You're making me insane, [Duke].

[Angela Waters]

After dropping off the Cuban cigars to Duke, as she had promised, she decided she'd try to blow some of the money she had earned through her own blood, sweat, and tears. She'd never admit to shedding the latter of the three, however. She was cajoling one of the men into playing his hand and stop being a coward. He wouldn't be the first or the last to lose a game of poker to her. Finally, he jerked to his feet and jabbed a finger at her. "You cheatin' witch!" He snarled, his face contorting with what could only be described as rage.

Rolling her eyes at him, she stood and dusted off her dress, giving him a bland stare. "Darlin', it ain't my fault your poker face is about as terrible as they come. Shoot, I knew a little girl that once 'ad a better face than the pathetic one you've been puttin' on since the beginnin' of this here game." She drawled calmly. Apparently, that was the last straw. "You'll pay for that!" He hissed angrily, drawing the knife that had been poorly concealed in the inside of his jacket.

Angela could only smirk. "Naw, darlin', you have it backwards, but I'll give ya' credit for tryin'." She paused and thought for a moment. "Actually, you'll be the one that regrets it." With that, she pulled her pistol from its holster. "Now, you have til the count of three to put your knife away and walk or run out of this saloon." She murmured, cocking her weapon and aiming the weapon so that the barrel was pointed at his forehead.

She watched the transformation unfold after he heard the sound of the bullet sliding into the chamber. First, realization set in and second, fear took hold. His eyes about bulged out of their respective sockets as he dropped his knife and ran out of the building, quite literally. Chuckling, she slid her pistol back into its holster, making a note to empty the chamber after the game came to its conclusion. Actually, she'd do it now. Motioning over one of the men that accompanied her from the hideout, she gave him the weapon and frowned. For a moment, she was silent.

Finally, she chose to speak. "Get the bullet out of the chamber and so help me, if you shoot anybody, I'mma tan your hide myself and then hang you out to dry." He nodded after she finished speaking and left to do as he was told. She settled back into her chair and sighed, crossing her arms. "Well, unless ya'll are yellow-bellied cowards, I have time to kill, an' I'd like to play another round so if there aren't any objections..." She trailed off, gesturing to the men that sat around the table. Once the game was underway, she decided she'd be a bit nicer to the lot of the poor sods because after all, they were the ones that had to go home and face the fact that they had lost all of their wages or damned near to a woman during a not-so-friendly game of poker.

[anskee5]

Doc had watched the goings on between the pathetic little poker player and Angela Waters with interest. Seeing the man all but scrambled over himself to get as far away from the beauty as he could made him laugh. Leaning against a wall he stood and clapped his hands as he approached her.

"I am quite impressed, little lady," he smiled at her, his rich Virginia accent floated through the air and delicately kissed her ears. "The man had all the charm of a baboon trying to serve high tea in bone China dishes. You do have a talent but you are in need of direction. Excuse my atrocious manners. My hypocrisy knows no bounds. My name is John H. Holliday DDS. Some call me Doc," he held out his hand as a knight should when taking a ladys hand.

[Angela Waters]

She rolled her eyes at the newcomer. "Actually, I don't need anythin' to win a game against a bunch of drunkards. The majority of 'em are too stupid to figure out they've already lost the moment they sat down." She shrugged nonchalantly and found herself standing once more, this time to face the man. "Angela Waters." She murmured her own introduction and as her brooding gaze flicked down warily to his hand and after a long pause, she grasped it and shook it firmly. Her hand was somewhat rough from the work she did, not that she seemed to notice or care.

After shaking his hand, she sat back down and crossed one leg over the other, she tilted her head back to gaze up at the ceiling. "So you gonna play or stand there?" She queried, gesturing toward the empty seat as she brought the glass of alcohol to her lips and took a swallow. Nobody really seemed affected by what had just happened so she wasn't overly concerned. If the law came to call, she'd claim self-defense, not that the sorry fellow had been injured but still, it never hurt to have a plan in mind just in case. "Why'd ya come over 'ere, Doc?" She queried, returning her dark gaze to the man.

[anskee5]

"Ah, curiosity got the best of me," he admitted. 'That and I wanted to meet the young woman who has turned the head of my boss. It seems since you've been around Duke has changed. He seems to always have his head in the clouds and he whistles this incessant tune. What is it called? Oh yes - Sweet Evelina. It's one that singer performed he on stage some time ago. Dear Gawd, he's driving everyone crazy with it," he chuckled.

