Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, but The Phil is all mine.

Author's Note: Many thanks to those who reviewed and to my wonderful editors Penmora Zenith and Musicallover.

Chapter 37

The Day After

Thursday morning

It was about 8:30 in the morning when he pulled into the car condo and he could see that Erik was home. He also noted that Christine's car was gone. Amir took the elevator to the sixth floor and knocked on Erik's door, but there was no answer. He tried again. Worry wasn't an emotion he normally felt when it came to Erik for he knew the man was extremely capable in all situations and circumstances, but this was something new. He'd never seen Erik throw all of himself into something without a safety net of some sort as backup. Yet when it came to Christine, there was no backup, no safety net. He'd fallen for her and committed all that he was to her. Although the possibility that the relationship wouldn't work was very real and always looming, he never backed down from the possibilities of what could be if he gave it his all. And so he had.

Amir took out his keys and let himself into the apartment without Erik's permission for the first time since their acquaintance. They each had a key to the other's apartment for emergencies, but had never had cause to use them before now.

As he walked into the spacious apartment, he looked around and noticed the Christmas tree still brightly decorated. The fireplace was out, but that was because the timer had wound down. Everything looked fine so far…

"Erik?" he called softly as he walked through the living room and then the dining room. The dining room table was clear and so was the kitchen. It didn't seem as though Erik had had dinner at home last night. As he walked past the studio, he noticed that the door was closed. He tried it and found it locked, which was odd, and then he noticed the marks and scratches on the door. He wondered what could have caused this. He leaned his head toward the door to see if he could hear anything, but all was quiet.

He opened the door to the bathroom and peeked in. When he saw some items on the counter, he walked in with a shock of recognition. Morphine. He felt a brief stab of fear, knowing that an overdose was fatal, but looking at the bottle, could tell that a lethal dose had not been extracted. The syringe and rubber tie had been carelessly left on the counter, which could only mean that Erik had been high as he removed them from his arm. Amir quickly left the bathroom and walked to the bedroom.

"Erik!" Adrenalin caused him to move quickly to Erik's side when he saw him face down on the floor a few feet from the bed. He placed his fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse, and breathed easier when he found it. He placed his hand on Erik's back and was alarmed by how cold he felt. He was naked and had apparently been on the floor all night. Amir went to the bed and threw back the covers, turning Erik over as he picked him up and placed him gently in the bed. When he'd put the covers over him for warmth, he took out his arm and turned it over. There was the evidence, the purple bruising where the needle had been injected.

Amir sighed as he sat on the bed beside his friend who was like a brother. After all these years, why did you do this, mon ami? What has happened?

He looked at Erik's face in calm repose and was again struck by the cruel irony that should cause one half of his face to be as handsome as a Greek god's, and the other half to be as ugly as a demon's. He reached over and lifted each of his eyelids in turn, studying the appearance of his pupils. Constricted. He again wondered what could have been so unbearable that he had to find escape again in this manner.

He needed to try to wake him to make sure he wasn't in a coma, so he gently slapped his face to jolt him awake. When that didn't work, he slapped him a little harder. If he was unable to wake him, he'd have to get him to a hospital, and he knew Erik would hate being surrounded by so many people.

When he still didn't get a response, Amir rested one knee on the bed so that he could face him and have the leverage to slap him a little more forcefully. He slapped him soundly twice, but got no reaction, so he raised his hand again. But before he could bring it down for the third and final time, Erik grabbed his arm.

Looking at him through glazed eyes, he murmured, "Do you realize how annoying that is?"

Amir smiled in relief. "Not entirely helpless, I see."

When she awoke, all was quiet and dark in her room. And when she opened her eyes, the events of last night returned full force in all its damning glory. She closed her eyes again to block out the images that swirled before her, but they only became more vivid behind closed lids. She turned over to stare up at the ceiling and remembered that she'd fallen onto her bed fully clothed and cried herself to sleep.

She could feel a deep pain in her heart, and the feeling of desolation was overwhelming. Her tears never seemed to stop. She looked at the clock, and although it was already 8:30, she still felt exhausted. I'm alone again she thought. She couldn't imagine spending the whole day alone just to replay the whole scene repeatedly in her mind. She wondered if Megan would be able to spend the day with her, perhaps even spend the night? The possibility cheered her somewhat and she reached over to the nightstand for her phone, which suddenly rang, startling her and causing her to jump. She took a few calming breaths before answering.

"H-Hello?" she answered.

