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[Mini Story] The Hotel Power Outage
🕑 Added 2024-11-03 15:44:26 +0000 UTCHi Hi β¨
Today's story features Claire, who's just naturally that big - she's built different! This is actually Friday's mini story (finally had time to post it π ). T3&4 members, you'll find 6 extra images of Claire in your folders!
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The Hotel Power Outage
"Does anyone know what happened to the power?" Claire's voice echoed through the dark hotel pool area, her words bouncing off the tiled walls. No response. Great.
She stood at the pool's edge, water dripping from her athletic frame as she peered into the darkness. The emergency lights cast an eerie blue glow across the water's surface, barely illuminating her surroundings. The hotel's pool had seemed like a perfect way to unwind after a long day of conference presentations, but now she was starting to regret that decision.
"Hello?" she called out again, louder this time. Still nothing. The other swimmers must have cleared out when the power first flickered.
Claire sighed, reaching for her towel on the nearby lounger. At 7'4", she usually had no trouble spotting things in the dark, but the backup lighting was pitiful. Her fingers finally found the soft fabric, and she quickly dried herself off, trying not to think about how cold the air was getting. The hotel's heating system must have gone down with the power.
She wrapped the towel around her muscular frame, already shivering. The black competition bikini she wore might look impressive, but it did little for warmth. Claire had chosen to swim at this hour specifically because the pool would be empty - she wasn't exactly comfortable showing off her physique. Years of competitive powerlifting had given her a build that turned heads, and not always in a good way.
Making her way to the changing room, Claire fumbled for her gym bag. Empty. Her stomach dropped as she remembered leaving her change of clothes in her hotel room, thinking she wouldn't need them for just a quick swim. At least her room key was... also in her room. Perfect.
"Keep it together," she muttered to herself, taking deep breaths. "Just need to get to the front desk. Simple."
The emergency exit door creaked open as Claire stepped into the hallway. The cold hit her immediately, raising goosebumps along her exposed skin. The towel barely covered what it needed to, leaving her legs mostly bare. Even in the dim light, her quadriceps were clearly visible, each muscle group defined from years of heavy squats.
She had just rounded the corner when she spotted something hanging on a housekeeping cart - a fur coat. It looked like something left behind by a guest, waiting to be returned to lost and found. Claire bit her lip, considering her options. Borrow the coat and return it later, or walk through the hotel in just a towel and bikini?
The decision was made for her as a particularly cold draft blew through the hallway. Claire snatched the coat, sending a silent apology to whoever had lost it. She slipped it on, grateful for the warmth despite it being comically small on her tall frame. The coat that would have reached the floor on most women barely made it past her thighs.
Now somewhat decent, Claire headed for the front desk. Or tried to. In the darkness, with only occasional emergency lights to guide her, all the hallways looked the same. After her third wrong turn, she had to admit it - she was lost.
"Come on," she groaned, leaning against a wall. "This is ridiculous."
A door opened nearby, spilling soft light into the hallway. Claire squinted, making out a figure in the doorway.
"Hello?" a male voice called out. "Is someone there?"
Claire froze. She recognized that voice. "James?"
"Claire? Is that you?"
Of course it had to be James, the IT guy who'd been helping with her presentations all week. The same James she'd been carefully hiding her true size from by wearing loose business suits and always sitting during their meetings.
"Yeah, it's me," she replied, trying to sound casual. "I, uh, got a bit turned around in the dark."
"No kidding. These old hotels are like mazes." There was a pause. "Do you want to come in? I've got some emergency lights set up, and it's warmer than the hallway."
Claire hesitated. On one hand, she really didn't want anyone from work seeing her like this. On the other hand, she was cold, lost, and running out of options.
"That would be great, thanks," she said finally, pushing off from the wall.
As she approached his door, she saw James's eyes widen. Even in the dim light, there was no hiding her true size now. The borrowed fur coat did little to conceal her muscular shoulders and arms, and her legs were entirely exposed, each step revealing powerful muscles that her work attire usually kept hidden.
