So they talked. Melody made up a plausible tale of her childhood, her family, friends, schooling. Not at any time did she divulge a thing about her true identity or background. In turn, Nydessa told Melody much about her childhood, which was true, right up to the running away from home, but Dessie took care not to mention the Charmaine Shade connection. Why? Because if word ever got back to her mistress that she was spending too much time with "Satine", it could mean another murder, and Nydessa didn't want any part of that.
Instead, she intended to make up stories about Satine, tell Charmaine whatever that would be believed. It would keep Satine safe, and Nydessa could, when the time came, finally break free of Charmaine's grasp. Honestly, Dessie thought, Charmaine can be so possessive, and she might have that awful Jake spy on me...Might as well forget this new love...
But Nydessa couldn't get over the sudden attraction to the lovely brunette sitting across from her, holding her hand, staring into her big brown eyes. Satine's lilting Southern accent was like pure music to Nydessa, so unlike Charmaine's deep, sharply commanding voice.
"So," said Satine, "you ran away from home at 15, then lived on the streets...Where do you live now?"
Nydessa didn't see this one coming. No way would she say she lived with Charmaine Shade, and that said home wsa actually a secret chamber under Cosmic Chaos. "Uh," Dessie replied, "I have a tiny apartment not far from here. It's OK, kind of cramped, but it's home."
Why did I have to lie like that?, thought Nydessa. To be sure, when Satine takes me "home" she might find out I don't live there...and she may hate me...
Pushing those negative thoughts from her mind, Dessie suggested that Satine, "Drop me off at the door. I'll be OK."
°°°°°°
"Nydessa, did you find out anything about the new girl?"
Charmaine, resplendent in a tight shiny red lamé minidress, sat across from her lover at the breakfast table. She didn't like the way Nydessa picked at her food, so she pressed the girl to report whatever information concerning Satine Noire. Also, something about the girl didn't set too well with Charmaine, for she noticed that Nydessa was unusally quiet this morning. It's simply not keeping with the girl's nature; so many mornings Nydessa would chatter on and on about this and that. But this morning, Dessie seemed to clam up. Perhaps she has information on Satine, and she is keeping it from her mistress. Charmaine, not a woman who relishes disloyalty from anyone who aligns with her, suspected Nydessa might entertain the notion of leaving. No! Never would Charmaine allow such a thing – unless Nydessa wanted to leave feet first. No one ever walked out on Charmaine Shade and lived.
"I asked you again, Nydessa," Charmaine commanded, this time growing rather impatient. "Did you find out anything?"
Nydessa, shifting uncomfortably but trying to keep her cool, gathered her thoughts. She wanted the lies to stick, make Charmaine believe Satine is not a Metacorps spy. She couldn't risk another young woman end up as another notch on Charmaine's long belt of murder and mayhem. And especially not this one. She and Satine became more acquainted last night, and Nydessa hoped to see more of her this evening. So she made up a few tales she hoped Charmaine would believe.
"Charmaine," she finally said, after putting her fork down, "I did get to talk to her last night, but everything was so rushed. It was her first night..."
Charmaine was adamant. "You didn't come home until after midnight, Nydessa. Did you spend much time with this woman? Tell me the truth."
Now Nydessa knew she shouldn't hedge or else Charmaine would catch her in a lie. So she offered this: "I did manage to talk to her after the show. We went out for coffee, and she told me she was new in town. She said she was from Florida, and that she left there because she couldn't stand the hurricane season...She lost everything during the last storm, so she packed up what was left and moved out."
"And?," Charmaine asked, "Did she say anything else, any little detail that may give her away?"
"Oh no, ma'am. Satine said her real name is Brenda Webb. Satine is a stage name. Her folks still live in Boca Raton, and she has a married sister in Louisville. And she had a dog named Sky, but he died in the storm. Then she told me where she went to school and that she was taking pre-law but dropped out because she couldn't afford the tuition."
Charmaine nodded, steepling her fingers and narrowing her eyes. Did Nydessa tell the truth? Well, if this Satine is indeed a Metacorps spy then she certainly covered her bases. She could've made up anything a naive girl like Nydessa woulds wholeheartedly believe.
Finally she said, "I believe you, Nydessa. However, I still want you to stay close to this woman. The least slipup could give her away. Anything she says or does that is the least out of the ordinary, I want you to report to me at once."
°°°°°°
After Nydessa left – the girl made up some excuse to go shopping – Charmaine began to put Phase II of her "Dark Horse" plan into motion. Already, Ray Marsh's polls showed an unprecedented gain, with more than 75% of the voters in his district firmly committed to him. A wide, comfortable margin, and the incumbant, Jim Jacobs, still couldn't figure out how Marsh managed to surpass him in the polls. But, as the Jacobs camp said to reporters, the election is a couple of weeks away – anything can happen in that short time span. The voters, although overwhelmingly favoring Marsh over Jacobs, had yet to cast their ballots. Minds can be changed within the span of two weeks, and Jacobs was assured that the tide would turn.
