by Marnie Perry
As for Hennessey he was watching Adela closely as she talked to Bentley so easily and naturally, as though she had known him as long as he had. He knew she was shy and uncomfortable amongst strangers, especially men, but once she had talked to them for a while she chatted away as though they were her best friends. But the thing that struck him most was that, apart from a slight raising of her eyebrows when she had first caught sight of Carson’s disfigured face, she had not shown any reaction. She did not show by any outward sign that she was disgusted or appalled or even curious, but watched Carson’s face closely as he spoke keeping eye contact with him at all times.
As for Carson he seemed fascinated by her, whether it was her accent or the fact that Hennessey had told him her days were numbered in single figures he didn't know.
Bentley was saying, ‘so, Adela, is there anything you particularly wanted to do or see whilst you were in this country, something you can’t see or do in the mother country?’
She laughed at the term “Mother Country.” She said, ‘did your mother originate from the U.K, Carson?’
‘I think every person in America’s mother did.’
She laughed again, ‘to answer your question, I would very much like to watch a football match.’
‘Football match?’
‘Oh sorry, I meant football game, as in American football.’ She gave a cheeky grin, ‘although over here you obviously just call it football.’
Carson guffawed. ‘Well football is actually out of season right now, they play between September and March usually. But you can see college football, that’s just as exciting to watch. What else?'
‘Oh I’d love to take a trip on a river boat. Also I would love to see the Mardi Gras; in fact I should be in New Orleans in time for that.’
‘I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. But be careful, it can be very dangerous for the uninitiated, there are plenty of drunks and troublemakers, not to mention pickpockets.’
Adela recalled Sally’s words of warning before she had left on her trip. She was beginning to think that maybe going to the Mardi Gras was not such a good idea for a woman alone, for the uninitiated as she obviously was.
She said, ‘thank you for the advice, Carson, but maybe I’ll watch it from my hotel window instead.’
‘Oh please, don’t let me scare you off, if I thought my words of warning would spoil your enjoyment of what is a very exciting event I would never forgive myself.’
‘Oh no, don’t blame yourself; you’re not the only one that has warned me to be careful. But I should maybe be a little more conscience of my own safety.’ She looked at Hennessey as she said this and smiled.
Bentley looked at Hennessey then back at Adela. He was thinking that if his old friend had his way she would not have to worry about her safety in New Orleans, or any where else ever again. In fact she should be more concerned with the danger that was on the receiving end of that soft smile right now.
He wondered just how Hennessey would go about getting the information he needed if his seduction techniques didn’t work, not that he had ever known it not to. But this woman was different than any woman he had dated, had spent any time with, or even met. The mad thing about it was that he found himself liking this woman. When Hennessey had told him she was a target he had imagined some kind of mobster’s gal or who had who had stolen something from rich boss or ratted on him. But she was nothing like that; on the contrary she seemed very innocent and very sweet. The even crazier thing was that if he knew anything about Hennessey at all he guessed that he liked her too.
He said, ‘maybe if you had a chaperone.’
‘Hire a bodyguard do you mean?’
He chuckled, ‘something like that.’ He looked pointedly at Hennessey now and the smile still on his lips said, ‘what about you, Sterling, does your business take you to New Orleans at all?’
Adela looked embarrassed and shifted in her seat Hennessey gave his friend a “watch it” look and said, ‘I’ll still be in North Carolina I’m afraid,’ he turned to Adela, ‘otherwise I would have leapt at the chance of being your escort,’ he smiled, ‘or bodyguard. But being the friendly soul you are I’m sure you’ll find someone only to willing to keep you company.’
Her face still red and her voice low she answered, ‘I’m sure I’ll be all right.’
‘I know you will.’
She gave him an uncertain smile obviously still uncomfortable with this conversation. There was a short silence in which Bentley realised that instead of embarrassing his friend, which he should have know was impossible, he had instead embarrassed Adela.
He asked about her time in Alabama which made Adela uncomfortable again because it reminded her of what had happened there, but she smiled and answered Bentley’s questions and the three of them chatted away for almost an hour until Jaws came over to the table and whispered in Bentley’s ear. He nodded in acknowledgement and said to Hennessey and Adela, ‘I’m sorry, I have to leave you now, the call I've been waiting for has just come through.’ He stood up and looked at Adela, ‘I’ll try to see you before you leave, but if not I hope Sterling will bring you back here to see me before you set out for your Georgia. In the meantime if there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.’
Hennessey nodded and Adela said, ‘I hope to see you again too, Carson, and thank you so much for everything.’
He smiled at her and shook Hennessey’s hand in a two handed grip and Hennessey followed suit. Hennessey could see a thousand questions in his old friend’s eyes but he merely smiled and Bentley said pointedly, ‘keep in touch ya hear? Let me know how things work out.’ Hennessey nodded and Bentley turned and left.
When he’d gone Adela said, ’what a very nice man.’ Hennessey looked at her and smiled she asked, ‘what?’
‘Nothing, it’s just that, well, thanks for your reaction to Carson, or rather your non- reaction. I know his face is not a nice sight and people tend to either stare or avoid looking at him altogether, but you treated him as you would any ordinary looking person.’
