The dark-haired man in seat nine stared intently at the ground as the pilot banked into his final approach. The big jet swept in low over the Everglades, sank towards the neat houses and then settled onto the runway with a gentle thud.
Only then did Cal Simpson relax. Even seated he was a big man with the look of brute power in the powerful build that shown beneath his expensively tailored suit. His face had a gentle appearance except for the eyes. They were two lumps of coal that held a strange, wild expression.
Now he looked out the window as the plane taxied towards the terminal. Cal felt good. Even inside the plane he could feel the warmth of the sun that shown down from a cloudless sky. Staring at the green palm trees in the distance it was hard for him to believe that only a few hours ago he'd been knee-deep in snow. This certainly wasn't like Chicago, he thought happily. But wasn't that the general idea of coming to Miami, he asked himself?
Cal felt relaxed for the first time in weeks. Ever since the court martial he'd been on edge. This would be exactly what he needed. All of his life he'd dreamed of coming south. Well, now he was here.
The stewardess interrupted his thoughts. She was blond and cute and had pampered him most of the trip. "You can unfasten your seat belt now," she reminded him, bending over to take the pillow away from the empty seat beside him.
Cal grinned up at her ... after first glancing at the area of her bosom to see if anything had shown when she bent over. Nothing had. "Thanks."
The girl lingered. "Is this your first trip to Miami?"
Cal found a cigarette and lighted it, ignoring the 'NO SMOKING' sign which was still on. "That's right," he replied.
"Are you meeting your wife?" The girl ignored her Other passengers who had stood up and were filing towards the exit, waiting for the door to be opened.
Cal knew he was being pumped. He was used to it. "I haven't any wife," he said.
The girl's smile broadened a speck. "Oh," she said simply. She seemed on the verge of adding something but the ground crew had the door open and she had to hurry away to discharge the passengers.
Cal leaned back in his seat and watched her go, a slight smirk spread over his face. At least she had proved something. He hadn't lost any of his talents. That was good. He'd need all of them for the project he had in mind. Was there ever a dame that failed to fall all over herself when she saw him? Cal shook his head. If there was he hadn't met her. Clinging vines, every damned one of them, gone ga ga over a handsome face.
Of course, Cal was well aware that his features were more handsome than most. More than one jealous male along the way had tossed the name, 'pretty boy' at him. He snuffed out his cigarette, smiling to himself. Well, he thought, let them think what they may. From here on in he was going to let his kisser pay his way. He was damned tired of working for a living.
Cal looked around and discovered he was all alone in the plane. He got stiffly to his feet and headed for the exit. Once out on the ramp, Hal hesitated and drew a deep breath. The air smelled of salt and was clean, unlike the soot-laden stuff he was used to breathing. His eyes swept the airport, taking in the greenery and the flowers planted along the terminal building. At least half a dozen planes were in the midst of loading. Another swept overhead with a thunderous roar.
Cal felt sorry for the suckers that had to go back to the cold north. If his plans worked out he knew he'd never see a cold day again.
Closer by, at the foot of the stairs, Cal saw the cute little stewardess looking up at him.
"We charge rent if you stay too long," she called out good-naturedly.
Cal descended towards her, watching with interest as the wind whipped her skirt and showed a bit more of her attractive legs. There was little doubt that she was quite good-looking. Automatically he wondered just what kind of a bed partner she'd make. "You always wait to greet the last passenger?" he asked.
She shook her head, the blond hair glittering in the sunlight. "Just special ones."
"And I'm special?"
The girl was blunt. "You're the most handsome man I've ever had on one of my runs. You're also one of the few that hasn't tried to make me."
"I had other things on my mind," Cal admitted, "or I would have been glad to make an attempt."
Then I wouldn't have tried to interest you, would I?"
Cal lighted a cigarette, pondering over her statement. "I guess I'll get a cab and go on into town."
The girl reached into her purse and pulled out a set of keys, extending them towards him. "You won't have to. These are for my car. It's a little VW parked in the south lot. I'll drive you in as soon as I sign out."
Cal grinned, glad to see that his magic continued to work for him. He wasn't particularly interested in the girl. He'd had many a hell of a lot better. But he could use her until he knew the town a little better. She'd make a fine guide and the payment would be pleasant, if not exciting. "How do you know I won't steal the car?"
"You won't," she said, her eyes sparkling. "I think you want more from me than just a drive around town."
"How about you?"
She pressed the keys into his hand and started walking away. "I never plan too far ahead," she said.
Cal shrugged and walked into the terminal. While he waited for his luggage to come off the plane he looked around. This was more like it, he told himself. The place reeked of beautiful women and money. More than one of the females stopped to stare at the tall, dark figure lounging against the wall. He absorbed their glances and enjoyed himself immensely. What he had in mind would be like taking candy from a baby. Cal wondered why he hadn't put his idea to work a long time ago.
When his bag came Cal headed for the south parking lot. Finding the VW didn't prove so easy. There were at least ten of them scattered about and he hesitated fitting the key into each lock. Getting arrested wasn't exactly his idea of a way to spend his first day in Miami.
The problem was solved when the stewardess appeared on the drive and directed him towards a small, black bug parked against the fence. "Waiting long?" she asked.
Cal flipped his cigarette away. "Nope. Just long enough to get my gear."
"That could take forever," the girl smiled. She glanced at the car. "Ever drive one of these?"
Cal wondered if this was the time to tell her about the many nights he'd beat his way across the back roads of Germany hustling whiskey and other things in a bug. He decided it was none of her business. "Yeah," he replied. "I have."
"Then drive," the girl prompted.
Cal opened the door for her and tossed his bag in the narrow space in the rear. He waited while she got in, appreciating the amount of leg she showed.
When he slid behind the wheel a lot of thigh remained showing. The girl showed no disposition to cover herself up. "Nice legs," he commented.
"There's lots more that's nice," the girl smiled. She unbuttoned her jacket and tossed it onto the rear seat. The motion pulled the thin, white blouse taut against her breasts and the outline was firm and promising.
The girl was running her motor wide open, Cal thought. He'd seen dames like this before. They get excited just by looking at a man they like and there's only one thing that'll cool them off. He had a hunch he could make her right here in the parking lot and there'd be no objections. However he had no intention of trying it. It was too hot. He got the car started and put it into gear. "Where to?"
The girl waved her hand ahead of them. "Just pull out onto the highway. I'll give you the fifty-cent tour."
Cal remembered something. "Your name would help."
She laughed. It was a pleasant sound above the sewing machine noise of the engine. "Myra," she said pleasantly. "You're Cal."
"How did you know?"
"I checked your ticket, remember?"
"Yeah," Cal agreed. "I forgot." He eased onto the busy road and gave the bug gas. They leaped forward, just in time to miss an oncoming semi, and nimbly threaded their way through the dawdling tourists pouring down Highway One.
"You do know how to drive one of these," Myra said, admiration in her voice.
"You sound disappointed."
She laughed again. "I like to see a man taken off his high horse. That's why I let them drive. Nothing makes the male animal so angry as something mechanical they can't master. Men are so damned superior."
Cal thought he heard a bitter tone in her voice. He looked across but her face showed nothing.
For the next twenty minutes they sped along the highway while Myra pointed out the sights like a practiced tourists' bus driver.
Cal took it all in and enjoyed her spiel. This was new country, unlike any he'd ever seen before. Everything was different, from the type of trees to the way they made houses. Just seeing grass that was green in the middle of February was a novelty to him. But most of all just being here made him feel better. For more than five years he'd been thinking of what he called his master plan, and now he was actually at the scene of the crime instead of in some crummy movie watching pictures of Miami on the screen.
"This your home base?" he asked at last, coming out of his trance.
Myra nodded. "This is it."
"Some life."
"I like it."
"Who wouldn't, getting paid to live in this place."
"You really are a snow bird," Myra laughed.
Hal looked over at her inquisitively. "What's that?"
"A tourist," she explained. "Someone down here from the north on a short two week vacation."
Cal shook his head. "Not me. I'm here for keeps."
"Oh?" It was a simple word but carried a great deal of shading.
"I have plans," Cal explained.
"Just about every man who comes down here has plans," Myra said, smiling.
They were in downtown Miami now, bound up in rush hour traffic. Cal looked over at the girl beside him. "Where to now?" He added, "Or is this where I get off?"
Myra shook her head, her expression sober. "Not unless you want to."
"We could get a drink," Cal suggested. He really wasn't too interested in hanging onto the dame. He was anxious to get out on his own.
"I think that's a very good idea," Myra said.
"Where to?"
The top button of Myra's blouse had come loose and the deep chasm of her bosom showed beneath the spread of cloth. "Let's go to my place."
Cal had figured that's what she was up to. He'd been through this route before. "There's more involved than just a drink," he guessed.
Myra nodded. "I'm pretty transparent, aren't I?" she said slowly. "Yeah," Cal agreed. "You are."
Myra slid closer and put her hand in his lap. "It's just that I think you should be welcomed to Miami in the proper fashion."
"How's that?"
Myra kissed him briefly on the cheek. She was breathing a little heavier now. "By me taking my clothes off of course."
CHAPTER TWO
As they entered a fashionable apartment building Cal wasn't convinced he should go through with what the girl had in mind. It wasn't a matter of passion. At the moment he had none for her. She was cute but that was all. Before he'd left Chicago he had resolved there would be no more free samples. He was here in Miami for a definite purpose and Myra didn't fit into his plans. As far as women were concerned Cal knew he had only to wiggle his little finger and plenty of them would come crawling.
Why then didn't he just tip his hat and leave? Cal had wondered about this during the last ten minutes of their drive. Maybe it was because he had to be reassured that his charm would work as well in Miami as it had in other parts of the country. He was no dope just off the boat. Cal realized that there would be plenty of competition down here. If the little stewardess let him take her to bed it would be a victory of sorts. Women like her had their choice of men and were a good gauge as to how he stacked up against the others.
He walked up the steps with her clinging to his arm. "Nice place," he said.
Myra nodded her agreement. "Most of the stewardesses live here. There's a pool and nobody bothers us too much." She led the way to an elevator. When the door closed she pressed closer to the man beside her and tilted her mouth toward his. When he hesitated she reached up and pulled his lips down onto hers.
The kiss was brief and directly to the point. She pushed her body at his and held it there, letting her tongue tell Cal what she wanted. "Nice," Myra murmured as she pulled away.
A little fire had begun to grow down in Cal's belly. When she rubbed her stomach against his he grasped her hips and pulled her tight against him. He felt the muscles of her buttocks tighten as she struggled to get even closer.
"You don't believe in wasting much time," he grinned.
Myra shook her head, her eyes sober. "I haven't much to waste," she said simply.
Before they could go further the doors slid open and Myra took hold of his hand and led him down the quiet hall. She opened a door and went inside, closing it behind Cal.
He looked around the apartment. It was comfortable and modern and nice. The rug was plush and a hi-fi outfit covered one wall. There were several dolls on the mantel, along with a set of bongo drums. "You play those?" he asked, nodding at the instruments.
Myra came deeper into the room. "No. They belonged to Helen, my roommate."
