Chapter 6
Lou drank the red wine from a paper cup and watched the girl called Kitty grind her body to the rhythm of the guitar and bongos. A strong wind swept across the rooftop and whipped Tina's long black hair. He looked back at Kitty. She was well-stacked with narrow hips and a deep bust. Some of the guys kept pace to the music by rhythmic clapping. He took a swallow and shuddered. These kids' stomachs would be ruined by age thirty if they continued to drink this stuff. He drained the cup and crushed it, discarding it over his shoulder.
He stared around the group. Most of the fellows had beards and long hair and all wore sandals-no shoes. The girls were poorly dressed, mainly in jeans and tight blouses or sweaters. Some of the huge girls were obviously dykes-big and mannish. Those that were quite feminine and attractive were in the main Tina's group of friends. Maybe Tina was a lesbian, he thought. But he couldn't believe a girl who made love or pretended to make love the way she did could be a lesbian. He shoved the thought from his mind.
Kitty's jeans were now unhitched and down to her thighs and Lou couldn't help but stare. In another moment they slid down and she stepped from them and pivoted sharply ... a neon smile lighting her pretty face. Then the rhythm renewed tempo and she swished her body and rolled her buttocks and her panties rolled slowly down. She raised her hands to her head and swayed to the luxurious rhythm and smiled deeply at everyone in the circle. They applauded.
He saw Tina shake her hair from her face and stare at him. He moved his hand near her. She squeezed it and smiled warmly at him. Her blouse revealed she was not wearing a bra and he felt a little itchy with desire. Then the dance was over arid Kitty turned and ran down the stairs followed by a couple of fellows. Then Lou saw that several of the kids took out thin joints of pot and started smoking.
"What do you think of Kitty?" Tina asked. "I'd rather think of you-although she seems to be very talented," he said. "I'm out of wine."
He rose and walked across the roof to the table where the drinks were set. Christ, he could have brought his own bourbon but he was damned if he would provide free liquor to this motly group. He brought the cup of wine back to Tina. He had decided to come down again to see Tina for the last time. He could hardly believe that after the way she had handled him that he would come back for more. Nobody had ever turned sex on and off for him the way Tina did and he was more than curious, as a newspaperman, as to what the hell coiled her springs and gave her kicks. Marilyn would be back tomorrow and things seemed to be getting serious between them. So for one last time he would play Tina's game and please her.
He handed her wine and she sipped deeply. "Oh, baby," he heard someone shout a few feet away in the darkness and there was the sound of wild laughter. He couldn't see but he could guess what it was all about. Then Tina stood up and said, "Let's walk to the end of the roof-behind the chimney. Come on."
It was darker behind the chimney. Her white skin stood out sharply. He started around. "Why don't we go down to your place?" he suggested.
"Not now," she said snappily.
He stepped toward her. He was willing to undress her, to say what she wanted to hear-a hundred times ... "Please Tina-please Tina, I love you, I need you, I want you. At least for the final time this evening. But not here on the roof with people milling about.
Her hand snapped at his belt and jerked. He put his arms around her. She whispered in his ear: "Poor timid baby."
He pulled away from her. "Don't push me, Tina," he half shouted, his eyes afire.
"You have me confused with sex or lust or love, Lou. Which is it-you tell me?"
He grabbed her wrist. "Look, Tina, and look good. I'm not throwing myself. Not any more. Now which will it be?" he demanded.
"Baby, listen good," she said, rolling her eyes in a way that made him go cold. "Walk down the stairs and out of here-or forget completely that you've ever been an uptown guy."
He could feel something snap inside of him. He stared past her at the winking blue of the night harbor. He looked at her and she seemed as cozy as a coot in a trance. He wanted to sleep with the stars above. Instead he reached for her and ground his lips to her. He could feel the nipples of her breasts pushing into him and he traced his fingers around the rim of her buttocks. This time her lips worked and sucked at his. And she moved her body ever so tightly in friendly squirms with his.
"My shorts, Lou," she said.
"Tina ... please ... not here," he pleaded.
"Here ... right now ... like everyone else."
He stared around and saw merging forms and heard sounds of laughter and weird grunts. He loathed himself but he knew he would do anything she asked of him. There was a furtive gleam in her eyes and a suspicious leer that flirted with his doubts.
"Please, Tina, let's go down to your place and I'll show you how much I really want you. I promise." There was a knot in his throat.
She gave him a sudden, wide half moon grin and nodded. "All right, Lou, that sounds interesting. Let's go."
When she switched the light on in her apartment and he saw the filth and floor littered with cigarette butts and empty wine bottles he felt himself taking a sabbatical from reality as he shouted at her.
"Christ, Tina, you live like a damn pig."
She whirled at him, her dark eyes burning fiercely. "Next time you come I'll have you clean it up. Or would you rather do it now?"
He mumbled something about being sorry and walked to the bed. Even the appearance of the dirty linen appalled him. He shuddered as he sat down. He felt like belching. There was a knocking on the door.
"Who is it?" asked Tina.
"Leslie," the voice said. "Open up, Tina."
Lou heard the rustling of a paper and some startled whispering between the two girls. Whatever it was probably concerned him and he wondered what it could be. Then the door closed and Tina approached him, paper in hand, eyes blazing.
"You crummy bastard-you lousy excuse for a man," she shouted at him.
He saw she held a copy of the paper with Marilyn's expose. She spread it wide for him to see. He tried to use the lull to power his thoughts but she hardened a little fist and shoved it in his face.
"Fraud-cheat-you come down here to make love to me and then you go back uptown and have a martini with this girl reporter and describe my friends and my apartment and the way I live and she writes it up." He stared at the clock behind her on the dresser and wished his life was ended this very moment.
"Listen, Tina, just listen to me," he pleaded.
Her eyes danced. "There's nothing to listen to. So I live like a pig! In fact, didn't you say that a few minutes ago? Well, all my friends are going to read this. You might have at least disguised the people you were writing about."
"Tina, please, it wasn't me. Look it's the girl reporter-there's her picture near the article."
She laughed wildly. "Sure I recognize the picture," she added coldly. "I'm not blind. You should have brought some of your friends along with you. I'd get you a sexual group plan. Big boy lover from uptown-exploiting me and my friends by feeding your lover in on the details.
"I couldn't know she would write what I told her, Tina," he said lamely. "I know she's a scheming girl who would do anything to get ahead-but I never...." He tried to act the thespian he was not. He stared at her bulging breasts through the opened blouse-a chest like a cabinet with the top drawers hanging out.
Lou knew things were out of hand and he rose to leave. Her lips curled in a half obliging smile.
"Go to this Marilyn Harris and take her. But get out of here right now. You've had your sexual hotfoot for the night."
He started to leave. "Baby," she called out. He turned around.
She was sitting with the newspaper in her lap. "In a few days you'll come back and I'll be expecting you. You know why you'll be back? Because you like my filthy pigpen. And when you get ready to crawl. And the first time you come back will be a night you won't ever forget."
He slammed the door and bounded down the steps. When he reached the cold evening air of the street he was sure he would never be back again. Never.