Whisper To Me In The Dark (10 page)

Angelica desperately tried to spin Cash around so he wouldn't be facing Mr. Noble so she could plead with him with her eyes not to say or do anything to jeopardize her acting job. Unfortunately Cash dug his boots firmly into the hard ground, an immovable and an impatient force to be reckoned with.

"Where have you been? I've been waiting for nearly an hour now," Cash demanded, not caring in the least about Angelica's silent pleas.

"I said that Mr. Noble wanted a riding lesson. He's been getting dressed ..." Angelica replied demurely.

"So I suppose you've been helping him get dressed," Cash broke in.

"Don't be silly Cash. Can you please help Mr. Noble. Give him a little riding lesson?" Angelica's voice rose with her level of panic.

"Oh yes, you can bet I'll give him a lesson." Cash would teach Noble a thing or two with the way he was always chasing after Angelica. Cash detested him and this would be the perfect time to draw a line in the sand. Or the forest as the case may be.

Mr. Noble looked on nobly, for lack of a better word. He always thought himself the aristocrat and he felt this peon, Cash, owed it to him to teach him to be a better rider.

Cash offered his favorite horse, put on the saddle and taught Mr. Noble how to get on.

Angelica wondered if he had put the saddle on correctly? Hmm? Did he? Or did he not? It just didn't look right.  A quick look into Cash's eyes by Angelica quickly answered the question.

Cash propped himself against the nearest tree and proceeded to chew on a piece of grass. Mr. Noble seemed to be doing fine, riding the horse around gently in circles. Everything looked a-ok.

"Spider!" Angelica screamed as she brushed a huge black bug off the bottom of her dress.

"Oh for Pete's sake, sit down. It's a spider. Not a badger. It can't hurt you," Cash replied as he watched the spider sailing through the air. He grabbed Angelica's arm and pulled her down next to him.

"Eww. I don't want to sit on the ground. Bugs. Yuck!" Angelica replied. She was a girly girl to the core and sitting on the dirty ground was not part of the job description.

"Oh for Pete's sake what am I going to do with you?" Cash rolled his eyes and let her go.

Their conversation was interrupted by the yelps of Mr. Noble who was now on his stomach, laying sideways across the horse, which continued to spin in circles. "Help me!"

Cash looked on unconcerned. Not moving. Or even saying a word.

Angelica started to run toward Mr. Noble. Desperate to help him. More desperate not to lose her job.

"Oh well. I guess that is long enough," Cash said to himself, as he stood up, brushed off his jeans and walked slowly to the circling horse.

After Cash pulled Mr. Noble off the horse, Mr. Noble stood unsteadily, tipping forward and backwards, trying to get his equilibrium back and spluttered, "Well I never ..." and stomped off. 

Cash's only response was, "Well you can't exactly blame the women if they have to look at you."

And that was the end of that ...

Angelica stood there speechless, with her mouth hanging open, in horror at what Cash had done.

"How could you? I could lose my job? Are you insane?"

"Is that all one question? Or three separate ones?" Cash replied sarcastically. "Firstly I did because I could. Secondly I don't care if you lose your job working around that pompous jerk. Thirdly, no I'm not insane, but I'm starting to wonder if you are." With that he put the horses back into the stables and started the walk home with Angelica, as always, trailing behind him. Her mouth was moving so fast but she trailed so far behind that he actually couldn't hear what she was yelling at him and it was quite a nice change.

They strangely reached the door at the same time and Angelica was still yelling. Cash did nothing but simply pick her up like a rag doll, throw her over his shoulder and begin the walk upstairs to their apartments.

"Are you crazy? You're not a caveman! Let me down!" Angelica screamed as she kicked and struggled.

Cash plopped her down in front of her door, dug her skeleton key out of her purse for her, opened the door, gave her a gentle shove into the room and slammed the heavy wooden door behind him as he returned to his apartment for some peace and quiet.

Angelica crumpled into a ball on her bed and wept at how mean Cash could be and over the fact that she probably lost her job. And most of all that Cash would never, ever, ever love her like she loved him. She tried  so hard. She wanted it to be so perfect ...

Cash on the other hand, reclined on his bed, furious with himself for how much he craved Angelica's body, mad at himself for how mean he had been to her and most of all irritated at himself for the way his heart ached for her and how he had absolutely no control over it.

***

The evening of the costume party was glorious. Angelica was dressed in a flowing white gown that made her feel like a princess, with a stunning pearl covered mask she could hold in front of her face, leaving only a view of her enchanting eyes.

Cash looked more handsome than Angelica had ever seen him, dressed in a tuxedo she borrowed from the costume department of the theater. They'd never notice. Luckily it was one that had been made for stupid Roberto, but he was such an arrogant buffoon that she didn't care whether she got in trouble for borrowing it or not. The only person she detested as much as Rita was Roberto. If only they could get together they could rule the underworld together they were so annoying and evil. Cash refused to shave his 5 o'clock shadow but it only made him more ruggedly handsome and set off his dimples.

Angelica felt like a princess and happily beamed into the mirror. Cash was more like a caged animal, complaining about how tight the tuxedo was, how it was choking the life out of him.

"Oh don't be silly. You look handsome," Angelica bubbled.

Cash suppressed his dazzling smile. It stroked his manly ego to hear Angelica say it but he wasn't about to let her know it.

They'd arrive at the party separately. Cash was there primarily to get information on the jewelry and bank robberies. With his mask he could be mistaken for any other man in the room. Although his build was more imposing than most, he was confident that no one would recognize him with so many people.  Rita was attending the event alone but he was sure she’d glom onto Roberto anyway so that shouldn’t be a problem.

