The Olive Grove Starlet

This tale was inspired by a story prompt on another website and I want to thank the lovely young woman whom I wrote it for and who encouraged me to keep going. I should warn you that it's a long tale and it takes a fair while to get to the sex but I hope you'll find the story worthwhile and the sex exciting. Constructive Feedback is, of course, very welcome.

*****

He really needed another drink but he wasn't going to give Tony the satisfaction of putting any more money in his pocket than was absolutely necessary. At least he was no longer breaking the law by having whisky, Danny reflected as he rolled the tumbler in his hand. Prohibition may have ended a few months previously and America was in the grip of the Great Depression but in Tony Colonna's Olive Grove nightclub it was permanently 1928. Tony was still in boom time no matter how bad it was out there for ordinary folk.

While Al Capone and other mobsters had gone down, Tony remained free and on easy street. Looking around the Olive Grove, even on a quiet night like this, it wasn't hard to see why. There at a prominent table near the stage, a stupid grin on his fat face, was Mayor Holder surrounded by various business cronies of Colonna. On another table was Kanesboro's young DA whose ambitions seemed to be focused more on getting rich and powerful quickly than on upholding the law.

The law. Was that what motivated Danny Sloan? Looking out for the little guy? Justice? Maybe it had been, years ago. Now, though, it was just about getting his man. Nothing more and nothing less. He'd been trying to put Colonna away since he'd come to this damn town four years ago. He'd got close but never been able to nail him. Gradually his glittering reputation as a man to watch had eroded as each plan had failed and Tony had slipped through his net again and again. The corruptible members of his team had ended up in Tony's pockets while the incorruptible ones just ended up dead. Sometimes Danny wondered if Tony hadn't killed him too because he liked having him around to laugh at, a symbol in human form of the extent to which Tony Colonna ruled over Kanesboro.

To be honest, Danny wasn't even sure why he come tonight. Maybe it was just to show Tony that he wasn't beaten yet but more probably it was because he had nowhere else to go. He had no real friends in town, not any more, no wife, not since the 'accident' on the bridge two years back, and at least the ambience in the Olive Grove was better than the empty rooms of his house in the suburbs.

The Boss was at his usual table, a booth in the corner, near the stage and the exit in case of trouble. There were several of his business associates with him, no doubt plotting his latest scheme, and there was a smattering of broads at the table as well. The usual molls, no wives of course, either long term 'girlfriends' or some of Tony's girls there to show the guys a good time.

She wasn't there, though. That must mean she was going to be singing and dancing tonight. Danny couldn't help but feel his heart beat a little faster at that thought. She, as much as anything, kept him coming back to the Grove. Rose her name was. For the last three years she'd been Tony's girl. Everyone knew it or if they didn't they soon did, especially if they wanted to stay alive. Several men who'd looked too closely at Rose had turned up in the morgue.

Danny couldn't really blame them for wanting to get to know Rose better, nor Tony for keeping them away permanently. Rose was a knockout. Tony was married - to a cool classy Italian lady called Maria and had two kids by her. But Rose was much more than a bit on the side. She was Tony's just as much as the Olive Grove itself. He owned her lock, stock and barrel since he'd fallen for her on that very stage just a few feet away. She had a voice to die for and Southern Belle looks to go with it. Her voice was like honey and could break your heart or make it sing with joy depending on what the song called for. The Sirens weren't a patch on Rose, there was nothing you wouldn't do for her if she asked it after listening to one of her songs.

She'd been 18 when she'd first sang at the Grove and was 21 now and even more lovely. She had a sweet and innocent face in which were set the bluest of blue eyes and you wouldn't imagine that butter would melt in her mouth until she gave one of her knowing smiles or twinkled those sapphire eyes and then you could only think about what else might go between those scarlet lips. Her platinum blonde hair framed her heart-shaped face in a stylish bob.

The band was playing with an upbeat tempo that didn't match Danny's mood at all. He let it drift over him as he thought. He'd heard whisperings that all was no longer peaches and cream between Rose and Tony, that Rose wanted to try for the Big Time in New York or even Hollywood but that Tony would not hear of it. He had it good in Kanesboro and was going nowhere and if he was staying put then Rose sure as hell would be too. Maybe he could take advantage of that somehow. It would put the girl in danger of course but why the hell should that worry him?

