(Please forgive my poor English. It is not my mother tongue !)
Chapter 23
- Are you really sure he is fine? - asked Terry again, holding his breath.
- I am, don't worry. He will wake up with a beautiful bump on his forehead (and one tooth less unfortunately). Come on, help me to put him to bed. I wish we were out of here before someone caught us ...
- No risk, he had dismissed all his staff ... - said Terry in a falsely detached tone while barely hoisting on the bed the inanimate body of the Hollywood star.
- Ah well, but why? - said Candy, her mouth rounding with astonishment. Embarrassed, the young man looked at her, biting his lip.
- You wouldn't believe me if I told you ...
- Honestly, Terry, I don't understand anything about this story! - she cried, annoyed - Will you tell me what happened in this room, yes or no?
Her eyes met a pair of fur handcuffs hanging from the headboard. She frowned in questioning, funny thoughts coming to her mind, comforted by the decoration loaded around her, the purple silk sheets, and the darling scent that floated in the bedroom ... She hadn't paid attention to all this when she arrived, too absorbed that she was to examine the host of the place, but now that she had regained her calm, she could not ignore the strangeness of what surrounded her .
- It looks like a candy box crossed with a brothel ... - she said to herself, embarrassed to be involuntarily witnessing what she shouldn't have.
A groan then interrupted her thoughts. It was the sleeping man who was beginning to emerge from his forced sleep.
- Quick, quick, let's not hang around here! - she said softly, waving her hands in panic. She checked his pulse and pupils one last time, then with a chin stroke, motioned for Terry to follow her. Furtively, they left the bedroom, crossed the living room, closed the door behind them as discreetly as possible, then disappeared, on the verge of teleportation as they were in such a hurry to go home!
Terry had not pushed the door of his cabin that he felt a strong pressure on his back. Unbalanced, he stumbled a few meters to crash noisily against the coffee table in the living room. Surprised by the violence of the blow, he turned around, astonished. Candy was staring at him, arms crossed, with a determined air.
- Now, Terrence Grandchester, you are going spill the beans or I promise you that you will regret it until the end of your days!
From the furious eyes she threw at him, he understood that his threat was real. In any case, delaying again only postponed the deadline unnecessarily. You might as well face the cleaver with courage! With any luck, she would be magnanimous ...
- Sit down, please ... - he said to her, pointing to the sofa. Then, taking a deep breath, he launched into his story ...
Mad with rage, Terry was about to break down his rival's door when a flash of lucidity crossed his mind. Since it was Candy that this "bastard" was waiting for, let him believe that it was she who was joining him ... So he knocked on the door very softly, having fun scratching the wood like would have done an impatient young lady. Unsurprisingly, the door opened on the playful boy dressed in his finest attire, given the quality of the fabric of the kimono he wore, wide open on his beardless chest ...
- Haaaaa, Terrence, what eagerness! - exclaimed Rudolph, jumping for joy while inviting him to enter with a graceful gesture of his hand.
Faced with this strange behavior, Terry made a step back, but more eager to have an explanation, he nodded and entered the room, whose dim lighting called out to him ...
- I have given my staff time off so that we can be more peaceful ... - Rudolph said to him with a knowing wink while handing him a glass of champagne.
- I'm not afraid to face your bodyguards, you know! - replied Terry, refusing the glass.
- I'm sure, my friend, but for my part, I like to do this kind of thing in discretion ...
- I understand, it would not be fashionable for everyone to be aware of your attitude towards all these husbands or companions whom you covet '...
His interlocutor interrupted him, whipping the air with the back of his hand.
- Rhoooo, let's forget these stories of men! ... The main thing is that you came, Terrence, the others do not count ... or do not count anymore ...
Faced with the singularity of these words, Terry's forehead wrinkled while his whole body stiffened, on the defensive.
- What is he up to that one? - he said to himself while observing him out of the corner of his eye, going singing towards the gramophone. With an aerial gesture, the latter placed the device's arm on the disc and a soft music began to play. Head tilted to the side, eyes closed, his arms twirling to the rhythm of the melody, he came back to Terry swaying, his leather mules brushing the floor.
