WHAT TO DO IN BUCHAREST

Ayano’s house in downtown Bucharest had many people coming and going. Jada got reacquainted with Dumitru and Sergei, among others. It seemed that they were taking her repeated presence as an indicator to be friendlier and acknowledge her more. The way he was introduced, she could tell that a Greek guy around her age named Nikos was another key member of Ayano’s company and circle of friends. He had dark blonde hair, some of it bleached blonder by the sun or possibly a hairdresser. It seemed that he was in the white collar division of Ayano’s workforce, the only one who regularly wore a suit and talked about legitimate business all the time. He always seemed concerned around her, as if she were bad luck, a problem waiting to happen.

During the day, Ayano spent time at his office, the metallurgy lab, or on site at the mines themselves. Ayano had made his fortune in metallurgy, developing high-tech applications for the metals from the mines he inherited in Northern Romania, which employed hundreds upon hundreds of men. Jada was told by several different employees that Ayano was a metallurgy genius, able to procure mixtures of metals that take years to perfect. While Ayano was at one of the mines again, Dumitru offered to show her around the markets and shops within walking distance.

“You can get pastries, coffee, fruit… there’s a butcher shop down that way. That’s the Metro stop, but it’s not like the subway in New York City. It’s slow and overcrowded. The traffic up here is a problem, too. One of us will drive you anywhere you need to go,” he told her, strolling leisurely instead of zipping around for once.

“Do you ever go to New York?” she asked.

“Sure, all the time. I do a lot of the hardware application projects there. Here, I mostly do computer systems and all the permits and safety stuff. And the Răz-nevă, once a year. My girlfriend Antonija lives here so I try to get as much work as I can in Romania.” He smiled modestly. She noticed he had a toothpick in the corner of his mouth. Was that supposed to make him look more gangster?

“Oh, how long have you been together?” she asked him. She was glad he was the one to take her around the city. Sergei wasn’t exactly the kind of guy she could have a heart-to-heart with and Nikos couldn’t even make eye contact with her.

“Two years now. She works at a nice department store. If you want to look at art galleries and go shopping, she can take you around,” he said as they circled back and headed to the house again.

“I’d like that. I have to find things to do while Ayano’s at work. I’m here for the rest of the summer.”

“Well, on the weekends we usually all head out to different resorts along the Black Sea coast. Ayano rents out villas or a couple rooms at a hotel. You’ll love it, it’s a lot of fun,” he told her.

“So, you all work for him but you hang out all the time?” she asked.

“In Romania, all the business is really done in the bars. He’s the boss, but he’s kind of like the mayor or something I guess, or an uncle. He really likes you, you know,” he added.

“I really like him. Doesn’t he bring women around all the time?”

“I’m sure there have been women, but you’re the only one I can remember him introducing to everybody,” he said, holding the front door open for her. She was tempted to ask about lots of information that hadn’t been offered freely, but decided against it.

The next day, Antonija took Jada around the city to go shopping and show her where she could find the art galleries. She came by the house in the late morning. Her dress made her look like Posh Spice- sleeveless pink and skin-tight with shiny metallic gladiator sandals. Jada was at ease around her, mostly because she had a girl-next-door look and was slightly insecure. They looked at a map together at the kitchen table and made a plan for the day. 

Dumitru was off on another job, so the guy that picked them up at the airport drove them. His name was Iosif and he spoke very little English, but he was gigantic. Jada really didn’t expect to run into anything problematic, but she thought maybe Ayano was making a point to have her feel secure in an unfamiliar city.

“The first one is north, in Dorobanti neighborhood,” Antonija told her in the car. Ayano had them take a classic Jaguar out. Jada knew nothing about cars, but she could tell this one was exceptionally expensive. It helped to explain Iosif’s presence. “The neighborhood was built for rich people, and… how is it called, the building for ambassadors?”

“Embassy. Embassies,” Jada told her.

“Yes. Embassies. And they called all the streets for different countries in the world. They used to call them for the richest man on that street. So, some Romanians don’t like Dorobanti,” she continued. “This gallery we go to, Anca, has only eight years.”

“That’s pretty good! My gallery in New York City isn’t that old yet,” Jada smiled.

“It only has eight years because of the Revolution. And this, I can’t explain in English, I’m sorry!” Antonija said, looking a bit flustered. 

“It’s fine, don’t worry. English is a mix of too many languages, it takes a long time to learn,” Jada assured her.

“When have you learned?” she asked.

“I learned in Brazil when I was a kid. Sometimes, we sold things to tourists, me and my mom. They thought it was cute if I said a few things in English or sang a song. Then I went to an English-speaking high school in New York,” Jada explained. 

“You speak it so well. I can sell clothes and jewelry in English, but other things, not so much…” she went on, fidgeting with her bracelet. The trip only took a few more minutes. Jada tried to put Antonija more at ease, but it didn’t seem to be working.

When they arrived, Iosif opened the car door for them and then stayed outside to guard the Jaguar as he smoked. Two women in blazers and muted colors greeted them right away. Antonija chatted with them quickly in Romanian. All Jada could pick up was “Ilanescu” but she was listening, always listening, in hopes of picking up enough Romanian to prove Ayano wrong about it being too difficult for her. Once Antonija mentioned Ayano’s last name, the women nodded and smiled even wider. The older of the two saleswomen showed Jada around while the younger one offered Antonija something to drink. Jada looked around at the artwork, mostly paintings, and tried to listen to the saleswoman politely, but she spoke English with a very strong accent. Jada was looking for things that spoke to her mainly, but also some pieces she thought would be a good investment for Ayano’s money. 

After selecting several paintings at Anca, Jada asked Antonija about the payment. 

“Ayano said they would bill him, but really, for that much money--” Jada started to ask. 

“No, they know who he is. They will deliver it to the house and send the bill. And they know you’re... well-off, so they are… comfortable. They know it will be fine,” Antonija said, writing down some information in Romanian on the gallery’s paperwork. 

Well-off, she thought, there’s an important euphemism to know in Antonija’s line of work. Jada looked at her surroundings and had to laugh at herself. She was impossible to distinguish from a regular rich person. She felt proud of herself in that moment, fooling most everyone into thinking she may not have come from humble beginnings, that she may have lived a carefree existence. 

