Zeke (24 page)

“In fact, I think the two of you
might have had an encounter back there in the dressing room. You looked a
little flushed when you came out.”

“If I was flushed it was from
trying on all those clothes. It’s harder work than you might think.” Sue pasted
on a blank expression, fearing she knew exactly where Zeke was going with this
line of questioning. “What kind of encounter could I have had with that girl,
anyway?”

Zeke began stroking her lower
abdomen, running his fingertips down her thighs and back up. “I think she liked
your body, got a kick out of seeing you naked. Who could blame her?”

“Oh, Zeke. No, there was nothing
like that.” Sue shook her head in vehement denial.

“I think there was,” Zeke said. He
got up and went to his backpack. He pulled out a small white sack and took
something from inside.

“Look what I found at the pharmacy.”
He held up a small pink plastic item that fit over the tip of his finger. “This
will make you feel good. This is something that clerk probably wished she had
when she saw you naked.”

Sue remained focused on the tiny
device as Zeke ambled to the bed and opened her legs. Gazing at her with lust,
he removed his clothes and crawled onto the mattress beside her. He placed the
vibrating device against her tender folds of flesh. Sue’s body responded
immediately as sweet waves flowed through her pelvis and up into her belly.

“Let’s talk some more about that
girl in the store. Her nametag read Candy. Did you call her Candy?”

“No,” Sue whispered. “I didn’t call
her anything.”

“Did you think she was pretty?”

“I guess.”

“I think you liked Candy a lot.”

“She was okay,” Sue breathed,
nearly consumed by desire.

“I know you liked her. I can tell
that you like girls, Susie,” he said softly.

“Like them how?” Her voice was
husky, her body refusing to ignore the touch of the vibrator.

“You know how, and I can see it.
It’s in the way you react. You prefer a softer touch, like a woman might use,”
he said as he moved the small vibrator over her sensuously.

Sue’s arousal was very quick, and
she would have plunged over the precipice to which she clung if Zeke hadn’t
pulled his finger away and moved it instead to her breast. A new rush of
sensation traveled through her and she gasped at the intensity.

“It’s too bad your friend, Joyce,
didn’t treat you better or you could have got it on with her. I don’t blame you
for not wanting Joyce, though. She sounds like a plain Jane and you guys didn’t
really have much in common.”

He moved his finger smoothly over
her skin, leaving her breasts and playing around her navel before traveling
lower.

“Now Candy, she’s a different
story. Pretty woman like that was too tempting to pass up. I know what really
happened in that dressing room, bunny, and it’s all good. Candy helped you take
off your blouse. Then she reached around and cupped your breasts, didn’t she?
No, don’t answer, just listen. She lifted each one in her silky hands, those
slender fingers with their rose-colored nails. You felt a rush as you realized
how pleasing a woman’s hands could feel. You could smell her perfume. You
turned around and smiled at her. She smiled back and leaned in. You did what
comes naturally and kissed her. Her lips were soft and sweet like big puffy
marshmallows. You put your hands on the back of her head and pulled her closer,
wanting to taste Candy, to see if she lived up to her name.”

“No,” Sue said weakly.

Zeke once more moved his finger up,
circling each breast and massaging her nipples. He gave her a loving smile.
“It’s okay if you like girls. I’m fine with it. Let’s see. What happened next,
I wonder? Oh yes, then you took Candy’s blouse off and unsnapped her bra.
Didn’t you?”

His finger made slow circles while
his hand glided downward, tantalizing her as he detailed his fantasy about the
dressing room. In spite of the shame she felt, in spite of his disturbing
words, Sue’s body continued to respond to his seduction.

When she reached an orgasm, Zeke
laughed softly. “The two of you had quite a little tryst back there, didn’t
you? Oh, Susie Q, you loved it so much. You liked it even better than Ernie’s
mouth. There is a secret part of you that longs for a woman’s touch. I can
tell. And I approve. One hundred percent. In fact, I want to watch it happen. I
want it so bad!”

He shifted so he could stroke
himself with his other hand while he talked. “Call me Candy,” he whispered.
“Pretend I’m her. Beg me to do you.”

“What?”

“Do it, Susie. Play along.”

“Kiss me, Candy,” Sue said without
enthusiasm.

“Come on, you can do better than
that. It’s just a game,” Zeke chided. “Remember, they’re just words.”

