weâre typical loud, obnoxious Americans.â
Lola laughed. âTheyâre staring at us âcause they think weâre foxy. I mean, look at those guys over there, ogling us.â
The compañeros smiled back sheepishly, and murmured to each other, changing their plan of attack. First, they would have to contact Jean-Michel and tell him that the knock-out redhead had spotted them. They slowly backed away, but Lola didnât notice. She wasnât paying them that much attention; that particular group of dark-haired guys seemed just ordinary and definitely not rich enough for her. Lola was out to catch someone exceptionally wealthy. Little did she know that the combined value of the discreet antique gold watches the compañeros wore were worth a fortune.
âBesides,â Lola continued, âif you only knew about La Belle Otero, you would have to agree that she was a bitchinâ courtesan, the last of the grandes horizontales .â
â Grandes horizontales ?â hooted Annie. âYou mean prostitutes â¦â
âMistresses of men of rank!â Lola corrected.
âOh, sorry! Really. I donât believe the words â grandes horizontales â will be on our quiz tomorrow. But please, go ahead and tell us all about your idol, La Belle Otero.â
Once again, Lola was about to cast her red-headed fishing line in the direction of another handsome admirer, but at the last moment she noticed that he joined the line for a public bus, and she lost interest.
âLet me tell you, ladies, La Belle Otero possessed an unrivaled awareness of men with deep wealth. Honestly, I have to ramp up my rich-guy detection skills.â Lola said this more for her own benefit than for her friends.
âSo her name was Belle?â Karen asked.
âHer real name was Carolina Otero,â Lola told her, nodding her head so emphatically her red curls bounced. âNina to her friends. She lived from the late 1880s until the 1960s, and she always traveled in style. She even accompanied Wilhelm II, the German Kaiser, on his Imperial yacht. When she took her afternoon rides from her home right here, 27 Rue Pierre Charron, she rode like a queen in specially designed carriagesââ never on putrid public transportation.â Lola pointed a manicured index finger accusatorily at the departing bus.
Annie didnât want to hear any additional trite details. âSo what? Apparently, she was a prosperous prostitute and nothing else. What qualities did she possibly possess to make you, a twentieth-century woman with a college education, want to emulate her?â
âThatâs precisely my point.â Lola beamed at her two friends. âHer tactics were universal and timeless. Think about it. La Belle Otero used her talent as a dancer at the Folies Bergère to catapult herself onto a much larger stageââthe playing fields of the wealthiest aristocrats. They were more than glad to support her in the style to which they were accustomed. And she played one rich aristo against the other. Nina had so much money that she regularly lost hundreds of thousands of francs at the gaming tables throughout Europe, and all those lovelorn male admirers of hers picked up the tab. She was such a cunning fox! In total control of every aspect of her life. Donât you think thatâs impressive? Donât you think her life was exciting?â
Annie shook her head, but before she could say anything more, Karen jumped in to make the peace.
âI get what Lola is saying.â Karen sounded almost wistful. âAt least, I know where sheâs coming from, where weâre both coming from. Itâs an idée fixe for lots of us who come from humble roots. Not an obsession, exactlyââmore of a daydream or fantasy. We think that somehow our talents are going to be spotted and recognized andââhey presto, weâre rich and famous.â
âYou want a