In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

"He was your employee, no?"
"It was a mistake, alright? Dick said he was a genius. I went to
him for the video thing, and image capture. Then I found out he knew
martial arts. You know, Jujitsu, Kung fu, Tai Chi, that sort of thing. He
said he was a healer and he did teach me the eighteen therapies, the
longevity exercise routine associated with Tai Chi. Anyway, one thing
led to another, and, oh, I don't know." Her downtown cool voice
trailed off and she looked around the room nonchalantly.
"But you flew back to Paris when you had already asked Sandro
to come meet you in New York!"
"Mmhm? Well, my loft was broken into, and I got a call from
Mr Hung, and, oh, it's complicated, you wouldn't get it if I spelled it out
to you."
"Do spell it out for us, Ula."
Nothing.
"Ula, what are you afraid of?"
Ula said nothing, focused on her knotted hands. Penny noticed
now, probably because Signora was always flashing any number of
precious rings, that Ula had not worn the enormous diamond since
New York.
Tears trickled out the corners of her reptilian lids, but her mask
did not crack.
Exasperated, Signora got up. The grand inquisitor had pity on
the Kabuki nun, and said to them all,
"Va bene cosi. We go to bed. It has been a long day, no?"
Ula nodded.
"Buona notte, tutti." Signora kissed Alessandro on the top of
the head before swooshing out of the room.
Penny followed the sounds of the silk, and when she turned
around the two of them were looking at each other in silent
understanding and her heart stopped in her chest. She felt like a speck
in the huge red room.
Then Ula did the unthinkable. She knelt at his feet and buried
her turbaned head in his lap. He shut his eyes but remained otherwise
perfectly still.
Penny stood in the middle of the room not daring to breathe,
expecting some action from Ula at least, but they were both frozen in
this pose. A good minute passed. Only after Penny cleared her throat
did Alessandro's eyelids flicker, but that was it.
"Well, 'night, folks, see ya in the morning!" She ran upstairs to
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