| Chapter Three The next morning Rico awoke and got ready for his job. Satie had fallen asleep in the hallway as a sort of courtesy to Rico and Nini. Rico would do the same thing for him as well. It was a sort of unspoken pact they had, if one was with a lover, the other would sleep somewhere else. He tapped Satie's shoulder on his way out to wake him up and let him know the coast was clear. Rico headed down the stairs and out the door of his building into the bright day. It was almost noon, the sun was shining. He walked the three miles to work, but on this day he didn't seem to mind. His thoughts kept flashing back to his night with Nini. He didn't know why, but he couldn't get her out of his head. She had never clung to him before when they were finished, the way she did last night. She had never seemed to be so in herself as she was last night. She seemed to be almost a different person, but she wasn't. It was still her beautiful green eyes he stared into. The same familiar lips he caressed. What was happening to them? Had they crossed a line from just being friends to being something else? But what else? Lovers? No, surely not. Neither one of them could be faithful, they knew that. There were too many distractions, to many other options. But what then? Obviously best friends didn't have sex like that. That was something greater. Something that was ground breaking. Something resembling love. Nights in Paris were filled with excitement and activity, and the nights in the Moulin Rouge were two times more exciting and active. Rico walked through the doors after his job at the cafe was finished. It was his usual routine. Get up early go to work. Work all day. Go to the Moulin Rouge and party all night. He knew his way around the Moulin Rouge, he'd been there almost every day for the past four years. And nobody ever thought anything about letting him go where he wanted. If Zidler had a problem with it he would tell Rico himself. Rico was practically family to the Rouge. He found a seat near the front of the stage and saved a few seats just in case Satie decided to come and sit. He sipped his drink and watched the Diamond Dogs dance their can-can. But he didn't see Nini. She was always the one in front. He got up and walked backstage to see if he could find her. "What are you doing back here, we're getting ready to start the show." Marie, who was never very thrilled with backstage guests, asked. "Is Nini coming out soon?" Marie hardly listened to him, too distracted with everything else that was going on. "She's on stage already," she said walking away to the other side of the stage to help out a stagehand that seemed to be having troubles with a prop. Rico crept back to the dressing rooms and knocked on the door. "Hello?" He said, cracking the door open and peeking in. He saw Nini sitting in front of the mirror looking at herself blankly. He opened the door and went in, closing it softly behind him. "Are you alright?" He asked, standing behind her. She gazed up in the mirror and saw his reflection above hers. "I don't know." She said, openly. More openly than normal for her. She was too tired tonight to play games. Rico turned her chair and looked down at her, "What is it?" "Nothing, really. Harold has a client for me. I'm not sure I want to be with him." She had never felt like that before and she hated it. She had never not wanted to be with a client, even when they were so drunk they were throwing up all over. She was so confused, so tired and just didn't want to live her life at that moment. "Why?" Rico asked, somewhat relieved, but not understanding why. "I don't know. I'm just tired, Rico. I just want to take some time off. I want to get away." "This is your job, Nini. You can't walk away." "I know that. I've done it for ten years. I know this is a job, and a damn good one too. I make more money here then I would anywhere else in the world, but I don't feel like it tonight." "Could I do anything to help?" He asked. "We could go to the opium den, smoke a little. Think that would help?" She looked at him, he did understand her. He understood her more then anyone else in the world did. "Okay. We'll see if that helps." She got up and walked out of the room with Rico. The opium den was deserted, very unusual. They looked around and found a seat and a place to roll the opium. Rico pulled out the papers and started loading the joint. "It's empty?" Nini said, looking around. "Yes, it is. Maybe that's better. We can talk." He licked the paper after it was all rolled and handed the joint to Nini. "Talk about what?" She asked, putting it in her lips as Rico lit it for her. "You just seem like you need to talk." She inhaled the drug, closed her eyes as if taking it all in, and then exhaled the smoke. "I'm doing a lot better now. Thank you. I wish you could go with me with this guy I have tonight." Rico smiled, "Yea, and do what?" "Watch." Nini laughed. Rico followed her laughs with a few of his own. "You want me to watch you fuck someone else? I'm sure Zidler would love that." "Maybe when I'm done with him I could come up to your place?" She loved their relationship, she loved that she could be so open with him. It made her more vulnerable then she had ever been with anyone and he fed into that and protected her. He fulfilled her needs in every way. "And fuck me?" "Will you be with someone?" She asked, hoping he wouldn't. "No, I will wait for you." He said. "Okay." She looked at him again, took one last hit on her joint and got up. "Thank you, darling. I have to go be on stage now. Harold doesn't pay me to do nothing." She smiled and left the room. Rico looked at the door. He knew it would be hours before she would come to him, but he couldn't wait to see her again. |