The Slave of Pleasure
Chapter 57

Rachel

As I came back from my thoughts, reality hit me hard when I looked to the side and saw the nurse lighting one of Vincenzo's expensive cigars. I wanted to complain, but honestly, I was too exhausted to care. I could only laugh when she started to choke on the smoke.

The driver, always attentive, looked in the rearview mirror and asked a humorous question: "She's lively, isn't she, Mrs. Rachel?"

I looked at the nurse, who returned my gaze with a smile, and I answered with a tone of tiredness, but also amusement: "You have NO IDEA how..."

I remembered that, besides the cigar, there was another problem to be solved. "What are we going to do with your clothes?", I asked, still observing her work clothes, not at all appropriate for a discreet entrance to the mansion. She couldn't show up like that, not at Vincenzo's house.

The nurse took a long drag on the cigar, thinking for a moment. "That's a good question," she said, but clearly didn't have an immediate answer. I thought for a moment and, having no other option, suggested, "If I had anything other than what I'm wearing now, I'd lend you some clothes." She nodded, and the silence that followed was brief, until the driver, perhaps trying to help, mentioned, "Didn't you go shopping before visiting your friend?" The memory came to me suddenly. Of course, I had gone shopping! "Stop the car," I told the driver, and he promptly stopped the vehicle. He got out and, in a matter of seconds, returned with two shopping bags that I had forgotten. As he drove back toward the mansion, I began to look for some suitable clothing for the nurse. The options were limited, and I found myself wondering which would be the least scandalous for the occasion. The nurse looked at me curiously, clearly waiting to see what I would choose. As I tried to decide, the driver subtly reminded us that we were almost at the mansion. "I don't want to rush you, Mrs. Rachel, but we're about to enter the mansion's perimeter."

I glanced at the nurse and realized we only had a few minutes to get this sorted. With no other choice, I grabbed a simple but elegant dress that I thought would fit her. "Here, put this on quickly," I said, tossing it to her.

She smiled, tossed her cigar out the window, and began changing right there in the back of the limo, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I rolled my eyes but said nothing. I was too tired to care how everything was going. "You're unbelievable," I muttered, more to myself than to her.

By the time she finished changing, the mansion was already in sight, and I could only hope that this would be the end of the surprises for today. But with this nurse, I was starting to doubt that my life would return to normal any time soon. The nurse was awkwardly changing in the backseat of the limousine as we got closer and closer to the entrance of the mansion. The driver, who couldn't resist his curiosity, glanced quickly in the rearview mirror. I, exhausted and without the energy to deal with yet another embarrassing situation, simply closed the hatch that separated us from him. What else could I do? I was already used to my new "friend's" unpredictable behavior.

She struggled to put on the dress I had given her, and to make matters worse, it fell right into my lap, crushing my hands in the process. "Uuuuh, Rachel... your hands are cold. Are you nervous?" she asked, with a mischievous smile, as if we were joking. I was far from joking. Impatient, I pushed her back into the seat next to me and muttered: "Put that on already, for God's sake." She laughed, as always, replaceing everything funny.

Finally, the car stopped in front of the mansion. I looked out the window at the imposing façade of Vincenzo's house, and I couldn't help but feel relieved that we had finally arrived. That was all, at least. The driver, who was obviously trying to avoid any embarrassment, slowly got out of the car. He walked slowly to the door on my side, clearly giving us a few more seconds to make sure the nurse was, in fact, dressed.

I have to admit, for a brief moment, I appreciated his gesture. He was a discreet professional, always aware of what was going on around him. When he finally opened the door, hesitantly and with a touch of fear in his eyes, he came face to face with the nurse, already fully dressed. She held out her hand, in an exaggerated pose, and asked theatrically: "Aren't you going to help me out?"

The driver let out a sigh of relief. Apparently, he was more worried than he seemed. She took his hand, and I watched the scene with a tired smile. Finally, I got out of the car, feeling the cool night air and watching the stars shine. The grand entrance to the mansion was just ahead of us, and it was surreal to think about how I had I had gone from the party to this scene in such a short time.

We walked together towards the entrance of the house. The nurse, always full of energy, seemed ready to face whatever came. I, on the other hand, felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. My mind was divided between the relief of having arrived and the tension of what awaited us inside. Vincenzo was still recovering, and the situation seemed increasingly complicated.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked, more to break the silence than to expect a serious answer.

She looked at me with a wide smile. "Rachel, my dear... I was born ready!"

Of course she said that. I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help but smile a little. It was hard not to be infected by her energy, no matter how exhausting it was. Sometimes I found myself admiring this quality. She could transform even the most tense situations into something less suffocating, in a way that I never could.

I took a deep breath before we went inside. Vincenzo was inside, and I knew he wouldn't give up his impeccable rationality, even in his weakened state. And deep down, I was proud of myself for being able to handle all of this in such a firm and controlled manner. Maybe I was becoming a little like him. I resolved things seriously, without showing my emotions, and that gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.

When we finally walked through the doors of the mansion, the nurse looked around, dazzled by the grandeur of the place. I, on the other hand, could only think of one thing: how this night wasn't over yet and how many surprises were still to

come.