By the offices in back, she noticed some framed photographs she hadn’t seen before. They were black and white news photos- the plaque on the wall said that these photos had been censored by the government until recently. Some weren’t too long ago. It looked like there were miners in a protest in a square somewhere in Bucharest. She asked another employee to come over and explain it. It was a young guy, probably an intern or someone’s son.

“Ah, it’s a long story. The short version: The government after communism fell was basically the same men in different suits so people rebelled. And someone got trainfuls of miners into the city-- hundreds of thousands-- to break up the protests. It was mostly students! Just young people who loved their country!” the guy explained. His English was great, why hadn’t he been helping them earlier? 

“Why did they go help?” she asked.

“Well, it’s complicated. The government gives them their jobs. Anyway, now the miners have a different organizer. They joined with other workers’ unions here. They say they’re making sure that political agendas don’t harm the Romanian people. I’m not sure. There are a lot of foreign companies coming into Romania and taking our resources for their profit and the workers can’t protect us from that,” he went on. 

“Where can I read--” Jada started to ask. They were interrupted by the older woman who worked there, shooing him away. 

“I’m sorry it was rude for you,” the woman said.

“He wasn’t rude, it’s fine--” Jada tried to tell her, but she was yelling at the young man in the corner in Romanian. It looked like she was telling him to take out his earring and disapproved of his AC/DC T-shirt. Jada was sort of wondering when the mafia rumors about Ayano were going to be proven true or false. This just confused her.  

“By the way, Jada, I love those shoes, your purse. Those brands are very hard to get here,” Antonija swooped in. “Ok, ready. Let’s go to the next one.”

“Can we go to a gallery that is… rougher? Younger? Bold. I want to discover new artists,” she told Antonija. Antonija consulted with Iosif in Romanian and they headed across town again, visiting five galleries in all. 

As the day went on, Jada began to have some idea who Ayano was in Romania. There were a lot of rich and famous people in the United States, but in Romania, especially with communism falling only recently, there were only a few dozen names to be thrown around. Everyone was exceedingly polite and helpful. Pedestrians kept a large distance from Ayano's car and other customers lowered their voices to speak about them when they looked around the galleries.

The last stop Jada had the energy to make was to look at a few dresses to see if anything looked exciting for the trip to Monaco. The cell phone Ayano gave her rang from her purse when she was in the dressing room.

“Hello?” she asked, knowing it could only be Ayano.

“Hi, iubi. What are you up to now?” he asked.

“I’m at a very fancy store near some British hotels and your President’s house. What should I get for Monaco, do you think?” she asked.

“Uh, a very small bathing suit, lingerie, and an outrageously expensive dress,” he said.

“What should the dress be like?” she wanted to know.

“Can it be very low-cut? I mean, barely appropriate.”

“Oh, really?” she said skeptically. “And I won’t get any dirty looks?”

“What, you go to Monaco all of the time?” he pointed out. “If you’re going to do Monaco, you should really do Monaco.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said, taking a free drink from the salesgirl.

“Buy yourself anything you’d like. It’s all taken care of.”

“Thank you, darling,” she said. She could have paid for any of it herself but thought it would be rude to refuse him.

“Listen, I’m on my way home from the lab and I just wanted to see when you’d be back.” 

“We’ll leave here in about half an hour, and then however long it takes to get back from the President’s house," she said, not remembering the name of the neighborhood. The city’s traffic was a huge problem.

“Ok, iubi. I’ll see you soon.”

“I’m so happy I get to see you at the end of each day again.”

“Me too. La reved-era,” he told her. She at least knew the word for goodbye by now. It kind of sounded like “arrivederci” in Italian. 

Jada hung up and proceeded to try on clothes and shop for a little while longer. Then, Iosif took them to a market so Antonija could buy some dinner ingredients and then back to Ayano's house.

GOULASH

Iosif pulled into the driveway and brought the things Jada bought into the house. Antonija was carrying her bag of groceries. Ayano greeted the three of them at the door. It was impossible for Jada's eyes not to linger on him. He leaned against the door frame, wearing a white v-neck t-shirt that fit him perfectly to showcase his insanely toned arms. His black jeans fit like a glove, too. Jada had noticed some of the clothes in his closet wrapped up in paper, evidently how the tailors here would return finished items. She liked that he took care in looking nice, even in his casual clothes. And that he didn't use any hair product that she could detect. His thick, black hair had the slightest wave to it, which he wore back in a ponytail almost all the time at work. Today, he also had on an expensive-looking black and gold watch.  

The fact that Jada was in a country she knew almost nothing about hadn't caught up with her yet. She was just in a place where her gorgeous new boyfriend was. As she approached him, she gave him a sultry smile, not even attempting to staunch her lovesick expression. 

“Did you miss me?” Jada asked Ayano flirtatiously. 

"I nearly perished without you," he said sarcastically as Ioseph and Antonija walked past. "You're liking Bucharest?"

"Yes. It's beautiful," she told him.

"<Antonija, what are you cooking?>" Iosef asked Antonija something in Romanian as they went down the hall. 

"<Goulash,>" she answered. Ayano heard and smiled at Jada.

"You're going to try a very famous Romanian dish tonight," he said. They lingered at the door for a moment so Jada could be slightly more cute with him in private.  

“You did a wonderful job supporting the art community of Bucharest today,” Jada told Ayano, leaning up against his chest. 

“Did I? What’d I get?” Ayano asked, kissing her.

“Some traditional, some modern representations of different things… the Carpashian Mountains--” she started.

“Carpathian,” he corrected her.

“The Carpathian Mountains, characters from Romanian folklore… oh, I got some sexy abstract naked ladies from an artist who’s going to be really famous someday,” she continued.

“Yeah? How can you tell?” he asked. 

“She’s been arrested five times already. And I like the paintings,” she grinned. “I can sense these things.”

“What about shopping? The lingerie? And the dress?” he asked, looking over at the bags they brought in.

