The Fat Lady Sings
By Rooineck

Part 8

They crashed through the front door, wrapped around each other. Helen fumbled for a light switch, but just settled for shutting the door instead. Jackets were cast off as Helen pushed Nikki up against the wall.

"This is your last chance to back out, Nikki. Still think I'm playing with you?" She teased as she let her fingers run across Nikki's breasts. All traces of the Home Counties had been erased from her voice and the soft Scottish burr sounded to Nikki like melted chocolate, rich and viscous.

"I'm fine, thanks. Although I wouldn't mind if you did play with me, if you'll play nicely."

"I can play very nicely indeed, when I want to. Come on." She led Nikki into the kitchen, grabbed champagne from the fridge and then took her to the stairs.

"Still sure?" She asked, tightening her grip on Nikki's hand.

"Sure as you are." As Helen led the way upstairs, Nikki's hands started to roam over her behind, dipping under the skirt of the dress, touching as much skin as she could.

Once up the stairs, Helen took her hand and led her into the bedroom. Nikki was amazed as she took the lead, taking her clothes off, dipping her head to taste everywhere her hands touched.

The champagne was opened, drunk directly from the bottle, sprayed over bodies and sheets, soaking the bed and covering everything else in the room.

"You know, there's only one way to drink champagne," Nikki said dreamily.

"What's that then?"

"With a beautiful woman, of course."

"I prefer to drink it from a beautiful woman, actually." Taking Nikki by surprise, Helen rolled them over until she was straddling the taller woman.

"Always?"

"No, just the one. It's a new taste I've acquired." She bent her head to Nikki's body.

"Well, you certainly play hard, I'll give you that," Nikki said, several hours later, wrapped in a sheet as they lay in a different bed.

"I try my best." Helen lay on her side, above Nikki, her hand, stroking the taller woman's arm.

"You know it's seven in the morning?"

"Really? How time flies when you're having fun." Her hand crept under the sheet.

"I need to sleep!" Nikki protested.

"But once you sleep, all this will be over, and it'll be another day. I'd like today to go on forever."

"It will have to end sooner or later, or how else can you have other beautiful days?" Nikki reached up to caress Helen's hair.

"I suppose that makes sense."

"So? Are there going to be other beautiful days?"

"I think so, don't you?" Helen rolled over and stretched with feline sensuousness. Nikki forgot that she wanted to go back to sleep and pinned Helen to the bed.

"Oh yes, there are going to be lots more beautiful days."

Sean was watching them closely as they arrived that night, and he peeled Helen away from Nikki as soon as they were through the stage door.

"Where the hell have you been? I've had the press on my back all day, because you left early. There are rumours that you were too ill to go on tonight."

Catching sight of Shell Dockley watching from a corner, Helen had a very good idea of how those rumours had started.

"I'd have rung you if I'd been ill, you know that, Sean. Just calm down. You'll kill yourself, stressing like this over every little rumour."

"That's not all. Have you seen what that bloody bitch dyke has done? Only gone and got herself in the Evening Standard with a kiss and tell. Stupid cow. Why she couldn't keep it in her trousers, God only knows." He thrust the paper into her unresisting hands and there it was, a double page spread about Nikki Wade, a girl in every major city in the world with an opera house; Milan, Sydney, Vienna, Moscow, New York…the list went on and on. And slap bang in the middle was a photo of Trisha, looking every inch the wronged wife.

"I thought Trisha spent all of her time trying to get Nikki into bed?" She felt dazed, like her head was full of cotton wool. This couldn't be true, could it? Nikki had told her all about Tricia's pursuit last night, had laughed about it with her.

"Looks like she's not the only one who succeeded. How could she? No one's going to take this seriously now. Thank God it didn't break yesterday. And thank Christ she's not in Otello or Tosca. That would be the kiss of death to them."

"I doubt it. Her fan club would probably turn up every night and pack out the theatre." She walked off to her dressing room, unconscious that she still held the Standard, now screwed up, in her fist.

