Microsoft Word - Rogers, Rosemary - The Crowd Pleasers (21 page)

"Were we talking of excitement? Anne, I must warn you that Karim is dangerous. I mean, he really believes all he says about women needing to be dominated in order to find themselves as women! We're still arguing about it, although I must admit it's been fun!" Diamonds against black lace. Venetia Tressider had a sparkling, diamond-bright personality that Anne had always secretly admired.

"You've been neglecting me, pet, and I don't take that lightly. You're supposed to play my protective escort, and Yves has been whispering obscene suggestions into my ear for what seems like ages. Since I didn't really feel like going down on him with Claudia looking on I thought I should drift this way where the conversation seems to be more stimulating."

With Venetia's coming they relapsed into the usual gossip that the beautiful in-people seemed to enjoy so much.

Karim had actually started to make her feel uncomfortable, and Anne was relieved to be able to relapse into the part of listener. She watched as Venetia and Carol exchanged smiling barbs and was even able to admire objectively the way Karim toyed with them both-subtly encouraging each of them in turn. She was able to drift away after a while when all three declared a truce long enough to discuss avidly the love life of a certain multi-millionaire's widow who was an international personality in her own right.

She joined Harris and Jim Markham-the latter turning all of his much-vaunted public charm on her, while Harris went off to avert a scene that seemed to be brewing between Claudia and Yves. Jim showed her pictures of his wife and children and told her he'd like to get to know her better. Perhaps when she came to California? He was a young-looking, virile man, and rumor had it that he was almost a certainty to win the Democratic presidential nomination. There were also those other rumors that Jim Markham had a weakness for beautiful women. And everyone Anne knew shrugged and said, "So what if he does? Shows he's a normal man. Besides, that wife of his is frigid ... she'll make a great President's lady, but Jamie-boy needs a warm cunt between his sheets-several times a day, darling, if what we hear is true!"

Gossip, intrigue-rumor! Everyone trying to find his own means of escape from the strain of living in the public eye. The moralistic, quick-to-accuse public-avid for detail, especially of the famous or well-known. "Stop it, Anne-you're sounding like a cynic.

Stop and think why you're here tonight .. ."

Why was she here? Escape-that was why. When reality turned too scary, it was time to escape into make-believe. She didn't want to think about this afternoon nor its implications.

Dinner was served late, in continental fashion, and seemed unending. Anne vaguely remembered being faced with one course after another-and tasted nothing except the wine, which was excellent. Harris and Yves and Karim talked about movies while Carol and Jamie Markham carried on their own low-voiced conversation that seemed to exclude everyone else.

Between the third and the fourth course, Claudia, who had been ominously silent, had a crying jag; and, in response to Harris' urgent hand signals, Karim turned shruggingly to comfort her. Venetia Tressider chose that moment to push back her chair, casting a telling look at Anne as she did. "I think I need to visit the loa. Anne, dear-keep me company?"

Feeling like a puppet, Anne followed her warily. What did Venetia have up her sleeve this time? Venetia was almost too outspoken in her views; she had actually hidden out an IRA agent, one of her many lovers, for two weeks.

"Darling! I'm so proud of you!" Taken aback by Venetia's impulsive embrace, Anne could not find a word of rebuttal at first. "You really are a dark horse, do you know that? All the newspapers had to story-even the Times rumbled a bit. It was awfully brave of you-and if you weren't so bent on going back to California to make this movie they're all talking about I'd ask you to come to Ireland with me when I go there on a visit next month. Are you sure you can't fly out for a few days at least? Every little outcry helps, you know!" Venetia had done some acting herself-with her low, dramatic voice and equally dramatic looks she usually played the part of a sexy female spy/aristocrat, with little or no scruples, who always succumbed to a more unscrupulous hero. No-correction. Hero was passe. It was male protagonist. Webb's role in Greed for Glory, while she, unbelievably, was to be the female protagonist.

Venetia was staring at her in a puzzled fashion. "Anne? I think I've lost you somewhere along the line. Did you hear what I just said?"