"Christine!" It was Megan. "Oh my god, are you all right? Amir called me this morning and said I should call you!"

"Megan…," she said in a small voice, "can you come spend the day with me, and maybe spend the night, too?"

"Oh, honey, of course I can! I'll pack my things right now and I'll make breakfast for you, okay? I'll be there in about a half an hour."

"Thank you," Christine whispered, her heart heavy. "Bye." She closed her eyes momentarily, thankful that she'd have Megan to talk to and that she wouldn't have to be alone today.

She slowly got up and went to the bathroom and prepared to take a shower. Just because she'd just had one of the worst nights of her life didn't mean she shouldn't at least try to be presentable when her best friend came over.

By the time Megan knocked on the door a half hour later, Christine had dried her hair and was wearing a comfortable fleece outfit. When the door was opened for her, Megan thought Christine looked tired, but smiled warmly and placed her arms around her in a tight hug. "How are you doing, sis? I hope you're in the mood for banana-nut pancakes!"

Christine smiled. No matter what the situation, Megan was always able to cheer her up and elicit a smile. "I've had better days," she said sadly," but I'm always ready for your gourmet pancakes."

When they brought Megan's shopping bag into the kitchen, Megan insisted that Christine just sit and watch while she worked her magic with breakfast. As Megan fried bacon and made the pancakes, Christine told her about the events of the night before as she unsuccessfully tried to be strong and hold back the tears. Megan was shocked on more than one occasion and almost burned the bacon twice, so engrossed was she in hearing of Erik's outburst. When she got to the part about becoming hysterical, Megan went over and hugged her again, in total understanding of the anguish she had experienced. She couldn't help but wonder how she would react if Amir ever left her.

When Megan had finished the pancakes, she quickly made scrambled eggs for both of them and then brought their plates to the table. Christine poured syrup over her pancakes and took a bite. They were delicious. Having a wonderful breakfast with her best friend was like a balm to Christine's broken heart. She felt the only other people who might have been able to help at a moment like this would have been her parents.

Megan had planned a day of activities to help keep her occupied and her mind from dwelling on her loss, but the matter took care of itself when Christine invited her to watch a scary movie with her after breakfast as she laid down on the bed, and before long, Christine was sound asleep. Megan looked upon her affectionately and retrieved a warm throw to cover her with. She supposed it was natural for the body to seek rest after undergoing an emotional shock to the system. She stroked her hair softly and said a prayer for her before leaving the bedroom to go clean up the kitchen.

Amir helped Erik put on a robe and brought him to the kitchen so he could fix him a filling breakfast of oatmeal, a small glass of orange juice, and some sliced melon. Erik ate slowly, fighting to keep his eyes open. He did feel better after he'd eaten, but the only way to purge his body of the residual effects of the morphine was to sleep it off, so after he'd eaten, Erik returned to bed as Amir cleared and rinsed the dishes.

When he returned to sit in the living room, he wondered if Megan had called Christine, so he took out his cell phone and called her. She picked it up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, cherie, it's me."

Megan was relieved to hear his voice. "Good morning, baby. Did you get a chance to see Erik?"

"Yes, I'm at his apartment now, but I really didn't get a chance to talk to him yet. He just went back to bed. How's Christine?"

"She's asleep, too. I made her some breakfast and she told me what happened."

"What did happen?" Hopefully now he'd get some answers.

"She said that Erik was very late getting home, but when he finally did, he started accusing her of doing some horribly kinky things with Roan, and then he broke up with her."

Amir was stunned. Erik hadn't volunteered any information while he was awake, and he hadn't wanted to question him while he was still under the effects of the morphine, but he'd have to get to the bottom of this when he awoke. "He actually broke up with her?" It seemed incredible.

"Yes, he told her to go back to Roan and then he locked himself in the studio and Christine freaked out."

Amir remembered the locked studio door and the marks upon it. He wasn't going to tell Megan about the morphine because it wasn't something he felt Christine had to know.

"Did he say where he got this information?"

"From Roan, but I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because he's still alive."

Amir smiled. He loved Megan's in-your-face common sense. "I'm going to spend the day with him, and probably tonight, too. Give me a call if you find out anything more."

"Okay, babe, bye."

He pocketed his phone after he hung up and went back to the bedroom to check on Erik, who was still asleep and looked like he would be for hours. He was glad Megan would be with Christine today, because if Erik had truly left her, she would need a strong shoulder to cry on. He felt a quiet pride in the fact that Megan was so capable. Despite her playful personality, in the time he'd come to know her, he'd learned that she was actually quite intelligent and a deep thinker, not normally given to knee jerk reactions or emotionalism like most of the women he'd known, and he'd come to respect and consider her an equal. She was even beautiful, and being a ballet dancer, had a dancer's body, which even now was causing him to react just thinking about it.

