Free THE POLITICS OF PLEASURE by Mark Russell

some British royal apparently. Honestly, 'chelle, some of the beach houses there looked like Balinese tourist resorts. Anyhow, Dominique then took us to Brian and Jerri's place on the island. I mean, can you believe it? A few of the Black Roses were there partying and hanging out after recording ... how's that new song go again? ... da, da, da, something about she won't give it up ... anyhow we hung out with them till early morning, and I'm telling you it was really cool .'
    'Wow, amazing.' Surprisingly Michelle didn't feel a pang of jealousy. 'Didn't you once work with Jerri at an Azzedine Alaia parade?'
    'Uh-huh. About a year ago, but she said she didn't remember me.' Carmen tapped the last of her coke into her monogrammed silver spoon and snorted it.
    Michelle looked at Paulo's Jr's initials tattooed on Carmen's lower leg, and wondered how Carmen could profess to love someone who lived in another country.
    Carmen rubbed her pert nose and made a hawking sound from the back of throat. 'That's it, I'm out.' She skipped into the kitchen. A moment later she dropped her leggy frame into a Victorian seat opposite Michelle, pulling the ring-tab off a fresh can of Diet Coke.
    Having watched her friend consume a worrisome amount of cocaine and cola, Michelle said with parental-like concern, 'I'm kinda worried about your coke habits, babe. I honestly think you're moving too fast. You're starting to get night circles under your eyes and – '
    Carmen slapped her drink down on the table, her hard body ratcheting up like a fresh span of fencing wire. 'Oh please don't make me laugh. You're worried about moi ? Take a look in the mirror, sweetheart – at that black eye of yours, for starters. I mean, you look so ... down-and-out.' She took a swig of cola, her piercing eyes advertising her anger. 'Anyway, you know I never use when I work. Never .' She looked down at the red and white can in her hand. 'And I certainly work , babe. Oh, yes I do ...' She lifted her head, her photogenic face a portrait of smug competitiveness. 'I mean, I've just rolled over a two-year contract with Klein, sweetheart. I'm twenty-two, I drive a new Beamer, and my annual interest could only make fun of your savings. Plus I own this apartment.'
    'You just inherited it from your grandfather,' Michelle said defensively. She could hardly believe her friend's vitriolic response, but knew just the same Carmen had an obsessional fear of aging and didn't take kindly to any off the cuff comment about her looks. “And you only moved here to get way from that stalker in New York.'
    'Nevertheless, I'll soon sell this place for a pretty tune before moving back to my Greenwich loft. Look at you 'chelle ... you're my best friend and I almost cry when I think about you. You look so drawn, so ... unemployed. How long's it been since you worked? I mean forget Europe. Have you got what it takes to start here again, to work the catwalks? Have you got the energy, the contacts? That parasite boyfriend is taking you down. For God's sake, wise up, babe. Before it's too late!'
    'Okay, okay. So he thumped me and took my Alfa. It's no big deal. And by the way' –Michelle struck a confident pose and smirked – 'Alexis Models contacted me last week and offered me a haute couture shoot in Milan, and possibly parades to go with it.'
    'Oh sure.'
    'It's true, goddamn it! And on the way here I felt I was ready to work again. In fact, I can't wait.'
    'I can't believe you actually hitchhiked here.'
    'Well if you'd paid your goddamn phone bill before you traipsed off to the Caribbean, I could've called you to come and get me, or I could have at least talked to you. Why didn't you pay it? 
    'Okay, okay, I forgot.' Carmen's raw-nerve anger dissipated as rapidly as it'd flared.
    'And you've been back for days, so why isn't the phone back on?'
    'There's some union dispute at Bell.' She took a sharp sip of her drink. 'They're guaranteeing it'll be on either tomorrow or Monday. God, I hope it's