The Olive Grove Starlet

Slowly, for the rest of that long day, her mind worked through the awkward situation in which she found herself and how she might escape. For the first time she began to think not about Kanesboro as a stepping stone to the Big Time with Tony's help but as a prison from which she needed to escape. She'd always hoped she'd be able to persuade Tony but his patience was wearing thin. Sure, he still wanted her, still found her attractive, but what if he didn't? What then? He'd cut her show for the first time last night, just like that. He had total power over her, total control. If he tired of her and she became a burden? Well, Tony Colonna's burdens didn't tend to hang around long. Tony dealt with problems quickly and efficiently and Rose had no wish to be taken care of.

Her options, though, were limited. She couldn't just take off. Tony wouldn't stand for that. Sure, if she were already a star in Hollywood or Broadway he couldn't touch her but long before that happened she'd end up at the bottom of the East River, just another failed singer in New York who nobody knew and nobody missed. She couldn't go back home, she had no home and no family to go to. She didn't have the gumption to kill Tony, she wasn't a violent person. Besides, if she did then she'd never get out alive from the Colonna Gang's vengeance. No, she had somehow to bring Tony down, to get him behind bars or the electric chair. She didn't want him dead, she didn't hate him even though she knew he was a bad guy but she wanted him out of her life and to be free of him.

The problem there, though, was that Tony had the entire town and county locked up. The mayor, the congressmen, the DA and half the city cops were all in Tony's debt or on his payroll. That left Danny. The only official of any standing not compromised by the Colonna Family. She was sitting in her dressing room now, half in her costume, the make-up stylist Tony had hired for her and her dancers, applying the dramatic make up to her flawless skin. The problem with Danny, of course, was that he was powerless. he'd made virtually no headway with Tony in the years since he'd come to Kanesboro and whenever he did, Tony would ensure that any avenues of investigation were closed off. Rose had gathered as much from the snippets of conversation that she had picked up. It would be a huge risk, linking up with Danny, but it might be her only chance. She knew he'd jump at the opportunity to get Tony, plus she knew from the way he'd looked at her the other night that he fancied her. A girl always knows and a girl as hot as Rose was always right. She could use that to her advantage and, well, he wasn't a bad looking guy and looked like he knew his way around a woman. With her on the inside then maybe he'd finally be able to nail Tony and then she'd be free. She knew that with her looks and talent she'd make it, she was sure of it, she just had to bust out of the prison that Tony had built for her.

When the makeup artist left for a few moments, Rose took an eyeliner pencil and a napkin and scribbled something down, leaving a big red kiss on the napkin. She folded it and slipped it under the book she was reading in front of the mirror. She slipped out a few minutes before the set was due to start and over to the bar. She was relieved that it was Harry on duty tonight. He was sweet on her and would do anything she asked. She switched on the full beam of her charm as she leaned over the bar. Harry couldn't help but lock his eyes on her impressive assets, squeezed into a white one piece. She stood on tiptoes in her ballet shoes as she smiled and raised Harry's chin with her finger to ensure he looked in her eyes.

"Harry darling?" She asked sweetly, "Could you do me a tremendous favour?" She looked down and bit her lip then back up again. "You see, little Susie in the chorus, you know the mousy one? Well, she has a hankering for that Detective Sloan. Yeah, the one who keeps trying to nail the Boss. I told her the Boss wouldn't like it but she says she doesn't mind and she's not important enough for anyone to worry what she gets up with. She's as shy as a baby fawn and so I promised to help her. " She slipped the napkin over to Harry. "When the Detective comes in, you make sure he gets his usual whisky and this little note from her." She placed her hand over his and could almost feel him shudder in pleasure as she did. She smiled her most mischievous smile. "And Harry? No peeking at it ok? You promise?" Harry grinned, seemingly pleased to be taken into the conspiracy.

"Sure thing, Miss Rose, no problem. I promise," he told her. Rose smiled to herself and leans over to kiss Harry on the cheek. "Thanks Harry," she whispered, "I knew I could rely on you." She sauntered off, her plan put into operation. She now just had to wait.