He looked up from his whisky and there she was. Danny gripped the tumbler hard and had it not been made of glass it would have crumpled in his strong grasp. Getting close to Rose would certainly have its upsides. She was dressed the full cabaret, black sequinned one piece, stockings and suspenders above shiny black ankle boots, all of which emphasised the shapeliness and length of her pins. Her dark, smokey makeup contrasted with her pale cheeks, baby blue eyes and blonde bob on which was perched a black top hat with a face veil.

She sat on a high stool, legs together, hands on knees, her demure posture juxtaposed with her revealing outfit and the wicked playfulness of the gaze which took in the whole audience but which made every man present think was for him alone.

She sang a haunting melody about how her one true love had died in the war and each verse was a sorrowful story of her misery but the refrain suddenly turned upbeat and sexy as she sang about how she was now free to have fun and good times, all of which involved some fairly risqué dance moves and kick steps.

Everyone in the club was mesmerised, the men all transfixed, the women with jealousy at the effect she was having on their dates. Rose looked down with delight in her eyes but contempt in her heart. She was bigger than this, better than a seedy club in the mid west. She had a voice and a look for a bigger stage than anything Kanesboro had to offer. Her blue eyes scanned the room and saw nary a real man among them. Pathetic older men pawing at bored young whores, young goons trying to impress by flashing their ill-gotten cash. And there, sitting at the centre of events, if not the room, was her lover.

She sighed inwardly as she continued to sing like a wicked angel. Tony had been so exciting when they'd first got together. She was so grateful for the chance to sing and perform. It was all she had wanted, having come from a farm in Oklahoma, an early victim of the dust bowl and the Depression. An orphan, she'd migrated north and found a job at the Olive Grove. The first night Tony had seen her, he'd taken her to bed. He had been good to her and was good in bed, at least to start with, and she had flourished for a time. She hadn't wanted for anything except male company, something she'd always enjoyed.

Tony was jealous, that was the problem. He'd go crazy if a guy so much as looked at her the wrong way. Gradually she found herself being suffocated, her life reduced to the club and Tony, nothing more was allowed to her. She'd heard rumours about what had happened to one or two of her more persistent admirers but, for her own safety and sanity, had chosen to stop her ears. What she couldn't ignore was that her talent was being wasted in Kanesboro, especially when a theatrical agent from out west had given her his card after a show and told him to call him right away as he had big plans for her.

Tony had refused point blank to listen. A few weeks later she read that the agent had just turned up in a barn a few miles outside Kanesboro and that suicide was suspected, though no one was quite sure why given his successful book of clients in LA. That had frightened Rose and she'd kept quiet for a while after that, but the dream still gnawed away at her and she couldn't let it go, even though it made Tony mad. Tony never took his anger out on her, just on anyone foolish enough to get close to her.

Rose's eyes drifted away from Tony and over to the other side of the room. Angry with him, they settled on Danny Sloan. She knew a little about Danny, enough to know that Tony laughed at him and his pathetic efforts to put him behind bars. Maybe it was her frustration at her situation she was in that made her look at him more sympathetically than she would have done otherwise. He wasn't half bad looking, a little crumpled and craggy perhaps but nothing that a scrub and some decent clothes couldn't fix. He had penetrating green eyes that stared up at her and sent a little shiver of excitement down her spine for a reason she couldn't quite explain. Even the two-day stubble on his chin had a certain roguish attractiveness to it. He rolled his whisky glass between his fingers and thumb as he watched her and she couldn't help but wonder what it might feel like to be between those strong hands. Jeez girl, she thought, get a grip. He's a loser and you've no business getting involved with losers. If she was ever to get away from Kanesboro and hit the big time she'd need a better ticket than Detective Sloan.

