"In Between The Lines"
'Until I'm Completely Satisfied'
Part 4 Chapter 1
It was early morning and this time Satine had risen before Christian. She was fumbling with her corset when she looked into the mirror and saw him lying in bed, staring at her from behind. Christian had his most gorgeous, sad puppy dog look on his face, knowing that she was about to leave.
Satine turned around to face him.
In response to his obvious feelings she voiced, “You know I have to go Chri...”
“Here, let me help you with that,” he said.
His soft touch could have made Satine melt. Over the few days that they had begun to spend with each other, Christian would always help her lace up. However, this time Christian began to unlace Satine’s corset and slid his hands beneath it to caress her milky flesh.
Satine soon realized that he was not helping her to leave at all, and began to desist.
“Chris...I have to..”
He slid his hand round to her front and explored her chest. Satine moaned, giving herself over to the pleasure and closed her eyes.
“I...have to”
Christian continued his slow seduction, kissing her neck, “Mmm, you have to go, I know.”
“Yesss,” Satine breathed, not sounding the least bit interested in leaving.
Christian moved around to face Satine and parted her lips with his seeking tongue. She eagerly responded, lost in a swirl of desire.
“But another half hour won’t hurt, will it?” he said, falling to the bed and bringing Satine with him.
Satine fervently kissed him back and fumbled at the buttons on his pants.
“Ugh, I’m pathetic,” she said into his passionate kisses.
Christian grinned, “Hey, it’s not your fault that I’m so irresistible.”
***
The Duke sat patiently waiting outside of Satine’s boudoir. He was eagerly waiting for her to awake so he could meet with her before his conference with ‘that writer’ and Zidler.
Warner was not with him this morning. The Duke had given him the time off, not out of kindness, rather in case his rendezvous with Satine took a slightly more intimate turn.
Satine and Christian approached the boudoir but froze in their tracks at the sight of The Duke waiting outside.
Fear struck through Satine, her chest grew tight and she gasped, “Do you think he knows?”
Concerned, Christian looked in The Duke’s direction, “I hope not.”
“What are we going to do? Who knows how long he has been there. I can’t just say I went out...quickly, you have to go.” She frantically uttered to Christian.
Keeping out of sight, Christian turned to Satine, “I have a better idea.”
He quickly whispered his plan and Satine thought it was better than the alternative of having to explain where she had been.
Satine lingered, hiding behind the wall, but had a perfect view of the doorway to her boudoir.
The Duke spotted Christian and looked at him quizzically. Christian continued to make a B-line for The Duke and stopped when he stood directly between him and the door to Satine’s room.
“Dear Duke!” Christian exclaimed, “I was hoping I might find you here, I have just had the most incredible idea for our play.”
The Duke appeared flustered, as if some drunken lunatic had approached him speaking gibberish.
‘Wh...what??”
Christian subtly glanced to Satine to see if she was able to access the room without being spotted.
She stared back at him in response, urging him to hurry and try something else.
The Duke’s line of sight turned to follow Christians, and in moment of panic Christian robustly slapped him on the shoulder, diverting his attention.
This caused The Duke to rise to his feet, in an effort to assert his authority and stature over Christian.
“The play...Spectacular! Spectacular!” Christian began winging it, “I have just written the most beautiful song, it’s sure to be a hit with the crowd.”
Christian put his arm around The Duke’s shoulder and successfully steered him away from the door and down the hallway.
Satine took her opportunity to quickly and quietly duck into her room without being noticed.
The Duke did not like to be man handled in this way.
“Just what is it you think you’re doing young man?” he said, beginning to look around for Warner, but stopped, remembering it would be futile.
“I couldn’t wait to show you my idea” Christian voiced.
The Duke resigned to Christian’s pestering and without Warner around, decided to hear the boy out.
“Well, where is it?”
Christian glanced to the doorway just in time to see it close. The Duke glanced over Christian’s shoulder and saw nothing but a closed door and subsequently returned an irritated stare.
“...well?”
“Oh would you believe it? I left the papers in my garret,” Christian said, acting aloof. “I guess it will have to wait until the meeting after all. Well, good day.”
