"As long as I have you Chéri, I have everything. You're like air to me, I need you. I can't live without you." Lennon said as they walked up, arm in arm.
"I feel the same. We're two parts of a whole." Chéri said as they reached the top of the stairs. "Honey, can you get the tickets up on your app so we can check our seat numbers?"
"Sure." Lennon said as he took his phone out and tapped the app.
"Let me see." Chéri said as he took the large phone. "Okay, we're over here, sat together. Oh, there's a problem."
"What?" Lennon asked.
"Lenny, these return tix don't say that we're flying back from Nashville to El Prat, Barcelona. They're booked from Nashville to Charles de Gaulle, Paris!" Chéri exclaimed.
"Oh shit! I've fucked up!" Lennon said with a blank stare.
"That's a pretty big fuck up, Lenny!" Chéri said.
"I'm sorry, I must have got the airport codes mixed up! You know I ain't smart with stuff like that." Lennon said.
"I'll get mom to buy new tix." Chéri said.
"Nah honey, it may turn out nicely! I mean, don't you think it would be nice to see yours, and my mommas, birth land? I used to go there with my momma and we'd see art galleries and stuff." Lennon said.
"But Lenny," Chéri said as he looked down. "Everything Marcel says about Paris is true."
"What does he say? It's his own capital." Lennon said, rolling his eyes.
"Paris is a dump now. It's becoming a ghetto because of illegal immigrants, thanks to the fucking E.U! That's why Marcel bought a big château in southern France, Provence I think. He said Paris has fallen. Paris is ruined." Chéri said.
"Hold on. He's bought a big château in southern France?!" Lennon asked.
"Yeah. He's still paying it off though, but it's massive. That man specialises in fortresses. He said humanity is rotten and he wants a place to escape it all." Chéri said, grinning.
"Holy shit! I ain't got nothing to my name! And he has a fortress!" Lennon exclaimed.
"Yes, you do! You have my empire behind you! Anyway, he's been in the whoring game for years, you've only just joined." Chéri replied.
The cabin crew woman checked their belts and that their carry on bags were by their legs.
Lennon turned to Chéri as he leant back against the headrest, "Do you have any regrets, Cher?"
Chéri shook his head. "Not when it comes to you, Lenny."
"This doesn't feel real. How I could find the love of my life randomly, on a highway." Lennon said as he held Chéri's hand on the armrest.
"Getting into your passenger seat was the best decision of my life." Chéri said, his baseball cap getting in the way of Lennon seeing all of his face.
Lennon pulled Chéri's baseball cap off to see his pretty, porcelain doll face, full lips and sparkling green eyes. Even with his hair pulled back and held with an elastic band, he was so beautiful. "I'm so glad you came back to me at the motel, or all this would never have happened. I remember getting on a plane to Spain, wondering what was going to await me there... what little I knew, about anything, especially about the world! Also, about people with money, and about people who operate above the law." Lennon said.
"There's so much more for you to do Lenny, so much more." Chéri said as he closed his eyes and rested his head back against the headrest of the seat.
☆
Spangna's phone rang, she reached over and answered it.
"Hiya, Mercy?"
"Hiya, Javier! How are you?" Spangna said excitedly.
"Bored to tears. This place is so quiet with all the biggest personalities gone." Javier lamented.
"Aww, I can imagine. How are the assets?" Spangna asked.
"All good. Madam Dolores is sad that Chéri is gone again." Javier said.
"Aww, well he's with Lennon. I'm gonna miss Lennon when we get back." Spangna said.
"So then, what's up with you guys? What have you been up to?" Javier asked.
"Ohh Haha. We went out and saw some sights, Marcel bought me a beautiful necklace, then we had sandwiches in Wenceslas Square, and then saw an art film. I just liked the nudity really. Then we came back to our hotel for a quick one, then back out for more sightseeing and shopping. After that, we came back here and had a bath together, then things went a bit pear-shaped." Spangna said in her cheery Mancunian accent.
