Chapter 5
The following day as Packer worked around The Plaza he kept an eye on Hack Bell's apartment. Packer saw him leave to go shopping.
"I'll be back in an hour or so," Hack said.
"I'll be here when you get back."
The moment Hack had driven away in his car, Packer went inside the building and a few moments later he was rapping on the door of the Farmer apartment. Packer had already seen the old man leave that morning. Loren Farmer had been wearing his hard hat and carrying his lunch pail, so Packer knew that the old man had gone to work.
"Who is it?" Len answered.
"Packer. You've seen me working out in front of the building."
"Sure." The door was being unlocked. Len opened it a couple of inches and peered out at Packer. "What do you want?"
Packer looked beyond Len and he saw Doris in the room. She was wearing a housedress with a small apron. The sun glinted off her blonde hair and made her small round face look soft and golden.
Finally Packer said, "I just wanted to talk to you ... and Doris."
Len shook his head. "We don't have time. We're busy."
"Look," Packer said, lowering his voice, "I know how it is with your old man. I know he doesn't want you to get friendly with other people. I won't tell."
Len said, "Somebody probably already saw you here. You'd better leave." He started to close the coor.
Packer stuck his shoe into it. and then pushed it open a bit wider. He saw that Doris was looking at him. Her mouth was firm but excitement made her eyes bright.
"Besides," Packer said, "I've thought of a good excuse. I've come by to see whether you need anything for the apartment. Is everything working all right?"
"Fine," Len said.
"How about you, Doris? Have you been having any trouble with he plumbing?"
"No," she answered. She glanced at Len. "Maybe it would be all right, Len."
Len shook his head. "You heard what the old man said. You'd better go, Packer."
Len began to shove the door shut again. Packer knew that they wouldn't let him in. Finally he said, "Why don't you and Doris come on down and talk while I'm working?"
The door had suddenly closed. Packer turned around and went downstairs again. For the entire day he made it a point to avoid June so that he wouldn't have to give her a report of the failure on his first attempt.
On the following day he was surprised to see Len come out of the building and sit down on the grass near where Packer was working.
"Sure is a nice day, isn't it?" Len asked.
"It's better when you're not working."
Len pulled out a few blades of grass and tossed them aside. "Oh, I don't know about that."
"How's Doris?" Packer asked.
"She's fine."
"That's good."
"She told me to tell you 'hello'," Len said. "Did she really?"
Len nodded. After several moments he added, "I think she like you."
"I'm nuts about her." Packer said. He glanced up and down the street. "Do you think I could run up and say 'hello' to her?"
"No."
"It wouldn't hurt anything."
"My old man would find out and it would hurt plenty." Len rubbed his backside. "I'm just getting over the last strapping."
"I tell you he'd never find out!" Packer said.
"He'd find out. He always finds out. Sometimes I wonder whether he doesn't have somebody spying for him when he's at work."
"You're just jumpy, that's all, Len."
"I've got a right to be jumpy." Len's hand ripped a leaf from a shrub. "He found out about me talking to June." Len kept his head down while his thumbnail made indentations in the leaf. "As bad as he beat me, I never regretted it-talking to her."
Packer stopped to study Len. Obviously Len had a thing for June, too. Ever since Packer had had his chance with June, he knew that he'd never get another one. Then Packer suddenly remembered his bargain he'd made with June. As he peered at Len, he wondered whether Len might be able to help him.
Now Packer said, "One of these days ... why don't we arrange something, Len? You talk to June. While you're with her I can visit with Doris. If your old man should find out about it-which he won't-but just in case he does, and he straps you, you won't regret it because you were with June."
Len's eyes were bright as he looked at Packer. Eagerly he asked, "What do you mean ... with June?"
"Just what it sounds like."
"Do you think she might invite me to her apartment?" Len asked.
"You never know, Len."
Simultaneously they both became aware of the click-click of high heels on cement. June was coming up the walk.
June had already caught sight of them. Her glance darted about, hoping to catch sight of Doris, too, but Doris wasn't about. When June stopped near Len and Packer, her glance was cold and it was fixed on Packer.
"Well, what have you accomplished?"
Packer tried to avoid her glance. "Well, not much so far, June." He was thinking rapidly, hoping t come up with something that might make her happy. Then he grinned.
Len mentioned that he thinks Doris likes me.
"Well, hooray," June said coldly.
"That's true," Len spoke up.
Packer continued, "And Len thinks you're great, June."
Len flushed, but June noted that he was looking intently at the mounds of her breasts. "That's awful nice of you, Len."
Len said, "The old man whispered us something awful the last time Doris and I talked to you. The manager must have told him."
"Hack's gone shopping," Packer said. "He won't be back for another hour."
