dinner
later?"
Without turning around, she said, "You're a coworker, Frank. It won't
happen."
He sighed, "Hey, I don't agree with that policy, y'know?"
With a slight nod, Mandi said, "Yeah, I know. Bye."
He must really have been hungry; for once, he didn't persist. Even if she
were interested in playing, it wouldn't happen with Frank Stearns. The guy was a
good team leader, but Mandi had overheard him talking to John Hartmann about one
of his dates.
He'd made it sound as if he'd conquered Mount Everest and had given a
blow-by-blow description of events -- as he remembered them, of course --
including their bedroom activities, some of which had sounded greatly
embellished.
No, there'd be no playing with Frank. Never with Frank.
Mandi let herself into room 426 and tossed her purse on the bed, then she
began taking off her clothes as she ran hot water in the bathtub and added some
bubblebath.
She wasn't tired and didn't have any aches or pains or frustrations to soak
away. Mandi just liked bubblebaths and the private, quiet time they provided.
It was also an opportunity to see what all had been issued with her
DragonCon badge, which was clipped to a plastic bag someone had delivered and
placed on the bed.
Mandi picked the goodie-bag up and peeked inside, then took it into the
bathroom. After getting comfortable in the tub, she spent the next half hour
reviewing convention literature.
The big, glossy-covered guide said there'd be several stars from TV shows
and movies signing autographs, as well as a host of artists and authors.
It also listed a costume contest, three dances, discussion panels, and
several movies to be shown in the ballrooms. The dealer's room vendor list made
it seem likely that she'd find some unique jewelry or clothing.
A smaller, pocket-sized booklet contained a simpler scheduling chart of all
events, panels, appearances, and other doings of interest during the four days
of the convention.
Mandi used a yellow highlighter on some of the chart's info blocks, then
rooted through the rest of the stuff in the bag; buttons, pins, party notices,
and ads and brochures for upcoming science fiction movies and books.
By the time the bath water had cooled Mandi had less than an hour to find
and get to a writer's panel titled 'Women of Science Fiction'. She got out of
the tub and chose a fresh outfit from her limited travel wardrob