Sintown Chronicles I: Behind Closed Doors (87 page)

“What?” Shit. Out like a light. Happened a little quicker than I thought. Damn. Would you look at the size of that thing. No wonder you took him to your bed."

She picked up a shawl from the back of the sofa and spread it over the naked youth.

“Am I good or what?” he said looking at his watch. In just about an hour I turned your idiot friend against you, have him trusting me completely, made a druggie out of him, and made you my slave."

“Al, I'll do whatever you say, but please lay off Billy. He'll do anything I tell him anyway. You don't need to drug him."

“We'll see,” he replied. “I'm hungry as hell. Get in the kitchen and scramble some eggs."

“May I put my clothes on first?"

“From now on you will wear clothes only when I'm not here. The instant I show up, you strip or Billy gets the needle."

She started bacon frying, put on a pot of coffee, took a can of frozen orange juice from the freezer and mixed it with water. When she turned the bacon over, hot grease popped onto her bare stomach. She rubbed the spots with an ice cube, then beat up a half dozen eggs in her mixing bowl. She placed two slices of bread in the toaster and removed the bacon from the skillet, placing it on a paper towel to drain. She poured the eggs into the sizzling pan and smiled when she managed to dodge the popping grease this time.

“Come and get it,” she called out, trying to sound pleasant.

He came though the door, pulled her back to him and fondled her breasts. “Smells great,” he said as he spotted the pan, sitting on a still glowing burner. He pushed her to the stove and shoved the pan aside. “Touch your nipple to the burner,” he said brutally.

She pushed back against him and tried to jerk away.

“You do what I tell you or I'll give your friend a double dose and toast his balls in the process."

She started to sob and slowly leaned forward, her eyes closed. He stopped her just in time. “I just wanted to make sure you understand who's the boss,” he said.

He sat down at the kitchen table and picked up a fork, but then paused. “Get over here on your knees,” he instructed, pointing to the floor beside him. “I want you to feed me."

After swallowing the first bite he asked, “What's behind the locked door?"

“Nothing,” she replied. “Just some old papers that belonged to Uncle Amos."

He nodded and accepted another forkful of eggs.

Finally, he drained the last drop from his coffee cup. “You're a damn good cook, Pen. Lick the crumbs off my face."

She complied, wondering if there would ever be an end to the humiliation.

“That's a good girl,” he said, stroking her breast as she continued to kneel beside him. “You remember who's the boss, be an obedient little slut and we'll make a great team. When I'm sure you have your head screwed on straight, I'll lighten up on you. You were really going to fry your tit for me, weren't you?"

She tried to smile and nodded affirmatively. She saw his fist coming, but not in time to dodge it. She lay flat on her back, stunned. He stood over her and pressed his foot hard against her throat. “You lied to me about the locked door. I saw it in your eyes. Now, are you going to unlock the door or am I going to break it down?"

“I'll do it,” she wheezed.

She found the key in her purse and unlocked the door.

“What's in all those boxes,” he asked.

“Money,” she said quietly.

“Yeah, sure.” He opened one box. “Shit,” he cried. He opened two more. “How much is here?"

“Close to three million."

“Holy cow,” he exclaimed. “Where did it come from?"

She sat at the desk and told him the truth.

“And the tapes are in the boxes also?"

She nodded.

He selected one at random, fed it to the VCR and pushed the play button. “God Almighty,” he exclaimed. “That's Mary Lou. Look at that! That other woman is beating the shit out of her. Listen to those screams. They're real, Pen. Mary Lou's not acting. That blood is real. Holy cow! The bitch is menstruating and Mary Lou is licking it up."

He switched off the VCR. “Damn, baby,” he exclaimed. “We have a lot of talking to do tonight."

“Please don't hurt me any more, Al."

“Oh, we're learning, are we?” He forced her hand backwards, but stopped short of inflicting pain. He forced her out of the chair and to her knees. “Be careful of how you answer me, Pen. No more lies. What other secrets are you keeping from old Al?"

“Just one,” she groaned.

“Let's hear it,” he said.

