Sweet Oleander (closed for Cumnchat)

NEW YORK CITY
Late August 1947


In the smoky darkness, the orchestra played the lead in to the song. As if slowly warming to the music, the spot brightened to reveal Destiny Carson leaning seductively against the piano. In her dark green sequined dress, her long blonde hair dipped over her right eye, lending an air of mystique to her. It was absolute quiet as her throaty voice began to sing.

"The torch I carry is handsome
It's worth its heartache in ransom
And when the twilight steals
I know how the lady in the harbor feels

When I want rain, I get sunny weather
I'm just as blue as the sky
Since love is gone, can't pull myself together
Guess I'll hang my tears out to dry

Friends ask me out, and I tell them I'm busy
Must get a new alibi
I stay at home, and ask myself "Where is he?"
Guess I'll hang my tears out to dry

Dry little tear drops, my little tear drops
Hanging on a stream of dreams
Fly, little mem'ries, my little mem'ries
Remind him of our crazy schemes

Yes, somebody said "Just forget about him"
So I gave that treatment a try
And strangely enough, I got along without him
Then one day he passed me right by
Oh well
I guess I'll hang my tears out to dry"

The applause was was genuine and she gave a mysterious smile as she waited for the light to fade out. Her nod of thanks to the audience was almost lost in the dying light and she left the stage with confidence in the dark.

She knew what was expected of her. She had seen the wooden slats covering the upstairs office window close and knew that he was waiting up there for her. There was always a price to be paid to get what you want. It didn't just help to have a pretty face and talent. It all depended upon who you knew. Or perhaps a better way to put it was it all depended upon who used you. Who owned you. With sure steps she climbed the sweeping staircase. The gunsel at the door to the office merely smiled and nodded at her before opening the door to allow her access.

Inside, Damian Dangerfield sat on the corner of his desk, admiring the blonde chanteuse as she crossed to stand in front of him. "Did it please you?" Her voice was deep and honeyed and Damian reached out to pull her closer. His hands gripped her buttocks, claiming ownership to the body standing between his legs. He knew her body well, knew that she despised him. But he owned her. She had wanted to sing? There is always a price to be paid. He did worry a bit as she knew more than he would wish her to know.

His kiss was hard and demanding as his hand slipped up to hold her by her hair, and Destiny didn't put up any resistance. She knew better. As he broke the kiss, his voice was low and threatening in her ear.

"After your last set for the night, head home to the penthouse. I set out a new negligee for you. Put it on and wait for me."

She closed her eyes in hopeless resignation. If she had known then what she knew now, she would have never set foot inside Sweet Oleander. The nightclub was a hot and happening place located on the upper west side of New York City. By day, the place looked like all the other places up and down the block. By night, it was lit as the sounds of clarinets and sax and piano and such would leak out the door that opened and closed as people came and went. Couples in evening clothes. Women wrapped in sequins and beads and furs. Men in tux and white starched shirts. All looking to be entertained. Or to have a drink of fine spirits.

And as watched over from his office by Damian Dangerfield. Damian was the kind of man that most women would swoon over. But then, most women didn't know just what kind of man that Dangerfield was. IF Dangerfield wasn't his real name, then he had chosen wisely, for the man was definitely danger. Only Destiny knew that every night, she was bedded by the Devil

"Fix your lipstick and get back to work." He released her and she went to the mirror and pulled out the lipstick from the drawer beside it. As she touched up the deep red lipstick and fixed her hair, she glanced at Damian's reflection, noting as he wipe away the remnants of her kiss with his handkerchief. She told the reflection,

"As the boss has commanded."

He watched her glide out the door as Tony slid in and closed the door behind him.

"The shipment is ready, boss."

Damian crossed behind his desk and looked out the window at the night awash in neon and car headlights. He should always on top like this.

"Boss?"

"Send the truck."

As Tony left, the door opened and the sound of the sax doing the lead in to Destiny's next song wafted up the stairs. He could feel himself looking forward to bedding her tonight.

KIRK BANNION PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR


Kirk had been a twenty year old kid when he had his first taste of action on Omaha beach during the D Day landings in 1945. He had survived and became a man over the following weeks. When the war was finally over he decided that a nine to five office job wasn't for him, he wanted excitement and adventure so he had applied for a PI's licence and to his surprise it was granted. Which is how he came to be sat in his office aged twenty two being pleaded with by a middle aged couple to find their nineteen year old daughter who had come to THE BIG APPLE to find fame and fortune. Unfortunately it hadn't worked out that way, after three months the letters and phone calls had ceased, only to be replaced by a deafening silence.

"PLEASE MR.BANNION , can you find our daughter? We can pay, $5000 up front."

"I charge $25 an hour plus expenses, tell me all you know about her, interests, hobbies etc. oh and do you have a photograph?"

"Sure, she likes singing and dancing, she was sure she could find a job combining the two, here's a photograph taken not long before she left. Emily had it taken specially for us."

He pushed over a photograph of Emily

a pretty teenage girl, looking older than her nineteen years.

"Ok I'll see what I can do, don't call me I'll call you."

The money changed hands and they were gone, full of hope. Kirk looked out of the rain splattered window a worried look on his face this was his third missing teenager this week and today was only Thursday.

The face that looked back at her from the mirror didn't look like her. She took a deep breath and waited for Rosy to come help her.

There was a timid knock that she recognized. "Come on in, Rosy!" The door opened and the young girl rushed in, breathless.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Carson!"

"That's alright. Just help me out of this dress."

With the young girl's help, she was soon dressed in her street clothes. As Rosy hung up the green dress, the girl warned her. "You better take your raincoat. It's pouring outside."

"Great! Thanks Rosy. I'll see you tomorrow night. And stay away from the back door. No good can come from slipping out have a smoke."

"Yes ma'am."

With her raincoat on, she headed down the side hall towards the front door. As she reached the door leading to the lobby, one of Damian's thugs stood guard. The man was a pest. If she had not been Damian's property, she knew that the guy would have been all over her like cheap perfume. And since he couldn't touch her, he found other ways to irritate her.

"You want something, Miss Destiny?" He eyed her, the grin on his face worthy of a slap, but she didn't want to waste her time.

"Maybe you can explain to Mr. Dangerfield why I was held up." She waited with a pointed expression and the man slowly opened the door. His chuckle echoed in her ears as she swept past him and out into the waiting taxi.

Once in the back seat, she looked at the driver.

"Rough night, ma'am?" Joe's eyes were framed in the rear view mirror. Joe had become her ride every evening to and from the club. Like a sympathetic friend, he was one of the few that she had. He had driven her one night, figured out her schedule and started being there at the right time.

"Comme ci comme ça." She sat back and watched the people walking, envious of their ignorance of just how seedy life could be.

The doorman was waiting for her as the cab pulled up. "Thanks Joe." She handed him the fare and tip. "See you tomorrow."

All too soon she was in the penthouse, the rain really picking up outside. A flash of lightening illuminated the room as she stood looking at the gauzy wisps of material that lay across the bed.

