Chapter 10

Andy blinked. Then he opened his eyes. The sun was shining in the windows. It was a glorious morning. But where the hell was he? Then he remembered and he looked around.

Yes, it was the cabana and he recognized the objects in the room. And he would be in the folding bed. Of course. He rolled over. He was alone. He heard no other sounds in the place as he sat up. God, but he felt wonderful. He stretched and felt the youth and vigor in his muscles.

Yes, he'd drained away a great deal of poison the night before, it seemed. He was like a kid, rested, anxious to run out and face the world.

Run out? He was naked and, if he remembered right, he'd left his clothes in his room. He'd come back here wearing only a bathing suit.

Then he saw the pile on a chair next to the bed. A pile of his own clothing. Underwear, socks, shoes, pants and a sports shirt. Yes, they were his, all right. Had the family gone to his room? Of course. He'd had the key in the bathing trunks. Very thoughtful.

He crawled out of bed, scooped up his clothing and ran into the bathroom. The place was absolutely empty and he quickly showered. Then he dressed and returned to the front room where he made up the folding bed as though destroying evidence. He'd remembered the final words of Nancy the night before.

Then he sat down and wished he'd had his pipe. He needed a smoke badly. His belly was growling from hunger pains, too. He needed something.

Then he heard them outside and the door rattled before he could get to his feet. He was up by the time the door was opened and they came scurrying in, faces happy, cheeks aglow, looking like merry characters from Dickens.

He glanced at Gina and Nancy first. The women were moving easily, but swiftly, always in charge, knowing what they were doing-especially Nancy. Bill was still at the door and he was waving.

"We went down to the marina," Gina exclaimed, almost clapping her hands for joy. "Golly, I've never seen so many boats. I could sail in one all the way to China."

Nancy nodded. "The Blair family loves its early morning walks. It's our togetherness time, a time when we talk over our problems and share them. You'd be surprised how much it helps."

He stretched. "Early morning. By the way, what time is it?"

Gina shrugged and he watched the shift of her breasts inside her fresh mini. What a body. He'd had her-how many?-three times the night before and he wanted her as badly as ever. "It's after nine," she said soberly.

"After nine!" he exclaimed. "I was supposed to catch the eight fifty to Phoenix."

They said nothing as a bellman wheeled in a cart. At the center of the room he whisked away a white cloth and Andy saw the brunch: eggs Benedict, complete with English muffins and ham, a huge bowl of fresh strawberries, a pot of coffee and a bottle of champagne.

It looked wonderful and Andy was starving.

Bill was handing a bill to the bellman and then he was gone. Bill rubbed his hands together. "What's this about you leaving, old man? Impossible. You'll jolly well have to catch a later plane. Call ahead, if you like. Our nickel's still good."

Andy shook his head. "But I promised her...."

Nancy came to him and she placed her hand on his forearm. He was acutely aware of the pressure of her fingers. "You told us you'd finished your work well ahead of schedule. So you've earned some vacation time. Take it now. If you like you can do as William advises. Call home, if you think they're going to worry about you."

Andy nodded. "Well, I guess it would be all right." He looked in his pocket and found his watch, which he read as he slipped on his wrist. "I really ought to call. She ... uh, said she'd meet me."

"Excellent," Bill snapped, pointing at the telephone. "Hurry it along before the food gets cold."

Andy went to the phone, picked it up and made the connection. He figured she'd be at the office and would not yet have left for the airport. Then he heard her voice.

"Hi. It's me."

Gloria let out a squeal. "Jesus, you're in early. I'm on my way. Hold on, darling."

"No, I'm still here. On the Coast"

He could sense her disappointment "Then you're going to be late." She paused. "Miss your plane?"

"Well, yes. You know those people I told you about last night. Well, urn ... they're very nice. We're visiting like old friends. They've insisted that I stay for brunch."

He heard Gloria's sniff. "I see. At least you didn't make up some story about business. That deal is still cinched, isn't it?"

"Of course."

Again she sniffed. "What will I tell Pratt? He knows you're finished and ready to come home. He'll be waiting with a bottle of champagne."