- Definitely, this guy is really weird! - he said to himself, disconcerted by the increasingly strange appearance and behavior of the American star. He was making fun of him, there was no doubt! How could he boast in front of him like a peacock while pretending to ignore the reason for his visit ?! Out of patience, Terry grabbed caught in the air and grabbed him by the collar of his kimono, pressing his nose against his.
- Valentino, I didn't come here to pick daisies! We have to talk !
Terry saw then pass a strange gleam in the glance of the heartbraker, which, taking advantage of this providential proximity, emboldened and with a jump, pressed a kiss to him on the mouth! In reaction, the young aristocrat pushed him away sharply and swung in his tracks against the seat behind him.
W ... What's wrong with you, Rudolph ? - he cried hysterically. He tried to get up, but already the latter was sitting next to him, his chest leaning forward and his neck stretched towards him. Excuse me, Terrence, but it was stronger than me. You were so close to me that I couldn't resist the temptation to kiss you. Are you mad at me?
Terry was so shocked that nothing understandable came out of his mouth. Rudolph then slipped against him and in no way frightened, began to play with the buttons of his shirt, while his other hand went up along his biceps (bandaged and above all ready to use its catapulting force! ...)
- Take your hands off of me! ... - growled Terry, jaws clenched.
His voice, this time, had resumed a normal, firm and threatening aspect, but obviously not convincing enough, his enterprising interlocutor persisting in his charming enterprise.
Haaa, Terrence! If you only knew how happy I am! Deep down there remained a doubt, but now that you are there, I have no more ... I ... I'm afraid I don't quite understand ... - protested Terry, trying to get out of this increasingly embarrassing grip.
The desire to send Valentino waltzing in the scene itched him, but paradoxically, he also felt pity for the madman who languished against him. How could he have imagined that ...? It was not the first time that a man had fallen in love with him. The theater was full of comedians sensitive to the male gender and he was used to their enamored looks. However, he never imagined that the greatest seducer in Hollywood, the one that all women idolized, the one that husbands hated and were jealous of, could prefer men! He was already imagining what Candy would look like when she learned it. This prospect delighted him internally ...
Eager to get out of this awkward situation as quickly as possible, he grabbed his admirer firmly by the shoulders and pulled him away from him. The latter seemed surprised by this sudden rejection and flapped eyelashes of misunderstanding as the object of all his desires was striding towards the door. Quick as lightning, he ran to block his way.
Why are you avoiding me, Terrence? We have so much to say to each other, however ...
Annoyed, Terry tried to force the passage, but Rudolph, motivated by his feelings, held back each of his attempts, so that they were turning around each other.
Help ! - groans Terry inside - How am I going to get out of this mess ?
He then went to the bedroom hoping to find another way out. Unfortunately, as he feared, it was a dead end. He turned around and saw Rudolph who, in no way discouraged, approached him with hypnotic slowness ...
Listen, Rudolph ... - mumbled Terry, embarrassed, as he put his hands on his chest again, his imploring eyes looking for his own, from which he fled with a groan of annoyance - I am sorry but ... You get me wrong ...
- Tsss ... Tssss ... My friend ... I tamed most recalcitrants than you ... Admit, you wouldn't be there if ...
- I admit nothing at all, quite the contrary! - roared Terry, struggling more firmly - And to tell you the truth, I find that all this takes a really unpleasant turn, sir!
- Unpleasant? But I don't want to look unpleasant to you, Terrence! - exclaimed Rudolph, clinging to him - My heart has been beating for you since I saw you at the theater in New York! You were a Hamlet so ...! Words fail me to describe the excitement I experienced that night! Then, when I saw you on the deck of the boat on the first day of the crossing, I really thought that I was going to pass out from happiness as your presence was so unexpected. I tried to hide my emotion at the time, but my eyes met yours then and I noticed that you were staring at me too ... I was so upset that I could not sleep at night! ... Since then, I have never stopped trying to approach you, to talk to you and ... to seduce you ... Confirmation was made to me while my foot was looking for your under the table the other night. The look you gave me in return was so eloquent! ..
Terry's jaw dropped as he listened to this unlikely statement. His arms dangling, he couldn't believe his ears. Since the start of the trip, he had believed that it was Candy who was the object of the star's attentions. How could he have been so naive and blind? From this question came the answer just as quickly: his love for Candy, both possessive and worshiping, obviously prevented him from discerning. Each man naturally became a threat, a rival, who could only desire her and want to conquer her. How stupid he felt now in front of this man who sighed before him, the back of his hand on his forehead, like the son of the scheik before the beautiful Yasmin.