"Wow," James breathed, then immediately looked mortified. "I mean, come in! Please, come in."
Claire had to duck slightly to enter the room, her height making the standard door frame seem suddenly inadequate. Battery-powered camping lanterns were arranged around the room, creating pools of warm light. A laptop sat open on the bed, its screen providing additional illumination.
"I was just waiting out the power outage," James explained, gesturing to his makeshift lighting setup. "The front desk said it might be a while before they get things running again."
Claire nodded, suddenly very aware of how the fur coat was straining across her shoulders. "Thanks for letting me in. I was swimming when everything went dark, and I may have gotten a bit lost trying to find my way back to my room."
James was trying very hard to maintain eye contact, but she could see him struggling not to stare at her physique. She couldn't blame him - the Claire he knew from work was always carefully covered in loose-fitting suits, usually seated behind a desk. This version of her, dripping wet in a borrowed fur coat that barely contained her muscular frame, must be quite a shock.
"I didn't know you were..." James started, then trailed off, clearly unsure how to finish that sentence.
"A bodybuilder?" Claire offered, managing a small smile. "Yeah, I tend to keep that part of my life separate from work."
"I was going to say tall," James replied, returning her smile. "But yeah, the muscles too. I mean, I knew you were fit - your desk chair is basically industrial grade - but this is..."
"Freakish?" Claire supplied, her smile fading slightly.
"Impressive," James corrected firmly. "Really impressive, actually. How long have you been training?"
Claire blinked, surprised by his genuine interest. Usually when people saw her true size, they either got uncomfortable or made awkward jokes. "About ten years," she found herself saying. "I started with powerlifting in university and kind of... never stopped."
"Ten years? That's amazing dedication," James said, pulling out a chair for her. "No wonder you're so strong. I mean, I assume you're strong. You look strong. Not that I'm looking! I just..." He ran a hand through his hair, flustered. "I'm really not handling this well, am I?"
Despite herself, Claire felt a laugh bubble up. "Actually, you're doing better than most. At least you haven't asked if I can pick you up yet."
James's face reddened. "People actually ask that?"
"More often than you'd think," Claire said, carefully settling into the offered chair. It creaked ominously under her weight. "Though usually not until after they've made at least three Hulk jokes."
"Well, I promise not to make any Hulk jokes," James said solemnly, though his eyes twinkled with amusement. "Though I have to admit, I'm curious about something."
Claire tensed slightly. Here it comes, she thought.
"How do you find business suits that fit? Because I've seen you at meetings all week, and I never had a clue you were this tall, let alone this muscular. That's some serious tailoring magic."
The question was so unexpected, so practical, that Claire found herself laughing again. "It's actually a nightmare," she admitted. "I have everything custom made. Even then, I usually size up and have things taken in strategically to hide the muscles. It's expensive and time-consuming, but it's better than dealing with people's reactions at work."
James nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Though I have to say, as someone who's spent the past week thinking you were intimidating just because you're good at your job, finding out you've been literally hiding your strength is kind of amazing."
"Amazing isn't usually the word people use," Claire said quietly, adjusting the fur coat that was still struggling to contain her shoulders.
"Well, they should," James replied with surprising conviction. "I mean, you're obviously incredibly dedicated to both your professional life and your training. That's not something to hide, it's something to be proud of."
Claire felt her face warm, and for once it wasn't from physical exertion. Before she could respond, a loud rumbling sound filled the room.
"Sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed. "I usually eat right after training."
"Oh!" James jumped up. "I've got some protein bars in my laptop bag. They're probably not up to your usual standards, but..."
"That would be amazing, actually," Claire said gratefully. "I burned through a lot of calories swimming."
As James rummaged through his bag, Claire found herself relaxing slightly. Maybe getting lost in the dark hadn't been such a disaster after all.
![[Mini Story] The Hotel Power Outage](https://img5.patrefans.com/storage/5/mu/rs/563145-019e8f8b-f835-7fa5-bb9b-5e7df783151f.png)
