It is five weeks since last he saw her. Nikolas has been busy with family and business, giving her all the space she requested. She is never far from his mind; at night he dreams of her, long, hot and fevered dreams. He awakes sweaty and hard.
Seeking relief he drowns himself in brandy and Scotch, hoping for a dark and dreamless sleep. A business acquaintance invites him to the opening night of [i]Salome[/i] at the Metropolitan Opera. He accepts, hoping to finalize his latest acquisition plans, so he can return home to Spencer.
At the end of the performance he is invited backstage, his business complete, he goes. She is there, an auburn beauty, ripe with budding passionate youth. She tempts and teases him, her gown translucent and wet from John the Baptist's blood. The dampened fabric cups the curve of her firm, round breast exposing the truth of her desire.
Like an automaton he falls back into old habits and responds in kind. His hand gently cups the small of her back, he leans in and smiles, whispering in her ear, making her laugh. She quakes with gratifying eagerness, soothing his warn ego.
A tinkling laugh catches his ear and looking up he searches for the source. Not finding it he returns his attention to the daughter of Gomorrah who stands before him. Wickedly her hand slithers down the front of his pants. He removes it and hearing the laugh again, leaves her to hunt the lyrical sound.
He finds the source of the laughter and slips a key into her palm. Her fingers curl over the key as he whispers a soft command. Not waiting to hear her response, he leaves for his Manhattan flat.
Pacing he waits, hoping she'll come. He is near the end of his patience when she arrives costumed in seven veils. She turns on an MP3 player and with a wink begins to dance for him. Her hips twitch and her arms sway, slowly she unwraps a veil and catches him with it, using it to pull him in for a kiss. He allows her, his teeth biting and nipping at hers.
She steps away and goes down to the floor where she writhes and moans in a hypnotic snake like movement. She crawls over to him and comes up between his spread knees. She places his hand on the end of a veil and stands twirling away from him. The veil remains exposing her obvious nudity beneath the five other veils.
He clenches his teeth, wondering for a moment what he is doing. His Salome's movements become more frantic in time to the music and forgetting his misgivings he makes all the correct responses to her performance.
The fifth veil falls to the floor, she straddles him on the bed, her fingers undoing his shirt, pushing it from him. Her teeth nip at his shoulder as her hands reach for his crotch. She pushes him down, so he lies on the bed. He looks up and sees his Elizabeth dancing for him.