– No. Thank you. I can’t pay that much for a simple conversation. I even pay my lawyer four times less for an hour of his time than you.
– Forget it – said Carla, waving her hand. – Now I’m not working, but helping in a friendly way. We’ll just go to the bar sometime, you treat me a cup of something, we’ll sit and have a heart-to-heart chat. You can ask about anything that interests you. I will help with all I can.
– That is…
Carla interrupted sharply:
– No. This conversation is included in the hour you paid for. I mean, if you want to talk about it one of these days, I don’t mind. I mean, we’ll talk as friends, not as a trader and a client. Comprendo?
– Quite – said Harry humbly.
2. SEXUAL RELATIONS AND MORE
Dressed in unusual clothes that hid all the charms of her luxurious body, Carla strolled through the gallery. She was wearing a striped black and white dress down to her knees and strict leather boots, and instead of «wild cherry», she wore «sparkling brut» lipstick on her lips.
That day there was an exhibition of works by the greatest representatives of world academicism. Carla’s attention had been occupied by the same painting for more than twenty minutes. Under the picture it was written: «The Romans in their Decadence. Thomas Couture, 1847».
With slow steps, betraying a leisurely gait and an attempt not to distract visitors from getting to know the objects of painting, the gallery manager, George Price, a well-fed, short, gray-haired and bald sixty-seven-year-old art connoisseur who had devoted his whole life to the study of painting and the development of this gallery, approached the girl. Carefully, in a rather restrained tone, George addressed the visitor:
– Miss Gerrardi. As always, you are picky about details. No one looks at paintings as carefully as you do.
– Hello, Mr. Price.
– Good day to you too – said George. It was evident in his voice how happy he was to meet Carla. He knew her as a competent visitor who could hold a conversation about the culture of fine crafts of various styles, which was atypical for her age. This fact never ceased to amaze George. Early on, he was sure that the younger generation was far behind in its cultural development and had completely lost the ability to appreciate the beauty of paintings. Carla, in his eyes, personified a rare exception. She was young, knew a lot about fashion, but at the same time showed clear signs of her literacy and excellent education.
George knew that impressionism was Carla’s favorite style of painting. But she was also very interested in the academic style. Therefore, he was sure in advance that she would never miss this exhibition.
With his hands clasped behind his back, George said without taking his eyes off the canvas:
– A person far from painting would say that several statues are painted on this board, around which half-naked contemporaries of Zeus are fucking.
The two of them smiled, after which George asked, turning his gaze to the girl:
– What do you think about this picture?
Squinting slightly, Carla continued to examine the picture, while simultaneously answering the question:
– Some say that through depicting the life of the ancient Romans, Couture wanted to demonstrate the decline of French culture. It shows how the people of Ancient Rome did not restrain themselves in their desires. We see the Romans openly display their desire for luxury and boundless pleasure, and do so against the backdrop of what should be considered the magnificent achievements of ancient Roman culture. These statues of national heroes and architecture, arousing admiration even among our contemporaries, cannot but be perceived as a great creation. In this picture, the Romans indulge in lovemaking, without wanting to think about anything vital or of great importance for the political and social aspects of the state system; that is, such an activity is a higher priority for them than everything else; and all this happens in the midst of what is considered national pride. If you look closely, you will notice that the statues are in a vertical position, and the Romans indulging in love are in a horizontal position. This feature of the picture demonstrates the absolute indifference of the Romans to what is around them. Some would easily regard this as a complete lack of any ethical standards in society. Such a phenomenon today would be viewed with harsh criticism, considered disrespect for objects of national heritage. What is now perceived as debauchery and something immoral was considered the norm in those days; but in the time of Thomas Couture, such behavior was already considered immoral. You can also notice how much the people in this picture come to the fore, leaving the statues and columns somewhere far behind them. Probably, with this, Thomas Couture wanted to convey the idea that people often consign all the greatness and historical significance of the past to deep oblivion, completely indulging in the power of natural instincts, thereby sinking to the level of animals.
George looked at Carla’s profile for a while, and finally said:
– One question keeps tormenting me: why isn’t your entire generation so willingly interested in painting?
Continuing to look at the canvas, Carla answered in an even tone:
– Personally, I think that art is the most beautiful form of lies. Perhaps that is why some are indifferent to it, while others are too weak to give it up.
– Well said.
Thirty-seven-year-old Lieutenant John Young was an example of a decent, godly police officer, a successful detective with a high clearance rate and an exemplary family man. But at the moment, he did with all this exactly the same as the Romans did with their national treasure – he consigned it to deep oblivion.
Even after the hot intercourse, accompanied by loud breathing and slippery friction, was completed and both were lying in bed, almost exhausted and hidden under a layer of sweat, his palm did not stop roaming along the attractive curves of her body, and his lips did not leave the most sensitive point on the breast. John preferred to work with his lips more than other clients. He could stick to Carla’s lips and not come off, stretching out one kiss for several minutes. Carla thought he was a little weird. It was unusual for her when a client admired her face for a long time. John was still the only client who tried to behave in bed with her as softly and tenderly as possible, without showing absolutely any rudeness. During all this time, he never dared to even give her a light slap on the buttock. At times, Carla had the impression that John perceived her somewhat differently than the others, showing excessive romanticism, which seemed inappropriate to her in sexual-market relations.
At the moment when John’s eyelids lifted for a fleeting moment and his eyes, blinded by ecstasy, opened, somewhere behind the sexy naked body of the girl in the distant background, he noticed the dial of a watch standing on the nightstand. He immediately looked up from the breast size 4 and said:
– Crap. Almost an hour and a half has already passed.
Looking at Carla’s serene face, John asked:
– Do I have to pay for the second one?
Her voice sounded as carefree as her face looked:
– Don’t panic. – Taking another puff, Carla added: – Consider it a sale today – two for the price of one.
John immediately put on a satisfied smile and began to cuddle up to her. Carla immediately stopped him with the words:
– What are you doing?
– You said that today is a sale. I paid for the first hour, now I want to use the second to the end.
Carla shook her head and said:
– I hasten to disappoint you. The sale is valid until two hours. It’s already past two.
John