"I must be the best dressed bit of fuck meat in town!" She said to no one in particular as she began to undress. In 15 minutes she was dressed and draped seductively on the bed. She never knew where he would want her. It depended upon his mood. And whether the shipment had gone good. She figured that he had had her on every piece of furniture in the apartment.

She heard the door close. "Destiny!" She slid off the bed and walked into the living room. He stood at the top of the curved three steps that led to the sunken living room. She crossed to stand before him.

His eyes glinted as he viewed her. "I knew that it would do you justice." She knew what was expected of her. Methodically she began to undress him until only his boxers remained. She could see the tenting and knew that his cock was ready and waiting. This night would begin as every night began: her on her knees sucking his cock until he had decided how and where he wished to fuck her.

It was her payment to the devil.

Kirk made a call to an acquaintance that he trusted.

"Hi Lenny, it's KIrk,,,,,,, yeah Kirk Bannion, how many fucking Kirks do you know? Listen, is there any word on the street about teenage girls disappearing? ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, There is? How many have you heard about? ,,,,,,A dozen? In how long?,,,,,,,,,a month? Jeez at this rate there won't be any left soon. You have ANY idea where to start looking? Yeah, yeah I know I ask a lot of questions, I'm a PI fer chrissake, it's what I do."

He sat down with the three photographs memorizing them so he would recognise them in an instant if he got lucky and saw one on the street. When he was satisfied he tucked the photographs in an inside pocket. He did a tour of the streets first trying to gauge which one of the three would be most likely to be sent out on the streets.

He dismissed Pauline Maloney as she had the body and legs to die for and would no doubt use it, but there were sharks out there that would use that willingness for their own ends and probably use her as bait at private functions or maybe as an escort.

Chrissie Goodheart he felt was the type to be kept confined and used when asked for, not one for the streets she was too innocent and gullible, likely to run if given the chance.

Which left Emily Parker, but she was a singer and a dancer, she could have been taken on by some low life promoter and working in some dive with the promoter''looking after her interests' . Yeah I'll bet, for a price thought Kirk to himself.

All in all he didn't think there was much hope of finding any of them on the street but he went round the usual haunts asking questions and showing photographs and only getting a shake of the head. One or two though mentioned a supposedly classy joint called Sweet Oleander, he had heard of it but never been in it.
He pressed the fourth one who mentioned it and nervously she looked around before she answered.

"Do you know what Oleander is?", Kirk shook his head he was a PI not a fucking botanist.

"Well it's a pretty white flower but very, very toxic, rather like the owner, Damian Dangerfield, he's pure poison, rumour has it he owns his Chanteuse, poor girl."

Try as he might he couldn't get any more information from the girl who tucked the ten dollar bill he gave her into her bra and slunk away afraid of being seen talking to him.
It wasn't much to go on but he decided to pay the joint a visit that night.

Destiny woke up with the sun peeking through a slit in the curtains and hitting her right in the eyes. The sound of the shower was in the background and she became aware of her sore body. She was nude under the silk sheets and gave a little groan as she sat up, pushing her tumbled hair back. Beside the bed were the shreds of the filmy thing that she had worn last night.

The sound of running water stopped as she threw her legs over the side of the bed. "You know, you would save money if you would quit tearing my clothes. Just have me wait naked. That's how I always end up anyway."

His answer rumbled from the bathroom. "Haven't you heard, it's the way that you're wrapped. Like a new little gift for me to play with every night."

"I'll bet you enjoyed pulling the wings off of flies when you were little." She spoke sotto voce, almost as an after thought. It was a mistake.

The hair on the back of her neck rose as everything was quiet. She knew that her smart lip was gonna cost her. He made no noise as he crossed the room, his hair wet and slicked from the shower and wearing his red silk robe, and she held her breath. Strong fingers gripped her upper arm as he snatched her out of bed, her nude body crushed against him. She gave a cry out as the pain shot through her.

"You might want to watch what you say. You could just as easily disappear. Understand?" His voice was quiet and deadly. She felt as if she would break in his hands.

It was a brutal kiss, bruising her lips as if to punish her. And then, as quickly as it started, it was over and she was thrown down on the bed.

He turned and crossed to his closet. Picking up the remains of the torn gown and throwing it in the trash, her arm was already aching. In the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. There was a bruise where he had gripped her and she knew that she would have to wear long sleeves tonight. As she was stepping into the shower she heard the front door slam. She turned the water up as hot as she could stand it and stood under its stinging spray trying to clean herself of Damian.




Lunch was a lonely event. She couldn't eat with anyone other than Damian. He was very jealous, even if it was just a girlfriend. Her life was only allowed to revolve around Sweet Oleander, and him. Nothing else was allowed.

Damian had opened accounts for her in several high class stores. It took her a while to find the right dress to cover her bruises. The gold lamé hugged her body in all the right places. But she was a bit late arriving at the club and found the place in an uproar. Maybe not out where the customers were but in the side hall, there was a frantic feeling in the air. She was surprised as it was only about 15 or 20 minutes late but still, when one of the men grabbed her, growling "There you are!" before practically dragging her up to Damian's office, she was confused. A quick rap and they were in.

"Here she is, Boss." A quick flick of his hand and the gunsel left.

"Where have you been?"

She looked at him confused. "What do you mean? I was getting a new dress." She held it up to show him. "What else would I be doing?"

Damian looked at her hard. He pressed a buzzer under his desk - most people didn't know it was there, but she did - and the thug outside the door came in. "Go get Remo!" The thug nodded and was gone.

"I don't want anyone to bother you. Remo will escort you to and from the club, and around town."

"Whatever you say, Boss. I need to go get ready." She turned and headed backstage to her dressing room. Just another night in paradise.

Kirk did his usual homework before he entered the club, checking the number of exits and where they led to, this sort of preparation had got him out of trouble before and probably saved his life on a couple of occasions. He had checked the dress code for the club and was mildly surprised to find that it was tuxedos for the men and evening dresses for the ladies, so that meant no riffraff apart from the guys who worked there.

He looked pretty good in his black dress pants, cummerbund, black patent shoes and white tuxedo.He arrived early and found a front row table at the edge of the small dance floor in front of the stage. The early acts were pretty mundane although he was appreciative of the amount of skin the girls displayed as they cavorted just in front of him. Kirk had spread himself languidly in his chair sipping his Bourbon on the rocks.

"LADEEES AND GENTLEMEN , NOW FOR THE ONE YOU ARE ALL HERE TO SEE AND HEAR, PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR SWEET OLEANDER'S VERY OWN NIGHTINGALE,,,,,,,, MISS DESTINY CARSON"

All the lights had gone out and drums rolled softly and the spotlight came on, Kirk immediately sat up in his seat leaning forward to get a closer look at the GOLDEN GODDESS who stood in the spotlight, she was perfection from her long blonde hair to the figure hugging gold lame dress right down to her dainty painted toe nails. Kirk's heart thumped in his chest, he hardly heard her singing although her voice was sweet as honey. His mind was on other things, such as how had this beauty become mixed up with someone like Damian Dangerfield? If the rumours were true she was with him, owned by him. Kirk felt the anger boiling up inside him but realised there was nothing he could do for now.