Had Nikki been playing her for a fool all along? Where the hell was she? What was she up to? Had everything she had told her last night been lies?

Then she caught sight of Barbara, Nikki and Shaz. Nikki and Shaz were giving each other a high five as Barbara seemed to be reading something out of the newspaper. Now it was a joke to her? Last night, Nikki Wade had been in turns sweet, tender, loving and silly. Looking at her now, it was hard to believe that she was so hard. Had last night really meant so little to her?

Unable to face her, she went directly off to her dressing room, calling Barbara over her shoulder, unable even to look at Nikki Wade right now. Tonight's performance wasn't likely to match up to last night's, but she had to try.

"How are you today?" Barbara came in and started pouring her a glass of water.

"Fine," she snapped. "Not like that. You know I only like it up to halfway or it gets too warm." Barbara gave her a look, but did as she was told, emptying the whole of the first glass down the sink.

As she was dressed and made up, she snapped more and more at Barbara, taking her frustrations out on the older woman, frustrations with Nikki and also that Barbara seemed to be in on the joke.

"Barbara, were there any other sweepstakes going on this run?" An awful idea had come to her and no matter how humiliated she would be if it were true, she had to know if the whole company was laughing at her behind her back.

"One or two," Barbara said evasively and carried on hanging up changes of costume for Helen.

"Care to share?" Helen asked in a voice that brooked no arguments.

"Are you sure you want to know?" It was asked kindly, and suddenly Helen knew in her heart that her worst fears were true. Nikki had done all that for a bet. Surely Barbara didn't condone such behaviour, though?

"Of course."

"Well, no one would give odds on Sean trying to get you into bed, but there were on you saying yes," she saw Helen's face fall and carried on. "But the odds were very long, about thirty to one, I believe. I'm sorry. He always tries to get his leading ladies into bed, and has a surprisingly high success rate."

"Are there any other books on Nikki?" Helen asked in a small voice, her mind assimilating the information she had just been given. No wonder Sean had always been following her around.

"No. She's too private for that. Just her temper. Mind you, when I was working up with Opera North, she was all sweetness and light, despite all the problems. She's a pussycat, really."

"Were you working for Opera North at the same time then?"

"Me? Good gracious, no. I work for Nikki."

"For Nikki?"

"Yes, she's my employer. I travel all over with her, rather than being based in one place. It's great. We're off to St Petersburg after Rosenkavelier finishes, then to Bayreuth for the festival."

"But I thought…"

"I know you did, dear. Everybody does."

"So why are you here?"

"Because Nikki's performing in London, and it's part of her contract that I come with her." Barbara's face was puzzled.

"No, I meant why are you here with me if you work for Nikki?"

"Because she asked me to. She knows I'm good. Shaz will be too, one day, when she learns to keep her mind on her job and not her love life. Nikki's reasonable and will make sure she's not scared off for good."

"Unlike me, I suppose?" Helen asked, scowling.

"Well, you can be a little demanding at times, dear."

"Why did you agree to do it if I'm so bad?"

"Because you're not so bad, underneath. And anyway, you can't get me fired, can you?" The sweet smile did nothing to hide the truth of her words.

"Is Nikki always this devious?"

"She can be, when she wants something."

"And what does she want now?"

"I think you have a much better idea about that then I do, don't you?" She walked to the door. "I'm going to get some ice. One last word of advice for you: don't believe everything you read in the papers."

Helen sat considering those words while she waited for Barbara to return and help her dress. They implied that she knew what Helen and Nikki had been doing all night, but how could she? And that she knew what Helen had thought about Nikki the moment she had seen the paper. By her own confession, she was Nikki's employee and presumably very loyal; might she not therefore be lying to help Nikki seduce her?

Part 9

Helen had to admit that she had been a willing seductee. She was curious about how much of Nikki's kisses had been an act and how much real, and unable to deny her attraction to the taller woman. However much she had tried to dress it up, she had been curious. There was no getting away from that fact. She had concluded last night that those kisses had been real, that Nikki felt something more than just mere attraction to her; now she wasn't so sure. Trisha's article had been very convincing.

