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and me to find out.” Mickey leered again and he knew it. But the girl didn’t seem to notice. “What do you say, a bite after?”
    An amused, bizarre smiled parted her lips.
    â€œWe’ll see,” she said.
    â€œDoes that mean ‘yes’”, persisted Mickey.
    â€œIt means we’ll see,” said Angela.
    Mickey saw more promise there than he’d ever seen in a woman’s eyes in his entire life - awake or dreaming.

Chapter Five
    Billy Winter’s face was death-wax white and his heart was beating like an out of control metronome. He was terrified when he stumbled back onto the stage. His appearance took Mickey by surprise, but Angela took it in her stride.
    â€œSo you changed you mind,” she said, with a told-you-so glance at Mickey, who was glad he hadn’t made the bet. He thought that somehow he would have lost more than the money in his pocket.
    â€œYeah... I got lost.” The fear had lent a tremor to his voice.
    â€œHow could you?” said Mickey in disbelief, “The stage door is just at the end of the passage.”
    â€œI don’t bloody know.” Billy’s pitch was close to hysteria. “I took a bloody wrong turn that’s all.”
    â€œOf course you did.” The soothing voice of a kindergarten teacher came from those diabolically sensuous lips. “But you’ve come back and it is almost time for the auditions so why not stay? Mr Thornton will be back at any minute now I’m sure, then we get started - and the sooner we get started the sooner it will be all over and we can move on to doing other things.”
    Mickey caught a look of encouragement; Billy saw lust and a promise of vile pleasures.
    â€œSounds good to me,” enthused Mickey.
    â€œMaybe,” muttered Billy, as he recovered a little from his attack of terror.
    The conversation was interrupted then by the entrance of another woman. She brought a gasp from both the men. She was an eternal beauty, and yet everything Angela was not. She was tall, elegant, slim, and small busted. Her skin was pale as fresh milk... carved ivory... reflected moon. Her hair was red, deep auburn, the colour of chestnuts and fire. The eyes were sultry, and denied the coolness of her demeanour. They were also the same colour as her hair which was pulled back into a bun, neat, and efficiently held in place with ebony combs.
    Mickey saw her Greek goddess features, blended into lineless perfection. Her suit, almost mannish, emphasised her femininity. Mickey wished she was wearing nothing but a man’s white shirt.
    Billy wished she was wearing nothing at all, his mind seeing little but the imagined burning bush at her thighs.
    When she spoke it was with softness, a whispered breeze, a lick of candle light. But it carried authority. She cast a quick, intelligent eye over the two gaping men.
    â€œThornton?” she asked.
    â€˜Who needs him,’ thought Mickey. ‘There are two of them and two of us.”
    The woman looked at him. The eyes x-rayed through him. “ We need him,” she said. “Where is he?”
    â€œHe just stepped outside,” said Angela with a knowing smile, which the other woman acknowledged with amusement.
    â€œYou don’t have to protect old big-head,” cut in Billy eagerly. “He’s gone. He won’t be back. He don’t do auditions.”
    Then Thornton almost ran onto the stage. Mickey stared aghast. His clothes were covered in grime, his face and his hand covered in filth. His eyes were wild and a line of froth covered his lower lip. He looked as if he’d just been to Hell and back. Mickey took his eyes off the actor and looked at Angela. His look was an appeal for help for the distraught actor. But there was no pity from the blonde. She froze Mickey with her merciless look
    â€œI thought he’d change his mind,” said Angela.
    Thornton fell to the boards, grovelling. “Help me.” It was