He managed to catch her eye and winked reassuringly to try and let her know he understood her predicament. When her set finished the lights dimmed and amidst the applause Kirk saw a thickset gorilla of a guy close in on her and escort her backstage.

So Dangerfield didn't trust her and she was escorted everywhere, that didn't put Kirk off, he would find a way to get her on her own if only for a few minutes.

He finished his drink and left, only when he was sat in his car did he realise he was as hard as a rock. He grinned to himself, he would attend to that when he got home.

In the dark, she found her way to the spot by the piano. The music started and the light came up. In the amber spot, she looked even more golden than usual and she followed the music, singing One for my baby and one for the road. It was the usual menagerie out there. Lovebirds, lonely hearts, drunks - each of them wanting something from her. They applauded her introduction, listened to her sing, and then continued on with their relatively dull and boring lives.

Down front and center was some guy, listening attentively. As they made eye contact, he winked at her and she raised an eyebrow. It wasn't the first time that a patron had flirted with her. But she knew better than to make a big deal about it. All that would happen with that would be another disappearance, another floater.

She wrapped up and heard the applause, watched the lights dying. Before she could leave the stage, Remo was there in the dark, his hand on her elbow hustling her off. She waited until she was back stage before jerking her arm out of his grasp.

"What do you think that you're doing?"

"Boss said to keep an eye on you."

"Did he say to bruise me up? I know how to get on and off the stage. Next time, give me a heads up and you and I can sing a duet out there." Remo grabbed her elbow and started to drag her towards the front of the building and the sweeping staircase to Dangerfield. She jerked in her arm, trying to remove it from his grasp.

"Get your mitts off of me. I know where I'm expected." Remo tightened his grip as he "escorted" her up the stairs and through the door that the gunsel opened.

Damian sat on the corner of the desk.

"Tell this big ape to get his hands off of me. I know how to walk."

Damian motioned for Remo to leave and the hulk left her alone with Dangerfield.

"It doesn't look good to have that monkey escorting me off the stage. And when have I refused to come upstairs? Maybe at first, but once you showed me how things lay, I've come up here every night. And now you have this idiot bruising my elbow!"

He sat there with that smile on his face. How many times had she wished she could slap his face. Trouble is, she was rather fond of living. And if she did that, he would kill her. Or make her wish she were dead.

She walked closer and his hand splayed out across one breast. "I just worry about you."

Yeah, she knew what that worry might be. That she might talk - might spill the beans. She glanced away from him and her eyes landed on the newspaper on his desk top. The newspaper there, though upside down, was still easy to read, and her blood chilled. The big, bold headlines jumped off the page. MISSING GIRL FOUND DEAD along with a picture. She stiffened in his arms.

Damian knew the reason. "Yeah, I was just reading about it in the Evening Press. Seems that they found this girl dead, floating in the East River. Sad. Her name was Pauline Maloney. Seems that she took quite a beating. So now do you see why I worry abut you and assigned Remo to protect you?"

"Tell him to keep his hands off of me. And tell him that I know how to get on and off the stage by myself. I gotta go. It's time for my next set."

She left and walked down the stairs, holding the railing to keep her knees from buckling. She had recognized the girl. And she felt sick and scared. One of these days, she was going to end up just like poor Pauline Maloney. The memory popped back up in her head and it must have shown in her face as Rosy was waiting backstage so Destiny could touch up her lipstick.

"You okay? You're as pale as a ghost."

Destiny nodded to her. Tonight was not going to be an easy night. Rosy would have to help her hide some of the bruises that she would be showing up with tomorrow night. Courtesy of the Devil himself.

On his way back to the small two roomed apartment he called home he picked up the evening paper, it was always as well to keep up with the latest news. The headlines screamed at him "MISSING GIRL FOUND DEAD." He didn't need to read the story, he recognised the picture, exactly the same as the one he had of Pauline Maloney.

"SHIT, SHIT, FUCKING SHIT!" He cursed at no one in particular except himself. She had been his responsibility, hired by her parents to find her and deliver her back home safely, he hadn't done that, he had failed. He made a mental note to send a condolence card to her parents in the morning. He poured three fingers of Bourbon and settled down to read the rest of the article on Pauline, hoping to glean something that the cops might have missed.
',,,,, Miss Maloney had been missing for three months, She was described by old school friends as headstrong and likely to react to strong discipline.'

Wrong temperament for this town, mused Kirk.

'She was discovered on the shore clothed only in very expensive bra and panties'

Kirk made a note of that, on her own there was no way she would have been able to afford expensive underwear, so someone had bought it for her to wear, she must have been working for someone. Mebbe this had been her first time and when she realized what was expected of her she had tried to run, a BIG, BIG mistake. All thoughts of Destiny Carson were pushed to the back of his mind.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The next morning Kirk wrote out a condolence card to Pauline Maloney's parents and put it with rest of the outgoing mail. By this time Destiny was beginning to crowd in on his thoughts. He drove to the Sweet Oleander, seeing it in daylight for the first time. walking past several times he saw that there was a 'Songbird Lottery' that night. Intrigued, he read the rules and his smile grew broader and broader, this was going to be one lottery he was going to win. He went back to his beat up Caddy and began writing the same thing over and over again until he had over a hundred and fifty folded slips of paper, then it was back to the club where he posted every slip of paper in the big tombola tub that stood outside. His logic was sound he'd be most unfortunate if a different slip of paper was drawn instead of his, he had a hundred and fifty chances to maybe four or five others. The winner would have their song sung by Destiny with the lucky winner standing alongside her.

Kirk went home and prepped himself using the best deodorant and aftershave he had.
He made sure he got the same table as before so Destiny couldn't miss him smiling at her. The Songbird Lottery wasn't until Destiny's second set so Kirk was able to enjoy her voice as well as her figure as she was no more than fifteen feet from her, he could almost smell her perfume but preferred to imagine how she would smell when aroused. He had to admit to himself, "OH BOY, KIRK, ARE YOU SMITTEN OR WHAT?"

He noticed that her gorilla kept his distance and didn't manhandle her when she went backstage after the first set.

"LADEES AND GENTLEMEN THE MOMENT IS NIGH WHEN ONE OF YOU WILL HAVE A FEW MINUTES TO CHERISH FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, OUR VERY OWN DESTINY WILL SING THE SONG OF YOUR CHOICE NOT JUST FOR YOU BUT TO YOU,,,,,,,,,,, DESTINY?"

She stepped forward into the spotlight and pulled out a slip of paper from the Tombola barrel and handed it to the MC. "AND THE WINNER IS............" a long drum roll extended the suspense, "FEVER AND MR KIRK BANNION."

