Chapter 15
Love On A Beach
Evon wheeled her yellow Jaguar off the highway and onto a sandy side road, tires squealing. She crammed the car into a lower gear and Tony hung on as they careened down the rough road that was little more than a trail.
Evon was driving like someone possessed, as though her life depended on getting to the ocean as soon as possible. Tony had gone to her apartment earlier to learn how she had made out with Yorty and she had insisted he join her in a swim.
"I'll tell you about Yorty later," she had said. "Come on, I've got to get to the beach. These clothes are tightening on me, strangling me." And she had run breathlessly to her car. Tony had followed, mystified at her strange actions.
The road widened and smoothed out somewhat. The smell of the sea was in the air. They were drawing close to the beach.
Tony sensed a change in Evon. She seemed less tom-boyish and more self confident of her femininity. Deliberately, he put a nagging question out of his mind for the tenth time in the last half hour.
The road widened still more and the ocean came into view. The moon was only half full, but it was a clear night and the white sands of the beach were bathed in pale, eerie light. The whitecaps coursed into shore, moonbeams gleaming in their churning waters. The beach was deserted, except for an occasional seagull that dipped low and gave vent to a piercing cry. Evon had told Tony she was taking him to an isolated little beach where she came often, to swim and to meditate.
He glanced at her. Her white blouse was unbuttoned in a deep V at the neck, but her hand moved nervously to her throat, tugging at the garment as if it were, indeed, strangling her.
The road ended about fifty yards from the beach. Evon braked the car almost savagely. She vaulted over the door without bothering to open it and ran toward the beach. Surprised, Tony crawled out of the car and followed in a dogtrot. He saw something white on the ground and stopped to pick it up. It was Evon's blouse. A few yards farther on he found her shoes, then her blue shorts. He folded the clothing, finding it still warm from the heat of her perfumed body. He ascended a rolling sand dune and saw her running toward the surf, naked as the earth below and the stars above. Her golden body glistened in the moonlight like a dusky ivory statuette.
She ran into the foaming surf, dark hair flying like the mane of a frisky filly. She dived into the breakers and disappeared like a mermaid mirage.
Tony placed her clothes in a pile on the sand, his pulse pounding. He shed his swim trunks in a single swipe and ran for the surf. He saw her about fifty yards out, swimming with strong, graceful strokes. He churned into the water and dived headlong into an on-rushing breaker. He surfaced and swam after her, shoulder muscles cording as he stroked mightily.
He caught up to her when they were about seventy-five yards out, just as she was turning back toward shore. His arm brushed one of her legs. She squealed playfully kicked free of his grasping hand and swam for shore. He splashed close behind and caught up to her again as she reach shallow water and rose to wade ashore. He lurched to his feet and embraced her. They fell to the wet, warm sand at the edge of the surf. She laughed and struggled as he tried to kiss her. Then his lips found her damp, surf-kissed mouth and her struggle ceased. Her arms grabbed and entwined his neck almost savagely, crushing their lips together. Her warm little tongue ran down the inside of his lower lip and shivers tracked down Tony's spine like little mice's feet. He sensed a frustrated passion in her, greater than any he had aroused in her before. And he responded to her demands, caressing that most sensitive area where she craved it.
He took her there on the sand under the moon and the stars, their wet bodies glistening in the eerie light as they threshed by the rolling surf.
Her long golden legs entwined his waist, her hot buttocks rising pneumatically from the sand. "Make me, Tony! Oh, honey, bring me pleasure ... please!"
As their squirming bodies approached that climactic pinnacle both craved, the sea, as if sensing their mounting passion, hurled mighty breakers into the shore. Foaming white water rushed high up on the sand washing over their bodies. Evon cried out in rapture, hands clawing at the sand. She stiffened then relaxed as rolling spams undulated through her body from her curling toes to raven hair. Again and again the spasms rolled, finally ebbing away and leaving her almost hysterical and on the threshold of a swoon.
They lay for a long while on the sand while soaring sea birds screamed in swooping flight. Each was re-reluctant to leave the warm, throbbing embrace of the other. Finally, they rose and waded into the surf to wash off the sand which clung to their damp bodies. That done, they went ashore and Tony guided her over to where he had piled their clothing.
Evon picked up her blouse and shorts. "Turn your back," she said with the mysterious logic of a female. Grinning, Tony did as she bid and pulled on his swim trunks.
"All right," she said after a minute. He turned to find her fully dressed. She approached, took his hand and they strolled slowly along the beach, aimlessly watching the surf and naked night sky.
"Are you ready to tell me how you made out with Yorty?" Tony asked.
She squeezed his arm excitedly. "Oh, you'll be proud of me, Tony. They're having a game tomorrow night at a downtown motel. Yorty agreed to let me watch it. It's supposed to start at eight o'clock. I have the name and address of the motel written down on a note pad in my car."
"Hey, that's great!" Tony said. "Fast work!" He hesitated. "Did Yorty get fresh with you?" he asked gently.
There was a long silence. She walked with head down, looking at the sand. "Did he "
"Are you and your friends ready for action tomorrow?" she asked hurriedly.
"Yeah. We're anxious to get it over with." He reached down, picked up a piece of driftwood and slapped it against his thigh as they walked. "By the way, I had a talk with Race today. He says the gamblers will probably keep the door locked to the room where they are playing. He wants you to make some excuse for going outside to get cigarettes or something and unlock the door for us. We'll be watching and will dash in when you open the door." He paused, thinking. "You still want to go through with it, Evon?"
"Why sure. I wouldn't think of pulling out now and missing all the fun. Not me."
