Chapter 11
Carter Gantry was feeling edgy. This was unusual for him, and he wondered what was wrong. A busy man, he expanded most of his energy in his practice, and when he got a chance to rest, he was grateful.
But for the last few days, he had been full of pep, bouncy, and restless.
He was thinking of this as he rang Flame's bell. She opened the door and something hit him realization, among other things. He knew what had been wrong with him. His trouble had dated from the first interview he'd had with this chick.
"Hope I'm not intruding," he said.
"Not at all. I was expecting you."
He smiled as he entered and his eyes followed Flame as she walked in front of him.
God, but she was stacked. Those slacks held a real load of woman.
"There isn't much," he said. "Just a few points I want to go over with you before tomorrow's session."
He took some notes out of his brief-case and sat down on the lounge.
"Here," he said. "Sit down beside me and well go over them together."
As they cleared up a few matters, he was hotly conscious of Flame's thigh pressed against his own ...
The business at hand took twenty minutes, after which he put the notes back into his brief-case and smiled at Flame.
"Nice place they put you in, here."
"It's comfortable." She regarded him uncertainly. "Would you like a drink?"
"I certainly would."
Flame was a trifle uneasy as she poured Gantry a Scotch. But she could find no reason for it. He was a gentleman. There was no reason to be afraid of him.
Good heavens, she thought. Since I met Barney, I'm like a silly school girl.
She took the drink back to Carter Gantry and handed it to him. But he did not drink it. He put it down on the table by the lounge and suddenly pulled Flame down beside him.
He kissed her.
Thrown off balance by his sudden action, she submitted for a few moments. Then she jerked away. "Stop it!"
He was honestly surprised. This reflected in his face. "What's the matter, baby?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
He regarded her anger curiously. He grinned. "Good lord! You aren't beginning to believe your notices, are you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Innocent little girl trapped and brutalized by fiends in human form. Let's not get carried away by the copy."
He reached for her again, drew her down. This time she fought him. She drew back and slapped his face.
"I said-no!"
"Why you cheap little tramp. Getting tough with me! What's wrong. I'm not asking for it free!"
Flame's eyes widened. They blazed. "Damn you! Shut your mouth! Shut your filthy mouth!"
"My filthy mouth! After the things you told Barney? And the things you told me? Who's filthy!"
His anger mounting, he seized her and dragged her down on the lounge. He was prepared for the fight she put up now. And he had no trouble in controlling her.
Forcing her down, he sneered into her face. "Sure, that's it. Ideas of grandeur. You just forgot who you are. Now let's cut out this nonsense and get on with it. You'll find I'm a pretty generous guy."
Flame stared into his face. He did her the courtesy of giving her a few moments to make up her mind.
It took only a few moments.
Her anger subsided. The fires of indignation went out. "All right," she said, "all right. I'm sorry I slapped you."
He grinned. "That's better."
"Let me up, please."
"Sure, baby."
Flame got up from the lounge and walked to the window. It was a peculiar gesture as though she were saying good-bye to someone in the street.
Then she turned back and began to undress.
There was a small smile on her face as she unbuttoned her blouse and took it off. Her fingers were sure as she pulled the zipper on her slacks. She took them off, watching Gantry's eyes as she'd watched the eyes of so many men while she'd undressed before them.
Appreciation was there; the glow of desire that came into the eyes of the lustful male when he looked for the first time on the body he was about to take.
Flame had never been kittenish. She'd always been generous with men. She'd always given them their money's worth.
And Gantry got his money's worth. Naked, Flame moved toward him and took his head in her hands and pressed it against her breast.
His heat mounted swiftly. "The floor, baby, the floor."
The carpeting was thick and comfortable, and she undressed him while he lay prone. His eyes never left her body. Traveling over it, caressing it with trembling hands.
And for Flame, it was the old, old story; anticipating him; knowing from experience the manner in which a man could be guided through passion to the moment that was the be-all and the end-all of the kind of love she'd practiced for so long.
He showed great violence toward the end, his frantic rutting moving her across the rug, and now his weight was heavy upon her and his breath a wheezing in her ear.
She ached from the final, violent straining, and her body seemed emptied of all life.
Carter Gantry was a good lover in his own right; no fumbling amateur. He had caused her to respond in spite of herself.
He sat up and smiled down at her. "You're all right, honey. You're great."
"Thank you."
He pursed his lips and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How would you like to talk over a deal."
"A deal?"
"Sure. I'd like to have you."
"Exclusively?"
"That's my idea. You've got so damn much more than the others around. There are places I'd like to take you."
"You're married, aren't you?"
"Of course. I have a place up in Connecticut. A wife and two kids. I've got plenty of money, too. I'd set you up in a nice apartment in town not a dump like this and you'd find me generous very generous. I believe in paying for what I want."
"That would be very nice."
"It seems to me you'd go for it. No scrounging around." He smiled brilliantly, and she had to concede that he was very handsome. Being the mistress of a man like Carter Gantry was every hooker's dream.
"You'd have to watch yourself," he said jokingly. "Your weight. You'd be getting a lot less exercise."
He no doubt meant that she would do no more street walking. That was the difference between having one man a man like Carter Gantry and just hustling.
"I'd be very careful. I'd always want to look my best for you."
He patted her naked breast. "That's my girl. When this mess is over, we'll set it up. Just you and I."
He got to his feet and began dressing. When Flame started to get up, he said, "Stay there, baby just the way you are. Let me look at you. You're beautiful."
"Thank you."
She stayed where she was, naked there on the floor, while he dressed. She watched him take a bill out of his wallet and drop it on the coffee table. "There's a little to carry you over, baby. I'll see you tomorrow downtown right?"
"Right ... "
Outside, Carter Gantry congratulated himself. He'd had little time for fun up to now always too busy. But a man had to think of himself. You worked like a horse making it but if you never bought anything with it, what was the point?
In buying Flame, he was getting the real thing. God what a woman to be knocking around loose! Funny she hadn't been snapped up long ago. He wondered if Barney Williams had any ideas about Flame.
If he did, he'd better get them out of his mind.
She was taken...
Flame got slowly off the floor. She picked up the hundred dollar bill from the coffee table and looked at it. There had been times when she would have gotten down and crawled for a hundred dollar bill. Not so long ago, either.
She dropped the bill and put her blouse and slacks back on. Then she sat down and cried quietly for fifteen minutes.
When the crying was over, she went into the bathroom and returned to the lounge with a large bottle of sleeping tablets and a glass of water.
Then she set these things down and did a rather peculiar thing. She took the hundred-dollar bill, struck a match, and set the bill on fire.
She watched it burn. When it came close to her fingers, she dropped it into the ash tray and continued to watch until the last wisp of smoke arose from its charred remains.
She opened the sleeping tablet bottle and poured out a handful of the tablets and began systematically taking them. She washed each mouthful down with water and refilled her mouth.
When the water was gone, the bottle was three quarters empty.
Then she lay down on the lounge and closed her eyes.
Two tears came. They washed down her cheeks two small rivulets.
Then she murmured, "Good-bye, Barney-goodbye, my love" and went to sleep...