******
"Melody?," said the soft voice on the other side of the door. "Melody? I have to talk to you."
Nydessa... With less than fifteen minutes to show time, Melody cautiously opened the dressing room door. Peering about, searching for any sign of Charmaine's spies, she allowed Dessie entry. "Well," said Melody after greeting her new lover with a kiss, "did you do as I requested?" She tried hard not to lose her common sense and ravish the girl on the spot, and Nydessa did look rather hot in her tight black leather pants and matching halter top. The girl's abundant blonde hair was swept up in a stylish French twist. The clear Lucite spiked-heel shoes with the three-inch platforms added an air of danger with a touch of kinkiness. Nydessa returned the kiss then replied, "Easier than I thought. Ray wasn't in his office, Audra was no where to be found, so I just slipped in and switched the disks. I heard from Jake that Ray put the 'new' disk in the central AV operating system this evening...Something about 'A triple dose'..."
She was silenced by Melody's passionate kiss, and Nydessa was all too
eager to respond. Sliding her hands over Melody's satin-clad body, Nydessa
pressed her body to Melody's; her tongue instantly and hungrily entered the
older woman's mouth. She had never been with a more sexy, dynamic woman before;
not even Charmaine could compare with Melody. For those few fleeting, stolen
moments, Nydessa allowed herself to become engulfed in Melody's ardor.
"I can't
help it," she said breathlessly, her tongue grazing Melody's café au lait
neck, her leather-clad pelvis grinding against Melody's. Melody responded with a
deep backbend against the couch's arm. Guiding Nydessa to the couch, Melody
continued kissing and caressing the girl, sending Dessie into frantic, frenzied
fits of squirming passion. Nydessa wriggled and thrust her pelvis against
Melody, wanting that reassuring physical contact. Breathing in Melody's heady
scent, Dessie racked her hands over her lover's spandex-clad butt, reveling in
the way the tight fabric hugged the woman's firm, rounded bottom. Melody
swiveled and thrust against Nydessa, bringing the girl to a quick orgasm.
"Oh
God, I love you," Nydessa whispered in the throes of climax. When Nydessa said
that, Melody, caught up in her own passion, wedged her hand under the girl's
open leather pants, inching her fingers to the panties then to the "magic
button." Nydessa nearly squealed with delight, squeezing Melody's rounded
bottom, sucking that lady's earlobes. A quickie in the dressing room...
"Hey
Satine! We got three minutes to show time! C'mon! Hurry up in there!" Talk about
a show stopper. The insistent pounding on the door followed by drummer Tyree's
booming voice caused the girls to abruptly, and reluctantly, end their
lovemaking session.
Releasing Nydessa, Melody said, "Oh joy. And just at the good part."
At this Nydessa giggled, saying breathlessly, "I know, I know...Maybe after,
when you arrest Charmaine and all is well, we can continue..."
"Yeah, once this case is over," replied Melody, "you can come home with me – for
good."
Nydessa smiled but grimaced inside. No way could she give away that "leading Melody to Charmaine's lair" was all a trap. And Nydessa worried so much about what may transpire once Melody found herself in Charmaine's clutches. She had no idea what her mistress had planned for her new lover, and it pained her to come to close to losing someone who actually cared for her as a person, not as someone to be used and toyed with. OK, so our session was interrupted, but I can still play my trump card. Once Charmaine has Melody, I can play along with her, and I have to find a way to prevent what I know will be Melody's tragic, painful end...
******
"So where were you? It's really getting crazy here and you go off and leave–"
"Shut up, Ray! I had an unexpected emergency, OK?"
Audra was not too pleased when she saw Ray standing at the crowded bar. It was less than a minute to show time and the club was packed to the brim. Standing room only, and Ray could thank his lucky stars that victory was his. With the election only two weeks away, he only needed a little boost with the voters. So he procured from Charmaine another Dark Horse program, this time more potent than the previous. The club had gained so many new patrons, and that meant potential new voters who would cast their ballots for him. He had just come from his upstairs office after inserting that disk in the computer that controlled Cosmic Chaos' AV system. Wow, a triple dose of subliminals. But Audra...
