Moriarty's Musician

Home is Where the Hell is, Part 5

Moriarty leaned against the windowpane, quietly swishing the whiskey in his glass as he waited. He studied the clock on the mantle, steadily counting down the minutes. As he watched 6:30 PM come and go, his jaw tensed.

At 6:34, the door opened. Moriarty's eyes widened as he watched Annabelle enter the dining room. He knew she was lovely but never could he have imagined the stunning woman hidden under the drab clothes. Even the black dress she wore to the symphony didn't do her beauty justice. He took the last gulp of whiskey, set the glass down and emerged from the darkened corner of the room.

Annabelle's breath caught in her throat as she warily watched him walk towards her. He was dressed in an impeccable, black suit and if she didn't know him, she would have thought he was extremely handsome. But Annabelle did know him and she reminded herself how dangerous he was.

As he approached her, he noticed how her jaw lifted a little higher. He could tell she was doing her best to stand her ground. Moriarty inclined his head and leisurely let his eyes roam over her body. "You're exquisite, darlin'."

Annabelle subconsciously looked down at herself and blushed. She couldn't speak, feeling overly exposed in the low cut dress.

Moriarty lifted her chin as his eyes searched hers. "I see you chose the blue dress."

Her eyes flashed. "I don't follow your orders."

One side of his mouth turned up as he shook his head, his eyes never leaving her face. "And how's that? Sherlock isn't the only one who can read people, Annabelle. I wanted you to pick the blue dress. Knowing you would defy me, I told you to wear the red."

"Tell me then, why didn't I pick one of the other colors."

"Because, sweetheart, the other colors are bold statements that contradict the person you are. Blue is the color of understanding, honor, compassion..." he paused as he admired the creamy line of her throat, "and purity," he whispered.

Annabelle swallowed and shook her head. "I don't believe you know me that well."

"I thought it would be appropriate to coordinate tonight with my dinner partner," he teased as he lifted his midnight blue tie that perfectly matched her dress.

Annabelle's mouth opened as she realized how wrong she was. Despondently, she studied his tie. "Am I that much of an open book?"

He touched her cheek and tilted his head so he could see her lovely green eyes. "Only to me."

A myriad of emotions flooded her face, but she didn't pull away from his touch. "I refuse to be controlled by you."

"And yet, you arrived on time to dine."

Her brow furrowed. "I did it for Jack."

Moriarty looked at her puzzled. "And why would you do it for Jack?"

"Because I knew you'd hurt him if I didn't come on time."

His eyes looked at her incredulously for a brief moment, then quickly veiled. He dropped his hand from her face and walked stiffly to the dining table and withdrew a chair for her. "Let's enjoy our dinner, Annabelle."

Slowly, she walked to the table, trying to concentrate on her steps so she wouldn't tumble in front of him. She sat down on the proffered chair as he gave it a little nudge to push her into the table.