Kirk was on his feet in a flash and stood next to Destiny with his arm round her slender waist. The band began the intro to Fever and both Kirk and Destiny snapped their fingers in time. Kirk loosened his grip on Destiny's waist but brushed her rear as he did,

'Never know how much I love you

Never know how much I care

When I put my arms around you

I get a fever that's so hard to bear'

LOUD FINGER SNAPS

'Ya, give me fever'

Kirk mouthed the words as Destiny sang but Kirk wasn't finished yet, he rubbed his backside suggestively up against Destiny's rear. He glanced up at Dangerfield's office and saw the anger in his eyes. It was all deliberate to rile Dangerfield, Kirk reasoned that he was safe as he would be remembered by all the punters so it wouldn't be good for business if he was found dead or beaten up, he just hoped Destiny wouldn't suffer.
Before he left the dance floor he took Destiny's hand and kissed it, surreptitiously slipping a note into her palm.

Rosy clucked over her like a mother hen as she checked to make sure that none of the bruises showed.

"I think that even your bruises got bruises. Why do you stay with him?"

Destiny snatched at the young girl, holding her wrist tight as she said, "Don't you ever talk like that. You never know who may be listening." At first, Rosy cried out from the pain of Destiny's grip but she finally noticed how Destiny eyes and head kept motioning towards the dressing table. Rosy glanced over towards the mirrored table with her makeup scattered on top. Over to one side sat a beautiful bouquet of white oleander, their sweet smell filling the room. Suddenly, the girl realized what Destiny was trying to tell her. The flowers were bugged! Rosy's eyes grew wide with fear and she shook her head.

"Oh, oh, Miss Carson, I didn't really mean it! Really! I didn't mean leave Mr. Dangerfield! I...I..."

"It's okay Rosy. Just do your job." She nodded at the girl and finished getting ready.

The first set went without a hitch and thankfully Remo kept his distance. She did note the same guy from the other day was sitting at the same table. At least he didn't wink at her. She didn't want any other incidents on her conscience.

She dreaded the next set, with this stupid 'Songbird Lottery'.

LADEES AND GENTLEMEN THE MOMENT IS NIGH WHEN ONE OF YOU WILL HAVE A FEW MINUTES TO CHERISH FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, OUR VERY OWN DESTINY WILL SING THE SONG OF YOUR CHOICE NOT JUST FOR YOU BUT TO YOU,,,,,,,,,,, DESTINY?

She painted on a smile and stepped out from backstage into the spot. A girl turned it a couple of times and Destiny reached in. As her fingers grabbed the paper, she felt goosebumps.

AND THE WINNER IS............FEVER AND MR KIRK BANNION.

It was the winking man! In a flash he was up on the stage with her, his arm around her. Her professionalism kicked in and she started the song. She was surprised that he knew it as it was very obscure at the moment. This Kirk Bannion had some nerve! He was rubbing her rear end, and she glanced up to see Damian glaring down through the slats. No good would come from this.

Once the song was over, he kissed her hand and she felt him slip a note in her palm. She knew that she should have refused it. But something made her keep it hidden.

Backstage, Remo swooped in and she challenged him. "I think that I might be safe walking across backstage to my dressing room. Come Rosy!" The two of them quickly slipped into her dressing room and as the door closed she looked at what he had passed her. It appeared to be a business card. On one side was his name: KIRK BANNION - PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. On the other side was a handwritten note. I need to talk to you Shit! This man would get them both killed!

Rosy watched her questioning and Destiny quickly wrote on a scrap of paper. 'Tell him I can't. Nothing to tell'

She slipped both the business card and the personal note to Rosy. "Tomorrow, I'm sure that you have plenty to do, so try to be here on time. Understand, Rosy?" She looked pointed at the young girl as Rosy read both the card and the note and nodded her understanding.

"Yes ma'am." Rosy understood that she was to go meet the man tomorrow and tell him that Miss Destiny was not allowed on her own. Besides, from what she had seen from backstage, the man was quite good looking.

Destiny was quite dreading tonight with Damian. Perhaps she should pick up more makeup. She would enjoy making Remo uncomfortable at the makeup counter at the store.

Kirk breathed a sigh of relief as Destiny's hand closed over his business card not letting anyone see what had passed between them, all he could do now was wait and see if she responded. He returned to his seat and milked the applause of the patrons. As he watched Destiny go back stage with a young girl she shrugged off the attentions of her watchdog. He felt eyes watching him and looked up to see who he assumed to be Damian Dangerfield glaring at him. Shortly afterwards a note, brief, but to the point was delivered to his table.

' NO TOUCHING, UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR FINGERS BROKEN.'

Kirk understood the message perfectly so he looked up again to the slatted window and gave a cheery smile and thumbs up. Perhaps that would be another nail in his coffin, maybe not.

On his way home Kirk used every trick he knew to shake off the tail he was pretty sure was following him, when he was satisfied he headed home and lay in bed thinking of Destiny and how soft her body had felt when he held her. He wanted a whole lot more of that.

He found he couldn't concentrate on anything the next morning except Destiny, His phone rang and a small voice said "Mr. Bannion?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"I can't talk but can I meet you somewhere? My name is Rosy, I'm Miss Carson's dresser and make up girl, she wants me to give you a message."

Kirk sat bolt upright. "Sure the coffee shop down the road from the club in an hour ok?"

"OKAY see you then."

Kirk could have been there in twenty minutes but he wanted to make sure he wasn't being set up so he watched from the other side of the street until he saw a young girl nervously look around before entering the coffee shop. That had to be her, she looked vaguely familiar from last night.

He ordered a black coffee and sat down opposite the girl he took to be Rosy.

"So Rosy, what's this message from Destiny?"

"Her message is to leave well alone it's too dangerous she's watched day and night,"

"I see, so I'm supposed to just give up am I?"

"Mr Bannion that's what she says but it's not what she really means. Damian don't treat her well at all, she's got a nice apartment, nice clothes and everything but she pays for it every night. I dress her and do her makeup and I've seen the bruises but she can't leave."

"Rosy, WE can make it happen if you can act as our messenger, nothing must be written down, understand? NOTHING. Can you remember precise instructions? The first thing I want you to do is give me her routine, where she shops, when she shops, and one more thing don't ever call me from the club again, use a street phone. Are you okay with this? It could be very dangerous."

"I'm with you all the way Mr Bannion and thank you."

Rosy got up and left a more positive young woman. Kirk grinned, phase one, a line of communication established, the basics of any battle.

The slap whipped her head to the side and split her lip.

"Liar! Do you think that I didn't see him rubbing up against you? So disgusting! Who is he? Your lover?"

"No! I don't know who he is! Just some stupid man that likes music." Her cheek burned from the slap as blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth.

"You are the only man that I have ever had sex with, that I have ever lain with."

"You had better be telling me the truth. Because I can always let you go. And if I do, you know what will happen to you. Now, assume the position!"