New Year's Eve would be on Saturday and he had made plans on how they would spend it together. They'd spent their first Christmas together and had had a wonderful day and night, and he wanted their first New Years to be memorable as well. A smile came to his lips just thinking about what he had planned…

Since Erik would be asleep for some time, Amir decided to go downstairs and do some work. He would come back in a few hours, and perhaps by then Erik would be coherent again. Given the situation with Christine, he thought that Erik might appreciate some diversion tonight.

Thursday night

Christine awoke around 4:00, surprised that she'd slept so long, but felt refreshed. She heard the TV in the living room, and when she went out to check, saw that Megan was curled up on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn watching a movie.

"Hi, I didn't think I'd sleep so long," Christine murmured apologetically.

"That's okay, I made you some vegetable soup in case you'd be hungry when you got up. Would you like some now?" Megan asked with a gentle smile.

Christine smiled back. "Yes, thank you. You take such good care of me, Megan."

"What are friends for?" she replied cheerfully.

Megan prepared a bowl of soup and placed it before her on the table and mentioned, "And I'm taking you out to dinner tonight, too. Nothing fancy, but I thought it might be good to get out since we've been in the house all day."

Christine looked up. "Really? Where to?"

"Just up the street to Burrito Express. Their food's good and it's close."

Christine smiled gratefully at her best friend.

It was almost 8:00 when Erik awoke, uncertain whether it was a.m., p.m., or even what day it was.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, young one," came a voice to his left.

When he turned toward the voice, he saw Amir sitting comfortably in a chair watching him.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Erik asked groggily.

"Long enough. We're going out tonight."

"We are?"

"Yes, and we're going to have a good time. Why don't you take a shower and then you can get dressed."

Erik noticed then that Amir was dressed in a very handsomely tailored black suit with a white dress shirt and silver-gray tie.

"Where are we going?" He wasn't sure he was up for this.

"Paladin's."

"Megan, I don't know if I'm really up for this," Christine countered as they walked up the street. Her eyes were still somewhat red and puffy for she'd never totally stopped crying off and on throughout the day. It didn't take much for the floodgates to open when she'd hear a particular song or see a particular movie on TV, and walking through her apartment was a minefield of memories as a result of the photographs and knick-knacks gracing her walls and tables.

"Christine, it's kind of dark in their dining room so you don't have to worry about how you look, and besides, Thursdays are always slow." Megan had actually never eaten in at Burrito Express, but that pretty much described most of the Mexican restaurants in town, so she felt she was safe.

It was around 8:00 when they walked through the door at Burrito Express, and as Megan predicted, it wasn't crowded for a Thursday night. Alex greeted them as they walked in and showed them to a very nice booth. Megan thought he looked so much handsomer up close than the one time she'd seen him in passing at the bank.

Christine knew they'd never met and so made the introductions. Alex was extremely affable and seemed to smile a lot at Megan. If she didn't know he was gay, Christine would have thought he found Megan rather attractive.

He left them a couple of menus and said he would be back shortly to take their orders.

Megan shook her head as she watched him walk away. "He should be bronzed," she smiled wistfully.

This simple comment caused a chain reaction in Christine's mind as she recalled thinking the same thing the first time she'd seen Erik naked. He was physical perfection itself…. Her eyes watered and overflowed and her heart again filled with pain, which it usually did now days except when she'd experience some respite when she slept. How long will I feel this way? It'll probably be for a very long time…

When Alex returned, he brought them two large strawberry margaritas along with a basket of corn chips and salsa. "We didn't order these," Megan said, although she thought they looked wonderful.

"They're on the house," he grinned. "What would you ladies like tonight?"

Christine ordered her favorite Mexican dinner of chile verde and Megan ordered the chile rellenos, and as always, their dinner was sumptuous and enjoyable.

"Megan, thank you so much for bringing me here tonight. I'm really enjoying this," Christine smiled over the table.

"It's nothing," she replied, "and besides, it was worth it to finally meet Alex."

Their plates were cleared away when they'd finished and Alex brought them each a slice of chocolate cake ala mode. "On the house, ladies," he smiled. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

Christine was surprised by this, but she moved over and made room for him to sit next to her.