"Oh yes ..." Anne said vaguely. "But I really don't think I'll be able to." Suddenly, stupidly, she had an impulse to giggle. Especially since Venetia was looking so intense, and she remembered the same look on Venetia's face at one of her parties, when she was being screwed by two of her guests. At the time Anne had found the whole scene morbidly fascinating-and a little frightening as well. She felt the same way about her predicament right now. Those men hadn't been playing. And even Venetia actually believed that she ... She ought really to tell Venetia that she had nothing to do with the leak to the press, but what good would that do? They could all believe what they bloody well wanted to-even Craig, her gallant rescuer. For the second time in her life she was going to run away from all the unpleasantness that threatened her.

But it was impossible to run away when they went back to the table and Anne saw Webb sitting in the empty chair to Claudia's right, his arm draped carelessly around her shoulder.

He looked up, taking her in. And how could he make his eyes change from cat-yellow to warm gold that way? He must have just come in-Claudia was still arguing with him-a stream of vituperative Italian spilling from between her full red lips even as she leaned against him, making sure he was aware of her breasts pressed against his side.

"Here comes Annie, the love of my life. I've missed you, Annie." Anne felt herself pinioned to the spot by their concerted looks-all showing varying degrees of emotion.

Even Venetia.

Oh damn him! Why did Webb always create such scenes? And yet she couldn't seem to stir when, leaving Claudia open-mouthed, he walked deliberately over to Anne. He looked at Venetia first.

"You must be Venetia Tressider. Hello, Venetia." He was drunk, he had to be. He kissed Venetia's half-open mouth verylightly and turned to Anne, "Hi, baby."

Belatedly she tried to struggle when he put his arms around her. What did he think he was doing? Too late then. His tender-hard mouth already claimed hers, rendered her helpless. Possession. Hadn't she thought that the first time Webb took her hand in his? It was diabolical, this power he had over her senses. But only her mind screamed out in protest as she found herself kissing him back; her body responding to the pressure of his. Damn them all-let them watch!

Easy to think that while Webb was kissing her. But afterwards there were the other eyes to be met-Yves Pleydel's cynical "Bravo, mon cher!"

Karmin's scowl and Carol's elevated eyebrows. Jim Markham looked stunned, Claudia on the verge of erupting. Only Harris, a slight smile on his lips, was his usual urbane, diplomatic self.

"As Yves just pronounced-bravo, Webb! But why don't you let Anne sit down and finish her dinner? Venetia love .. ."

Thank God for Harris! He handled Claudia as well as he had handled the girl called Tanya a long time ago. She had started to say something, her voice high, when Harris nodded at Yves, and her long-suffering ex-husband whispered something sharply in her ear.

"They're old friends? And that is how old friends greet each other in America?" Yves said something else that made her subside-turning her shoulder deliberately to Webb. "Karim-what a very masculine name! Is it true what I have heard about you?"

He laughed, after a long, smoldering glance in Anne's direction. "That depends. What have you heard? Shall you find out?"

Harris leaned across the table to engage Venetia in conversation. One of her causes that he just might back. Anne was only aware of Webb, holding her hand-holding her eyes with his.

"I called you this evening. No answer. Not even your obliging roommate!" "Did you?"

She tried to keep her voice from shaking. "But heard that you were busy somewhere else this evening. Violet .. ."

"Damn you, Annie. Why do you make me so mad? I had a date I couldn't break, short of causing an unpleasant diplomatic incident. But I got away as Soon as I could."

She swallowed her wine too fast, almost choking; hating him when his eyes started to crinkle with amusement.

"Stop it! Why did you have to make a-a public exhibition of me? What do you think you're doing now? You .. ."

"I want you, Annie-love. And I guess this is my crude way of showing it." His eyes narrowed at her. "When I want Something I usually go after it. A hangover from my street-fighting days, I guess. I'm snake-bit. I don't want to play the usual stupid games with you, baby." He talked to her quietly, as if they were alone, and Anne felt her heart pounding heavily as she tried to fight this new, strange mood of his, knowing that it was just an impullse-Webb never meant anything he said to a woman-not for too long anyway!

She shook her head, trying to refute her own crazy feelings; she felt herself stretched taut between letting go and resisting.

"Webb-then don't! Because I'm not very good at playing the kind of games you're used to." Seeing the look in his face, she whispered despairingly, "It won't work, Webb! We're too different. There's a physical thing between us, I can't deny that, can I? But it isn't going to last and I-I'm not prepared for being tom apart. Another Claudia, another one of a string. I've got to belong to myself, don't you understand that?"

