Chapter 2
Once again, Dana pulled to the side of the road and put her head down to cry. Frustrated and annoyed at herself, she wept bitter tears of anger now. She had driven all day, pushing herself past the point of exhaustion. Her short driving trips to town or around the school grounds had not prepared her for the task of covering almost five hundred miles in one day. Her shoulders and neck ached, her back was, stiff and her legs tired and cramped. And now she had forgotten to watch the gauges and the old car had overheated. She did not know what to do.
After several minutes of listening to her sobs echo in the growing darkness, Dana sat up.. She couldn't stay here, that was one thing she did know. She had to think.
She had not passed any cars or even houses for a long time. She had turned from the main highway to this road about twelve miles back. The map showed it as a short cut to Bladfield. She couldn't be more than ten or perhaps twelve miles from her goal. But it might as well be five hundred. She wished it were five hundred, then she'd be safe back at the school!
"Stop that!" she said aloud. Feeling sorry wasn't going to solve her problem. She'd have to let the car cool, find help and water for the wheezing radiator. If there was nothing behind her, she would simply have to walk ahead.
She got out of the car and, after making sure the lights were off, she locked the door behind her and started down the road. It was getting dark very quickly now, especially here where the trees were thick along the sides of the road and cut off any dying rays of the sunset. The last time she had looked at her watch it had been nine forty-five. It must be well after ten by now.
She stumbled along the gravel road in the stiff new shoes that had been part of her going-away gift from the sisters. Her feet ached, and she wished she had stopped to change to flats. But she kept going.
Night sounds cried in the stillness around her, but did not frighten her. The world of nature she knew and understood. Even the darkness did not frighten her beyond the anger at her own stupidity.
How long had she been walking? Had she somehow turned off the road shown on the map? The ground grew rougher under her feet, and she almost fell several times. If her feet didn't hurt so much, she might have been able to estimate the distance she'd covered. But with her cramped toes protesting each step, it seemed dozens of miles since she left the car.
Then she saw the light. It winked at her through the trees, then disappeared.
"Oh! " Her first impulse was to run toward it, but she didn't. She knew how deceptive light was in a black night. She stood very still and looked into the black gloom, moving her head slowly until she caught a second glimpse of the light. Only the blowing leaves on the trees had made it seem to vanish. She smiled and began to hunt along the side of the road for a path or driveway that might lead to the house.
It was not easy to make her way across the rough edge of grass and inspect the fence she discovered. Higher than she could climb, its steel rods spiked skyward.
'But a fence had to have a gate,' she told herself.
With one hand on the metal bars, she picked her way slowly along the fence until she found the gate and the driveway. She laughed aloud with relief as her shoes met the smoother blacktop of the driveway approach.
Both halves of the gate were swung back against the fence as though in welcome for her. She walked a little faster now on the better footing and started up the driveway. Several times she wandered off the roadway as the drive curved and wound through the trees. Once she fell into a thicket of bushes at the side of the road when an abrupt change of direction caught her off guard. She rubbed her sore knee and felt the warm sticky blood and the shredded nylon. She would be a sight when she reached the house, but at least help would be there. Maybe the people would give her a chance to clean up before she finished her trip to Bladfield.
But the memory of the stalled car she'd left somewhere behind came back. She might not be able to finish her trip tonight. She didn't know enough about cars to know if the damage she'd done would be readily fixed or not. Well, at least she could call the school and explain her delay.
Finally the pathway unwound around a final curve and the house was there. Dana stopped and stared. It was big and elegant, and the huge sweep of the driveway that circled before it was filled with cars. Her heart dropped and she looked down at herself in the light from the big porch under the white columns.
She was a mess. Bits and pieces of leaves and dirt clung to the once crisp blue cotton dress. The single button of the short jacket had tom loose, probably in her fall, and the edges hung unevenly.
She brushed herself off and tried to straighten her dress. The tom stocking was hopeless, but she dabbed at her knee with a tissue from her purse. It would have to do. She had no other choice.
She pressed the bell beside the door. No sound reached her from inside, but she could see the bright glow of lights behind the draped windows. When there was no answer, she rang again, wondering why the silence was so complete.