Andy blew out his cheeks. "Well, hell, tell him that Boswell wants to see me again. Nothing wrong. Just that he wants to take me ... um, out to lunch. Then I'll be home in the afternoon. Okay?"

She seemed to be thinking about it "Well okay. Andy?"

"Yes?"

"These people you met Where are they from?" Andy looked at the three faces, which were already seated about the coffee table, practically drooling over the eggs Benedict. "San Francisco. You'd like them. Gloria, they've asked us to stop by their place at Tahoe if we get anywhere near there on our honeymoon."

"How nice." She was still thoughtful. "Husband, wife and who else?"

Andy flushed and wished he could talk in private. "Well, one more."

"I see. You can't talk openly."

He nodded. "Not very."

"So it's husband, wife and daughter, then."

He smiled at the Blairs, who were cocking their heads politely. "Exactly right, honey."

"How old a daughter?"

"Uh, whatever you say."

She sniffed. "Stop me when I hit it. 'Twenty-five, twenty-four, twenty-three, twenty-two, twenty-one, twenty, nineteen, eighteen ... Christ, you cradle robber!"

He laughed as though she'd just told him an office joke. "Keep going, hon."

"Seventeen? God, sixteen?"

"Right on."

He heard her exhale. "She must be something, lover."

"Not like you."

"Bull shit, darling," Gloria said. There was nothing shy and retiring about his fiancee. "Anyhow, call me one more time, when you know your flight number this afternoon. As I said before, I'll have a surprise waiting for you. You're going to like it." She chuckled. "And Andy?"

"Yeah."

I'm only teasing. I know you wouldn't be playing around with another woman. Not when we're almost married." She laughed lightly. "I trust you, darling."

He put the telephone down on its cradle and grinned at the others. I'm a free man until this afternoon. Lord but that food looks good"

They sat down and began eating. The strawberries were delicious, the eggs Benedict terrific, the coffee perfect. Through it all they sipped champagne from the magnum bottle. They chatted as they ate and Andy could feel Gina's knee when it stole over to rest against his own. From time to time she jiggled it against his.

"So," Nancy said as she wiped her lips, "did you two have a good time last night? A midnight swim, I suppose."

Andy shook his head and Gina murmured, "Yes, mother."

Nancy looked at her husband, who was wiping his mouth and getting out a cigar. He made them look so damned good that Andy wished he could stand to smoke one, but it was no good. He always got sick to his stomach.

Nancy leaned forward, holding her coffee cup daintily. "Why don't you tell me what you really did, you lovers?"

Andy blinked and then he looked at Gina. She stared into his face, wide-eyed, innocent. Jesus, she really did look innocent. "You haven't talked about it"

Gina shook her head.

Andy shrugged. "We went swimming. What else?" Suddenly Nancy was stern and she pointed an accusing finger at Andy's chest. Bill seemed to have to struggle to keep up with her mood and he at least poked his cigar in his face at a stem angle. He looked as fierce as he could.

"I think-we think-you've been playing games with our Gina," Nancy snapped. She looked good when she was mad, her eyes flashing, a lock of hair over her forehead. She had on another expensive suit that fit her body beautifully. Andy frowned. "What?"

"Something was going on in here last night, right before our eyes. When she was on your lap. And later at the pool something happened. And still later, when you returned here. You might as well tell me everything."

He blinked as he looked at mother and father. Bill finally spoke up. "That's right. We can't have that. Uh, even if she did think you were wonderful, Andy. Congratulations on that stroke."

Andy gripped his head in both hands, pressing his forehead up until there was an expression of surprise on his face. "Am I going out of my mind? Am I hearing things right? Last night you threw out a hundred hints. You tried to get me in the mood. You practically served Gina to me a la mode. Now you pretend to be surprised, yet the other one congratulates me on doing an excellent job. Jesus, I'm in a crazy house."

The parents seemed not to hear. At least they did not respond directly. They turned their attention to Gina. Tell us, daughter, how it was," Nancy demanded.

