Blue Angel (29 page)

S
tepping into Bette’s white living room while holding Alec’s hand was like worlds colliding.

“Nice place,” he said.

“Thanks. Can I get you two a drink? I only have vodka.” Bette wandered into the kitchen. Mallory sat nervously on the couch, and Alec sat beside her.

“That girl looks like you,” Alec said, pointing to the photograph of the redhead. Mallory remembered noticing the photo the first night she was at Bette’s and confiding that she had toyed with the idea of dying her hair red. That night, a drastic change in hair color seemed like an outrageous thing to do.

How far she had come.

Bette appeared with a tray of chilled shots. They each took one, and clinked them together.

“To Moxie,” Bette said, winking at her. “The hottest body to grace the Blue Angel stage. At least since I left.” She laughed a throaty laugh.

“To you—jet-setting tabloid star,” Mallory said.

“I’ll drink to that,” Bette said.

Alec raised his glass, but was silent. Mallory wondered if he was as nervous as she was.

She looked at Bette, who was especially luminous that night, wearing a black sheath dress clinging in just the right places, her nipples pressed against the fabric. Her pale skin was flawless, and Mallory could tell she was barely wearing any makeup, just her smudgy black Sephora eyeliner and matte red lipstick. Her hair was tucked girlishly behind her ears. Even though this night was all about Alec, Mallory had to admit she was still attracted to Bette. After tonight, she knew she would never be with her again. But she was excited to have one last time.

There was an awkward silence after the toast.

“How about one more round?” Bette suggested.

While she disappeared into the kitchen, Alec reached for Mallory’s hand. After so much time apart, the casual contact was almost dizzying. She looked up at him, and he leaned in to kiss her. She threw her arms around his neck, and their mouths met so roughly their teeth bumped together. His tongue traced her lower lip, and she sucked greedily at it, wanting to devour him. His hand moved under her sweater, tracing her nipple. She breathed in the smell of him, forgetting where she was, wanting him inside of her so badly she almost lost her breath.

Bette returned, sitting beside Mallory on the couch, but Mallory didn’t stop kissing Alec until he pulled away. He nodded toward Bette, and in a daze, Mallory turned to her, and then it was a different mouth against hers, softer and less familiar. She leaned back and let Bette kiss her while Alec continued stroking her breasts. She was incredibly turned on, losing herself in sensation, when Bette pulled back and started kissing Alec.

Mallory was almost startled by this turn of events, but knew on some level that that was how these things went. Alec was still touching her, so she lay back against the couch and tried to enjoy watching her boyfriend and new best friend kiss slowly and deeply. She didn’t have to try very hard: it got her incredibly hot. She reached for Bette’s breasts, tracing her hard nipples over the thin fabric of her dress.

“Let’s move into the bedroom,” Bette said.

Mallory felt wobbly when she stood. Alec took her by the hand, and they followed Bette, who pulled off her dress as she walked. She wore only black, lacy boy shorts underneath, no bra. She sprawled out on her bed as if asking, with her body, which one of you is going to fuck me?

Mallory and Alec looked at each other, and he gave her a wink. He reached over and pulled off Mallory’s sweater, and unzipped her jeans, which she pulled down over her hips. His hands traced her breasts over her bra, then he leaned forward and unclasped it, kissing her collarbone. She felt an intense rush of closeness to him, and for the first time in a very long time, it felt like it was him and her against the world. In that moment, she wished Bette wasn’t there. She adored her beautiful new friend, and she was grateful for the way Bette had so generously opened up the world to her. In a way, she had finished what Alec had started all those years ago at Penn—she’d freed Mallory from the girl her parents had raised her to be, and helped her find her true self. But for now, all she wanted was to put her arms around her man, to reconnect with him and let him know that the most important thing in this new world, to this true self, was their love. But ironically, the way to do that involved making love to another woman—and possibly watching him do the same.