"Belonged?" Cal questioned.
Myra nodded. "She was killed in that jet that crashed in the Atlantic last week."
Cal felt no emotion at the news. People were killed every day. He pulled out a cigarette and lighted it and walked to the big glass doors looking down on the city below. Cal drew in his breath as he stared at the lushness beneath hirn. It was really something. There was a large bay not too far away cluttered with boats leaving clean, white wakes. Beyond that was a strip of land covered with large buildings as far as he could see.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing at the land mass in the distance.
Myra came up beside him. "Miami Beach," she answered. "Down there is Biscayne Bay and that's Mac-Arthur Causeway leading across it to the land of the rich."
"Do most of the wealthy people live on the beach?"
"That's right," Myra agreed. "We paupers stay in Miami proper."
Cal grinned, looking around the apartment. "You aren't doing so bad." He glanced back at the series of islands leading off the causeway. "What are those little places?"
Myra smiled patiently. "If you have a million dollars you can live on one of those," she said. "That's the entrance fee."
"Real plush?"
Myra made a face. "Pure gold. You have to be in the social register just to drive out on one."
Cal made a mental note of the information. He turned towards the girl. "Seems to me I remember something about a drink," he said.
"I'll fix it," Myra said, walking through a door that must have led into the kitchen.
Cal sat on the couch, waiting, mulling over his next move. He had a lot to do and sitting around here was wasting valuable time. For a minute back there in the elevator he'd felt some passion but now most of it was gone. Myra was just another female as far as he was concerned. What he really wanted was to get out there on the beach where he could mingle with people who had the dough.
Myra came back into the room carrying two glasses. She loosened her hair and the buttons on her blouse. The deep cavity of her breasts showed until it was covered by the bra. As she handed him his glass she kissed him briefly. Cal used the opportunity to reach beneath the cloth and squeeze a still-covered breast. It was soft and pleasingly plump. There were no objections. "Like?" she asked, watching his hand finger the fullness.
"It will do," Cal smiled.
Myra made a face and sat down beside him. "You certainly are different from some of the men I know," she said.
Cal sipped his drink. It was good, with just enough liquor to satisfy him. "In what way?"
"They would have had me on the bed ten minutes ago If I'd have invited them up to this apartment"
"I'm not other men," he reminded her.
"That's the truth," Myra admitted. "I have the feeling you don't really want me."
"Could be," Cal said, not committing himself.
"You're not very good for a girl's morale," Myra complained. "Other men don't find me so unattractive."
"I didn't say that," Cal reminded her. "It was your idea. I happen to think you're very good looking."
"But not good enough to take to bed."
"I didn't say that either."
"What do I have to do to get you excited?"
If the truth were known Cal really didn't want to get excited. He intended saving his strength for better purposes. But the tiny spark in the pit of his stomach was beginning to ignite as Myra took off her blouse and tossed it casually aside. The strapless bra covered just the essential parts of her bosom and was thin enough to allow the outlines beneath to show through. "Better?" she asked.
"Some," Cal admitted. He made no move to touch her. Instead, he said, "Why me?"
"Why you what?" Myra finished the drink in her hand.
Cal lighted a cigarette. "Do you hand the keys to your car to every man you meet and then invite him up to your apartment?" He'd been wondering about this. There hadn't been any logic to her movements up until now. He'd met a lot of women in his time but none of them had been quite this casual.
Myra smiled. "Of course I don't," she admitted. "But you happen to be the right man in the right place at the right minute."
Cal didn't understand and said so.
Myra got to her feet and walked to the window and then returned to a place in front of him. Her expression was serious. "After my roommate was killed last week I did a lot of thinking. The same thing could happen to me. I told myself that if that was the case then why shouldn't I enjoy myself more while I'm still here. And there's only one thing I like best."
"What's that?"
Her smile returned. "Having a man curled up beside me," she said bluntly. "I told myself I'd never again turn down a good-looking man. And then I saw you on the return trip from Chicago and made up my mind to have you." She frowned as she added, "The only trouble is that you're a cold fish."
Cal chuckled and reached out, placing his hands on her hips and drawing her closer. He kissed a breast and the nipple was hard through the slippery nylon.
"Don't start anything you don't intend to finish," Myra whispered from above, pressing closer to gain more feeling from the teeth nibbling at her.
Cal had every intention now of going the full route. Myra didn't have the best figure he'd ever been to bed with but she could make up for it with effort.
When he withdrew his mouth, the spot he'd been drawing at was wet and the darkness beneath the cloth shown clearly through. "Take off your clothes," he ordered.
Myra's eyes were slightly glazed from what he had already done to her. "Why?" she teased.
Cal was in no mood for games. Either she wanted to be made or she didn't. What he felt must have shown because Myra stripped off her bra without any further hesitation. The breasts tumbling into the open were bigger than Cal would have suspected. He caught hold of one and caressed it roughly, feeling it grow even bigger beneath his grip.
While Cal played, Myra continued to undress until there were only self-supporting stockings and a pair of black panties left. He surveyed the partial nudity. She was a trifle skinny but otherwise all right.
"How's that?" Myra said at last, stepping away from him so that he could see her. She seemed anxious to please him. "Are you excited now?"
Cal had been through this routine too many times to feel uncontrolled passion at the sight of a naked woman. Still, he did feel desire for her and that was enough to finish the job at hand. But when he reached for her legs she danced away.
Cal damned the girl. Now that she had him worked up she was playing hard to get. "Come here," he ordered.
Myra did just that. She settled beside him on the couch and kissed him heatedly, her tongue doing a lingering dance with his, her bared breasts warm against his coat.
"You want me now?" she said softly and in the brief quiet Cal felt sudden, possessive warmth that drove him towards the final stages of passion.
Myra looked at him and wiggled closer until she was pressing against him. "I want you. I want every bit of you. I've never been so ready." Her fingers fumbled at his shirt and tie and she began undressing him hurriedly, tugging the cloth aside until he was as naked as she from the waist up. She pushed against him until her breasts mounded against his chest and the nipples vanished within the hair.
Cal held her close and she was trembling within his grasp as her surging want made her weak. They kissed, drawing the air from each other's lungs, each struggling to get their bodies closer.
Finally it was Myra who pulled away from him abruptly. At first Cal thought she'd changed her mind. But one look at her clouded eyes told him she hadn't. She stood up and stripped her panties from her slender frame without hesitation. Now naked except for the stockings, her figure was adequate and Cal had a hard time keeping his own feelings within bounds.
Myra moved closer, her eyes hard on the man seated before her, her breasts rising and falling as she breathed hard in anticipation of what was to come.
Cal continued to caress her body, enjoying the sensations his hands were sending back. She moved her legs and didn't object as he took personal possession of her body. Now she leaned towards him, pressing all of her hardness against his body, dipping a breast towards his face. The nipple in his mouth was hard and big and she moaned slightly as he used his tongue to make the tip bigger. Cal's head spun slightly at the pressure of her fingers on his body.
"Let's do it," Myra said softly at last
"Come and get it," Cal challenged.
She shook her head. "Not here. In the bedroom."
"Here," Cal said firmly.
Cal put his hands around her back and slid onto the buttocks, tugging her towards him. "I'm waiting for you," he challenged.
"I know," Myra admitted, looking at him.
"Take off your pants. I want your belly naked against mine." Without waiting for him to do as she suggested, Myra unfastened his belt and got rid of the offending material.
Her breath coming in gasps, she knelt on the couch so that her knees straddled his legs. Cal pulled her closer and suddenly felt her warmth. This was the time he always liked the best, the moment when a woman completely loses all of her resistance and begs to be made. Some of them never give up the struggle until they feel the man beginning to become a part of them. Others, like Myra, are ready from the first time they're kissed.
She settled into his lap and bit her tongue in ecstasy as he began to enter the depths of her womanhood. Myra wanted this to last forever and ever. She wiggled and pressed as he pushed his hips at her. She cried out in pleasure as lightning forked through her body. Slowly, with calculated movements that she returned, Cal drove her higher and higher towards the end. Myra didn't want it to be over, not yet, not so soon. This was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before.
Cal knew what he was doing to the girl. He could feel the violent tremors shake her body as he gave her what she wanted. Her nails digging into his back told him that she was close.
As lovings went this one was normal without much exception. He enjoyed the passions he felt flowing through him. He liked the warmth of Myra's body and her movements. But as she came to a peak he controlled himself from years of practice.
"I'm ready," Myra cried out at last. "Now."
But Cal wasn't about to give his all, not this time. If she wanted to be made he intended doing a damned good job of it. He thrust his hips at her in a gigantic effort and knew from her moan of contentment that she had reached fulfillment. When her body collapsed against his shoulder he was sure of it.
It was minutes before Myra opened her eyes and looked into his. She was confused. "You're still with me?"
"Of course," Cal smiled.
"I don't think I can take much more," Myra admitted weakly.
"You'll have to," he grinned. "Now it's my turn."
"O.K." Myra said softly, snuggling against him. With the realization that the man was still within her she began to feel fresh wants.
"Let's lie down," Cal suggested.
"No," Myra said softly. "I don't want you to leave me."
"I won't," Hal promised. He stood up, supporting her body on his.
And then she was on her back with the man above her, still pinned together as one.
This time when Myra opened her eyes they were frosted with a thick glaze. Her words were weak and scarcely above a whisper. "How long can you go on?" she asked softly.
Cal smiled gently. He was proud of his control. It was something not many men had. Most of the guys he knew just popped a dame and that was it. With him it was different. He liked to drive them crazy until they were frantic to be satisfied. "You want to stop?" he asked, knowing in advance what the answer would be.
Myra shook her head. "Oh my no," she said quickly. "This is wonderful. No one has ever done it to me this way before. I'm all on fire inside." She reached up and pulled his mouth down onto hers, enjoying the roughness of his chest on her bosom.
Her kiss began it all again. Myra felt the passion return and writhed in pleasure. She wrapped her legs about him and pulled his body as near to hers as she could, almost screaming from the ecstasy as he reached deep into her innermost recesses. "Finish," Myra cried out in agony as she reached the crest, waited for his completion, and then went weak as she again plunged over the edge alone.
Cal stared down at the woman. Her face was a mask of pleasured agony as she lay silent beneath him. He knew what he was doing to her and took sadistic pleasure in it. Her nerves were taut, ready to snap. She couldn't stand much more of this. He wondered if he'd ever meet a woman who had the same appetite as his. As far as he was concerned Myra was an amateur when it came to sex. She knew only the standard motions, nothing to excite him. She pushed at the proper time and made the right sounds but in the end cared only for her own pleasures.
He pressed at her and she gasped, opening her eyes to slits, shaking her head. "Not again," she said weakly. "I couldn't stand it."
Cal wasn't finished with her. He again skillfully brought her to full heat, despite her protests, until she arched her body upwards to accept more of him. This time he grasped a breast in each hand and twisted them cruelly.
And this time Cal released his control. He was tired of the game. He measured his own completion to match hers, timing himself by the intensity of her movements. There was passion within him now, driving him towards the final goal.