He looked at her as he scooted into the booth, a look of concern etched on his handsome face. "Christine, I know it's probably none of my business, but I noticed you seemed kind of upset tonight. You know how we feel about you, and I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help?"

Her feelings already on her sleeve, Alex's kindness was just too much and Christine had to stop eating as she started to cry, and she couldn't speak.

Alex looked helplessly over at Megan, who explained, "Erik broke up with her."

"Oh, Christine, I'm so sorry," he sympathized sincerely. "You want me to go and kick his ass for you?"

Christine stopped crying momentarily as she and Megan stared at him, and then started laughing.

Alex still looked serious. "No, I mean it. I'm a lawyer, I can have him arrested for not giving you at least two weeks notice that he was going to call it quits."

Christine was grinning now and leaned over to give Alex a hug for trying to cheer her up, and Megan was impressed by his show of practical sympathy. She smiled at him as he hugged Christine back, and he gave her a seductive wink, which she wondered about but liked very much.

Alex stayed at their table for the rest of the evening since no other customers had come in and they laughed and talked until closing at 11:00. As Megan was about to pay their bill at the counter, Alex smiled, "It's on the house, ladies, and I've closed the cash register, so it's no use trying to argue."

When they got back home, Christine was smiling as they got ready for bed. "Megan, thanks again for taking me to Burrito Express. I really needed that."

"Any time," she smiled. "Pleasant dreams."

"Goodnight, sis."

The streets weren't very busy tonight as Amir drove them to Paladin's, but that was usually the case the week between Christmas and New Years. He hoped he'd be able to get some answers before the night was out for he still hadn't heard from Erik as to what was going on. He decided on the direct approach.

"Erik, tell me what's happening."

He closed his eyes and sighed. The pain in his heart was almost overwhelming, but not just in his heart, but his entire body. "It's over, she's gone," he whispered.

"What happened?"

"She was with that boy."

"When?"

"When she was supposed to be with me."

"How do you know?"

"I know."

"Did you talk with her?"

"She denied it of course," he said bitterly.

"How can you be so sure?" Amir couldn't imagine Christine cheating on Erik.

"He knew things about her that he couldn't have known any other way."

Amir considered this. "You didn't talk to him, so how can you be sure?"

"I'm sure."

Amir knew that Erik wouldn't say anything more on the matter and so decided to change gears. "What will you do now, my friend?"

Erik looked away out the window. "Try to forget her."

They pulled into the underground parking garage for the hotel and then walked over to the elevators that took them four levels below the surface. As they descended the four floors, the elevator let them out facing the opulent restaurant known as Paladin's. Amir spoke to the hostess who led them to a table at the far end of the room, and as they followed her through the restaurant, many eyes followed these two men who looked impossibly handsome. Erik had chosen to wear a well-designed black suit and black dress shirt, and an elegant cream-colored silk tie.

He was glad that they were seated in a far corner of the restaurant for it gave them a view of the entire room. Their hostess took their drink orders and a waiter arrived a few minutes later to take their dinner order, Erik selecting the quail flambe and Amir opting for pheasant in white wine.

As they sat, lost in their own thoughts, Amir noticed that Erik had picked up his dinner knife and was quietly fingering it as he looked over at the small dance floor. There were about six couples slow dancing and he seemed to be watching them closely. Amir wondered what Erik was thinking as he focused on the knife in his hands. Although he seemed the picture of calm, he knew that Erik was hurting terribly and that his anger simmered just below the surface.

Erik had always considered himself a very good judge of character, noticing traits and characteristics often lost on others, but which eventually would come to light, even years after first notice, and that was what he was doing now. As he looked at each couple in turn, he could see the micro-signals being sent unknowingly to anyone patient enough to look for them. Their body language told volumes, and to him was practically an open book.

One couple who were clinging onto one another very closely seemed to be very much in love, but what Erik saw was desperation, the woman for one reason, and the man for another. The woman wanted to hang onto the man for some emotional reason, not necessarily love, security perhaps, but the man couldn't wait to get rid of her. Another couple were dancing casually, not speaking, but dancing well together. They should be apart, he thought. In another few months, he was sure they would be. Perhaps they don't know it yet, but surely they were aware there were problems.

Another dancing couple he observed particularly captured his interest. He didn't think they were married because he saw no wedding rings, but the man was holding the woman confidently, and she seemed relaxed enough in his embrace as they danced slowly. The man seemed lost in the music as they danced to it, but the woman didn't seem focused on anything at all, a neutral expression on her face. The man is abusive, not physically perhaps, but verbally and emotionally he thought. I know it. She's tired of it and wants to get away, but he won't let her go, and he's not even faithful to her. She'd be so much better off without him.