Alec nudged her toward the bed. She lay next to Mallory, and he pulled down her pink panties. Bette bent her head to Mallory’s breast, taking her nipple in her mouth, her tongue flicking against it teasingly while her hand moved between her legs. Bette circled her clit with her thumb, and Mallory was already so wet that Bette immediately slipped a finger inside her. Mallory moaned and thrust her pelvis against Bette’s hand, all the while acutely aware that Alec was watching. Knowing that his eyes were on her pussy while Bette finger-fucked her made her tremble. All she could think about was getting his cock inside of her, having him fuck her while Bette took a turn being the one to watch.

She felt him move onto the bed, and when he pressed himself against her she knew he was naked now, too. She reached out her hand until she found his hard cock, brushing over the tip and then firmly massaging his thick shaft.

Bette’s fingers moved more quickly in and out of her, while Mallory moved her hand to the same rhythm up and down Alec’s cock. He kissed her, then Bette leaned down and kissed her, then Bette and Alec’s mouths met, both poised above her. Mallory leaned forward so she could tongue Bette’s breasts, then Alec pushed her down so he could do the same to her. She felt Bette’s hands on her pussy replaced by Alec’s. He knew exactly how to touch her, and within seconds of his fingers working in and out of her cunt she started to come.

When her body finally stopped spasming, he pulled back, and startled her by saying to Bette, “Do you mind if we have some time alone?”

“Not at all. Be my guest.” She kissed Mallory on the cheek “Be happy,” she whispered.

She slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Mallory sat up, her head spinning slightly.

“Why did you do that?”

“Do you mind?”

“No. Of course not. But I thought this was what you wanted. . . .”

“I just want you, Mallory. That’s all I ever really wanted. This was fun, but after a month apart, I just want you to myself.”

They kissed, and her stomach did a little flip, the way it had since the first time he’d kissed her on Penn’s campus four years ago.

“Do you want to go home?” she whispered.

He put her hand on his throbbing cock. “I do, but I don’t think I can wait. Don’t worry—I’m sure Bette’s bedroom has seen its fair share of action. She won’t be sweating this.”

Mallory smiled, and gently pressed him down on his back. She bent down to lick his balls, sliding her tongue along the length of his cock, licking the tip, and then sliding down again. He moaned and pressed on her head, and she knew he wanted her to take him entirely in her mouth. She cupped his balls while slipping his cock between her lips, sucking slightly to create tension while flicking her tongue against him inside her mouth. She used one hand to stroke the length of him, moving up and down.

“Get on me,” he said.

She moved quickly to climb on top of him, pausing for a minute with her wet pussy poised at the tip of his cock. She rubbed him against her clit, then pressed herself down on him so he was completely inside of her. She hadn’t realized how much she missed his thick cock filling her up.

“Oh, my God,” she said, bending forward so they were chest to chest. She could feel his heart beating, and he grabbed her ass and thrust deeper inside of her. It felt so good she came quickly, her pussy clenching against him in waves. Her orgasm kept going and going, and she felt his cock vibrate inside her in a way that let her know he was going to come soon, too. She watched his face, and his blue-gray eyes locked on hers in a way that made her sure this was it—they were together again. Nothing would change that.

He cried out as he came, his orgasm so strong that she had to brace herself against his movements so she could hold him inside her pussy long enough for him to finish. Then she gently slid off of him, and they lay side by side, slick with sweat; she could feel his cum between her legs. Her pulled her against him so her head was braced in the crook of his arm.

“I love you so much,” she said.

“I love you, Mallory.” He kissed the top of her head. They breathed against one another, content. “We’ll go home soon?”

“Yeah,” she said.

“I don’t think I can move just yet.” He pulled a box of tissues off of Bette’s bedside and passed them to her.

I’ll have Bette send us the dry-cleaning bill,” she said, and he laughed. He kissed her again.

“You know what? You look hot as a redhead, but I kind of miss the beautiful brunette I fell in love with.”

“Really? You think I should go back to dark hair?”

“It’s up to you. But if you felt that you had to go red because Bette’s the hottest dark-haired chick in the room, I can tell you you’re very much mistaken.”

She smiled at him. “It was fun to try something different. But I will always be the girl you fell in love with.”

“You know I love you—more now than ever.”

“Yes,” she breathed, happier than she could remember. She reached out and stroked his face.

“Can I tell you something weird?” he said.

“Sure. What?”

“I saw Patricia Loomis in the audience tonight.”