"It could be very dangerous. There might be a slip up and they might suspect you were in on it."
"Well, isn't that what makes it exciting the danger? But I've thought about that. When you bad men burst in, I'll scream and put on a good act. I don't think they'll suspect anything."
"You could leave when we do. That way they would know you had something to do with it, but still, you'd be getting away from them."
She shook her head firmly. "No, I want to stick around for the fun to see how they react. I might be able to help you later by finding out how they plan to get their money back."
"I think my friend and his girl are planning to go to California."
"Are you going with them?"
"I don't know ... but how about you, Evon. Are you going back to college?"
She seemed surprised he had asked the question. "Why sure. Why not? I have to finish college to collect the inheritance from my grandfather."
They came upon a dead tree, washed ashore by the surf. They sat down on the gnarled trunk. Tony put his arms around her. His throat was tight with emotion and the words were hard to get -- get out. "Evon I think a lot of you ... you know that?"
She snuggled into his arms. "And I think a lot of you, Tony. You're the first real man in my life."
"Evon, maybe we should forget about the hijacking. Maybe it would be better for both of us. Then we could have more time together before you go back to college."
"Forget about the hijacking?" she said, surprised. "After all the planning? Don't be silly, Tony. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Tony felt emotion rising to his throat, almost choking him. He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately several times. He released her looked into her eyes, dark and full of mystery in the moonlight. "Evon ... have you ever thought of marriage?"
Tony bit his lip in embarrassment as he waited for her reply.
She glanced at him to see if he was serious, then unexpectedly tossed her head back and laughed. "Marriage? Me? I'm too wild, Tony. I want to live while I have the chance. Marriage and kids are not for me."
Her words were like sharp knives in his guts. Sensing she had hurt him, she reached out and rubbed his shoulder gently. "Let's not talk about love or marriage, Tony. Let's just enjoy our temporary relationship as we would a good book or a good movie. And after it's over, we'll have nothing but pleasant memories."
Tony knew he should have exulted on finding a woman who felt that way. Usually it was the man who had to say those words. Yet, the choking emotion lingered in his throat. He had to ask the question again, but he dreaded her answer.
"Evon, did you let Yorty "
"You won't let it drop, will you, Tony?" she said, a bitter edge in her voice. "Well, if you must know I let him lay me. He wasn't near as good a lover as you, Tony, but I did enjoy it toward the last. And I found out that I could have pleasure with other men. Oh, Tony, I'm so glad for what you did for me."
Tony felt sick. Her words had twisted the daggers in his guts.
Tony entered his apartment, feeling despondent. Evon had driven him back, but scarcely a dozen words had passed between them.
Tony closed the door. Dobber was snoring, sprawled out on the bed fully clothed. Tony noticed that he was still wearing the same filthy clothes. Tony had the feeling that Dobber would buy dope with the money he had given him.
Tony shucked down his swim trunks and put on slacks and a T-shirt. He knocked at the door to Race's apartment.
"Come in," Margo called.
Tony stepped inside. Margo was sitting in a chair in front of the TV, munching from a bag of potato chips. She wore a blue robe and the Vs at the top and bottom were deeply split, but Tony could have cared less. After Evon, he felt no other woman could excite him.
Margo glanced up. She looked older, more dissipated. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth seemed to have deepened, like a peach shriveled after several days in the refrigerator. She looked as though she had been drinking to excess.
"How were the Harvard boys?" Tony asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Margo shrugged. "Oh, just a couple of wham-bam bunnies."
The commode flushed in the bathroom and Race came out buckling his belt.
Tony was weary and wanted to get to bed. He didn't waste time. "They're having their game at eight o'clock tomorrow night." He handed Race a folded piece of paper. "The name of the motel and the address are there."
Race's eyes lit up. "Nice going, kid! Your little coed broad came through for us, eh? Did you tell her about getting the door unlocked for us?"
Tony nodded. "She understands all about it."
Race walked over to a table and picked up a brown paper bag. "It's a good thing I stopped by the hock shop this afternoon." He opened the sack and took out two revolvers that had seen better days. He passed one to Tony. "Know how to shoot a .22?"
"I used to fire them at a shooting gallery in Brooklyn." A sudden memory picture of his brother Tom teaching him to use the pistol at the gallery came to Tony's mind. That was during Tom's last leave.
The gun felt cold and clammy in Tony's hand. He shoved it into his back pocket.
"Careful, it's loaded," Race warned.
Race returned his gun to the sack and sat down on the couch. "Eight o'clock tomorrow, eh? That's great kid. I'll steal us a getaway car tomorrow and rent a motel room across town where we can split up the cabbage. I don't think it's safe to come back here. That Yorty's not a fool. And I'll also have to pick up some beach ass to drive for us." He frowned at Margo. "It's too bad you're too stupid to learn how to drive." She ignored his comment, concentrating on the TV program.
Tony frowned. "I thought we agreed to let Dobber do the driving. Are you trying to cut him out?"
Race shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "Kid, I don't trust that hophead. He'll get us into trouble. It always happens when you've got a dopey on a job."
"If he's out, then so am I. And so is Evon."
Race slammed a fist down on the coffee table. An ashtray careened off and crashed to the floor. "Goddamn, kid, be reasonable. You'll get a sizeable cut. Why don't you dump that junkie? He's never done anything for you."
Race studied Tony's granite face, and realized he couldn't change Tony's mind. He shrugged. "Okay, kid. Have it your way. But keep him off the stuff from now until the job is finished. I don't want a heroin crazy dopey wrapping us around a tree somewhere."
Tony turned without another word and went back into his own apartment.