Danny wasn't really sure why he came back that night. He knew it was torture him going each night, wallowing in the depth of his defeat. He wanted to see her, though. That was the truth wasn't it? He wanted to know she was safe but he also just wanted to see her. It gave him a stupid sense of pleasure and achievement that he'd managed to have a few moments alone with Tony Colonna's woman without the bastard knowing about it. Danny still hadn't shaved and the four days of stubble was certainly noticeable now. He'd have to shave in the morning, he supposed, or else his chief would haul him in again for a lecture about standards.

He sat at the table, his usual table near the gents, and gestured to one of the waitresses, ordering a whisky as usual. She returned a few minutes later with a glass and a napkin underneath as normal. There was no bill, however. He frowned. "No bill?" The waitress winked conspiratorially.

"No sir, Harry said that a lady paid for it," she replied and nodded at the napkin. Danny frowned. A lady? Rose? It couldn't be anyone else surely. He felt his heart beating faster, though for what exact reason he couldn't put his finger on. Picking up the tumbler, he opened the napkin, his hands shaking a little. There on the white fabric was a red lipstick kiss and the words, in a pretty scrawl, "Thanks for the help Detective. It's cold out so maybe this will help warm you up. R." Danny carefully folded the napkin and placed it in his pocket. What did it mean? It wasn't a cry for help, that wasn't the way or place to deliver that but it was contact and that had a thousand possibilities. He was running a few through his mind when the music struck up and she appeared. Everything else fell from his mind.

* * * * *

She owned the stage. Tony might own everything else that she had but when she was on the stage she was in control. Every move of her body, every raise of an eyebrow, move of a hip, crook of a finger, every note that came out clear as a bell from that perfect throat was designed to give her complete mastery of the stage, the room and everything in it with a dick and a pulse. It made her so horny, every time she sang, knowing she had them all in the palm of her hand. Tony knew that, of course, which was why he came backstage so often. Even with all that assistance, she thought bitterly, he still couldn't make her cum and she had to finish herself off after he'd shot his load, zipped up his pants and fucked off back to his seat. Tonight, she was dressed in a white one-piece, a frilly skirt that left acres of uncovered thigh and calf down to her ballet pumps. On her head and in her hands were big ostrich feathers, that she used, in the first upbeat number, to cover and uncover her torso in provocative ways. She sang in a breathless voice about God alone knew what, it didn't matter to Danny or any of the other guys in the joint. All that mattered was that she was singing and if she was singing they were buying.

Danny tried to concentrate, to shake images of him and Rose in bed, in a field, anywhere and any way in fact. He needed to focus, to think about how to proceed. She'd made first contact but was she just sending out feelers or did she have something more concrete in mind? He found out at the end of the set. Rose launched into a new song, different to her normal routine. She introduced it as a great new song that she wanted to share.

It was a haunting ballad telling the story of a princess in a land far away, held in bondage by an evil tyrant. Every night the princess sat on her balcony in the fading glow of the warm desert sun and sang of her sorrow and hope that a knight would comeback free the kingdom and rescue her. Rose invested the song with every trick of emotion she had in an effort to convey the deeper message to Danny in whose direction she sang some of the most poignant moments and people in the club could have sworn there were tears shimmering in those crystal blue eyes.

Danny got the message. She was clever, he gave her that. Hidden in plain sight she was betraying Tony and offering Danny the opportunity he'd been waiting for so long. He now had two tasks ahead of him. He needed a way of getting a message to her and then he had to find out what she wanted from him and how he could give it to her.

Rose watched him from the stage as she launched into her final encore. She saw him take out the napkin and write on it and she knew he had understood. He walked to the bar and smiled at Harry. "Hey Harry," he said softly. "Could you make sure this gets back to the lady." Harry gave a broad grin. "Sure thing Danny," he paused. "Susie's quite the girl," he added. Danny didn't know what or who the barman was talking about but he was too sharp to give that away. Instead he smirked back. "Yeah, she sure is Harry." With that Danny left the Olive Grove.

