Chapter 10: Behind The Scenes

Still astonished by their invitation, Coral and Effie headed for the bar. As they rounded one of the tall marble pillars, Coral collided with one of the hotel's bell hops, weighed down by a clutch of expensive looking shopping bags that carried the logos of some of the city's smartest shops.

"Hey kid, why don't you watch where you're going," the bellhop exploded. Coral surprised by the collision backed away and by the bellhop's response.

Effie leapt to her defence. "You can't speak to her like that," she said loudly.

The receptionist, attracted by the fuss came scurrying across. "Whatever is the matter?" she asked ignoring the bell hop. "Is there a problem Miss?"

"It's all right, nothing at all," Coral said.

"It's not all right," Effie countered. "My friend here accidentally collided with your bell hop and he was very rude."

"Unbelievable!" The receptionist turned back to the bellhop. "Again, Johnson?" The bell hop looked embarrassed. He knew he was in trouble but he knew that protesting wouldn't help either. "I'm sorry ladies, that is completely unacceptable behaviour from one of our staff. I can't apologise enough. His employment and sponsored status will be revoked at once, of course."

Cherie looked at Coral. She knew what a serious matter this was – one of the visits they had both been on with New Opportunity had been to see a rehabilitation unit for males without sponsorship.

"Oh, please, I'm sure he didn't mean harm. Isn't there something else that you could do." Coral felt that the whole thing was at least partly her fault.

"I don't think so, Miss. The trouble is this is the third time something like this has happened and we normally operate on a 'three strikes and you're out' basis when it comes to upsetting the guests."

Johnson was looking increasingly worried. He felt he wasn't going to get away with it this time.

"I suppose it could be possible for you to deal with this on a personal basis. Then the hotel needn't be involved."

Johnson looked up hopefully, encouraged by the glimmer of a possibility that he might be able to keep his job.

"If you wanted to settle it yourself, I could suggest that you take him to your suite and take advantage of the selection of equipment that's available there, plus of course anything you've brought yourself. Normally of course we wouldn't dream of expecting guests to do this sort of thing but..."

"That's all right," chipped in Coral, relieved to have a way out and happy to postpone the confrontation until at least after she'd had a drink. "That seems to be an answer. If you could send him up to the Princess Suite, we'll be up in about half an hour."

"Certainly Miss," the receptionist replied. "Come on Johnson, it looks like you're getting off lightly this time," she said as she led him away.

Effie watched him go. "Well, I don't think he should get off lightly," she said. "Come on let's have that drink and then you can make sure he's a bit more careful in future."

"Well, I hope you're going to help out too," Coral replied as she led the way to the bar. "I've never had to do anything like this before." Coral was feeling apprehensive. It was all very well to sit through the New Order orientation sessions and she understood why it was needed but all the same she wasn't sure she could go through with it. She wasn't a naturally aggressive person.

"Don't worry, we can cope. Look at those two over there you might get some tips." Effie nodded to two women sitting in one of the bar's booths on the far side of the room.

"Is that who I think it is?" Coral said, looking across surreptitiously at the slightly built, blonde haired girl that was sipping a cocktail while staring in a dismissive way at her companion.

"Oh yes," Effie responded, "Astrid Kuchen, author, scriptwriter and all round bitch."

"Allegedly," Coral giggled. Kuchen was well known for her pursuit in the courts of those she felt had defamed her work.

"Whose that with her? I can't really see."

"Not anyone I recognise, but I've not seen a butch like that before."

With men sidelined as partners, Coral and Effie were used to seeing women in relationships that were as likely to be sexual as platonic. Mostly though, the old lesbian stereotypes of butch and femme had disappeared, couples just fell into whatever worked for them. Certainly there wasn't much enthusiasm to ape the male role, given how men were treated these days.

Astrid's partner seemed the exception that proved the rule, however. While Astrid sat in a short pale blue silk dress, that slid across her body in a sensuous way that her own writing would have found easy to convey, her companion's outfit and appearance was quite the opposite of feminine. Even sitting down it was clear that the other woman was tall, a good 30 centimetres taller than the diminutive Astrid. She wore a masculine, dark, three piece suit, its waistcoat tightly buttoned over her white shirt and tie. Gold cufflinks glinted on her cuffs as she reached a hand forwards towards Astrid in a pacifying gesture.

Astrid, however, was clearly having none of it. "I don't know what she's done to upset Astrid but I wouldn't want to be in her shoes." No sooner had Coral said this than Astrid got to her feet, standing with her hands on her hips and confronting the other woman.

"Please, Astrid," she said in a tone of desperation that could be heard across the busy bar.

Astrid shook her head and simply beckoned to the woman. Resignedly she got to her feet and then knelt; now attracting the attention of others in the bar. "Hands!" Astrid commanded. "Head!"

The woman, blushing with humiliation, obeyed placing her hands behind her back and bowing her head. Astrid turned and headed for the washrooms. Passing Coral and Effie, she smiled and said, "She's such a slut. I don't know why I put up with her!"

Coral and Effie just watched her pass, leaving her companion kneeling by their table. Coral looked across at Effie and shook her head. "This place is just somewhere else."

A waiter appeared and took their drinks order. After Astrid's behaviour the polite, "What can I get you, miss," seemed refreshingly ordinary.

The drinks appeared before Astrid returned. The woman in the suit remained motionless, kneeling on the floor, ignored by the rest of those in the bar. It was only when her companion rejoined her with a "What on earth are you doing there?" that she moved from her position and sat down again. Astrid, obviously satisfied that she had re-established her authority in the relationship returned to her drink. Effie and Coral turned to theirs.

It was a little more than half an hour later that the two girls, fortified by a couple of large vodkas each, headed back towards the Princess Suite.