"You're still not sure, are you?" Barbara broke in upon her thoughts. "Nikki sent you this." She held up a single long-stemmed red rose.

"Very romantic. I'm sure she sends them to all her leading ladies." Helen said discouragingly in an attempt to brush her off.

"No. I've only ever known her to send one before. To Caroline Lewis."

"She sang with her?"

"Just the once. They didn't get much time together, what with their schedules. Then, of course, the crash…well…" her voice trailed off into silence.

Helen too was silent. Caroline Lewis had been a major star of the opera world. She had had a voice to die for, one that had been known to bring grown men to tears and had had a glamorous, but brief career, dying in a car crash at the age of thirty six.

"Nikki hasn't been interested in anyone since. Trisha certainly would never be her type; she's too indiscriminate. She's slept with anyone she could. Nikki wouldn't touch her with a ten foot bargepole."

"That's not what this says." Helen held up the screwed up pages of the newspaper.

"Of course not. She wanted Nikki. Nikki didn't want her. Hell hath no fury."

"Fifteen minutes, Miss Stewart." The runner outside put paid to all discussion as they rushed around to get Helen ready for her entrance.

She stood in the wings, the nerves of the first night absent now. Nikki was standing across the stage, awaiting her entrance. She tried to keep her eyes on the stage, but kept finding them drawn back to the other woman, once again resplendent in her dress costume, the silver hat sitting on top of her dark hair. As she watched, Nikki suddenly whisked off the hat and gave her a deep bow, then it was her cue and she was on.

She watched Nikki more warily, but she seemed to be unaffected by everything that had happened. Once more they declared their love, went through the whole charade and were reunited. At the end, she was surprised when Nikki almost literally swept her off her feet, kissing her in a totally unrehearsed and unexpected move.

She caught her breath; what was Nikki playing at now? The crowd were going wild, and Sean was scowling at Nikki from the wings. Nikki winked, made sure Helen was steady on her feet and released her, positioning herself for the bowing and then the curtain calls, taking no more notice of Helen.

"What the hell are you playing at, Nikki?" Sean stormed at her after the curtain calls had all been taken.

"I just felt like it, that's all. Thought it added a touch of drama." She shrugged and carried on walking past him.

"You keep your hands off Helen beyond what is asked of your role." He put himself in front of her, forcing her to stop. Neither of them seemed to even notice the people around them, all of whom were listening unashamedly.

"I'll do what I like, Sean, now, if you'll excuse me…" She tried to push past him, but he held his ground.

"You'll do what I tell you as long as you're in this production. I'm in charge here, and you'd do well to remember that."

"Or what, Sean? You'll sack me? Go on then. There are other jobs out there." She spoke with a bravado she did not feel. She wanted to stay around for a bit, see what would happen with Helen. She couldn't believe she'd sent the rose and hoped that Helen didn't quite understand its significance. What she had had with Caroline was incredible, and couldn't be repeated, but her interest in Helen was beginning to dominate her thoughts.

"Don't push me, Wade. You keep your filthy paws off Helen or I'll have you out of here so fast, your feet won't touch the ground."

"Why are you so keen to keep her away from my impure touch? Afraid she won't fancy you once she knows what a real woman is like?" She flicked her hat at him. "I'd stick to Trisha, if I were you. You're both equally sad and so perfectly matched."

This time she was successful at pushing past him as he seemed to deflate at the mention of Trisha. A thought struck her and she retraced her steps.

"A word of advice, though. I wouldn't encourage Trisha to libel me; she really can't afford the legal fees, although as it can only enhance my reputation, the damages shouldn't be too high. Bitter women turn on people, Sean, and when she turns on you, I would worry." She patted his cheek and he looked as though he would explode; a pulse was beating in his temple and his face was scarlet.

She passed Helen, standing engrossed in their row and leaned in and kissed her again, gently, on the cheek, knowing that from Sean's position it wouldn't look quite so innocent.

"I'm gonna fucking have you, Wade" he shouted after her as she jauntily strode along to her dressing room.