“I'll show you later. Hey, I saw some black and white news photos of miners at a protest a few years ago...” she started to ask. 

“C’mon, let’s go hang out in the kitchen,” he said, swiftly turning around. 

“Ayano, why were the miners fighting university students in Bucharest?” she continued. 

“It’s a long, long story,” he sighed, walking away and toward the kitchen. 

“Are your miners... political?” she insisted on asking and followed him down the hallway. 

“I’m but a simple metallurgist, iubi,” he said, walking across the threshold. “Nikos, is that the one you made?” Nikos was holding a strangely shaped jug with a plum inside of it.

“Yeah, you want a glass?” Nikos offered.

“Please,” Ayano replied.

“His is shit! Mine is much better!” Dumitru claimed, turning around from behind the counter. “Greeks can’t make tuica!” To which Nikos responded with an obscene gesture. 

Antonija had made quick work of the produce- the room already smelled like butter browning and onions sizzling. 

“It’s not bad,” Ayano said, of Nikos’ drink. He had poured it in a small glass with a narrow rim. 

“Jada? You want to try? It’s not that strong. The stuff they distill twice is palinca, this is just tuica,” Nikos offered. 

“Sure,” she said. She received the same type of small glass and had no idea what he was talking about. 

“What do you think?” Nikos asked after she took a sip.

“It tastes like gasoline!” she said, her eyes watering. She put down the glass and ran to the sink. “Is this moonshine?!” she yelled, drinking some water. The group laughed, expecting this reaction from her.

“It’s an acquired taste,” Sergei laughed. “You want some vodka? Store-bought vodka?”

“How about wine?” she suggested. Ayano got a bottle from the wine holder underneath the kitchen’s bar they were congregating around. It was a white wine. "Do you have any in the fridge?" she asked.

"Cold? No. It's bad for your health," Ayano scoffed. He got a corkscrew and opened the wine for her. Luckily, the wine tasted quite good, although she still wished it had been chilled. Then, the doorbell sounded. "Ah, now you will meet even more of my friends. That's Filip, guys. And he said he's bringing Sorinah and I can't remember if she's his wife or mistress?" he asked, looking at all their faces. 

"Wife," Sergei said.

"Mistress," Nikos answered at the same time. 

Ayano gave Jada a look that said "See what I have to deal with?" and left to answer the door. 

He returned, introducing the two new guests to Jada. Filip was a few inches shorter than Ayano with very short gray hair. He was very soft-spoken and nodded his head a lot. Sorinah was the same height as her companion, showing off her long legs in a short pencil skirt and stiletto heels. She had brown hair with an auburn tint. It was impossible to tell if she was thirty years old or fifty years old. Jada had no immediate guess as to their marital status. 

Ayano served them drinks and sat at the kitchen bar with Jada, Nikos, and Dumitru while Filip went off to whisper things to Sergei in the corner. Sorinah went to kiss Antonija on the cheek and offer some help. 

After Jada finished her glass of wine, dinner was on the verge of being served. She set the table for them as she saw the frying pan getting fuller and fuller. 

“Goulash is almost done, everyone,” Antonija alerted them. Sergei and Nikos brought drinks out to the dining room table while Sorinah carried the platters of food. 

“Jada, my honored guest, you’re at the head of the table. I’m the host, I’m to your right. Antonija, please,” Ayano directed the seating. All around them, chairs were being pulled out and pushed in. Everyone set down their glasses.  

“What is goulash?” Jada asked.

“Gulaș de cartofi cu afumătură!” Dumitru told her as he served himself.

“Smoked meat and potatoes,” Ayano told her. 

“Oh, didn’t I tell you guys? I’m vegetarian,” Jada said. The table went quiet. “I’m just fucking with you!” she laughed. They all looked immensely relieved and laughed with her.

“See? I told you, she’s great,” Ayano said. 

“Thank God!” Nikos said. “We were going to have to throw you out!” 

"That was good," Filip said, nudging Ayano in approval.

Dumitru passed Jada the platter first and she put some on her plate, Antonija’s noodles following. Soon, everyone had food on their plates and Ayano raised his glass.

“Noroc!” he said.

“Noroc!” the others echoed. They all drank and began to eat.

“You grew up in Brazil, Jada?” Dumitru asked, talking with his mouth full. 

“Yeah.”

“What do you eat for dinner there?” he asked. 

“We barbecue a lot. And pork, black beans, and rice stew. Plantains. We make our own booze, too. Cachaça,” she told them.

“What’s that?” Nikos asked.

“It’s like rum but it doesn’t have that warm, kinda burnt flavor. It’s from sugar cane, not molasses,” she explained. 

“How are the beaches in Brazil?” Nikos asked.

“This time of year, it’s winter. People still go, but not as much. Some guys wear those little speedos! Bleh! And lots of tiny bathing suits on the girls, you know, thongs and stuff. The girls love their tan lines but I just hate them,” she gabbed. Ayano refilled her wine glass. 

“Don’t the women go topless?” Antonija asked.

“No. Why, do Romanians go topless?” Jada asked, a curious smile spreading across her face. Brazil had a pretty relaxed stance on partial female nudity, but maybe it was Catholicism that kept the women’s tops on at the beach. 

“Yeah!” the table responded enthusiastically. Jada turned and looked to Ayano to see if they were kidding. He nodded casually. 

“You don’t have to,” Ayano told her.

“That’s so French, you guys! I had no idea!” she exclaimed. 

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. It was an interesting cultural exchange and lots of wisecracks. Afterwards, they started making plans for the summer. 

“When are we going to Constanta this summer? We should get a hotel,” Nikos asked after dinner, the plates having been cleared by Antonija.

“This weekend, it’s Monaco. Next weekend, we should go,” Ayano said.

“We should do Mamaia again. Mamaia was crazy,” Sergei suggested. He poured himself another vodka. Jada couldn't help but notice that all of these men could consume enough alcohol to make a horse stagger, but they were all still coherent.

“I know someone there. We’ll get a few rooms,” Ayano offered.

“You know people everywhere,” Jada commented.

“What was the name of that girl who worked at the casino?” Sergei asked with a wily grin.

