The White Orchid

'The White Orchid' was a popular club, a bit of a dive in truth, but here you could pick up plenty of pretty girls, all at a price. Lily-Rose, Yvette, Samantha and Claire, and Suzette and Madeleine all took clients, and all were bon viveurs, but it was Lily-Rose that stood out from the crowd. A shock of blonde hair, dyed of course, made her look like Marilyn Monroe, but it was before her time. It was the nineteen-forties and war was still raging in Europe. London had seen the blitz and once a bomb had fallen not far from 'The White Orchid'. The girls took fear in their stride; it didn't daunt them that Hitler meant business.

Lily-Rose then was the star attraction. The other girls, though pretty enough, could not equal her. Her make-up was immaculate, carefully applied, though maybe a trifle overdone: the mascara, the eye shadow and the lip gloss all done to attract a man. And Lily-Rose had a fine jewellery collection, including Lacloche, inherited from her mother. In the syle of Art Deco she had some nice pieces; a triple bar of diamonds, emeralds and rubies, was a brooch she often wore, but maybe her most precious possession was her gold compact with an enamel cover worked in red peonies and blue forget-me-nots. She'd often take it out and powder her sometimes glossy nose, so once again she became attractive and seductive.

Len and Marti were GIs staying in London. They often visited the club and both were hot for Lily-Rose. Yvette, ostensibly Lily-Rose's best friend, had interest in them herself, but the two boys were less interested in her. For they were boys, only nineteen the both of them; they didn't know much about women. This was their first time dating so Lily-Rose knew how they felt about her and decided to take them both.

There was a room above 'The White Orchid' Lily-Rose could use. One night she left with Len, the next night with Marti. Yvette felt distinctly left out. The other girls were interested elsewhere, so they didn't care what went on. Yvette, for all she was attractive, had a bit of an obvious look. Maybe she looked like a whore when the other girls didn't. Yvette took it to heart that neither Len nor Marti showed an interest.

Another man that came into the club was a Londoner, part of the criminal underworld, Jeff Sanders. He only had eyes for Lily-Rose too and thought he was special to her. But Lily-Rose tired of his attentions. He was a big man, powerful in build and stature, but maybe feeble-minded to a cunning girl like Lily-Rose. Yvette worked her poison and started to tell Jeff many things about Lily-Rose, how she preferred younger men to Jeff. He was not special to her.

Soon it would be New Year and there was to be a big bash at the club. Everybody was going, Len and Marti, Jeff Sanders and a load of other regulars. All the girls would be there. Lily-Rose danced with the many not the few and the place was packed so it was difficult to know just who was there. Towards the end of the night Lily-Rose grew tired and went up to her room. Shortly after a shot rang out and the band stopped playing. All the girls ran up to see what had happened.

Lily-Rose lay cold and lifeless on the floor, her beautiful, white satin dress covered in blood. Where were Len and Marti and Jeff Sanders? They had already gone home, but the police wanted to trace all three of them. Jeff had seen through her that was for sure, particularly on Yvette's prompting, and Len and Marti had probably become disillusioned with her, taking them in turns.

The investigation by the police went on for many days but nothing could be established. All three men seemed to have left the club when they said, before Lily-Rose retired to her room. Len and Marti then started to see Yvette; she was definitely second best but they were young guys and eager for experience.

One night Yvette took Marti up to her room above the club. Things were getting back to normal now. He got out his cigarettes but found that he'd lost his lighter. "Can you lend me your lighter,?" he said to Yvette. "Sure" she replied, "try the top  drawer of my dressing table" So he went over to the table and opened the drawer. What he did not expect to find was Lily-Rose's very distinctive compact with the peonies and forget-me-nots on it. Marti recognised it at once. That night he was very wary when they made wild, passionate love. But he knew in his heart this had nothing to do with love.