“Do me, Candy,” Sue said softly,
with a little more zeal, but still feeling very strange.

With Zeke’s encouragement, she grew
bold, graphic, which was exactly what he wanted. She played the game with him
and he pleasured her as never before.

Afterward, he lay quietly smoking, his
eyes fixed on the ceiling with that faraway look. Sue was deep in her own
thoughts, submerged in dark doubts about her sexual orientation. She had never
noticed a particular attraction to women, but she did enjoy the sensations he
provoked with his remarks. She had been titillated by the verbal pictures. And
it had excited her to say Candy’s name while having sex with Zeke, and to
pretend it was Candy who was touching her. She pondered her response to the
game.

Sue propped herself on an elbow and
looked down at Zeke’s handsome face, willed him to look at her.

“What?” He put out his cigarette
and turned his gaze to her. “Say it, whatever it is.”

“I’m just worried, that’s all.” Sue
spoke carefully. “Some of the things we do don’t seem...normal. Don’t you ever
want a normal life, Zeke?”

He frowned. “Ah, Sue. You’re a
victim of societal brainwashing. You’ve been convinced the dream life is
marriage, a little house with a picket fence, a couple of kids, church on
Sundays, and dinner around the table. Straight boring sex once a week, twice if
the woman feels generous.”

“That’s not really true, Zeke.”
Inside she agreed with most of what he’d said. “But, even if I did think that
way, what would be so wrong with it?”

“It isn’t real life.” Zeke caressed
her cheek tenderly, then gave her a sharp little slap.

She pulled back, shocked, although
it hadn’t actually hurt.

“You’ve read too many silly romance
novels, Sue. Life isn’t like that. Life is gritty, hot, dangerous; it’s an
adventure. It’s dirty. You need to grow up; stop living in a fantasy. So you
like to live on the edge. So what. So do I. So you like women. Big fucking
deal. Stop punishing yourself.”

“I’m not. I was just asking. That’s
all.”

She thought of Joyce and wondered
why she had ever continued a friendship with her. She should have dropped her
and found a better friend somehow, one she could have felt closer to. She
wondered if she would have felt a sexual connection if she’d had a nicer,
prettier friend. Would they have had naked slumber parties, examined each
other’s privates, possibly done sexual things together? Was this impulse always
there, but she didn’t know it because she had never been tempted?

Then, she recalled the erotic dream
she’d had about that girl in her English class. At the time, she had been
ashamed but hadn’t given it much thought. Perhaps she shouldn’t have dismissed
it so readily. Maybe it was a sign that she had lesbian leanings. She hoped
not, for underneath her willingness to experiment with Zeke, she clung to an
old-fashioned notion of a traditional marriage and family someday, a regular
everyday life. This adventure with Zeke was just a brief interlude before they
settled down and renounced all this crazy stuff.

But, Zeke had painted pictures with
his words. The images were so clear, almost as if they had actually happened
and were tied to the sweet feelings she had experienced in his arms. She knew
Zeke would refer to those scenes in the future as if they were real. And she
worried that she would enjoy them even though it went against her sense of
self.

Stuck at the Loony Bin

Will yawned loudly and stretched in
an attempt to work the kinks from his back. No light seeped around the edges of
the curtains, so he knew it was early. He rolled over and looked at the cheap
bedside clock. Five a.m. Groaning, he sat up and stumbled into the bathroom.

A shower revived him somewhat, but
he needed coffee.

Less than half an hour later, he
was behind the wheel of his car munching a breakfast sandwich and guzzling an
industrial-sized mug of coffee he’d picked up at the convenience store when
he’d gassed up. It was too early to call Roxie; he knew she’d been on stakeout
into the wee hours of the morning. Plus, there was no way to know for sure if
Sue had been telling the truth. She might have been calling from a roadside pay
phone and lied about being in a motel.

The sky was lightening in the east,
a pale pink rimming the horizon. On a different day, he might pull over and
watch the sunrise. But there was no time for such indulgence today. He lit a
cigarette and lowered the window a crack. The next turn placed the glory of
dawn to his left as his headlights swept the road ahead.

Will flipped on the radio and
listened to a rhythm and blues station as the miles flew by. If Roxie or Melvin
hit pay dirt, he’d abandon his current route; for now, his destination was an
old asylum, next on the list of abandoned buildings Melvin had compiled.

