Innocent Little Crimes (30 page)

Davis looked at her with suspicion.
“Meaning?”

“See if you can really act.”

“Yeah.” Jonathan got the point. “Make her
believe you really are falling for her. Lila’ll pee her pants.”

“Oh, come on,” Davis said.

“You’re chicken, Gregory,” Jonathan added.
“And I bet she’s smarter than you think. She’d never fall for
it.”

Millie held her breath. The comments volleyed
around the table, and in their drunken state, her classmates were
building up to something awful. What could she do to stop them?

“Piece of cake,” Davis said. “She’d be easy
to fool.”

Della leaned her face up against Davis’s,
nose to nose. “Don’t count on it. You’d have to be one damn good
actor to convince her. Her self-image is so low, she’d know you
were toying with her.”

Millie’s stomach clenched. She excused
herself and wiggled out from behind the tight table and Dick’s
groping hands. In the bathroom, she splashed water on her face. How
much of this could she take? If she defended Lila, they’d all
deride her. Yet, Lila was her friend. As much as she needed Dick,
she hated herself for not standing up to him. Why was she so scared
to speak her mind? She had to think.

As soon as Millie left the room, Dick leaned
over to Davis and lowered his voice. “I’ll bet you fifty bucks,
Davis, that you won’t be able to convince Lila you’re in love with
her. And I really mean convince her.”

Della smirked. “And I’ll double the bet that
you’ll never be able to get her into bed.”

At that, the group went wild.

“Your talent is on the line, buddy,” said
Dick.

Della added, “There’s
no way
you’ll get to screw Lila.
She’ll be a virgin the rest of her life. I hear her Dad’s a
hellfire preacher.”

“The biggest challenge of your life, Davis.”
Jonathan egged him on with his wide eyes. “A golden acting
opportunity.”

“I can get any girl to bed. Any girl.”

Della lit a cigarette and reached over to
stroke Davis’s face. “Then prove it, loverboy.”

“By opening night,” Jonathan said. “You’ve
got two weeks.”

Davis laughed, shaking his head. “That’s
plenty of time. You guys don’t know the depths of my talent.”

As Millie returned to the table, Dick
refilled her glass. A sheepish grin spread across his face. The
others were chuckling to themselves.

“Here, Mil,” he said. “We were about to make
a toast. Here’s to ‘Picnic.’ ”

“To ‘Picnic.’ ” Della added, “The most
challenging production of the year.”

“Let’s give ’em a performance they’ll never
forget,” said Jonathan, who then erupted into laughter. He raised
his glass and Davis clinked it with his own.

Davis matched his gaze. “You’re on.”

Millie’s heart sank as she studied their
expressions. She just knew they were up to something awful.

At the end of the week, Millie mustered up
enough nerve to confront Dick about the night at the Rainbow,
demanding to know what they were planning.

He shrugged and told her about the bet.

“She’s my friend. It’ll break her heart.”

“It’s just a joke. It’s no big thing.”

“I’ll tell her.”

“You better not. If you say anything, you’ll
blow it.” Dick raised his voice. “You better keep your mouth
shut.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I guess you’re not part of this crowd
anymore.”

Millie sucked in her breath. She realized the
ramifications. She had to make a choice between her friend and her
lover. And she needed Dick more than Lila. School was almost over
and then what? Back to Wisconsin to make cheese? Or stay in Oly and
work in a store? She wanted a husband. She wanted Dick. A niggling
fear crept over her. She was a week late with her period. What if
she was pregnant? Dick would have to marry her. With a sinking
heart, she made her choice.

“Okay, I’ll keep quiet. But it’s wrong.”

As rehearsals continued, Millie watched in
paralyzing horror the progress of the group’s little scheme. Davis
was beginning to convince Lila he wasn’t just playing a role. Lila
wanted to believe. He smothered her with attention and Lila ate it
up. Damn, why couldn’t Lila see he was manipulating her? Millie saw
how he touched her and stroked her hair, making her blush. And he
was good, he never pushed or flattered her. He played her like the
proverbial violin.