*****

The next evening, Damian called the MC up to his office. The man, a guy named Mike, was nervous. To be called up here was not a good thing. The guard outside the office gave a quick knock and then let him in. Mr. Dangerfield sat behind the big black desk, fingertip tented as he watched Mike.

"Mike, Miss Carson is not coming in tonight. She has a head cold. Change the board and let that new guy sing tonight. Tell him that he may need to sing for a couple of nights. Depends upon how soon this uh head cold clears up."

"Sure, Mr. Dangerfield. I'll let Danny LaMans know."

"LaMans? Yeah. Uh, Mike, you remember that schmuck that sang with Destiny last night?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"You see him in here again, you'd better let me know."

"Yes sir." And then he was being motioned to leave.

Downstairs, he had the marquee board changed, putting Danny LaMans picture out. He saw Rosy come in and told her to leave. "Miss Carson is sick tonight so you have a night off. Check back tomorrow night to see if she'll be in."

Rosy was scared and quickly left, heading to the phone around the corner. With shaking hands she dialed his number. He picked up on the sixth ring.

"Mr. Bannion? This is Rosy. I was just told that Miss Carson wouldn't be performing tonight. That she was sick. But I think that Mr. Dangerfield hurt her and she can't be seen. They think that she might sing tomorrow night, so it can't be too bad, but I thought that you should know."

Kirk was listening to the big game on the radio in his office when the phone rang, he debated for a few seconds as to whether he should answer it or ignore it then his natural curiosity got the better of him and he lifted the 'phone.

"Yeah?" He grunted

"Mr. Bannion? This is Rosy. I was just told that Miss Carson wouldn't be performing tonight. That she was sick. But I think that Mr. Dangerfield hurt her and she can't be seen. They think that she might sing tomorrow night, so it can't be too bad, but I thought that you should know."

Kirk felt sick, Destiny must have taken the brunt of Dangerfield's anger last night and got herself hurt.

"You sure she's not hurt too bad? It's all my fault getting him all riled up like that."

"She can't be too bad Mr. Bannion if she's gonna be working tomorrow."

"Say, Rosy, can you get over here now and we can make a list of her routine? Look I know I said don't write anything down but I meant in the club where someone could find it."

Rosy sounded dubious but Kirk finally persuaded her and thirty minutes later she was in Kirk's office.

Kirk looked at the list of ten or so stores that Destiny shopped at and scratched his head, "So this Remo guy, he's with her all the time?" Rosy nodded,

"'Cept when she's trying clothes on, he stands outside the changing room, no guys allowed within fifty feet."

"Christ, Dangerfield must be so Effing insecure or paranoid or both."

Kirk looked down the list again a smile creasing his lips,

"There's something missing from this list Rosy, any idea what it might be?"

Rosy studied the list again and shook her head, "No idea at all Mr. Bannion."

"Right Rosy if we're gonna be working on this together you call me Kirk, even my enemies call me Kirk. Now consider this, Destiny is a beautiful woman right, and she has a stressful job yeah? She needs to look her best every single day, right? Yet nowhere on this list is there a hairdresser's or beauty parlour, when you're stressed you need to have your muscles relaxed, the best place is a spa,"

He rummaged in his desk and found a leaflet for a spa called 'THE CALM PALM' with a fifty percent discount introductory offer.

"I doubt Remo would be seen dead hanging around a place full of half naked women being the 'fag' he is, so you persuade Destiny to book an appointment and let me know, but don't let on that I have anything to do with it."

Rosy grinned, she was beginning to like and trust Kirk.

"Consider it done Mist,,,,,,,,,, Kirk."

Finally alone in the penthouse apartment, Destiny got up out of bed, the cool darkness of the room a blessed relief. Her body was sore and she could feel her swollen and cut lip. She was thirsty and she walked slowly to the bathroom, flicking on the overhead lights as her bare feet touched the cool tiles.

Walking towards the sink, the view of herself in the mirror greeted her. Her lower lip was split and bruised and puffy and above it, her right eye was bruised and swollen. She turned on the water and cupped her hands, the cool liquid quickly filling her slender palms. It felt refreshing as it passed over the cracked lips, the overflow spilling down her chin and dripping onto her nude body.

She turned the water off and looked at her body in the mirror. What she saw was testimony to the depravity and anger of Damian Dangerfield. Bruises covered her body and she was thankful that once her face healed, her dress should cover the rest.

She began filling the tub with water as hot as she could stand. Once filled and scented with some healing herbs, she climbed in and sank into the hot water, letting out a sigh. If only she could run, leave New York City and never return. If she could never see Damian Dangerfield again. But she couldn't. The Devil held a power over her that she could break. No matter how much she would wish with all her heart to leave, she would not. She could not.

She soaked in the bath until the water had cooled.

Kirk waited until the next morning before he began putting his plan into action, making the necessary preparations. His first call was to the Calm Palm Spa where he spoke to the owner, Dolores, a smart attractive woman of Spanish descent who had opened the spa with the proceeds of her late husband's life insurance.
"Hi Dolores, how you doing? No more bother with the protection racket guys?"

"Hi Kirk, no, no more bother from them thanks to you, I would have been ruined in three months with what they were demanding or turned the spa into a brothel."

"No sweat babe, they were just kids flexing their muscles, trying it on but when I had a word with them they shit their pants and backed off."

"All the same I owe ya, so anytime ya need a 'SPECIAL' all ya gotta do is ask, any of the girls will be happy to oblige." There was a chuckle at Dolores's end of the line.

Kirk also chuckled and replied, "Thanks for the offer honey, you know I'm all in favour of a happy ending but I have a special favour to ask from you, I have a client, well sort of a client who needs complete privacy so can you keep a room free for her away from all the others? I'm not sure when but in the next few days, her name is Destiny Carson."

Dolores sounded concerned, "Are you sure about this Kirk? I hear Damian Dangerfield is real vicious when crossed."

"I'm sure, that's why I need the privacy."

"Ok Kirk just for you."

He put the 'phone down wondering how Dolores had made the connection between Destiny and Dangerfield so quickly.

Damian had been almost apologetic when he came back to the apartment that night after the club closed. Apparently the take for the evening had been low as an unusual number of the crowd had cancelled or walked out when Destiny had not shown up. The sick story had usually been followed by a "I'll call tomorrow night to see if she's better" made Damian see that perhaps it was not a good idea to take his anger out on her. He had other ways of making her pay.

In fact, he didn't require any sex from her that night. And he even brought her some chicken soup.

The next day, she was better though the face was bruised, it was not as swollen as the day before.

"Honey, I want you to stay in bed tonight. Take it easy. I'll tell everyone that you should be back tomorrow night. Can you trust Rosy to keep quiet?"

"Of course. That's why I use her. She is very trustworthy." Destiny felt it her duty to protect the girl. Rosy was not cute, or pretty even. But she was a sweet girl and the last thing that she wanted was for the girl to get hurt. Rosy was a bit naive and really didn't know just how dangerous it was to work at Sweet Oleander. In fact, the girl probably didn't even realize just how much information she had tucked away in her brain. And hopefully she never would. Or she would be in danger.

