Peggy had broken into high-security HYDRA compounds. A closed-door audition was no major problem.
From the shadows, she watched as Angie ran her dialogue, preened and postured to display her effervescent look, all but showed her teeth like a horse at auction. They ran her through her paces, the Broadway men—expecting her to perform a three-hour show, matinee and evening, however many days of a week they needed. But Peggy recognized stern stuff in others as much as herself. In another world, Angie could crawl under barbed wire and sling a rifle with the best of them. Here, she could manage showtunes.
There were three directors. Two of them had enthusiastic reactions, but the last counseled his fellows to be calm. They told Angie they would get back to her. The first two were hearty about her chances; the third was hung-up on another audition who the other two were not nearly as sold on. He insisted, though, and whatever the pecking order, he seemed to have final say. He mollified them with a promise to sleep on it, but from the set of his spine as they left, Peggy knew he had no intention of changing his mind.
She thought it called for investigation.
***
Peggy twisted his arm nearly to the breaking point. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? Two hours of work, while I was bored with nothing better to do,
that's all it took
! The talent agency sends aspiring young actresses to whore for you, so you'll take their more established clients, no matter their suitability for the role!"
He tried to protest. Peggy twisted his arm
to
the breaking point. "I'll be having a conversation with them as well.
You
will cease this arrangement immediately. If you want sex, you can either prevail upon your wife for it or find someone who hasn't been manipulated into offering it! Otherwise, you'll bloody well settle for your right hand,
assuming I don't break it off!"
He whimpered in abject surrender. Peggy eased the pressure, just a little. "Now. In a world where you
didn't
enter into this despicable arrangement, who would you have cast in the part?"
He said a name. Peggy smiled.
"Call her."
***
"I got the part!" Angie screamed. Peggy expected Angie to run to her for a hug, but Angie didn't run anywhere in particular. Just scrambled about the apartment like a headless chicken, waving the blouse she'd been ironing around like it was a winning lottery ticket. "I got it! I got it!"
Finally, from nearly bowling Peggy over, she realized there was someone around to hear her cries. She threw herself in an embrace with Peggy, though the blouse she was holding slapped Peggy in the face. "Thank you,
thank you!"
"Me? I didn't have anything to do with it. What an odd suggestion!"
"For helping me, dunce-hat! I never would've gotten it if you hadn't taught me to be all cool and
collected—"
Angie swaggered around in imitation of Peggy, bending her elbows out from her waist in a way that had Peggy immediately thinking
I do not do that!
"You are the best friend a gal could ask for! The best Lesbian a gal could ask for! Jiminy Christmas, I'm so glad I've got you all to myself!"
She hugged Peggy again, this time from the rear, and Peggy barely minded how hard Angie was manhandling her about with her embrace. Angie rained kisses on her cheek, tickled her, practically ravished her with affection. Until somehow they found their way to the bed, Peggy thrown down on it, Angie crashing down on her with a real kiss, and Peggy thought she might quite like being ravished.
"But, don't get me wrong," Angie said, rearing up with a queer expression on her face. "My big break is nice and all, but what's really important is that now I get your reward."
"My reward?"
"Uh-huh." Angie's tongue poked at the inside of her cheek. "I mean, I got so jammed up when you were punishing me, I can't imagine what you'll do for the velvet glove treatment!"
"I do believe I 'reward' you on a near-nightly basis. Although I am glad to hear it compares so favorably to you having a gainful employment."
Angie smiled ruefully. "C'mon, Peg. You're telling me you don't have nothing planned?"
"I... have some small ideas... for a special occasion."
"What could be more special than this? You gonna go back to Germany and make the Krauts say uncle all over again?"
Peggy blinked. She realized, yet again, that Angie would do anything for her. Absolutely anything for her. It was something of an awesome fact. As well as quite stimulating.
"Go to the icebox," Peggy said. "Fetch a cucumber."
Angie bit her lip. "You mean...?"
"If the woman of the hour is open to it—so to speak."
"It's been a long while since I had a guy, English. But I imagine anything he does with a prong, you'd do much better!"
"Who said anything about me?" Peggy smiled in that way she knew was just somewhat intimidating. "We're going to be doing this together."
***
"Geez, Peggy, geez—you sure don't mess around!"
Angie tried to play it off with a laugh, but Peggy silenced her with a kiss. She wouldn't let Angie be anywhere but here, with her, experiencing the pleasure Peggy wanted her to feel. "I certainly don't."