In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

CHEZ SCHWANZ
The two Eames chairs did look better facing the Milano sofa.
Their biomorphic silhouettes etched a graceful asymmetry against the
trio of tall windows and the new painting, Fantasies IV, a Pollockesque
symphony of drips and splatters in brownish orange, brownish mauve
and blood red on a creamy chartreuse ground. The canvas literally
glowed in the silver light flooding the loft from the sky above the Seine.
Positioned obliquely in the corner and pointing down at a stretch of
Quai across the river along the Tuileries and not up towards to the stars
that rarely broke through the layers of clouds, was a bulky white
telescope.
During the summer Dick Schwanz amused himself watching
the buff bodies sunbathing and carousing at this popular gay hangout,
and until a few days ago they would still show up and light up his day.
A digital video camera was permanently hooked up to the telescope,
triggered by changes in movement to catch the action when he was
away from his post. Until recently, he had sold choice clips of the
footage on the web, but since he was under scrutiny from Interpol and
god only knows what watchdog groups, he had decided to keep it all to
himself.
Inez tottered in carrying a big bowl of fruit. Dick picked out the
oranges he deemed too bright, and set the bowl on one of the
occasional tables, handing Inez the offending fruit.
"Mais, Senhor Schwanz—" she squinted at the painting,
shaking her head. There was orange in the painting.
Dick checked the crease of his white Gucci trousers, making
sure that the knees didn't bag, smoothed the black Lycra silk blend
turtleneck of the same make, and cast a self satisfied glance at the
painting, that would not be hanging there long, as every Richard
Schwanz painting was sold months in advance and he had a clear shot
at the Biennale this year.
In 1997, Dick's young lover Angelo died after a long struggle
with the HIV he'd contracted after a single indiscretion in Bangkok test
driving his new female anatomy as Angelina Tivoglio. Dick, none too
happy with the boy's transformation anyway, had ordered the Doctor
to give the boy an HIV test. When the test came back positive, Dick
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