Myra was almost too weak to match his movements. She felt and watched what he was doing to her breasts but there was no pain. "I'm almost there," she said at last, breathless, opening her mouth to accept his tongue.
And then lightning exploded within her as the man became a part of her, and a warm sensation seemed to spread into every part of her body.
Myra did the only thing she could, she screamed in ecstasy as his finale seemed to continue forever. In that moment she knew she'd been loved as no woman ever had before. The man above her was a devil but she didn't care.
CHAPTER THREE
Cal stared down at the sleeping woman as he sat beside her and lighted a cigarette. What had passed between them was nice but no more. He felt no exhilaration from the experience. In fact he was a trifle let down. Myra wasn't the greatest lover he'd ever run across. He could tick off a dozen that were a great deal better.
Of course the French women were the best, he told himself. Just thinking about those days in France made him smile. The dames were skinny but there was always plenty of room for a man. And they had finesse in the sack. When they attacked a man it was like being in a cage with a tigress. They scratched and clawed until they'd gotten every last ounce they were entitled to.
Cal got to his feet and dressed quietly. He wasn't afraid of awakening Myra. He doubted if a bomb would do that after what she'd been through. Finishing his cigarette he lighted another from the stub.
One thought disturbed him. Supposing he got hold of a dud like Myra with his plan? Wouldn't that be a sweet mess?
Cal shook the thought away. There was hardly any reason to cross bridges that hadn't even been built yet. He walked to the window and looked out. Somewhere along the way it had gotten dark and now the lights of the city sparkled like so many fireflies. There was darkness over the water at Biscayne Bay. Beyond that more color as the hotels reached towards the black sky with their beckoning glare.
Just looking at the scene made Cal a trifle heady. He'd been thinking of this trip for a long time and it seemed impossible that he was finally here. No more worry, no more work. These were good thoughts.
When had he first had his idea, Cal asked himself. It was hard to remember. Maybe in Germany when he was beating his way through the rain. Or it could have been at Korea when he damned near froze his behind off. That would have been a good time to be thinking of Miami.
But it was more than just remembering Miami, Cal told himself. That was only a small part of his idea. He could have come down here any damned time he wanted with the money he'd made on his extra curricular activities in the Army. The biggest part of the idea was staying in the lap of luxury without having to lift a finger to earn his keep.
Cal snuffed out his cigarette and moved away from the window. Maybe the Army had done him a favor by booting him out, he reflected. It was a damned stupid idea in the first place to make the service a career. Any chicken outfit that busts a guy after ten years' service has to be no good. What the hell did he do? Sell a little whiskey in Germany, maybe a few jeeps in Japan. A guy had to make some extra money somehow. Nobody could live on the pay they gave out.
Cal shook the thought away. That was behind him now and ahead was an entire new career. So they'd court-martialed him. So what? They could take the whole outfit and shove it.
He went into the bathroom and got rid of Myra's lipstick. He tossed cold water on his face and felt better, lingering for a moment to admire his handsome face. He traced his fingers across the bold features. "Be good to me, friend," he said out loud. "You're my living from now on."
When he returned to the living room Myra had rolled over on her belly, hiding her more dominant features. He went to the bedroom, found a blanket and returned to toss it over the sleeping figure. Then Cal straightened up and looked around the room. He quickly found what he was after. He searched through the purse until he had the wallet. There was about a hundred dollars inside the flap. He took fifty of it and blew a kiss to the girl. 'Thanks, baby," he grinned. "I can use it." Cal figured she owed him that much for services rendered. It was a bargain for her the way she'd taken him.
He walked quietly to the door and stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him. Cal took a deep breath and the air smelled of cooking food. That made him hungry and he headed for the elevator.
An hour later Cal was in a cab cruising down Collins Avenue through the heart of Miami Beach. He knew that his mouth had been open for the last ten minutes and he'd taken in the sights. He was a Chicago boy but he'd never seen anything as splashy as this. Money, money, money, everything smelled of it, from the glittering fronts of the buildings to the cars roaming the streets. Caddys were as numerous as Tootsie Toys in a boy's play-yard. A doorman in assorted braid stood by every hotel and every restaurant tried to outdo the next with a fancy sign.
The cab driver interrupted his thinking. "You never did tell me where you want to go, buddy," he reminded Cal.
That was a good question. Cal didn't know himself. But he used logic. His purpose here was to meet a rich woman. If that was the case then he had to go where the money was. Cal mentally counted his money. With the fifty from Myra he had over nine hundred. Certainly that should be enough to last him until he made a contact. Out loud he said, "What's the fanciest place on the beach?"
The driver shrugged. "Probably the Palm Gardens."
"Is that where the wealthy women stay?"
The cab driver twisted around in his seat and took a long look at his fare. "That the way it is?"
Cal wasn't sure what the driver was thinking but he had a pretty good idea. "Yeah," he agreed. "That's the way it is."
The hackee turned back in time to miss an oncoming Bentley. "You want the Garden Terrace, fella," he said. "You get all types at that place. You might as well work with the best odds. You sure as hell got enough competition."
Cal ignored the crack. "Take me there then." The driver shook his head. "No dice. That joint's full up." He added, "Unless...."
"Unless what."
"It's just that I got this friend at the desk. He might let you have a break if I give him the word."
Cal had been around long enough to recognize the squeeze. "Okay," he snapped. "How much?"
"Twenty bucks."
"Make it ten."
The driver shrugged and held out his hand. "Okay."
Cal handed him a bill and within a minute they turned off the street and up beneath a brilliantly lighted canopy.
The doorman snapped to attention and opened the door. However, when he saw the bag on the front seat he hesitated. "Are you planning on registering, sir?" he asked.
"That's the general idea," Cal admitted.
The figure resplendent in gold braid looked about ready to cry. "I'm very sorry, sir, but we are full."
"Tell Bill I sent him," the driver interjected.
I'm sorry," the doorman repeated.
Cal saw the hackee wink at him and got the drift. He found another ten and handed it across. It was enough to make the Black Seas part ... or at least back the doorman off a bit. He took the bag and bowed. "This way, sir."
Cal paid his bill and followed the unattached general through the large glass doors into the lobby. He tried to look as if he belonged here but it was hard. The enormity of the place intimidated him. It was like being in a fish bowl with furniture.
But despite his tremors, Cal managed to get a look around. He quickly counted the number of unescorted females in the lobby. There were quite a number and Cal was sure he'd come to the right place.
By the time Cal made the desk the clerk was ready with the same, sad story. "I'm sorry, sir," he explained rather haughtily. "We just don't have any vacancies."
Cal was on the verge of getting mad, figuring he'd been taken right down the line. But he contained himself and found another ten dollar bill.
"Maybe we do have something at that," the clerk said, palming the money and beating a fast retreat. "Yes, 706 should do you nicely. I'm sorry but we'll have to charge you for double occupancy."
"Just give me the key," Cal growled impatiently.
"Will you be staying long?"
Cal glanced around at the females with their furs, despite the warm evening. "It depends," he said.
The clerk rang a bell and a bellhop appeared as if by magic. He picked up the bag and indicated that Cal should follow him.
The room was nothing special. Certainly it wasn't anything like Myra's place. Cal had begun to wonder if it wouldn't have been better for him to have stayed there for the night. It sure would have been a hell of a lot cheaper.
"Will there be anything else?" the bellboy asked.
Cal started to shake his head and then changed his mind. "Yeah," he admitted. "How would you like to make a few extra bucks?"
The kid wasn't more than nineteen. His smile indicated that he liked the idea very much. "Doing what?"
"Steering me to the loose women with lots of money. I'll give you ten bucks for each contact." Cal brought out another bill and handed it across. "Here's your first one in advance."
"Sure," the bellhop grinned. "Anything you say. I'll have you onto one by tomorrow night. They're all over."
"See that you do," Cal grunted. "That's all for now."
When the kid had gone, Cal loosened his tie and went to the window. If he expected to look out onto Miami Beach he was disappointed. All he had a view of was the other wing of the building a short distance away. Cal swore at the clerk for giving him such a lousy room. He'd have to take care of that little matter tomorrow.
He sat down on the bed and tried to think. It was an effort. It had been one hell of a long day up to this point. On top of everything else was the thirty bucks it had cost him to get this hole in the wall.
But it might be worth it at that, Cal told himself. He had the bellhop on his side. There was a good chance that by tomorrow night he'd have made a contact and wouldn't need any more money. After all, Cal reasoned, it takes money to make money.
However, at the moment Cal had another problem. Should he sleep, eat or drink? He looked at his watch and then remembered he'd hocked it to get money for this trip.
Finally he decided it didn't really matter what time it was. In Miami Beach things went on all night. He went into the bathroom and threw cold water on his face and then found a clean shirt. With the way his dough was going, Cal had decided it might be best to get the lay of the land as soon as possible.
Before he left the room Cal checked himself out before the full length mirror backing the closet door. It still seemed odd to see himself in civilian clothing. For ten years he'd worn nothing but khaki. However, the court martial had taken care of that little matter. Cal fingered the silk suit, remembering the two hundred bucks it had cost. Right from the start he'd bought nothing but the best, figuring on using the bundle he'd made in his black market operations to see him through. If he was to find a rich dame and marry her he couldn't look like a bum. You sure as hell can't catch a fish without any bait.
Satisfied with what he saw, Cal left the room and took the elevator to the lobby. It was almost empty now and he stood near the center trying to make his mind up about whether he needed a drink before food or the other way around.
He was suddenly aware that he was no longer alone. Two men about his age had come up to him, one on either side.
The tall one spoke first. "You the guy in 706?" He wasn't friendly.
Cal nodded, admitting it, wondering what was going on. "What's it to you?" he asked.
The second figure nodded at the first and then turned to Cal. "We'd like a little word with you." He was equally as curt.
"So talk," Cal prompted.
"Not here," the taller man said. "Outside."
Cal felt a strong hand on his arm and he resisted, beginning to get angry. He had an ominous feeling he didn't like, not one bit. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the youthful bellhop watching what was going on.
"Come on," the smaller of the two prompted.
"Go to hell," Cal spat. He began to walk away.
"Look, fella," the first man hissed. "We don't want to get tough. All we want to do is talk to you."
"Then do your talking here," Cal growled.
The lobby had begun to fill as the first floor show in the attached nightclub ended. It was as if it were a signal to the two men. They each took hold of Cal's arms and began to lead him towards the door exiting to the pool.
Cal had the damnedest feeling he was being taken for a ride by a Chicago mob.
CHAPTER FOUR
Once outside Cal shook himself free. "Would you boys mind telling me what this is all about?"
About that time a new figure made his appearance. He was tall and resplendent in his carefully tailored dinner jacket. His face was chiseled granite with eyes to match. A gold cigarette holder protruded from between his thin lips. "You are Mr. Simpson I believe," the newcomer said. His voice had a cultured quality.
"So?" Cal snapped, puzzled as to what was going on.
I'm Phil Mitchel." He held out his hand but Cal pointedly ignored it. "Are you planning on being with us long?" he continued.
"I can't see that that's any of your business," Cal growled.
"But it is our business," Mitchel countered. "You see, we're sort of a welcoming committee."
