The Magpie Oculus Part 1 Acte 2

The Magpie Oculus
Part 1
Acte 2
In for a Penny
The Next day, Saturday, 11:00 am.

A Welsh Male sits again at a bar, nursing a brandy, a lit cigar in an ashtray at his elbow…
He looks up and over at a rather attractive red-haired lady making her entrance…
^^^^^

The young lady I was waiting for, finally made a rather latish appearance.

But in her defence, she had done herself up quite prettily, hopefully just for me?

For she was indeed a vision, looking rather squirmingly smart!

As she was enchantingly strolling towards me I unabashedly looked over her eye-catching attire.

And she knew full well that I was doing so!

She had on a cuddling satin dress of black, with thin vertical strips of shiny gold on the bodice.

The dress’s skirt of solid black pleats dropped rather below her knees, showing off a pair of rather enticing legs wrapped in black silk stockings. The dress had a low neckline with solid black ruffles, sleeves with its’ black ruffled flares ending just above her elbows. A thin belt of gold with a small gold rhinestone clasp encircled her waist. She was wearing her short heel soft shoes, gold with rhinestone clasps.

One of Her “aventurie” outfits, as she likes to call them. And yes, she possesses a rather eye-catching collection of “aventurie” outfits, ranging from dresses like this to fancy dress gowns. All of which have been worn by her on quite the variety of adventures since we have been together as a couple!

Now usually with this satin dress, when out and about in less dicey areas, she would usually be wearing her emeralds.

The neckline on this dress is perfect for showing off the necklace of a certain silver emerald rhinestone set. The necklace, with matching earrings and bracelet, forms a wide collar around her throat. The entire set has small deep green synthetic emerald stones that really set off the greenish flecks in her mostly hazel eyes. Greenish flecks that really are predominantly noticeable when my lass is excited, or agitated, to extremes!

But those emerald pretties she had left back at home, in our stone cottage, nestled deep in the Flintshire county of Wales. And will be an important pivotal in a later Acte of our story…!

Now, this particular outfit I would tease by calling it her queen bee frock, which usually got a self-satisfying reaction spoken at me in French. A language, by the way, I really never studied, only having the “option” to learn Latin during my Seminarian Days!

She saw me at the bar, and approaching, smiled brightly, her hazel coloured eyes dazzling. Almost out doing those hazel eyes, were the twin imitation gem filled earrings that dangled, flipping in and out of her longish red hair.

They were wisely her only jewellery, shaped like an upside down mini candle operas, like the ones one always see upright gracing grand pianos.

She was carrying a small gold purse that hung tightly to her side, double zippered to keep out prying fingers.

“Bonjour mon amour,” she said, kissing me fully on the lips. Note, my wife is not French, just an Irish lass fixated with the French language that she sometimes yields like a brash burning sword, or a murmuring tickling feather, depending on her mood with me!
Me being a typical irritating male and all!

We then hugged.

She ordered a glass of wine, and we sat while casually talking like a couple of tourists, for we had an audience! While we were the only ones drinking at the bar, the bartender, who had been mostly out of sight while I was there alone, suddenly found our part of the bar needed minute attention once my wife arrived!

Finally finishing our drinks, I took her hand and led her away from the bartender’s fawning interest.
We walked hand in hand down the street to a small café, located just a block from our hotel.

Here it was a bit more secluded and out of hearing range for prying ears! We started our conversation by reflecting further upon my endeavours from last night, before going into the day’s agenda.

^^^

After I had left the park last night, I made my way to the hotel and met my wife in the casino area just off our room’s wing. We had danced a bit, then headed off to our room, to find Sammy Boy impatiently waiting there for us, happily showing off the sparkling bracelet he had brought in with him.

As my wife admired the sparkler, I tended to pay Sammy his end of the bargain, while explaining our adventures to my wife, though I cagily left out the plight of the American Brides necklace.

We had decided that my wife would be a mostly silent partner in these undertaking, while Sammy Boy and I did most of the actual “grunt” work. My wife would play her role mostly off stage. Pre-setting up a said stage, sometimes managing the transferring of the jewels, and handling the business end of our escapades, since most of that business was conducted with French “vendors”.

But though my wife had her own vital role, to play in our team, this trail trip it would be greatly diminished, and she would be off on her own touristy adventures a bit. But being a social butterfly by nature, she did not see this as in any way a bad thing!
^^^

As we ate our lunch on that warm sunlit sidewalk table outside the café, as we confirmed the day’s itinerary

Sammy is ready, hovering on the fringes of another, a more park-like venue we had scouted out earlier in the week. My wife had set him up earlier that morning, commenting that it looks like quite a showing up of tourists flocking into the chosen venue so far.

While Sammy and I were off working the park, my wife was off once again to the casinos for the afternoon/evening till I once again would meet up with her once I was finished for the day. Sammy would meet us later in our apartment, as was his want to do.