*****

Rosy headed to a different phone several blocks away and called. This time, he picked the phone up almost right away.

"Mist...I mean, Kirk. It's Rosy. She's not in again tonight. But Mike assured me that she will be in tomorrow night."

The 'phone call from Rosy had put his plans back a little as he needed Destiny to be persuaded to book an appointment at the spa as soon as possible, every day she delayed she would be used by Dangerfield to satisfy his sexual appetite. The very thought of him crawling between Destiny's legs and using her body made his skin crawl.

To keep his mind off Destiny he redoubled his efforts to get a lead on Chrissie and Emily the two missing girls he had on his books. Despite calling in numerous favours no one had seen hair nor hide of them or at least if they had they weren't saying. If they weren't saying then they were scared, Some of the favours he had called in were pretty big ones so if they were scared they were more scared of telling than they were of him which meant only one thing, there was a big player involved somewhere along the line. He did something he wouldn't normally do and called some other PI's that handled these sort of cases and discovered that they were all coming up against a wall of silence.

'There must be someone out there who knows something even if they don't realise it. Something out of the ordinary, comings and goings, extra food and drink, if they were all being held together they would have to eat. He couldn't imagine any of these hoods cooking so they'd be ordering takeaways, more than likely regularly from the same place so they would notice the increase in business. All he had to do was find the right place from the thousands of takeaways in New York'

So he set to work with 'phone and telephone directory starting with the cheapest places in the dingiest areas. Four hours later he had a list of fifty possibles, spread right across New York.

Half a bottle of Bourbon later he was almost face down on his desk, worn to a frazzle.

With care, Destiny spent time making sure that her makeup was perfect, hiding any swelling or bruising that was still on her face. Thank God that her dress would hide the bruises on her body. Before they left the penthouse, Damian checked her face.

"My lovely are you ready? Your makeup should pass from a distance. Just stay away from everyone except for Rosy." She nodded and he wrapped the velvet cloak around her shoulders.

At the club, everyone wanted to get close to Destiny and welcome her back but Damian ordered everyone to leave her alone. Save Rosy. He told Mike to send Rosy up to his office. The woman was nervous, afraid that he knew that she was passing information on to Kirk.

Her knees were almost knocking as the gunsel eyed her lewdly before giving a quick knock and ushering Rosy in. The man himself sat behind the desk.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Dangerfield?" She was pale and scared.

"Yes. Rosy? I need you to protect Miss Carson. Please keep everyone away from her. She is recuperating from a cold." He stared hard at her, as if letting her know that it was in her best interest to agree with him.

"Yes sir, Mr. Dangerfield."

"I'm depending upon you to protect her. And keep your mouth shut. Can I trust you?"

"Y...yes sir." Rosy was scared and tried to keep her legs from shaking.

"Okay. Get back to work."

"Yes sir." Nodding, she quickly left the office and headed back to Destiny's dressing room. One of the girls was heading for Destiny's dressing room. She cut her off, blocking the door to the woman.

"Miss Carson needs to save her strength to perform. But I'll let her know that you asked after her."

"Who died and made you queen?"

"As Mr. Dangerfield's ordered." That shut the woman up and Rosy slipped into Destiny's dressing room. The state of Miss Carson's body shocked her, though she hid it. If this was how she looked after 2 days, the beating she took must have been horrendous.

"Let's touch up your makeup a bit." Rosy began dropping the hints about how Miss Carson could use a spa. "Sure would help you relax."

There was no makeup on her body, and the bruises made the young girl want to cry.

"You know, I have a coupon somewhere that would get you a good deal. Some place called The Calm Palm. Friend of mind says it's great."

"I would have to wait until these fade."

"No you don't. Tell them you were in a car wreck."

"I can't tomorrow but I think the next day I could."

Rosy got the coupon out of her purse and handed it to Destiny. "You'll feel better once they take care of you."

"I'll call tomorrow and find out what services they offer, and make an appointment for the next day."

Destiny's performance was a little shallow that night, singing My Funny Valentine in the first set and Somewhere Over The Rainbow in the second set before being escorted home by Remo.

After she left work, Rosy headed to a phone booth around the corner to report to Kirk.

It was late evening when Rosy rang and informed him that Destiny was going to book an appointment at the Calm Palm for the day after tomorrow.

"Great news Rosy, well done, make sure she understands it will be an all day appointment and Remo won't be required as a watchdog, I mean what could she get up to in an all female spa? Her appointment is assured so no problem there, it might help if you could go with her though."

Rosy seemed surprised that Kirk wanted her to go with Destiny but she was also proud that he trusted her and she told Kirk,

"Of course I'll go with her for moral support, she'll need it, her face isn't too bad now but the rest of her, well, it don't look too good."

Kirk clenched his teeth at that and thought of the pleasure he would take in giving Damian 'Fucking' Dangerfield a taste of his own medicine.

"Don't you worry Rosy she'll be taken well care of I promise you, Dolores's girls are all excellent at their jobs."

When the call finished he decided that it wouldn't be wise to visit the Sweet Oleander that evening so he set out to check out as many of the takeaways on his list as possible. Even so he found himself thinking of Destiny most of the time.

'Oh boy, she's bitten you real hard son.' he thought to himself.

Another thought hit him, the fancy lingerie Pauline Maloney had been wearing must have been bought from somewhere so he needed to find out what the maker's name was on it and then the shop it was bought from and quite possibly who had bought it.

She was in bed asleep when she heard the front door close. Laying on her side, she had her back to the door, trying her best to even her breathing and appear asleep. She had had a brief break from his pawing hands, but something told her that things were getting back to normal.

He stood in the doorway a moment, listening.

"You feeling better?" He spoke low and quiet and she hesitated for a moment, tempted to feigning sleeping. But she couldn't. There was more than herself at stake. She wasn't important in the grand scheme of things.

"Yes."

That's all he asked. She heard him undressing behind her and knew what he would want. There was the sound of him slipping under the covers and he pulled her towards him.

"Baby, you know what I want." There was no fight left in her. She did what she did to stay alive. And it wasn't just herself she thought of.

She rolled over, wincing as her body protested. The smell of his desire hung heavy in the room, his cock already standing at attention. She rubbed her hands together to warm them. All it took was one time to touch his cock with her cold fingers to teach her that it wasn't worth the resulting pain.

Her lips wrapped around his cock as she began to suck and lick it. After a minute, she felt his hand on the back of her head as he pushed her head all the way down, the end of his cock slipping into her throat.

"Come on, baby, you know how I like it. At least pretend like you mean it."

She couldn't miss the sarcasm as he finally let go of her head.

*****

"I thought that later on this morning I would make an appointment to go to a local spa. Thought-"

"No." His answer was deadpan. She was quiet and he rolled over, turning his back to her. He had cum down her throat and then fucked her and now he was tired. She didn't move, staying still.

"What's that name of this place?" His voice came out of the dark.