She frowned, ‘there’s no need to thank me for that for heaven’s sake. I liked him. And anyway, if someone is interesting enough after a while you cease to notice anything out of the ordinary. Even people with the most beautiful faces can be off putting if they’re dull and boring, and your friend certainly wasn’t either of those things.’
He stared into her eyes as if trying to figure her out then his voice very soft said, ‘you’re really something, Miss. Adela Faraday.’
She felt Goosebumps all over her body and her heart gave a little flutter as she whispered back, ‘something?’
His eyes never left hers as his hand came up to caress her cheek, he leaned forward so that she could feel his breath on her face, he smelt of wine and toothpaste. Her breath caught in her throat as his hand came up to caress her cheek with a feather stroke.
The moment seemed to go on for hours until he leaned forward still further and very slowly his lips approached hers. She caught her breath in her throat as she waited.
He didn’t close his eyes as his lips met hers. And that’s all it was, just the mere touching of lips, a gentle caress, but Adela felt the heat spread from her toes to the roots of her hair, and that tingle she always felt when he touched her hand was now racing through her entire body as if all her nerve ending were being shot with electricity, and all the time they never took their eyes from each other’s. His lips still against hers and his voice husky he whispered, ‘yeah, something.’
She stared back mesmerised by those dark blue eyes until suddenly he broke the contact and moved back a few inches but seemed to Adela like a hundred miles. He said, ‘would you care to dance?’
She found it difficult to speak or move as if the breath had been squeezed out of her body and her limbs had turned to jelly. She was afraid to stand up, she was sure if she did her legs would give way beneath her and she would crumple to the floor like a rag doll. She swallowed very hard several times, and still too
affected to speak merely nodded.
He stood and held out his hand, she took it and gripped it tightly as if it were the only thing keeping her upright.
He guided her across the room towards the dance floor where he took her in his arms, it was only then that she remembered that she couldn’t dance. She managed to find her voice but it came out on a high pitched squeak, ‘I…I can’t dance.’
He grinned, ‘then lean on me and we’ll just sway slowly to the music.’
She did lean on him, not simply because she had too, but because she desperately wanted too. She wanted him to hold her as he was holding her now all evening, all night, all… Oh Gosh, what was she saying, what had happened to her, to simple sensible Adela? If she reacted like this to his lips simply brushing hers how would she react to being kissed properly, deeply, with passion?
The hand on her back was burning a hole in her dress through to her skin, and the thumb of the hand that held hers was stroking her palm gently, oh so sensually. He moved her towards him and lowered his head so that her face lay against his chest his cheek against hers. She could feel his warm breath on the bare skin of her neck causing a return of those Goosebumps. She thanked God he was holding her so tightly otherwise she would have fallen to the floor she knew she would.
Hennessey could feel her trembling against his body. He smiled as he ran his hand slowly up and down her back and was gratified when the trembling increased.
He moved his head to the side and rested his lips against her neck and felt the tremble increase to a shudder, and was that a small moan he heard?
Adela’s pulse was racing and her heart thumped so loud that he must be able to feel it against his chest.
She had no idea what music they were dancing too; she could hear nothing, see nothing, feel nothing except the sound of his breathing in her ear and the hard strength of his arms around her. He moved closer so that she could feel his crotch against her thigh. She gulped in her throat.
He raised his head looked into her eyes, ‘see, it’s not so hard is it.’
Her face flushed a lovely shade of pink as she stammered, ‘wh…what, I mean pardon?’
He couldn’t decide which was funnier his own double entendre or her confusion. He said, ‘dancing, it’s not so hard is it?’
‘Oh, oh no, it’s…it’s not.’ She lowered her face against his chest again then realising it might give him the wrong impression she quickly jerked it back up. He drew her to him again and smiled over the top of her head.
When the music ended, instead of releasing her, he held tightly onto her, but not half as tightly as she held onto him. She felt weak and light headed and oh so confused. She wanted to push him away, run from the room, out of the building and keep running until she reached home, not the cabin but home in England safe and secure and normal again.
And perversely she wanted to remain right where she was, on this dance floor, in this room, in his arms, all night, for all time.
He eventually drew back and looked down at her rose pink cheeks and bright eyes filled with confusion, excitement and fear.
He continued to hold her gaze for long seconds as though she was the only other person in the room. His own eyes were bright and smouldering with something she had never seen before. He reached up and touched her cheek with his fingertips; she closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against his hand. Then suddenly he leaned back quickly. She looked at him a question in her eyes. He said rather abruptly, ‘it’s late. I think we should leave now.’
It wasn’t a request but she didn’t argue, merely nodded her affirmation. He let go of her and she felt as though he had left her on Ship Island all alone, lost and bereft.
She stumbled slightly as she followed him from the dance floor to their table where he grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and handed her her wrap. The transition from being hot enough to catch fire to freezing as though suddenly submerged in cold water made Adela shiver; she wrapped her shawl around her shoulders. She was confused and a little frightened now, she couldn’t understand why he had suddenly changed from would -be lover to this distant, abrupt stranger.
She managed to say, ‘I haven’t paid.’
