Sintown Chronicles I: Behind Closed Doors (88 page)

“Trust me, it matters."

“So you want me to get rid of Billy?"

“Hell no. I told you we need him. You have to keep the greenhouses going, at least for the next couple of years. But you must find a way to get him out of your bed."

She smiled. “You saw the size of his cock. I don't want him out of my bed."

“Then you're going to have to find a way to throw suspicions off. Maybe start dating some dude hot and heavy and very publicly."

“Where the hell am I going to find an eligible bachelor in Dot?"

He glanced at his watch. “That's your problem,” he said. “Look, how did you plan to approach the preacher?"

“Well, I thought that when the time was right I'd go to him, tell him he knocked me up and that he'll have to pay for the baby."

“How are you going to explain your pregnancy publicly?"

“I thought I already told you that. I'll claim that Uncle Amos knocked me up. There are enough people left in Dot who know of his perverted business with Tim Dollar's uncle that the explanation will be accepted."

“Yeah. That'll work. I want you to go see the preacher this morning and get the ball rolling. Demand fifty thousand. Screw him first—that'll make him feel more guilty and more agreeable to keeping you quiet."

“Don't you think I should wait until I am obviously pregnant?"

“Another reason to fuck him before you tell him. You can rub his hand over your naked belly, like I did this morning, to prove you're pregnant."

She nodded again, thinking with pleasure of Mack's expertise in the realm of sexual performance.

“What did you have in mind for Mr. Dollar?” Al asked.

“He's been coming to dip his wick every Wednesday about noon. Since you want me to go ahead and make my move, I may as well lay it on him today. He's been wanting to buy my property. I thought I'd sell him part of it. When he makes me an offer, I'll triple it."

Al shook his head negatively. “Don't sell your property. Demand fifty thousand up front and five thousand a month for the rest of his life. He'll go for it. He'll come up with some bogus business reason for paying you the money and write it off as a legitimate expense."

“Sounds good. I guess you want me to screw him before I tell him too?"

“Just like the preacher. This afternoon I'll approach Dr. McGee about selling the baby to the Nickels. She and her lawyer sister will know how to work out the legal details. Then around four o'clock I want you to drop in on the good doctor. She'll already know about you wanting to put the baby up for adoption. You hit her up to pay the medical costs and demand fifty thousand up front and a thousand a month to keep quiet about the tapes."

“You have a busy day scheduled for me."

“Me too,” he said, again glancing at his watch. “I've got to hit the road.” He stood up, stretched and looked at her. “I don't suppose you'd want to give me a blow job for good luck?” He laughed and departed without waiting for an answer.

Penny wandered to the greenhouses and found Billy, stripped to the waist and body glistening with perspiration, in the unit they called seven. “Need help?"

He shook his head. “I'm doing okay. You have your clothes on."

She blushed. “I'll take them off if you want me to."

“No. Al told you not to put on clothes unless you go to town. I don't want Al to hurt you."

“Al is not here. He's gone to Charlotte."

“I ... I need to talk to you, Penny. I don't like your very good friend, Al."

She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her body close to his. She loved the smell of his perspiration. Last night he seemed to have forgotten the hard-learned lessons about English grammar. She was pleased that he was making an effort to speak correctly again this morning. “You don't need to worry about Al anymore."

“Al is not a good man. I let Al think I did not remember last night. I do. Happy pills made me crazy."

She placed her finger on his lips. “Shuuu,” she said. “Don't think about it. I worked everything out this morning. All will be leaving Dot in a week or two and he will never bother us again."

“I want Al to leave Dot now."

“He has a few things he must do first and he may visit us a time or two, but you don't ever have to be afraid of Al again."

“Are you sure?"

“Yes, Billy. I'm sure."

He slid his callused hands to her buttocks and squeezed. She sighed and pressed against his erection. “Billy, I have to talk to you too."

“Okay.” He continued to fondle her bottom.

“You must never tell anyone that we have sexual intercourse."

“I won't tell. It's our secret."

“People must never know."

“I won't tell."

“People are beginning to talk."