Then the door opened and the noise hit her like a blow. Inside, beyond the doorway, people milled, danced and sat around. Facing her was a young man who held a drink in his hand. He leaned against the edge of the door.
"Well, hello," he said with a grin. "You're a little late, but come on in." He stepped back and waved her in.
"Oh, no, you don't understand," she said quickly, but he had already closed the door behind her. Now he was leaning against it and looking at her.
"I think I do," he said significantly as he eyed her rumpled dress and tom stocking. He winked broadly and drained the glass in his hand. "You should see the other guy!" He slapped his hand to his thigh and laughed at his joke.
"Please. I saw your light. My car broke down a few miles back on the road."
"This road?" He thought he'd made another very funny joke.
"Can I call someone to fix it?" she asked. She'd realized quite suddenly that the man was drunk and began to be a little frightened.
"Call?" he asked foolishly.
"Yes. Do you have a phone?" She was frightened.
"Phone." He repeated the word as if he'd never heard it before. "Must be one around here somewhere." He looked around the entryway, then glimpsed the party in the other room. "Let's go ask ol' Evan. "
"Who?"
He moved toward her clumsily and she backed away from the whiskey smell of his breath. She was very frightened now. She wanted to escape from this man, yet she had to find someone to help her.
"His party," the man mumbled and grabbed her arm.
His fingers were hard on her flesh, and Dana winced with pain. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and walked after the man who. seemed willing to drag her along just to have someone to lean on.
In the huge room, the noise blared louder and voices and laughter rose all around her. The man dragged her through the middle of the crowded room, mindless of the people he pushed aside. If anyone noticed or cared, they said nothing. Everyone wag having too good a time.
The man who had opened the door for her now opened another and pulled her into the room. For an instant, the relief from the noise was pleasant, but then she saw they were alone now. Her gaze moved around quickly looking for the telephone, but she couldn't see one.
He still gripped her arm, and now he pulled her toward a large, brown, plush sofa that sprawled in the center of the room. He fell across it and pulled her down on top of it.
"Mmmmm, come on, baby, let's play some more." He lifted his wet lips toward her face and his arms went around her body and held her close to his prone form.
"Let me go!" She struggled, but could not loosen his grip. She tried to pummel him with her free hand but he quickly pinned it with his arm.
"You're a fighter!" he said with a drunken laugh. "I thought maybe you'd be a little tired after the roll in the woods you took, but you're still fighting hard!"
His thick, sour breath overwhelmed her, and she twisted her face from his. She could feel the hard angles of his lean body along the soft, full curves of hers, and she wanted desperately to escape. But he was so strong she couldn't break his hold. She panted for air as he pinned her tight against him.
"Ohhh, sweetie, I can feel that hot pussy right through our clothes. jeez, this is going to be good. And ol' Evan doesn't even know you're here." He laughed again, and his eyes closed for a moment with his labored breathing.
Dana speared her tongue across her dry lips. "I have to phone about the car," she said helplessly. Her mind whirled, a confusion of horror and mixed emotions. She had somehow wandered into her nightmare, the dark shadow place where reality didn't exist. She looked at the blonde man lying under her. At least he was different. There were no coarse black hairs on the hands that held her. Tears stung her eyelids.
He moved, arching his body slightly under her weight and forcing himself harder to her. She became aware of a thick, hard thing between their bodies. Her mind refused to think what it might be. This was a nightmare, it had to be. The hard thing pressed at her crotch. She gasped and shuddered as the thing probed at her tender private parts through their clothing.
Dana closed her eyes and tried to waken herself from the nightmare. But when she opened them, nothing had changed. The man was still there, his fingers hard around her wrists holding her on him, his long body speaking intimately to her own.
He mumbled something that wasn't clear, and Dana held her breath. His fingers slackened just a little, and she forced herself to remain perfectly still, despite the screaming panic inside her. He mumbled again and she caught the word "drink".
Softly she spoke to him. "Why don't I get you a drink?"
He smiled without opening his eyes. The fingers uncurled from her thin wrist. "Mmmmm, hurry. Fuck."