He was shrugging into his jacket but stopped to look at her his face stony and his voice harsh as he said, ‘it was on the house, didn’t you get that?’
‘Oh yes, but the idea was that I should pay tonight.’
‘Yes, your idea.’ She stared at him the confusion and hurt on her face plain to see. He said, ‘why don’t you go tell Carson that you thank him for his generous hospitality, but your pride dictates that you must pay for the evening’s entertainment. I believe you’ll find him in his office.’
Her face paled and her eyes filled as she looked away then began to walk towards the door leaving him standing looking after her for a moment. He straightened his jacket, took out thirty dollars from his wallet and threw it on the table then followed her.
She had reached the top of the stairs before he caught her up. Jaws was there and said, ‘it’s pouring down with rain, if you like I’ll fetch you an umbrella from the cloakroom.’
Hennessey didn’t reply to that nor did he look at Adela as he commanded, ‘wait here, ’I’ll fetch the car round.'
She didn’t look at him either but nodded her head.
Hennessey walked away as Jaws called out, ‘do you want that umbrella, Mr. Hennessey?’
‘No,’ Hennessey’s reply was abrupt.
When he’d gone Adela stood next to Jaws not daring to look at him in case he should see in her face how upset she was, she didn’t want him to tell Carson that she and his best friend had had words. Jaws said, ‘I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight, Miss. Faraday.’
Years of training had taught her to hide her feelings and act as normally as she could, so she half turned to him and making her voice as light as possible said, ‘oh yes, very much, thank you, and will you thank Mr. Bentley for me too?’
‘Sure thing. I’m sure he hopes to see y’all again some time soon.’
This time the “y’all,” did not bring a smile to her lips. ‘Oh well, I’m leaving Mississippi in three days so I doubt I’ll be able to call here again.’
‘I see.’
Jaws might look like a big thick bouncer but he was obviously sensitive to people’s moods because he smiled at her very gently, ‘I hope things work out for you okay, Miss. Faraday.’
She swallowed hard and said, ‘thank you, Mr…’
‘Jaws.’ He grinned and she couldn’t help it, she smiled in return.
Suddenly a loud bang came on the door and Jaws said, ‘excuse me please,’ and went to answer it.
Left alone Adela tried to stop herself from thinking about what had just happened with Hennessey and his sudden and abrupt change of mood. It had happened after he had looked at her when the dance had ended; there had been something in his eyes just before, a wariness, a withdrawal. Maybe he had been trying to find out if she turned him on and discovered that she didn’t and was disappointed and angry.
So now she knew at least that she wasn’t attractive to the opposite sex. They liked talking to her and having fun with her, but anything else, anything sexual, was out. She was not desirable and sexy, of course she wasn’t, but she had known that anyway hadn’t she, she had been told it often enough. But since she had met Hennessey she had begun to believe that maybe she did have a little of that something that men look for in a woman, sensuality, desirability, sexiness. But she had come down to earth with a bump, with an explosion really. Hennessey had made it clear she not only didn’t turn him on but turned him off. What had she been thinking that she could attract a man like him in the first place?
Jaws came back with two couples but stopped next to her and said, ‘I have to see these people inside, I’ll only be a few moments but I’ll leave the door unlocked for Mr. Hennessey.’
She nodded. He took a few steps then turned back, ‘you will wait for him won’t you, Ma’am?’
She smiled softly at his concern, ‘yes, I promise to wait for him.’
He smiled back showing his gold teeth in all their glory, ‘very sensible.’ As he walked away she thought, that word again. Sensible. But how inappropriate that word was tonight
CHAPTER 22.
Hennessey drove back to the club where Adela was waiting for him, or at least he hoped she was.
But the scene that met him as he pushed open the door caused him to stop dead in his tracks and the blood in his veins turn to fire. Adela was surrounded by three men, the same three men who had ogled her as she had walked past them on her way to the ladies room earlier. The man who had paid particular attention to her and that Hennessey had wanted to shoot between the eyes, had her against the wall and was slurring, ‘that’s a mighty sexy accent ya have there sweet pea. Bet your lips are jus as sexy, what y’all think, boys?’
The other two men laughed uproariously as only drunken men can at nothing in particular.
Adela said, ‘look, I’m with someone he’ll be back any second so please let me pass.’
They all laughed again and the first man grabbed Adela’s breast and she cried out ‘don’t do that, just stop it, please.’ She smacked at his hand at the same time pushing him away, he staggered back but Adela knew it was only because he was so drunk that she had managed to shift him at all.
The man lost his drunken jovial air and his face darkened as he lurched forward and grabbed Adela’s hair pulling it loose from the pins she had painstakingly put in earlier.
He pulled her hair so tight that she cried out again, this time in pain. She struggled and pushed him but unlike last time he did not stagger back. He pulled her head back and kissed her roughly and painfully. He smelt of stale beer and cigars and something else she could not name but was foul smelling.
She jerked her head back and forth and tried to kick out at him but it was ineffectual. She drew back her foot and kicked his shin with all her might. He yelped in pain and pulled back but instead of letting go he pushed her roughly against the wall so that her head bounced back and then forward.