“Was it Tatiana?” Nikos tried, squinting at the memory. 

“You should stay away from the casino, Sergiyko, you’re on a losing streak,” Dumitru told him.

“He lost two hundred thousand lei to me,” Ayano told Jada proudly. 

“For what?” Jada asked, not particularly interested but asked for conversation’s sake. Sergei and Dumitru looked away from her with guilty expressions. 

“Sergei thought you didn’t like me, that you wouldn’t come to Romania,” Ayano revealed. Jada smiled, but also wondered why they needed to bet about this.

“You’re out of his league, Jada. Clearly you see something in him that we do not!” Sergei said, defending his wager. 

“What was the bet, exactly?” she inquired.

“He came back from New York saying you’d be here within a week,” Sergei said. “I said you’d never be back. Too good for the likes of him!”

“My, aren’t you confident!” She laughed, glaring at Ayano playfully.

“Wishful thinking!” Ayano told her, throwing his hands up. 

The gathering moved to his garden behind the house, on the iron outdoor furniture. After many drinks, the guys had starting making more stupid bets with each other. They were mostly concerning upper body strength.

Jada reflected on her cool factor. Was she letting on that she liked Ayano too much? And really, he was betting on his love life? That seemed a little demeaning, but it flew out of her mind, carrying no weight. She wanted to be agreeable to him and stick around until there was nothing to stick around for. 

CYANA IN MONACO

Ayano and Jada packed for their trip to Monaco. It was only a two-hour flight, fortunately. Sergei drove them to the airport and said something about Nikos to Ayano in Romanian. He would be joining them a little later, Ayano had told her. He gave her a rundown of the purpose of the trip. The bankers would be wining and dining a group of them for the three-day weekend. Some of them would be offering new investments to him and other Eastern European associates of his. Jada still wasn’t sure exactly how wealthy Ayano was, but she noticed that he had a lot of people working for him, expensive cars, and he got a lot of stuff for free.        

Their first night, Ayano brought Jada to a dinner for the group in an extravagant restaurant. Their hosts had broad but sincere smiles, clearly enjoying this part of the job. It would be unthinkable to mention business the first night. The bankers chatted with them about travel, work, family, and the like. After dinner, they headed to a VIP room at a famous seaside casino. Jada tried to give no external indication of how grateful and excited she felt. She wanted to look as if she did this kind of thing all the time. 

Ayano seemed impressed with how impeccably charming she was to each new acquaintance. Jada also noticed he looked quite pleased with how many eyes lingered upon her in her low-cut, backless purple gown. Visible nipples were a huge trend at the time -- even mannequins had to have them showing. Jada’s breasts were a bit too large to be wearing a dress without a bra. Motionless, it wasn’t as obvious, but as she strode across the room, well... it was barely appropriate, as he had requested.  

Since getting together with Ayano, she had been training in Răz-nevă vigorously. As a result, her body was especially strong and toned yet she still retained her soft breasts and curvy hips and ass. Being Brazilian and Japanese, she was among the most exotic women in the room. Gisele Bundchen was just becoming famous as a Brazilian model and so many media outlets were talking about how sexy Brazilian women were. This made Jada even more coveted.

Ayano asked Jada to choose what to play. She decided on stud poker because it was the only game that required her skill set. She was enjoying playing against her new boyfriend because she was having some beginner’s luck and was also adept at reading people. After ten o’clock, the older bankers were dropping like flies, each trying to be as hospitable as possible before going to bed. Then, with some of the respectability of the group diminished, the night began to have a more ulterior undertone.

It seemed that some of Ayano’s friends were perfectly satisfied to gamble and drink for the evening. Very high-quality champagne was flowing freely. However, it seemed that some of his friends at the poker table had more in mind than just champagne.

Their table took a break after several rounds of drinks and hands of poker. As they sat in a small lounge area on the other side of the room, Jada noticed Nikos had also arrived in Monaco. She supposed he was acting as a “bodyguard” because that was how he was dressed. But then, she wondered. He kept disappearing and reappearing with one or two people at a time. Nikos whispered something into Ayano’s ear.

“Do you want some coke?” Ayano asked her quietly, looking straight ahead. She thought about her response. 

Growing up exposed to several large cities, Jada had lost her naïveté early in her teenage years. Up until now, she had experimented with a variety of sordid activities, but had not ventured into cocaine. As an art student, she tried pot, shrooms, acid, and ecstasy but she had heard that cocaine was dangerous. It was addictive and made people do crazy, violent things. Look at that movie Scarface! 

But she was in Monaco, laughing, gambling and drinking with her sexy, dangerous boyfriend. Surely, a night as special and unusual as this one could afford her this one-time indulgence. She nodded. Ayano took her by the hand and followed Nikos to a back room near the bar.

“You’ll like this, it’s a good high. I got benzos to help you come down if time is an issue,” Nikos said, cutting lines of cocaine on the stainless steel prep table with a credit card. He let Ayano step in. 

“Good idea, I’ll take some. Jada? You want some for the morning?”

“I’ve never done coke. But if you say benzos help later, I’ll take some,” she said, deciding it was best to be upfront.

“Aww, dulceata, your first time,” Ayano teased. He rolled up a franc note and snorted some long lines of cocaine. He handed the scroll to her. “Just do this,” he instructed, making her two small lines.

Ayano and Jada played a little more poker but they were too high to sit still. They mingled with various acquaintances, all of whom seemed fascinating, but Jada didn’t know this was probably because of the cocaine. Her eyes felt like they were wide open. She was sure she looked like she was on drugs but every time she caught a glimpse of her reflection, she appeared normal. Normal enough. Did it even matter if anyone knew? Everyone was immaculately dressed, very formal looking, but at the same time, the event seemed to be curated as a safe playground for naughty rich people.

Jada was extremely talkative and soon made an effort to tone it down. Most of the people they chatted with were men Ayano’s age or older. A vast majority of them were perfect gentlemen. However, one guy -- who had also disappeared with Nikos -- was a bit bolder. They were standing around, chatting with a few people and watching the roulette table when Ayano noticed this man was the only one in the group he hadn’t introduced to Jada. 

