“Bing, do you really have to drag me to this place? We’ve already been to the Lido yesterday, the show was good but not enough to want to repeat the experience so soon!” William Darcy was brooding. He had had a tough day with his friend and business partner Charles Bingley, meeting with international attorneys, recruitment company managers and landlords in order to start up their first continental subsidiary and rather than go out, he felt like having a quiet night.
“Darce! Don’t be such a tight-ass! First, the Crazy Horse is completely different than the Lido, the cabaret is much more intimate and the show much more sexy! And I want to enjoy Paris. For once we’re here for more than our usual 6 hours between two late Eurostars, let’s have fun!”
“But we can have fun in our hotel; it’s not like we’re staying in a hovel! The George V offers everything I can need to ‘enjoy Paris’, as you put it! I don’t wish to play the voyeur on some poor creatures obliged to sell their bodies to survive… Have you seen some of the women who tried to hit on us yesterday evening? I can really do without that tonight!”
“Come on, Darce… Humour me… From what I’ve seen on their website, these girls are the hottest in Paris. And it is a very famous cabaret! Why don’t we have dinner peacefully at the hotel and then we can go for the second show! I’ve phoned; they still have some seats available.”
Darcy looked unconvinced.
“Darce, my friend, don’t you want to spice up your life a little? It’s been months since I’ve seen you with anyone… Hell, Caro was the last woman you dated and how long ago was that? She’s almost married, now! I promise you the sexiest and most distingué show on earth!”
William couldn’t repress a chuckle for such an eloquent speech. His friend had not only put all his non-inconsequential power of persuasion but also some of his not-in-the-least-less-inconsequential charm in it.
“Okay, okay; when you set your mind at something…”
After a quiet dinner at Le Cinq, they walked the short trip to the cabaret. There were a number of people already waiting for the show outside but, thanks to the Concierge of their hotel, they had tickets and were able to enter the room quickly enough.
“Wow, at least you can’t say it’s a repeat of yesterday!” Charles observed taking the view in. The Crazy horse was indeed much smaller than the Lido. “There can’t be more than 100 people in here!”
“Well, make that 300 and you’ll be closer to the truth.” As short as it had been, their walk had brought back the black mood he had felt at hearing Charles’ idea. The light rain that had fallen all day long had not stopped and, if from his taxi to the different buildings where they had had meetings or to the hotel, he had been able to ignore it, it had not been the same for their short stroll. “I still cannot understand how you can be happy to be in this stuffy theatre with all those Japanese and American tourists who are just here to see what they can see and find a whore for the night!”
“William Darcy! If you cannot stop uttering so much bullshit, then you’d better go back. I’ll even pay you back your ticket, so that you can totally forget you came here… What the Hell is going on? A hot dancer in a Pigalle* dirty showroom is very probably a hooker but a hot dancer in the Crazy horse probably earns enough to choose the men she sleeps with. It’s the 21st century Darce, you cannot say a woman is a harlot because she has sex out of wedlock! Come on! Even you used to have a sex life!”
“Okay, okay”, mumbled his friend. William knew Charles was right and, since apologising was out of the question, he would stay to prove his contrition.
They ordered two flutes and waited for the show to begin. They were seated on the right side of the carmine room, close to the draperies.
“Hey, listen, can you hear some noise?” Charles was leaning towards the wall.
Great, now we’re going to hear all the giggles of the dancers! He only “Hmm’ed” his answer to avoid another scolding.
Author’s note:
* Pigalle is a neighbourhood in Paris close to La Butte Montmartre where the Moulin Rouge is situated. It’s a very bad famed place where a lot of hookers are (and not the finest). There are also a lot of sex shops and very infamous cabarets.