At night, Millie had to listen to Lila ramble
on about Davis’s virtues, how the impossible was really happening:
Davis falling in love with her. Millie couldn’t bring herself to
say a word. Lila was so happy and excited. Millie, hating herself
for her cowardice, convinced herself that Lila wouldn’t believe her
even if she told her the truth. Besides, she’d tried to warn her
before, hadn’t she? She wasn’t Lila’s keeper. Lila was a grown
woman and had to make her own mistakes. Millie tried to assure
herself that, in the end, it would turn out all right. That maybe
Davis would finally get bored with the game and give it up. But,
deep inside, she dreaded the weeks to come.

Della felt smug. Everything was playing in
her favor. Davis’s performance kept Lila completely unsuspecting.
But she had her own secret plan to pop Lila’s bubble just before
opening night. She would tell Lila the truth about Davis. Lila
would be so upset she wouldn’t be able to face him. She would run
and hide and the understudy would have to step in—Della herself. No
one else knew her plan and no one would find out. Lila would
probably leave school, run back to her parent’s house to hide. So,
to hell with school policies. Della would play the part that was
meant to be hers. And she would give the school a performance
they’d talk about for years.

The night before the show, and the last night
of the bet, Davis invited Lila out to a restaurant in Shelton.
Stage one was a “fait accompli.” He knew Lila believed he was in
love with her. That was the easy part. Now for the tough one. He
didn’t want to take the chance of running into anyone from
Evergreen. After an expensive dinner and a bottle of Chardonnay,
Davis took Lila’s hand and led her to his car. He could tell she
had taken extra care in dressing that evening, and probably stood
in front of the mirror for an hour, changing her clothes and hair
style to find just the right look. He put his arms around her and
kissed her deeply.

He felt her tense up and resist.

“Let’s go back to my house, Li,” he whispered
in her ear.

“I can’t. Tomorrow’s the show. I better get
my rest. I wouldn’t want to look puffy. . . ”

He kissed the words away. “Just for a little
while. Then I’ll take you home. We can listen to some music and
make a nice fire. There’s so much I want to say to you.”

He gazed into her face and coaxed a smile.
She nodded but her eyes belied her willingness. He would have to do
some pretty sweet talking.

When they entered his house, Lila moved
nervously about, exclaiming how lucky Davis was to have his own
place. She skittered around the living room, touching the furniture
and drapes.

He took her hand and led her to the
fireplace, then lowered her to the rug. As he built up the fire, he
sensed her staring. He turned and pulled off his shirt, exposing
his chest. Lila’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. He kept a
straight face but wanted to laugh. Poor, sheltered Lila. He bet she
never even sat on a beach and looked at men in their swim trunks.
Boy, was she in for a surprise.

The fire blazed and crackled. Davis dropped
down beside her and slowly unbuttoned her dress.

She pushed his hand away with shaky fingers.
“I can’t. You said . . . we were just going to talk.”

His mouth nuzzled her ear as he whispered to
her. “I am talking to you, darling.”

“Oh, Davis, I want to. I really do, but I
can’t.”

Davis, bored by the effort, pondered taking
her home and not wasting his whole evening. What did it matter,
anyway? He could lie to the others and say she went to bed with
him.

He lay back on the rug and stared at the
ceiling. But if they learned the truth, he’d never hear the end of
it. Lila would tell Millie and Millie would tell Dick. They’d all
know. Besides, this was a matter of pride. No woman had ever turned
him down. So, it was now or never.

He sat up and kissed Lila, gently with
passion. He pulled back before she did.

“Lila, I’m really crazy about you. I know how
you feel and I respect you. Maybe you just don’t understand my
feelings, what’s really going on inside me.”

Lila stared at him, confused. Davis
stammered, trying to find the right words. “All these years, girls
always threw themselves at me. It doesn’t mean anything, you know?
No one ever really wants to know me, the real me. They just want
sex. No one ever says, ‘Davis, you have a good heart, you’re a kind
person, you make me laugh . . .’ ”

Lila jumped in as Davis expected. “I do.”

“That’s right, Li. You’re the only woman I’ve
ever known who really sees me. You don’t know how much that means
to me.” Davis pulled away from Lila and put on his best puppy-dog
pout. “This is so hard for me . . .”