“By the way, Jada, this is Stelian Mihaili. Stelian, this is Jada Versailles,” Ayano said. If Stelian had been someone important, Ayano would have called him an old friend or commented in some way as he had with other introductions.

“Jada? What a beautiful name. Where are you from?” he asked, shaking her hand.

“Brazil, but I’ve lived in New York City for a few years now,” she said.

“A Brazilian girl, hmm?” he commented, his eyes lowering to take a subtle look at her ass. The table cheered at something and he went back to watching the roulette players.

Ayano gave Jada a look. He had definitely seen Stelian checking her out. His eyes were asking her if he should do something about it. Ordinarily, she would be annoyed by this guy’s knee-jerk response to hearing she was from Brazil, but it certainly wasn’t the first time it had happened. However, this evening was different. She kind of liked that some of the men in the room were jealous that she was Ayano’s date. She smiled and held Ayano’s arm affectionately to tell him not to worry about it. He shrugged and playfully checked out her ass himself. It was, in fact, stereotypically shapely.

They played some roulette, some blackjack, and had a few more drinks. As the night went on, Jada became increasingly exhilarated by all the attention, the chandeliers, the money being thrown around, the beautiful people. When they stepped away from the others, he stopped speaking mid-sentence when he saw someone across the room.

“What?” she asked.

"I see someone I know. Two someones," he told her, draining another flute of champagne. His nostrils sniffled from the cocaine discreetly.  

“You know everyone.”

“Well, these two…” he stopped again, considering what to say. “If I introduce you to them, things could get… wild.” He had a deliberately secretive expression on his face.

“Oh?” she said quizzically, trying to determine exactly what he meant by that.

“I mean it. These two ladies...:”

“Ladies? Anything to be jealous about?” she purred.

"Of course not. You see those two women over there?" he said, indicating a tall woman with soft brown curls and dark red lipstick. She was wearing black pants and a very low-cut blazer, no shirt underneath. Jada couldn't begin to imagine how much her jewelry cost. Next to her was a woman who had to be her wife or girlfriend. She had beautiful long, platinum-blonde hair which could have been natural-- she looked so Scandinavian. Her flowy dress was light blue, sort of a Greek goddess style. The jewelry she was wearing was a little more subtle. Their body language and the way they spoke to people together made it easy to tell they were a couple from across the room.

"Who are they?" she asked as she observed them.

"They're not bankers," he said suavely.

“Clearly not. How do you know them?”

"Cyana, the one in black, I grew up with her. She was the neighborhood tomboy I had a crush on. We fooled around once or twice when we were young, but alas, she prefers the company of women mostly. She owns a lot of textile businesses or something like that. She's fun, but kind of a bitch. She pretends to hate me, it’s very cute.

“Her girlfriend, Ava, I've only met a few times. They've been together for two, maybe three years. She is only girls, lesbian. She is a performance artist and some big-time DJ. Popular in London. But, I’m telling you, if we go over there, I don’t know what will happen. Perhaps you will even decide you prefer their company to mine,” he took a tendril of her hair and curled it around his finger.

“Hmm, are they that irresistible? You’re really… concerned?” she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Really. I am!” he said. “Look, if you really want to, we can go say hi, but all bets are off.”

“Okay, tiger. Let’s go over there,” she said, thinking she was calling his bluff. She assumed he was trying to make the scene sound more exciting than it actually was.

“Okay. Let’s get some more coke from Nikos first. It would be rude to come empty-handed.”

“Cyana, draga mea, how nice to see you again!” Ayano greeted her, kissing her on each cheek.

“Ayano,” she said dispassionately, reciprocating his kisses stiffly. “It’s been forever. How are you?” The faintest bit of a Romanian accent remained in her posh British affectation.

“Fucking fabulous. Hello, Ava. How are you enjoying Monaco?” he asked, kissing her cheeks as well.

“It’s so surreal! You should see the room they gave us!” she gushed.

“Ladies, please meet my girlfriend from New York City, Jada,” he presented her proudly. 

“Jada. Hi, I’m Ava,” she said warmly, kissing her cheeks. She was probably only a few years older than Jada.

“Jada. My god, you’re simply stunning.” Cyana had a small smile on her lips and a sparkle in her eye that reminded Jada of Ayano when he was up to something.

“Thank you,” Jada replied. She found herself a little mesmerized by their glamour. And she was pretending not to notice that Ayano had just promoted her to girlfriend. Girlfriend!!

“Come, sit. Tell me all about yourself. How long have you two been together? What do you do in New York?” Cyana led them to a small lounge area.

“We’re… new. We’ve been involved for three months or so. I have my own art gallery in New York City, in Chelsea. We do exhibitions and I sell some modern pieces, some older, for private collectors,” she said casually, crossing her legs.

“What’s it called?” Cyana asked.

“Oh, just Versailles. My last name.”

“I know Versailles! My friend Alistair’s boyfriend, Axel, was your DJ last month at the opening of the Madruga exhibit,” Ava chimed in.

“He was amazing!” Jada and Ava carried on talking about music and mutual acquaintances. 

While those two chattered, Cyana and Ayano spoke to each other in Romanian in hurried, slightly rude tones.

“<And how did you meet your little cupcake, Ayano?>” Cyana asked him over the rim of her martini glass.

“<I taught her at Marseille, at the Răz-nevă retreats that you said I shouldn’t do and were useless as caressing a wooden leg,>” he said somewhat petulantly.

“<I still don’t know why you spend your time that way. But she is beautiful, your fuck-bunny. And the art. Maybe even sophisticated,>” she said mockingly.

“<Well, she’s no fucking DJ, Cyana,>” he scowled.

Cyana paused and shot him a dirty look. “<I wonder how she will taste,>” she said in a threatening tone. 

Jada’s conversation with Ava slowed down and she tried to listen in on Ayano and Cyana, but she could only understand a stray word here and there. Portuguese and Romanian both had Latin roots, making some words similar.

“Stop it, you two. You can’t be speaking Romanian together all night,” Ava scolded. “It’s bad manners.”