Christian nodded politely to The Duke and walked back in the direction he had come with Satine. The Duke returned to his chair.
He sat down and grumbled under his breath, “Doped up bohemians!”
***
Just under an hour later, the main players involved in bringing Spectacular! Spectacular! together had joined in the empty dance hall. Satine and Christian had been careful to make their greeting as brief and impersonal as possible. The last thing they wanted was to draw attention to themselves after their close call in the morning.
Toulouse had set up a table with chairs surrounding, however he had decided to stand. Harold sat on one end of the table, his Sparkling Diamond and money ticket close by his side, while The Duke was seated directly opposite Satine with Christian to his left.
Christian began putting forward the plot outline which he had rehearsed for Toulouse the other evening. Zidler was all ears; elaborating with his own thoughts and promoting Christian to The Duke.
Satine knew that this was Christian’s time to shine, and because of this he couldn’t acknowledge her, but she desperately wanted to show him some form of encouragement and support. If she couldn’t do it openly the way ‘normal’ couples did, then she would have to use her other talents. ...Satine only hoped he would not be as startled as the first time she ‘encouraged’ him.
Shaking her ankle, she dropped her high heeled shoe on to the floor. With her bare foot she proceeded to run her leg seductively up his pant leg in a soothing, reassuring, yet seductive fashion
This time, Christian did not respond at all and it surprised Satine, but she brushed it off, assuming that he was doing no more than keeping up appearances.
She drew her glance away from Christian, only to find The Duke raising his eyebrows in her direction and suggestively smiling at her.
Now it was Satine’s turn to keep up appearances. She smiled politely in return to keep The Duke at bay. What Satine didn’t realize was that she hadn’t caressed Christian’s leg at all...but The Dukes; and worse yet, she had just encouraged him further with her welcoming smile.
The Duke felt a warm, tingly feeling inside, producing an elated smile on the outside. He’d been hoping Satine would warm to his charms and he took her actions as his cue to advance.
The Duke outstretched his well polished shoe underneath the table. He couldn’t feel what he was touching through the thick leather, but came into contact with a leg and reciprocated her actions.
“So do you like what I’m doing here,” Christian said enthusiastically to Zidler.
Zidler’s eyes grew wide at the boy’s comment as he felt a leg erotically stroke his outer thigh.
He cleared his throat and in his most gruff, manly voice uttered, “Uhh, I, Uh...no this isn’t what I expected.”
Christian stood up from his seat, “I don’t understand...isn’t this what you employed me to do?!”
Christian was completely out of the loop. He was clueless as to the on goings underneath the table. However, Toulouse stood off to the side of the dealings, completely amused. Due to his small height, he had a perfect view of what was really happening beneath the table. The Duke had obviously mistaken Zidler’s leg for Satine’s.
Zidler processed that Christian was standing and yet he still had a man’s leg unnervingly close to his crotch. Without thinking he instinctively reacted, pulling at the shoe.
The Duke shrieked like a girl and as Zidler released the foot he went flying backwards over his chair.
Toulouse burst out laughing, not at all attempting to hide his elation. Satine and Christian were looking bemusedly at each other, then to The Duke.
The Duke swiftly made his way back to his feet, embarrassed and as red as a tomato.
“Yes...well, everything seems in order young man,” he said to Christian, but without looking to him, instead finding his shoes a fascinating place to look for the time being.
“Once you’ve finished casting, I want to begin rehearsals at the end of this week...and, and uh, full rehearsals by the end of the month!” He ordered.
With that, he ignored Zidler’s questioning stare, nodded good day to Satine and left with what little dignity he still had left.
By the time he had left the room, Toulouse was in a corner rolling uncontrollably with laughter; no doubt aided by the affects of absinthe.
“What in the world was the meaning of that!?” Harold asked, as more of a rhetoric question than anything,
This again drew blank looks from Christian and Satine.
‘I guess this is a taste of things to come from working at the Moulin Rouge,’ Christian mused to himself, flashing a smile in Satine and Zidler’s direction.
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