Chapter 8 - three hours earlier

Three hours earlier Harry had been standing in the hotel lobby, waiting to speak to the guy behind the desk. He had managed to track down some of the pipes he was looking for, but the main connection lay in a conference room he hadn't been able to find yet.

They looked to be short staffed today and there was only one guy on the front desk; typically handsome as the reception staff usually were in hotels like these. Harry looked at his name badge and saw his name was John, followed by a slogan that said 'happy to help'; however, John looked far from happy to helping the guy standing in front of Harry right now.

The man in front was a very tall and well-built beast of a man. He was at least 6′7 and looked like he could break Harry in half with his little finger. He looked to be in his early 40s and was clearly speaking to John in an overly forceful manner. Just his size alone was intimidating as he towered over everyone else in the hotel like an aggressive steroid user. Wide shoulders, thick neck biceps the size of Harry's thighs. 'Are you an idiot? What's even going on in that tiny brain of yours? I mean, do you know who I am I?'

'Yes, sir, I do, and we're very honoured to have you and your team staying here in the hotel. We'll try our best to accommodate you for this evening. You have my word'.

Harry tried to scan the man from behind for clues about his seeming 'celebrity status'. He spotted a crest on his luggage bag that belonged to the Dragons football team from up north and assumed that must be the team John was referring to. Intrigued, he then had a quick look for some of the players from the team, but it didn't look like any were here at the moment.

'You have the full list of my team's dietary requirements?' snapped the man.

'Yes sir, we do' said John with thinly guarded irritation. He looked like he had somewhere else he wanted to be right now.

'Good, we'll be down here at 8. Make sure it is a private room where no one can bother us for autographs and selfies. Think you can manage that?'

'As I said sir, we'll certainly try our best'.

The man then quickly stormed away without another word. He was clearly a man who always got what he wanted. John breathed a quick sigh of relief as Harry politely moved forward.

'Hi there, I'm looking for a large conference room with something I need. I think someone called it conference room 5?'

John didn't even look up at him, clearly too preoccupied with the previous man's request. 'Yeah, plumber right? It's down the hall and right.'

Harry waited for him to elaborate with more directions, but they weren't forthcoming. This hotel was practically a maze. 'Ok, thanks. I'm sure I can find it,' he sighed, irritated.

Harry started to walk away, frustrated, when he heard John call up someone on the reception phone. 'Hey Diana, we could probably seat the Dragons in conference room 5 afterwards as well. I spoke the lady running that and she said they would be done by 5.30′.


Three hours later, Harry was watching the maintenance man sleep after the formula had finished fattening him up to massive proportions. His mind was buzzing being in the same room as the lady. He'd done exactly as she'd wanted, but he knew he could do more to impress her. Much more.

'I have an idea...' he began. The lady strutted about the room like she couldn't even hear him. 'Have you ever heard of a football team called... the Dragons?'