Her words came in spurts. “I'm sure the preacher is the father, but I tricked Tim Dollar into screwing me after I found out I was pregnant. I planned to blackmail him too."

“This is too much,” he gasped. “Mr. Got Bucks himself."

He pulled a chair in front of the TV and clicked the VCR back on. Without issuing a command, he pointed to the floor and she knelt beside him.

“Mary Lou isn't holding much in the tit department, but that's a nice ass her mistress is turning into a mass of blood."

Penny had watched the tape many times. It no longer interested her.

“Oh, my God,” Al moaned. “This is great stuff."

“If you want to watch your boss make love to a pony, fast forward the tape a little,” she said.

Sunlight dancing on her eyelids woke Penny. She focused on her alarm clock. “Damn,” she said. “Eight o'clock. How could I have slept so late?” She reached for her robe, and then remembered.

Except for herself, the bed was empty. She sat up and padded barefooted to the bathroom. As she sat on the commode, she realized she had actually gotten less than four hours sleep. Was Billy all right? He was probably already working in the greenhouses. Had Al already left for the clinic? No, he told her it was his day off.

She blotted herself dry, washed her hands and stared into the mirror over the sink. She shook her head. “What have I gotten myself into?” she mumbled. She ran a comb through her hair, gargled with mouthwash and, obediently went downstairs totally nude.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Al said. He was sitting at the kitchen table reading the
Charlotte Observer
, but he stood as she entered the room.

He folded her into his arms and stroked her back. “I got a little carried away last night,” he said quietly, still holding her affectionately, but not sensuously. “Get yourself a cup of coffee and go back upstairs and put on some clothes."

Penny looked at him in disbelief. “You mean it?"

“Yeah. As I said, I got a little carried away last night. I'll fix you something to eat while you're getting dressed. What would you like?"

She went to the coffeepot and poured the fresh aromatic black liquid into her favorite mug. She turned, leaned against the counter without trying to cover herself and sipped her coffee. “You made the coffee this morning and you're going to make my breakfast too?"

“Yeah.” He smiled, eyeing her full, huge breasts and marveling at their perfect uplift without benefit of manmade support. “I sliced a banana into a couple of bowls of corn flakes for Billy and me. It was okay.” He enjoyed the view of her body she was freely giving him.

She shook her head. “You are full of surprises,” she said. “Cereal sounds good."

He sat back down at the table, but as she tried to pass, he stopped her with his hand. He gently stroked from her navel to the top of her vagina. “You're beginning to show a little. Better leave off the tight jeans.” He slid a probing finger between her legs and smiled as he heard her moan. “Don't tell me you are turned on?"

“It's a surprise to me too,” she said as she began to move her hips rhythmically. “You're okay, Al, when you're nice to me."

He turned his chair sideways, parallel to the table, and slid down his pants. “Climb on,” he invited.

She straddled him, impaled herself and felt his hands gently draw her to his chest. Her hips continued to move as he stroked her back and hair. She climaxed almost instantly.

“Don't stop,” he begged. “Pen, honey. You're the sexiest little thing I have ever known and that delicious little slit of your has a mind of it own."

She purred and shivered as a second orgasm flooded her senses. He stroked her buttocks lightly and kissed her hair. His hips began to move in sync with hers. She wanted his hands on her nipples, searched for them, and drew them to her aching breasts.

He gasped.

“Wait for me,” she pleaded.

“Can't wait."

She pumped frantically. She felt his body stiffen. “Wait, Al, wait."

He exploded but continued his pelvic thrusts until she joined him in Nirvana.

When her breathing returned to a more normal rate, she slid to her knees and moved her face towards his glistening, still erect, penis. He placed his hands on the sides of her head and tilted it upward.

“Not this time,” he said softly. He kissed her upper lip, her lower lip and finally her forehead.

She was still aroused when she returned to her bedroom. A cold shower cooled her ardor. As she dressed, she suddenly felt hatred. Al tortured her yesterday and turned her on this morning. She loathed him, or was it herself she loathed?

When she returned, cereal with sliced bananas, orange juice, and buttered toast with strawberry jam awaited her. She refilled her mug with coffee and began to eat.

