Part 79 (1/2)

'Please yourself.” Steve braced himself for the inevitable a.s.sault.

She kissed him then lowered her voice to a whisper.

'I've finally got something on that boss of yours.”

'Karlstrom?”

'Shuhh! Yes .... ' 'I'd have thought he'd be the last person you'd want to make an enemy of.”

Fran's voice became a snake-like hiss. 'After the way he dumped us in that mess?”

'Oh, c'mon! It wasn't his fault ' . 'No? He's had it coming for a long time - and now we've finally got a chance to cut his b.a.l.l.s off!'

'How d'you mean - get him fired?”

'Among other things. There's a lot going on here you don't know about, Stevie. Let's just say that President-Generals don't live for ever and leave it at that.” She sat up and stripped off the rest of her clothes. 'You and I have got a much more urgent problem to attend to, Captain.”

'Yessirr-ma'am ' Steve moved obligingly towards the middle of the bed.

Fran landed beside him like a cat on all fours and pinned him down with a long, devouring tongue-sucking kiss that came close to tearing his lips off. 'uhh, Stevie! This is what I've been missing! Those j.a.p rice b.a.l.l.s are okay, but there ain't nothin' to match a regular diet of firm red meat!” She slipped her hand inside his bathrobe.

'Mmmm-mhhh!

Y'see?

Things are looking up already!” Regardless of what his body was saying, there was only one thought in Steve's mind: I've had enough. I gotta get out of here.

A couple of days later, Fran and Steve were invited to watch another late evening movie at Grand Palisades. 'Is your father going to be there?” asked Steve 'He might be,' said Fran. 'Why d'you ask?”

'Ohh, it was just that... Karlstrom advised me to stay out of his way.

On account of-' Fran fastened the high collar of his jacket together.

'Don't be stupid. If my father was out for your blood, d'you think I'd be here?”

'Yehhh,' mused Steve. 'I never thought of that' He watched Fran check her appearance in the long bedroom mirror.

Tonight she had chosen a dark blue evening dress with puffed elbow-length sleeves and a deep curving neckline that offered an enticing view of uplifted b.r.e.a.s.t.s and a smooth tanned back.

The transformation of Fran into a 'southern belle' for these formal occasions never failed to amaze Steve. The effect was always stunning, but he could not understand how someone with so short and so vile a temper could patiently allow herself be squeezed and trussed into a tight-waisted corset by her Mute maid-servant before donning layer after voluminous layer of petticoats. And it took as long again to add a new face and arrange the curled, beribboned hair pieces.

Fortunately they didn't have to dress up every night.

Steve parted the window curtains and looked down at the empty driveway.

'Are we going by coach?”

'No, it's too cold. We'll take the trolley.” She fluffed out the sleeves of her dress, gave herself the final seal of approval and presented herself to him.

'Terrific.” Steve picked up the matching shawl and draped it around her shoulders. 'What's a trolley?”