“Very funny.”

“I’m serious. And let me tell you—she looked extremely into it.”

Bette knocked on the door.

“I hate to disturb you two lovebirds, but there’s a call for you, Mal.”

Mallory and Alec exchanged a look.

“Who could be calling you at this hour?” he asked.

“I have no idea. But I’d better find out.” She pulled on her clothes, glancing at herself in the mirror on her way to open the door. She looked well-fucked. It made her smile.

Bette handed her a cell phone.

“You didn’t answer yours, so she called on mine.”

“Hello?” Mallory said, bewildered.

“Moxie, it’s Agnes.” The Polish accent sounded even thicker over the phone. “Why don’t you answer your phone?”

“Sorry. I was . . . busy.”

“Celebrating, I hope.”

“Celebrating?”

“Yes. Your new job. Welcome to the Blue Angel.”

The Boom Boom Room was filled with the usual glitterati: the starlets, the star-makers, and the star-fuckers. Everyone had turned out that night to celebrate
Gruff
magazine’s “Hot” issue, and its new cover girl, Bette Noir.

Mallory and Alec sat in a banquet in the farthest corner of the room. She watched the scene playing out around her, and was amazed at how in her element she felt. She wore a vintage, crimson Azzedine Alaia dress that she’d bought with part of the Baxter party check; her hair was long and loose; and her only jewelry was her Elsa Peretti heart necklace. When she and Alec had walked into the room, the photographers had actually pushed people aside to get shots of her.

The glossy magazine was piled and fanned out on tables all over the room. She picked up a copy, and ran her finger along the bold white letters written underneath the photo of Bette vamping it up in a black bustier: “Girls! Glitter! Glam! Behind the Velvet Curtain of New York Burlesque” by Alec Martin.

She was so proud of him. The article was already getting a lot of buzz.

“How’s my star writer?” Billy Barton asked, looming above them in a white tuxedo.

“Hey, Billy. Great party, as always,” said Alec.

“It’s not bad, if I do say so myself. And how are you, lovely Moxie? Do you think our cover girl will be a no-show?”

“You never know with Bette,” she said.

“Maybe I picked the wrong face for the burlesque feature,” he said. “Everyone in the room is asking who
you
are. And now I have to explain why you’re not even mentioned in the article. You single-handedly made this piece out-of-date, you lovely bitch.”

“That’s sweet, Billy,” Mallory said, rolling her eyes. “But we both know you got exactly the right girl at exactly the right moment. Photos of Bette and Zebra are in every tabloid on the rack this week.”

“Isn’t it glorious? I couldn’t have planned it better myself. Oh—there’s Ms. Poppy LaRue. And who is that unattractive creature with her? She’s bringing down the aesthetic of the entire room.”

Mallory looked at the door, and, sure enough, there was Poppy making an entrance with Patricia Loomis. She had heard they were dating. Of all the things that had transpired over the past few months, this had to be the most outrageous and shocking turn of events. Their connection explained why Alec had seen Patricia in the audience the night Mallory had made her Moxie debut. It probably also explained how she’d been busted and lost her job.

She watched them make their way into the room, together but obviously trying to appear
not
together. As if anyone in that crowd cared. Although, after what had happened to Mallory in the corporate culture of Reed, Warner, she couldn’t blame Patricia for being paranoid. Looking at Patricia now, Mallory couldn’t help smiling. In the end, Patricia and the firm had done her a favor.

The two women began heading toward them.

“I’d better steer clear of Poppy,” Billy said. “She’s still furious with me for not putting her on the cover.”

“Why would she expect to be on the cover?”

“Um, it’s a long story. Now you must excuse me, love.” Billy beelined it over to a hard-bodied young guy she’d seen in a recent movie trailer.

“Hey,” Poppy said. She was positively glowing with happiness, and even Patricia looked remarkably attractive. Her skin was shine-free; her hair was finally loose and cut in an attractive long bob just skimming her shoulders; and Mallory was almost sure she detected lipstick. Now if someone could just get her into a dress . . .

“Hi, ladies. Glad you could make it,” Alec said.

“So you went back to brunette?” Poppy said to Mallory. “I like it. It’s darker than it used to be.”