much.
“I’d like you to meet a friend of mine,” Gregorio said one night, looping his arm around her shoulder as she came out of her dressing room about to go home. He led her toward the bar, where she found Orlando chatting with an obese man in his forties.
“But I—” Billie protested.
“He’s a good client and a very special friend of the house,” Gregorio insisted, holding on to her firmly, but never losing his smile. “Be nice to him.”
The man looked at her shyly, his expression revealing how much he admired Billie’s exotic beauty. She glanced at her husband for protection, but saw only a look of encouragement behind a nervous smile and his cold ocean-colored eyes.
“Armando,” Don Gregorio said, “allow me to introduce you to Billie, our best artist and the most beautiful jewel in the house.”
“It’s a pleasure, miss,” Armando said, wiping his hand on his pants before offering it to the girl. “You sing wonderfully.”
“Thank you very much,” Billie said.
“Can I buy you a drink?” the man offered.
“Thank you, but I was on my way—”
“Of course she’ll have a drink with you!” Gregorio intervened, pushing Billie toward the man until she found herself thrown right up against him. “That way you can get to know each other.”
“Orlando,” Billie muttered, alarmed.
“It’s just a drink, Billie,” Orlando whispered in her ear before moving away with Gregorio.
Armando smiled in surprise and tried to strike up a conversation about her homeland and the music she liked. Billie responded in monosyllables, distracted by Gregorio and her husband a few feet away, who seemed to be arguing in a contained but clearly heated way, judging by their gestures. Eventually, Orlando turned to her, his expression serious, his brow furrowed. Then he turned back to Gregorio and nodded. The impresario smiled and gave him a friendly pat on the arm. Then he turned to them with a satisfied air.
“How’s it going, guys?” he asked jovially, draping his arms over both their shoulders. Turning to Armando, he said, “A delicious creature, isn’t that right, buddy?”
“Of course,” the man said politely. “But it’s time for me to call it a night.”
“Billie would be delighted to accompany you to your hotel for a nightcap,” Gregorio prompted. “Isn’t that right, Billie?”
Horrified, the girl turned to the impresario. Then she looked around for Orlando.
“Oh, there’s no need!” Armando said when he noticed the girl’s trepidation.
Orlando, who was watching the scene unfold from a distance with a sullen face, came over to the group when the impresario beckoned. Orlando took Billie by the arm.
“Will you excuse us for a moment?” he asked, forcing a smile as they stepped away.
“He wants me to sleep with that man!” Billie exclaimed, terrified.
“No, my love, that’s not it. Calm down,” Orlando said, in his most cajoling voice. “All you have to do is go have a drink with him and keep him happy, that’s all.”
Billie, trying to contain the tears threatening to burst from her eyes, looked at her husband incredulously.
“How can you ask me to do this? I’m your wife!”
“I know, chocolate chip. But that’s why I know I can trust you and you won’t let me down. Gregorio wants to keep this client happy, and he’s taken a liking to you. We’ll get a tidy sum from this.”
“I couldn’t care less about the money!” Billie retorted, indignant. “There’s no way I’m going with him!”
“Listen, honey,” Orlando said, his tone hardening. “You’re not going to fuck with me now, okay? There’s a lot of money on the line. What’s your problem? It’s not like you’re some innocent virgin. I know how wild you can get in bed . . .”
“But, you’re my husband, and I love you! I’m not a whore!”
Billie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her own husband, the man she loved most in the world, couldn’t be saying such unspeakable
“I’d like you to meet a friend of mine,” Gregorio said one night, looping his arm around her shoulder as she came out of her dressing room about to go home. He led her toward the bar, where she found Orlando chatting with an obese man in his forties.
“But I—” Billie protested.
“He’s a good client and a very special friend of the house,” Gregorio insisted, holding on to her firmly, but never losing his smile. “Be nice to him.”
The man looked at her shyly, his expression revealing how much he admired Billie’s exotic beauty. She glanced at her husband for protection, but saw only a look of encouragement behind a nervous smile and his cold ocean-colored eyes.
“Armando,” Don Gregorio said, “allow me to introduce you to Billie, our best artist and the most beautiful jewel in the house.”
“It’s a pleasure, miss,” Armando said, wiping his hand on his pants before offering it to the girl. “You sing wonderfully.”
“Thank you very much,” Billie said.
“Can I buy you a drink?” the man offered.
“Thank you, but I was on my way—”
“Of course she’ll have a drink with you!” Gregorio intervened, pushing Billie toward the man until she found herself thrown right up against him. “That way you can get to know each other.”
“Orlando,” Billie muttered, alarmed.
“It’s just a drink, Billie,” Orlando whispered in her ear before moving away with Gregorio.
Armando smiled in surprise and tried to strike up a conversation about her homeland and the music she liked. Billie responded in monosyllables, distracted by Gregorio and her husband a few feet away, who seemed to be arguing in a contained but clearly heated way, judging by their gestures. Eventually, Orlando turned to her, his expression serious, his brow furrowed. Then he turned back to Gregorio and nodded. The impresario smiled and gave him a friendly pat on the arm. Then he turned to them with a satisfied air.
“How’s it going, guys?” he asked jovially, draping his arms over both their shoulders. Turning to Armando, he said, “A delicious creature, isn’t that right, buddy?”
“Of course,” the man said politely. “But it’s time for me to call it a night.”
“Billie would be delighted to accompany you to your hotel for a nightcap,” Gregorio prompted. “Isn’t that right, Billie?”
Horrified, the girl turned to the impresario. Then she looked around for Orlando.
“Oh, there’s no need!” Armando said when he noticed the girl’s trepidation.
Orlando, who was watching the scene unfold from a distance with a sullen face, came over to the group when the impresario beckoned. Orlando took Billie by the arm.
“Will you excuse us for a moment?” he asked, forcing a smile as they stepped away.
“He wants me to sleep with that man!” Billie exclaimed, terrified.
“No, my love, that’s not it. Calm down,” Orlando said, in his most cajoling voice. “All you have to do is go have a drink with him and keep him happy, that’s all.”
Billie, trying to contain the tears threatening to burst from her eyes, looked at her husband incredulously.
“How can you ask me to do this? I’m your wife!”
“I know, chocolate chip. But that’s why I know I can trust you and you won’t let me down. Gregorio wants to keep this client happy, and he’s taken a liking to you. We’ll get a tidy sum from this.”
“I couldn’t care less about the money!” Billie retorted, indignant. “There’s no way I’m going with him!”
“Listen, honey,” Orlando said, his tone hardening. “You’re not going to fuck with me now, okay? There’s a lot of money on the line. What’s your problem? It’s not like you’re some innocent virgin. I know how wild you can get in bed . . .”
“But, you’re my husband, and I love you! I’m not a whore!”
Billie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her own husband, the man she loved most in the world, couldn’t be saying such unspeakable
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