Chapter 2

Lumar suddenly cried out in pain as he felt something that felt like a pair of steel claws rip into his narrow shoulders. "Hey-no," he cried as he felt himself become air-borne. It seemed as if the ceiling rushed down to meet him and then he felt himself sailing through the air. He cried out in pain and disbelief as he struck the wall with a sickening thud and he collapsed on the floor, like an old dishrag.

"You lousy, fucking whore," he heard someone cry out at the top of his voice as he tried valiantly to get to his feet again. "I told you what would happen if you pulled this crap on me again, you bitch. You stinking, lousy...."

"Wait, Billy," Nancy cried. "Let me explain...."

"I got eyes," the voice snarled. "I can see, can't I?"

Lumar finally got to his feet. He sucked in a deep breath of air and then rushed at the giant figure he saw standing at the side of the bed, shaking his fist at the woman. "Leave her alone, you bastard," the boy cried.

The shadowy figure turned and slapped Lumar hard across the face, stopping him cold in his tracks. The poor boy dropped to his knees, shaking his head.

"It's you, Mr. Meeks," he cried, and swallowed hard, "Oh, my God. She said that you-you...."

"Never mind what this lying whore said, punk," the man snarled. "Get dressed and get your skinny ass out of my sight before I do something stupid like kill you, too, Lumar! You hear what I'm saying, boy?"

"Yes-yes, sir!"

"If you was full grown, Lumar, I'd kill you-right now, with my bare hands," Billy Meeks cried, and then drove his fist against the wall, shattering plaster all over everything. "And don't you ever come sucking around my wife again, boy or-lap-baby or not, M kill you sure as I'm standing here. You understand me, Lumar?"

"Yes, sir, I-I sure do!"

Lumar grabbed up his clothing, held it in a ball against his chest and ran out of the room. Billy waited until he heard the downstairs door to the outside open and close before he turned to his wife. "Why?" he cried, his face contorted with an awesome sort of rage. "Tell me why?"

"Now, Billy-hold on a minute. Ah, I-I...."

"I told you what I'd do if I caught you fucking me around again, cunt," the giant cried as tears began to roll down his face. "You can't say that I didn't warn you. You can't, you really can't ... "

"No, Billy, I-I can explain!"

He grabbed her by the top of her hair and jerked her out of the bed. "Just tell me why?" he demanded, and slapped her hard across the face with his free hand. "Why-why? Give me a reason for it, you slut!"

"I was horny," Nancy cried. "What the hell other reason could there be?"

"And that's your reason?" he cried as he slapped her again and again. "That makes it alright?" He pulled her from the bed and shoved her against the wall. "And with some snot-nose lap-baby, for pity sake. A punk kid...."

"Would you rather it was one of your buddies I had up here with me?" Nancy demanded as she got to her feet. "So that the whole town could give you the horse laugh again? At least I didn't do that this time! Don't that count for something, Billy? Don't it? Don't it?"

'You fucking slut," the big man cried as he smashed his fist against the wall again, gouging out another hole in the plaster. "Why can't you keep your thighs shut? Why can't you act like a wife?"

"You knew what I was when you married me, Billy."

"A whore-a lousy, cheating whore!"

"I told you not to take that truck-driving job," Nancy cried, hysteria welling up in her voice. "I just can't go for days and days without getting laid!"

Billy slammed his open hand across the side of her face, knocking her against the wall. He caught her with the other hand as she bounced off the wall and sent her sailing ass over tin cups against the dressing table. She shook her head, got to her feet and picked up a huge bottle of cheap perfume. "You stay away from me, Billy," she cried as she raised the bottle high over her head. "I know you're mad and I sure can't blame you, but I ain't going to let you beat me up again!"

"Let me?" the big, beefy man roared. "Let me? Who the hell is going to stop me?"

"I won't Billy, I won't...."

"Why, you silly whore," Billy screamed as he reached out to grab her. "You dumb, fucking dumb, dirty...."

Nancy smashed the bottle down over his head, opening an inch long cut at the hairline and breaking the bottle into a thousand pieces. Blood flowed down his face, blinding him in one eye. His hands began to tremble as he lifted her up in his arms and walked over to the window.

"No, Billy-no, no!"

"I warned you, cunt," he cried. "I told you what I'd do if I caught you again. I told you and told you!" He shoved her out the window, left her dangling from his hands.

"Oh, God, lover-no," Nancy cried. "Please, no-no, don't do this!"

"You whore, you slut...."

"BILLY-LOVE, IN THE NAME OF GOD!"

"You won't see God where you're going, bitch!"

"No, Billy-please," Nancy cried. "I'll be good. Really, I will. I swear to you, lover. I won't ever look at another man again. Please, baby. Hey, Billy-I think I'm going to slip. Billy, no...."

