Part 8 (1/2)
”Come off it, Allison. I know that Amy's after you. What I want to know is, did she succeed?”
”Amy goes for me,” Allison admitted. ”I won't deny that. But she won't do anything about it. She just likes to have young girls around her. Chris Salem is the only one she really loves. Besides, she couldn't risk ruining her reputation by taking up with someone like me. Instead she just surrounds herself with young women at little gatherings in her apartment. Chris is always there. She understands how Amy feels now that she's growing older and losing her looks. Having young girls around makes Amy feel young. You should see those parties. It looks like Sat.u.r.day night at the Harbor.”
Allison's story sounded logical. Could be that I had been getting steamed up about nothing?
”How are you feeling about me now?” I asked.
”Exactly as I felt before. You know what I want, Sloane. I'm after a relations.h.i.+p that will last.”
”How can I guarantee that? I can't marry you. Do you want me to sign a contract?”
”There's no need to be sarcastic,” Allison retorted softly. ”It's just a question of your deciding that I'm what you want. I won't share you with anyone else. I don't want to start an affair with you until I'm sure that you won't leave me in a few weeks. Or a few months or years, for that matter.”
I let the topic drop. This was no time for me to make promises that I wasn't sure I'd keep.
After dinner we went to the gay bar in Allison's neighborhood.
We danced. It felt awfully good to hold her in my arms again. She was wearing a heavy s.e.xy perfume in her hair that made my head feel light.
She had lost weight. I thought of how I would fatten her up after I had taken care of more pressing matters. I had to laugh at myself. I was thinking like that butch, Dinah. I was going to take care of my woman.
Allison poured it on while we were dancing. She held me close and fitted her body snugly against mine. I felt the urgency growing in me but I kept on dancing.
Lord, how I longed to have her alone. To have her get rid of all those clothes and lie naked in my arms. I wanted to press my lips to hers and drink deep of the sweetness that was Allison. It was a pleasure that was so poignant it was almost painful to think of her responding to my caresses, laughing the soft laugh of ecstasy.
The record came to the end and the jukebox was silent. We left the dance floor and went back to our table.
”It's 11:30,” Allison said. ”We should leave soon. Have you come to a decision? Are you staying with me tonight?”
”If you knew how much I want to, you'd know how difficult it is for me to say this,” I replied. ”I'm ready to accept your conditions. But I will not have you calling all the shots. You've been manipulating me ever since we met. You've been both referee and player in this game. That doesn't seem very fair to me.”
I paused to light cigarettes for both of us. Allison took hers simply, without her usual coquettishness. Her face was set and serious. From what I could see, she was really listening to me and trying to understand.
”I admit that I've done a lot of manipulating in the past myself,” I continued. ”I thought I was one h.e.l.l of a kid when women let me boss them around. But those were relations.h.i.+ps based on sand and they washed away with the tide.
”I want our relations.h.i.+p to be different. I think we're both after the same things but we're going to have to work to get them. One of the things we'll both have to do is recognize that we're both adults capable of taking on responsibilities. Neither of us is going to make decisions for the other.”
I got up and put my coat on. ”Come on, I'll walk you home.”
On the way home I told Allison that I wasn't going to stay with her that night. ”I hope and pray that we'll get together soon. But that decision is up to you as much as me. Let's see if we can decide by the weekend. In the meantime, we can see each other every night if you want. At least that way I'll be sure that you're not with Amy.”
I left Allison at her door and took the crosstown bus home. I was being so practical I could hardly stand myself.
The next night Allison and I went out with Sylvan. It was obvious that they liked each other. I was pleased but a little annoyed because they paid more attention to each other than to me.
The following night Allison and I went to the movies. The night after that we spent alone in our separate apartments. Partly because my finances were beginning to reach a point of utter absurdity and partly because we both needed the rest.
The next day was Friday. We arranged to meet in the Village for dinner.
Friday morning I arrived at the office bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to be met by a frantic Amy Ferguson.
She insisted that I call Happy and get him down to the office even if it meant getting him out of bed.
Happy arrived thirty minutes later. He hadn't had time to shave so he used an electric shaver while he talked to Amy. I could barely hear their conversation above the noise of the shaver but I made out enough to know that we were in trouble.
Amy had found out that the network Sales Department was pus.h.i.+ng a situation comedy series starring Laurie Newson, Amy's chief contender for the t.i.tle of suburban pied-piper. Newson was more popular on the West Coast and Amy was afraid that sponsors would grab her show if they heard about it before they were shown Amy's pilot.
That meant that Happy would have to push the show himself. I spent the morning making appointments for him with agency bra.s.s. I lined up appointments for him at all the major advertising agencies in town.
I called Sylvan for Happy and told him about the new situation. Happy would need five or more extra prints of the pilot. It meant more work for Sylvan but also more money. He promised to deliver the prints within the week.
Happy left the office. He told me that he could be reached at the Plaza barbershop for the next hour and then would be back. Happy always went to the barbershop when he had a knotty problem to figure out. After two or three hours of sun lamp treatments, ma.s.sages, and facial treatments his mind was clearer. I was sure this problem would take him longer than an hour to solve.
CHAPTER 8.
I left the office at six and took a cab down to the Village restaurant where I was to meet Allison.
Just inside the door of the restaurant there was a large mirror. I stopped to check myself over. It had been a rough day and I was worn out. But not where it counted. You know what I mean, I was tired on the surface but deep within me something was racing wildly. My body ached with end of the day fatigue but I wanted to run and dance and shout because soon I would be with Allison. Perhaps tonight would be the night when all that I had had to keep corked up within me could be let go. Maybe tonight I could show Allison how much I loved her.
The mirror gave back a pleasing reflection. My suit fitted well and the jersey blouse I was wearing was doing deliciously indecent things for my figure. My eyes were s.h.i.+ning with excitement. The extra special care I had taken with my make-up was worth it. It would take a very strong light to show that I had mascara, eye-liner, eye shadow and eyebrow pencil on. The shading looked natural. I smiled my pleasure back at my reflection. I looked good and I felt good.
”I thoroughly agree. You look wonderful tonight, darling.”
I blushed. Allison had been standing beside me, out of the range of the mirror, watching me admiring myself.
We found a table and ordered dinner. I told Allison about the day's happenings in the office and she told me what she had been doing. She had auditioned for a part on the Phil Singer Show.
”But that show's moving out to California next month,” I said.
”I know. They auditioned me for the part a girl who has to stay in New York had.”
I felt as if something were choking me from the inside. ”Will you go to California with the show if you get the part?”
”I'd be a fool not to,” Allison said. ”It would be a great opportunity for me. There's no real reason for me to stay here. I could live as easily on the West Coast. Besides, I could probably get a lot more work out there. Most television work is being done on the Coast these days.”
”I know. I... I'll miss you,” I stammered.
”I was thinking about that. Sloane, please don't think I'm trying to direct your life. I thought it over and if I move to California I'd like you to come with me. You could probably get a better job there. Your experience in the Broadman Office will help you. They need experienced people on the production end. Besides, what you really want to do is write and you can do that out there as well as here.”
”It's an idea. I'll think it over.”
”No need to come to a decision now. I don't even know if I've got the part yet,” Allison said.
We finished dinner and walked the three blocks to the Harbor to have our liqueur there.
It was still early enough so the place wasn't impossibly crowded but the Friday night crowd was beginning to arrive. We took the last available table. In another hour there would be women standing five deep at the bar.