"You're just jealous because I'm more butch than you" she retorted camply as she shut the door behind her, before collapsing in a heap, unable to believe she had behaved so brazenly.

"You all right, man?" Denny asked her as she didn't move.

"I'll be fine, I just can't believe I did that," she breathed, trying to get used to the fact that she would probably be without a job tomorrow.

"I can. It was wicked." Shaz said.

"What are you two doing in here anyway?"

"I just wanted to check with you about Tosca."

"Tosca? What about it?" Nikki was puzzled. She had nothing to do with Tosca.

"Man, I knew you'd forget. The trampoline? Remember? Bouncy bouncy Stewart?"

"Christ!"

"Aha, I believe she's got it."

"No way, Den. You've got to call it off."

"How can I, everyfinks sorted now."

"I don't care. Do it, and you'll get nothing. If you don't do it, then I'll pay you in full, ok?"

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Denny asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say the scales have fallen from my eyes." She grinned. "And hers," she added.

"Come again?"

"A Road to Damascus moment all round."

Denny looked at Shaz, twirling her finger round at her temple, mouthing 'she's bonkers'.

"I'm not mad, Denny, I think I'm in love."

"You're sick, she's a fucking mad bitch."

"No, she's alright, underneath. But the trampoline's off. That much is certain."

"Shell won't like that; she's counting on it for her big break."

"Shell shouldn't know anything about it, Denny. And anyway, how would that get her a break?" Nikki said sharply.

Denny was silent.

"I'd come clean, if I were you, young lady. I'm not in the mood for games right now."

There was a knock at the door. The three of them all looked at each other. The knock sounded again, this time accompanied by Barbara's voice; "Nikki".

"Come in Babs," she said, opening the door. "What can I do for you? Two urban terrorists, only slightly used?" Shaz and Denny rushed for the door.

"And Denny, I mean it, OK?"

"Yes Nik."

Part 10

"Right, what can I do for you?" she asked Barbara, shutting the door on Denny and Shaz.

"Helen asked if you could come along to her dressing room."

"Did she now? And what did you tell her?"

"I said I'd ask you, but she'd be better off coming to see you."

"You can take the girl out of the diva, but you can't take the diva out of the girl, it seems. Is she OK?"

"Sean's in there, badmouthing you."

"And that would be different because?"

"It's not really a laughing matter, Nikki. She read all about you in the papers today, and she's pretty upset."

"Did you give her the rose?"

"Of course. She assumed you give them to all your leading ladies. I put her straight about that."

"You what? How could you? That's private." She slumped in a chair and put her head in her hands.

"And it was over two years ago, Nikki. You can't go on like this. It's not healthy. She's dead, get over it."

"Piss off Barbara. You're sacked. Go and work for Helen. I don't want to see you again." As Barbara moved to comfort her, she jumped from the chair, brushing her hands away. "Don't. I love Caroline, OK? And I'm not ready for anything else."

"You were ready to sleep with Helen." Barbara stood her ground.

"Sleeping with someone is not the same, and you know it."

"Like you have ever been able to tell the difference, Nikki. It's not like you've been out tomcatting around, is it? You haven't slept with anyone since Caroline."

"I was drunk and high on getting one over Sean, that's all." Nikki said sulkily.

"Don't give me that. You've been interested in her since the day you met, or you'd never have asked me to be her dresser. It's high time you stopped feeling sorry for yourself and got back into the land of the living. Go to her, now!"

Surprised by Barbara's commanding tone, Nikki was up out of her seat and halfway along the corridor before she stopped to think. Barbara had obviously anticipated this because she was right behind her with a look on her face that brooked no nonsense.

"Now, Nikki."

"Yes Mum."

"Don't you Mum me, or I'll tan your hide. Get in there and don't screw this up by coming across all hard and tough."

Shocked at the normally urbane Barbara's choice of language, she knocked at Helen's door. The normally imperious 'Come' had been replaced by her opening the door herself. Things had certainly changed for Helen too, it seemed.