"Hey, you two! We're all going to Annabell's to dance. Coming along?" Carol's green eyes were unusually dark; her ringed fingers rested lightly on Jamie Markham's sleeve.

It was like that other time in Carol's hotel suite when Webb had walked in and carried her off. Harris! Harris had brought her here. What would he think? His face was inscrutable.

"You must do what you feel like, Anne. If you're tired, Webb can take you home." He was giving her an out, which surprised her slightly. And everyone but Carol and Jim seemed to have changed partners. It was Claudia and Karim; Yves and Venetia. It didn't matter. Right from the beginning, when Webb had walked over and kissed her, she had known how the evening would end, hadn't she?

"Call me tomorrow, will you, Anne?" Harris made it easy. He kissed Anne lightly, squeezing her cold hand. "Anne-you're going to be a great actress. Keep that in mind, will you? And call me whenever you can. I'd like to have your attorney look over the contract I've drawn up for you."

Webb turned back from making his casual farewells to the others, taking her arm, and Anne could finally let the tension drain from her body, giving way to what was inevitable.

SHE SURFACED SLOWLY to morning with the sound of a telephone shrilling in her ears and the feel of Webb's arm reaching over her body.

"Shit! What time is it anyhow? I thought I told them noon!"

Anne's eyes felt gritty when she tried to blink them into focus. The telephone wire stretched tautly across her breasts where Webb's arm had been a moment before as he turned over onto his back, still swearing.

"Yeah?" And then his face changed, muscles tightening as he seemed to come wide awake. "What? Look, Caro, if this is one of your cute little tricks, I'll ..." And suddenly Anne was wide-awake too, all the way, watching Webb's face. "Tell me again-slowly this time, huh?" And suddenly, explosively, "Sure Anne's here with me! And I'll tell her. Will you try to calm down, dammit? Look-call Harris. Take a couple of tranquilizers-I'll call you back as soon as I can."

He slammed the receiver back into its cradle, his body leaning over Anne's, staying there unmoving for a while, until her uneasy stirring seemed to snap him back to reality.

"Webb ... ?" She could hardly pronounce his name, knowing suddenly, instinctively that something had happened. Something bad, that Webb didn't want to tell her about. His arms cradled her. No passion in his embrace this time, no fierce need or wanting, although he held her closely and tightly for all that.

"Annie-oh Christ, love! I think I'm going to make a habit of kidnapping you from now on! Hold tight, will you?"

"What happened? What is it?" She felt as if she screamed the words, her mind already starting to go numb in preparation for the shock he was about to deal her.

"Violet. I'm sorry, baby. She's dead." And now the numbness spread from her brain, all over her body, as she listened to words without wanting to understand them.

"They-someone broke into your apartment last night. I guess she was alone or else she surprised them. The police patrol saw the lights blazing and a broken window so they checked. They found everything torn apart, and-her."

Mercifully, he didn't give her details. Driven by morbid urge, Anne was to read those later in the newspapers. The words that Webb had left unsaid repeating themselves over and over in her head like hammer blows. "It might have been you, Anne!"

Should have been-would have been perhaps if Webb hadn't ... Why-why, dear God?

Questions screamed across her mind, over and over without the release of knowing the answers.

Violet was dead in her place. Bright so-alive Violet who had always loved life so and laughed a lot and talked too much. Violet sitting by the fire drying her hair, shaking her burnished curls loose. Don't think about it!

The doctor who gave her sedatives and shook his head over her told her that. So did Craig, pale-faced and shaken. There was an inquest-the verdict "Death by person or persons unknown." Something out of an Agatha Christie novel.

Burglars, everyone said. There had been a rash of them recently. Keep your doors and windows locked; call the police immediately if you hear any unusual sounds.

What good did all the warnings do Violet?

The funeral was quiet-very private. Violet's parents wept, and even Duncan was suspiciously red-eyed. Webb didn't go -he hadn't really known Violet. It was Craig who went with Anne, holding her arm tightly, protectively. Just as if he expected she might blurt out all her suspicions right there. "Those men! Craig, you weren't there at first. You don't know how horrible it was!"