Chapter 6
Cindy closed her eyes and listened to the soft hum of the tires on the road. In an hour they would be in Miami. She would go to Rosalie's address and maybe stay with the girl. Then, later in the day or possibly tomorrow she could go see her mother.
The thought of seeing the woman again after so many years brought tears to her eyes. It would be nice seeing her again. There was much to talk about, and a lot of time to make up for.
"A penny for your thoughts," Joey said.
Cindy opened her eyes, favored him with a smile. "I was thinking of the future," she said. "From here on in, everything's coming up roses."
Joey laughed. "That's a good attitude to take."
"What do you do in Miami?" she asked him. "Your job, I mean."
"I'm an insurance investigator."
"Oh, that sounds interesting."
"It is, sometimes. By the way, we're always needing typists at the office. Maybe I could put in a word for you."
"That's very nice of you, Joey. Only one trouble. I can't type."
"That is a problem. Well, don't worry. With a body like yours you won't starve."
Cindy felt the color rush to her cheeks. She began angrily, "If you think...."
"I didn't mean it that way," he said. "There are a lot of jobs, like a waitress or a car hop, for example, where a good face and figure help."
Cindy fell silent, wondering at her outburst. She was aware that she was suddenly very sensitive about using her sex. She had tried to act casual about it, but way down deep inside her she knew it bothered her to have run away as she did, as her mother had many years ago. Perhaps it was a case of like mother, like daughter.
They reached the Miami city limits. "You say this girl friend of yours-Rosalie West-lives where?" Joey asked her.
"345 Finley Drive. Do you know where that is?"
"No, but I can find it," he said.
She was sure he could. He seemed so sure of himself in a lot of ways, and apparently making love was only one of them.
It was nearly five-thirty before they pulled up before the apartment house on Finley Drive. It was a short, narrow street off a boulevard, and most of the apartment buildings along the street seemed shabby. Lawns were untended, and tropical foliage grew wild.
"I'd better wait for you until you make sure it's okay," Joey said.
"Why not come in with me. I'd like you to meet Rosalie; I'm sure you'd like her."
"Maybe some other time. It might look funny, me giving you a ride like that."
"All right. I'll be right back."
Cindy walked up the concrete sidewalk to the apartment house. There were four apartments in the one building, labeled 343, 345, 347 and 349. 345 was upstairs at the top of a twisting stairway.
There was no name on the door, only the number 345. From inside came the sound of a phonograph playing rock and roll. Cindy took a deep breath and knocked. Wouldn't Rosalie be surprised!
The music kept on playing, and there were no other sounds, so she knocked again, louder this time. There were other sounds this time, a body getting up off a protesting couch, the patter of bare feet on the floor. The door opened.
But the girl standing there wasn't Rosalie. It was a girl in her early twenties, very blonde, pretty in a hard sort of way. She was wearing a halter and tight shorts.
"Yeah, what is it?" she wanted to know.
"I was looking for Rosalie West," Cindy said.
"Oh?" the girl said non-commitally, looking her over.
"I'm Cindy Drucker, from Hurley, Texas."
"She doesn't live here any more," the girl said. Her tone wasn't friendly. "She was here only a week. Then she moved out."
Cindy felt her disappointment deepening. "Do you know where she's staying?"
The girl shook her head. The way she was staring made Cindy uncomfortable.
"You just arrive in town?"
"Yes," Cindy said. "I thought Rosalie might know of a place where I can stay."
"You look like a pretty clean kid to me. Why don't you stay here tonight. You can make other arrangements tomorrow."
"That's very kind of you, but I wouldn't want you to go to any trouble...."
"Don't be silly. Any friend of Rosalie's is a friend of mine. Besides, I got the room." She hesitated. "By the way, did Rosalie ever say anything about me?"
"She mentioned you in her letter, that's all."
"Well, come on in, and we'll get you squared away for the night."
"I've got a taxi waiting. I'll be right back."
"Okay," the girl said. "I'll put the coffee on."
Cindy went back down the stairs. She hadn't wanted the girl-Flo Stanley was her name-to think she had a boyfriend waiting. It wouldn't look right.
Joey was glancing at his watch when she came back. The air was growing cool with the deepening twilight, and the sun was a big red ball against the horizon.
Rosalie isn't here, but her ex-roommate is. She invited me to stay the night."
"Great," he said. "Like me to help you with your suitcase?"
"I can manage," she said. "Do you have a phone at your place?"
"Sure," he said. He rummaged through the glove compartment, came up with a scrap of paper on which he scribbled a number. "I'm not going to be around home much though, for a while. Maybe I'd better just call you sometime around the end of the week."