June's glance was on Packer. "Then what are you doing down here?"
"I wanted to go up to talk to Doris, but Len doesn't want me to."
"Doris wouldn't open the door, anyway."
"Well, why don't you go see?" June asked sweetly. "There's no harm in trying." She pulled her glance from Packer and looked at Len. "We'll be up in my apartment."
Again June's glance was directed at Packer. "Maybe you can get Doris and bring her over to my apartment, too."
"She wouldn't do that," Len said.
"You come with me, Len. We'll wait in my apartment-just in case she and Packer decide to come over." June started up the entrance.
When she noticed that Len wasn't following, she stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "I'll leave the door unlocked for you, Len."
After she'd disappeared inside the building, Len looked over at Packer. "Do you think I should?"
"Go ahead," Packer said. "There's no one around to see you."
"I think I will." Len bounded up the steps and went inside.
Packer waited until he was sure Len was in June's room. Then he went inside and quickly walked to the Farmer apartment. He knocked softly.
"Who is it?" Doris asked behind the closed door.
"Packer," he whispered. "Now what do you want?"
"I just want to talk to you, Doris." After a pause he added, "Open the door and let me in."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Just because. I'm sure somebody would find out that I let you in. I'm not even supposed to talk to you."
"Talking can't hurt," Packer insisted.
"You'd better leave," she said. "These apartment walls are so thin, somebody may hear you talking to me now."
"Let me inside and they won't hear us. Please, Doris."
Because she didn't answer immediately he held his breath and hoped she was changing her mind. Finally she said, "Go away now. I'm not going to answer you anymore."
"Doris!"
Packer waited about three seconds. "Doris ... thanks for saying 'hello' to me through Len."
He waited, but she didn't answer. He pressed his ear against the door but there was no sound inside. Silently he tried the door. It was locked.
Packer went to June's apartment. June answered his knock and opened the door. "Well?"
Packer shook his head. "She wouldn't open the door. And she talked to me for only a n nute." He tried to see past June. "Maybe if Len went with me, and if he said she could open the door, she would."
"Well, if it takes Len," June said, "he and I will go over and see Doris." She was closing the door in Packer's face.
"Wait! Didn't you invite us all to your apartment?"
"Yes, providing Doris could join us. Now you'd better get back to work!" The door slammed shut and Packer heard her moving away from it.
Packer slowly walked down the hallway. By the time he'd gone down the flight of stairs he'd made up his mind that he was going to try Doris' door again. Then he heard the car door being slammed shut out at the curb and he knew that Hack Bell must have come back already.
Packer was coming out the entrance as Hack came in, carrying a small sack of groceries. "Where have you been?" Hack asked.
"I had to go to the can," Packer told him without looking back.
As Packer went back to work he kept glancing at the the building, wondering what was going on in June's apartment.
At that moment June was coming out of her bathroom, tightening the belt of her robe around her waist. While she'd been changing into her robe she'd left the bathroom door open. Len had been telling her the reason for his old man's strictness, and the reason he thought all women were sinful.
Now June said, "I always wondered what his reason might be for keeping you and Doris restricted to the apartment. That's too bad."
Len had been watching the flash of her tawny legs as she came back into the room. She wasn't wearing any slippers, and at the throat of her robe he could see part of her bare chest. Len was positive that she wasn't wearing anything underneath the robe; and he felt the heat building in his crotch.
June stopped in front of him. Her long black hair streamed down her back. She reached up and pulled some of the strands forward so that they spilled over the mound of her right breast. Then she said, "Doris must be very lonely. Why don't you take me over to her so that I can talk to her?"
Len's eyes widened. "I sure wish I could, June."
"What's stopping you?"
"Well, you know what'll happen if my old man hears about it."
"How will he know? I certainly won't tell him."
"Well ... " Len fidgeted around in the chair, " ... the manager might find out about it. He'd tell the old man."
"But Hack went shopping. He isn't even in the building. You remember Packer telling us that."
June noticed that Len eyed her intently. Occasionally he wet his lips. The mound under his zipper was rapidly becoming larger. June laughed huskily and casually bent one leg at the knee so that part of her bare thigh became visible. Immediately Len was staring at her leg.
June asked, "Wouldn't you do that for me, Len ... take me to Doris? Who knows, I might like to do you a favor sometime."
Len was slowly coming to his feet. "Do you really mean that, June?"
She couldn't keep from laughing. Her years of experience had taught her many tricks that she could use to hook a man. And this one, Len, was so easy.
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," she cooed in a low voice.
"All right," Len said. He started for the door. June was already ahead of him.