"Nikki."

"Helen."

They stood, looking at each other, each trying to assess what the other was feeling, neither particularly wanting to speak first.

"How are you?" Nikki asked eventually.

"Burning with a million questions."

"Why don't we go somewhere and you can ask them." Nikki suggested. Maybe Barbara was right, and she needed to slough off Caroline's memory.

"Sounds good to me. Would you like to change first?" Helen asked. Nikki looked down at herself; she was still wearing her costume, or most of it at any rate.

"I thought you liked it?"

"You look better without clothes." The sentence was uttered before either of them thought about it. Nikki gave Helen a double take as Helen realised what she had said. She blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…um, I meant…"

Nikki closed the distance between them, taking Helen's hand in her own. It was then that she noticed that she was holding the rose.

"Shh." Her other hand moved to Helen's hair, stroking it gently and they stood there for a long moment. "I'd better get changed if we're getting out of here tonight." She smiled wickedly. "Or we could always get ourselves locked in. That bed's huge and it's about time it had somebody as beautiful as you in it."

"On the stage you mean?" Helen's face was shocked. "I couldn't; what would people think?"

"Would they have to know?"

Part 11

"I'm starving."

"Didn't you think about food?" Helen sat up, the cover around her breasts.

"Yes, and then I concluded that we could raid your fridge. Don't you have food in there?" Nikki grinned slyly. "Barbara told me that you had ordered enough smoked salmon to feed the five thousand, and insisted that you have at least five boxes of Bendicks chocolates in your dressing room. We can eat that."

"What about something to drink?"

"Champagne, of course. Only the best for my woman."

"Your woman? I'm my own woman, Nikki Wade." Helen tried to flounce, but was unable to in the bed.

"On the contrary, you're mine now." Nikki replied quietly and deliberately, looking into her eyes. "Helen, I…"

"What happened with Caroline?" Helen couldn't help asking the question, almost afraid of what Nikki would say next.

"I was young, in love. It was wonderful, then came the crash. I've just been throwing myself into work ever since, really. To be honest, I don't really want to talk about it; it's history. I'm far more interested in the future." Her hand started tracing patterns on Helen's skin.

"And Trisha?" Helen gasped, but refusing to be deflected.

"Trisha's fun. She knows what's going on and so it's easy to pick up information from her. She's been around the block a few times with a lot of people, so there's no way I'd go near her, but she's been a useful distraction where you're concerned." Nikki shrugged.

"Where I'm concerned? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you gave Barbara the sweepstake on a plate, don't forget; then you've kinda been getting under my skin since then. Watching Sean fawning over you and pawing you hasn't been much fun. I've wanted to smack him everyday for you, over and above for myself."

"Very caveman. Is that how you usually get woman to come to bed with you, smack them over the head?"

"Only on their very delectable bottoms, when they deserve it and ask nicely," Nikki said, her hands still roaming, stroking lightly.

"So why, if you're not in the market, cultivate such a…a…" Helen searched for the right word. "Playgirl image?"

"Oh, I'm not in the market any more, that's for certain. It just happened that way, that's all. I've been out with women in every city, why not? But I've not been interested in anybody for a long time; until now."

"And what's changed now?" Helen asked archly.

"Nothing much, I just fancy my chances with someone."

"Nikki, it's not going to work, not in the long term, you know."

"That depends on how much you want to make it work, and I want to try, at least."

Helen's only answer was a whimper as Nikki's hands finally crept back to the triangle of hair between her thighs.

"I don't like getting up this early." Helen stretched, still naked across the bed.

"Neither do I, and I'm not sure I'm going to be anything but distracted, thinking about this bed when I'm in it with Karen tonight." Nikki yawned. "We have to hide in one of the dressing rooms. Yours has a shower, so that's where I'm headed." She dressed quickly in the sweater and jeans that she had worn in the day before.

"What are you going to do today?"