"A hell of a way to greet someone," Cal shot back angrily, attempting to straighten his rumpled clothing. He looked around him. The pool area was deserted and only the colored beams beneath the water added any light to the scene.
Mitchel flipped an ash to the ground. "I asked you if you planned on staying long." There was an edge of flint in his voice.
"And I said it was none of your damned business."
Mitchel continued as if he hadn't heard Cal. "I understand that you asked the bellhop to help you line up a wealthy woman. From this I must assume that you're down here on a business trip." He shrugged. "I'm afraid that we must ask you to leave." He added hastily, "Of course we're perfectly willing to pay your fare back to wherever you came from."
"Why the bum's rush?" Cal was curious now and decided to play it by ear.
Mitchel was blunt. "You're too damned handsome and we don't like competition."
Cal stared at the other two men and then back at the ringleader. He had it now and almost laughed in their faces. These guys were after the same thing he was. "You must be nuts," he snapped, "thinking you can squeeze me out like this. I've got the same right as you."
"Not quite," Mitchel disagreed. "There's a little group of us who have spent our winters down here for years. You might say that, by gentlemen's agreement, we discourage competition." He shrugged and smiled, showing an even set of pearl-white teeth. "I'm afraid that it's a closed club."
"Then open it up," Cal said. "I'm joining that gigolo society."
The taller man broke into the conversation. "Hell, Phil, this guy's too stupid to take a hint. He wants it the hard way."
"I'm afraid you're right," Mitchel sighed. "You'd better fix him up so that he isn't so pretty any more." Cal tensed, knowing full well what they were up to.
The shorter figure was the stockier of the two and he swung first. It was a clumsy blow, landing harmlessly on Cal's shoulder.
Now Cal backed away a little, warily watching the two men advance on him while their leader looked on in amused interest. He waited his opportunity and it wasn't long coming. The short man made the mistake of getting in range of Cal's massive fists. Cal lashed out with professional ease and met a nose head on. It tilted crazily to one side and the little man went down screaming and clawing at his broken face.
The taller figure hesitated, unsure of himself. It was a fatal mistake. Cal closed his fist and struck it hard against the tall man's face, making sure his ring scraped down to bone on the cheek. Then quickly and methodically he cut the man down to size with a series of jabs that were like sledge hammer blows. When he collapsed he wasn't so pretty any more.
Cal felt good. A scrap was just what he needed. He turned his attention to Mitchel. "Now it's your turn, buster," he spat. "Maybe you should have checked a little further into my background. I was heavyweight champ or my outfit in Germany." Grinning, Cal advanced on the man.
But Mitchel had no stomach for any more of this. He was too intent on keeping his attractive features intact. White-faced he backed away towards the edge of the pool. "Now look," he protested vigorously. "We made a little mistake. You can come into the group if you want."
"You're right," Cal agreed. "I'm in. I just elected myself." He was close to Mitchel now and took advantage of the situation. Mitchel screamed as the fist crushed into his nose. The blow was enough to cause him to lose his balance and he tumbled backwards into the pool.
Cal hesitated long enough to see that the guy could swim and then turned and walked away, ignoring the moans of pain from the two men on the ground. He no longer felt hungry. All of a sudden his tiredness had caught up to him. What he needed now was a good night's sleep. Cal headed for his room.
When Cal opened his eyes the next morning the first thing he grabbed for was a cigarette. Then he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and tried to wake up. It was no use without coffee so he got on the phone and ordered some.
Cal went to the window and looked out at the bleak view. He again damned the clerk for the lousy room. Standing there naked he surveyed the windows of the other close-by rooms across the narrow well. Most of the blinds were down with the exception of one and that's where Cal's eyes concentrated. A couple stood by the opening, ignoring the outside world ... or at least it seemed that way to Cal until he realized the girl's eyes were on him. She was young and rather attractive and losing more clothing by the second as her partner stripped her down. Before long they were both nude and in the beginning process of the mating act. As the man bent down to chew at a breast the girl smiled over at Cal and he returned the expression. Finally she was picked up and carried towards an invisible bed. Her last act was to blow a kiss in Cal's direction.
He turned away, chuckling and damning women, all in the same breath. They were nothing but a bunch of teases willing to accept the best offer available. He was sure if he'd have asked, the dame across the way would have left her partner and finished with him.
Cal admired himself as he shaved and dressed quickly. Now and then he glanced at the closed door, wishing the coffee would arrive.
He used the time to take stock of himself. In the daylight he reconsidered the events of the night before. As it stood now he figured he'd been a little hasty in seeking out someone with dough. He'd been a little heavy handed and should have waited at least a day to get the lay of the land.
Not that he regretted the run-in with the gigolo boys. If they felt that way he would have bumped up against them eventually. It was just as well to get it over with right off the bat. Now he was sure they'd give him no more trouble.
The problem at the moment was to figure his next move. The plan was simple enough. He intended finding a woman with enough money to keep him in the style to which he'd like to become accustomed. Up until now the whole thing had been rather hazy in his mind, like a dream a man has but never gets to carry out.
However, Cal found himself in Miami Beach and it was time to make his move.
He realized now that he should have known there'd be competition. No one is ever able to work a gold mine alone. And this joint was a gold mine. He could tell that from just his brief look last night at the money walking around.
The knock at the door interrupted his thinking. He opened the panel and saw the bellhop with his coffee. Cal smiled grimly as he recognized the pint-sized youth who'd spilled the beans to Mitchel. "You and I are about to have a talk," he growled.
The youth entered the room and put the tray down nervously.
"Look," he stammered. "I didn't know those guys were going to get rough. I had to tell them. They pay me to keep them on the in of what's going on."
"What's your name?" Cal snapped.
"Mickey."
Cal held out his hand. "Okay, Mickey, first I want my ten bucks back and then you're going to get what they got."
The youth went a shade whiter. "No," he said sharply. He almost broke his wrist getting into his pocket and hauling out the money. "You can have the dough but keep your mitts off me. Those bums you tangled with are all banged up. I was watching. I never seen anything as beautiful as the way you cut them down to size."
Cal poured himself a cup of the coffee and watched Mickey over the hp of the steaming cup. "You got any reasons why I shouldn't do the same to you?"
Mickey nodded vigorously. "Sure ... sure. You wanted a lead on dames. I'll get as many as you want. It won't cost you a dime. And you won't have any competition."
"Don't tell me those three were the only romeos around," Cal scoffed.
"The boys cut the hotels up between them," Mickey explained quickly. "Phil, Jake and Ben had this one. As long as you don't go out of the territory you got it made. We got women screaming for men."
"I don't want women," Cal emphasized. "I want a certain type. She has to be unmarried, looking for a husband and wealthy."
Mickey didn't believe what he'd just heard. "You ain't going to marry one?" he said.
That's right," Cal said, ignoring the youth's surprise. "Now when you find me one I want you to tell her I'm a rich guy from the north and that I'm loaded. That way she won't figure I'm just another fortune hunter."
Mickey didn't seem so sure. "That will take money," he said slowly.
"I've got it," Cal said. "You just do as I say. Our deal stands. I'll give you ten for each lead and if I hit one I'll give you a hundred from the profits."
A look of respect crossed the youth's face. "Say, you really got this thing figured. All of these bums come down here without two nickels to scratch together. They figure from dame to dame. You got a real plan."
"Are you with me?" Cal smiled. He added, "You know what will happen if you aren't."
Mickey winked and made a circle with his forefingers. "Gotcha. You go down to the pool about eleven and sit around so the dames can get a gander at that chest of yours. If I find one I'll zero her in."
"Got any ideas?"
Mickey nodded and headed for the door. "Yeah," he admitted. "I think I do. I'll talk to you later."
Cal settled back in the chair and finished his coffee. It was looking easier all the time. Just the same he made a mental note not to trust the little squirt. He'd crossed him once and was capable of doing it again.
It was quarter to eleven when Cal settled into the deck chair beside the pool. He ordered a whisky and soda and went to work. For a moment he debated going into the water but gave the idea up. Why take a chance of rusting?
There were sure enough dames around the pool. They came in assorted shapes and sizes, small, medium and large. For a time Cal joined the other men in studying one particular woman who was doing something mighty unusual, swimming. This particular one was very attractive and had on a suit that seemed to defy gravity as she bounced up and down on the diving board. It seemed impossible that her breasts didn't flop out into the open.
When nothing happened Cal lost interest and looked for greener pastures. More than once a cute thing hesitated by his chair and looked him over.
Cal knew that if he didn't find what he was after today, he would at least wind up with company for the evening. He was in a romantic mood and only the thought of what he was after kept him attending to business. Most of these dames were just begging to be made. No wonder the men hung around the pool.
Cal didn't notice the new couple make their entrance until they'd settled into deck chairs beside his. When he did look over he recognized the woman he'd seen earlier through the window across the well. Close up she was fairly good looking, with a figure to match. Of course she had on a few more clothes than he last remembered but the sleek, white suit didn't hide much.
In the minutes that followed Cal caught her looking his way a half dozen times. Finally, she leaned over and said something to her boyfriend and he got up and left.
Cal wondered what was up. The woman had a look in her eye. When her man was out of sight she moved over beside him.
"Did you enjoy yourself this morning," she asked, smiling.
Cal couldn't tell if she was angry or not. "You should learn to pull the shades down," he grinned. "That makes it less frustrating to the onlooker."
"Were you frustrated?"
Cal lied a little. "I suppose so." He let his eyes drift down her slender body. "You're a beautiful woman without clothes."
Subconsciously, in a gesture practiced by all women, she arched her back a little, pressing her breasts into bigger mounds. "Thank you for the compliment," she said slowly. "But frustration runs two ways. Remember, I saw you too."
Cal grinned. "I guess you did."
She let her eyes linger on his muscular physique. "You spoiled the morning for me."
"How's that?"
"My boyfriend isn't nearly as much of a man as you are. I expected more and got less."
Cal reflected that this was a mightly odd conversation to be having with a total stranger. He wondered just how far she would carry it and decided to play along. He nodded in the direction her companion had taken. "He your boyfriend?"
"My fiance. We're being married tonight."
Cal grinned. "Just getting in a little practice beforehand, eh?"
"Something like that," the girl admitted. She added. "But you spoiled it."
"Sorry." Cal couldn't have cared less, but he did like practicing his charms. "Of course," he added slowly, "it could be fixed."
"I've thought of that," she admitted.
"And?" Cal prompted.
The girl shook her head. "It would be a terrible thing to do with me getting married tonight."
"But still legal."
She smiled. "It would be legal but hardly ethical. I wish you'd have minded your own business this morning."
"You didn't have to look."
Her smile broadened. "That's true enough. The trouble is that I did."
Cal could tell instinctively her need was building so he pressed his advantage. At the same time he tried to figure how old she was. Somewhere around twenty-five he finally decided. "I haven't a thing to do for the next hour."
The girl gave herself away. "I couldn't stay that long," she said quickly. "We'd only have fifteen minutes."
"That's long enough to get rid of your frustrations," Cal said.
