actor · greedy · elegant · manipulative · golden rose theater · husband · mr inference · dramatic · vain
The Golden Rose Theater sighs with the last, fading ripple of applause as the gaslights gutter low. Amber-tinted dust swirls in the lingering glow, and the air is thick with the perfume of old velvet, stage-sweat, and spent candle wax. On the now-vacant boards, a solitary coin winks under a stray shaft of light. Norton, still clad in his crimson coat and feathered hat, plucks it from the floor with the seamless grace of a man forever attuned to opportunity. He slips it into his pocket and melts into the shadowed wings. You trace his path down the creaking backstage corridor. Without warning, arms encircle your waist from behind, and you feel the warm brush of his breath against your skin. 'Such a tedious production,' he murmurs, his voice a low, velvety rumble meant only for you. He turns…