She blushed at the gutter word, but she was free. He had let go, and she backed slowly off his prostrate form. As she rose, she saw the high rising bulge at the zipped crotch of his pants. She felt the strange numbness of the nightmare creep across her belly and make it feel leaden. Without taking her eyes off the bulging pants, she backed toward the door. When she felt the cool metal knob under her palm, she turned and exited quickly.
Again, the noise crowded her. She started around the outer edge of the room. She could not push through the crowd the way he had done. And she wanted to find the door and get out. Even the dark and lonely night was better than this.
But she didn't make it. Another man blocked her way. Again, the heavy odor of whiskey was the first thing she noticed. Then she saw how good-looking he was: dark hair that curled over his shirt dollar, long sideburns that came almost to the angle of his jaw, and tall.
"Hi," he said and handed her, a glass. "You look thirsty."
"I-" She looked at the glass she already held.
"Damn good Scotch. Go ahead, drink it. You look like you could use it."
She raised the glass to her lips and sipped some of the pungent liquid. The coolness felt good on her throat.
"Evan doesn't stint when it comes to the best in booze." He produced another glass from a passing tray in the hands of a butler and saluted her before he drained half of it.
"I haven't met Evan yet," Dana said cautiously. Maybe if she could locate the host she could make him understand. He would know she hadn't been invited to his party.
He looked at her with a grin. "That's okay with me," he said.
"I'd like to. Will you introduce me?"
His eyebrows went up and he narrowed his eyes to look at her.
"Sure, but what's your hurry? The night is young." He pushed her hand toward her mouth and pressed the cold glass to her lips. Almost without meaning to, she drank some more of the liquor. She made a face at the taste. "Good girl."
"Will you introduce me to him?" she asked again.
"Cool it, chick. All in good time. Besides, Terry is going to dance now. We wouldn't want to miss that, would we?" He took her arm and she felt herself stiffen involuntarily. She had not yet forgotten the man in the other room. "I can't introduce you if I don't know your name, baby." He was smiling at her again.
"Dana Mitchell."
"Very nice." He bowed slightly. "Pleased to meet you, Dana Mitchell. I'm Nick Perry. Come on, let's get a good spot to watch from. Terry is all set."
She glanced across the room and saw the wide circle that had opened in the middle of the floor. Men and women sat around the edges of it on the floor, on cushions, a few, the ones farther back, pulled up chairs to sit on. Behind them, others stood. Only the narrow path that led to the center was free.
Nick Perry edged past several people and found a spot for them against the wall. They had a good view of the circle. Everyone in the room was clapping in rhythmic beat now, and they were yelling "Terry"! and whistling.
A door opened at the end of the narrow passage of people. A girl stood framed in the lighted entry, her arms raised to the frame as if she were posing for photographers. She was beautiful. A small girl, she was thin and willowy. The long, black sequined dress caught the lights of the room and cast them upward to her face in shimmering blinks. The girl's red hair was piled loosely on top of her head, held in place by sequined combs. Then she turned so the watchers could see her profile, tilting her head high and stretching her neck taut. The neckline of the dress clung desperately to the swelling breasts that jutted under the black cloth.
Whistles and shrieks rocked the room. Someone started the stereo, and a slow, husky melody started the girl's body in motion. Her breasts bounced, strained harder against the shimmering cloth, seemed to somehow move under the tight dress.
Dana had never seen anything like it. She felt a hot blush rise under the jacket of her dress, and she kept her eyes straight ahead so the man beside her would not look in her direction. In the doorway, the girl began to undulate her hips and move slowly through the opening in the crowd.
Then she was in the center of the circle, and it instantly closed around her, leaving only the circle in which she was to dance. The girl hesitated with her body until the music was to her liking. Then she began to dance.
Terry whirled in fast circles, dipped almost to the floor, stretched toward the ceiling. Her hands undid the combs and her hair cascaded around her face and shoulders. Then somehow, one shoulder of the dressed moved from its place and the girl was peering intimately over the creamy white skin at the closest men.
"Yeah, that's the way, Terry!"
"Take it off!"
More whistles and shouts.
Dana knew her face was crimson. She had never seen anything like this girl was doing. It was somehow evil and unclean, using her body that way to stir up so many men.
The girl's arms snaked above her head and waved slowly. Then one hand trailed down the flesh of the other arm. It was as though the girl actually enjoyed touching herself, feeling her own flesh. The feeling transmitted itself to the men.