The girl appeared to be thinking, biting her hp in the process. At that instant her boyfriend appeared, coming towards them and she swung around on her chair. "I'll tell him that I have to go to the room for something," she whispered. "I'll meet you at your place."
Chuckling to himself, Cal turned away. The damned little flirt, he thought, not satisfied with what she already had, wanting something better. Her excuse about seeing him in the window was probably a lot of hogwash just to cover her passionate needs. Cal pitied the poor slob that was going to marry her. Tins one would be nothing but trouble.
Just the same she'd offered him herself on a silver platter. He'd be a sap not to take her. She looked young and firm enough to really give him a good time.
Besides, Cal reasoned, he wasn't doing any good out here at the moment. His mind made up, he left the pool area and went to his room. He'd been there five minutes when he began wondering if the girl had been giving him a line.
The knock at the door settled the issue. Cal opened it and there she was, smiling uncertainly, already unfastening the fancy lacings down the front of her swim suit.
Cal was pleased with himself. He continued to draw the dames like a magnet
CHAPTER FIVE
"You must think I'm awfully brazen," the girl said, "coming into your room like this."
"Something like that," Cal admitted. He closed the door and locked it.
She finished with the fastenings and a strip from her neck to the navel was bare. The bathing suit remained in place held by the straps. "I've got to know something," the girl said, her eyes leveled on his. "I've only been to bed with a few men in my life."
"The guy downstairs one of them?"
She nodded. "John's like the others. He can't seem to satisfy me. I've got to know if it's him or me?"
"And you want to experiment with me?"
She nodded, biting her lip. "I know it sounds terrible but after I saw you this morning I realized there were all types of men. I began to wonder if I was making a mistake in marrying one that couldn't take care of me properly. If I'm incapable then it doesn't matter. But if he is......" She let the sentence drift on unfinished.
She'd come to the wrong guy, Cal reflected. He'd never met a girl yet that he couldn't satisfy. He knew that when he finished with this one there'd be no marriage. But that was none of his concern. He couldn't worry about other people's problems. All he was interested in at the moment was sex. He moved to the girl and she shivered as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Surprisingly she was desirable.
"Is it so wrong?" she said, looking up into his eyes, hoping Cal would make it right.
"Don't worry about it." Cal soothed. "This is just an experiment, remember?" He plucked the straps free and she let them slide down her arms to the waist. She was breathing hard and with each breath the unsupported suit slid lower on the breasts until the cloth fell away and her fullness was in the open.
Cal was a little disappointed at the size of the bosom. It was small and tight. He touched one and it was buried beneath his grasp.
"I wish they were bigger," the girl whispered. "I just never grew much there."
"You should have let the boys play with them," Cal grinned. "That does a fine job."
"I was afraid," she said.
"Of what?"
"When I was touched there I always wanted to take everything else off."
"Like now?"
The girl nodded soberly, kissing him on the lips. "Like now."
Cal found the zipper on the back of the suit and ran it down and plunged his hands beneath the cloth. Her buttocks were firm and smooth and responsive to his touch. She made little sounds and pushed herself against him, trying to gain more feeling through their remaining clothing.
"We'll have to hurry," she said softly. "There isn't much time."
"Some things can't be hurried," Cal explained patiently. "If you want fulfillment you have to build towards it."
Passion was showing in her expression. "Take everything off of me," she pleaded.
Cal could tell she was ready. It showed in her movements. They weren't even and measured but rather spasmodic as if with no definite purpose other than getting closer to him. Even so he felt himself slipping and wanting her pretty badly himself. Her amateurishness was refreshing in a world of too-capable women.
The movements continued as he pushed her away and finished undressing her. The suit was stiff from artificial padding at the bosom but when she'd finished stripping she was worth a long look. The fullness of her body made up for the flatness of her chest.
She followed his eyes and smiled. "I feel terribly naked."
"You are."
"But you aren't," she pouted.
Cal took care of that little matter and then brought their bare bodies together. Her warmth was exhilarating and she continued pounding her hips at him. Cal could feel the muscles of her buttocks tighten and relax with her efforts.
He guided her towards the bed and she sat on the edge of the mattress, her eyes admiring his physique.
Her smile faded abruptly. "This might spoil everything," she said. "Supposing I like you best? Then how will I be able to face John?"
Cal could see that he was on the verge of losing her. With some women you have to be careful. Just when you think you have them firmly hooked they slip off. The moment of truth is always on the bed, when they either let you do it or they don't.
Cal took no chances. He wanted this dame, badly. She'd really worked him up with her pushing and wiggling. He reached out and grasped a breast. Her flesh was sweet as he bent over and kissed her, fondling her body with slow caressing strokes.
She finally rolled over on the bed and gave in completely, stretching her legs and handing him the key to her womanhood.
Her breath came in gasps and sweat sparkled on the tips of her bosom. "Take me," she said huskily.
Cal descended on her gently, listening to her pleased gasp as he made contact and then pressed his advantage, slowly becoming a part of her. In that instant he knew she hadn't had many men and the experience of becoming a part of her was heady. She lifted herself to accept him and they settled down to a slow, measured rhythm with only one end in mind.
Cal matched her movements and fought for some control. This time there was none and together they rose towards the ultimate in passion.
"It's lovely," the girl cried, keeping up a running commentary on what was happening to her. "Don't stop ... harder ... faster ... faster ... now ... oooooh!"
Cal worked on her as he hadn't worked on a woman in a long time, driving her deep into the mattress on every pass and feeling her lunge up at him.
And what followed was poetry in sex. Together they arrived at the crest and together they plunged over the edge. The girl's eyes widened as it happened, her own ecstasy increased by the man's intense pleasure. She gave a little gasp of happiness and collapsed back onto the bed.
For Cal's part he was exhausted. He could only continue to lay on her and rest. He hadn't the strength to do anything else.
It was the girl who moved first. "What time is it?" she asked.
"Who knows?" Cal grunted. "Sometime between dawn and dusk."
"John will be worried. I was only supposed to be gone fifteen minutes "
"Sorry?"
The girl struggled from beneath him and sat on the edge of the bed. "No. Maybe I should be but I'm not." She stretched her arms and her breasts grew taut. "I feel wonderful."
"Are you going to marry this John?"
"I don't know," the girl said, her smile fading.
"Does he make you feel like this."
"Hardly," she said. "With him I always have to pretend I enjoy it."
"Maybe it was the same with me," Cal suggested.
The girl made a face. "What reason is there for me to do that with you? I feel all kind of tingly." She added, getting to her feet, "But I really must go."
Cal lay there and watched her through the open door as she went into the other room and picked up her swimming suit from the place it'd been dropped. It was funny, he reflected, she was certainly no raving beauty but she'd been able to take care of him in grand style. He studied the long, lean legs that'd been wrapped around him and the full hips that had been the driving force. As he'd thought before, Cal decided, it was probably her very freshness that'd made her so good.
Cal got up off the bed and approached her. "You aren't so menacing now," she teased.
"Come here and say that," Cal challenged.
The girl moved easily into his arms. Her suit dangled in her hand over her shoulder. She tilted her mouth and kissed him heatedly.
"You do that again," Cal warned, "and you won't be leaving here."
"I know," the girl agreed.
"Want it again?"
"I should go." There was no firmness to her words. Cal ran his hands down her smooth back, caressing her buttocks.
"Don't do that," she whispered. "I'll have to say yes if you do."
"You like that?"
"I love that. It makes me want you again."
"Then let's go to bed."
Her suit dropped from her fingers and she leaned against him for strength as he continued caressing her body. "What are you doing to me?" she cried softly. "How can I say no when you touch me like that?"
Cal had done a good job of bringing himself back to the point of taking her again. Not that she hadn't helped with the continual gyrations of her body. Cal enjoyed the power he was having over the girl. It wasn't the first time. He'd felt his strength before. It usually came with dames like this who hadn't had a man worth having until they'd met him.
"You'd better go," Cal reminded her.
She shook her head. "Later."
"What about John?" Cal was twisting the knife and he knew it.
Her eyes were fogged as she found his mouth and tried to absorb his tongue. "Forget him, forget everything. Do it to me. I want you-nowF' Her words had a muffled quality as they were spoken down his throat.
Cal continued caressing her skillfully. He enjoyed watching the sensations derived from his touch play across her face. Her eyes were closed and she breathed heavily as he continued to fondle her, playing with her like some beautiful toy. It was the same as if he'd hypnotized her. The breasts, once small, were now enlarged with the tips standing out like large, red roses. He bent down and kissed one, wishing it were even larger.
In time she opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "You're tearing me apart," she whispered.
Cal eased her to the floor and for a moment looked down at the figure spread in complete surrender. Then he knelt down and kissed her belly, drawing at the sweet flesh.
The girl reached out and pulled him to her and Cal shivered as his body touched her warmth. He hesitated a second and she raised her body to meet his impatiently.
This time the girl was ready for him and Cal's head spun at the pleasures of smoothly entering her body.
She opened her eyes and smiled. "That's lovely," she sighed. "That's real lovely. I like it. I want to keep you forever."
Cal pillowed her head off the floor with his hand and brushed their lips together.
Her powerful hips raised Cal off the floor momentarily and their union was absolute. I'm close but I don't want to be," she cried.
He pushed at her and the hard floor beneath them was a barrier allowing him to gain even greater depths.
The girl cried out in passion and suddenly her body was clawing at him, demanding fulfillment.
It wasn't long in coming, even surprising Cal at the swiftness. The girl beneath him writhed in ecstasy and then collapsed.
Cal was bushed. Now he only wanted to get rid of the girl and rest. He shook her awake and together they climbed to their feet.
For a time both of them were silent as she again found her swimming suit. She was about to put it on when she raised her eyes towards the window and her expression went white.
Cal followed her gaze and almost fell through the floor. Neither of them had remembered the blinds. Across the well, staring back at them with an equally shocked expression, was the young man known as John.
The girl made a funny little noise and began to cry.
Cal felt unable to help her as he watched her dress quickly. Then, without a word, she went through the door and slammed it behind her.
CHAPTER SIX
The mobe cal thought about the scene earlier in the afternoon the funnier it became. He could still see John staring at them with that damned stupid expression on his face. It wasn't as if the girl and Cal hadn't had a warning about the closeness of the windows. That's what'd started it all in the first place. It had been a stupid thing not to draw the blinds at the beginning.
Cal sat in the quiet bar enjoying his drink. He'd slept most of the afternoon and then snuck down here before the crowd came in.
He looked around him but there wasn't much to see. Just one couple in a booth far to the rear and another guy at the bar. Certainly nothing exciting. The gentle music was almost lulling him back to sleep.
Cal studied the half-nude etchings above the mirror backing the wood, his mind drifting. So far he knew he'd been doing nothing but wasting valuable time. First Myra and then the chick upstairs whose name he never did find out.
Cal was a little angry at himself for that. When he'd come up with his idea the general idea was to quit giving himself for free and use what he had to offer to make him set for life.
About all he'd done thus far was to have a ball. Cal excused it on the basis that he might hook up with some cold dame who liked his looks but didn't want to sample his wares.