He started the car, and leaned out to kiss her.
"Let's get together as soon as we can, Joey."
"Sure thing, Cindy."
The car accelerated down the street. For a moment Cindy stood and watched it, then she picked up the suitcase and walked back to the apartment house and up the steps. The door was open, and rock and roll music torrented forth into the hallway. Flo was in the center of the room doing the twist.
"C'mon in," she said above the music, not stopping her gyrations, "make yourself at home."
Cindy walked in and closed the door behind her.
"There's some coffee on the stove," Flo said, "and some doughnuts in the refrigerator. You can put your suitcase in the bedroom if you like."
"Thanks," Cindy said.
The living room had wall-to-wall carpeting, Utrillo prints on the walls and plastic furniture. Cindy walked across it to the bedroom and put her suitcase down beside the mussed up double bed.
. She came back to the living room. "Nice place you have here."
Flo was too out of breath to do more than nod, but her rhythm continued. Cindy went into the small white kitchen, where a coffee pot was percolating. She turned it off.
"Pour me a cup, will you?" Flo called. "Black."
Cindy got two cups from a cupboard above the sink filled with dirty dishes and poured two cups of black hot coffee. From the refrigerator she took a box of plain doughnuts , which she placed under one arm so she could carry the two cups of coffee into the living room.
She placed the food on the coffee table and sat down on the plastic couch. She wondered what her stepfather had done when he discovered she was gone. He was probably furious with her, and in a way she didn't blame him. She was sure, though, he could find a girl at The Prairie Flower to console him.
She thrust the thought from her mind, sipped at the black coffee and watched Flo Stanley twist to the fast music. Flo had a buxom figure, and as she moved her large breasts threatened to spill out of the halter. Her rounded buttocks seemed poured into the tight short shorts, and she didn't seem to be wearing any underwear.
The record spun to a close, the machine turned itself off, and Flo staggered over to the couch and flopped onto it, breathing heavily.
"You like to twist, honey?" Flo said breathlessly.
"I don't know how," Cindy said.
"It's fun," Flo said. "They've got some late dances, like the frug, but I think the twist is more fun."
"The frug?"
"Yeah," Flo said with a laugh. "It sounds sorta like a dirty word, doesn't it."
"Sort of," Cindy said, laughing too.
Cindy took one of the doughnuts, which was hard as a rock, and dunked it in her coffee.
"The doughnuts are a little stale, I'm afraid," Flo apologized. "I eat out a lot."
"What sort of work do you do, Flo?" Cindy said, conversationally.
"I work as a waitress downtown. Just a hash house, but it pays the rent. Say, you look bushed. Why don't you finish the doughnut and sack out." .
"Thanks," Cindy said. "I think I will."
Flo checked her watch. "In fact, I think I'll turn in myself. It's been a rough day and I've got to get up early."
Cindy finished her doughnut and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She straightened the bedclothes and then began to undress. As she removed her blouse an uneasy feeling stole over her. She looked around, but she was alone in the room, and the door was closed. She shrugged off the feeling, unzipped her jeans and stepped out of them. The bra and panties followed. From her suitcase she removed her pajamas and put them on.
She opened the door. Flo was stretched out on the couch with her long, suntanned legs before her.
"Goodnight," Cindy said.
"Goodnight," Flo said. "By the way, I may take a fast run down to the corner store, so don't be alarmed if I'm not here."
"All right," Cindy said.
She turned out the light and climbed into bed. Suddenly, she felt very weary and grateful for the comfortable mattress. It was chilly in the room, and she pulled the covers over her. Too bad Joey wasn't there to warm her up. She liked Joey, and wondered if he really liked her. She hoped he didn't think of her only as a pickup, just someone to shack up with in return for free transportation.
No, Joey didn't seem like that.
She dozed off in the silence and the darkness. After awhile she was aware of someone moving about in the room. She didn't open her eyes. It was probably only Flo, getting ready for bed. She heard the soft whisper of clothing, felt the bed sag beneath the weight of a body. She closed her eyes tighter, drifting off again.
And a naked body thrust itself against her.
So Flo liked to sleep in the raw, did she? Cindy moved away, but the body followed her, and hands reached out and moved under her blouse to fondle and caress her breasts. Cindy frowned her annoyance and reached out to push the other girl away.
She recoiled and her eyes opened wide into the darkness of the room. It wasn't Flo in bed with her. It was a naked man!
"C'mon baby, don't be coy!" the man said, reaching for her again.
"No, get away," Cindy screamed, moving away from him.
But the man only laughed and pulled her roughly to him. He held her close to his body and kissed her wetly on the mouth, while his hands explored the secret regions under her pajamas. She screamed again and he struck her full across the face with his palm.