Rose knew that she had to intercept the note. It was risky, this whole thing was, but this was probably the easiest part, for Harry was sweet on her and not exactly the sharpest tool in the box. Fortunately, Tony had not shown up tonight, still punishing her for being out of line, so she didn't have to worry about a post-set fuck. She changed quickly into a long black dress, black bonnet with a silk ribbon and jewelled flower and fur coat, and headed out to the bar.

She was too subtle to ask straight out. Instead she ordered a Gin Rickey and chatted withstand couple of punters eager to get their chance to be up close with the star of the show even if they knew well enough not to try to get too close. She smiled at Harry. "Busy tonight?"

"Always is when you're doing a show Rose," he shrugged. She waited as the thought percolated through his mind as she hoped it would. "Hey Rose?" She looked up at him from under her long lashes.

"Yes?"

"You know earlier, Susie and the note?" She nodded casually, her heart thumping in her chest.

"He gave me something for her but I'll never get it to her before she heads home what with all this custom. Would you..." he trailed off, hoping she'd jump in. She paused, long enough not to seem too eager.

"Sure Harry, hand it over," she extended an elegant black-gloved hand, decorated by a diamond bracelet at the wrist that Tony had bought for their one-year anniversary. "But you owe me one, I don't know how we've ended up playing Cupid for one of my chorus girls. It's supposed to be the other way around, am I right?" Harry and a couple of guys at the bar grinned their agreement, slightly nervously, always conscious of Tony's pathological jealousy.

Rose didn't stay much longer but retreated to her dressing room and opened the napkin. "Lexington Avenue for a ride home." Nothing else to identify him by, though the note was incriminating enough were it to fall in the wrong hands. Taking out her lighter she burnt it before reaching for a cigarette with trembling hands. She lit it and took a long drag through the ivory holder which was another present from Tony. Shit, why did everything she have remind her of him and how much he controlled her life?

This was it, then. The moment of decision. Was she going to step outside Tony's protection, his cage and brace the consequences or would she shrink back in fear. She let the smoke play in her mouth for a moment before blowing it up and out. Hell, she'd never let fear get in her way before and she wasn't going to let it stop her from getting her shot at the Big Time now. She'd find a way to give Danny what he needed to get Tony out of the way and if she had a little fun with the handsome cop along the way, what was the harm?

She stepped out of the club, dismissing her driver despite his protestations about the cold and walked down the street. Lexington was two blocks away, her apartment only another three. She still had a chance to back out. Danny sat in the car and watched her on the corner, 30 or so feet away, under a street lamp, almost shrouded in mist that was billowing about her. He saw her take another drag from her cigarette holder and then, flicking the cigarette aside in a gesture of decision, she moved into the shadows towards his car, opened the door and slipped in beside him. He couldn't help but admire the way she walked, like sin gliding down the street.

Nothing was said for a moment, then she turned her pretty blonde head and he saw the determination in the strong jaw. "I know you want Tony behind bars. I want that too. What do you need me to do?" There it was, out there. No beating around the bush. Danny's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Why? He's been good to you Rose," he suggested. She looked at him, deep into his sea green eyes.

"What does it matter to you? My business is my own," she told him. Then she shrugged, her elegant shoulders rising and falling underneath her fur coat. "Sure, he's given me a lot, I ain't dumb but I don't have to accept only what a man has to offer me. I don't have to live by his rules, his limits. I'm in a cage Detective and only you've got the key," her tone changed from defiance to persuasion and Danny felt the force of her charm as she smiled at him. "I'll give you what you need," she breathed, the double meaning hanging in the air between them, one long, delicate finger, with scarlet-painted nail gently coming to rest on Danny's knee. He could feel his body react, his heartbeat quickening, his manhood stiffening, as she added in a husky tone. "Whatever you need Detective, you tell me and you'll get it."

Danny realised he was holding his breath and tried to let it go without noticing. Rose noticed, of course she did, attuned as she was to the effect that she had on men. He looked at her, her expression hard to make out in the dark. God, he wanted to kiss her, his body told him. Concentrate, his mind shot back. Careful. There was something different about her tonight but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"You'll need to start a new regime of walking home each night after the set.," he said. "They need to get used to it so things don't seem suspicious. I'll wait here each night, you got anything you think of as suspicious you can get in and tell me. I don't know what I'm after at the moment. What I need is for you to keep your eyes and ears open. Anything suspicious you hear, you let me know and we can go from there. You gotta be patient, you understand?" He said firmly and she nodded. "This ain't going to happen overnight. These things take time." She smiled lasciviously, conscious that she was still horny and unsatisfied from the show.