The child flushed and looked at Andy from under her glossy bangs. She was a sweetheart. "Honestly, mother, a girl doesn't talk about things like that."

"My daughter does, especially when she's learning. Now you just tell me what went on in here."

Gina sighed and licked her lips. I'm so sorry, Andy. But you see how they get." She was like an impatient schoolteacher with a couple of slow pupils.

Andy gulped and shrugged. There was nothing he could say. He was lost in the twilight zone.

"Well, we looked at the pictures in the photo album. You know that I sat on Andy's lap." Gina was flushing again, more than ever. "By then, as you know, you had my ... pants off and there was no trouble. I managed to squirm my way into ... urn, position and I ... I took him all right."

Nancy looked genuinely concerned. "Did it hurt?"

"Only for a minute at first" She bit her Hp. Then that was all over and...."

"Did you make it?" Nancy snapped.

Gina sighed as she glanced at Andy again, her look shy as a child's. "Yes, I did."

"All the way?"

Gina nodded.

Nancy half smiled "Did you like it? I mean, were you frightened?"

"Only at first, but you were right, mother. Andy was a real good choice. He was good to me and for me. I'm not afraid at all-at least, not afraid of him." Again her knee jiggled against his.

"How about outside, when you went to the pool?" Nancy continued. "What happened out there?"

Gina licked her lips. "Do we need to talk about it here and now, mother? You've already been asking me....

Her mother shook her head. "You've got to learn to talk about it in front of the man. That's the best way to rid yourself of inhibitions. If you start keeping girlish little secrets then you'll wind up forty and unable to be or accept a good lover."

Her daughter nodded. "All right, we did it in the end of the pool. It was better than the first time. Later we came back here and did it on the bed. We folded it out, of course."

There was polite silence when they heard a knock on the door. Gina went to get it and a maid followed her into the room. As they chatted about nothing the woman made up the bed and Andy wondered vaguely if she detected a certain stiffness in the old sheets. She changed the towels and checked about and in less than fifteen minutes she was gone.

Nancy studied her daughter. "How did you do it?"

Gina rolled her eyes at Andy. "God, I am sorry, but you see how they are."

"I don't care," Andy muttered. "I'm beyond guilt or embarrassment. It's all so unreal. I'm just sitting here just watching an X-rated stage play."

Gina bit her lower lip for a moment and then she stared into her mother's face. It was a pleasant face still, even though Andy knew Nancy was vitally interested. She wasn't stern or unpleasant, but there was steel in the backs of her eyes. She wanted an answer. Bill was also watching, half hidden by his blue smoke.

"How did we do it?" Gina finally said. "Just in the normal way, I suppose. I mean he put his ... oh, God

"Go on, say it," . Nancy snapped. "I told you, no embarrassment, no inhibitions. You're among family and friends, carefully selected friends. It's safe here."

"Well...." The girl made a face at Andy and he started to speak but she shushed him. "He simply put his penis-cock, prick, dong, whatever you want to call it-into me. When I was on his lap, when he had me against the end of the pool and when he had me in bed."

"No other love points?" Nancy asked.

"Of course. He ... Jesus, he kissed my breasts, my nipples. That felt real good."

"It did?" Her mother seemed to approve of that

"Sure. Then he kissed down my front and his hands were all over me, of course."

Nancy pondered the report from her daughter. "And you made it-both of you-every time?"

"Every time, mother."

Gina sought Andy's hand under the table and squeezed it. He squeezed back.

"He kissed your breasts and, I would assume, your face. Anywhere else?"

Gina shrugged. "No, I guess not"

"And where did you kiss him?"

Gina stared. "On the mouth, where else?"

"On the mouth." It was matter-of-fact hat

"Yes, mother."

Nancy sighed as she shook her head at her husband. "William, they know so little." The she turned to her daughter again. "There's so much more to loving a man and making him love you. Wouldn't you like to be shown?"

Gina nodded vigorously. "Golly, yes!"

Nancy turned to Andy. "All right Andrew, suppose you get over there in that big chair. We'll hold lessons-right now!"