"Oh, you shared a bath? Sounds sweet! How did it all go pear-shaped? Where is the boss now?" Javier asked.
"Asleep on the sofa in the other room. I decided to make dinner here." Spangna said.
"Oh, God! What did you make?" Javier asked, worried.
"Well, I slaved over a hot stove to make mac and cheese. I did think he was eating a bit hesitantly and chewing slowly. When I asked him what he thought of it, he said it was one of the best things he ever ate." Spangna explained.
"Wow... he must love you, Mercy."
"He did leave a lot of it saying that he was full. Half an hour later we went into the other room with a glass of wine and he said he wasn't feeling too good and had stomach cramps." Spangna explained.
"Haha! You've single-handedly poisoned the boss." Javier said.
"That's not funny Hav! The next thing I know he calmly puts his glass down, tells me he'll be right back. Well, he's only in the bathroom on his knees with his head in the bowl being horribly sick. I blame the sandwiches, myself." Spangna said with conviction.
"Yeah, sure Mercy." Javier said.
"Mabes I put too much mustard in it. I don't know."
"I'm surprised you haven't driven the boss mad yet." Javier said, smiling to himself.
"Nah, but sometimes he drives me mad with his odd habits. The weird stuff French people do." Spangna said.
"Oh, like?" Javier asked.
Spangna laughed as she recalled, "Well, he drinks all his drinks from a bowl. Yes, a bowl. Coffee, tea, soup, water."
"Wait, what? I've seen him drink espresso from a tiny espresso cup." Javier said.
"Yeah, he does that in the canteen, but as soon as he's home, it's straight back to drinking out of a bowl... like a bloody cat." Spangna recalled with a smile.
"That's... a weird French thing." Javier said.
"Yeah, all of his complicated table etiquette go out the bloody window when he has his bowl. He does it in my gaff at the Bordello and all. Then, he eats bread with absolutely everything. He's always holding a bloody roll of some sort. He just eats it... with nothing on it! And when he buys bread out... he starts eating the ends before we even get home. He's fucking obsessed with bread." Spangna said.
"Yeah, I've sometimes seen him eating a small roll or baguette in the security office." Javier said.
"Yeah, he has a lot of weird habits, but I love him." Spangna said.
"You know, hearing your adventures really cheer me up. I'm sitting here in my room, miserable." Javier said.
"Aww, why?" Spangna asked.
"Cause we normally hang out and play a hand or two of cards with the boss, mostly so he can rant when he loses. Chéri ain't even around to play Mah-jong with. Instead, we have Lennons two boys from Bangkok trying to fuck everything that moves. Though I gotta say, they're the first proposition I've had in a long time." Javier said.
"Did you take them up on it?" Spangna teased.
"What?! No way! Fuck knows what I'd catch if I even saw them naked." Javier said.
"Come on Hav! A blow jobs a blow job. Anyway, they have clean health. Lennon tests his team into the ground." Spangna said.
"Err, no thanks. They look dirty to me. But, I have to manage them now in Lennon's absence. Most of the time in-between clients, they have sex with each other live on webcam for money, or they hit on other assets. Seriously, they're sex addicts. One client left early because he said they would give him a heart attack." Javier said.
"I gotta hang out with them. It would make a pretty wicked film if we filmed something together. They have cocks right?" Spangna asked.
"They have breasts, but they always have their cocks out, they're as bad as Lennon, who's naked most of the time." Javier said.
"No! Lennon's only naked in his own apartment! He has a reputation for being naked all the time but it's not true." Spangna said.
"Personally, I've never seen the man naked, topless yeah... a lot, but never naked. Otherwise, I'd know if that rumour about him is true." Javier said.
"Oh, the massive, tattooed cock thing?" Spangna asked.
"Yeah."
"Well, I think the massive bit is true. When he's washing my braids, he has to bend a lot or lean over me. There was definitely something big in there. I saw the outline." Spangna said as she giggled.