She had to desert him at the worst possible time. Whatever this "family emergency" was, it had better be worth the time spent away. Audra never elaborated, so Ray forgave her since this was a minor offence. Once he was firmly ensconced in the state senate, Ray had every intention of selling his club, and NOT to Audra. Not that Audra wasn't an able business partner, but Ray felt she was too wrapped up in her radical "Rainbow Club" politics to give the club her full attention. Ray had no idea to who to sell it. Maybe that Kent guy would be interested, maybe not. Why not one of the band members? But none of them seem to possess business savvy. Now Satine, a woman with a gutsy style, could be persuaded to become Cosmic Chaos' new manager. And no way would he sell the club to Charmaine. She had served her purpose and, once he's elected, it's farewell, and he wasn't about to become her puppet. He'd tell her that after the election.
Satine... There was something utterly compelling about her. Ray didn't know much about her other than what Nydessa told Audra, but what did it matter? With Satine fronting Drowning Freedom, and her easy rapport with the audience, Ray could be looking at a landslide victory, maybe a total sweep over Jim Jacobs. That triple dose of the subliminals, this packed house, and Satine treating the audience to her sexy moves and ways with a song, will insure that easy win.
Audra stood behind the bar, glancing every now and then at Ray's smugly smiling face. If he only knew how much damage his thirst for ambition inflicted. She was not about to tell him the latest: That Kent Phillips was now locked away somewhere in Charmaine's underground lair, and that Ms. Shade knows Satine Noire's true identity. Audra, not one of Charmaine's biggest fans, and thoroughly disgusted how Ray threw away any vestige of human dignity, feared for Satine's safety. She knew the woman would soon walk in on a trap, and her ex-fiancé was moments away from certain death. Charmaine isn't one to let loose ends go by the wayside; she'll take care of both Melody and Kent the same way as Taylor. Oh yes, Audra knew of the former Metacorps agent's demise straight from Nydessa's mouth after confronted by the girl moments before she returned to her post at the bar. Audra's excuse of "unexpected business" was NO excuse, and she hoped she did the right thing before Charmaine went on another murderous rampage.
******
"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Cosmic Chaos presents Drowning Freedom, led by that hot new star...Satine Noire!"
The moment the announcer gave the cue, the lights came up, bathing the band in bright hues of blue and purple. The bright white spotlight focused on the sinuous, undulating form of Satine Noire. In her skintight bright red spandex pants, Satine cut quite a figure, bumping and grinding her way through a thumping, driving medley of 1980's covers. Jumping back into the Prince song bag, she sang a scorching rendition of "U Got the Look", and obviously dedicated it to the pretty leather-clad blonde standing as near to the stage as allowed. Nydessa, herself grooving and bouncing to the beat, enjoyed every moment of Melody's sexy performance. The woman certainly knew all the right moves...Didn't she just demonstrate that not long ago in the dressing room? Too bad it had to end because it felt so good, better than good. Knowing the dark designs Charmaine had on Melody, Nydessa tried not to think on it, rather she wanted to enjoy herself, and Melody, as much as she could. Maybe she won't do what Charmaine ordered. Maybe she'll just tell Melody the location of the secret door, then persuade Melody NOT to enter the lair alone as it's all a trap. Maybe Melody could call for reinforcements, arrest Charmaine with help from other agents and not go it alone. But now was not the time to think about that now.
Nydessa nearly swooned when Melody and the band launched into "State of Shock". Not one of Dessie's favorite tunes, but Melody made it all her own. That lady's performance, complete with wildly erotic body movements, sent howls and squeals of approval throughout the audience. Nydessa wondered about the fake "subliminals" implanted in Cosmic Chaos' AV system, and if the bogus program was doing its job. Of course not, not so fast. After all, it had been months of heavy exposure to potent subliminal messages that convinced CC's patrons to wholeheartedly embrace "Our Man Ray." Glancing about, but keeping an eye on Melody's gorgeous, erotically writhing body, Nydessa noticed that a few people had abruptly torn off their "Ray Marsh for Senate District 6" buttons. Some even whispered that Ray was all wrong for the job. He runs a swell club but he's not senatorial material. It's working, thought a triumphant Nydessa. The fake is working already.
"Some like it hot..."