"I like a man who takes his time," she interjected. Danny bit back a retort, though his cock gave a little twitch in his pants at the thought.

"And you mustn't change your habits, stay as normal as possible to attract the least suspicion. Got it?"

"I got it," she replied definitely and Danny was relieved at how calmly and quickly she seemed to process this. She shifted in her seat and her coat opened a little further. His gaze naturally moved over the creamy flesh now exposed and he realised what was different. The pendent was gone. Almost unthinkingly he reached out and touched the bare skin just below her neck.

She smiled at him in the dark. "I took it off when I left the club," she explained. "I belong to no one," she whispered

"No one?" He asked, his fingers moving over her sternum almost of their own accord. She watched him, enchanted by her, and smiled to herself.

"No one," she said, raising her own hand and placing it over his, bringing his movement to a halt. He looked at her and blushed, the first time remembered doing that since trying to ask out Betsy Collins in the 4th grade. He saw her pink tongue emerge for a moment and swipe over her red lips before disappearing again and he felt like a mouse must feel between the paws of a tabby. Slowly she moved his hand downward, over the swell of her left breast and Danny could trace the wiring of her bra under his fingertips and the smooth fabric of her black dress. He wanted to stay there, to have that sensation fill his hand again. A stab of guilt went through him at the thought that Rose's breast felt so much firmer and springier than his wife's ever had, even when he'd first known her.

She leaned over her seat until she just inches from his face and whispered, "I go where I please," and closed the gap between them, her soft, painted lips pressing against his. He pushed back and she was gratified by the skill and strength of his reaction. He knew how to kiss, she'd give him that. Firm but tender, neither too dry nor slobbering, one that lingered long enough to let her know there was more to come. A kiss with promise. She sensed his fingers tighten involuntarily over her breast and she liked that too. This man wouldn't treat her like glass she guessed. She gave a low, wicked chuckle as they slowly broke the kiss, looking into each other's eyes as she gently removed his hand and placed it back in his lap, allowing her own slim fingers to brush over the outline of his manhood which had started to stretch the fabric of his pants. Rose could feel her own excitement starting to pool between her thighs and just for a moment she thought about taking him between her legs then and there, to satisfy her craving and to seal the deal of their partnership. She decided against it, though. She wasn't going to give away the farm yet - a woman like Rose, and in her position, needed to husband her considerable assists carefully to ensure maximum return on them. She didn't yet feel anything for Danny beyond someone who could help her. No, she thought instead of the trusty candlestick at home that would get her through the slightly confusing sensations that this handsome but world-weary detective had stirred in her.

Once again, they drove to the drop off point in silence but Rose kept one gloved hand on Danny's knee the whole way and his erection never wavered. "Thank you, detective," she murmured as she got out, knowing his eyes were glued to her ass. She could almost feel them burning a hole in her dress and panties. "We'll be in touch." She turned, grinned at him as she caught him staring and blew him a kiss.

As she walked off Danny groaned, watching her move and trying to ensure that his tongue wasn't hanging out like a dog's. He couldn't help himself but unzip his pants and grab his cock. It was already slick with his arousal and he leant back as he stroked himself, imagining what it would feel like to have those gloves wrapped around his dick, those lips pursed around it and her pussy clamped around it. Eyes closed he could all but taste it. He'd not been this turned on since his wife died. Hell, who was he kidding? As much as he loved Gloria, Rose was on a different planet in terms of allure. He clawed at the air as if holding her head between his legs and could feel his orgasm advancing. In panic he reached for his handkerchief and just caught it in time as he spurred into the cotton cloth. He breathed deeply several times, ashamed of what he'd just allowed himself to do. Never get emotionally involved in a case, his first beat partner had told him in Brooklyn. Lust and hatred were powerful emotions, he knew. This was a dangerous game he was playing.