Touching Angel's Desires (37 page)

“I guess,” she said faintly. Angel watched her drain her drink. “I…I
just need to go to the toilet.” Stacie got up. So did Angel.

“I’ll walk with you.” Angel felt a tiny bit guilty as they walked.
Did Stacie really deserve this treatment? Probably not, but what else could she
do. She could not let Stacie walk away with the only man Angel ever desired.
She was getting far, far too close, and needed to be stamped on. Whether she
deserved it or not was no longer relevant.

Angel only pretended to use the toilet. She couldn’t have Stacie
running out on her. She came out of the cubicle seconds after Stacie did. “Well,”
Angel said brightly as she washed her hands also. “I’ll let you get back to the
ball. Thanks for the chat. It’s been…enlightening.”

Angel headed out of the ladies first, then waited down the corridor
until Stacie emerged. She looked ashen and shaken, like she’d seen a ghost.
Angel smirked. Revenge was always sweet. Angel followed Stacie back to the
hall, hoping she wouldn’t meet up with Dan before Angel had a chance to set
Larry onto her. Speaking of Larry, how was she going to find him? He’d promised
he wouldn’t go off with anyone, but a promise from that snake wasn’t worth
spit. Stacie walked into the hall, the music blasting loud as she opened the
door. Angel scuttled up the corridor to sneak in while she would still be near
the entrance. As she was jogging through reception, she saw Larry coming back
from his room with some girl, looking pleased with himself.

He kissed the girl on the cheek, then smacked her bottom as she grinned
at him.

“Where the hell have you been? You said you wouldn’t go off with
anyone!” she hissed, beckoning him over.

“Chill, Angel,” he said, looking her up and down lewdly. “Oh baby,
baby, you look hot tonight. I could just squeeze those melons till they burst!”
He reached out to try to grab her breasts, but she backed away, batting at his
hands.

“Listen, Stacie is alone, and she’s just gone in. Come with me!”
Angel opened the door to the hall and Larry followed her in. She scanned the
room for the white dress. Fortunately for her, less fortunately for Stacie, not
many women had chosen to wear white, the symbol of purity.

“Her. In the white dress,” Angel said, pointing discreetly.

“I know. I clocked her earlier with Dan,” he said, walking past her.
“You were right, by the way. She is absolutely
fuckable
.
I am really going to enjoy this.”

Angel grabbed his arm. “Text me when you’re finished!”

He just nodded and pulled his arm away.

Angel stayed and watched as Larry positioned himself on the dance
floor. She stayed just long enough to notice Stacie notice him, before making
herself leave the room. Much as she wanted to watch the plan play out, she
couldn’t afford to be anywhere nearby.

Angel jogged to her office to pick up her phone. She had nowhere to
keep it in this dress so simply held it in her hand. She wanted to know the
instant the deed was done, then headed to reception. She needed to find Dan
herself, and make sure he stayed out of the way for at least the last half
hour.

“Do you know where Dan went? I need to talk to him?” she asked
Bailey.

“I saw him come out of the hall about half an hour ago. I think he
said he was going to chill in the men’s dressing room till you came back with
Stacie.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Angel headed around the other side club to the dressing room, she
knocked quietly, but there was answer. She opened the door, to find it empty.

“Hello?” she called, in case he was in the toilets. No answer. She
closed the door again, annoyed. Now she’d have to go and find him.

She went back around the building again, glancing in the rooms as
she passed. She went past the doors leading to the gardens and paused. Maybe he
went outside for some air. It was a nice evening—chilly, but calm. She opened
the door, venturing out onto the patio. She stood at the edge of the lit area,
peering out into the dark gardens. There was no sign of movement. She took a
few steps out onto the lawn. “Dan?” she called. “Are you out here?”

“Angel?” A shadow emerged from behind a bush.

“Dan?” Angel took a few steps further away from the safety of the
lit patio.