"Get caught, if you don't get a move on, then we'll have to explain to Sean what we did all night in a bed, naked, in a locked theatre." She started picking up the empty champagne and water bottles and empty packets of food that they had consumed at varying stages during the night. "Then I think sleep, or I'll never go on tonight. Haven't you got rehearsals?"

"Yes. Full dress for Tosca today."

"That'll be fun. Would you like a real knife to use on Fenner?"

"Nikki!"

"Only a suggestion. You'd be doing the female population of the world a favour." Nikki laughed.

"Yes, but what would poor Sylvia do? She'd have to start following Sean around."

"It's about time the old battle-axe retired. She's been bringing misery to singers for generations. Mind you, then she'd probably haunt the place, and as they cleared the stalls at night, they'd find her, camped out under her Mark's and Sparks carriers."

"Scary."

"Terrifying, I'd say. Come on you, or do I have to drag you naked back to your dressing room?"

"Tempting though that thought is, I think I'll decline." They heard a noise. "What was that?" Footsteps were heading from the dressing rooms towards the stage.

"Probably Harry unlocking. Quick, down here." Nikki dived off the stage and into a unfamiliar corridor, Helen hot on her heels, carrying her clothes. They followed it down and round and found themselves under the stage.

Helen started to get dressed as Nikki kept a look out from the door, although she wasn't really looking at the corridor.

"I've lost my bra." Helen said, sounding scared.

"It must be upstairs somewhere. You didn't drop it on the way down here, did you?"

"I don't remember picking it up."

"Well, it's not as if your name is in it, is it? I'll but you a new one." Nikki returned her attentions to the door now that Helen had clothes on again.

"But someone will know what we've been up to!"

"No," Nikki corrected. "They'll know that someone was up to no good up there, but they won't know who." She crossed the room and took Helen in her arms and kissed her. "Don't tell me you regret it?"

"No, I never said that. Last night was wonderful."

"That's good, I like a satisfied customer." She kissed Helen again, but they broke apart as they heard voices coming from the stage above their heads.

"I'm not doing it, I tell you."

"You'll do what you're told bitch, or it'll happen anyway and I'll make sure that you and your girlfriend get all the blame. There'll probably be a police investigation and you'll be charged with malicious wounding or even attempted murder."

"No one will help you."

"You'd be surprised. I know people who are always willing to help out a lady in distress. And the bitch will get what's coming to her, and I'll get what's coming to me."

Helen looked at Nikki, asking the question.

"Denny and Dockley, I think," Nikki whispered.

"What are they talking about?"

"I've got a feeling I know. Look, go back to the dressing rooms, and I'll go and distract them, OK?"

"Are you sure?"

"Denny won't question me, and Dockley's no match. It'll be fine. Go on now." They separated and Nikki made her way to the stage.

"What's going on here?" Nikki's voice rang out in the deserted auditorium with an authority she didn't feel.

"Nikki, Shell found out about the trampoline and wants it to go ahead, but today, during the rehearsal." Denny rushed up to Nikki, half hiding behind her like a little kid being bullied hiding behind a teacher.

"There will be no trampoline, Shell."

"No, I s'pose you've bottled out of it now." Shell sneered. "You're a loser, Wade. Always have been and always will be. I've got a chance and I'm willing to take it, even if you won't."

"It's not a chance, and I was never going to hurt Helen. You're sick and twisted, you know that?"

"You'd do well not to cross me, Wade. I've got friends, and I am going to star in Tosca this season, and show Stewart up for the flaky talent she doesn't have."

"Piss off Dockley. If anything happens to Helen, you'll never sing professionally again." Nikki turned on her heel and walked straight into Denny.

"Denny, don't do anything she tells you. You and Shaz are coming out with me now."

"I'm shifting on Tosca."

"No, today you're sick. Get out of here and back to the digs. I'll be along in an hour or so, OK?"

"I'll get you Wade," they heard as they walked off the stage.

"Nik…"

"Denny, she's all talk. Don't worry about it. She can't do anything to you, and she won't do anything on her own." They went their separate ways. "And Den, don't forget to sign out if you've signed in today – I want no doubts as to where you were."