They both looked so stupid ...
Ashamed of his lack of judgment that had drawn him into this embarrassing situation, he mumbled a few words of apology and without further ado, turned on his heels towards the front door.
- But ? What's wrong, Terrence, you are leaving, when I have opened my heart to you ? - moaned in a tremolo his suitor while gripping more beautifully to him.
- Look, Rudolph ... - said Terry, terribly embarrassed. He realized that he was dealing with a man very much in love with him and he did not know how to dismiss him without hurting him ... - All this is an unfortunate misunderstanding ... It turns out that I am very in love with my future wife, and I sincerely regret having involuntarily made you believe that I had feelings for you. If sometimes I have given you to think, by the insistence of my looks, that you attracted me, it is because on the contrary, I was convinced that you had views on my fiancée ...
- Miss Ardlay ? - squeaked Rudolph, releasing his prey - She is certainly a lovely and charming person, but ... I was aiming at you permanently and not her ...
- I'm sorry, Rudolph - sighed Terry in front of the disconcerted face of his interlocutor - I've never been attracted to men...
- But, maybe it's because you've never tried it? - said the latter, pressing himself against him once again in a last attempt at seduction.
This time was too much! He couldn't take it anymore of this cutthroat guy who was fluttering his eyelashes in front of him, his hands sliding over him, touching him shamelessly, deaf to his refusal and listening only to his desire. He grabbed him by the collar and pushed him back violently, who in his seesaw took away a piece of his shirt. He fell with a crash on the ground, legs apart, revealing a magnificent equipment perfectly shaved ... A real moment of grace! ...
- Good Lord ! - exclaimed Terry horrified by this desolate spectacle. He no longer knew if he should laugh about it or be alarmed, but one thing was certain, he had to escape from this place as soon as possible! He crossed the living room but as his hand was about to turn the doorknob to freedom, he heard the hysterical voice of Rudolph behind him calling out to him. He turned his head in reaction and saw the latter who got up, tangled in the wide sleeves of his kimono.
- I forbid you to leave, Terrence! - he cried, red with anger, hopping on the spot with rage.
- Keep talking ! - thought Terry, turning the door handle. Strangely, it did not give in ...
- If you want to take out my cute ... - laughed Rudolph, waving the door key above his head - You will have to come and get it! ...
Fulminating in rage, Terry rushed in pursuit of his jailer, who, like a good dancer he was, dexterously dodged each of his attempts to catch him. Then followed a chase throughout the cabin until Terry's hand managed to grab one end of the silk belt that held the kimono. He yanked, hoping to bring the fugitive towards him, who, stopping dead in his tracks, began to skate on the spot, dragged by the leather of his mules which glided happily on the carpeted floor. Sensing that the latter was losing his balance, Terry released his prey which had the effect, like an elastic band on which we pulled too much, of propelling the Italian Dom Juan forward, who, head first, set off to crash, in a majestic sun, on the thick carpet! Ejected by the violence of the shock, one of the mules went to freeze in the mirror of the chest of drawers while her twin hung on the chandelier above them, trembling with final jolts.
Terry remained a few seconds without reaction, dazed. Rudolph Valentino, half naked on the ground, did not move any more ... The song on the disc although finished a long time ago, continued to turn, in a dead silence, with a repetitive cracking noise. With a beating heart, He approached the body and shook it lightly with the foot. The lifeless remained hopelessly inert ...
- My God, I killed him ! - he said to himself, taking his head in his hands. He whirled around the room, already imagining himself in prison for the rest of his life. He would never see Candy again, who, for her part, would become the laughingstock of the country for having become engaged to a murderer! A MUR-DE-RER ! This is what he had become, all because of his stupid jealousy !
This is when one choose to knock on the door ...
- Damned, here I am definitely lost! - he whispered, a drop of sweat beading on his forehead. He looked around: the disorder that reigned there did not tilt in his favor. It was easily recognizable that there had been a physical confrontation. Valentino on the floor and his own torn shirt were glaring evidence of this.
Behind the door, the person was insistent.
