Chapter 10

When Helen awoke the following morning, she realized Zip had covered her, then had hung the picture back in place, and had left. Andy was still unconscious in the next bed.

She got up and went to the bathroom, taking a long, hot shower, and when she emerged, wearing her bathrobe, she saw her husband sitting at the breakfast table with Joe Cerrone, and the two of them were laughing.

"Hey, man," Joe was teasing. "I don't know what got hold of you last night, but you really gave it to her good, and she was sighing and gasping and begging for more. Jeez, man, you really know how to give it to her."

Helen blushed as she heard her husband reply, "I don't remember a damn thing, I swear it."

"Well, you can believe me when I tell you, Maggie and me, we heard you clear as a bell," Joe insisted. "Hey man, you gotta learn to do it quietly, like Maggie and me."

"So invite me in to watch some day," Andy teased.

"Yeah, sure," Joe laughed. "Just be careful. I mean, me and Maggie, we understand. But Zip is young and impressionable. We don't want him hearing this. He might think you're beatin' her."

"Sheesh! I sure wish I was able to remember," Andy shrugged.

Helen went to the bedroom and quickly dressed in a yellow halter and shorts. By the time she was finished, Andy walked in.

"Hey," he said. "Joe tells me you and me, we had a time of it, last night. He says you actually liked it. Izzat true?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I liked it, last night."

"Well, whyna hell don'tcha like it all other times?"

"Well, why in the hell don't you give me a warm-up period the way I had one last night?" she asked, careful to omit the fact that he wasn't the one who had given it to her.

"You mean you like being fondled like some kinda whore?" Andy asked.

"All women like being fondled," Helen replied. "Just because we like it, doesn't make us whores. We have feelings, too."

"I gotta admit, I never thought about it that way," he shrugged. "I alius figured you was just naturally frigid, like my ma. I guess I gotta get drunk a little more often."

"If that's what it takes to make you treat me right," she replied.

"I was a little rough on you that other time," he admitted. "Look, mebbee we can work something out in the future. If I can getcha to like sex, well, mebbee we can do it more often."

"Maybe," Helen shrugged.

"But ya' did like it last night, huh?"

"Yes, I liked it last night."

"Just goes to show, I must be doin' somethin' right."

"Last night, you did everything just right," she nodded, referring to his having fallen into such a drunken stupor that he had been unable to wake up when Zip had given her the most wonderful fucking of her entire life.

"Like to try again tonight, when I have a li'l less booze in me?" he asked.

"Sure, why not!" she replied, her heart hammering, afraid he would revert to being his animalistic self.

"You just kinda point out all the things we did last night," he told her, "and we'll try and make it good for both of us."

"Okay!"