So this afternoon, Sammy and I were on our own to try and complete a second successful operation of the 4 phases of the plan, our last since we were to be flying out home Monday afternoon.

Successful or not in this last attempt, my wife and I were planning to meet up for an early evening at the dance area outside the casino by our hotel, the same one we met up at yesterday. I was definitely in the mood for dancing the evening away with my wife, after this long week.

Now Sammy, in his own way, had let us know I had been a bit late last night in finishing up since he prefers doing his bit in the mid-afternoon. Not a late partier is our Sammy Boy. So with that, I was planning on an early score.

^^
Ta my wife said, finishing her tea than standing over me.

“Bonne Chasse”, she said cupping my chin in her hand and raising up my face which she then promptly kissed before turning and walking back to the casino by our hotel.

I watched her lovely dress, and even lovelier figure, swish away until she disappeared back the way we came.

My pretty wife is a rather talented actress and had taken to playing the part of a sultry Honor Blackman like character while out on her own this trip. She had chosen to be Cathy Gale, Honor’s Avengers character persona.

This is how she was passing her time in Monte Carlo, while Sammy and I were out “working”. She would occasionally use this roleplay to tease to her male gambling counterparts into buying her free drinks for the price for a dance. It was her way of amusing herself until I was finished. And to me, was an enticement to finish without loitering so I could come and be one of the ones she acted her enticing character charade upon, playing her game along with her!

^^

I ate my last bite as I chewed on all my thoughts.

It had been a long week so far I reflected as I finished the meal

The first Two days had been taken up with the three of us scouting out the area.

The next two days were used getting Sammy acclimated to where we would be having him stationed for his role in our endeavours. Then the next two days we did a few trial runs ..using my wife wearing her own rhinestone jewels as bait.

Following the same 4 phase blueprint, we had been practicing back at home.

Then of course last night we had for the first time ever, successfully attempted our honed technique on the well-jewelled flapper pretending female who had visited the arena that Sammy and I had been perched.

Tonight, would be our second and final attempt. We would then get ready to leave for Britain, and begin with earnest, our new venture on the more familiar territories of our homelands.

I finished my tea, paid the waitress, and rose, brushing off the crumbs.

Feeling quite relaxed, recharged and very much in command of things all around, I lit a cigar and began to make my way in the opposite path my pretty spouse had taken, to my own adventures yet to be seen!

^^

I walked up the approx. 15 blocks to our new hunting grounds. Passing last night’s avenue on the way…

The new arena was basically a large cleared field on the edge of the city. The area was surrounded by a thin tree line, outside of which was wedged in by roads on 3 sides, and a parking lot on the fourth, most western end.

It was now going on one o’clock, and the park was already filled up with tourists and locals. All there to experience the lavish trappings of the fancy dress affair. A band was already tuning up, it sounded like the first set would be a tango, which my wife adores dancing to. I was quite sorry she would not be there for the experience.

I went to a makeshift bar and ordered a drink, catching my profile in the mirror above where the drinks and glasses were stacked.

My wife had suggested I dress in the dark brown suit. I had already worn my black one with the red pinstripes. This suit, like the others, was fitted, more for movement than for show. I was wearing it with a tan shirt and a fawn 4 in hand tie with a gold studded clasp. The sleeves were a bit short, and I wore no watch or rings…. My beard had been neatly trimmed that morning by one of the vendors at the hotel. I wear my hair brown short, well out of my eyes and ears.

I had my contacts back in, they were coloured which made my normally hazel eyes ( matching my wife’s) a deep blue ( I also had grey tinted ones)

I ordered and slowly drank my brandy, lit a new cigar and appeared to idly watch the growing crowd gather.

I was on the lookout for anyone I may have met the previous 3 days, aside from the flapper of course. I was especially hoping a certain young Canadian lady may have cancelled her early week flight and decided to stay for the show!

I was also looking to spot any competition, like the Italian gigolo from last night.

I had not mentioned him to my wife. We figured that no one else in Great Britain would be doing quite what we did, and that pickpocketing jewellery was a rare profession, and really only practiced in foreign countries outside our own! But I still had not wanted to put any seeds of doubt in her mind about competition being most definitely around!
^^
So, I sat there, ready for action, hoping to make an early day of it, to keep Sammy happy, and my wife even happier!

Normally my Moduis Operandi is to select a lady there alone…

We had never practiced any tactics where my wife would lure a male partner away from his jewelled female half like the Gigolo’s partner did last night. Though I had made a mental note at the time to discuss the feasibility of this with my wife once we were ready to begin operations back home.

Now, with my amateur actress wife’s tutelage, I had become quite proficient in reading body language enough to accurately select a victim that would not be quite too skittish upon meeting a stranger. A recognizably approachable lady, whom after a bit of conversation, could be talked into dancing, especially after plying her with drink enough that her guard would soon be down.

