Interest
> > She rang the bell. She waited.
She could sense him on the other side of the door. Looking at her through the peephole. Deciding whether to open the door.
Finally, it opened.
"Angela."
"Hi."
"I didn't expect to see you here."
True enough, but mentioning it didn't say anything positive. "Same here. I thought you were in Sacramento."
"Just back for the weekend taking care of a few things." His expression changed a bit; was that suspicion? "Ricky's not here."
"That's okay. I just wanted to-"
A car pulled up in the drive behind them. It was Ricky.
Someone was with him.
Must be Becky.
"Oh, hey, Angela." Ricky's tone of voice was casual, but there was no mistaking the tension in his body language.
"Hi, Ricky."
"Oh! This is Becky."
"Yeah, from church. -- Hi, Becky."
"Umm, hi. Ricky's told me a lot about you." She extended her hand.
Angela didn't shake it, instead just shooting Ricky a sidelong glance. "Has he now."
Angela wondered why everyone was so uncomfortable with her being here.
Maybe it was the way she'd left.
Maybe it was the way she'd broken up with Ricky.
Maybe it was the way she was dressed.
Based on the way everyone's eyes kept darting over her -- a behavior she was becoming increasingly attuned to -- it was probably the way she was dressed.
Yeah, I probably should have given that a little more careful thought.
But what do I care what they think? I'm doing my own thing now. They don't get to tell me what to do anymore.
A part of Angela smiled at the thought of making them all uncomfortable.
Well, Noel and Ricky were uncomfortable. Becky was past uncomfortable and coming up fast on hostile. Angela could tell by the way Becky suddenly got really grabby with Ricky. Sidling up next to him. Her arm around his waist, hand tucked into his jeans pocket.
They were all waiting for her to explain why she was here.
"I just came by to pay you back. For the clothes and stuff."
"Oh."
"Oh!"
Becky nibbled on Ricky's ear. Ricky pulled away; Becky looked hurt.
Angela reached into her purse. She saw Noel's eyes bulge momentarily when he got a good look at it. Black velvet, with the word "TEASE" in rhinestones on one side. Angela thought about turning it around so he could see what the other side said: "DICK". Angela hated the little bag, actually -- hated the whole exotic dancer mystique -- but now that Kat was gone from the club, Angela figured she might as well use every trick she'd picked up. After all, whatever got her more tips was worth doing. It was just a role she was playing, and the more over-the-top she played it, the less real it seemed.
Funny how more and more it was Sapphire who felt real, and Angela who wore the costumes and put on the bravado.
"Here you go." She handed Noel a bulging envelope.
Angela saw with some satisfaction the way Noel just peeked inside the envelope and then clamped it shut. As if cash was evil. As if she was some criminal buying him off. Well, she enjoyed his discomfort. Small payback for the discomfort he'd made her feel the last few days she was living here. And for the way he'd made her feel like a child when she'd gone to him with a professional matter afterward...
Angela snuck a glance at Ricky. He wasn't watching his father. He was checking her out. Good. Let him see what he's missing. He could see a lot more if he came down to the club.
Not that she'd *want* him to actually do that, of course...
Becky put her head on Ricky's shoulder, wrapping her other arm around him in front, jamming both hands in the same pocket. The younger girl's body language couldn't have been clearer:
Ricky's Mine Now. Bitch.
Yeah, whatever.
Angela grated at the way Becky was all over Ricky. Maybe if Angela had done that, things might be different. Maybe if she hadn't been such a cold fish... No, it wasn't her fault. It was Noel's. She could hardly be demonstrative toward Ricky when his dad was around all the time. It wasn't fair. Obviously Becky had free reign, and she was taking full advantage, the dirty little seductress... Angela had always been forced to walk on eggshells. God forbid she be the slightest bit affectionate in front of Noel Aquino, Christian Crusader. Ha! What a phoney he turned out to be. Noel's stern discouragements hadn't been about protecting his son at all. They were far more selfish. And far more disturbing... just look at the way he kept glancing at her now. Checking out her legs. Checking out her chest. To think she once believed it was all her fault. Yeah, right. Dr. Ward was full of crap.
Noel didn't count the money. She didn't expect him to. "It's all there," Angela said, motioning with her head toward the pocket where the envelope had been cached.
"I'm sure it is, Angela. Thank you. It's very... decent of you." In contrast with everything else about you, his discomfort seemed to say.
"Well, anyway, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm sure you're all busy, and I've gotta get back to it." To anything that wasn't here.
"Okay. Thanks again. Good to see you."
"Yeah." She turned to walk down the driveway. "See you, Rick. Nice meetin' ya Becky."
"Bye."
Angela strutted down the driveway, her blood red pumps making scratching sounds on the concrete with every hip-wagging step, her ass feeling the hot burn of four guiltily-compelled Aquino eyes through her stretch microskirt, the buckles on her cropped leather jacket jangling and bouncing against her bustier-enhanced chest.
She'd just given away her last dollar in that envelope. But the sense of triumphant dismissive closure she felt was worth it.
As she drove off, she marveled at how totally opposite her performance was from the guileless innocent she'd been the last time she and the Aquinos had all been together. DVD Night. The night Noel Aquino had misinterpreted her innocent behavior as a lurid come-on . . .