Just how did a guy get started on a search like this? Cal didn't have the answer. He'd spent hours looking over the women in the hotel and was half blind from searching out wedding rings. So far his only connection was the bellboy, Mickey. And he hadn't seen that shrimp since early in the morning.
Cal's thoughts drifted back to the girl he'd just had. In a way he knew that he should feel sorry for the girl. But she'd brought the roof down on herself with her experiments. Actually Cal felt that she was a fool. If the guy she'd been about to hook up with had money what the hell did anything else matter? Three quarters of the women in the country faked in bed. Then they climbed right out and went in search of the real thing. All that mattered was that they had the paper proving that their man should pay for their keep.
The girl should have kept her pants on until tomorrow. Then it would have been too late for the sucker she was marrying. Now she was really messed up and probably oft in some corner crying. "How whores are born," Cal mumbled to himself.
The barkeep looked up from his polishing. "You say something, sir?"
"Yeah," Cal agreed, pushing his glass across the bar. "Fill it up."
While he was waiting he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Cal turned around and saw Mickey standing a foot below him. "What the hell do you want?" he snapped.
The bellhop was grinning from ear to ear. He looked around to see if anyone was listening. "I got you a connection."
Cal felt suddenly better. "Who?"
"I'll point her out. Follow me."
Cal ignored the fresh whisky and paid the bartender off and slid from the stool. He joined Mickey at the door to the lounge.
"That's her," the kid said, pointing a finger in the direction of the crowded lobby.
Cal looked in the direction of the motion. At first he saw nothing. Then he realized there was a single woman seated at a writing desk. What looked like a mink coat was casually draped across the back of the chair; "Who is she?" he asked.
"Miss Mary Harding," Mickey said. "She checked in about an hour ago. I carried her luggage up to her room. From the size of her jewels and that mink she's loaded. Not to mention the roll she was carrying."
"No boyfriends."
"If there was any they'd be crawling all over the place by now. This dish is a real doll."
"Where does she get her money from?" Cal asked.
"Now look, pal," the bellhop protested. "That ain't part of the deal. I could tell you how many teeth she's got but not for no ten bucks. I did see that she was put in a room right across the hall from yours, 708." He held out his hand.
Reluctantly Cal handed over the money. "Got any ideas on how I can meet her?"
Mickey stuffed the money in his pocket. "That's your problem, friend. If you're going to stay in this business you gotta use your imagination a little." He started away and then stopped, adding, "Remember, you make a hookup it's fifty more clams."
Cal nodded impatiently and moved back into the lobby. He sat there for the better part of an hour, studying the woman who made no move to leave the desk. From the cards she was writing she had a hell of a lot of friends.
She was good looking and for that Cal was grateful. Her hair was almost jet black and not too long. He was at a poor angle to see the front of her but from the swell of her hips he figured she'd do. He guessed her age at around thirty.
But the big problem at the moment was how to meet her. Cal knew that the cards had been dealt and it was time for him to make his move. However, he was damned if he could figure an angle. With some women the approach is simple. You just walk up to them and ask, "Would you care to sleep with me?" You got your face slapped a lot but you also got a lot of sex.
This one was different. She was class. That much was obvious, even from a distance. The only time she would level out with other women was when her clothes came off ... and that might take some doing.
Finally the woman got up and started towards the elevator. She walked right past Cal with her pug-nose high in the air. He'd been right about the super structure. There was plenty of it, wrapped in a clinging black dress.
He followed quickly and caught the same elevator. As Cal's luck would have it the elevator filled to capacity and he couldn't get close to her.
On their floor she walked ahead of him and was in her room before he could even get close. Cal paused at his door and damned his luck. Was he losing his touch?
He went into his room to think this thing over. Cal left the door slightly ajar in case the woman came out. Then he sat on the couch and tried to think while he worked his way through a pack of cigarettes.
Women with class were a little out of Cal's line. He'd had all kinds come at him but they weren't usually the best. A few were in the upper social level but these only wanted a brief, illicit thrill with a man who' could do a good job.
Cal was so deeply absorbed in his problem that he didn't hear the gentle knock at the door. The second time it came, the panel swung open beneath the pressure of the knuckles and Cal saw the girl he'd taken earlier in the afternoon facing him across the threshold.
He got to his feet quickly, glancing at the closed door across the hall, afraid lest his quarry be frightened off. "What the hell are you doing here?" he spat. She was the last person he wanted to see at a time like this.
The girl's face was swollen from crying. "I had to see you," she sobbed.
"What about?"
"Can I come in?" she asked hesitantly.
Cal nodded. It might be best to get her out of sight for the moment. "Yeah," he agreed reluctantly.
Inside the room, the girl turned to face Cal. "John and I aren't going to get married," she said, struggling to control her tears.
Cal was noncommittal. "So?"
"I don't know what to do," she continued. "He took all of his clothes and just walked out."
"Looks to me like you brought it on yourself," Cal said coldly. His mind worked rapidly, wondering how to get rid of this woman.
She looked at him imploringly. "He paid the hotel bill and checked us both out. I haven't any place to stay."
Cal began to get the drift. "Then you'd better go back to where you came from."
"I can't," the girl sobbed. "My father was against me marrying John in the first place. When I said we were coming here together he threw me out of the house and called me a lot of nasty names."
"Well," Cal snapped, anticipating her next request, "you can't stay here."
She shook her head quickly. "I don't want to do that. I just need some money until I can find a job."
Cal almost laughed in her face. Who did she think he was, Santa Claus? It had been her idea to come up here, not his. Anything that had come from her mistake wasn't of his doing. He had no intention of handing out any dough. "No dice," he said brusquely. "You made your own bed. Now it's time you laid in it."
The girl looked at him, not believing that he'd refused her request. Fresh tears began to pour down her cheeks. "Just a few dollars," she pleaded. "I haven't even enough for dinner."
"Then go out and earn it," Cal snapped, nodding towards the door. "There are plenty of ways down here. With that body of yours you might make enough to get by." Somehow Cal had the feeling he was throwing Little Eva out into the snow. He tried to squelch his conscience. This dame wasn't his responsibility.
"You mean sell myself?" she said, shocked.
"Why not?" Cal shrugged. "You wouldn't be the first"
She started to say something else but nothing came out of her open mouth. Instead, tears flooded her face once more.
Cal was tired of the scene. "I think you'd better leave now," he growled. I'm expecting company."
"Another woman?" the girl said bitterly. That's my business."
She hesitated a moment longer and then left, a picture of dejection.
When the girl had gone Cal swore at all women for the messes they got themselves into. The episode had shaken him and he pulled out an emergency bottle he kept in his suitcase. Cal had a water glass half full and almost to his lips when a blood-curdling scream shattered the quiet. Cal's heart went through his shoes as a suspicion hit him as to what had happened.
He dropped the glass and headed for the door, yanking it open and moving quickly into the hall. At first he saw nothing. Then he spotted the curtains of the window at the other end fluttering inward. Cal remembered that window as being closed before.
Holding his breath, he approached the opening and looked out. His worst fears were confirmed.
Down below on a roof terrace all hell was breaking loose. People were converging on the scene from all directions. The center of attraction was a small figure sprawled out on the walk.
"The damned fool," Cal swore. The damned stupid fool." After leaving him she'd gone directly to the window and jumped.
As he watched he heard the wail of a siren in the distance. Two cops were already on the scene, bending over the girl.
Cal ducked back out of sight as the law looked up towards him. He didn't want to be involved in a mess like this. When he figured it was safe he peered down again.
At first he didn't believe what he saw. The girl was sitting up. She wasn't dead. Now how the hell could she have managed that? Then Cal spotted the torn canvas overhang fluttering in the gentle breeze. It must have acted as a safety net.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Cal pulled his head back in and sighed in relief. That had been close. If she'd been dead there might have been a lot of ugly questions.
It was then he discovered he wasn't alone. Unseen by him a second person had come up beside him and was now looking out of the window he'd just left.
Cal grinned broadly when he realized the newcomer was Mary Harding, the dame he'd been trying to meet. This could be a built-in opportunity. He lighted a cigarette and waited.
Her curiosity settled, the woman retreated back through the opening and their eyes met. "Terrible isn't it?" she said soberly. "What could cause a girl to do a thing like that?"
Cal shrugged. "A man probably. You women are pretty unstable when it comes to the opposite sex." It wasn't the greatest opening statement Cal had ever thought of but it'd have to do.
The woman smiled. "I should resent that remark but unfortunately it's true." She shivered. "I was in the shower when I heard her scream. I'll never forget that sound."
Cal nodded in agreement, trying not to stare at the lushness of the woman before him. She was really something. In her haste to find out what had happened she tossed a thin negligee over her damp body and the results were sensational. Her breasts were huge like plump watermelons, the kind of a bosom that defies containment. They moved with her every breath, sliding the dark outline of her nipples across the cloth. The robe was loosely fastened by only a belt, allowing the soft flesh of her body to peek through.
Cal liked big women and this was the biggest. Not fat, just well built. She was almost as tall as he and at six feet that was tall.
Cal realized he was staring. It was hard to do otherwise. "I don't know about you," he said at last, "but I could use a drink."
Mary Harding smiled gently. "That isn't a bad idea. I think I could use one too."
"There's a good bar downstairs," Cal suggested.
"That would take too long," the woman smiled. "My nerves are shattered. Why don't you come to my place?"
At that moment Cal knew that he'd made a score. All his worry about meeting the girl was as simple as that. If he'd known he could make contact this easily as a result of the other girl's jumping he might have taken the initiative and thrown her out of the window himself.
Cal followed the Harding woman back to her room, dollar signs dancing in his eyes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
If cal had any doubts concerning the wealth of the woman they were dispelled when he got a look at the inside of her suite. It was pure swank with a balcony looking out onto the ocean.
When Mary Harding excused herself to get decent, Cal used the opportunity to prowl. There were two mink coats in the closet, with a third one draped over a couch. Several pieces of jewelry were scattered over the coffee table, each looking like diamonds.
But the bankbook was Cal's biggest find. He'd hardly expected that to be out in the open. It was on the desk with several bills and filled-in checks beneath it. Making sure the woman wasn't looking, Cal peeked and a silent whistle escaped his lips. The last entry was for five hundred grand. His eyes almost fogged as he stared at the figures. It was hard for him to imagine anyone having that kind of money.
Satisfied that he'd hit it big, Cal returned to the couch and sat down and tried to appear casual. His work was cut out for him. From now on he had to convince the woman that he too was loaded. In that way, with luck, he might be able to get her down the aisle before she discovered otherwise.
What would follow didn't bother him much. Those were more of the bridges he didn't like to cross. If she didn't like the idea of supporting him then he'd gladly give her freedom ... for a price. But if she liked what he could do for her, and a woman like this needed a lot of taking care of, she would gladly keep him around and lavish her luxuries on him.
Cal was sensible enough to realize that the next few days or weeks would be expensive. He was prepared for that. It was a case of casting the bread on the waters.
The woman returned to the room and went directly to a bar built out from one wall. "I hope you like Scotch," she said, smiling. "I'm afraid that's all I have."
"Fine," Cal agreed.
The woman had changed into another negligee, one with more lace. She'd also put on underclothing beneath it. She brought him his drink and sat down on the chair across from him.