“Sorry, darling. You’re right,” Cyana said and gave her a kiss.

“These two,” Ava spoke to Jada. “If you don’t stop them, they’ll bicker like children and spend the rest of the night sulking and licking their wounds.”

“Jada, Ayano tells me you’ve studied Răz-nevă?” Cyana inquired.

“Yeah. I always did capoeira and I needed a change, so a client told me about Ayano’s retreat. I got pretty good, I beat all the women except one and a couple of the guys, too,” Jada said, still trying to be mindful of her talkativeness. 

“Well, it’s done wonders for your figure. Look at those arms, that waist!” Cyana commented, smiling at Ayano defiantly. 

“Why are we wasting our time with pilates?” Ava laughed.

“Did he seduce you or was it the other way around?” Cyana asked. Jada smiled flirtatiously at Ayano.

“A little of both, but he kissed me first,” she said, happy to tell their story to a new person.

“I can hardly blame him!” Cyana said.

“Have you been in New York or Bucharest lately?” Ava asked.

“Both. We’re in Bucharest for the summer. We’ll probably go to the resorts on the weekends,” Ayano told them. 

“Oh, I know some people at Mamaia. Their big resort. You name-drop me, they’ll bend over backwards for you. There’s a bartender named Adi, and a security guard named Ion you should talk to,” Cyana advised them.

“I love the Black Sea coast, it’s so underrated,” Ava declared, sounding a little snobby.

“Ladies, would you be interested in doing a little coke with us?” Ayano asked in a low voice. Ava looked to Cyana for an answer. 

“Sure, if it’s good…” Cyana said doubtfully.

“Of course, it’s good, Cyana. You’ll love it,” Ayano assured her. 

“Where should we go?” Ava asked the group.

“We should show off our suite,” Cyana said quickly. She called over a hotel employee and had him send champagne and a few bar ingredients upstairs ahead of them. Jada assumed they were bar ingredients. It was all said in French.

THE SUITE

Ayano followed the three of them into the elevator. Jada was surprised to see how calm he looked, especially after Ava said how Cyana usually got under his skin. She had always known him to be slightly jealous. Ava and Cyana were on either side of her in the fancy elevator, deliberately blocking Ayano’s access. Cyana stared him down while she was drizzling Jada with all kinds of compliments.

They got to Cyana and Ava’s luxurious suite. She must have indeed owned lots of textile companies, Jada thought, if the bankers put her up in a suite like this. Ayano authoritatively cut up the cocaine he got from Nikos on the coffee table. Cyana poured some drinks for everyone from their bar. Ava linked her iPod to the room’s sound system and played some seventies glam rock tracks.

Ayano took off his dinner jacket and snorted some more lines. He passed another makeshift straw to Jada, and on to Ava and Cyana.

“This is fucking excellent, Ayano. Please introduce me to Nikos,” Ava said, kicking off her high-heeled shoes and collecting cocaine residue with her finger. She sucked on it, rubbing the coke residue on her gums for quick absorption.  

Jada felt wired. She walked around the room to examine the art. While Ava and Ayano had an intense but meaningless drug-fueled conversation on the couch, Cyana approached her from behind.

“I do love this dress,” Cyana commented, placing her hands on Jada’s hips. “Is it Cavalli?”

“Yes…” Jada felt uncomfortable. This was wrong: this tall, gorgeous woman was hitting on her with lessening subtlety. Wrong, albeit skillfully done. Jada had been with women before. In fact, she lost her virginity to a girl her own age years ago. She had been so dazzled by everything that night and she was attracted to Cyana (and Ava, for that matter), so why not? But where would this encounter lead, if she let it continue? Would this set a precedent in her relationship with Ayano? Unfortunately, cocaine and alcohol had a way of instantly dismissing perfectly rational thoughts like these ones.

Cyana began to kiss Jada’s neck and caress her stomach over the delicate purple fabric of her dress. Jada felt so sexy and desired. Her nipples got visibly hard through the thin fabric. Cyana turned both of them to face Ayano and Ava. Jada searched for her boyfriend’s eyes.

“Ayano,” Cyana called over to him. “You don’t mind sharing, do you?” she asked, between kisses.

“I rather enjoy it,” he said, locking eyes with Jada. She didn’t know what she wanted him to do. Was this okay? Her thoughts kept racing back and forth. If she said no, would they all be pissed? Or, maybe she wanted to be the kind of person who fucked strangers while high on cocaine in European hotel rooms.

Ava’s playlist played in the background. The odd, dreamy music was persuading her that this wasn’t a reality that counted, that it would be overlooked in the future without causing anything of consequence.

Cyana reached behind Jada’s neck and undid the clasp that was holding up the backless halter dress. The front of her dress fell, revealing her round, firm, lightly tanned breasts. Her shoulders tensed. She still hadn’t decided what to do so she made a half-hearted effort to cover up. Ava did not feel as shy or conflicted. She stood up, took off her dress, and walked over to the two women. She had small, perky tits and wore a blue lace thong. Jada took a step backwards.

“Oh, sweetie,” Cyana cupped both Jada’s breasts in her hands. “Ayano, tell her it’s alright. We won’t bite. Unless you ask us to, of course.”

“Whatever you like, comoară mea…” Ayano said in a low tone, absolutely transfixed by the sight before him. He looked like someone making a house of cards, worrying that the smallest breeze could blow it over.

“Mmm, you’re his treasure…” Cyana cooed. “How precious… what would you like, Jada?” Ava kissed Jada on the lips as she undid the last buttons holding up Jada’s dress. All she had on was a see-through black thong and thigh-high black stockings. Cyana squeezed her nipples and Jada released a moan. The two mouths and four hands all over her body was a sensory overload. She wanted more.

“Okay…” Jada leaned back into Cyana, relaxing her shoulders and neck in surrender. Cyana kissed her on the lips, then used her tongue, as Ava licked and kissed her breasts. Jada felt herself get very aroused now that she was not making an effort to hold back. “Oh fuck…” she moaned.

“Let’s go into the bedroom,” Ava said seductively. “Should we let Ayano play, too?” she called over her shoulder as she left. She sounded like she was teasing.