“What people?"

“People in Dot. People who know you are staying at my house. They think you are sleeping with me."

“I am sleeping with you in your bed. I like sleeping with Penny. I wake up sometimes and play with your breasts. Your nipples get hard."

“But people must not know that."

“Okay. But why?"

“They might make you move away."

Billy drew back in alarm. “I don't want to leave Penny."

“I know. We have to fool the people."

“How can we do that?"

“I'll find a boyfriend and let everyone know. Then they won't think I am having sexual intercourse with you."

“And they won't make me move away?"

“No, but it might be best if you didn't sleep with me at night. We can still have sexual intercourse anytime we are alone together."

Billy resumed pulling sweet “spring” onions. “Who will be your boyfriend?"

“I don't know yet."

“Will you have sexual intercourse with your boyfriend?"

“I don't know. I might have to."

“Why?"

“So that he will continue to be my boyfriend. Remember, it is important to you for me to have a boyfriend if you want to continue living with me."

“Are the preacher and Mr. Dollar your boyfriends?"

“No, Billy,” she laughed. “Why did you ask that?"

“You have sexual intercourse with them."

“Billy!"

He grinned and giggled. “Penny talks in her sleep."

“You're late,” Al grumbled as she slid into the booth opposite him. “I ordered the meatloaf special for you. It's cold by now."

She took a bite. “It's okay,” she said. “You loaded me down with tough things to do today. As it is, I didn't have time to get Tim's semen out of my vagina. I feel it soaking into my panties."

He pulled some napkins from the dispenser. “Stuff these in it,” he said gruffly.

She checked to be sure none of the other diners were looking and slipped the absorbent paper in place. “That is better. Thanks. Did you have any luck?"

His countenance brightened. “Better than I hoped. I've already found a source that can be trusted. I need to get them the cash this afternoon. How about you?"

“I wish I had a snapshot of Mack's face when I told him,” she laughed.

“Keep your voice down."

“He refused to have sex with me but I made him place his hand on my belly. Just at that moment my stomach rumbled. He thought it was the baby kicking."

“Did he agree to pay?"

“It took a while and he says he needs a few days to make arrangements, but, yes, he agreed to pay."

“And Tim Dollar?"

“I got Tim good and horny by doing a strip tease act like you made me do last night. I told him just before he ejaculated. I timed it perfectly. He turned as white as your ass, but he creamed inside me anyway. He was scared shitless. I used your line about a business write-off and he bought it. Hell, he wrote me a check right then and there."

Al smiled and glanced at his watch. “I told you that you needed my advice. Look, Pen, I have to get on with it. I'll pave the way with Mary Lou, go to your place and pick up the money and get on back to Charlotte."

“I'd better go with you. Billy won't understand."

“To hell with Billy. Who's that guy at the counter?"

Penny took a quick look. “His name is Sean something or other. I've never met him. He does something with computers for Dollar Enterprises."

“You finish eating and then pick him up. He's a perfect candidate to be your boyfriend."

“That pimply faced nerd is not my type,” she laughed. “Besides, I hear he's gay."

“He's been eyeballing you since you came in. Do what I tell you. Unbutton your blouse a little more and show him some titty flesh.” He slid out of the booth.

“Wait a minute.” She pulled another napkin from the dispenser and a pen from his shirt pocket. Carefully she printed, “Billy, Al is picking up some things from the study. It's okay. Help him carry the boxes to his car. Penny."

He took the note and laughed. “Can the dummy read this?"

She didn't answer.

She watched Al walk away and then studied Sean. He was tall, skinny, longhaired and seemed to have more pimples than she remembered—a computer nerd if she ever saw one. All he lacked were glasses and a pocket protector full of pens. The meatloaf was very cold now. She picked up the check and went to the cash register. He was sitting right next to it on a counter stool, carefully avoiding her with his eyes.

While waiting for a waitress to take her money she lightly brushed her hip against him. “I'm sorry,” she said.

“Its okay,” he mumbled in a high tenor voice, still refusing to look at her.

“I don't believe we've met. I'm Penny Swanson."