"Way down in the meadow where the lily first blows,
Where the wind from the mountain ne'er ruffles the rose;
Lives fond Evelina, the sweet little dove,
The pride of the valley, the girl that I love," he spoke some of the lyrics to the song.

"What, pray tell, have you done to him?"


www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv_g26skMFs&feature=colike

[Duke]

"Doc," Duke came up to the gambler as he was talking to Angela, "there's some fellas that want a game with you," he pointed to three men standing by the bar. They were well dressed but looked over to where they were talking. "They want to try the hand of the famous Doc Holliday."

[Angela Waters]

She shielded her eyes to look up at Duke, a small pout tugging at her lips. "Shoot, don't be sendin' him away now. I was gonna prove to 'im that my game didn't need any improvin'." As she made a gesture with her hand, the men around the table flinched. It was amusing, and the humor sparkled in her dark gaze. The man she sent out to empty the chamber of her pistol finally came back, handing her the weapon. He stood there a moment, looking hungrily at the poker table that she sat at.

For a moment, he didn't speak. "Ya ain't here ta play poker, Angela." He mumbled, shuffling his weight awkwardly for a moment or so, hoping she might just take the bait and let him take her spot. "And you ain't here to sass me, boy, so I suggest you stop waggin' that tongue o' yours 'fore I give you a beatin' you won't soon forget." As she finished speaking, the color in the man's face drained and he found himself uttering an apology to the fiery brunette that knew no bounds. "You can take my place, these gits ain't worth wastin' my time on 'cause it's not enjoyable if it's like takin' candy from a baby." She shook her head and got up from her seat, which was quickly occupied by the eager fellow.

Her temper was not just for show, and she was no stranger to lashing out in a physical manner if somebody pushed her past a certain point. Usually, her sharp words did the trick just fine. "Didja get my gift, Duke?" She paused, a smirk tugging at her lips. "I didn't smoke 'em like I said I was gonna." She teased softly, gesturing for him to walk with her. Before they went any further, she was going to get some dancing in, which was something she'd been meaning to do since her arrival in Del Fuego.

[anskee5]

Doc looked over at the three men as they looked expectantly in his direction..
"Ah yes, Only fools rush in where angels fear to tread. That's from Proverbs, my dear," he told Angela. "It was indeed a pleasure to meet you," he bowed politely to her. "And Mums the word, so to speak," he was referencing their previous conversation. It Duke knew what he had told her it was quite possible he would have gotten angry with the gambler. "My public awaitens. Adieu. Adieu. Parting is such sweet sorrow."

Doc's fame was such that many came in to attempt to beat the gambler but few were successful. The few that could brag of besting him left with far less money than they had come in with meaning that although they might have beaten him in a game of poker Doc had actually rued the day with his winning. Duke got 25% of the final tally.

Doc was nearly as tell as Duke but physically considerably smaller. Some would call him skinny, sickly looking, and indeed they would have been right. He was in the middle stages of consumption and it had drained him of much, particularly his appetite, but not his taste for drink. Some called him an alcoholic but the reality was he drank to help quell the vicious coughing spells and the pains in his chest.

[Duke]

Watching Doc leave Duke sat down across from Angela.
"What did he mean by that?" he asked her, his eyes still on Doc. He was feeling a twinge of jealousy. "Was he bothering you? He can be a nuisance at times."

As he looked at her and his eyes softened slightly. Only someone who was in close proximity would have noticed it. Normally Duke had a hard look to him, one of cunning and deviousness. He had once been called Machiavellian by a woman but that had been in Chicago when he - well let's just say he cheated to get the Mayor's wife for a night.

[Angela Waters]

She sighed softly and moved to sit in Duke's lap, sensing he had something on his mind. damned woman's intuition. "Naw, he wasn't bothering me, darlin'. Just bein' a gentleman and commentin' on how I played poker." It wasn't a lie in the least. She had just left out the rest of the conversation she had undergone with the man known as Doc. For a moment, she was quiet, allowing her head to clear.

Just being around him slammed her right back into the state of mind she had been in when she allowed him to own her for a night. He had seen her when she was vulnerable. Did she dare to let it happen again? Forcing the thoughts from her mind, she tilted her head to meet his gaze. "Now, what d'ya say me an' you go dancin'? It's either dancin' or whatever pops into your head." Really, all she sought was a distraction and playing with the very person that caused those distractions was just asking for trouble, lots of trouble.