- Terry? Terry, open me ! - he heard then. It was Candy's voice! For a second, he felt relieved, then he realized that she was going to find him out in this sad posture. How would she react? She didn't give him time to think about the question, banging on the door. He finally decided to open it before she woke up all the surrounding rooms, and began to search for the key. He remembered that Valentino was holding it before falling. He must therefore still have it in his possession. He came back to him, palpaed him not with a certain reluctance, and ended up finding the key tucked under his chest. He lifted it slightly, retrieved the object of misfortune and walked towards the door, with a slow and heavy step, numbed by the emotional shock he had just suffered.
- And that's how you found me ... - sighed Terry, pitifully lowering his nose.
Candy got up, thoughtfully. He expected a new admonition from her but what she let out left him speechless:
- Rudolph Valentino loves men! - she cried, walking up and down the room - Rudolph Valentino loves MEN!
Her voice rose crescendo to the rhythm of her awareness. She would never have imagined that the one who had incarnated the greatest heroes of literature, the one for whom she had wept when she saw him die in the arms of her beloved in "Blood and Sand", the one she had gone to see several times at La Porte cinema with Sister Lane and Miss Pony (her biggest fans after Terry), this one, well, would have preferred to curl up in the arms of Armand Duval than in those of the Lady with camellias !
- Rudolph Valentino is gay! - she kept repeating, waving her arms, visibly stunned by the news. Is that all you remember from this story? That Valentino is gay ? - retorted Terry, annoyed - You forget that I was very close to go to prison! It does not seem to upset you overmuch!
The young man's remark quickly brought her back to earth. Cut to the quick, her nose wrinkling with anger, she retorted:
- You haven't grazed anything at all! He got knocked down while falling and that's it!
-It could have been more serious!
-Well that was not the case! And do not forget that if you are in this situation, it is because you are a SICK and PARANOIC JALOUS MAN ! Incapable to notice that he was grumpy at you!
- It's good to make fun of me! It was not you who found yourself in this situation! He really scared the hell out, you know!
- I have no trouble believing you! - sneered Candy – You, who wanted to smash his face, it was the wrong move! Haha!
- I admit that I am a little disappointed not to have been able to stick my fist on his painted face, but what do you want, I was not going to hit someone in a weak situation! - said Terry with a slight smile.
- I agree with that ! - giggled Candy - Naked under a kimono is not an outfit to defend oneself. The proof, he slipped like a soap!
At these words, they could not restrain a laugh that quickly went mad, to the point of forcing them to sit. The tension of the night was releasing and gushing like a geyser, in thunderous bursts. It was only at the end of long minutes, (after especially that their room neighbor informed them with a few firm knocks against the partition that they were a little too noisy) that they calmed down, their faces bathed in tears of laughing too much.
- I hope he will recover quickly ... - said Terry between two last hiccups.
- It is especially his dentist who will have work ... I found a nice incisor on the carpet. Front teeth, it does not forgive, especially for a star like him ...
Terry felt the laughter take him back.
- Let's stop talking about it or we'll make noise again and there will be complaints ... - he said, trying to regain some control - We'd better go to bed. You come ?
- Where ? - answered Candy questioningly.
- Well, in bed, with me, come on!
- You're kidding ? After the evening you just made me spend ? Be aware, Mr. Grandchester, this is the last thing I want to do! For once, I find that the idea of having separate rooms (to avoid gossips) is excellent and is very helpful this evening. You will sleep in your room and I, in mine, it will be fine as well!
- Good Lord ! But what has bitten you ? You really have a damn character!
- I return you the compliment! ...
Destabilized by so much cheekiness, he remained silent for a few moments, then straightening proudly his nose, he turned on his heels while raising an arm in the air with indifference.
- OK ... I deserve this punishment ... But for one night only, Freckles! You hear me, one night!
With rage, she threw the first cushion within reach to him, but missed her target, which had already disappeared in his room, from which came that intolerable mocking sneer that had the gift of horrifying her. Fulminating in rage, she opened the connecting door that separated her from her own cabin and slammed it with a crash, determined not to speak to him for several days!