"I don't believe nothing you say anymore, Nancy. I-I can't!" Suddenly he pulled her back through the window, crying out in frustration. He walked over to the bed, tossed his wife down onto the mattress. "If only I didn't love you so much. If only I...." He dropped to his knees, covering his face with his hands as he began to sob. "You bitch! Why do you do it? Why-why?"

"Billy-love-oh, baby!"

Nancy sat up slowly, her body vibrating with fear.

"Billy-love, I-I ... oh, Billy!"

She swung her legs up over the side of the bed, sat there, looking at the man in front of her. She stood up, walked over to him and began to caress his head, rubbing her fingers gingerly through his shock of graying blond hair.

"I don't do it to hurt you, Billy," she cooed. "As God is my witness, I don't!"

"Nancy, I-I...." The big man allowed his words to trail off. He took her wrists in his hands, pulled her fingers down to his lips and then kissed them tenderly. "If only you could tell me what makes you do it?" His voice seemed to reflect the awesome sense of pain that filled his body. "If only you could do that for me!"

The redhead dropped to her knees in front of him. "It's just that I'm no good, Billy," she said. "I hate myself for hurting you like this, but-oh, hell, we both know it's going to happen again. I can't make it with just one man in my life. None of us Malloy women ever could. Not mama, not my sister, Hanna, and-most of all-not me! I'm sorry, Billy. I never should have let you talk me into marrying you!"

"Your mother and sister, they had men that weren't any-damn-good, Nancy" Billy said miserably. "Drinking and chasing and that. I ain't like them, baby. Whether you believe it or not, I ain't touched another woman in all the eight years we've been married. And you know that I've had plenty of opportunities, too!"

"It has nothing to do with you, Billy," Nancy said miserably. "You're a good man, a good husband!"

"Maybe if you was to see one of them head doctors," Billy said. "Maybe one of them could...."

"You got any idea what a shrink gets, Billy? Fifty dollars an hour-at least that!"

"Baby, I'd work day and night if it would help you beat this thing," the giant cried. "I-I...." He covered his face with his hands again, pain raking his body. "It's driving me out of my mind. Hell, I'm afraid to let you out of my sight for fear that you'll end up in bed with some dude!"

"Leave me, Billy," Nancy said. "I'll give you a divorce, won't fight it or nothing. And anytime you want me I'll be here. You can have me in bed anytime you want I ain't ever loved anyone but you, Billy!"

"You sure got a strange way of showing it, woman!"

"Yeah, I know-but it's true just the same!"

Billy dropped her hands, slipped an arm around her back and pulled her body close to him. "I love you so goddam much, woman," he cried, and then he kissed her savagely. "God help me, but I love you so...." v

"Oh, Billy-sweet Billy," Nancy cooed. "What a mess I've made of our lives!"

The giant picked her up in his arms, kissed the tip of her nose, and then carried her over to the bed and set her down in it. He stepped back, kicked off his shoes and unbuckled his belt. Nancy moaned in anticipation as she watched her husband slip out of his pants and shorts. Her hips began to roll in undulation as a shudder rippled at the lips of her vulva. "Oh, Billy-love-hurry, baby!"

"I-I-I...."

"There's a pencil in your shirt pocket, lover," the redhead cooed, "Better get rid of it, too!"

Billy slipped out of his shirt, too, sent it sailing into the air. "Look out, sweet woman," he cried, snorting wildly, "the big man's home and ready to take care of business now!"

"Oh, Billy-Billy-love!"

The big man leaped on the bed. He covered her mouth with his hands, cutting off her words, as he settled down on his knees between her outstretched legs.

"I love you so much, Nancy...."

"You're crazy," Nancy said. "You know you're crazy!"

"Crazy about this," Billy said as she eased his body down against her and began to poke at her still sticky vulva with the head of his cock. Nancy closed her eyes, moaning deeply, and then slipped her arms around the back of his neck and began to move against him. "Fuck me, baby" she cried. "Fuck me now!" Billy drove his pecker fiercely into her snatch and the redhead squealed with joy. "Oh, Nancy-Nancy...."

"Fuck me, Lumar," the redhead shrieked. "Oh, fuck me, fuck me, fu ..

Billy drove his hard, beefy fist against her jaw.

"What-why?" Nancy screamed.

"You lousy whore," Billy cried. "You called me Lumar!"

"No, I...."

Billy hit her again-and then again and again. He continued to hit her long after she had stopped screaming, long after she had lost consciousness. He continued to hit her until his arms felt as if they were too heavy to lift again, and then he pulled her limp body against his own, cradled it tightly against his chest and rocked her back and forth.