"The rumours around here are terrible!" Javier said.
Spangna heard the taps run in the other room, and Marcel was singing to himself quietly in French, as he poured himself another glass of water.
"Ohh I think Marce is up. I hear him." Spangna said.
"Oh hey is that him singing in the background?!" Javier asked.
"Yep. I haven't a clue what he's saying but it sounds nice!" Spangna said.
"Sure does. Never heard him sing. He must be really relaxed and livin' his best life." Javier said as he sighed dejectedly.
They heard Marcel from the other room call out. "Who do you speak to on the phone, mon petit?"
Spangna giggled as she called back. "My girlfriend from England! Just wanted to know what we're up to."
"Hello, friend." Marcel said aloud as he walked into the room and slumped down on the sofa before spreading out.
"Haha, tell him I said hi." Javier said.
"My friend says hi, gorgeous." Spangna said as he turned to see Marcel on the sofa.
"Your friend does not know you try to poison me. You should get off the phone and make it up to me." Marcel said.
Spangna smiled as she held her phone up, "Yeah I should. Anyway, I gotta call Javier later."
"What on earth do you want to call him for?!" Marcel asked.
Spangna turned to Marcel, "To say hi and check the stats, why?"
"No point. He is just a staff member of mine. Work can wait." Marcel said.
"I'm 'just a staff member' of his? I mean that little?!" Javier asked on the phone to Spangna, the disappointment evident.
"Soo... if I called him tonight, you wouldn't have a message for him?" Spangna asked.
"I would." Marcel announced.
"What would it be?" Spangna asked.
"Go fuck yourself." Marcel said casually.
"Ohh, okay. " Spangna said as she heard Javier sigh loudly on the phone.
Marcel put his Goggles on to continue reading his book and spoke aloud, "Do you know that your friend here, is making attempts on my life? With her cooking skills?"
Spangna turned back to the phone, "That's a lie! It was a dodgy sandwich which assaulted his delicate French stomach!"
"Lies my love. It was unfortunately what you prepared me. But! You have the opportunity to make amends to me." Marcel said as he leant back into the sofa and casually undid the front of his trousers with one hand as he held his book in the other.
"Oh? How do I do that then?" Spangna asked.
"Well, you can, bring your pretty self here, and use me, and abuse me, and then fuck me again, if you like." He said casually, in his thick Parisian accent as he read his book.
"Whoa, whoa... I need to hang up, Mercy! Especially as I know I'm 'just staff'." Javier said morosely.
Spangna turned around. "Okay, that was an actual offer! I'm off! Speak later! By the way... we love you!" she said quickly before hanging up on Javier.
☆
On the plane, Lennon was plugged into his mp3 player and Chéri was looking out the plane window into the black night sky over the Atlantic ocean.
Chéri tapped Lennon. "Are you not excited at all about going back to America?"
Lennon pulled his headphones out. "Nah darlin'. I ain't. I wanted to stay in Spain, but I can't without a Visa."
"Well, I'm coming out with you."
"That's my only consolation. Right now my team will be having a briefing and something to eat. I'd normally be bumping into Spangna in the canteen boiling a kettle for her British food thing called 'Super noodle', and I'd just laugh over the name. It must be a British thing because Lexi has started doing it too. Akara and Sanyi would be in the canteen making some delicious Thai stir fry that they would share with everyone. Lolo and Fifi would be arguing over something. The security team would be talking smack about old ratatouille and Ethan would be talking smack about me and you. Ohh, I wish I was there." Lennon lamented.
"But we'll have fun at your parents, won't we?" Chéri asked.
"Sure! If fun is board games, listening to sounds on the porch, cooking in the garden and stuff. " Lennon said.
"Didn't you like all that?"
"Yeah, until three months ago. Now my eyes are open. I now know what the world is like. I know about real freedom, sexual liberation and real excitement. That's the European lifestyle and I love it." Lennon said.
Next Chapter: You've Got Fucking Grindr Installed?! Why?!