“I didn't know the full story until I already started down the wrong road,” Al said, folding and putting aside the newspaper. “But we need each other Penny. I promise I will not hurt you again, and, unless you ask for it as you did this morning, I won't have sex with you again. I'm going to lay off of Billy too. We need him to make everything work out."

“At the risk of having you punch me in the jaw again, may I ask why I need you? I'm the one holding all the cards."

“I said I wouldn't hurt you again, and I won't. You do hold most, but not quite all, of the cards. You don't have the experience I do. You don't have the contacts."

“What does experience and contacts have to do with anything? It's my body that has Mack and Tim vulnerable to blackmail. It's my videocassettes that will have Mary Lou and others eating out of my hand. It's my baby I can sell, and those boxes full of cash are mine."

“You're right. However, there's more to it than you realize. Do you know how to pull off these blackmail attempts successfully without going to jail? Do you know how to sell your baby? There are laws to evade. And what are you going to do with the money? You can't spend it, you know."

“What do you mean I can't spend it?"

“Oh, you can spend a few dollars here and there, but if you try to make large cash purchases, you'll raise suspicions. If you deposit large sums, the bank must report it. It's the law. You'll get the IRS involved and wind up with nothing—maybe even a stretch in prison."

“I suppose you have all the answers?"

“I think I do,” Al said as he went to the coffeepot for a refill. “I haven't been to bed all night. You fell asleep at the study desk while I was looking at tapes. I carried you upstairs and put you to bed. Then I returned to the study and worked out a scheme I know will be effective."

“I'm listening,” she said, her fear diminishing and her curiosity growing.

“The money has to be laundered."

“I've heard of that, but I don't know what it means."

“It's not easy. I'm going to drive to Charlotte today and make a few inquiries. I want you to meet me for lunch at the diner at one thirty."

“Okay, but you didn't answer my question."

“I'm not certain how to launder money myself, but I have some contacts who do. I do know how you can launder your share over a period of time."

“My share?"

“Yeah. Listen to me carefully. I am going to make you a very generous offer, and it's the best offer you'll ever get. I want two and a half million of the cash. You can keep the rest and the blackmail money."

She rolled her eyes and said, “Generous?"

His eyes flashed anger. “Shut up, bitch, and listen to me. Damn it, I'm trying to be nice to you.” He sipped his coffee and regained control. “Just listen for a minute,” he continued more calmly. “I want the money and a few days time—perhaps two weeks, and I'll get out of your life forever."

Penny took her dishes to the sink and poured a third mug of coffee.

“Billy told me this morning that a truck from the produce company comes every afternoon about two. Is that right?"

She nodded.

“How, and how much, do they pay you?"

“It depends on how much produce we have available on any given day. I think that right now it is averaging twelve hundred dollars a day. Sometimes they pay cash and sometime they write a check. I think they prefer to pay by cash. There are actually two different companies. They come on alternating days."

“From now on, insist on cash. My guess is that they prefer to pay in cash so they can put a larger amount on their books. Makes the IRS think they earn less profit than they actually do. You add a thousand from your inheritance to your daily bank deposits. That won't raise any eyebrows. You'll have to pay income taxes on it, of course, but within a year and a half your money will be as clean as the falling rain."

“Okay,” she said nodding her head. “The generous part of your offer, I guess, is that you are going to get the hell out of Dodge, but why do you need two weeks?"

“I have to maintain an impression of respectability. You must also. It shouldn't take long for me to find another job and an excuse for leaving Dot after such a short stay. Nurse practitioners are in great demand—especially in rural areas."

“That makes sense, but I already have a respectable image. I'm the poor little girl who has been rejected by her cruel parents, who worked so well as the church secretary, whose uncle recently died, who is working her little fingers to the bone trying to run the produce business, and who is so kindhearted towards Billy. Hell, to the people in Dot, I'm a frigging angel."

“Billy is the problem."

“Billy?"

“Yeah. People are already beginning to talk. If it ever gets out that he's humping you, you'll be in big trouble."

“I don't think anyone would care. Some of the old codgers around here might be jealous, and some of the do-gooders might try to save my soul, but that's about it."