The set continued, Rose didn't need to concentrate as she went through it on autopilot, still good enough to enthral the audience, however, and left them standing on their feet, all the men anyway. Well, nearly all of them. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance that neither Tony nor Danny had got up. Tony sat there nodding smugly, taking in the plaudits she had earned from those around him. Danny, on the other hand, just watched her thoughtfully and she suddenly felt naked, as if he could see right through her.

She headed backstage and to her dressing room. She knew that Tony would join her soon enough and it wasn't long before he did. She knew also that he'd want sex - he was always randy after one of her sets, he got off on knowing that others wanted her and only he could have her. She wasn't in the mood, however, she was too pissed off and as he began to paw at her she started to ask again about them heading to New York, to see if she could make it on Broadway.

Tony tried to brush it off and continue kissing and fondling her, but she persisted and soon they were yelling at each other. Rose was the only person, other than Maria, who could raise their voice to Tony and expect to get away with it. The row did not last long, she stormed out of her dressing room, still in her stage costume with just a fluffy white dressing gown covering it, and down the corridor, past the side of the stage and out through the side fire escape near the gents' toilets.

Danny had been relieving himself and was just coming out when he saw Rose storming out, her angelic face looking like thunder. Now was his chance, she'd be away from Tony and his goons for a few moments. A chance for what he didn't know but he knew he must take it.

He slipped through the open door, closing it behind him to throw any pursuers off the scent for a little longer and stepped into the dark alleyway behind. The dumpsters were out there and the place smelled pretty bad and was covered with stacked empty bottles and boxes. From between two dumpsters he could hear a woman sobbing.

He stepped forward. "Everything alright Miss?" He asked. He rested an arm on the corner of one of the dumpsters and looked at the beautiful young singer. She looked up and he could see her dark mascara had started to run. It only enhanced her looks, however, and Danny felt his stomach tighten with desire, something he'd not properly felt since Gloria had died.

"Oh fuck off," she said angrily. "Just fuck off all of you!" Afterwards, it always amused him that her first words to him were a curse.

"Sorry Miss," he said. "I just wanted to see if you were alright. You started out pretty fast and, if you don't mind my saying, you ain't exactly dressed for getting home."

She laughed sardonically. "Listen Mister, I could walk home buck naked in this town without a scratch, so just back off buddy." That was true. No man with his head screwed on would dare touch the woman everyone knew was Tony Colonna's property.

"It'd be cold on a night like tonight," was Danny's deadpan reply. They held each other's gaze for a moment before her indignation gave was to laughter.

"You offering to take me home?" She asked, hand on hip, perfectly sculpted fair eyebrow raised, expecting him to back off as anybody sensible would do given her association with Tony. Danny looked at her, all but pouting at him, goading him almost and felt a rush of recklessness course through him. What did he have to lose?

"Sure, if you want. My car's around the corner." They stared at each other, sizing each other up, seeing who's back down first. Rose knew she shouldn't, knew it wasn't sensible, knew it was dangerous even. Dangerous for her and for this detective in his worn overcoat and battered brown brogues. He was handsome, though, and ballsy and she wanted to do something to rattle the gilded cage Tony had constructed around her. Plus, her feet were killing her and she'd never get home in these damned heels.

"Okay buddy," she said in her southern drawl, "but no funny business, ok?" Danny nodded and together they exited the alley just seconds before Franny, one of Tony's heavies, came out to look for her.

Danny opened the door of his Model T for Rose and she climbed in like she'd seen the movie stars do on the film reels in their local movie theatre while Danny sloped round the other side and got in beside her. It wasn't far to her apartment, no more than half a dozen blocks, so there wasn't much time for talk. When they neared the handsome apartment building where Tony had put her up, she told him to pull over. He put the car in neutral and jerked up the handbrake. "I'll get out here so no one sees me with you and getting out of a strange car. It's better that way, for me and for you." She looked suddenly nervous, conscious now her anger had passed that she'd not been sensible.

