Angelique Rising (26 page)

             
"Well... I did track down his agent, sent a message that we'd like the premier and would Robert perform one of his old dance numbers with Angelique here for it. He'll be coming back to his old haunts, it'll be like his alma mater, the Center, welcoming him home." She tried to make it sound like it meant no more to her than the most trifling of irrelevancies.

             
"Let me guess. He sent you a
bet-your-ass-I'll-be-there
answer as soon as he saw Angelique's name. There's more to it Maureen, you always have your reasons."

             
"Oh all right. I asked around here at the Center. It seems this Robert was pretty dotty over Angelique and there was some speculation that she liked him too. They're near the same age, similar backgrounds, they performed together for two years, were apparently quite close, and have you seen him? Fabulous. They only broke up because he went off to do his movie."

             
"And she got married."

             
Maureen scowled.

             
"A marriage she wasn't prepared for, Malcolm, she didn't even know it was happening. She left a lot of interrupted and unfinished business, hasn't even moved her things out of that houseboat Tinka says."

             
"Ingenious. You're hoping throwing Robert and Angelique back together will rekindle something, eh? And if it doesn't you can treat Wyatt to the sight of his wife dancing around in front of an audience with another man, a man who wants her? What a ruckus that'll probably start between them. Has Angelique been fool enough to agree to this?"

             
"I may have forgotten to mention it to her when I invited the two of them to the premier --the
charity
premier."

             
"She doesn't know she'll be publicly performing with Robert tonight? Dancing with him in front of Wyatt? With no preparation? Oh Maureen you are
cold."
He was almost cackling.

             
"What does she need preparation for? All she has to do is re-enact some old dance routine of theirs."

             
"It will be an interesting evening every tedious moment of I now look forward to in fervid anticipation."

             
"You're staying for the after-party? You never stay for late nights."

             
"I'll make an exception for this one. But if I'm going to do that, I'd better get home now. I've something waiting for me."

             
"What?"

             
"Oh, just a hobby of mine."

             
"You?
You
have a hobby?"

             
"I am a man full of surprises, Maureen. Particularly where my hobbies are concerned."

             
Gross
she thought.
Probably going home to log onto Sickosadists-Я-Us
. Still, she was a bit put out he'd never approached
her
for his activities, not that she'd ever accept. He was her father for goodness sakes. Well,
step
father.

             
"Yes, I should get going myself, I have a lot of things to do to put on the finishing touches for tonight's event."

             
"I'm sure it will be inspired Maureen,
all
of it." Malcolm departed thinking it was a pity that she wasn't his type. Maureen? Heck, she'd probably
like
it. And that would ruin the whole thing for him. Ah Maureen, he thought in almost affection, she was as dangerous as a pissed prostitute with a baby on her tit told to get lost --something he'd learned about the hard way.

*****

              The monster appeared, not his regular time.

             
"Angelique's old friend Robert is having his big movie premier at the Center tonight," Malcolm said to Lexa. "So I'm afraid this will have to be a bit rushed, my apologies. I'll make up for it tomorrow. Everyone will be there tonight for him of course. I will be sure to convey your warmest regards from Paris and reassure them of your astounding success there. And now, I have something
new
for you. I'm quite looking forward to it."

             
And when he was finished with her and left to get ready for Robert's movie premier at the Performance Center, Lexa began to contemplate suicide in the peach bedroom, trying to figure out how to do it.

             
Lexa was broken.

*****

              "Robert's a big star now," Angelique said to Wyatt that night after the movie as they moved into the Performance Center's grand ballroom for the after-party. "He won't have any time for me."

             
"He's
here
, isn't he?" Wyatt said still fulminating over that turquoise teddy.

             
"Oh Wyatt, you don't think he came back here to see
me!"
Angelique pooh-poohed Wyatt.

             
It was precisely what Wyatt thought and every time he looked at Angelique he thought it more. And he thought she darn well thought it too --she'd gone all out for this event.

             
She looked like a sex goddess.

             
Nothing cheap, just the opposite. Her hair was free, in long flowing curls down her back which was odd because she hadn't gone to the hairdresser. (In fact, now that he came to think of it, she never did. Was that normal? Maureen had gone every week.) And he hadn't seen any curlers or curling wand in the bathroom when she'd emerged with those extravagant curls that he'd never seen her wear before.

             
And she'd finally used the charge card --to buy the dress from Anthony she was wearing that looked incredible on her. He could swear too that her skin had an almost golden-ivory iridescence to it. She'd gone all out. All. Out. For Robert?

             
"Wyatt, Angelique, I'm glad you came," Malcolm said to them, "come, sit at my table."

             
"I'm surprised to see you here, Uncle Mal, I thought you never came to these boring brain deadening functions."

             
"This Robert, he's one of our own you know --went off to Hollywood, made good. I have to support our troops. And you know him, don't you Angelique?"

             
"Yes," she said wishing they weren't being shuttled to Malcolm's ringside table where Maureen and Tinka were already seated.