Nydessa returned her attention to the stage where Melody, with a hands-free mike affixed on her head, performed a makeshift pole dance while wailing her final number. She shimmied and slithered all over that pole as if this was a house of burlesque, not a hot and happening rock club. The crowd cheered her on as she continued her incredibly sexy dance. Nydessa, as always, became wet down there, even deftly slid her hand down her pants and quickly masturbated to orgasm, never once taking her eyes of her exciting new lover. She shuddered as she came, her body quivering and shivering with sexual delight. If only she could somehow evade Charmaine's orders to lure Melody to the secret lair. If only they – she and Melody – could run off somewhere together where Charmaine would never find them. But that would never work as Charmaine has her connections and would find them very quickly. Their end would not be pleasant. Oh please let something good come out of this, and please let Melody be all right and not mad at me when finds out I betrayed her. But I have to do it...It could mean MY life!
******
"Is this it?"
"Yes, behind the stairs."
Immediately after the show, instead of taking up the band's invitation to supper, Melody hurriedly followed Nydessa to the backstage stairs. Well, it looked like more like a fire exit than anything, but there was this ingenious feature Nydessa demonstrated. "There's a hidden panel, a push button combo lock. Only Charmaine, Ray, and I have the combination." She tapped the door three times, exposing ten buttons emblazoned with letters. No numbers, thought Melody, how odd...
Watching Nydessa punch in the lettered combination, Melody made a mental note of each button, spelling out a name...
O-L-I-V-I-A
"Olivia? As in Olivia Maxwell?," said Melody. "What
possible connection could Charmaine have to...Oh my God!"
"Huh?," asked Nydessa,
"does that mean something important?"
Melody nodded, flatly saying, "Olivia Maxwell had my parents killed. She was murdered too, by her lover, and her daughter died in a car wreck. But Deidre was only sixteen...I read about it in the paper...Really bad accident...I haven't seen her since first grade...Could Deidre be alive...as Charmaine Shade?"
Nydessa had no idea what Melody was talking about other than this Olivia person ordered a hit on Melody's parents. But that was long ago, right? Charmaine couldn't have had anything to do with something like that. After all, she was just six years old when Melody's parents were murdered. This Deidre was sixteen when she died; she'd be almost thirty now, same age as Charmaine...Oh wow! Maybe Melody's on to something.
The door creaked open and Nydessa led Melody down a long winding staircase. It was rather dark, silent, the only sounds were the clacking of the ladies' heels on steel steps. Now Melody wished she had time to change clothes, put on more comfortable, less noisy shoes. That way her footwear wouldn't give away her imminent approach. She learned that early in her training: Don't wear clothes or shoes that make too much noise, especially when snooping around...
They reached another door at the bottom, and Nydessa took the key suspended around her neck and unlocked the it. Cautiously entering the main room, Nydessa looked about. The room was dimly lit; the furniture had been moved out. There was an eerie silence. Nydessa was puzzled. Why would Charmaine make me bring Melody down here if she knew she wouldn't be here? Where is she?
"Charmaine seldom leaves this room. Believe me, Melody. I can't for the life
of me figure out why she would up and leave. The desk, couch, everything, is not
here."
Melody, now wishing she had brought along her gun, said, "I'm getting an uneasy
feeling about this, and we're both unarmed. Charmaine could've skipped or..."
What few lights had been left on were suddenly extinguished. Nydessa heard a scream then frantic scuffling. Another arm grabbed Dessie from behind, roughly escorting her to what she could only tell was the "rumpus room." But where was Melody? Where was Charmaine? When the lights came on again, Nydessa found herself standing next to Charmaine, and that lady laughed wickedly.
She said, "Well, done, my pet. You shall be greatly rewarded." Nydessa looked around the room, her eyes lighting upon the floor. There was Melody, bound and gagged, totally helpless. That big goon, Jake, was standing over Melody's bound form, grinning broadly. Charmaine turned to him, saying, "Thank you, Jake. Now, go and take care of that precious cargo like I requested." Jake said nothing and exited the room, leaving Charmaine and Nydessa alone.
And Melody? She knew her hours were numbered, but what did Charmaine mean by, "Let us see just how tough Ms. Starr really is." Then, to Nydessa, "And this shall be a test of your true loyalty."
To be continued...Go to Chapter 9
Copyright©2004 by PRP. All Rights Reserved.