“No. Only me!” The shadow lunged and grabbed at her, dragging her
further into the grounds. Angel tried to scream, but a hand clamped over her
mouth. The man, for she still could not see his face, dragged her further down,
past the end of the lawn, to the walled gardens. She kicked out at him, but he
clamped his hand around her hair. “If you’d rather I dragged you by your hair
instead, just keep kicking, Angel-cakes.”

“Ben?” she whispered. “What the hell is going on?”

“What is going on is that I am taking what you so happily give to
everyone else,” Ben said, pushing her up against a wall and holding her there
with his body. “You whore yourself out to anyone with a dick, and yet you say
no to me?
Me
? Without me you’d be a
pathetic little nothing. You owe me, bitch!” He shoved his hand under her
dress, snapping her minuscule thong with one yank. He pushed his fingers painfully
in her pussy and she yelped. “Dry, is it, Angel? Well that’d be a first. Let’s
see if we can help you there.” He spat in his hand and rubbed it over her cunt,
then stuck his fingers in again, moving them around inside her. “That’s better,
nice and juicy. Hold still, you never know—you might actually like it.”

“Help me! Help!” she screamed, terror roughening her voice. Ben
clamped his hand around her neck, tightening it until she felt she could barely
breathe.

“None of that, sweetheart, or I may have to hurt you. I’d really
rather not mark that pretty face of yours. People might ask questions.”

He unfastened his fly, pulling out his cock.

“Why don’t you touch it, Angel? You used to love touching it.” He
grabbed her hand and forced it down. Angel nearly retched as she touched him.
He nuzzled into her neck and shoulder. How strong was he? How could he possibly
hold her in place with just his body? Angel had no idea she was so physically
weak. It didn’t matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t get away. He yanked
up her skirt and she felt his cock touch her pussy. She closed her eyes,
resigned. How bad could it be? After all, she’d slept with men she didn’t want
to before.

Then, the pressure was gone. Ben’s body jerked away from hers and
she heard the sound of a punch being thrown. Her eyes snapped open. Ben lay
sprawled on the floor, his face bleeding. Standing over him was…

“Oh God, Dan!” Angel wept, stumbling toward him and throwing herself
at him. “Oh Dan, thank God you were here,” she sobbed. “He was going to…”

“I know what he was going to do. I heard you scream from the patio.”

Dan held her quite motionlessly, she noticed. He wasn’t hugging her,
or patting her, or stroking her, simply holding her.

“You bitch,” Ben spluttered, trying to get up. “I’m going to—”

“The only thing you’re going to do is leave,” Dan said, letting
Angel go and turning to face Ben as he squared up to him.

“And who’s going to make me? You?”

“If necessary. But the security guards at the club will help, I’m
sure, if you kick up a fuss. It would probably be better for you if you
didn’t,” Dan told him, his voice calm.

Ben glared at him, clearly weighing up his options.

“Fine. Whatever. She’s not fucking worth it anyway. Just a fucking
whore like all the rest.”

Ben stomped away. Dan followed. Angel scooped up her phone from
where she’d dropped it when Ben grabbed her, then hurried after them.

Dan followed Ben all the way to reception. Bailey stared at the
spectacle of a bloodied Ben, a furious Dan and a dishevelled Angel.

“Angel’s had a bit of a time,” Dan said to Bailey without missing a
step. “See to her, will you? Oh, and don’t let this one back in again. He’s
barred. Permanently.”

Bailey nodded and turned her attention to Angel who stood and
watched as Dan escorted Ben to the front door and kicked him out.

“Angel? What happened?”

Angel turned back to Bailey. “Oh, nothing. I’ll be okay. I’m just
popping down to the powder room to clean up. I’ll be back soon.” Angel heard
her own nonchalant voice as if from a distance. She turned her steps toward the
powder room. It wasn't until she stood at the mirror and stared at her own reflection,
pale with smudges of dirt on her face, and bits of twig in her hair, that she
started to shake.