She woke up in the middle of the night. Despite the admirable composure she had displayed in front of Terry, the emotions of the evening had shaken her considerably. Unsurprisingly, her dreams had quickly given way to a dreadful nightmare in which Terry's brother Rodolphe attacked her again while gradually taking on the appearance of Rudolph Valentino. Despite all her efforts to appear serene, she had not yet recovered well from the aggression of her brother-in-law, whose memory sometimes surprised her, slyly, in her sleep. With her heart beating and gasping for breath, she scrambled for the switch on her bedside lamp. Everything was calm in the room and she shook her head, annoyed that she couldn't control her fear. She got up, poured herself a glass of water to cleanse herself of all this interior darkness, then went to the living room where the night light was reflected on the furniture, waving. A peaceful silence reigned in the room and yet, an irrepressible desire to join Terry seized her. He alone had the power to dispel her fears and soften her bruised soul.
She turned the handle of the connecting door, and against all odds found herself face to face in front of him, dressed only in his pajama pants. Surprised, she stayed a few seconds without saying anything.
- You also do not sleep? - he said finally, placing a hand tenderly on his cheek. She nodded while plunging her emerald gaze into his. How happy she was to see him again! Forgotten arguments, forgotten anger, she wanted only one thing, to be welcomed in his protective arms.
She curled up against him and nestled her head in the hollow of his chest. He felt her heart beat very fast, like a frightened animal, and hugged her a little tighter to reassure her. God he hated knowing her in this state, he who had sworn to always protect her.
Little by little, the warmth of their two bodies enveloped them. Candy's heart slowed down and her breathing became more regular. She felt Terry's embrace tighten, his caressing hands sliding towards her lower back. She looked up and saw, in the dim light of the night, his eyes shining with a disturbance she recognized, the one she was dying to share with him. Standing on tiptoe, she put her arms around his neck and went in search of his mouth, which she encountered on the way, urgent and hungry. Carried away in a fiery kiss, they felt themselves drawn into a voluptuous vertigo that dazed them. Surrendering without restraint to the caresses of Terry, she felt his fingers run over her bare chest, which he had, with a lively gesture, freed from all constraints. Glued to him, she could not ignore the passion that possessed him, and she responded with an imperceptible movement of her whole body. Suddenly, she felt lifted and transported with eagerness in her room, then laid without great precaution on her bed where he joined her, relieved in turn of his sleepwear ...
She languishes on the couch and waited for him, submissive with delight at the short breath that caressed her, impatient to welcome this body which now weighed heavily on her. She parted her lips and felt the soft touch of his tongue on hers as he brought her thin legs around him. She reared up slightly when he entered her, letting out a long sigh of ecstasy. A violent, paralyzing pleasure then took possession of her, an intense and exquisite burn that penetrated each of his muscles, until dazzling. The sensual sway of their tense bodies punctuated their lustful complaints, exciting their senses which vibrated under their skin.
It was then that daring, she knocked him down by surprise, positioning herself above him to better dominate him. Troubled, trembling and gasping, Terry watched her, mistress of her body with which she wanted to fill his. Sitting above him, she began to stimulate him, moving inside him, listening to his sighs that were increasing as his gaze veiled with fever. Feeling himself losing his control, he straightened up, caressed for a long time, with a burning hand, her chest, to, at the end of resistance, greedily take hold of one of her nipples, and play his tongue with it, arousing in her sharp and exciting sensations, which she encouraged with small cries of pleasure. Her lips tightened and her breathing became more and more gasping, warning signs of an upcoming enjoyment. He then grabbed her hips and began to guide her movements, which gained strength and speed, driven by haste to reach celestial satisfaction. The raucous and wheezing breathing of Terry echoed in the young woman's head, intoxicating music which precipitated her in free fall towards the ultimate pleasure. The violent and irresistible flow of deliverance suddenly carried them away, in a cry of liberating pleasure, leaving them breathless, half unconscious on the bed.
Panting, Terry turned to Candy, stranded next to him. The gleams of the night played on her soft face, whose features relaxed by love always upset the young man as much. He caressed her face tenderly, tracing with the tips of his fingers the curve of her half-open mouth from which the peaceful sound of her breath escaped. He understood that she was already sleeping and an moved smile appeared on his lips. He folded the sheet over her delicate skin and lay down next to her, his eyes riveted on her, long, amazed, his mind overflowing with tender words for her until fatigue took hold in turn of him and carries him into a dreamless sleep until the early hours of the morning ...
End of Chapter 23