[Duke]

The nearness of her was all it took to change his state of mind. Nuzzling her neck he began softly humming the very same tune Doc had mentioned earlier.

"My mind goes to naughty thing," he whispered in her ear. "We can have our dinner brought up to us and we can spend the night in bed together doing whatever we wanted to do," he let our a soft chuckle and continued humming. "Or we can go dancing. Whatever you'd like to do." He nibbled her ear and kissed her neck but the humming never stopped.

[Angela Waters]

Before she could get too comfortable and lose herself in the sway that Duke held over her, she pulled away but only long enough to toss a pouch over to the gang underling that had taken her spot in the poker game. "Don't be spendin' all that in one go if ya can help it." After seeing him nod, she stood slowly and tilted her head, looking down at Duke. Her cold gaze had warmed up enough that it made a couple people wonder what in the world was going on inside of her head. "Well, c'mon then, I'd rather not be the sideshow for your patrons." She teased, grazing her fingertips along his shoulders. Maybe a release was what she needed.

It wasn't like she was lacking in that department, per say, but it did help her to keep her head in the game and more importantly, ground her to the here and now. Unsurprisingly, the man that had taken over her spot started hooting with the sweet calls of victory. Perhaps, if these men weren't so quick to play poker with people that lied on a daily basis, they might actually be able to keep their money. Oh well, their loss was her gain. Her hand went to Duke's, absentmindedly threading her fingers through his. With everything that was going on, it was getting harder and harder to convince herself that he was just another phase that she was going through. She knew what the stakes were and perhaps, what scared her the most, was the fact that for once in her life, she didn't care.

[Duke]

"Well, c'mon then, I'd rather not be the sideshow for your patrons."

He had heard her say and realized he had indeed put her on display without realizing that he had and, for the first time in his life, he felt embarrassed. Him! Duke, owner of the Blackbird Saloon and Casino, felt embarrassed.

When he had owned the Emerald Saloon in Chicago he didn't feel embarrassed when one of the girls was gang raped in front of him for cutting a customer. Afterwards he dumped her body down by the wharf for the rats or whoever wanted her would find her.

He'd seen guts spilled out in knife fights and people blown to pieces by gunfire and still felt no embarrassment. But the discomfort of Angela filled him with anger and embarrassment for her. He didn't want anyone gawking at her with unsavory looks.

Upstairs now with her in his room he closed and locked the door so they would not be disturbed. Grabbing her he pulled her roughly close to him, his face very close to hers.

"Woman, you make my blood boil," he told her. "I can't stand anyone looking at you but me. I am insane over you. I want you so bad I can't stand it. I want you."

he kissed her hard and deeply, pressing her body close to his and then began kissing her neck.

"Oh Angie! Angie! I am putty in your hands."

[Angela Waters]

She felt her face flush red-hot with embarrassment. Nobody had ever told her such things. Most just felt pity for her because she hadn't settled and others had been put off by her unsavory methods. Perhaps, it was insanity that caused her to do the following but still, she felt as if they needed to get something out in the open if anything was to work. Biting her lip until she tasted the metallic tang of blood, she gently took hold of his hand and pulled him toward the awaiting bed. "There's...somethin' I gotta get offa my chest, darlin'" She hedged, wondering how he would handle it.

From the way he acted around others, she didn't exactly peg him for being the type that was morally sound. Easing down onto the bed, she patted the spot beside her. "When we first met, I'll admit I told a bit o' a white lie. Somebody did take me in, yes, but it wasn't a nice family on the outside of town. Shoot, I couldn't get that lucky." She chuckled weakly and lifted her hand to run her fingers through her hair. She wasn't sure how to proceed.

Now that she had opened her big mouth, there wasn't any going back. "They are like a family, just...very dysfunctional." Again, she found herself chuckling. There were some things that weren't so bad about the life she had made for herself. "I'm Lewton's secondhand in the Les Coureur Enfer gang, which would make me an outlaw." She didn't know why she had clarified it. By her mannerisms, it was probably more than obvious that she was on the wrong side of the law. Almost immediately, she went back to chewing on her lower lip.

What in the world was she going to do with herself? "I haven't killed anybody and when I first left home, I tried hard to stay out of this life but in the end, I discovered that not even honest work could get anybody by. I've allowed men to take me home and when they got to undressin', I hit 'em as hard as I could with the butt o' my rifle and ransacked their homes for food, money, and clothing; hence the garb I was in when we first met. I started hustlin' poker in Chicago." She fidgeted briefly. "I dunno much else, as I've been doin' it for almost ten years, give or take a couple'a years." She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

With everything she had done, she'd knew what would be coming to her if the law ever caught up to her. "So, there's my dirty secret in a nutshell." She somehow found the presence of mind to give him what could only be described as a weak smile. For a few moments, she was silent, unsure of what to say next. "I told you this 'cause..." She swallowed the slowly-forming lump in her throat. Why was this so hard?