Danny looked at her and noticed the silver pendant that hung from the black velvet choker around her slim pale neck. It had writing on it and Danny took it between his fingers, more gently than she'd have imagined given the size of his hands, for Danny was a big, strong guy. Noli me tangere it read. He recognised the phrase from a book of Renaissance poetry that Gloria had loved. "Do not touch me, for Ceasar's I am," he said softly and Rose's blue eyes widened in surprise. "What? Just 'cos I'm a cop it means I can't know poetry. I know what it means. He's a hard guy your boyfriend, not a good man. I know you're not happy Rose, that's none of my business. But if you're ever in trouble, you can call me and I'll protect you." He released the pendent and took out his notebook and a grubby pencil. He scribbled down a number. "Take it, memorise it and then burn it. If you ever need it, use it day or night."

Rose looked at him thoughtfully, almost disdainfully before saying, "I don't need your help Detective." Danny shrugged and nodded but noticed that she folded the note and slipped it down her corset. His eyes couldn't help but follow, taking in the swell of her pale breasts. She watched him and smiled. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek in an act of impulse. "Good night Detective, thank you for the ride."

She stepped out and Danny watched her go down the street and turn the corner, back to we world. He closed his eyes and breathed in the lingering essence of her perfume before shifting the car into gear and heading home.

* * * * *

Tony was mad. Really mad and that was not good news for anyone. He loved Rose and he wanted her to be happy, but happy on his terms. He'd done so much for her, brought her up from nothing, given her everything, a beautiful place, great clothes, expensive jewellery, an appreciative crowd every night and now she was unhappy. He knew why, God she told him enough, but what was he supposed to do? She was his - he'd made her and he wasn't going to let her just waltz out of his life at a time of her choosing to pursue some stupid ass dream of 'making it' out West or on Broadway. People didn't leave Tony Colonna, he decided when he was done with them and he wasn't done with Rose yet.

Tony's anger, however, was never uncontrolled. He'd learned early that to lose control was dangerous, to give in to emotion was weak. Rose was the only woman who made him lose his rag but he never took it out on her, just on those who got too close to her. She would know that she'd stepped over a line last night, just taking off like that. Tony appreciated that fear was the greatest weapon of the mobster. If you were good at what you did, and Tony was really good, then you rarely had to use actual violence but when you did it had to be quick and brutal. Once people knew what you were capable of, they generally tried hard to ensure that they didn't let it happen to them.

He let Rose stew, therefore. Franny was sent round about lunchtime to tell her she wouldn't be required for that night's set at the Olive Grove. The punters were disappointed to hear that Rose Peterson was unwell, none more so than Danny. He hoped that she was ok and that nothing had happened to her. He was too clever to enquire further, knew that to do so might put both him and her in more trouble. He just knew that he would be back each night until he could be sure she was safe. That's what he told himself anyway. She'd come to him for help in his dreams last night and he'd awoken with her perfume still in his nostrils and the biggest hard on he had had in months.

Rose was worried about what she'd done and the appearance of Franny, big, mean and unfriendly, only made her more concerned. Tony arrived the next morning, looking dapper in his pin striped suit and fedora. She'd never asked him how old he was, she guessed about 45 but he wore the years well. He had a hard face, dark and handsome in a classic Italian way with slick black hair and clean shaven save for a pencil moustache. He wasn't big but he had presence and dominated any room he was in. He was in her room now and he owned it just as much as he owned her.

They talked, or rather he talked and she just nodded, cowed into temporary submission by her fear. He told her how much he valued her, how much she meant to him and how disappointed he was with the way she had behaved. She'd made him angry and that upset him and he hoped she wouldn't do it again and couldn't they just put this silly Broadway idea to bed and go back to being friends.

Rose swallowed her pride, she had no choice, and afterwards they made love. It was perfunctory as it had been for months. Tony was so in awe of her beauty that he treated her like a China doll, likely to break if he played too hard. Rose wanted, needed, more but she excited him too much and it never lasted. She'd not cum with him for over a year, though she made sure he didn't know that.

As he was dressing afterwards, he told her that she could perform again tonight, as if he were doing her a great favour. With just a hint of menace in his eye and voice he added, "let's make it one of your best eh sugar, to keep me sweet." She smiled and shot back "Sure thing Boss," he liked it when she called him 'Boss', especially in the bedroom. Inside, though, her tummy twisted and she wasn't sure if it was through fear or anger.