Fools, Charmaine thought with a wicked grin as she watched Jacobs' campaign manager try to come up with a plausible reason why his man all the sudden was no longer the hands-on favorite.
Well, once Ray is elected and sworn in, his loyalty to Chamaine will be put to the test. Already Charmaine had her agenda all mapped out – so many issues dear to her heart could be written into law courtesy of the new state senator of District 6.
So who was Charmaine Shade? Why and how did she become such a thorn in Metacorps' side? Only she could answer those questions, and she wasn't about to divulge much about her past. As she savored another cup of coffee, Charmaine waxed nostalgic over her childhood, a charmed life with her equally imperious mother. How awful that her father was not the man he claimed to be. He was always into this and that, never succeeding at whatever endeavor he had hoped would bring in much money. Actually it was Charmaine's mother who held the strings of the moneybags – She was already independently wealthy thanks to a well-heeled grandfather. But Charmaine's father...
She didn't know much about her father, and only from what her mother could tell her. To Charmaine, Daddy was a freelance worker, an independent contractor, taking on individual assignments. All she remembered was Daddy dying mysteriously; her mother said Daddy died in a tragic accident and they never found the body. Actually, Charmaine was never that close to her father; it was her mother to whom she owed much of her own success and busines savvy.
Mother could have married again, but she carried on an affair with that...And she actually loved him? How? He was so absentminded and flightly. Oh, he was brilliant in his own way, but not the type of man I visualized my mother spending the rest of her life with.
Charmaine tried to remember a few happier moments from her childhood. There was a little girl she sat next to in kindergarten and first grade with whom Charmaine got along well. They were inseparable during school hours, but they never played much outside the classroom. She couldn't understand that, although the girl did come to her sixth birthday party and Charmaine reciprocated. Now what was that child's name? Charmaine wracked her brain as the girl's name was on the tip of her tongue. All she knew was that the girl's parents and her mother never quite got along, and Charmaine always wondered why. It wasn't until Charmaine turned sixteen that her mother finally divulged just who that "best friend' was.
"Starr! Melody Starr!," Charmaine exclaimed out loud. "Her mother, Mary, invented 'Dark Horse', and her father, William, did contract work for the government. I remember when her grandmother came to class that morning...Her parents, murdered in cold blood."
Could 'Satine' actually be the legendary Melody Starr, Metacorps' top agent? But at last report, Melody was on assignment overseas. No way could she be in two places at once. Besides, via my contacts, Melody is on the verge of quitting Metacorps. Yes, she's to be married soon, and her intended husband is not too comfortable with his bride-to-be as a secret agent for hire. Too dangerous...and Melody, if she defies her fiancé, could go the way of her mother.
°°°°°°
Once again, Cosmic Chaos was packed. Saturdays were always CC's best nights, and tonight's attendance was a record setter. And look here! All these pretty, well dressed, hip young people sporting "Our Man Ray" buttons, collecting last minute campaign contributions, and urging their peers to "Turn out the vote!"
Audra, busily overseeing the club's business in the absence of its owner, almost didn't see the handsome young man sitting all alone at the bar nursing a warm beer. She glanced over at him and, taking pity, brought over a fresh cold brew.
"On the house, pal," she said with a smile. "Hey, most folks here are all smiles and happy. You look like you've just lost your best friend."
The man thanked Audra for the drink then briefly explained why he was so in the dumps. "My girl and I are splitting up."
"Aww," said Audra sympathetically, "that's too bad. There are some really nice girls here. Maybe you'll get lucky tonight."
He stared into space, just saying, "Yeah, lucky." Then, "Say, you know that new singer you guys hired last night."
Audra's eyes lit up. "Satine? She's a real looker, and can she belt out a song. I think half the crowd is here just to see and hear her. She's getting to be quite popular."
The young man said nothing more other that thanking Audra again for the free beer. Actually, he wanted to wait around for the show, check out "Satine" or whatever she calls herself these days. But he decided to finish his beer then split. There was no need to hang around here anymore.
At that moment, Ray Marsh came down from his office to check out tonight's crowd, which pleased him to no end. Already assured of clinching the election, Ray made it a point to visit Charmaine during Drowning Freedom's first set. But he wanted to see the band's new, sensational lead singer. According to Audra, it was Satine's sexy first performance last night that drew even more patrons to the club.
Too bad Ray missed that last night, so he had every intention to stick around for Cosmic Chaos' newest star attraction. And, if she is as good as Audra said, Satine may prove to be the most useful tool in Ray's campaign arsenal. Maybe, if Ray approached her right, he could persuade Satine Noire to sing at an upcoming election eve rally, not that Ray needed to garner any more support. But with a dynamite performer of Satine's caliber, and the already loyal fan base she generated in just one night, Ray would literally bury Jim Jacobs. A landslide victory, and all Ray needed was to rig the sound system with a tiny dose of 'Dark Horse'. He would have to clear it with Charmaine, but certainly she wouldn't mind agreeing to this little extra boost.
Ray stopped momentarily at the bar trying to catch Audra's eye when he spotted the lone young man. In an instant Ray recognized this man then, making his way to the end of the bar, politely initiated a conversation.
