The cityscape was beautiful, breathtaking from so high up. The lights trailed of into the black horizon past the glow of the cloudy sky arching over the nocturnally alive metropolis. This place was so unlike the town I had grown up in, where the largest road boasted a bike lane on either side and a turn lane in the center. But that was not what I needed to think of at the moment. Dominic Red had no such memories and right at the moment I was Dominic Red. I leaned casually against the railing, enjoying the danger which the situation posed. At my back there was a hundred story drop onto the pavement, in front of me there was a party full of the most beautiful and famous people in the country, and despite whatever their publicists said about their personalities and I can vouch that most of the good parts were untrue.
It was the price I had to pay, and it payed me well. The suit I wore I had bought at the classiest store in downtown. The tie was dark blue, chosen specifically to set my eyes alight, or so my stylist said. I held a glass of fine wine casually in my right hand. It came so easily to Dominic, he was relaxed here, in his element, I was relaxed here, in my element.
A woman was approaching me, I knew her well. She had been my costar in the first film I acted in a year ago. "Hi, Mafie" I said cordially, using her nickname, "how are you?" Her real name was Mary Fenton, but on set we all called her Mafie.
"Fine, Dom. How are you?" She leaned back against the railing with me. She was shorter than me by a good few inches, the perfect height in comparison to me. I had kissed her in the film, just one kiss. Our romance was a side plot but that hadn't stopped the director from having us shoot it fifty times before he said we got it right. We had been friends by then, but that hadn't made it any easier for me.
"I'm very well," I said, taking a small sip of the wine, "this vew is wonderful."
"Lovely." She didn't seem interested, "but everyone is being too polite, we're all leaving for the after party at 77 Rowe in ten." 77 Rowe was the street adress of a nightclub, frequented by people of this caliber every weekend. "You should come Dom. Irena would love it you know. You're stupid not to be with her already."
"Thanks," I laughed. Mafie felt very strongly about her friend's relationships. Other people thought she needed to stay out of their business, but I didn't mind. There was something about pretending to be someone I wasn't that helped me like people I wouldn't normally like. They could never touch me. I was out of their reach and whatever might befall my life as Dominic, I could distance myself from it.
"Irena Staniel." Insisted Mafie, "hot as f••• Dom. You're f•••ing stupid if you can't appreciate that. I'm attracted to her!" Mafie's cute nose crickled with my lack of interest. "She's looking-" before I could do anything Mafie went on her tippy toes and gave me a soft kiss. I felt her lean against me for a moment. Even after the many times she had touched my chest she had never noticed anything. There was nothing to notice and it helped that I could buy a cheep facimile man's chest that fit and felt perfect from a store in the further down part of down town from a man who was all but blind, running a shop for humans of unconventional bent.
"Haha," said Mafie triumphanlty, tossing her blond head to look up at me again, "she'll be jealous. Now grab your jacket, my driver texted me he's here."
Mafie grabbed my hand and pulled me through the party. I swam through it, much a scuba diver swims around a bright tropical reaf. It was close and tangible, colorful and beautiful. I could pretend I was a fish or a mermaid but there was still that pounding in my ears as fifty feet of water pressure pushed down upon me from above.
Exeunt
YOU ARE READING
A Man of Wealth and Fame
RomanceWithout the knowledge of her friends, a young woman, who grew up in an orphanage where she later worked, leaves her rural town and sets out to seek her fortune in the big city. By an amazing spur of luck her audition for a major motion picture at...