It was worse than that time when she had to dig a bullet out of leg and sear the wound closed. "I lose my damned head when I'm around ya'. In all these years, nobody's ever made me feel so uncertain or so..." She paused to try and find the right word, her mind filled with warring thoughts, feelings, and emotions. "...attached. I want this so bad everytime I leave, it feels like I'm leavin' a piece o' me behind and when I'm here, I'm too paranoid to act on it." She sighed heavily and glanced toward him, wondering what was going on in his mind.

Certainly, it couldn't be worse than what was going on in hers? "For ten years, I've avoided..." She paused to gesture between the two of them. "This. I've always preferred no attachments 'cause it made things easier. An' now..." She trailed off, leaving whatever she was going to say unsaid. Why did it have to be so hard?

[Duke]

"There's...somethin' I gotta get offa my chest, darlin'. When we first met, I'll admit I told a bit o' a white lie. Somebody did take me in, yes, but it wasn't a nice family on the outside of town. Shoot, I couldn't get that lucky. They are like a family, just...very dysfunctional. I'm Lewton's secondhand in the Les Coureur Enfer gang, which would make me an outlaw. I haven't killed anybody and when I first left home, I tried hard to stay out of this life but in the end, I discovered that not even honest work could get anybody by. I've allowed men to take me home and when they got to undressin', I hit 'em as hard as I could with the butt o' my rifle and ransacked their homes for food, money, and clothing; hence the garb I was in when we first met. I started hustlin' poker in Chicago. I dunno much else, as I've been doin' it for almost ten years, give or take a couple'a years. So, there's my dirty secret in a nutshell. I told you this 'cause... I lose my damned head when I'm around ya'. In all these years, nobody's ever made me feel so uncertain or so... ...attached. I want this so bad everytime I leave, it feels like I'm leavin' a piece o' me behind and when I'm here, I'm too paranoid to act on it. For ten years, I've avoided...This. I've always preferred no attachments 'cause it made things easier. An' now..."

Sitting nest to her Duke honestly listened to her, which was unusual as he didn't care when a woman was having troubles or had a history except if it effected his business or personal life in some way or another. But to hear Angela talk touched him.

And yet, his scheming side rose within him. He knew Lewt McConnell and had done business with him in the past. So far Lewt had not cheated or defrauded him but there was always the occasion when he might one day. It was always a good business policy to know just a bit more about your so-called employees than they knew about you.

At the same time how could he use someone he loved for your his own selfish motive and benefit? He decided discretion was the better part of valor. Besides, he cared deeply about Angela.

"It's fine, my sweet," he put his arm around her and held her tightly. "Lewt McConnell is a friend of mine. We've done business together on occasion in the past and I'm quite sure we will do business again. Please, don't worry," he hugged her and began to hum the tune once again and closed his eyes.

Looking at her now he gave her a gentle smile and kissed her mouth. "Sweet, sweet Angie," he spoke softly to her. "You have a place forever in my heart."

[Angela Waters]

She rested against him, unsure of what else to say. Instead, she just listened to his humming. It was a comforting, catchy tune that she could probably come to appreciate. "Sweet Evelina?" She queried innocently, peeking up at him from beneath a curtain of dark hair. "Mmm, never figured you the type, love." She mused aloud, sitting up to face him as she tucked her legs beneath her.

She wanted to know more about the man. He was an enigma, if there ever was one. "So, how'd you come into the saloon business, darlin'? Don't you dare spare a single detail." Resting her elbows in her lap, she propped her head in her hands and watched him curiously. Knowing her, there'd be more questions but for now, she decided to start with the easy ones. Surely, the history behind his saloon business wasn't classified.

If it was, she'd find something else to ask about and try to revisit it at a later date. Again, she found herself appreciating his words. Nobody, in the course of her life, had ever treated her this kindly and if they did, they had an ulterior motive. After having known Duke for as long as she did, she knew that if he really wanted something from her, he would have taken it by now. He wasn't a patient man and when he didn't get his way, the result was usually ugly. "And you in mine." She murmured, unsure of what to say.