About this story
When the head waiter refuses her birthday order of one plain steak and a bottle of Bass, you track down the hotel's owner, Felix Babylon, and buy the place outright before her dinner is even served. Steak finally on the table, you catch the same waiter trading a private, unmistakable signal with a stranger who has just joined it.
How it opens
At seven forty-five, June heat softened the flowers but not the hotel's discipline.
The Grand Babylon smoking room muted every footstep beneath thick Eastern rugs.
JulesYes, sir? The dining room opens in fifteen minutes.
Bring me an Angel Kiss, and do not let the name delay it.
JulesThis is not an American hotel, and our bar does not keep it.
Choose
Then bring cream, maraschino, and creme de menthe in equal measure.
A hotel serving princes can surely survive one unfamiliar glass.