Chapter 7
Within a few days Amy was a regular, someone the GIs knew. She grew more hardened and cynical about them and as the days went by a curious thing happened. Instead of the soldiers becoming disgruntled because she teased them constantly and never gave them what they wanted, she became a prize, the center of a peculiar type of contest wherein every soldier felt it his duty to try to win Amy.
Amy, meanwhile, was waiting for the night when Bull would come in. She did not know what she would do when he did, but she was eager for the moment and she did not doubt herself. It might at least save some other girl from a repetition of what had happened to her, besides giving her the pleasure of proving herself superior to Bull. That he had spurned her, tossed her away and preferred one of Earl's cheap chippies, still made her writhe whenever she thought of it.
For six nights she prowled the tavern waiting for him to appear. She was sure he would show up and she wanted to be sure to see him before he saw her. The advantage of surprise she wanted to be hers. How Earl would fit into the picture she did not know and did not care. She could handle Earl easily enough Meanwhile she continued her rounds and she knew that Earl was pleased with the number of soldiers she drew into the gambling room. She could tell herself that his profits from that part of the enterprise were increasing. It puzzled her that he was not closed down by the police ,but he continued to operate unmolested.
She saw Bull come in on her eighth night on the job. She was lounging at the entrance to the gambling room when he pushed his way through the door and went directly to the bar. He was immediately taken in tow by the same two girls who had been with him that first night she had seen him. Amy's eyes narrowed almost to slits and she began to breathe fast. Control yourself, she warned herself. She waited until she had her anger under wraps before she sauntered over to him. Just at that moment she caught sight of Earl. He was watching her from a corner and she knew suddenly what she was going to do.
The mirror behind the bar told her how she looked, the bare flesh of her shoulders creamy and rich against the jet black of the gown, her body thrusting hard and always moving under the cloth with a movement all its own, tantalizing and seductive, promising a sweetness rare indeed to whomever could take it.
When he saw her in the mirror he did not know that she knew. He did not know that she saw his sudden stare and the way his arms dropped from the two girls and the way his mouth fell open in a ludicrous gape. All he knew was that he had seen Amy and he guessed at once that this was the Amy all the men had been talking about. It had never occurred to him that it could have been the same Amy he had tossed aside so casually. She was near him now, but a few steps away, and he waited for her to reach him.
Instead she stopped and spoke to a soldier. Bull pivoted around, his eyes on her, while Amy caught a quick look at him in the mirror. Before he could do anything she was moving again, back toward the gambling room with a soldier in tow, knowing his eyes were on the soft lurch of her hips.
He was watching for her when she returned, standing with his back to the bar, scarcely paying any attention to the girls at his side. Amy's mouth curved with pleasure when she saw him and she moved toward him with a slow sauntering gait that drew stares from all around the room. It irked her, however, that he would not come out from his post at the bar, but waited for her to come to him.
She made no move to indicate that she had seen him when she came abreast of him. He reached out his big hand and caught her by the wrist spun her toward him.
"Hello, Amy," he said.
She froze where she was and let her eyes run coldly up and down his big body.
"You buying a drink Mister?" she said coolly.
His mouth fell open and he pushed away from the bar with an angry gesture.
"Sayyy, what are you trying to pull?" he muttered.
"Are you buying a drink, Mister?" she repeated.
Her eyes were on him and her mouth curled with scorn. She could see the others watching Bull and she heard the snickers start behind her.
"You're Amy," he said stupidly.
A roar of laughter greeted his remark.
She turned and sauntered away, leaving him gawking after her. The jeers from his buddies did not escape her ears and she felt she was on her way. Her eyes sought out Earl and found him where he had been before. This time she went to him and sat down. His eyes had a question in them. "That big baboon try to get tough?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders.
"He thinks he's Romeo," she said. "Maybe he is, but my name's Amy." Earl grinned.
"Well, don't take nothing from these bums," he said. "You don't have to."
The next time she passed Bull he was quieter, but more determined. He planted himself in front of her and barred her way. She stopped, waiting.
"Okay, so you're sore," he said quietly. "Can't we forget it and let it go by? You got to admit you ain't the same Amy."
"I'm the same Amy," she said softly. "Only you weren't smart enough to see it then, Bull."
He thought he was making progress and he smiled for the first time since he had spoken to her.
"Maybe you're right," he conceded magnanimously. "But a mistake's just a mistake. What do you say I make it up to you?"
Her eyebrows went up at that and she shrugged her shoulders.
"I've got no hard feelings, Bull," she said. "Lemme buy you a drink."
"Sure, buy me a drink."
The bartender poured her a drink. When he had taken the money from Bull she picked up the glass and deliberately poured it on the floor.
"Thanks for the drink, Bull," she said with a cool smile.
He glared at her.
"Okay, so now you're even."
She laughed throatily.