Dana gulped the warming liquid in her glass. Nick took the empty and produced another for her in a matter of seconds. She looked back at Terry so she wouldn't have to look at him.
The curling, snake-like fingers were at the front of the black dress now. They caught the zipper and began to pull it downward.
Whistles and shouts were deafening.
"My God!" Dana whispered silently. "She's going to undress!"
The hand followed a slow path between the girl's breasts and a slash of creamy flesh appeared between the parting edges of the gown. Then Terry held her arms out and began to sway to the music. The dress defied the law of gravity and clung to the high mountains of the swaying, jiggling breasts. Terry looked down and frowned in mock disapproval. She did something with her shoulders, and the dress, as if moved by her glance, began to slide down.
The noise in the room was deafening, and Dana felt as if she were caught in a whirlpool, being sucked down into the dark waters. In shock and horror, she watched the dress move completely free of the woman's bouncing breasts to leave them stark naked! Unleashed, they were huge swinging domes of silken flesh with ruby tips. Dana drank the new drink in her hand. Beside her, Nick sucked air into his lungs sharply. His exclamation melted into the uproar.
The half-naked woman was dancing again. Dana didn't know where to look. She was surrounded by leering, laughing faces. She was trapped against the wall by the press of bodies leaning to see the girl in the middle of the room. The dress with its winking sequins was past her waist now. Her navel emphasized the motion of the circles her hips traced. And the dress moved again. The thin line of a triangle of dark hair showed at the bottom of the zipper. The men shrieked louder than ever. Dana tried to move away, but Nick's arm went around her waist and held her. His hand stayed still, and she dared not move. He was watching the dancer, caught in the heat of the moment, not willing to take his eyes from the tempting sight.
Dana felt her panic rise, and she could barely breathe. She couldn't watch the girl, but she couldn't watch the people in the room either. The hungry looks in the faces of the men were disgusting, and the teasing looks of approval from the women were even worse. Nick seemed to forget her for an instant as he leaned forward and craned his neck for a better view.
Quickly, Dana slipped from his arm, lifting the nearly empty glass to her lips to ward off any gasp that might escape. She felt the movement of several people and she tried to avoid getting in front of anyone. She spotted the stairs curving gracefully upward. They were clear and open. There was no chance of crossing the room to the front door by which she entered, so she was forced to take the nearest and only retreat.
She was free of them, then, on the stairs. A clamor shook the room behind and she couldn't resist the magnet. On the third step up, she turned and looked at Terry.
The dress was gone and the nude, slim figure was bent over in a backbend, her legs spread wide to support but also to expose her entire crotch to the view of the room. Dana thought she glimpsed a shiny wetness along the thin line of red that gleamed between the dark crotch hairs. Her big breasts hung upside down, like ripe melons on a vine. Two men were crawling toward her on their hands and knees, shouting into the noise and licking their lips. Horrified, Dana watched as one man put his mouth to one of the golden melons and sucked the huge circular tip. The other man went right between the girl's legs and put his face to her bottom. His red tongue flicked across the hairs and wetness, then buried itself in the mass.
Dana whirled and stumbled up the stairs. Her head spun in dizzying eddies of panic and terror. She felt nausea clog her throat. The noise became dimmer as she gained the second floor and ran quickly down the hall. She pushed open a door. It led to a bedroom, but across it she saw the welcome gleam of a yellow bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and ran for the sanctuary.
For a long time, she braced herself against the wall while the huge waves of nausea swept over her. She threw up repeatedly. until her body was drained. She used the corner of a towel to wash her face with cool water. Still she felt ill. Tired, bone tired. Her head rang and threatened to erupt into a blinding headache. She had lost so much sleep last night. Then the long drive, the tension. And finally the drinks and the horror of the party downstairs. It was too much. She was shaking like a leaf in the September wind. She walked unsteadily from the bathroom. Her body fell across the huge double bed with its gold satin spread. She would lie here just a moment. just a moment to rest. Then she would find a way out, a back door maybe, so she wouldn't have to pass that party room again.
Dimly she heard the sounds from downstairs. Then she fell asleep.