Chapter 10

Carol awoke feeling his face pushing into her round, creamy white globes. It took her a moment to remember where she'd slept the night before, how she'd gotten there.

Glancing down at the sleeping figure, she saw the hard flatness of his belly, the wiry patch between his exposed thighs, the now limp manliness of him; and it all came back, every moment, every passionate, exciting moment.

Cal Hardin had made love to her with a wild abandon, his sensuous lovemaking alternated between lusty violence and a soft tenderness. Finally she had fallen into an exhausted sleep after he had taken her again and again. She remembered now how she had cried out his name, clutching his manliness, her body trembling with newfound ecstasy.

His words came back to her: "You are the greatest piece I've ever had." He'd meant it as a compliment, of this she was sure. It was his only way of expressing the six weeks of pent-up emotion that surged through him every time he saw her. He had told her that, and she, unknowingly at the time, told him she was attracted to him. She told him much. Perhaps too much. She remembered how she responded to his every caress, how she quivered beneath the touch of his exploring hands and his anxious lips.

Suddenly she shivered. Turning her head downward she watched him, feeling his tongue dart out touching her nipple.

She heard his hoarse voice. "Good morning, honey." His hand reached up to her face and he stroked her chin. Her rib cage lifted when she inhaled deeply, the soft palp of her breast rubbing against his unshaven cheek. He gazed up at her.

"Morning," she whispered.

He smiled, his dark eyes flashing, and she smiled back.

He opened his mouth and brought his tongue out beckoning for a kiss. She brought her head down, and as her tongue flashed into his mouth, the nearness of his hard body, the friction of her soft breasts against his hairy, muscled chest, began to weaken her. When he took her hot, quivering tongue, he sucked hard. She felt the fire in her belly, and her head fell back against the pillows as his hands kneaded her buttocks, his mouth over the tips of her hardened nipples.

When he looked up at her, he saw the closed eyes beneath the heavy, curving lashes, saw her body shudder. He rubbed his cheeks between her breasts, running his tongue over the brown nipples.

"I'm glad today's Sunday," he told her. "Because I'm not letting you out of this bed until tomorrow morning at dawn when I have to be at work."

Her chest heaved, and she felt as soft as jelly in his arms when he stretched himself upward and kissed her mouth, clutching her hard against his body, lifting his body above hers, and letting himself sink down.

"Oh, Cal," she moaned. "I can't. Last night was too much. My insides are-"

He silenced her when his pulsating hardness found its target.

She melted in his arms. "Kiss me," she begged, her body tensing as he drove into her, as his hands cupped her breasts, his lips crushed against hers. Her mouth opened to him, her nails dug into his shoulder blades with convulsive desire.

Cal forced her thighs to open wider, his swelling manliness pressing deep into her softness. His rough hands encircled her buttocks, and he brought her closer to him, furiously attacking her, the blood pounding in his veins as her body heaved beneath, her legs opened wide and encircled him in a tight embrace. Restlessly, impatiently, her hands moved up and down his back. At his every thrust she groaned, her long fingers clawing his back. He felt the hotness of her body responding to him, the tightness of her thighs pulling him further in.

"Cal," she cried. "Oh, Cal."

Hot pleasure filled her being. She lifted her buttocks from the bed and surged upward, then fell limp against the rumpled sheets, her moans filling his ears.

Later, she opened her eyes and lifted her head, smiling dreamily when he got out of bed and went for his cigarettes. She watched him as he moved, taking big giant steps, his great penis, now limp, swinging lazily with his heavy, loose testicles.

"You're like a bull," she whispered huskily.

He put a cigarette between her lips and lit it for her.

"Am I?" he asked.

"That's all you want, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Sex. It's what you live for, isn't it."

"I'm taking the fifth amendment on that one," he grinned.

"You knew you'd have me all the time."

"Yes."

"And I knew, too."

"You mind?"

"No. Well, not exactly."

"What do you mean?" There was a flicker of teasing in his eyes. "You got a boyfriend?"

