SEVEN IN THE evening.
No sign whatsoever of Giovanni. He promised me he would come today and we could spend the night together. But Susana hadn’t called to tell me I’ve got the night booked. I was on edge all day, and had the familiar sensation that for the second time in my life I was being betrayed. I tried to take a nap to relax, but I couldn’t sleep a wink. In the end I went to the gym to work it off. I took my mobile, just in case there was a last-minute call. Deep down inside, I still hadn’t lost the hope that I would see the Italian who had stolen my heart for a third time.
A quarter past nine at night.
I had been lifting weights for a hour, and was cursing all the men under the sun, when I got the call I had been waiting for all November.
‘Remember, at eleven you’re supposed to be at the Hilton Hotel.’
‘What do you mean, remember? Susana, this is the first I’ve heard of it!’
‘Well you know now, don’t you?’ she said, sounding confused. ‘Mae and you are spending the night with those two Italians. You should be happy, sweetheart, it’s all the more money for you.’
It was late, so I had to hurry. I flew home still dressed in my gym kit, and had a quick shower. The anger I had been feeling all day gave way to a sense of joy, so I did not even feel like taking Susana to task for not telling me earlier. Unfortunately I didn’t have much time to get ready or choose a stunning dress, so I took the first I could lay my hands on, a black outfit I wore with a cashmere coat. I had to pick up Mae on the way, so I told the taxi-driver to wait. Mae looked divine, from which I concluded she had been told about the date much sooner than I had, because she had even found time to go to the hairdresser’s.
Susana was waiting to give us a slip of paper with the hotel rooms on it. To my horror, I read:
Val and Alessandro, Room 624.
Mae and Giovanni, Room 620.
I couldn’t believe it!
‘I think there’s been a mistake,’ I blurted out to Susana.
‘A mistake? Where?’
‘With the names. You’ve got them mixed up. Surely they should be the other way round.’
Mae was looking at me defiantly, and said ironically, ‘They must want a change. I was with Alessandro the last time. Now you can have him. I didn’t like him anyway. I reckon the other one must be better in bed. I’ll tell you tomorrow how the night went!’
I had to restrain myself from jumping on her and tearing her hair out. I could not believe it. How could anyone be so cruel: how could he lead me on to think he liked me? Not only that, but he was forcing me to go and spend the night with his friend! My head started to spin so fast I almost fainted. I didn’t know whether it would be best to escape there and then, or to spend the night with Alessandro and be the best lover he had ever had, so that the next morning he could tell Giovanni what a fantastic night we had shared. I wanted to make Giovanni suffer, to die of jealousy.
In the end I decided to pluck up my courage, and we took a taxi to the hotel. We arrived ten minutes early, so I suggested to Mae that we had a drink in the bar. I needed something strong to be able to withstand the humiliation I was being put through. I still couldn’t believe how shameless he had been. Would he dare look me in the eye? What if I never even saw him?
I asked for a straight whisky, with no ice. While I was drinking it, I could see that Mae was blissfully happy as she sipped her Fanta orange through a red straw. It seemed as though everyone was laughing at me, but I had no idea why all of a sudden I had become the clown.
We downed our drinks in record time, and left them on the bar. We hurried up to the sixth floor; I was still seething with rage. When we reached Room 620, Mae did her best to get rid of me at once.
‘OK, this is where I’m going. Your room is a bit further down the corridor.’
With that, she knocked on the door. I stood rooted to the spot, determined to get a glimpse of Giovanni.
‘I told you, your room is further down that way!’ Mae said in exasperation.
It was Giovanni who opened the door. Alessandro was just behind him. They had got together in Room 620 and invited both of us in. Mae didn’t like that idea at all, but she tried to conceal her anger and joked that maybe we could turn this into an orgy. My face was so long and sad that Giovanni noticed immediately.
‘Is something wrong?’
‘No, no, everything’s fine . . .’ I lied. ‘Is it all right to smoke?’
‘Of course. Smoke as much as you like. But let me take your coat.’
He came close to help me off with it. Mae sat on the bed and lit a cigarette, and Alessandro sat down next to her and started chatting. I did not feel like talking: all I wanted to do was to leave. I didn’t have the faintest idea why I had come in the first place. After a few minutes I couldn’t bear how proud of herself Mae looked, and my emotions boiled over.
‘All right, let’s get this sorted out. Since I’m spending the night with Alessandro, and Mae with Giovanni, I think we should be on our way,’ I said, speaking directly to Alessandro, who was busy peering down the neckline of the woman who had become my very worst enemy.
Giovanni froze on the spot. Alessandro started to laugh, and soon Giovanni burst out laughing too, while Mae glared at me for being so rude. I felt like slapping all their faces.
‘You’re staying here with me, silly girl,’ Giovanni said, when he had finished laughing.
‘You’re not going with Mae then?’
‘With Mae? Alessandro’s the one who wants to be with Mae! I chose you. What’s all this about?’ he asked, suddenly serious.
‘I don’t know, you tell me! I was told I was to spend the night in Room 624 with Alessandro.’
‘Ma no, silly!’ Giovanni said, slipping back into Italian.
He speaks good Spanish, but every so often he can’t help putting in a word in his native language. It sounds so sexy!
‘It’s the other way round. They must have made a mistake!’ he said.
What kind of a joke was this? I felt like crying for joy, but at the same time I was really embarrassed at the way I had behaved, so I asked if I could use the bathroom. I locked myself in for five minutes, until Giovanni came to find me.
‘Are you feeling all right?’ he asked in a worried voice.
‘I am now. I’m a lot better. Is it true you didn’t want to be with Mae?’
‘Of course not! I promised I’d spend a whole night with you, and here I am.’
‘You didn’t want to be with her?’
It was plain he was really upset at what had happened, so his only reply was to take me in his arms. The other two had already slipped out, so we were alone at last.
‘Not even for a second?’
We made love all night, and to my great surprise I found I could have one orgasm after another. Giovanni didn’t care who I was, or that he had paid to be with me, he didn’t care about the time or what my true identity was, all he wanted to do was make me happy.
The next morning, after Giovanni ordered me a huge breakfast in his room, I finally gave him my phone number, making him swear not to tell anyone that I had done so.
But this was like signing my death warrant in the brothel. Even though I did not yet know it, my days there were numbered.