhausted her and it was just the start of the night shift, things were looking bleak for her since the hotel was in low occupancy and the chances of her having to attend the penthouse again were high. What was worse, she ran before receiving a tip, something to at least make it worthy of dealing with rich, entitled guys.

She was simmering all the way down to the kitchen, thinking about the nerve that guest had. "Would you please keep me company" she repeated in a mocking voice, the nerve! Even if his tone wasn't openly lecherous she knew his kind, always trying to get into her pants. She wasn't going to let herself be manhandled again, especially not after the last time when the hotel sided with the guest. As if having a couple millions gave them a free pass to get away with anything.

Still, fuming served nothing as she knew the pay was quite big, the hotel was lenient giving her a fixed schedule and the tips sometimes allowed her to not only cover her tuition but also enjoy a luxury or two, like going to that all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ she loved. Aiko let her head hang in resignation with a big sigh, this elevator being the only place where she could let her mind complain in peace and her face rest from that service smile that was her brand.