Carol hesitated. "Yes," she lied. "And doing something like this makes me feel-"

"Aw, come on. Everybody does it," he said. "You can have fun and still hold onto your self-respect."

The look on his face wasn't really a smile, it was something else. Then Carol realized what the strange look meant.

"You know about me. Don't you?"

His face showed surprise but only for a second. "What do you mean?"

"You tell me," she said. She swung her legs off the bed and got to her feet.

"Where you going?" He jumped up and went to her. She turned away from him. "Okay, okay. Yeah," he smiled, "I know about you and the boss lady. I caught your act in the shower that first day." He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't mean a damn to me. But one thing I know. You're not a lesbo, baby. I know that much. I can feel it when I hold you. But I know your reasons. Hell, I don't blame you."

"My reasons?" she asked.

"You got it good-damn good. Whatever happened that week in New Orleans sure changed Charlotte Watts' life. She's a real swinger now. Never saw her so glowing. And all because of you. And you-" he made a gesture with his hands, "for all of this all you have to do is hop in the shower with her now and then and throw open your legs."

"Look. No matter what you think, that's not it at all." She looked into his face. "Have you told anyone?"

"You kidding? Think I'm out of my skull? I got it good here, too. No, I don't want to break up that little romance. I like having you around. I like that very much."

Carol suddenly thought of Charlotte. What Cal had said was right. Now that she thought about it she realized just how lucky she was to have someone like Charlotte in love with her. Never had she had it so good. He was right about her not being a lesbian. She knew she wasn't, no matter what her relationship with Charlotte was. Charlotte was the lesbian, not she. She could never be that way and enjoy sex with a man like Cal. Still, she was playing the game, wasn't she? And her new life wasn't very hard to accept. Then, she thought, why gamble on a good thing? It really wasn't much of a gamble at that. Cal would be the one to suffer if he started rumors about his boss. After all, Charlotte Watts was feeding them all. Hell, she owned the whole damn town. Rumor or no rumor, the gossip would reach deaf ears. So Carol was safe there, she knew Cal would not open his mouth. And with Charlotte gone, as she was now, the gamble was very slight. She would have to watch her step when Charlotte was home, that's all. She could have her little scene with Cal whenever Charlotte was out of town-no harm in that.

He kissed her hard on the lips.

"Baby," he whispered. "You're the best thing that's happened to me on this damn plantation."

Carol felt his big hand over her beast. She couldn't give Cal Hardin up-she couldn't. She needed him. Needed him desperately. Charlotte gave her everything, but Cal gave her the wild love she craved and wanted to keep.

"I'll make you some breakfast," he said. "Ranch style."'

They spent the day in his cabin, eating and loving. Then they fell asleep.

When Carol awakened, it was dark. She turned to Cal and slipped her arm around his hips. "It's late," she said. "I'd better get back."

Without a word he drew her to him and kissed her. His lips moved down to her throat, then slid lower to the arching breasts.

"Tigress," he whispered, sinking below. He reached out and tugged at Carol's flaring hips and buttocks, pulling her to his face.

Carol felt his hot tongue below, and her loins throbbed with passion.

The odor of her perspiring, perfumed body, intermingled with her female smell, made Cal wild. He pulled her closer, his face pushing into her.

The jangling ring of the telephone sounded.

Cal's head shot up. "Hell," he grumbled. "Who in tarnation can that be?" He reached over Carol and took the receiver off the hook. "Yeah?" he barked.

Carol watched the expression on his face change. When he spoke, his voice had a new tone of respect in it.

"Oh, yes. Sure. Okay, I'll be right there."

He listened for a second then spoke again.

"Give me fifteen minutes," he said. "Of course I don't mind. What's my day off got to do with it anyway? Be right there." He put the receiver down.

"You've got to go?"

"Yeah. And so do you. It's the boss lady."

"Charlotte?"

"Her plane just landed. She's waiting for me at the airport. Stock meeting has been canceled."

