The Slave of Pleasure
Chapter 56

Rachel

We walked up the steps to the limousine and passed through the club, which was still vibrant, full of lights and loud music. The nurse, always eccentric, danced behind me as she followed me. I looked back and couldn't help but smile at the scene. It was impossible to deny that she was completely clueless, but somehow, this nonchalance made me laugh. I shook my head as she pirouetted in the middle of the walk, as if she were at a private party.

We walked through the club and approached the rustic bar, near the exit. The smell of cigarettes mixed with alcohol in the air was unmistakable, and I soon noticed the eyes on us. The men who were there, drinking and talking, began to stare at us, some with surprised looks and others making jokes and flirting. At first, I was confused, not understanding what all the fuss was about. But I only had to look back to see the nurse. She was, of course, still dressed in the clothes she wore to the store, the ones that clearly indicated where she worked.

I felt the heat rise to my face, dying of embarrassment. Of course she hadn't bothered to change her clothes. What a situation! I looked at her with an expression of pure embarrassment, and she didn't seem to understand why I was staring at her so intently. "What's wrong?" she asked, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. I pointed to her outfit, without saying anything. She looked down at her body and finally understood.

"Aaaah... okay, this time we messed up," she said in a relaxed tone, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

I, indignant, exclaimed out loud, "WE???" What do you mean "we"? She was the only one dressed like she had stepped straight out of a fetish club!

The stares and flirting around us only got worse, and I could feel the pressure getting worse. We were clearly out of place. The men in the bar couldn't take their eyes off us, and their jokes were starting to irritate me.

Without thinking twice, I grabbed the nurse's hand firmly, intertwining our fingers in a way that showed my determination. "Come on!", I ordered, pulling her forcefully out of there, towards the limousine. She still seemed unconcerned, not fully understanding the gravity of the situation, while I walked with long strides, trying to get out of that place as quickly as possible.

We walked through the door and the muffled music of the club and the bar faded away. Finally, we found ourselves outside. The fresh night air brought me immediate relief. The embarrassment, however, still hung over me. All I wanted was to get into the limousine and leave that bizarre scene behind. Even so, a part of me couldn't help but laugh at the madness that this nurse had brought into my life.

The fresh night air mixed with the uncontrolled laughter made me forget for a moment all the strangeness of that situation. Under the soft light of the stars, I laughed genuinely, without a care in the world. The nurse, always ready to go with any mood, laughed along with me, as if we were two long-time friends sharing an inside joke. It was almost surreal how the madness of that encounter had turned into something light, even with all the absurdity it carried.

As we laughed together, the limo driver approached, clearly relieved, but with a worried expression. "Madam, I was very worried. A few more moments and I would have to disobey your order to wait," he said with a formality that contrasted with the chaotic scene he had witnessed.

Still recovering from the laughter, I nodded and replied, "Thank you for your concern. We can go now."

He looked at the nurse, confused, clearly waiting for me to clarify who this eccentric figure next to me was. I knew he had no idea who she was. Every time he had taken Vincenzo to the hospital, other people had taken care of him, so he would never associate her with a private nurse. Maybe he had seen the nurse in passing, but in those clothes, she definitely didn't look like someone who belonged to Vincenzo's professional world. The nurse looked at me with a gleam in her eyes, waiting for me to explain the situation. I sighed reluctantly, knowing that I was about to make this mess even weirder. "She's going with us to the mansion," I began, trying to keep my voice serious. "She's... my friend." As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt a wave of regret mixed with resignation. I knew this would fuel the nurse's madness even more. "OH... MY... GOD, you said it!!!" She exclaimed, excited, as if she had just won a prize. Her eyes were shining with exaggerated happiness. I rolled my eyes, opening the limo door myself, not waiting for the driver to do it. I got into the car, trying to maintain some dignity after everything that had happened. The nurse, beaming, came in right after, as if she were having the best day of her life. The driver, visibly confused, closed the door behind us. He didn't understand the situation at all, and who could blame him? I didn't understand everything that was happening at that moment either. All I knew was that I was involved in a spiral of bizarre events that were forcing me to be more firm and rational, just like Vincenzo had always been. The car started up, and I sank into the limo seat, while the crazy woman next to me bounced her butt on the soft seats of the limo and clicked on every possible button to see what each one did, opening and closing the windows, opening and closing the drawers with cigars and expensive drinks, and I watched the city pass by the windows as we drove back to the mansion. The laughter had died down, but the feeling of strangeness persisted. It was clear that that day still had more surprises in store for me, and as much as I wanted to avoid it, I knew that the worst was perhaps yet to come.