"The Virtuoso"

The end of an era

All too soon, the morning light shone through the windows. The noise of the city was almost hard to ignore. Eleanor awoke to find Raymond sitting in the chair by the window. He smiled at her. As she got up and walked over to him, she noticed his face looked grim and solemn. "I don't know how else to tell you this, but ultimately the reality needs to be faced." Before he could finish his sentence, she took a deep breath and said " I can't stay with you. The life that you live is not something I can be a part of. I have known this for a while." He stood up and held her hands in his, kissing the top of them as tears filled his eyes. " I don't think I can thank you enough, Raymond. You saved my life more than once. I'm glad our paths intertwined. You showed me what it's like to be truly loved and respected. I hope that we can run into each other again." Raymond smiled brightly and said " Perhaps your name will be in lights one day. I can say I knew you before you were famous." "That would be amazing" she replied, laughing, trying her best to distract herself from the inevitable. He sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke directly, not losing eye contact. "I'm giving you a choice: either come on my private jet and I will accompany you to your destination or there is a train that will take you to Westerly. It is a small beach town in Rhode Island. It is safe, secluded. Once you arrive I will send you to a bank with the information to my account. I have a contact there who will help you set up the money. It will be enough to set you up with a place to live and enough to get you by financially until you are able to get a job." "I would prefer the train, Raymond. Just let me have some amount of normalcy. A private jet is really too much to ask of you." He sighed deeply, knowing she made her choice and there was no stopping her once her mind was made up.He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a flip phone. " This is a burner phone. This is how you will contact me once it is complete. After it is complete" before he could finish his sentence, he took a deep shuddering breath in and out. "After it is complete, you can't contact me again. You must get rid of this phone and not try to find me. I don't want to risk putting your life in danger. You've been through so much and I want you to use this as an opportunity to start fresh, a clean slate, a new life." She gripped the phone in her hand and asked " How much time do we have until the train leaves?" Raymond checked his watch and said "Two hours. That gives you enough time to pack and prepare for the journey." She got up and started to pack up her suitcase. After a brief moment of silence, Eleanor said " Just because I know what needs to be done, doesn't make this any easier. But I know it's for the best."

After everything was packed away, Raymond and Eleanor were leaving the hotel room when they realized the elevator was out of service. "Staircase it is" she said, laughing as Raymond rolled his eyes. " As if this day couldnt get more ridiculous," he said in a joking manner. As they descended down the staircase, suddenly Raymond grabbed Eleanor's hand. "What is it?" she asked. He then gently put his hand on the back of her neck and wrapped his other arm around her waist. She gasped and couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by his commanding presence. She dropped her bag in surprise and the sound echoed throughout the room. Her breathing became shallow as his dark eyes seemed to pierce through her soul. Before she could say anything, he said " I want you." She then placed her hand on the back of his neck and said " Then have me" They kissed deeply and Eleanor's back was up against the wall. Raymond's hands moved all over her body, taking her in. As they continued to kiss and as Eleanor felt his body on hers, her once guarded manner was dropped in an instant. She grabbed his hand and placed it in between her legs, allowing him to pleasure her. He kissed her neck and his ragged breathing was enough to turn her on. "This feels very risky." Eleanor said breathlessly "Anyone can see us" Raymond stopped what he was doing and his facial expression changed completely. "Eleanor, focus on me. I have wanted you since the moment I heard your voice on the other end of the phone. I am drawn to you, your spirit, your light. The fact that I need to say goodbye is killing me inside. I want this final moment with you, to give you something to remember me by." He then held her hand and walked with her down the staircase, all the way to the ground level of the hotel. There was an unassuming door in the wall. Raymond then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a brass key. As he unlocked the door, it opened to a pitch dark hallway. Eleanor dropped his hand and started to take a step back, but he placed a hand on her cheek, calming her instantly. The moment the door was shut, the hallway was engulfed in darkness. "I'm right here" he told her, holding her close. She felt his forehead on her own, his arms around her. She held him tightly, trying her best to steady her breathing. " I know this isn't ideal." he said, "but let me make the most of this. I used this hallway as a quick getaway. It leads directly to the alley that is a quick route to the train station you need to go to." She nodded her head as tears started to form in her eyes. He kissed her lips gently and Eleanor interlocked her fingers with his. She then placed her hands firmly on his shoulders and told him "Let me have control." She pushed him against the wall and kissed his lips and let her hands touch him everywhere. She kissed his neck and whispered in his ear, "I can't deny this anymore. I know I have to leave. But I want you. I desire you. I crave you." The only noise that echoed through the otherwise silent hallway was their breathing and the pounding heartbeats. They kissed and took every ounce of each other in, memorizing the way it felt to be this intimate. After what felt like hours but was merely minutes, Raymond held her face in his hands and took a deep breath in and out, letting her calm down. "Be safe. Remember what I told you. Don't look back." Eleanor tried her best to keep her emotions in check, but hearing his voice for what might be the last time, was too much for her heart to handle. She started crying and held onto him like a lifeline. " You'll always have a place in my heart" he said, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. Wiping her tears, Eleanor kissed him deeply and said "Goodbye Raymond. I will never forget you." She picked up her bag and headed towards the door. He followed her and turned the key in the lock. The bright sunlight caused her to put her hand above her eyes to shield her. As they exited into the alley, they both went their separate ways. Eleanor to the train station, Raymond to the car where Dembe was waiting. As he got in the backseat, he looked out the window and saw that she was walking with her head held high and she didn't look back once. "Dembe" he said "that is enough to break my heart. She's gone." "You're doing the right thing, my friend," Dembe replied quietly. " You are giving her a chance at a normal life. May I ask why you didn't simply take her in the jet?" "She told me she wanted to do this on her own. I didn't want to argue. She deserves some kind of normalcy." Raymond replied.

Eleanor walked to the train station with her head held high and her eyes focused and staring straight ahead. She was hyper aware of her surroundings. Her previous life had affected her even to this day. She found herself looking over her shoulder, taking deep breaths, her hands grabbing her belongings and keeping them close. As she got closer and closer to the train station, her mind was racing. She truly didn't want to say goodbye to Raymond and the life that she could have had. But she had no place in it, clearly.