"Kent Phillips?," Ray said, his hand extended. "I thought it was you.
Ray Marsh."
Kent looked up, immediately recognizing Ray from a past job. Some months ago, Kent took on a long-term assignment working on Cosmic Chaos' website. So impressed Ray was with Kent's work that he promised, "If there is anything I can do for you business-wise."
Kent almost forgot that promise, but tonight, especially since discovering "Satine Noire" was his soon to be ex-girlfriend, he wanted to hold Ray to his end of that bargain.
It was, to Kent, not all that hopeless with Melody. After last night's eye-opening excursion here, Kent wanted to go backstage, hoping to reason with Melody. But she, according to Audra, had already left the club with a fan.
Some fan, Kent thought bitterly. I bet that person was one of Melody's contacts...If only I could talk to her tonight, between sets, then I could argue my case, get her to realize all this secret agent stuff is too dangerous. She could get killed. What kind of life is that for a wife and mother? Surely she doesn't want our children caught in the middle of...
"Uh, Mr. Marsh. How are you?" Kent temporarily forgot his troubles and shook Ray's hand. "All the best in the election, sir."
"Thanks," said a grateful Ray who wondered why a guy like Kenton Phillips would ever dare come to Cosmic Chaos. At the time of the doing CC's website, Kent made it clear that the club scene was not his usual bag, that he preferred classy jazz clubs to raucous rock-n-roll.
But tonight was different, at least for Kent who asked Ray a favor, reminding the man who would be senator of that promise made months ago.
"Sure," said Ray, waving for Audra to refill Kent's drink, on the house of course. "I think I can arrange for you to meet Satine." Then he added, with a sly, playful wink, "If you two do hit it off, just don't try to talk her out of her job here. I don't want you marrying my best PR tactic yet."
Kent laughed, feeling a bit better, then thanked Ray for the advice and permission to go backstage after the show.
"She's quite a looker," Kent said before quaffing his third beer, "I think we'll get along famously."
°°°°°°
He waited until the end of the show, and hated to confront her over something so trivial. But that dynamic lady in the skintight black leather catsuit on the stage was no rocker – That was HIS girlfriend serenading the crowd, bumping and grinding to the amorous delight of many a red-blooded young male. Of course Kent didn't want to risk blowing Melody's cover, so he posed as "just another fan" when one of the band members asked why he was backstage.
"I did some work for Mr. Marsh – designed the club's website – so he said it was OK for me to come back here to meet Satine."
"OK," said Rodney, DF's bassist, nodding towards Satine's dressing room, "but she already has someone in there. Another fan, really, but I don't think she'd mind more admirers." With a smile and wink Rodney went off to join the other band members for a late night supper.
Kent wondered what the wink was all about, but shrugged and strolled up to the door. He started to knock but stopped when he heard voices from the inside. One he knew – Melody – the other was female and sounded young. Leaning close to listen, Kent tried to catch snatches of conversation.
"Satine, I don't know what I'm gonna do."
"Don't worry, Nydessa. You're safe with me...here, dry your eyes. It'll be all right."
"But...But, what if she finds out? I don't want to go back to her. I can't, but I owe so much to her–"
"You owe her nothing, Dessie. Now, why don't you sit down, relax, while I get changed. We can go out for coffee later.."
"I'd rather go to your place."
Huh? Did Kent hear this right? This girl, Nydessa, obviously has lover troubles, and Melody is consoling her. Wonder if Dessie knows something about the drug ring Melody's checking out. Wonder if she's Melody's contact...But why did she ask Melody she wants to go to her place? Is she in any danger?
Edging the door open just a bit for a better look but not wanting to be detected, Kent could see Melody and the other young woman. She was young, blonde, quite pretty, and she was crying. Melody handed Nydessa a tissue and gently reassured the girl no harm would come to her.
Suddenly, Nydessa, in the throes of her own conflictiing emotions, grabbed Melody around the waist. Drawing Melody closer, Dessie kissed her full on the mouth, and Melody did nothing to resist. Instead, she responded with eager passion and hunger. Both women abandoned all resistance and took the kiss to more passionate, more physical levels. There was much groping, tonguing, caressing, fondling. Dessie's hands slid over Melody's leather-clad body, while Melody reached for Nydessa's rounded bottom, gently squeezing and kneading it.
Kent stood there almost sickened and dumbfounded. Why? Why was she doing this? This is not "job-related", for she's enjoying it too much. So that's why she wants out! Because she doesn't want me, she wants to make out with women. She's...She never told me she was lesbian...
Damn it, Melody! Why and how could you do this to me?!
Kent Phillips, now fully enraged at what he just witnessed, quickly turned and left. Once he exited the building, he had half a mind to call Metacorps, leave a message on Melody's voice mail. But that was no good – He had already left tons of messages this week but got no replies.
No, there are other ways to get back at her, and I will find out just how. Melody will rue the day she doublecrossed me. Just give me some time...
To be continued...Go to chapter 6
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