The station Will had chosen faded
as he moved outside its range. He fiddled with the dial and found one that played
oldies. He drove on for a while before pulling into a gas station on the edge
of a small town. After visiting the men’s room, he filled up on coffee and
settled into the front seat to call Roxie.

“Any luck?”

“Not yet, but we’ve eliminated
quite a number of places. Here, let me grab the list.” She sounded exhausted as
she rattled off the motels she and Melvin had contacted. “Melvin has a lecture
this morning, but he’s coming back in afterwards. I’m going to let him take
over while I go set up surveillance on our cheating spouse.”

“Be careful, babe.”

“I always am, Will. You know that.”
She sounded annoyed.

“I know. But you also know I have
to say it.” He hung up, and then scolded himself for letting his feelings show.
Normally, Roxie didn’t react this way, but when she was tired, it was a
different matter. At those times, she interpreted his concern as a lack of
faith in her abilities, and that wasn’t accurate. Not even close. Will shook
his head and put the car in drive.

Shortly before noon, he turned into the long driveway leading up to the old asylum. Fresh tracks in the soft mud and
bent areas of grass confirmed someone had been here recently, and he was sure
he was on the right trail. Will’s pulse picked up.

When he passed the old guard shack,
his instincts went on full alert; he felt watched. Wary, he drove slowly, his
eyes taking in the outbuildings and carriage house. He was astounded at the
sight of the hospital itself; it was huge, much larger than he’d expected.

Pulling up in front, Will killed
the engine and took his weapon from the glove box. The feeling of eyes on him
grew stronger, though he still saw no one. Getting out of the car, Will turned
his head from side to side, but saw only weeds and debris leading up to the
massive structure.

Inside, he quickly explored the
place, gun drawn and flashlight delving into dark corners. His footsteps echoed
forlornly through the huge dusty rooms. The ragged cots lining the walls gave
him pause, and he mentally scratched his head. When he found the groceries in
the grubby kitchen, his spirits lifted. Then he dug a receipt from inside one
of the bags. It was from a store in Brinkley, a small town just ten miles or so
up the road, and it was three weeks old.
This food couldn’t have been
purchased by Zeke and Sue; so, who’s it for?

He held his breath as he descended
the stairs to the basement, taking careful, quiet steps. Disappointment filled
him when he found no signs of the couple. He climbed the steps to the main
floor.

Peering out the rear door, Will
noticed the grass was undisturbed and decided the outbuildings didn’t need his
attention. He switched off the flashlight, lowered his gun, and walked slowly
back to the front entrance. Here, he gazed at the broken stairway that led to
the upper floors. He figured there had to be another set of stairs.
Backtracking, he found the steps behind a door in the kitchen; the dust lay
thick and undisturbed so Will ruled out going further.

His unease grew as he made his way
out of the building, and he picked up his pace returning to the car. He was
almost certain Sue had been here, though he couldn’t say why. Just a gut
feeling, he supposed. The tracks up the drive were relatively fresh, although
the groceries remained a mystery.

Will tossed the flashlight into the
passenger seat, holstered his gun, and pulled out his phone to check with
Melvin. The display informed him there was no service. Swearing softly, he put
the car in reverse, pressed the gas pedal, and came to an abrupt stop as his
wheels spun uselessly.

He couldn’t move forward or
backward now; he was royally stuck.

Will got out and peered at the back
wheels. He had driven into a deep muddy ditch, one hidden by overgrown weeds.
The rear of the car was buried up to the bumper. He tried all the tricks he
could think of, but finally admitted he couldn’t extricate the vehicle without
help.

“Shit!” he yelled, and his voice
bounced back at him. From the corner of his eye, he thought he caught a furtive
movement at one of the windows. He stared a long time at the opening, but saw
nothing more. Skin crawling, Will locked his vehicle, feeling slightly foolish
for worrying about security this far out in the boonies. He just couldn’t shake
the feeling he wasn’t entirely alone. He turned and started the long walk down
the driveway. He stopped every few feet to try his phone, but to no avail. The
back of his neck prickled and he whipped around suddenly, but there was nothing
behind him but the empty hospital looming against a gray sky. A chill wind
rustled the dead leaves under the trees and icy water dripped from every
branch.