"I told you I've got no hard feelings, Bull. I just don't drink on the job. You wanted to buy me a drink, so I let you. I don't have to drink it, just because you buy it."
He backed down at once. His eyes were red from drink and Amy saw them lick hungrily over her. There was no weakness in her knees and no sudden pounding of her blood.
"You look damned beautiful, baby," he said thickly.
She indicated the gambling room with her head.
"You want to go inside for a while? I feel like playing."
He didn't, but he came along anyway, trailing along behind her like a puppy. Once through the doorway she turned to him and smiled up at him.
"Buy me some chips," she coaxed. "I feel lucky."
When he stood at the cashier's desk she said over his shoulder:
"Fifty dollars' worth, Steve."
She guessed that he wouldn't have much more than on him. He took the chips and handed them to her.
"I hope it wasn't too much," she said slyly. "I got some left," he said.
By his manner she knew it wasn't much. She led him to the dice table and blew the fifty dollars inside of ten minutes and then turned to him, smiling, and saying:
"I still feel lucky. Can you get some more?"
There was a suspicious glint in his eye and Amy guessed that he was catching on.
"You're trying to clip me," he accused.
"Cheapskate," she snapped and strolled away.
He followed her angrily but she swept out into the bar before he could catch up with her. He caught her arm and pulled her around to him. Amy swung up her other arm and slapped him across the face.
"Take your hands off me, you drunk," she shrilled.
She slapped him again before he could recover from his surprise, enjoying the sensation of hitting him, wanting to repeat it as often as she could. He let out a roar and caught her wrist in his big hand as she swung it up again. Amy saw his teeth bared in a grimace of anger and then she saw it disappear into a blotch of red as a fist hammered past her head and into his face. Bull let go and staggered back as Earl shot past Amy punching out with both hands quickly. His fists cracked into Bull's face in a rapid series of punches before Bull could get himself set to fight back.
Smiling to herself Amy ducked away and found herself a sheltered corner from which she could watch the proceedings. Bull started to fight back, but by that time several bouncers had arrived to reinforce Earl and one of them stepped behind Bull and hit him a terrific punch on the side of the jaw. As Bull staggered, hurt, the others poured blows on him and he sank down to the floor. Amy saw the soldiers start out from the bar and she knew it was going to be more than she had anticipated, but she was too pleased with her revenge to warn Earl. When Bull was down she saw the bouncers thud their shoes into his prostrate body and one of them kicked him in the head.
Then a soldier hit a bouncer and a bouncer hit another soldier and a chair went flying through the air and then everybody was fighting everybody else. Something hit the mirror and it shattered with a loud crash and Amy saw a bartender hit someone on the head with a short club. She cowered where she was and suddenly Earl was by her side and pulling her into a private office. As he was shutting the door she got a glimpse of one of the girls, her dress half torn from her body, trying to get away from a man who was trying to knock her down.
In less than three minutes the MPs arrived. Amy heard their whistles shrill and suddenly the noise subsided. When she stepped out with Earl the place was a shambles and there were State Troopers helping the MPs restore order. Amy searched for Bull and her eyes picked him out, lying bloody and unconscious.
An MP stepped forward and said loudly: "Who's the owner here?" Earl stepped out. "I am, Lieutenant."
"I'm Lt. Erskine, Military Police," the soldier said. "What happened?"
Amy stepped out before Earl could answer.
"I can answer that, Lieutenant," she said.
He stared at her and she smiled at him. I
"You seem to be the only one who wasn't touched," he said.
She smiled again.
"That's very sweet of you," she said softly.
The lieutenant seemed ill at ease suddenly. Amy saw a very young man, not much older than she, standing before her. He was tall, almost as tall as Bull, but not so big and burly, more on the slim side. He had soft brown eyes and a nice upturned nose, a firm chin and a ready, though shy, smile. A very handsome boy, she thought.
"That man started it," she said, pointing down at Bull.
Lt. Erskine looked at Bull and then back at Amy.
"Suppose you tell me about it," he said.
"He tried to drag me," she said. "I pulled away from him and he tried again. Somebody, I didn't notice who, it happened so fast, tried to help me and that man started a fight. Then everybody started to fight and I ran into the office with Mr. Rommel."
"Do you work here, Miss?"
She nodded.
"Nice place," he said dryly. "Especially for a helpless girl like you, Miss." Her eyes glinted angrily.
"I didn't know officers of the U.S. were expected to insult women the first time they met them," she snapped.
Lt. Erskine flushed hotly.
"I beg your pardon, Miss," he said quickly. "I'm sure I was mistaken." She smiled.
"That's nice of you, Lieutenant." He turned to the MPs.
"Place that sergeant under arrest and return him to the base," he said, pointing to Bull. "Take the names of all the men here."
He turned back to Amy.
"I'll need your name and address, Miss. We might have to call on you to testify."
She gave it to him and then watched him clear the place out quickly. When he was leaving he turned around to search for her with his eyes and she smiled to herself.