For practice I usually would do this with the first lady I saw regardless if they had potential. I would be the perfect gentleman and let myself out of their sphere easily as I had entered if nothing she wore would be profitable enough to make an earnest attempt at starting phase one.

Then would finally come the real “Chasse” or hunt. It usually took about 1 or even 2 hours, and perhaps even one or two unsuccessful attempts before that the moon and stars lined and entered the seventh house and all that rot. In other words, the situation would finally align in my favour,

^^

Here there were so many potential females around, that it had been almost too easy, almost like I was back home in our secluded garden in practice with my wife and Sammy…

Now, speaking of the cunning bugger, I had not yet caught a glimpse of Sammy! For he was a cagy master at staying hidden in unfamiliar surroundings. But I knew he was there, and watching every move with those flickering quick, discerning black lit eyes of his.

Now during the times my wife and I practiced our moves with Sammy playing his part, in the field, so to speak, we tried various techniques, various styles of jewellery and various forms of attire, for my wife and I. Sammy was able to utilize the same disguise no matter what the occasion, and had no issues or problems in retrieving whatever glistening titbit was laid out in his direction.

And as a side note, as a direct result of our practicing with Sammy, my wife’s collection of rhinestone jewellery, gowns, and dresses grew to be quite extensive, outrunning my own select suits by a considerable pace.

During these practice sessions, I would pretend to make my wife’s acquaintance, and go from there, seeking an opportunity to remove one of her jewels without being caught, by her or anyone else for that matter whom may be in close enough proximity to notice such goings on.
Now, quite obviously, my wife would wear a rotating selection of apparel (My wife is a born actress and had absolutely no issues atoll with dressing up the part.
We soon discovered that the sleeker materials (her preferred satins and taffeta) were much less tricky (but not impossible) in removing jewels that dangled from them, than the velvets and chiffon-like materials she would wear on occasion.

So, with all these factors in play that could spell success or failure, one can see, there was nothing easy, cut and dry (or pick and lift or if one will) about our attempts … They took a great deal of thought, preparation, and quite a careful extraction.

^^

That evening I struck gold, er silver, with my second selection.
My first, a rather skittish young lass, dressed to the nines in a ruffled silken gown of white and black, who was sporting some rather nice rubies, had escaped my grasp just as I was making a go for her long dangling pendant.

She had the attention span of a Hen Wren, and as we danced she was bumped against by a rather obese, rude matron, bursting out of a rather stretched gown of a quite unbecoming tartan velvet.
The matron snapped something at us, and I felt my partner wilt in my arms. She was so embarrassed that she apologetically cut of our dance short and scurried off to some unseen refuge.

I had wanted to give the cheap pearls wearing matron a swift kick for her manners, but it would not have really solved my issues except by giving me a stubbed toe!

I went back to my perch at the bar and sulked a bit. I was anxious to join my wife and had relished having the operation over early!

But haste makes waste. So I calmed my nerves with a second brandy ( my last until the job was over I told myself!) and lit a cigar and waited, and…. Waited!

Fate finally smiled upon me in the form of a rather pert young lady wearing a rather flowy outfit that consisted of a silver lame bodice with a longish skirt of pure white chiffon. She had placed a hand on my shoulder from behind as she ordered a drink, and the first sight I had was of the dangling bracelet that hung quite sparkling from the wrist reaching in to get the publicans attention. She apologized, and I told her that the penalty should be a dance. She smiled into my eyes, agreeing that yes there should be a penalty paid!

We toasted with our drinks and finished them as we talked idly, waiting for a piece of proper dance music, as she called it. Finally, a rather rhythmic little tune came up and she chirped her pleasure and led me out onto the dance floor.

We danced for a bit then went to the bar for a second drink.

Standing At the bar I dropped a peanut as a signal to Sammy (who misses very little) so that he would know the game was again, afoot…

She looked at her watch, a silver Bacard with a chipped diamonded face, and said she needed to meet someone. I asked her for one more dance of my choosing, and she warmly agreed,

It was a slower dance and with two strong drinks in her, she began to lean on me a bit. I bided my time, gently holding her wrist just below her bracelet. At one point it slipped down against my hand, and I moved two fingers underneath it, lifting it up to open it, allowing its clasp to fall underneath my thumb. From there it was a quite simple pinch, flick, and slip, placing the purloined bracelet into my pocket.

The dance ended, and she thanked me, she said she needed to find a cab, and I escorted her out and hailed one for her, seeing her safely inside.

I then turned and made my way back in, stopping next to a tree at the edge of the parking lot. As I made to light a pipe, I unobtrusively dropped the sparklingly expensive bracelet to the mossy ground behind.

Then I toddled off , trustfully leaving Sammy to keep up his end of the operation.

End Acte 2

Posted by Subsequent Wickedness on 2019-01-26 18:25:12

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