"It's not too busy tonight," Amir said quietly. "Everyone seems to wait for the weekends. What's on your mind, Erik?"

Erik looked over at him briefly before turning away to look at the couples again. "So many unhappy people…just looking for happiness. I want to be happy again…and I will be."

Amir studied him for a moment. He knew the effects of the morphine had more or less faded by this time and that Erik's heart was broken and hurting and that he was having to deal with it now. He would keep an eye on his friend and make sure he was all right. "Will you move on now?" he asked.

Erik smiled. "Of course," as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "It won't be hard to do. I'll even start tonight."

Their food was brought to them at this time and they spread their napkins on their laps as they began dining. Erik's quail was placed before him and lit, the blue flames making for a beautiful presentation and attracting the eyes of a number of nearby diners. They enjoyed their meal very much, and although Erik didn't eat very much, he was glad that Amir had suggested Paladin's. When they finished eating, they sat for awhile enjoying an after dinner coffee and spoke quietly. Erik seemed tranquil and relaxed from the fine meal and the ambiance, yet Amir felt as though he were watching a calm before the storm.

When they finally finished their coffee and had paid, they went to the elevator and descended one more floor down to the Paladin Club. As they exited the elevator, the music was loud and hypnotic, and Erik was glad, for it made other thoughts near impossible. They were led to a comfortable booth close to the bar by a hostess and they ordered a couple of drinks as they watched the dancers on the floor. Erik continued his game of reading people as he watched them on and off the dance floor.

They watched from their booth for several minutes when Erik calmly stood and approached a woman sitting at the bar. She was very beautiful, with short dark red hair and dressed in a short black halter dress that was quite attractive. He spoke to her, and Amir saw that she seemed mesmerized by him. Erik extended his hand and she placed her perfectly manicured hand in his. The music was hypnotic as the techno beat continued. He led her into the crowd on the dance floor and began to dance with her very seductively. In a matter of minutes, she found herself surprised by her own reaction to his dancing. It wasn't as though she'd never been turned on by a man's gyrating form before, but he was actually causing her to respond in a way that was overriding common sense very quickly, and the booming and sensual techno music wasn't helping. As they danced, he moved ever closer to her until his crotch was in contact with hers so that she could feel his cock grinding against her, and it seemed they were dry humping to the beating of the rhythm. Numerous red flags were thrown out by her conscience to stop this madness and to get away from this man immediately, yet her body didn't want to, it wanted to feel him rubbing up against her and making her feel wanton, ready to throw it all away just so she could feel him even more. When he finally placed his hands on her torso and slowly began to feel her body, running his hands over her breasts and firmly grasping her buttocks, any and all semblance of self-control had fled, and all she knew was that she had to have him within her. So entrapped was she by his seamless seduction that she didn't even notice when he led her off the dance floor that he nodded slightly to Amir, signaling to him that he would return shortly.

Amir had seen Erik dancing with the woman on the crowded dance floor and knew immediately where this was going. It was actually rather surprising to him that Erik hadn't done this before, but then he'd never known Erik to indulge his baser instincts as he knew most men did. Before Megan, even he wouldn't deny himself the pleasure of a woman's body whenever he felt the need for it, but Erik was of a different sort. Not that he perhaps didn't masturbate when the need arose, but he seemed totally consumed by his music…and perhaps much of his material was borne from his frustration. It was during his obsession with Christine after all when he'd composed the greatest piece of music in modern musical history. That Erik was indulging himself now, however, were for reasons that were painfully obvious to Amir...

He wondered how long it would take before Erik finished with this woman.

The moment the elevator doors closed, Erik descended upon her, and she welcomed his advances as willingly as he gave it. He kissed her lips firmly, parting them and thrusting his tongue into her mouth, tasting her and feeling her enthusiasm keenly. He ran kisses down her neck and pinched her nipple through the fabric of her dress, causing her to moan softly. When the elevator signaled that they'd reached the surface, he grasped her hand and pulled her with him out the door and toward the parking garage.

"What is your name, my dear?" he asked softly as they walked quickly amongst the other cars.

"N-Nora," she replied breathlessly. "And what is your name?"

Erik glanced at her briefly and smiled as he signaled his car to unlock the doors. "You may call me Erik."

"Why do you wear that mask?"

Erik sighed. "It allows me to be whomever I choose to be, darling. Come, live the fantasy with me."

