Erich shrugged.

"Vielleicht nicht, aber Ihre Probleme sind mir nicht so fremd."

He took a sip of his water, noticing that his new friend had still not had a bite to eat. It meant that he could not eat either. He did not want to go into his difficulties in life, but perhaps if she spoke long enough, Sarah would begin to eat.

"Ich habe meine Eltern vor kurzem auch verloren. Meine Schwester ist die einzige Freundin, die ich noch habe. Es ist ein Problem, das Sie nicht interessiert, aber es wird mich nur stärker machen, weil ich es durchgemacht habe."

As he spoke, Sarah did indeed cut out a bite of the sumptuous meat and savored the bite. As she chewed, she listened to his own rumination on the matter of losing those close to you. She nodded slowly as she swallowed, in agreement.

"Ich hatte das nicht bedacht, Erich. Es tut mir leid zu hören, dass Sie auch Ihre Eltern verloren haben. Aber es ist gut, dass du deine Schwester hast. Ist sie hier bei dir?"

Erich had begun to eat almost as soon as Sarah had, but he swallowed a sip of water before speaking to answer her question.

"Nein, sie ist in Philadelphia und kümmert sich um etwas Geschäftliches. Ich bin geschäftlich in Detroit, aber auch aus persönlichen Gründen."

He cut himself another piece and dipped it into the mashed potatoes. Before lifting it off the plate he looked up at Sarah.

"Was ist mit dir? Was bringt dich nach Detroit? Sie sind nicht von hier, sonst hätte ich Sie nicht in einem Hotelrestaurant gefunden."

He gestured around the room slightly before continuing to eat.

Having swallowed a bit of the mashed potatoes, she shrugged with her reply.

"Ich bin geschäftlich hier, aber nicht besonders. Ich wurde kürzlich von einem Mann mit vielen Interessen in mehreren Städten eingestellt. Er hat mich geschickt, um mehr über die Städte zu erfahren und einige Leute kennenzulernen. Dies ist mein erster Tag in Detroit."

She cut another bite of meat.

"Ich bin heute morgen sehr früh hier angekommen, also habe ich den größten Teil des Tages geschlafen. Ich nehme an, ich werde morgen mehr sehen."

As she enjoyed the next mouthful of steak, she watched Erich for a few moments. He was quite methodical in seemingly everything he did. It was then that a thought struck her.

"Ich hoffe, es macht Ihnen nichts aus, wenn ich frage, ob Sie beim Militär gedient haben?"

Sarah picked up her glass of wine and took a drink.

Erich froze, he shook his head.

"Nein, ich war zu jung, um im Ersten Weltkrieg zu dienen, und wie Sie wissen, darf Deutschland keine große militärische Macht haben. Es ist ein Privileg, jetzt in der Armee zu dienen."

He looked Sarah up and down.

"Nun, wenn Sie die meiste Zeit des Tages geschlafen haben, müssen Sie etwas finden, das Sie erschöpft, damit Sie heute Nacht gut schlafen."

He nodded once emphatically.

Erich's reaction to her question, again, stoked her curiosity about the circumstances of his journey to the United States. Sarah had always had a way about her- able to tell when people were hiding something. Her father knew it, and had encouraged her to use it to her advantage. However, in Erich's case, she didn't want to pry. There was something in his eyes; something somber, even sad. 

With his redirect, Sarah thought for a moment.

"Ich bin sowieso eine Nachteule. Ich werde wahrscheinlich nur lesen und die Sterne vorbeiziehen sehen."

She reached up and pushed a lock of red hair back behind her shoulder and finished her glass of wine. Upon putting the glass down, she felt the combination of the hard cider and the wine beginning to toy with her head. As if on cue, the waiter appeared and picked up the bottle to pour her another glass. Sarah shook her head.

"No, thank you, I shouldn't. But leave the bottle in case my friend would like more."

"Das ist bewundernswert, wenn auch langweilig."

Erich watched as the waiter began to pour and Sarah waved him off. Clearly she had enough, which meant one of two things. Either she did not want to let the alcohol take it's effect and was stopped early. Or it already had begun to. There was an easy way to figure that out. He removed the business card for the Blackhawk restaurant from his pocket.

"Könnten Sie mir einen Gefallen tun? Könnten Sie mir vielleicht sagen, wo dieser Ort ist? Ich muss es finden, um hier mein Geschäft abzuschließen."