"Shut up," he said angrily. "You want to wake the neighbors."
She touched a hand to her numbing cheek. "What ... what do you want?"
He laughed ."You know what I want, baby. Look, I'm all hot and bothered and I'm not in the mood to play games. So let's cut out the nonsense, huh?"
Involuntarily, she stiffened as he undid the buttons on her pajama tops. She heard him suck in his breath sharply as his fingers discovered her breasts once more. She winced as his fingers drove sharply under the elastic of her pajama bottoms, pulling the material down over her legs.
"No, please."
She wanted' to scream again, but terror numbed her as he peeled the night clothing from her body.
"Don't be scared, baby," he said. "Just be a good girl and co-operate and we'll have ourselves some fun."
His voice seemed harsher now. In the dim light she couldn't see his face, but she could smell alcohol on his breath and feel his maleness tremble against her. She felt weak and helpless.
He reached for her, taking her hips in his hands and moved his naked body onto hers. She felt the breath crushed out of her with the weight of him. His hands were everywhere on her body, squeezing, touching. It was like a nightmare from which she couldn't awaken. She heard someone moving in the living room, and in desperation she screamed.
The door burst inward, and Flo Stanley stood in the shaft of light coming from the living room. There was a click, and the overhead lights went on.
"What the hell's going on here?" Flo demanded.
Cindy stared at the man sitting upright in the bed with her. He was paunchy, bald and quite homely.
"Harvey," Flo said to the man, "what's the big idea?"
Harvey looked at Flo, then at Cindy, then back at Flo. "I thought it was you in bed," he said lamely.
"The hell you did!" Flo said. "You were probably in your apartment next door watching-" Cindy noticed that the shades hadn't been drawn in the bedroom " ... and you decided to sneak over here while I went out and take advantage of this poor girl."
"No, honestly, Flo, I...." Flo jerked her finger. "Never mind, just get the hell out of here and don't come back."
"Sure,. Flo, sure," Harvey said. He scrambled quickly out of bed, picked up his clothing and scurried from the room.
Flo turned and watched him out the front door. She sighed. To Cindy, she said, "I'm sorry, baby."
Cindy thought of the man watching her from his apartment, of his coming over and climbing into bed wtih her and taking such intimacies. She felt sick and ashamed and began to cry.
Suddenly Flo was beside her on the bed, her arms warm and comforting. Flo's lips were gentle against her cheek.
"There, there, baby, cry if you want to. Men are beasts. They don't know how to treat a woman."
Cindy felt at ease with Flo and was grateful for her understanding. She became suddenly aware that Flo's eyes were roving over the exciting contours of Cindy's succulent nude body. Then Flo raised one hand and smoothed cool fingers across Cindy's bare shoulder, allowing her fingertips to tease the surface of the other girl's creamy skin.
"You ... you've got such soft skin," Flo said huskily.
Cindy started at the touch, but Flo said, "Don't talk, just relax," and her hand slid along the edge of Cindy's breast and then over it, while her moist tongue traced a tingling pathway over her neck.
"Flo...." she said wonderingly.
But Flo shook her head sharply and continued her soft caresses. Cindy felt strangely excited by the touch of this blonde girl. It was not at all like the roughness of the man called Harvey. Besides, Flo was a girl-and there was no harm in letting another girl touch you, was there?
Flo caressed the soft firm mounds of womanflesh, and then her hands dipped lower, moving across the flat round belly and along the golden flanks that were now trembling with a growing passion.
"Don't worry, baby, I'll take care of you," Flo promised.
Flo reached out and drew them closer together. Their lips met, fused hotly, and Cindy felt an unaccustomed sensation of pleasure gush through her. She began trembling and moaning with an uncontrollable passion that swept through her like a fiery whirlwind. In a series of quick movements, Flo pulled off her shorts and halter and then quickly renewed her attack, growling.
In a moment they were locked together in a fury of arms and legs, flailing with passion. Cindy's mind was a hurricane of jumbled thought. She wasn't aware of what she was doing, only of the sensations that were sweeping through her.
Suddenly Flo tensed, and Cindy responded, became rigid and trembled. And then it was over.
Flo kissed her. "We're going to have a wonderful time together, honey," she said. "Just you and me."
Cindy didn't answer. Now that it was over and her passions had ceased clouding her mind, she felt ashamed at what had happened. She'd heard of women like Flo-lesbians, they were called-but this was the first time she'd ever met one. And this one had actually seduced her.
But that wasn't the terrible thing.
The terrible thing was that she had enjoyed it.