Part 3 (2/2)
The smile grew wider. ”Almost,” she said, softly. ”There's only one thing in the world I like better, Benny. Just one thing.” As she spoke, it seemed to him as though she were playing some kind of a game with him.
”Yeah?” he said, mildly curious. ”What's that?”
”Something I just saw,” she answered, and he still didn't know what she was talking about. ”It was fun to see it, Benny, and I bet it's even better when you do it yourself!”
He opened his mouth to say something, and his mouth remained uselessly open as he saw the knife in her hand, the knife he had used on Moe. For one brief second he saw the answer to his question in her eyes; for one instant he knew what she really craved, what kind of excitement sent her blood racing. Just for that single second when he watched the insane stare in her eyes as she gazed at the blood gus.h.i.+ng from the stab wound in his chest.
A second later his vision blurred and he saw nothing.
In another second he was dead.
BRIDE OF VIOLENCE.
SHE DIDN'T SAY A WORD when I pulled the car off the road behind the clump of young poplars. I cut the motor and flicked off the lights. Then I pulled her to me and kissed her. when I pulled the car off the road behind the clump of young poplars. I cut the motor and flicked off the lights. Then I pulled her to me and kissed her.
The kiss sent my blood racing. This was nothing new. Just being with Rita, just looking at her and running my eyes over the full curves of her body was enough to send me into a sweat.
I forced myself to pull away from her. ”Come on,” I said. ”Let's get into the backseat.”
She smiled, teasing me. ”Why?”
”You know why.”
”Tell me anyway.”
I just looked at her. Her hair was long and golden and it spilled over her shoulders like a yellow waterfall. Her mouth was red with the lipstick I hadn't managed to kiss away yet. Her eyes were a sort of cornflower blue that deepened almost to purple in the dark.
I wanted her so much it was killing me.
”Quit playing games,” I said.
”Games?” The eyes widened.
”Come on.”
She smiled. ”I just want you to tell me why we should get in the backseat, Jim. That's all.”
”Don't you know?”
”I'm not sure,” she said. ”Maybe you have designs on my virtue. How should I know?”
”Rita-”
Her face softened. ”I'm sorry, Jim,” she said. ”I don't like to tease you.”
Not much, I thought. I didn't say anything.
”It's just that I don't want us to get too involved, Jim. Honey, every time we park the car and neck up a storm we go a little farther than we did last time. I'm afraid sometime we won't be able to stop.”
”What's wrong if we don't?”
”Jim-”
”Well, what if we don't? G.o.d, Rita, I want you and you want me and that ought to be enough. Why in h.e.l.l won't you let me make love to you?”
”I've already told you that.”
”But it doesn't make any sense!”
She moved closer to me. I could feel her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressing against my chest. My skin felt warm beneath my s.h.i.+rt where she was touching me. Her lips brushed my cheek.
”Not until we're married,” she said. ”I've told you a dozen times, darling.”
More than a dozen times, I thought. Closer to a hundred times. Closer to a hundred times. I kissed her again, almost absently, thinking that this was just a repeat of a conversation the two of us went through almost every night. I kissed her again, almost absently, thinking that this was just a repeat of a conversation the two of us went through almost every night.
But I had to keep going.
”We're going to be married,” I said, ”as soon as I get enough money saved up so that we won't have to pick through garbage cans when we want breakfast.”
”I know.”
”I'd marry you now,” I went on. ”Waiting was your idea, Rita. I-”
”You know it's the only sensible thing to do.” She was closer to me now, so close I could feel every outline of her warm body. My arm slipped around her and stroked the firm flesh. I had a hard time getting the next sentence out; I wasn't much in the mood for conversation.
”Okay,” I said. ”Waiting to get married is sensible. But waiting to make love isn't.”
”Suppose I got pregnant?” she demanded.
The same old arguments every d.a.m.ned night. ”You won't,” I said.
”You can't be sure about that, Jim. It happens, you know.”
”Then we'd get married right away.”
”And then we'd have everybody counting the months and snickering when the baby was born. I don't want that, Jim.”
I didn't answer.
”But that's not the main thing. I'm an old-fas.h.i.+oned girl, honey. I want to wait until I'm married. That's all there is to it.”
She seemed to be right-that was all there was to it. That was the trouble.
She snuggled up to me again. ”I don't really feel like talking,” she said. ”Do you?”
”No,” I said. ”Of course not.”
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