The moment Len had agreed to taking her to Doris she'd felt the wonderful flush of heat spreading through her entire body. Excitement, like ripples on a pond, throbbed in her limbs. This was almost too good to be true! She couldn't remember the last time she'd become passionate so quickly as she was now.
June opened the door and Len stepped forward, in front of her. He glanced down the hallway and immediately jumped back into the room again.
"Hack Bell!" he whispered. "He's coming up the stairs!"
June peeked outside and saw Hack coming down the hallway. Slowly and quietly she closed the door. As she went over to a chair the anger and frustration dragged at her limbs. If Hack had only waited five more minutes. That would have given them time to get to the Farmer apartment.
"I can't take you now!" Len whispered. "He'd be the first to see us and tell my old man."
June sprawled out in the chair. Her feet were extended and she knew that her robe had fallen open and that her thighs were clearly visible, but she didn't care. She stared thoughtfully at Len as he settled into a chair directly in front of her; but she was thinking only of the problems she'd had trying to get to talk to Doris alone.
First she'd honestly believed that Packer might be able to bring Doris to her. Obviously Packer hadn't accomplished a thing, otherwise he wouldn't have enlisted the aid of Len. Even June had thought that Len might be the key to her ambition. Perhaps he would have been, but suddenly everything had gone wrong again.
Doris now fixed her glance on Len. Men. They were all the same. All they thought about was using her and her body to accomplish what they wanted. They really didn't care about her, or what she wanted.
Look at this one, June thought now. Len's eyes must be sticking out at least a half inch because he knows I'm nude in my robe, and he can clearly see my legs. He can see everything but what's hidden between them. Normally he'd sell his own sister to be able to see what's between my legs, but because of a sadistic old man he has turned chicken.
June felt the anger stirring inside of her. I hate him. I hate Packer, just as I hate all other males.
"I'm sorry you're so disappointed," Len was saying now. "I really thought we could sneak over to the apartment."
"Oh, shut up!" June snapped.
Slowly Len got out of his chair and walked over to her. As he sank to his knees in front of her, one of his hands touched her bare thigh. As he started to stroke it lightly he said, "I don't like to see you when you're sad. You're always so pretty and full of life ... it's not right."
"Why are you rubbing my leg?" she asked.
"Maybe ... I thought it might make you feel better."
"It doesn't" she said.
"Well, you don't mind if I rub your leg, do you?"
June stared at him through slitted lashes. I'm going to fix him, she thought. I'll fix him, good.
In a low voice she asked, "Isn't it kind of one-sided? Can I rub your leg at the same time?"
Len nodded. "Sure, if you want to."
She patted the arm of the easy chair in which she was seated. "Get your butt up here, Len."
Len straightened up quickly and sat down on the arm of the chair. One arm was on the back of the easy chair, but he wasn't touching her. June curved her fingers and began to stroke her nails up and down the inside of his thigh. She felt him beginning to tremble and she could hear him breathing erratically.
"I can't rub your leg now," Len said excitedly. "It's one-sided again."
"Well, we'll have to do something about that." Expertly her fingers found the tab of his zipper. Because he was aroused there was a lot of pressure against his fly; but June moved the zipper down the track.
She slipped her hand through the opening and gripped the bulge in his shorts.
Len gasped. "I'm real sensitive there ... but it sure feels good."
Now that June had him she knew exactly how to manipulate him. She kept the cloth of his shorts gripped in her hand, along with his hardness. She'd decided that she wouldn't even give him the pleasure of letting him feel the touch of her hand.
As she held him tightly and moved her hand back and forth she felt his increased heat and swelling and she knew that it would be only a matter of seconds. She didn't even mind when he lurched sidewise, against her. His arm had slipped around her shoulder. His hand drilled downward and slid under her robe. He found her breast. He gripped it and then his fingers were spasming rhythmically as though her breast were rubber on a bicycle horn.
"I didn't think you'd do this to me," he panted.
"What did you expect I'd do?" She could feel him begin to squirm and fidget about on the arm of the chair.
"I thought you'd let me-June ... " His voice had suddenly been choked off. His hand no longer spasmed around her breast. It was now motionless, his fingertips digging into her skin as he gripped and held onto her breast.
June felt the way he was now responding to her movements. He was bouncing and thrusting in rhythm with her shuttling.
"I ... I ... I ... June ... you got me hot so fast...." Len suddenly arched his body. His shoulders were resting on the back of the chair and his legs were spread, his feet extended.
Roughly June shoved him off the arm of her chair. Len landed solidly on his back.
Len was whimpering softly as the climactic shudders jolted thorugh his body. His hands were socked into his groin and he was almost bent double as he rolled onto his side.
June didn't watch him. As soon as he'd finished she was going to throw him out of her apartment.
PART TWO