Roberta Leigh - Give A Man A Bad Name

‘You were terrific!’ Richard exclaimed as rehearsals ended for the day. ‘For a gag, we won’t put your surname in the programme and will just name you as “Marly”. Then the audience will automatically assume you’re Thai.’

‘Which they’d never do if you printed ”Amalia Bradshaw”,’ she chuckled, and was glad she had let Nan persuade her to participate in the show. It would at least keep her occupied while she was waiting for Alex Hamilton to clear his desk and spare her his time.

By the evening of the performance she was proficient in every word and mannerism of her part, and took equal pains with her appearance, emphasising the exotic slant of her eyes by skilful use of black eyeliner, and parting her hair in the centre so that it fell in a black satin curtain down either side of her face. Wow! She looked just like her great-grandmother.

The sketch she was in was the most successful one of the show, and as it came to an end many people in the audience called out to her in Thai as she accepted a vociferous ovation.

However, some of her pleasure ebbed when she saw Alex Hamilton sitting in the front row, vigorously applauding her. Their eyes met and he half inclined his head and raked her from head to toe as he continued clapping, the gesture truly revealing the sort of man he was! Poor Andrea! If this two-timing Lothario thought he had found another heart to break, he could go jump in a lake—and drown there while he was about it!

With a sigh of relief she watched the audience disperse for the Christmas party that was being held in an adjacent conference-room, and suddenly decided not to attend.

‘Where are you going?’ Nan stopped her halfway down the corridor, as Marly made for the powder-room to change out of her stage clothes.

‘Home,’ she replied. ‘I’m tired.’

‘And I’m Mickey Mouse! For heaven’s sake, this is your friend you’re trying to kid. What’s up? You were the star of the show and everyone will want to meet you.’

‘That’s what worries me. Did you see the way Alex Hamilton eyed me? As if I were a nut cutlet and he was a starving vegetarian!’

‘So what? You’ll have to meet him soon anyway. That’s why you’re here, remember?’

‘You have a nasty habit of being right,’ Marly sighed. ‘I suppose I’d better go change and join you.’

‘You look marvellous as you are!’

‘But—’

‘Come on, Marly, if we hang around any longer, the party will be over.’

Somewhat apprehensively, Marly followed her friend into the green and gold reception-room where the theatre party was being held. Not only were all the clerical and senior staff there, but their families too, and she was soon surrounded by an admiring throng, compliments falling thick around her.

‘You’re a natural actress...’

‘I’ve never laughed so much...’

‘You should be on the stage.’

‘You were marvellous...’

‘You’re also very beautiful,’ added a deep, resonant voice, and she looked up, startled, the smile on her lips freezing as she saw Alex Hamilton staring intently down at her.

Close to, he was even more devastating than when she had espied him in the lobby; his tawny, lion’s mane hair was flecked with gold where the sun had touched it, and his skin was the colour of pale honey, making his smoke-grey eyes even more remarkable.

‘I’m Alex Hamilton,’ he introduced himself. ‘I see from the programme that you are Marly.’

‘Yes,’ she managed to say, her mouth so dry she could barely twist her tongue around the word.

‘It’s a lovely name for a lovely young woman. And you played your part very amusingly; but I suppose it came naturally.’

‘Naturally?’

‘I assume you’ve met many Westerners who are as ignorant of your customs as the two actors were in your sketch.’

Heavens, she thought, he also thinks I’m Thai! Unable to stop herself, she smiled, and he smiled back. It riveted her eyes to his lips, which were beautifully shaped, the top one well curved, the lower one fuller and sensuous. How many other lips had they kissed? she wondered. How many lies had they told? How many women had he deceived, as he had Andrea?

Drawing herself up to her full height of five feet two inches, she was on the point of telling him exactly who she was, when he spoke again.

‘I think it’s important to understand the customs of the country one is living in, but sometimes it’s not easy to follow them.’

‘Are you thinking of anything in particular, Mr Hamilton?’

‘Very much so. Normally I’d have no hesitation in asking you to have dinner with me tonight, but since I don’t know whether your parents are strict on protocol, I can only suggest that you allow me to take you home and ask them if I may see you again.’

Open-mouthed, she stared at him, and he instantly misinterpreted it.

‘I’m sorry if I’m coming on too strong, but you’re the loveliest girl I’ve seen and I’m not letting you walk out of my life.’

Beyond his shoulder she glimpsed Nan mouthing words she could not understand, and she seized this as a means of escape.

‘Excuse me a moment, please. I have to give my friend a telephone number.’

‘I’ll only excuse you if you promise to come straight back,’ he said, and turned to watch her as she hurried across to Nan.

‘What were you trying to tell me?’ Marly asked as she reached her side.

‘I wanted to know if you needed rescuing.’

‘Every woman under the age of fifty needs rescuing from that man! Talk about charm.’ Marly lowered her voice, laughter trembling in it. ‘Believe it or not, he thinks I’m Thai. He wants me to have dinner with him but isn’t sure whether he has to ask my parents’ permission!’

Nan stifled a giggle. ‘That must be a first time for him, then.’

Marly nodded, then narrowed her eyes as a thought struck her. A man who had treated Andrea the way Alex Hamilton had clearly had little respect for women. Yet how deferentially he was behaving towards the unliberated girl he thought her to be. And not just deferential, but anxious to know her better. Was that because he believed her to be different from the girls he usually favoured? If so, he had just given her a golden opportunity to teach him a well deserved lesson.

Instead of enlightening him, she would continue with her act until he had fallen for her hook, line and sinker. Only then would she disclose her identity, and he would discover that a woman had finally given him his come-uppance, instead of the other way around!

‘What scheme are you cooking up?’ Nan enquired, recognising from old the mischievousness on Marly’s face.

Slanting a glance in Alex Hamilton’s direction, and seeing him still watching her, she hurriedly answered her friend’s question.

‘You’ll never be able to keep it up,’ Nan gasped.

‘Yes, I will. I can’t go into it now, there’s no time, but we’ll talk it over later.’

Leaving Nan still protesting, she glided back to the man waiting for her and gave him a respectful wai . ‘Thank you for being so patient.’

‘You’re worth waiting for,’ he responded, smoky eyes serious.

For answer, she lowered her head.

‘You work here obviously,’ he went on, ‘or you wouldn’t have been in the show, but I don’t remember seeing you around.’

‘Why should you? You employ so many people.’

‘I wouldn’t miss you .’

‘I only started a few days ago.’

‘That explains it, then. What do you do?’

‘I—I’m a—’

‘Never mind,’ he cut in, eyes ranging over her butterfly-wing cheong-sam and back to her face. ‘You look pale. If you’re tired, I’ll drive you home.’