Carol quickly dressed and ran back to the house. After a quick shower, she slipped into a skirt and blouse and went downstairs to the study. Within an hour she heard the front door open.

"Carol? Carol?" Charlotte called. "I'm back."

Carol got to her feet and hurried into the other room. "Charlotte?" she said, hoping she sounded surprised. "When did you get in?"

"They canceled everything." She threw her purse on the couch. "Whew! I'm glad to be home."

Carol looked toward the door. Cal came in carrying Charlotte's suitcase.

"I'm going to make some drinks," Charlotte said. "Hardin stay awhile, have a drink with us."

"Thanks," he said, putting the bag down. "But I have to-"

"Oh, have a drink for Pete's sake," Charlotte insisted.

"Cal sat down on the couch facing Carol. A silence fell, broken only by Charlotte at the bar.

Minutes later, Charlotte brought a tray of drinks and set them down on the cocktail table. She handed Cal and Carol each a glass. "Cheers," she said.

"Cheers," repeated Cal.

"No toast, Carol?" Charlotte asked.

"What? Oh. Oh, yes. Salute," she said, holding up her glass.

Charlotte turned to Cal. "Hardin, I've done a hell of a lot during my short stay in the big city. I've also got plans for buying some more land. You know, the Lazro place north of here and-" She cut herself off when she saw Cal looking at Carol. "Oh, but here I am bursting with business talk, and I'm boring you both."

"No. I was listening," Cal said.

"Me, too," Carol smiled. "Go on."

"Hell, why? Today's Sunday. We relax on the plantation on our one day off. I'll make us some more martinis." She got up and returned to the bar.

"Nothing much happened while you were gone, Charlotte," Carol said.

"That's good. It's when things do happen that I become worried," Charlotte laughed.

As she reached past the bar mirror for another bottle of vodka, she saw Carol's limpid eyes look to Cal. She turned away, then quickly turned back to the mirror. Was it her imagination? She saw Carol purse her lips and blow Cal a kiss.

Charlotte stood transfixed, the bottle in her hand, looking in the mirror, her back to them. Quickly she took control of herself, turned, and walked back to them.

"These things need a little more kick to them," she said idly, filling their glasses. She sat down on a chair and watched their profiles. "Yeah," she said. "It's when things do happen that I become worried."

Cal looked over to her.

"But I really never have to worry about anything with ole Cal Hardin, here. Do I Hardin?"

Cal's eyes dashed from hers to Carol's then back. "No-ah-no, you sure don't."

"See Carol?" Charlotte said, a sickening feeling rising in her stomach. "I can leave anytime and everything's the same when I get back." Now her stomach turned. She got to her feet. "I guess I'm a lot more tired than I thought," she said, her hand going to her forehead.

Carol's eyes quickly darted to Charlotte. Her mind started clicking. Charlotte had suddenly lost all her color ... she really did look tired. It didn't have to take a wall of bricks to fall on Carol to understand that Charlotte suspected. She had to offset this suspicion Charlotte had. How Charlotte knew was beyond her.

Carol got to her feet. "It's late, Cal. I guess we'll call it an evening."

"Don't let me break up-"

Carol cut into Charlotte's words. "See you, Cal."

Cal, rose, said good-night and left.

Upstairs, in her bedroom, Charlotte got undressed, threw the covers back and got into bed. Her head ached from the suspicions that began to eat through her. When she turned off the lamp light, she heard the bedroom door open. Then she felt the covers being pulled back, and a weight against the mattress and then she felt Carol's warm body pressing against hers.

"I've missed you so," Carol whispered, her mouth finding Charlotte's.

Whatever Charlotte suspected downstairs was now wiped clean from her mind. Maybe Carol had only flirted with Cal Hardin, she thought. Perhaps nothing had happened after all.

"Oh! baby, baby," Charlotte muttered. "You feel so good ... so good."

One thing for sure, Charlotte Watts decided: She would not leave Carol alone on the plantation ever again.