“What is?”

“Explaining this. I feel so stupid.”

Lila draped her arm around him. “You’re not
stupid.” She sighed. “Just as lonely and misunderstood as me. We’re
a lot alike, that way.”

“Yeah,” Davis said. He paused the right
length of time and stared into her eyes. Now for the slide into
home plate. “I know you’re going to think I’m crazy, but would you
ever consider marrying a guy like me?”

Lila gasped. She questioned the honesty in
his gaze but Davis never flinched. Tears filled her eyes. Davis
cradled her in his arms.

“There, there, it’s all right,” he said.
“Come on, I’ll take you home now.” He kissed her cheeks and wiped
the tears off her face with the back of his hand.

“I don’t want to go,” she whispered.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I want this night to last forever.”

“Then let’s do that. Make it last forever.
Let’s have a night we’ll never forget as long as we live. As the
poets say—the night I pledged my troth to you.”

He lowered her down onto the rug. He lay
beside her and explored her body through her clothes. When Lila
tensed, Davis backed off. He poured her a glass of brandy.

He watched her sip for awhile, then took the
glass away and began again.

“I’m so fat,” she blurted out.

“No, you’re beautiful. I like women with meat
on their bones. Oh, Lila, your skin is so soft.”

“Please, go slow . . .”

“I’m in no hurry, darling.” With the
gentleness of a mother washing a baby, he took her dress off. Her
arms quickly covered her breasts. He took her hands away.

“Please, let me look at you. You have such
beautiful skin.” He reached behind her and fumbled with the clasp
of her bra. He felt her heart pound through his fingertips. He
caressed the outline of her breasts with a soft touch that made her
gasp. Then he reached for her nipples and squeezed. Her body
squirmed into his, wanting more with every fiber of her being.

Then his fingers moved deftly along the rim
of her underpants. She stiffened, then caught her breath. He lay
down the length of her: he, with most of his clothes still on and
she, totally naked and vulnerable. The image amused him. Without
further hesitation, he sought out her mouth and felt her body fall
against him, unresisting.

She threw her arms around the man she loved
and gave herself completely to him.

Chapter 27

Lila was in a frenzy all through dress
rehearsal. Surely everyone knew by the expression on her face.
Couldn’t they tell she’d been to bed with him? Every time she
looked over at him, blood pounded her ears and her face washed hot.
Davis was amazing. Such a complete professional. He behaved as if
nothing had changed. But when he knew no one was looking, he winked
at her, or gave her hand a squeeze.

She surprised herself. Somehow she remembered
all her lines, yet last night’s affair, in his arms, replayed again
and again, overlaying the mundane lines of script she recited. She
never imagined intimacy could be so fantastic, as scared as she had
been. Yet Davis had been so gentle. All her prior fears proved
unfounded. Davis understood everything. How scared she was. How
inexperienced. Each time he touched her, her body responded with
such passion, she astonished herself. She had no idea of the depth
of her desire. He made her feel beautiful for the first time in her
life. She wanted to scream out to the world — he loves me! But
everyone would know soon enough. Davis suggested they wait until
after opening night’s performance to share their feelings. Now they
needed to concentrate on the performance.

When she got home last night, she wanted to
pour out her excitement to Millie, but her roommate was asleep, and
in the morning they’d both had to race out to class. She would just
have to tell her along with everyone else tonight.

At the end of rehearsal, Jonathan admonished
the group with last minute notes and warnings. Lila hoped Davis
would walk out with her, but as she gathered up her things,
Jonathan called Della, Dick, and Davis to stay behind.

As she and Millie pushed through the Comm.
building doors into the blustery spring day, Lila stopped
abruptly.

“What’s the matter?” Millie asked.

“I forgot my coat.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you at the cafeteria.”

Lila hurried back inside. The crew was
turning off lights and replacing props as Lila walked backstage to
her locker. As she opened the door and pulled out her coat, she
heard a familiar laugh that struck her heart. Davis!

She closed her locker door and snuck over to
the wings of the stage. She wanted to drink him in, soak up his
every word.