What followed was small talk, the conversation of two people getting to know each other better. Her name was Mary Harding and she asked him to call her Mary. She was from up in New York state, down here on a vacation.
When it was his turn to bat the ball Cal gave her the business. He laid it on thick, studying her expression closely to see how much of it she swallowed. From what he could see she took the bait, hook, line and sinker.
Cal found himself with a strange sensation as they talked. More than with any woman in recent years he wanted this one badly. She fairly oozed sex. Twice her negligee slid off her legs and he had a good view of her white panties. She had hips the size of which could drive him right through the bed.
And of course there were the breasts which defied description. Yes it would take a real man to put one of those to the test.
However, Cal had the feeling he was getting nowhere. Mary Harding seemed a trifle standoffish and it bothered him more than a little. Was she onto his game or was she just a cold broad? The only way to get an answer to that was to take something off and get his hands on the woman.
But Mary Harding wasn't the kind of a woman you made right away. Cal had sense enough to play it cool and see how the land lay.
Finally, he knew he had to do something. They just couldn't sit around here all night boozing it up. "I was wondering," he said during a quiet lull. "It's getting late and I thought you might like to go to dinner."
Mary raised one eyebrow. "With you?"
Cal grinned and looked around the room. "I don't see anybody else."
Mary laughed pleasantly. "I didn't mean it that way." She got to her feet. "I'd be delighted to accept your invitation."
Cal had been holding his breath. Now he exhaled his pleasure. "Fine," he agreed, starting for the door. "I'll go get dressed and pick you up in half an hour."
"You'd better make it an hour," Mary smiled. "I still have to finish that shower and make myself beautiful."
"You don't have far to go," Cal said.
"Where are we going?"
"Since this is your first night on the Beach I thought we might live it up a little. I'll show you the sights and maybe we'll do a little dancing."
"Fine," Mary agreed. "I'll see you in an hour."
Back in his room, Cal whistled happily as he laid out his evening clothes. Things looked real good now. The dame was beautiful and she was rich. What better combination could he ask for. Being married to her would be a real pleasure.
Of course marriage was a long way off. He still had a lot of ground work to lay first.
The only think that bothered him was the girl's cool attitude. He finally decided that that was how all wealthy women were. Maybe they figured they couldn't afford to take a chance of warming up too quickly.
It took Cal a half hour to shave, shower and dress. Finished, he admired himself in the mirror. There was no doubt about it, he reflected. He was damned good looking in a tux. He was glad that he'd bought it. The two hundred he'd spent on it would be returned a dozen or more times if the plan he had went through.
Now Cal thought about the young girl who'd jumped out of the window. It was the first time he'd had the chance to think of it since it'd happened. In a way he felt sorry for her. But then Cal shook off the thought. If he worried about every dame he'd ever been mixed up with he wouldn't have time for anything else.
Cal spent the next half hour thumbing through a guide book, trying to decide where to take Mary. He finally decided on the Tropicana. And at the same time Cal had a thought. Perhaps he should rent a big, fancy car for the occasion. He dismissed this thinking as foolish. She wouldn't figure anything was wrong if they went in a cab.
By now it was time to go back to her room and pick her up. Cal lighted a cigarette and wasn't surprised that the palms of his hands were damp. He felt like a kid out on his first date. In a way it was something like that, Cal reflected. An awful lot depended on the way he acted tonight.
Cal took himself firmly by the neck and walked across the hall. He swallowed hard and knocked. A voice inside invited him to come in and he did so.
The front room was empty and smelled of expensive perfume. Cal waited nervously by the couch for the girl to make her appearance. When she did he had to catch his breath.
Mary was absolutely ravishing. She wore a long evening gown that clung alluringly to her full, hips. But the best effect was on top. More breast than seemed decent showed. The full mounds drifted down and then arched gently outwards until the cloth contained the rounded ends. It was anybody's guess as to how that material stayed in place. She walked towards him and the bosom trembled like jello on a platter. And when she leaned over to get her gloves from the table he was able to look down between the valley of her breasts and see things which were even more interesting.
"You like my dress I see," Mary smiled. She'd been following his eyes.
"I certainly do," Cal agreed. He added, "And I like what's in it. I only hope you don't fall apart and we get arrested."
Mary laughed and took hold of his arm. "I'll stay together," she promised. "I use a good brand of stickum tape."
"I'll have to take your word for that," Cal chuckled. He held his arm out for her. "Shall we go?"
The evening that followed was a disaster from Cal's point of view. And an expensive disaster at that. He shot the works on Mary Harding and in return she gave him nothing, no encouragement, no flirting looks ... nothing. She accepted his presence as if it didn't matter to her whether it was he or someone else paying the tabs.
When they danced she kept well away from him, not even allowing Cal a free feel. And, trite to her word, she never did fall apart. Her dress remained constantly in the same position on her breasts.
Cal couldn't figure her out. She was cool without being cold. If he attempted to get closer to her she adroitly managed to back away.
The biggest blow came when they returned to her hotel room. He had hoped that she'd invite him in for a nightcap and things would begin happening after that.
Not so. Mary Harding gave him a pleasant smile, shook his hand and bade him goodnight and closed the door in his face.
Cal stood there steaming. He didn't know if he was maddest because of the hundred bucks he'd spent or because for the first time since he could remember he'd struck out. He wasn't used to being treated like any other guy-
Only the thought of all that money kept him from knocking on the door again and raping her when she came out.
But was the dough worth it? Cal thought so as he went into his own room. He realized now that this wasn't going to be as easy as he'd once imagined. This was one woman who wasn't about to fall over in a dead faint because he was handsome.
The worst part of it was that he wanted her. Some dames he could take or leave alone. But just being near this one shot his blood pressure up a half dozen points. There'd been a time during the evening when he'd gladly have paid her the hundred he'd spent just to get into the sack with her.
Cal stripped off his clothes and took a stiff drink, planning his campaign. He could hardly afford spending money as he had tonight. From here on out he had to take her to places that looked expensive but were cheap. In Miami Beach these were hard to find. You can only window shop so long.
In the end he gave up. Dog-tired he climbed into bed and spent the rest of the night dreaming about a romp through size forty breasts.
Cal felt better the next day. He drank the coffee he'd had sent up and called himself lucky for having at least found a woman.
On an impulse he called up the hotel florist and had twenty bucks worth of roses sent to Mary Harding's room.
After that Cal wasn't sure of what course to take. He dawdled his time away, coming up with ideas and discarding diem. This business of wooing a woman seriously was tough work. It sure as hell was a lot easier to make them and then put on your hat.
Last night he'd been so mad at the girl he hadn't bothered setting another date. Now he wasn't exactly sure as to how he should go about it.
The knock at his door bothered Cal's concentration and he ignored it. When it came again he got stiffly to his feet and opened the panel. His face flushed when he recognized Mary across the threshold.
She extended her hand and there was a single rose in it. "I just wanted to thank you for these," she said, smiling. "They're lovely."
For the first time in his life Cal was speechless.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Cal found his voice quickly. "Won't you come in and have some breakfast?" He was sorry for the invitation as soon as it was out. He really didn't want her to see his crummy room.
It was too late as she had already crossed the threshold. "It's not much," Cal apologized. "But when I arrived it was all they had and I haven't felt like moving to anything better."
"I understand," Mary said. Her eyes told him that indeed she did. "Have you had your breakfast?"
"No. I just got up."
Cal looked over her perfect figure now enclosed in a tight sweater and even tighter capri pants. Damned, he reflected, wasn't she something? "You don't look it," he grinned.
"Some women just get out of bed looking better than others I suppose," she said.
Maybe it was an inflection in her voice that set Cal's blood boiling. In either case he knew she never would have left the sack if he'd been around. He picked up the phone, trying to cover his nervousness, and ordered them both breakfast
"This your first trip to Miami?" he asked.
Mary nodded. "Yes and I'm loving every minute of it." She yawned and the motion stretched her sweater taut over the full breasts, rounding out the tips to little dots of perfection. At the same time the hem pulled up and Cal could see her bare midriff with just the edge of the panties showing. It nearly drove him crazy and he had to look away.
"What about you?" Mary asked. "Do you come here often?"
"As much as I can manage when the pressures of business aren't too great," he lied. "Sometimes I go on over to the Bahamas."
"You do?" Mary said. "I just love that place. Where do you usually stay?"
Cal had been quickly backed into a corner. But he was an expert at extricating himself. "I have a friend who owns a beach house," he said evenly. "An architect."
Fortunately breakfast came and their conversation ended long enough for them to eat. When the dishes had been carted off by the room-service waiter Cal lighted a cigarette and sat down on the couch beside the girl. She was wearing some kind of perfume that was downright intoxicating.
"Would you like to go for a swim?"
Mary nodded. "That would be fine." She started to get up but Cal quickly slid his arm around her neck and kissed her impulsively. The contact was as cold as ice, with absolutely no response on her part.
"Please don't, Cal," Mary protested, pulling away. "Not yet. I want to know you better." She smiled suddenly and started for the door. "I'll put on my suit and meet you downstairs."
And that was that, Cal thought glumly as the door closed behind the girl. He'd struck out again. If this kept up he knew he'd better take a look at himself in the mirror again. It might be he'd suddenly sprouted two heads.
Cal snuffed out his cigarette angrily and got to his feet. Damn that girl, he thought angrily. She was a real teasing bitch, wearing clothes like that and not letting him do anything about it. If it weren't for her money ... But that was an old thought. He savagely dug into the drawer for his swimming suit, sadly aware that this was going to be another quiet afternoon.
Things went from bad to worse after that. Maybe the kiss started it or perhaps Mary Harding was just plain afraid of him. In either case Cal spent the rest of the week squiring the girl around, feeling like her brother instead of a romeo.
They went to the dog track and he lost money. Then to Tropical Park with the same results. Nights were spent at one cafe or another. The end of an evening was always the same, a handshake and the door closed in his kisser.
A lesser man would have given up a long time ago. But Cal just gritted his teeth and hung on. When his spirits grew too low he remembered the bankbook he'd see on her dresser, the one with over five hundred thousand dollars in it. That was reason enough to keep up the chase.
Cal was well aware of the consequences even if he did succeed in marrying Mary. He'd have control of her money but certainly nothing else. That in itself was a damned shame. She had the kind of a figure a guy could have a ball romping through. Well, he reflected, he'd at least be able to pay for all the sex he needed elsewhere. And when he got damned sick of Mary he could dump her, keeping the better part of her assets.
As the week drew to an end Cal realized he was getting close to a decision he'd have to make. For six days he'd been tossing money around as if it were so much tissue paper. Now the brutal facts were that he bordered on the edge of personal bankruptcy. After he paid his hotel bill he had fifty green backs left. Enough for one more small fling on Saturday night. He was certain that Mary had fallen for his being wealthy but it was an act he couldn't keep up indefinitely. Something had to be done ... and damned quick.
Renting the car had been her idea. Now, as they sped along the beach highway after an evening at another nightclub, Cal had a tough time forgetting his problems. With each passing mile he could see the money piling up on the speedometer. He would have liked at least another week with her. That was impossible. He had to make his move, now, tonight.