Mechanically, she cleaned up her face. The only thing on her mind
was Stacie. Stacie who, somewhere, was being treated like a whore, probably being
virtually raped by Larry. Disgusting, sick, perverted Larry, who Angel had set
upon her. Stacie, whose only crime was to be beautiful and to have made Dan
fall in love with her. Stacie. Sweet, innocent, naïve Stacie, who had already
survived an abusive relationship, who had come to Angel trusting that she was
going to help her, but instead, she had set her up to be raped again. Angel had
never been raped. Sure, she’d had sex with men she particularly didn’t want to,
but she had chosen that. Being violated when you have no choice in the matter
was different. And now, now, she finally
realized
exactly what she had done. What kind of
person was she, to do that to another woman? No had always meant no, even here.
Angel retched, and vomited into the sink. She ran water into the sink, rinsing
out her mouth quickly and drying her face before running out of the powder room
with one thought. She had to find Stacie.

The phone in her hand buzzed, indicating a text. Angel froze on the
spot, looking at the screen.

It was from Larry and said simply—
The deed is done!

Oh God!
She was too late. Her heart began to pound. What had she done?

She stood for a second, for once in her life having no clue what to
do. There was no point rushing to find Stacie now. If she responded before
being told about what had happened, it would appear suspicious. No doubt at
some point in the very near future, she would be informed and then she would
have to react as though she knew nothing about it. The best thing she could do
now was to act totally normal. She headed toward the piano bar and ordered a
large vodka and orange, sitting at the bar and picking at a bowl of peanuts.
They stuck in her throat.

She made small talk with the barman, and listened to Vanessa’s
calming music, trying to ease the drumming of her heart. She watched the hands
of the music-themed clock on the wall tick around slowly. Instead of numbers,
the clock had musical notes and symbols. It was almost half past crotchet when
her phone buzzed again. She grabbed it.

Come to reception. Urgent.

It was from Shannon. Quickly, Angel stood, draining the last drops
of her drink. She rushed out and down the darkened corridor, picking her way
round couples up against walls and even lying on the floor.

She paused at the double doors, taking a deep breath to calm herself
before pushing them open. Bailey stood at the reception desk, looking worried,
and as Angel approached, she saw Stacie wearing jeans and a baggy T-shirt, her
face scrubbed, her hair down, and a look of utter despair on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Angel said.

“Larry got to Stacie!” Bailey replied, her face hard.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m very sure. Dan’s going after Larry,” Bailey told her, frantic.
“We need to move fast and catch Dan up or he’ll knock seven bells out of him.”

“I saw Dan go into the ballroom a few minutes ago,” Shannon said,
looking from Angel to Bailey.

“Right, you two stay here,” Angel said to Bailey, then turned to
include Stacie in her instruction. “Call security,” she said to Shannon who
nodded and picked up a walkie-talkie. Angel spun and rushed into the ballroom.

Angel ran inside the hall, looking frantically around. The smell of
hot sex dominated the room and naked or semi-naked bodies were everywhere. She
didn’t bother looking at faces—Dan wouldn’t be bothered about sex. She looked
for a clothed man who would be moving fast through the crowd, or worse, signs
of a fight. She quickly ran through the hall and poked her head in the food
court. Nothing. She ran back through the hall, the image of Stacie as she had
just seen her plaguing her.

It was a very different Stacie who stood in reception now, distressed
and upset, her beauty drained, replaced by anguish and horror, her eyes red raw
with crying. Drowning in the sea of guilt and remorse, a tiny thought bobbed
up. At least now Dan would be hers.

Unable to see Dan in the hall, she emerged back into the reception
area. Stacie had sat down on one of the sofas, her face gaunt and her eyes
rimmed with dark circles. She went over and sat next to her.

“I need to know exactly what happened. Where did he take you?” Angel
demanded.

“Down that corridor on the right,” she answered in a whisper.

“And?”

“He had sex with me, look I didn’t know. I just—”

“It’s okay, Stacie. But I need the information.”