He neither turned in her direction nor replied.

The waitress appeared and Penny paid the bill with cash taken from Uncle Amos’ stash. When the transaction was completed, she placed her hand on Sean's shoulder. “I didn't mean to offend you,” she said. “I was just trying to be friendly. It's hard to find anyone in Dot anywhere near my age."

“I don't imagine you would be interested in having a fag for a friend,” he replied, looking at her finally.

“I ... I didn't know you were gay. Your lifestyle is your business, but you obviously want nothing to do with me. See you around sometime.” She dropped a quarter and slowly bent over to retrieve it. She felt his eyes on her cleavage.

She had gone only a few feet down the sidewalk when he caught up with her. “I'm sorry, Penny. I'm not used to pretty girls showing any interest in me. Everybody in Dot thinks I am a homosexual, but I'm not. Except when they need my help with a computer problem, they all shun me. I'm Sean Taylor."

For the next hour and a half, she let Sean show her his place of business. She was impressed with all the gadgets and the number of people working for him. She guessed that he was truly a young man on the rise. She adjusted the collar of her blouse several times and was pleased to catch him frequently enjoying the sight of the upper swells of her breasts. She “accidentally” pressed her breasts against him twice. There was no indication of an erection, but then, he was wearing baggy pants. She excused herself just before four after succeeding in getting him to agree to share a home cooked meal with her at seven.

Without an appointment, she found herself sitting in the waiting room of the clinic until nearly five. When at last she sat in Mary Lou's office, the doctor smiled at her and said, “Al came in this afternoon and told me you have changed your mind about having an abortion. I know it must have been a difficult decision. I've already called the Nickels. They are so elated they can hardly stand it. They, of course, will pay all of your medical expenses."

“That's good,” Penny said expressionlessly, “but I want some money out of you also."

“I don't understand,” May Lou responded.

“You knew Amos Stone a hell of a lot better than I did, at least until after he died and I found some interesting entries in his journal and some very graphic videotapes. Let's see, now,” she said with one finger touching her chin as if she were trying to recall something. “One of those tapes features a pony and a very clear close-up of a woman's lips on the pony's red dick."

Jo carefully cut a small bite from the southern fried chicken breast and, before tasting it, said, “Mother Nickels, I may have to change my mind about wanting you to move in with Randy and me."

“Whatever do you mean, child?” the elder Mrs. Nickels asked. She picked up a golden brown chicken leg and ripped off a large chunk with her teeth."

Jo chuckled. “I can't keep up with you."

“I do believe this Dot Diner's fried chicken is almost as good as my own,” Mrs. Nickels said, smacking her lips and preparing for another bite. “But Jo, dear, you obviously don't know how to eat southern fried chicken. I don't care what the etiquette books say, it doesn't taste nearly as good if you use utensils other than your fingers."

“Thank you Mother Nickels.” Jo laughed. “I was trying to make a good impression. If your chicken is better that Dot's, I want to try it before you return to Maryland."

“Trying to get rid of me, are you?"

Jo smiled. “No, but I swear you have run my legs off today. We've been in every store in Dot, but that wasn't enough for you. You wanted to check out the new recreation complex too. Not only did you talk the man into letting us borrow a golf cart, but you also insisted on touring all three of the courses."

“Honey, playing golf used to be my life. These new courses are beautiful. I'll bet with a little practice I could still break 90 on any one of them."

“I won't argue with that,” Jo laughed. “You beat me three straight games of shuffleboard."

“The homes they have built around the courses are fabulous. I would love to live in either of the two we looked at."

“They have fabulous price tags, too."

“$500,000 is a very reasonable price for those homes, Jo. I think you and Randy should buy one of them."

“Buying a house is not a priority, right now,” Jo said. “And we certainly wouldn't pay that kind of money."

“Jo,” Randy's mother said, lowering her voice. “There must be something going on."

Jo looked in the direction of Mrs. Nickel's focus. Two men, dressed in cheap suits, seemed to be going from table to table. “Beats me, Mother Nickels,” Jo said with a shrug of her shoulders.