"The Calm Palm. It's like a spa. I even have a coupon for it."

"Let me check it out."

"Thank you, Damian."

"Don't worry, I'll think of a way for you to show your appreciation."

*****

He heard Destiny in the shower and picked up the phone. Asking for information, he got the number and called up the spa.

"The Calm Palm? This is Mr. Damian Dangerfield. Can you tell me something about your place? I am considering booking an appointment for my girlfriend. What services do you offer?"

The phone rang and Kirk answered it immediately "Kirk Bannion, Private Investigator."

"Kirk, it's Dolores, I just had a call from Dangerfield asking questions about the Spa, obviously checking it out, I told him what you said to tell him, the usual spa services with experts on skin restoration, he claimed his girlfriend had been mugged and taken a beating. He asked if any men were on the premises, staff or clients, I told him that men weren't allowed under any circumstances, he seemed to buy that and booked Destiny in for tomorrow, all day from ten. I also suggested that she have someone with her as she may be feeling dizzy after the treatment."

"That's great Dolores, I'll arrive while it's dark, you can bet he'll be watching her and the spa, he doesn't trust her an inch."

Kirk knew that he had to get this just right, convince Destiny to leave Damian and make a new life for herself, of course there may be reasons he didn't know about that made it difficult for her, Damian was the type to make sure that if he was crossed he would take his revenge elsewhere on family or friends. Kirk's first task was to ascertain whether Destiny Carson was her real name or a stage name, he suspected that it was the latter, it was a glamorous name that would conjure up visions of beauty and glamour in the minds of punters, Destiny fulfilled both of those along with her talent. Damian wouldn't take kindly to losing her.

That night, Rosy was once again called into Damian's office. Nervously she went up the stairs and was granted entrance into the office. Her boss was in almost the same position as before.

"Yes, Mr. Dangerfield?"

"Rosy, I need you to do me a favor. Miss Carson will be going tomorrow to something called a day spa. I need you to accompany her. Assist her. Help her. If you have any problems, or if anyone bothers her, I want you to just run outside and get Remo. He will be waiting outside in his car."

"Yes sir."

"And you will be paid for working during the day. Now, I'm trusting her in your care, so don't disappoint me." He looked hard at her. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir." Her heart was beating hard in her chest.

He motioned for her to leave and she quickly left and headed back stage to Destiny's dressing room. Destiny was brushing her hair and glanced in the mirror, smiling at the girl.

"Everything alright, Rosy?" Suddenly, she was worrying about the girl and she turned to look hard at Rosy. "Did someone bother you?"

"No, no ma'am. Mr. Dangerfield just asked me to accompany you tomorrow to the spa."

"I'm sorry, Rosy. I'm sure that I shall be okay alone. I don't want to cut into your day. I'll speak to him about it."

"No, I don't mind going with you. It's just that Mr. Dangerfield makes me nervous."

"I understand. Just avoid him and his men as much as you can. And no smoking out in the alley. It's dangerous. They are a nasty habit."

Rosy nodded and resolved to call Kirk after the last set and let him know that she would be there tomorrow with Miss Carson.

"I think tonight I'll wear the blue dress, Rosy."

Her first set was "Guess I'll Hang my Tears out to Dry" and her second set was "Skylark". Soon she was heading back to the penthouse, Remo beside her until he got her in the door.

Rosy headed around the corner and made a quick call to Kirk.

Rosy's call settled things in his mind and he knew what had to be done, IF and it was a big IF, he could persuade Destiny to flee Dangerfield's clutches then Rosy would have to come too, Dangerfield would have to blame someone and Rosy was the most likely candidate. She would end up either in the river like Pauline Maloney or if he was being lenient she'd spend the rest of her days in some downtown whorehouse.
Kirk had never met Dangerfield face to face but his dislike intensified at the thought of Dangerfield having his way with Destiny and then turning his attention to Rosy who was such a sweet innocent child or that was how he thought of her although she was three or four years his senior.

To ensure he wasn't seen entering The Calm Palm, Kirk slipped in through a back door under the cover of darkness telling Dolores not to tell anyone of his presence. Not that any of the girls would deliberately give him away but careless talk could ruin his chances. He curled up on a couch in what would be Destiny's treatment room. He thought about what he would say to Destiny to convince her, he began to doubt himself but then the thought came to him, two of them in fact.

'Nothing ventured, nothing gained'

The other thought being far more personal,

'Faint heart never won fair lady'

How he wanted to win this fair lady.

The car pulled up at 10am in front of the Calm Palm. Remo got out and opened the back door of the car, offering a hand to help Miss Carson out of the car. Rosy had been waiting outside the entrance and the woman that guarded the door into the spa had asked Rosy who she was waiting for, checking to make sure that the client was not already inside.

When Remo walked up to the door, he was not allowed to even touch the door handle.

"Sir, men are not allowed."

"I need to wait for her."

"Then you will wait out here on the sidewalk."

Destiny wore her dark sunglasses as she followed the small woman through the corridors with closed doors on both sides. The woman stopped in front of a door, turning the knob as she told her, "This is your room. If you would like to get ready we will start you off with a full body massage. We can start face down. I understand that you were assaulted by a mugger?" Destiny nodded, hating the necessary lie. "Well, we will be careful of any injuries. I'll leave you alone to get undressed and then I will come back in and start your massage."

"Thank you." She stepped into the room as the door closed behind her, removing her sunglasses as she looked at the room. In the middle of the room was a massage table with soft pink sheets on them. Over to one side was a chair with magnifying lights overhead, though dark at the moment. As she turned around to view the room, there was a couch behind the door with one end covered by a folding screen.

Destiny began to undress, hanging her clothes on the hangers on hooks along one wall. Once nude, she crossed to the massage table and carefully crawled under the soft sheet, laying face down and turning her head.

In a minute or two, there was a light rapping on the door. "Yes." She called out to the woman and the door opened. The small woman was back and she smiled at Destiny. She had Destiny place her face in the hole in the table.

"We have all the newest equipment. With your face resting in this hole, you should be very comfortable. If anything that I do hurts, just let me know."

And with that, the masseuse drew back the sheet to expose Destiny's bruised back.

Kirk paced up and down in the small room as ten o' clock approached.He stood behind the screen and finally heard the CLACK, CLACK of high heels coming down the corridor.
Dee, Destiny's allocated masseuse had been briefed on her role and instructed Destiny to undress and lay face down on the table. She left Destiny alone promising to return soon, before she left she switched on the overhead lights which soon warmed up to provide a warm relaxing atmosphere.

Kirk knew he shouldn't but he couldn't resist peeking through the screen as Destiny undressed. Her body was perfection with not overly large breasts and dusky pink nipples in the centre of milky light chocolate areoles. The only jarring note was the bruising and bite marks on her breasts, continuing over her stomach and upper thighs. Kirk hissed to himself in anger and watched as Destiny walked nude to the table and climbed on, laying face down. Destiny's back and firm round backside were in an even worse state the bruises beginning to turn yellow and traces of belt marks crisscrossed her backside. Whoever had given her the beating had clearly made sure that none of the bruises would show when wearing an evening dress.