“You promise you’ll behave yourself?” Cyana asked him, taking Jada’s hand. Jada wasn’t sure what she meant by that.

“Absolutely not,” he responded, taking off his shirt. Cyana smirked at him and brought Jada to the bedroom. 

Ava pushed Jada gently onto the king-size bed. Cyana sat next to her and firmly ran her fingers over Jada’s stockinged thighs. Cyana took one of Jada's legs and rested it across her own lap. Cyana caressed down to her ankle and undid the strap to her high heels.

Meanwhile, Ava was kissing Jada from the other side, gently pushing her to lie down while Cyana removed her shoes. Ava kept kissing her down her neck, her chest, her tits, her stomach. Cyana’s fingers titillated Jada’s inner thighs. Jada’s heart tapped frantically in nervous excitement. The women adjusted her position, putting Jada's head on the pillows.

Ava climbed on top of her, giving Ayano a good view of her ass and pussy in her tiny thong. Jada’s hands were daring enough to move about now so they wandered all over Ava’s willowy frame as they made out, exploring this new person’s body. She also wanted to make sure she was doing something sexy for her boyfriend to see. Ava reached into Jada’s thong. 

“Wow!! You’re so fucking wet, sweetie. This is going to be so fucking hot,” Ava said gleefully.

Cyana took off her clothes, revealing a B-cup bust with large, puffy nipples and black satin panties. Ava looked at Jada daringly as she rubbed her labia and clit. She slid down the bed, kissing the inside of her thighs. Jada shivered. Ava moved the fabric away from Jada's pussy.

“Mmm… what a beautiful little rosebud you have,” Ava said. She put her mouth over the top of Jada's pussy and explored with her tongue. It felt like Jada's whole body was covered in warm honey. Jada took a sharp inhalation as Ava started to suck on her clit. The coke was making everything feel exciting, like everything they were doing was fascinating. Jada found Ayano’s eyes again, who was watching patiently from a few steps away. She vamped for him, to show him how soft and feminine everything was over here. She thought he looked so striking with his well-defined abs, long dark hair, and pierced nipples.

Cyana crawled onto the bed and began to kiss Jada as she moaned. She stroked her hair, caressed her cheeks. She placed her lips over a nipple and sucked it loudly, greedily. Then, Ava stuck her tongue deep inside her. Jada breathed heavily. It was almost too much. She was panicking a little bit, like she would float away and never come back. She wasn’t used to the effects of cocaine. 

“Oh my GOD!” she cried, her eyes imploring Ayano to come to her, to anchor her in some way.

He stood beside the bed, watching them intently. Jada reached for him and grabbed his belt, pulling him closer. Cyana continued to tease her nipples as Jada undid the buckle and pulled out his long, hard cock. Immediately, Jada sucked him off- harder when Ava really hit a good spot, more gently just to please him. Ava penetrated her with two fingers as she licked her clit up and down. The sensation was so intense, Jada moaned in the middle of deepthroating him. The vibrations her voice created felt good. He reacted to her arousal and she tasted her mouth fill with precum.

The music in the background made her feel like it was a soundtrack to a movie she was in. She could do anything she wanted. They were all beautiful people who would go back to their real lives sometime much, much later.

“Ava, I want to eat your pussy while Ayano fucks me,” Jada took off her thong and shifted her position, kneeling with her ass and pussy in the air, on display for Ayano to fuck her from behind. Ava took off her panties and moved in front of her with her legs spread. Her pussy was completely hairless and smooth. Jada opened her pussy lips with her fingers delicately. She was so pink, so soft. Jada started with slow licking to tease her, but as she felt Ayano’s cock get closer to her, she quickened her pace. She felt him squeeze her ass and stroke her pussy. He slowly put in the tip, his favorite moment, like taking the first bite of an apple. Instant gratification. He slid all the way in, his hands on her hips holding her as steady as he could to allow her to continue giving head to Ava.

“Oh fuck, that’s good! Babe, come here,” Ava panted. “Sit on my face and grab my tits.” Cyana finished undressing and put her legs on either side of her girlfriend, facing all three of them. Ava grasped Cyana’s thighs as licked her pussy above her, Cyana moving her hips rhythmically. Her eyes met Ayano’s. She rubbed her clit and lifted her hair off her neck with her other hand, maybe vamping a little as well. He pounded Jada a little faster.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah keep -- ohhh fuck!” Ava cried, arching her back. 

Jada looked behind her at Ayano and he flipped her over, next to where Ava lay. She needed to feel him on top of her, she was so close to climax. He got on top of her and they kissed as though they were each other’s air supply. He continued to thrust, listening to Cyana’s erotic sounds next to them as Cyana had her orgasm from Ava. Jada’s hands were on his back, her legs curling around his torso. They lost track of everything but each other. Then, Jada felt her pussy clench Ayano’s cock as she climaxed. After her pussy stopped quivering, he pulled out and came on her stomach. As Ava was stepping out of the bathroom, she grabbed a hand towel and tossed it to them.

“Everybody happy?” Ayano asked, lying with Jada resting on his chest.

“Fuck yeah,” Ava replied, cuddling with Cyana next to them.

“God, this is good fucking coke,” Cyana marveled. “I’ll bring us some more drinks. And ice.” She returned with a large bucket of ice with two bottles of champagne and drank from the bottle.

“I’m going to do another line,” Ayano decided. Jada handed him a bottle of champagne when he returned to the bed.

“You know, Ayano, you always act like you have such a huge cock. I’m surprised to see that you actually do!” Ava said. Jada laughed. She had a similar thought the first time they were together. Cyana looked highly amused.

“Shut up, or I’ll fuck you with it,” Ayano grinned and reached across Jada to slap Ava’s ass playfully.

“Oooh, maybe you should,” Ava suggested and paused, waiting to hear if there were any objections. “We need condoms, though. Lesbians don’t like semen.”

Jada felt like she was supposed to object: her man with another woman! But normal had gone out the window a long time ago. She accepted that tonight was an orgy with few, if any, rules.

