It's been said that good actors adopt the character they're to play, while great actors are themselves adopted - some might even say
possessed
- by the character they're to play. If you'll indulge me for a few minutes, I'll tell you why I think that the latter is real.
Sly and I were sitting around on his new couch on a Thursday night, divvying up the fee from our latest client. BTW, Sly's apartment is definitely looking better these days, but I can still remember the first night he had me entertain a client here on his old couch to work off a blackmail price. I was so nervous. Lord,
that
was a while ago! I remember how surprised we both were to discover both my latent talent and that I rather
liked
the work. Hey, after all, who doesn't like to do what you're good at? He suggested we partner up, and I accepted. I've never looked back.
Our little two-person enterprise has done quite well since then, with Sly finding clients for me and me providing the sex. The new furnishings, which I picked out for him, attest to that.
"Princess, you know a guy called Mozart?" Sly was all innocence.
"Mozart?" I said wonderingly. Sly's entire background was the rough streets, so I couldn't imagine where this came from.
"Mozart? As in Wolfgang Amadeus?"
"I don't know nothin' about wolves, here," he said. "So, who is he?"
"He was a famous composer," I said, stressing the 'was'. He lived in the seventeen hundreds and wrote lots of symphonies, operas, and other musical stuff. A genius."
"Operas, hunh? Seventeen hundreds, you say. So he's dead?"
"Yes, Sly, he's dead. Why do you ask? I have to say, you've certainly aroused my curiosity."
Sly's eyes darted to my breasts, which were more revealed than concealed by the diaphanous black nylon teddy I'd worn for the client's pleasure.
"My
curiosity
, Sly. I said you had aroused my
curiosity
."
"Oh."
"Okay, Sly. Look, I know you wouldn't recognize an opera if one fell on your head. So just where are we going with all this?"
Sly grimaced. "Fuck. Don't get all hoity-toity on me, Princess. So you went to college. Good for you."
"Sorry," I said contritely. Sly resents the opportunities I've had that were denied to him. But underneath the roughness he's a good guy. He takes good care of me, and not just because I produce for him. We've learned to respect one another. I didn't mean to hurt him.
"S'okay," he said grudgingly. "Anyway, this guy contacts me about some guy he works for who's an opera singer. This singer is gonna be appearing at the Met in some opera about an Italian called Don Giovanni."
"Don Juan", I said.
"Whatever. He told me Giovanni. But the Don Juan part makes sense now. It seems this Giovanni guy is hell with women. For some reason or other the singer feels he's got to do something special to get into the part."
"Oh," I said. "I think I get where this is going. He needs to really feel like he's a sex machine and irresistible to women, yes? It's what they call 'method acting', but I didn't know opera singers used it. So, if I get the idea, I'm to make him feel like the real Don Juan?"
"Jesus, Princess, you're good. So, what do ya think?"
"Sounds like fun. Any more details?"
"Yeah. He wants you in his dressing room before he goes on."
"Holy shit. Really? I get to go to the Met? Backstage no less? I love it! Hell, I don't care about the money. Set it up,
please
!
"Not so fast," Sly said. "You may have stars in your eyes, but remember, we're in business here. You may not care about the money, but I do."
"You're right, of course," I said. "So, agent mine, how much?"
It appears opera singers make a lot of money and don't mind spending it. This was going to be profitable as well as fun. God, I love this job!
The singer's agent met me at the stage door for the Met. He was small and nervous. He looked both ways and then over my head to beyond me as if he was expecting a police raid or something. He never looked me in the eye, but he made a quick scan of the rest of me and grunted "Fine. Good. Rudolfo will be pleased. Follow me."
I followed him into the cavernous bowels of the Met. It was absolutely fascinating. There were bits and pieces of scenery and amazingly realistic props. Lots of men and women in work clothes were running about like ants from a kicked-over anthill. I kept gawping until the exasperated agent stopped and turned to me.
"Please! Please! Rudolfo's on in one hour!!"