Dee knocked at the door and when Destiny answered she entered, she saw Destiny laying on the table under the pink sheets and asked her to place her face in the hole cut in the table. She pulled the sheet back and her face paled and she stifled a gasp of horror when she saw the extent of the injuries to Destiny's back. Dee knew not to pry and set her jaw as she lightly oiled Destiny's shoulders, back, bottom and legs and lightly massaged the tension from her shoulders allowing the heat lamps to warm the oil that glistened on Destiny's body.

Eventually Dee could contain herself no longer,

"This was no random mugging was it Miss Carson? I can tell it was a sustained deliberate assault. You don't have to tell me who it was but if you'll take my advice you'll keep well away from him in the future."

There was no reply from Destiny just the merest shrug of her shoulders. That was Kirk's cue, he stepped silently from behind the screen behind Destiny and tapped Dee on the shoulder,

"That'll do you for now Miss Carson, I'm going to let the heat lamps bake you for about fifteen minutes then we'll get to work on your bruises."

She left the room leaving Kirk and Destiny alone together but not before smiling at Kirk's rather obvious erection. Kirk just stood and watched Destiny for a couple of minutes imagining her sleek curves unblemished and his hands caressing her.

Kirk gently placed his hand on the back of Destiny's head, keeping her prone with her face in the table cutout.

"Dee's right you know, you should stay well away from him, this will only happen again and again, the slightest excuse to assert himself over you."

Destiny immediately tried to lift her head but Kirk's downward pressure kept her in place.

"I'm not here to kidnap you and whisk you away but to let you know that when you are ready you can let me know through Rosy, she knows all about me and she's the best friend you have so you look after her. As for me, well let's just say I have a fever."

Kirk released her head and his hand drifted along her neck and shoulders then slowly and lightly moved over each mark on her body.

"If he ever,,,,,,,,,,"

He didn't need to say more.

A few seconds later the door clicked and he was gone, seconds later Dee bustled back in loaded with bottles of essential oils and different creams and lotions.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Meanwhile Rosy was in turmoil as she was taken to a room very similar to Destiny's and she was told to strip off in preparation for her massage.

"But I'm not a client I'm here with my friend, anyway I couldn't possibly afford it even with a fifty per cent discount."

She managed to splutter as she was being undressed and Dolores introduced herself,

"No worries this is on the house as a thankyou to a mutual friend."
In no time at all Rosy was lying face down on the massage table.

An hour later her face was covered in a face mask with some sort of cream underneath it.

When that was removed an hour later she was whisked to a hairdressing and manicure salon.

Two hours later she was allowed to look in a mirror, she almost fainted with shock, instead of the plain mousy girl who had entered the Calm Palm what she saw was a beautiful sophisticated looking woman.

At that moment Kirk came into the room,
"My goodness Rosy, what a transformation, you're beautiful, unfortunately you'll have to go back to your old look, if HE sees you looking like this he'll have other duties for you in no time, do you understand me Rosy? I swear though that one day sooner rather than later you'll be able to look like this every day."

Rosy's face dropped, she had dreamt of being beautiful ever since she was a child so being told she couldn't stay beautiful was like taking away a baby's favourite cuddly toy. Rosy pleaded with Kirk and Dolores.

"Can I at least show Destiny, I think she'll be happy for me."

Dolores smiled, "Of course you can Rosy, She'll love the way you look."

With that Kirk made his farewells to all the girls and using a little used backdoor he slipped away, still unsure if he had registered with Destiny, her perfume still lingering in his nostrils.

Carefully the masseuse worked around the bruises and welts on her backside.

This was no random mugging was it Miss Carson? I can tell it was a sustained deliberate assault. You don't have to tell me who it was but if you'll take my advice you'll keep well away from him in the future.

Destiny closed her eyes, her face thankfully hidden in the hole in the table. She tried to shrug it off, but it was a weak effort.

That'll do you for now Miss Carson, I'm going to let the heat lamps bake you for about fifteen minutes then we'll get to work on your bruises.

The heat felt good and she relaxed, closing her eyes and grateful for this time away from Damian and his far reaching control.

Suddenly there was a hand on the back of her head, not hurting her but not allowing her to raise her head out of the face hole. She tried to lift her head up but the hand wouldn't let her. Then she heard a man's voice.

Dee's right you know, you should stay well away from him, this will only happen again and again, the slightest excuse to assert himself over you. I'm not here to kidnap you and whisk you away but to let you know that when you are ready you can let me know through Rosy, she knows all about me and she's the best friend you have so you look after her. As for me, well let's just say I have a fever.

And then the hand was gone. She heard a click and lifted her head. There was no one in the room. Her heart was pounding as the door opened and the lady that had been taking care of her walked in as if nothing had happened, her arms filled with bottles and tubes and towels and such. She wanted to ask who that man was but thought better if it.

Once Dee had her back on the table again, face down, she worked on Destiny's bruises, Destiny pondered over what the man had said. Something niggled the back of her mind. ...I have a fever. The man from the club. The one that won the drawing. She wondered just how much he had seen of her. How long had he been there? And Rosy? Apparently the girl was in contact with this man. This man that could get them all killed.

For several hours, Dee worked to try and minimize the damage that Damian had done.

Around 1:00, she was wrapped in a big fluffy robe and a table was set up in front of the couch. She was fed a wonderful cold shrimp salad and lemon water. Then under the magnifying lamp where her facial pores were cleaned and tightened. Despite the brief encounter with the Fever man, this really was relaxing. The Fever man. Just who did he think that he was? She remembered him as very good looking. A detective? And now Rosy was in contact with him. She should have thrown his card away.

There was a knock on the door and Dee answered it, letting in a very pretty young woman as the masseuse left the two women alone. It took her a moment before she realized that it was Rosy.

"Rosy! You're beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!"

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes! Yes, I do!" She was quiet for a moment. "But Rosy, you can never let Mr. Dangerfield see you like this. If he knew you were so beautiful, you would disappear before you could blink. Do you understand?"

"Kirk says the same thing."

"Watch out! Be careful about that man. He could get us both killed!"

"No, he wants to help you. Help us!" Rosy pleaded with her. "He want to help you."

Destiny was silent for a moment. "Rosy, no one can help me. Mr. Dangerfield owns me. I can never leave him. Too much depends upon me keeping him happy. But I can try to protect you. If I ever send you a message and all I say is "Goodbye", you must promise me that you will immediately leave. Don't stop to pack a bag, just get out of town right away. Promise me!" She gripped Rosy's arm so tight until the girl cried out, agreeing. Destiny hugged her before she let go of her and smiled.

"Now, turn back to old Rosy. Don't even let Remo see you pretty. Or he will let Damian know.

Rosy nodded and slipped out, leaving Destiny alone in the room. She heard the beautiful woman crying alone in the room.