“Let me get our goodie bag, luv. Some of our new toys require condoms. I know I brought some.” Cyana strolled over to the wardrobe and pulled out a not-so-innocent-looking black patent leather bag. She emptied it on the bed. “Here we are,” she said, finding a strip of condoms.

“Holy shit, you guys! What the fuck is all of this?!” Jada laughed, sorting through the various sex toys. Putting down the bottle she was drinking from, she held up a long dildo with a large bulbous thing at the end. “What is this one for?”

“That’s for your g-spot, darling,” Cyana said, slugging more champagne. “Perfect timing. Your g-spot is more sensitive after an orgasm. Want to see?”

“Ava, have you even been with a man?” Ayano asked.

“Of course, don’t think I’d let you be my first!” Ava teased him. “I had heterosexual sex when I was younger. I’ve never fucked a big cock like that. It’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen in person! Although, I haven’t seen many so, don’t get too flattered,” she added as she looked over to watch Cyana and Jada.

Cyana was lying on her side next to Jada on her back, engaged in artful foreplay.

“Bite my tits,” Cyana commanded. She narrowed her dark eyes and moved away the strands of her straight brown hair. Jada complied. Cyana was not physically stronger than her, but she had a much more dominating nature. Many of the toys she owned confirmed this. The two kissed roughly as their partners watched. Cyana paused and spoke to her with their lips only centimeters apart. “You ready for this? You ready to get fucked?”

“Mmm… yes… please....” Jada writhed, still a little intimidated by Cyana’s sexual energy. She wondered if she looked doe-eyed, the way she was looking up at Cyana.

“You want me to put it in?” Cyana rubbed the toy’s tip along the wet lips of Jada’s pussy, not yet entering.

“Yes…”

“Yes…?” she pressed, looking like a displeased queen of some sort.

“Yes, please…” Jada gasped as Cyana pushed the oddly shaped phallus inside her. She could feel why it had its unusual shape; it pointed upward to stimulate an area of her anatomy that was much more difficult for men to reach. Cyana gave her shallow, slow thrusts.

“You like that?”

“Mmm-hmm… fuck me harder,” Jada said. Jada opened her eyes and grew bolder, not quite feeling comfortable enough to be a dedicated submissive to this near-stranger. Cyana kissed her hard and bit her lower lip a little. Not hard, but enough to add a little danger. Jada felt butterflies in her stomach, but she was also taking in all the magical stimuli of the evening and loving it.

“Is that it, right there?” Cyana was solidly hitting her g-spot now. It was starting to feel good.

“Oh! Yeah, keep going…” Jada let out a small yelp. Ava looked over at Ayano.

“She is so fucking hot. I hope Jada likes it rough!” Ava saw that he was starting to get hard again after watching them. Her pupils were still very dilated from the drugs. She gingerly grasped his dick. “God, it’s so thick, too…”

“Get on. I’ll make you cum harder than your toys ever could. You’ll renounce your lesbianism,” he claimed with a handsome smile. Ava put the tip in her mouth, then ran her lips up and down it. She was surprisingly talented, getting Ayano hard in no time. Her slight frame and light hair made her look so innocent, but she was clearly enjoying this experiment. 

“Wow, it’s like, a mushroom on top! I forgot about that!” she said, handling it curiously. Ayano laughed.

“You’re so fucking high. Are you getting on or what?” he asked, took a condom out of its wrapper and put it on. “C’mere. Face that way and lie on me face up.” Ava put her back to Ayano and got on top of him as if she were going into the reverse cowgirl position but laid flat on top of him, her back to his chest. 

“This way,” he told her instructively. “it’s easier to grab your tits and clit. And, if you put your legs together, your pussy gets really tight.”

“Oh, I like this…” she said as he reached around to stroke her clit.

“You have to rub her clit at the same time to make her cum. Penetration alone is never--” Cyana called over right at the same time.

“I know, Cyana, I’m not a fucking caveman,” he said. He rolled his eyes and went back to fucking her girlfriend. “Ready?” he asked Ava.

“Yeah. Oh! Oh, wow. Mmmph.” She helped him ease his cock inside her.

“Futu-i, you’re fucking tiny. Fuck,” he spread her lips open as wide as he could. He continued to stimulate her clit. She got wetter. He thrust upwards and moved her hips down repeatedly.

“Damn, he’s really good at this! You’re so good at this, Ayano,” Ava grabbed her nipples and leaned her head back, offering him her neck. Her cocaine high was heightening the experience.

“Faster?” he asked. 

“Yes!” she breathed. They got into a steady rhythm. Ayano was mostly fueled by watching Jada be dominated by Cyana. Showing off, Cyana gently clutched Jada's hair as she thrust the dildo in and out. She made an extra effort to have Jada cum as hard and loud as possible. Jada cried out, her g-spot orgasm feeling unbelievable. Cyana pulled out the dildo and kissed her gently while they both heard Ayano growl.

“Put your legs together,” Ayano said, sucking on Ava’s neck. She obeyed, her eyes rolling back. He felt her pussy squeeze more tightly around his cock. She moved up and down again and again. Jada was just starting to sense some competition between Ayano and Cyana. He seemed determined to get as big a climax out of Ava as Cyana had gotten out of Jada.

“Ahhh! Don’t move! Don’t move!” Ava cried. “I’m cumming, I’m cumming!” He could feel her pulsating intensely. “Ahhh! I’m still going…”

After a few moments, he began to start up again to get himself off.

“Wait, wait!” she gripped him behind her. “I’m not done, fuck, omigod…”

He felt her pulsating for another few moments, looking over at Cyana with a smug look on his face. Jada liked watching how his hands grasped the petite woman's little tits, his fingers letting the little gumdrop nipples peek through. He moved Ava up and down a few more times until he came, too.

“Oh, fuck. Ok, that was better than a toy,” Ava said, rolling off him and back on the bed. After he threw out the condom, Ayano wiped some sweat off his forehead and grabbed the champagne out of the ice bucket again. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes out of his pants on the floor and lit one. He brought an ashtray over to the nightstand and sat on the bed. For a few minutes, everyone was catching their breath and drinking champagne like it was Gatorade. 

(to be continued)