Angelica glided into the room, looking more like an Angel than ever. All eyes turned toward her. Particularly the ones attached to the big ego of Roberto. Immediately grabbing her he spun her around and asked her to dance.

Although Angelica considered him nothing more than a self important worthless jerk, she did have to admit that he danced divinely and all eyes were on the two of them as they glided around the room. She did enjoy being the center of attention - she was an actress after all. And tonight she'd put on her best performance. Determined to help Cash obtain information, she planned to schmooze each and every one of the party guests.

Roberto's hand kept sliding down to her shapely bottom and Angelica kept lifting it back up and placing it on the small of her back. What got into him she could not imagine.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," Roberto said as he yanked Angelica out the french doors that allowed for a secretive exit out the opposite side of the room.

Cash's eyes followed them, worried, as he saw her gossamer gown disappearing out the door.

Roberto settled in a comfortable chair on the patio and motioned for Angelica to sit in his lap.

Angelica's eyes bugged out, and her brow crinkled, wondering about his odd behavior. Taking the seat next to him she sighed, enamored by the beautiful night and its surroundings if not by her annoying company.

"So I hear you're a party girl. You know. A good time girl," Roberto said with a suggestive laugh.

Angelica spluttered and choked on the champagne she had just taken a sip of, "I am not a good time girl. Where in the world did you hear that?"

"I was talking to that guy. What's his name? That tall chap that always seems to be around like your shadow."

"He's my fiance's brother." Angelica bristled. "He said I'm a good time girl? He would never say that about me." Angelica was crushed that Cash would say something about her like that.

"Well maybe he didn't use those exact words. But he told me what a good time you've given him."

Angelica was speechless. How could Cash betray her like that? Is that all that he thought of her? To be bragging about his conquest to this cad? Her heart broke into a million pieces.

Well, if Cash was broadcasting it she wouldn't try to deny it.

"I was thinking you could give me a good time too," Roberto asked with a wink.

"I only do that for Cash," was Angelica's bitter response.

Roberto stuttered, "You expect me to pay you money???! Well maybe dinner and dancing but I'm not paying you."

"Cash is his name you buffoon. I'm not asking for money you pig." Angelica threw her champagne in his face and stomped out, leaving his beady eyes burning and his pride more than bruised.

Chapter 13

Meanwhile back at the party ...

"Darling, I've been looking simply everywhere for you," Rita purred as she ran her perfectly manicured hands down the front of Cash's tuxedo jacket. "Roberto, I didn't think they'd let you wear your new tuxedo tonight. We need it for a performance for next week. And take off that stupid hat. I can't see your blonde hair with it on."

Rita was under the impression that Cash was Roberto. Well, maybe if Cash didn't utter a word and kept the hat firmly on he could get some valuable information from her. She normally babbled on, endlessly entertained by her own voice so it shouldn't be too hard.

"Roberto," Rita impatiently asked, "don't you have anything to say about how stunning I look tonight?"

Cash's muffled response was a half hearted, "Mmm hmmm." Luckily the orchestra was playing so loudly she didn't notice that it was not Roberto's whiny voice but Cash's deep baritone voice that came out of his mouth.

"Come on, Roberto. You promised me more jewels last night when I lay in your arms. When is the next shipment coming in?" Rita asked impatiently, removing her black pearl covered mask with its gaudy feathers, confident that she was more gloriously beautiful without it obscuring her face.

Jewels. Shipment. Information retrieved. He should have known that that smarmy bastard Roberto was somehow involved.  It was a full minute before the light bulb went on in Cash's head and he realized another important piece of info she had shared - she was also sharing Roberto's bed. Well, what could he expect from that gold digging whore. It barely registered before he realized he needed to leave and leave now before Rita realized who she was speaking to.

"Come on Roberto, once dance, just one dance," Rita begged.

Dance? One thing he did not have any experience with was dancing. Riding horses? Fine. Handling a gun? Easy. But dancing? Damn it.

Ok it couldn't be that hard. He'd had more experience than any other man in holding a woman in his arms. It couldn't be that different than sex he supposed. The movement. The closeness. The heat.

Cash took Rita in his arms and they glided magically across the room. By the time the dance was over Rita was quivering and fanning herself, not a reaction she'd experienced before with Roberto.

As Rita fanned herself, Cash slipped away out the french doors on the side, making sure he'd be seen by no one ...

***

Cash was greeted by the normally welcome site of Angelica, in her favorite black corset, silk stockings, black high heels, and nothing else - but this time she was pacing frantically around her tiny apartment.

As soon as the heavy door shut behind him, Angelica became hysterical. "You told Roberto I was a good time girl?!" Angelica screamed, standing up to her full five foot two height, poking Cash in the chest with her pointy red fingernail.

Cash always had to suppress a laugh when Angelica was indignant and got on her high horse, especially since she barely reached his chest when she stood in front of him.

"I told him you're with me. That is all I said. I was just bragging. Just something that men do about their conquests. It's not a polite conversation that would be proper for your delicate ears. I was trying to get him to stay away from you. He's trouble. I was just trying to fight for your honor."

"You can stop the hero act. What honor exactly do I have left? And I'm not - with -  you. I'm only convenient when your carnal urges hit. Nothing - nothing more. And it's none of your business who I'm with - whether it's your brother, Mr. Noble or Roberto. I'm sure I still will be fired after the stunt you pulled with Mr. Noble."

"That's not true. It's more than that."

"So what is it then? Explain it to me."

"It is what it is. You know what it is. I know what it is. We don't owe an explanation to anyone else." Cash bit his lip so hard he was convinced he had drawn blood.

"Maybe you could explain it to me?" Angelica sat sullenly in her rocking chair, the one Mr. Noble had gifted to her, as an incentive to have an affair with him, running her fingers absentmindedly over the beautiful carved wooden arms.