             
The Performance Center's ballroom was glowing, crystal chandeliers sparkling above reflected by a glimmering pale vermilion floor below. The dance floor was large, the tables surrounding it packed with people dressed in their finest, the tickets for the event exorbitantly expensive and wars having been waged mercilessly to obtain them. Robert was the hottest thing the city had ever seen. In fact at the moment he was the hottest male in the country and
everyone
wanted a glimpse, though the crowd packed into the ballroom definitely had a young-rich quality to it rather than an old-rich one.

             
"Has Robert joined up with you yet? Have you seen him?" an eager voice rang out. Seated uncomfortably at Malcolm's table (next to Maureen), Angelique looked up into Anthony Rodriguez' shining expectant face.

             
"I've
seen him," Maureen answered before Angelique could speak and everyone heard the tiniest note of envy in her voice. "He's being kept pretty busy by the photographers and reporters."

             
"And
girls
I expect," Angelique laughed.

             
"Speaking of busy, May-May, has Lexa phoned you?"

             
"No, but she's emailed me. Apparently she's
very
busy."

             
"Somebody should go to Paris and make sure that girl's still alive."

             
"I received an email from the theatre manager there," Malcolm nodded dismissively at Anthony like he was an intruding subservient. "Her performances are being well received." Somehow he made Anthony feel like he wasn't even there at the same time he sounded almost threatening.

             
Anthony didn't like Malcolm Cochran, he was a dodgy sort of bastard, something about him was too sharp. He particularly hated how most of the women at the Center spent half their time falling all over themselves trying to get just a glance or kind word from the guy --rarely given.
Ghoul
he thought. He was almost going to ask Malcolm what else the manager had said but with the glacial tone he was receiving didn't feel it wise to ask the question. And the few times he'd met Maureen at these affairs, he hadn't liked her either --a high handed yakker always with a pride-filled glow. He'd never met Wyatt until the morning on the houseboat with Angelique but he was the one Cochran Anthony did like. Though he felt that Malcolm's other daughter, though urgently in need of a competent stylist, might be okay.

             
"Is that
him?"
Tinka squealed pointing toward the far end of the ballroom where the orchestra was playing. "Oh Angelique I just can't believe you
know
him! Can you get me an introduction? He is so
sexy!"

             
Wyatt rolled his eyes at Angelique to show her how totally he understood and deplored the situation, thereby showing her he of course didn't understand anything at all.

             
Angelique (who was also remembering the turquoise teddy --being ripped from her body) hadn't been able to keep the smile off her face when she'd looked at the orchestra, and yes, it was indeed Robert striding across the stage. And yes, she had gone all out for this event but not to impress
him
, but to impress Wyatt.

             
She had stood in front of her mirror actually thinking
sex goddess
. To be exact,
megawatt in-can-des-cent
sex goddess!
It was her rebellious touch of payback to Wyatt for his little leave-her-hanging-how-were-you-intimate-with-Robert torture, she would now give
him
some time to
want it
AND while he was having to tough it out thinking about her and Robert.

             
I mean is that appropriate or what!

             
Wyatt hadn't wanted to attend the event at all so Angelique had simply said that was fine (drawn him out onto the limb), said she'd go alone, say hello to Robert alone, drive home alone
(and neatly sawed it off)
.
Ergo Wyatt's presence. But while Angelique had given no real thought at all to Robert being there, Anthony had. And Anthony had prepared.

             
It was Anthony who had talked her into buying the dress from him. He knew darn well that Robert was desperately in love with her (the clueless one still being incredibly clueless about it). And now, even though Robert was a movie star able to be anywhere with anyone he wanted, he was
here,
it didn't take a genius to know why. Anthony figured Robert would make a move and since Robert's moves with Angelique were dance ones, Anthony guessed what the outcome was indubitably going to be.

             
Anthony expected Robert would get Angelique into his arms the way he had for two years --a dance performance. Hence the dress, it was dance-ready no matter what kind of dance Robert pulled her into. Anthony didn't think it would be a nice waltz around the floor, Robert wouldn't risk Wyatt cutting in. No, it would be some kind of dance Wyatt couldn't do.

             
Anthony had gotten Angelique prepared whether she knew it or not (he hadn't explained, explanations, he felt, tended to confuse her). The dress was floor length but it had a slit up each side so she could
move.
It had matching underwear in case Robert flipped her over his shoulder. She wasn't wearing a bustier, but the dress had straps to hold her
up
. And it was freaking gorgeous. The most electrifying ripe strawberry red. Sequins. Hugged the curves of her breasts like nobody's business, flowed free and easy around her legs. Just the sight of her in it was probably driving every male in the place into the bathroom to take care of themselves. Well, maybe not
his
friends,
they'd
be lusting after the dress.

             
Poor Robert, he thought. The depressing sterile futility of it. Never going to understand why he can have anyone else, just not the one woman he wants when even Mickey Mouse could figure that one out --just
look
at Angelique with Wyatt.
Look
at them. They are
forever,
man. God help them.