The car signaled from his right and he saw it two aisles over. When they reached it, he opened the back door and held it open for her as she stepped in. She noticed that the back windows were darkly tinted and was amazed by the spaciousness of the back seat, vaguely realizing that she'd never before been in a car so luxurious. As soon as Erik closed the door, he turned to her and claimed her lips in a burning kiss as he pushed her down onto the back seat. She moaned automatically from the fierceness of his kiss and he quickly undid the buttons of her halter neckline and brought it down, freeing her breasts for his eager hands and lips to have their way.

" Vous êtes si beau, vous bruit sans valeur," he murmured huskily. (You are so beautiful, you worthless tramp.)

"Oh, I just love French," Nora murmured, "it's so beautiful."

"You are beautiful," Erik murmured as he nuzzled her behind her ear. " J'avais attendu toute la nuit juste au va te faire foutre, vous petite chienne dégoûtante." (I've been waiting all night just to fuck you, you filthy little bitch.)

He reached under her dress and moved aside her thong to feel her wetness, and she shuddered when he dipped his fingers into her well to touch her intimately. He felt her clit and rubbed it gently as she moaned, and then he freed his cock from the confines of his trousers. He reached up and removed something from an inside pocket, ripping open the wrapper with his teeth, then discretely slipping on the contents. He mounted her, firmly rubbing his cock along her wetness until he plunged into her, causing her to shudder involuntarily and cry out in surprise. She wrapped her legs around him as he began pumping rhythmically into her, and he closed his eyes, thinking of how wonderful she felt…so silken. He wished he could savor this feeling all night long…

As he pumped into her harder and faster, Nora's breathing quickened and she moaned rapturously, which only heightened his anticipation. "Vous vous sentez si bon... vous faites exactement pour ce que vous avez été signifié, vous foutue putain. (You feel so good…you're doing exactly what you're meant to do, you fucking whore.)

He could feel the familiar intense pleasure building gradually along his shaft as he paced his thrusts, and he involuntarily began to recall…he was remembering what it was like with Christine…making love to her, tasting her, touching every part of her….

He began pounding into her harder as he felt the pleasure overtake his senses, and he exploded in blinding orgasm as Nora held him, her cries ringing true in his ears until he harshly ground out his last: "Christine…"

When he was finished, he supported his weight on his elbows for awhile as he caught his breath.

"We're not done yet, are we?" she asked softly.

Erik opened his eyes as he moved off of her and whispered, "Yes, we are."

She suddenly looked hurt, angry, and disappointed, all in a fraction of a second. "But I'm not done," she whispered seductively.

Erik regarded her silently. He really didn't give a damn how she felt. "I'm sorry, I guess I just got a little carried away. Here, take it. I'm really sorry." He'd reached into his pocket and retrieved some money and now held it out to her.

She looked at it, unbelieving. He's paying me off like some fucking prostitute! After he got his own rocks off! She slowly reached out and took it from his outstretched hand and counted it. $500! She weighed her options. She could throw it back in his face for thinking she was no better than a common street whore, or...she could take it. I could really use $500…

She looked at him and saw that he was still sitting back against the seat, watching the play of emotions across her face. This was obviously not a big deal to him. All right, I'll take the money, and I'll never see him again…

She folded the money in the palm of her hand and gently opened the car door and stepped out. He wasn't following her. She closed the door and walked back to Paladin's, $500 richer.

When Erik went back to their booth, he saw that Amir was sharing a drink with a very beautiful woman that he'd seen dancing earlier, and it looked like they were having a pleasant conversation. When she saw him approach, she took the opportunity to take her leave and melted back into the crowd.

As Erik sat back in the booth, Amir noticed a change in his demeanor. "Have a good time?"

Erik shrugged and ordered a drink as a waiter approached their table. "It's all relative, I suppose," he said noncommittally. But in truth, he felt empty. After Nora had left the car, he'd sat there awhile thinking about what he'd done. He'd gotten what he'd wanted from her, but it meant nothing, it was just a physical release. As he fucked her, he had thought about Christine, how intense their lovemaking used to be, how rich and full…. He could never have imagined then ever making love to another woman, but he just had. But no, he didn't make love to her, he'd just fucked her…and that was totally different.

He closed his eyes momentarily and could still feel the crushing pain in his heart, and vaguely wished that he could cut it out…or take more morphine to help him over this…

Amir was watching him, but didn't say anything. He could tell that Erik was in pain, but there was nothing he could do. It would just take time…maybe.