He crossed the business card slowly across Sarah's field of vision from her right to her left, he watched her eyes as they followed the card. Had she truly begun to feel the effects of the wine, her eyes would flicker ever so slightly at the moving object. It was an involuntary muscle movement due to the relaxing nature of alcohol. There was no way to prevent it, or to stop it, save to not drink at all.

Again, Sarah laughed.

"Du liegst nicht falsch, mein Freund. Ich glaube ich habe vergessen wie ich mich amüsieren kann"

As he drew the business card from his pocket and showed it to her, Sarah squinted slightly, not sure if he was moving the card or her head was swimming more than she realized.

"The Blackhawk...Ich kann dir helfen, es zu finden, da bin ich mir sicher. Vielleicht mit einer Anleitung mit einer Karte."

Erich nodded, she was beginning to feel the effects after all. That would do well.

"Danke vielmals."

He gestured toward the lobby then before speaking again in the most innocent manner he could muster.

"Ich habe eine Karte in meinem Zimmer, wenn Sie wollen, dass ich sie nach dem Abendessen bekomme. Oder, wenn Sie möchten, können Sie mit mir kommen, da es eine Privatangelegenheit ist und ich es vorziehen würde, so weit wie möglich darüber zu schweigen."

He took another sip of the wine as he waited for her to parse out her answer.

"Ich sehe keinen Grund, dies nicht zu tun. Klingt viel besser als alleine in meinem Zimmer zu lesen."

Her answer was slower than she had been conversing earlier in the meal, and she thought it best to slow down so as not to make an utter fool of herself until the alcohol wore off. Before she had been kidnapped, Sarah had built up quite a tolerance for alcohol. But, since Lou hadn't allowed the girls to drink, she had been four months without drinking at all, and she could tell. Perhaps the night air would do her some good. Besides, the night was still young.

Erich nodded.

"Gut, lass uns gehen, wenn du bereit bist. Das Hotel sollte mein Zimmer für das Essen in Rechnung stellen und ich werde mich morgen um die Rechnung kümmern."

He sat upright again, sipping at what was left in his water glass, waiting for Sarah to make the next move. It was entirely up to her now when and where the rest of this night went. Erich had done everything he could up to this point, now she needed to take the next step. So long as she did that, he could carry her the rest of the way if he had to.

Sarah shook her head and smiled. 

"Nein, bitte erlauben Sie mir, mich um die Rechnung zu kümmern. Die Mahlzeit wird von meinem Arbeitgeber übernommen."

With that, she reached into her handbag and laid a large bill on the table. Taking the napkin from her lap, she dabbed her lips and stood, placing the napkin beside her plate on the table. 

"Ich bin sicher, dass Zaheer die Kosten für ein Geschäftsessen mit einem gutaussehenden Gentleman nicht stört."

Her inhibitions slightly loosened, Sarah gave Erich a clearly flirtatious smile and a wink as she smoothed her hand down over the back of the skirt. 

Erich nodded and watched as Sarah stood in front of him. She was a proper woman, she had cleaned herself up and smoothed her skirts before clutching her handbag closed and preparing to leave the table. He would have to respond in kind. He dipped the corner of his napkin into the water glass, dabbed at his mouth with it to make sure to clear whatever might be there, and then stood himself.

"Danke vielmals. Danke auch an Ihren Arbeitgeber. Ich fühle mich wie an der Spitze, wenn ich heute Abend gutes Essen und ein hübsches Mädchen für Gesellschaft bekommen habe. Lass uns in mein Zimmer gehen und die Karte durchgehen, oder?"

He held out his arm for her to take so he might steady her as she walked. He wouldn't mention it, but it would be the gentlemanly thing to do.

Without a doubt, Sarah was impressed by Erich's gentlemanly manner. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and smiled as the pair made their way to the elevator in the lobby. He was a bit taller than her, and his fit build was noticeable beneath his suit. He had a confident air as he walked; seemingly well in command of his surroundings wherever he went. 

The elevator arrived and they stepped through the gate. The doors clanked shut, and the car slowly began to rise. Unconsciously nipping at her bottom lip, Sarah let her eyes wander over him, noting especially the way his shirt fit so nicely across his firm chest and shoulders. 

