Nick knew that if he walked away without a word, it would crush Mike. It would destroy his confidence, and he'd also be worried. Nick decided to play along for now. Once he couldn't get a room for her, there'd be ample opportunity to go their seperate ways, and even if Mike wasn't willing to part ways, Nick could just hang out with him a bit more... it could be fun to do a little ego-stroking for his old buddy, as long as he didn't let it go too far.
Before long, Mike came back smiling. "It's done! I got you a suite!" Misreading her expression, he added "don't worry, it's comped!"
"How?" Nick asked
"I have a few tricks up my sleeve... maybe I'll tell you about it... later"
Nick looked over at the desk, but the concierge was already busy attending to some high-roller. "Oh well," thought Nick, "I guess I won't be leaving for a few more hours". She took his proferred arm and followed him to the elevators After a quick ride, he walked her to her room door and handed her a key card.
"Now I'm right next door" he said "so don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything you need," he bowed low, adding "my lady."
Nick knew where this was going - Mike wanted to spend more time with this woman, but didn't want to make her think he expected it, or that she owed him anything. He really was a good guy. Nick started to head into his room, but then turned back to a disappointed-looking Mike, and said:
