(A very special thanks to Shiree for making this a better read)
*
It was early in the evening and the clients were beginning to roll in. Nikki was worried. She had written to Cyndi to instruct Joey to say to her that "all's well", which would mean that Tom had been rescued. But there was no sign of him.
"Maybe Joey will drop by later in the night," she thought, trying to console herself.
Nikki had begun preparing for the evening well in advance. She intended to catch Joey the moment he entered the Lounge and drag him to her boudoir. The appointed hour came, and Nikki had made her way to the Lounge, hope and trepidation written large on her face. She was dressed in a smart, low cut black dress, a gold pendant hanging between her braless boobs. The Lounge was filling up but there was still no sign of Joey. She began to grow worried. Had something gone wrong?
Suddenly a tall Texan, old enough to be her father, loomed up in front of her.
"Hi, I'm Frank," he said in a self introduction tone, his eyes locked on her ample bosom. Nikki seized up the drunk man struggling to stay erect on his feet in front of her. She was in no mood to leave the Lounge, and if she didn't get to meet Joey tonight then she had half made up her mind to just walk out of this shit hole before the sun came up tomorrow. As far as the Greenwood Country Club and its activities were concerned, her legs were gonna stay closed from this evening onwards. Eva could go to hell.
"Ooh Frank darling I would love to share a drink with you, but there's a fella waiting for me ... uh," she lied in a hurt tone, as though the hungry animal had been the last of the male species on planet earth and she had just turned him out of her life.
She walked past him without waiting for his reply.
"Nikki, there you are darling," she heard Eva cry out over the music.
"I have somebody special to meet you. He comes highly recommended."
Nikki turned and looked across.
"Nikki meet Tom. He is from Washington, Tom this is Nikki," said Eva, completing the introductions.
Her heartbeat skipped a beat.
Her Tom!
There he was standing very politely behind Eva, dressed in a two piece suit, very businesslike. He was looking very handsome. She wanted to rush into his arms, to embrace him, to bury his face in her bosom as though protecting him from the world.
Nikki stepped forward, smiling radiantly, her eyes moistening.
Then she stopped involuntarily, the smile slowly fading from her face, her cheeks turning pale. She was in a whorehouse, she had been fucked by God knows how many men. Before she could say anything, Tom stepped up quickly and planted a kiss on her cheeks, at the same time giving her a quick wink.
"Mademoiselle, I am charmed. Your beauty far surpasses the praises I have heard about you," he said, taking both her hands in his.
Then he turned to Eva, I must thank you for introducing me to the most beautiful and wonderful woman in this world."
Eva beamed happily, "Okay I will leave the two of you now," she said and moved on.
Tom quickly guided his wife out of the Lounge and the two moved towards her boudoir. Nikki clung tightly to her husband's arm as though she would lose him the moment she released him. Tom let his wife enter her boudoir first, then followed her inside and locked the door. They stood looking at each other silently. Tears streaked down Nikki's cheeks.
"They couldn't find you," she sobbed, breathing hard.
"They ... they said you were onto something and that I should get in touch with them if you called ... or anyone else for that matter," she continued haltingly, wringing her hands.
Tom kept silent, watching her intently.
"I didn't know what was happening ... the police officer at the local police station, he and Cyndi are seeing each other, he heard me out politely and informed me that they had orders from higher authorities to not to write down any missing complaint about you ... in fact any sort of complaint about you. Of course I was not to tell anybody about this."
"Then I remembered the call you had received from Greta and you telling me that she was working undercover at one of the classier bordellos. Cyndi and I asked our press contacts for information and we finally zeroed on to the Greenwood Country Club. As the police had been instructed to avoid making your name public in any official records, I knew it would be fruitless to share the information about Greta and the Club with them."
"But I couldn't just sit by, hands on my lap, hoping that one fine day you will walk in the door as though you had been just out on a tour. I knew something serious had happened to you," she continued her bosom heaving, nerves taut with anxiety.
For a moment she remained silent, then mustering all her strength she continued, "It ... it was then that I decided to go in."
Her chin was held up high, in defiance to any criticism she expected to come her way, But shame and fear of rejection was writ all over her posture. She was trembling, nervously clasping unclasping her hands while she looked straight and honestly into her husband's eyes.
Finally she stood silent. She had nothing more to add. They stood watching each other for some moments before Tom spoke in his low, baritone voice.
"Last night I had a dream of the most beautiful vision appearing before me in all her beauty. The vision spoke to me, consoled me, and told me everything would be fine now that she was there with me, that she would not let anything in the world harm me. The vision then fed me, gave me strength, and ... and just when I was going to speak to her, to ask her to stay with me, the vision faded way with a promise to come back again," his voice choked as he said those last words, eyes moistening.
Nikki smiled.
"That vision also had a tough time feeding the naughty brat who had vanished into the thin air. She had to cajole the naughty boy into taking his broth to once again become the superman he really was. The vision also gave you some special stuff to bring you out of your drugged stupor," she finished with tears. The two embraced each other; he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.
Time stood still.
Tom then scooped up his wife and placed her gently on the bed. He made their drinks and sat beside her.
He raised his glass and said, "To the lovely vision."
To which Nikki raised her glass and said, "To my superman brat."
Just like in their courtship days, they crossed their hands holding the drinks and drank from each other's glass. Tom ran his fingers over her cheeks, pulling back the strands of hair falling across her face.
"Well, how do you like my boudoir?"