Erich had been noticing Sarah all night long. The little things she did. Her quick smiles in comparison to his complete lack of smiling. He was grateful he had remembered to shave this morning or else he would feel stubbly and that would not go well. As they got into the elevator, he could feel her tense on his arm. More importantly, the interior of the elevator was polished metal, that meant he could see her eyes fall onto him without having to look at her.

As the car came to a stop he stepped out first and then took out the key to his room. It was a small place, and pristine still as he had not been there yet. His bags lay at the foot of the bed, he had sprung from his own pocket for the Queen sized bed since he was too tall for a full. Any small comfort he could afford of that nature, he would allow himself. It is why he saved and scrimped elsewhere.

"Es tut mir leid, dass ich Ihnen keinen Schlummertrunk anbieten kann. Ich bin gerade erst vor dem Abendessen angekommen. Wir könnten an der Rezeption anrufen, wenn Sie möchten?"

He took his jacket off and hung it up as he spoke. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and then made his way over to the chair in the room, to begin taking off his shoes next.

"Bitte machen Sie es sich bequem, wenn Sie es wünschen. Ich werde die Karte in nur einer Sekunde herausnehmen, aber ich bin den ganzen Tag unterwegs gewesen und möchte meine Schuhe unbedingt ausziehen."

He finished taking his shoes off and sighed relief before making his way to his bags to retrieve the map of Detroit.

"Vielen Dank. Keine Notwendigkeit für mich zu eilen. Wie gesagt, ich habe keine Pläne."

Eyeing the nicely upholstered couch, Sarah decided to settle there while her head continued to make several trips around the room. The wine was really good, and she had enjoyed quite a bit of it. Perhaps a bit too much, if she were willing to admit it. 

Once she was settled into the plush seat, she followed his lead and slipped out of her own shoes, wiggling her toes within the nylons. She watched him unbutton the top of his shirt, not exactly hiding it while trying to make casual conversation. 

"Wie lange wirst du in Detroit bleiben?"

​​​​​

Erich shrugged. He didn't rightly know how long the job was going to take. All he knew was that he needed to visit a couple of businesses for his Godmother and then head back.

"Ich kann nicht sagen. Ich muss geschäftlich einige Orte besuchen und dann mit einem Bericht über ihren Status nach Philadelphia zurückkehren."

He got up then and made his way to his bag. He slipped one zipper open and produced a map of the city which he unfolded and placed gingerly onto Sarah's lap. He let his hand brush up against her leg as he did so and sat next to her on the couch. If someone were to walk in right now, they might see two people using a map as a lap blanket. A strange sight indeed, but it meant that hey were sitting closely, and that would let Erich gauge whether or not he would be leaving again this evening.

"Zeit, etwas von diesem amerikanischen Eifer zu zeigen. Zeig mir wo wir sind bitte."

It was after hours and Flakester needed a place to stay so he goes to The Chaise Hotel.walks in to the desk a man walks up to him and he says he needs a room for the night.the guy takes his payment and gives him his room pass and off to rest in his room.

It only took Sarah a few moments to find the intersection where their hotel was. She pointed to it on the map.

"Wir sind hier. Wenn ich mich nicht irre, ist das Restaurant nur ein paar Blocks westlich."

She traced her finger along the streets from the hotel toward the street printed on the business card. Her fingertip crossed from the top of her leg to his gently. Sarah knew she was blushing, but tried to keep focus on the tiny lines and print on the map. His hand was warm against her outer thigh, and she could swear she felt his finger briefly caress her. She broke her gaze from the map to look at him, her green eyes peering into his.

"Es ist eine schrecklich große Stadt, wenn Sie nicht wissen, wohin Sie gehen."

Her comment was nearly irrelevant to his quest, but she was distracted by him. He had such an intensity about him, and it made her curious. Furthermore, she was beginning to wonder if he had other intentions. Sarah pushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and softly bit her lower lip.

Erich watched as Sara pushed the hair from her face. She had very pretty eyes, he liked that.

"Dann muss ich sicher gehen, dass ich mich nicht verirrt, oder ich brauche jemanden, der mich sucht."

He lifted his hand to her chin so that he could look into her eyes.

"Jemand mit guten Augen. Jemand mit sehr schönen Augen. Du hast schöne Augen."

He kept his hand on her chin and then leaned in slowly to kiss her, but he did not let his lips touch hers, he waited, just within the reach of her breath. He could feel her breathing, and he knew she could feel him. Erich held there for just a second and then their lips touched and he slipped the map off of them and onto the floor.