In a way it seemed foolish. Cal had no real way of knowing how she felt about him. Handshakes never do tell much. He had to ask her to marry him, hoping that her real feelings were submerged too deep for him to see.
Of course there was still another problem that Cal scarcely dared to think about. The doll was driving him absolutely nuts with that figure of hers. It had been a long time since he'd had any sex and he was bordering on desperation, afraid every minute he'd lose control, strip off her clothing and there would go the ballgame.
Now he glanced sideways at Mary sitting close to the door. She wore the same dress she had on their first date, the one with the mysterious staying power. He wished she'd put something else on. Too damned much of her was in the open to be grabbed.
"Happy?" he said at last, figuring it was about time that one of them broke the lengthy silence.
"Very," she sighed, leaning her head back against the seat. "Fts been a lovely week."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Cal was careful not to allow any of his bitterness to show.
"I'm glad I met you," Mary said softly, looking sideways at him. "You've made this a very happy vacation for me."
Cal felt momentary panic. "You sound like you're about to leave."
"Nothing like that," she laughed. "I just thought it was about time I thanked you for taking all this time with me. I know that you must be a very busy man with all of your interests."
"You're worth the time," Cal said gallantly. He began to wonder if perhaps there wasn't hope. Mary seemed warmer than usual.
"Let's stop somewhere and look at the ocean," she suggested.
Cal knew the signs and they were all with him. Mary had something on her mind and he didn't think it was staring at the stars. He began to look for a place to pull off the busy highway. It was fifteen minutes before he found what he was after, a narrow road leading down a hill and ending up on the sand. He drove as far as he dared in the soft stuff and killed the engine.
Silence engulfed them, filled only with the constant rumble of a gentle surf. Ahead was the water, sparkling in the bright moonlight.
"It's like we were a thousand miles from civilization," Mary sighed. "I didn't know such places still existed. I can't believe that back home people are freezing in the snow."
Cal had his own problems, what to do next? He wanted to begin an approach but at the same time was afraid of spoiling everything. Still, he reflected, it would be a shame to let an opportunity like this pass. He casually reached out and put his arm about her. There was no protest. In fact she slid closer to him.
"What are you thinking?" she said softly.
At the moment Cal was thinking down the deep, darkened cavity of her breasts before they entered her dress. If he told her what he was thinking he knew he'd get his face slapped. "Just how nice it is to be here with you," he said.
Mary nodded her head. "That's the way I feel. You have strong arms."
Cal had some pretty strong thoughts, too, and her nearness was making them stronger by the minute. Finally, when he couldn't stand it any longer, he twisted her face up towards his. For a moment they stared into each other's eyes and then as if on signal moved their mouths together.
Cal had expected another brotherly kiss. He was dead wrong. Mary's lips beneath his were warm and responsive and they opened wider as the embrace progressed, a widened tunnel of desire with a small tongue in the center flicking in and out between his teeth.
Cal felt a shiver wrack her body through his hands on her bare back. Mary moaned softly and suddenly shifted her position. She brought her legs from her side of the car to his and moved onto one hip until she was able to press against him. Cal felt the hardness of the woman and it was exhilarating. Once, twice, three times she moved spasmodically against him, each time matching the movement with that of her tongue.
Cal was ready to take her right then, but he resisted and it wasn't easy. Mary had given him the key he needed and now he could progress at his own pace. He was certain now that before the night was over he'd be a part of her.
At length Mary pulled back. Her eyes were almost sullen but there was a weak smile on her face. She was breathing heavily and with each breath the dress seemed almost certain to fall off. "I'm sorry," she said.
Cal grinned. "Why."
Mary moved back to her side of the car, straightening her hair. "You probably think I wanted you to park here because I wanted to be kissed."
Cal lighted a cigarette to allow time for their passions to subside. He was well in control of the situation now. "Didn't you?" he asked slowly.
Mary smiled and nodded. "I did. I'll admit it."
"There's nothing about a kiss to be ashamed of."
"I'm afraid of you," Mary said suddenly. The whites of her eyes glowed in the semi-darkness.
"Don't be silly," Cal scoffed.
"But I am," Mary said. "Handsome men have always scared me. And you're the best looking man I've ever met. Half the women in Miami Beach are green with jealousy when I walk down the street with you."
Cal was appropriately modest ... even though he knew she spoke the truth. "You're crazy."
She shook her head. "I've seen them, stealing glances when we go by, peeking over hedges. But the best part of it has been that you've been with me."
Cal congratulated himself on having made time with Mary even though he'd been unaware of it. Up until pow he'd been convinced that she was unimpressed by his looks. The problem still to be answered was why she'd been so cool. He decided to let that question lay for the time being. "Quite a few men have been jealous seeing you with me," he grinned. "You know you aren't exactly bad looking."
"Thank you, kind sir," she smiled.
Cal reached out to draw her close again but this time she went the other way, swinging open her door. "Let's go for a walk," she suggested. "It's such a lovely night."
Cal bided his time. There was plenty of it. "Fine," he grinned. By the time he came around to her side of the car she had her shoes off and was just finishing the removal of her stockings. He was a shade too late to see more than a bit of her legs.
"I had to take them off," she explained. "I love bare feet."
Mary took his hand as he offered it and they both slithered through the soft sand until they reached the surf. Her long dress made movement difficult and she raised the folds and wrapped them around her hips.
Cal watched admiringly as Mary raced ahead like a small child, splashing through the water, laughing merrily. "Come on," she challenged, going deeper into die surf. "The water's wonderful."
Cal chuckled at her antics and admired the long, firm, perfectly tapered legs as she held her evening gown high to keep it dry. He'd never seen such lengtily thighs. His hormones were screaming at him to do something about the situation.
Finally, Mary returned to him, laughing, breathing hard from her efforts.
"You're going to lose that dress yet," Cal smiled, noticing that the cloth was on the very pinnacle of dropping to her waist. Damned if he could figure what held it up.
Mary looked down at herself. Even though the upper edge of a darkened whirl had begun to show she let it be. "I'm safe," she smiled.
Cal put his hands on the flare of her lips and brought her to him.
Her smile faded as abruptly as the sun going behind a cloud. "Don't, Cal," she protested. "Don't you want to be kissed?"
"Yes," she whispered, leaning against him for support. "Yes ... yes ... yes."
Cal tilted her mouth and crushed down on her lips and there was a sudden animal urgency in her embrace that shot his pulse off the graph. Her arms went about him and pinned them together in a vice-like grip. He ran his hands down her back, over the folds of the evening gown that was still being held high by the pressure of their bodies. And then his hands were on her soft buttocks with only a thin pair of panties separating them from the skin. Mary moaned gently as he caressed each cheek and their kiss turned to liquid fire.
Cal could feel the movement of her body as she set her legs further apart. She began rubbing herself against him, at the same time drawing the air from his lungs.
Never at any other time in his life had Cal wanted a woman more than he wanted this one.
It ended as abruptly as it had begun. Mary stepped away from him. She shook her head vigorously. "Let's go back to the car," she said huskily. "Please."
What the hell was wrong with this dame, Cal thought angrily. Every time he got her good and worked up she threw a pitcher of water on him. "You are afraid of me," he said soothingly.
"No," Mary disagreed. "I'm afraid of myself."
"Why?" Cal probed. He held onto her hand.
Mary looked him straight in the eye. Was he mistaken or was that a tear trickling down her cheek? "Because I want you," she said simply. I've wanted you since the first moment I saw you. I want you now-inside of me. I want you to give me something that I can keep."
Her reasons were blunt enough and Cal found himself a little stunned at her response. He'd certainly been wrong about this dame, right down the line. His old magic had worked and he hadn't even realized it. The problem with the information he now had was what he could do with it.
CHAPTER NINE
Cal quickly thought over the possibilities. If she wanted him this badly then he certainly had the inside track. But why was she so afraid to let him take her if her need was this desperate?
Cal went into his mental filing cabinet on women he'd known. Those that wanted a man the most but refused to give in usually had only one thing on their minds, legalizing the act.
Did that apply in Mary's case? Cal wondered. If it did he could solve many problems at once by simply asking her to marry him.
It was a little premature and he was taking a big risk of being turned down. Cal made a snap decision.
"Look," he began, staring into Mary's tear-dampened face. "I think there's something you should know."
"What's that?"
"That I'm in love with you," Cal lied.
Mary's grip on his hand tightened. "Are you serious?"
Cal nodded soberly. "I am."
She melted into his arms before he had a chance to continue and from her attitude Cal decided to keep still for a while. "I think I may love you too," she admitted softly.
Cal lifted her face and kissed her tenderly. "You still want to go to the car?"
"No. Let's just stay here a while."
"It's still a beautiful night. Maybe you'd like to go swimming."
Mary stepped away and looked pointedly down at her dress. "In this? Besides, I can't swim."
"Take it off," Cal suggested gently.
Mary stared at him for a long time. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "I suppose it would be all right," she said hesitantly. "After all we do love each other." It was as if she were trying to talk herself into it being right.
Cal couldn't stand much more of this. He reached for the bodice of the dress and tried to pull it free. It wouldn't come.
His action broke the tension between them. Mary laughed softly. "I told you it would stay up."
"What's the secret?"
Mary lifted the fold of the material and revealed a tiny pin on each breast. "It's attached to the bra," she explained, removing the fastening. The cloth dropped easily to her waist and she was left with a narrow, nylon strip covering just the tips of the breast. Without any further hesitation Mary unzipped the remaining part of the dress and slid it to the ground over her broad hips. When she'd finished she looked up at Cal. "Maybe we shouldn't."
Cal had seen too much of the woman to back out now. Other than the bra, all that remained were a pair of stretch panties that covered her like a second skin. She was a big woman but in perfect proportion. "Put the dress back on if you want," Cal challenged.
"Not just yet," Mary smiled. "As long as I'm this undressed we might as well go swimming." She added meaningfully. "But that's all."
In a pig's eye, Cal thought to himself. He could feel sweat trickling down his forehead as he stared at her body. Money or no money he was going to have her tonight. From the looks of her she could kill him with kindness. He quickly stripped off his own clothing, stopping at his shorts.
Mary stared at him, her expression full of desire.
Now Cal led the way into the water. As Mary splashed in after him he could see her big breasts slapping against her belly.
"Not too deep," she protested, reminding him that she couldn't swim.
Cal stopped when they were waist deep. They were out beyond the surf where the depth changed constantly as the swells rose and fell. At one point the water was only to their knees and as Cal looked at Mary he sighed with pleasure. Her nylon panties had become transparent and what she had to offer was right there to be seen.
"This is wonderful," Mary laughed, splashing part of the Atlantic in his face. "I've never been swimming at m'ght."
Cal was through fooling around. Despite the chill of the water he was about to explode. He reached out and grabbed Mary by the waist. She had time for only a single, "No," before he crushed his mouth to hers. She struggled for a moment and then relaxed abruptly within his arms.
The kiss was interminable and when it ended they were both breathing hard. The strip across Mary's breast alternately filled and emptied of its lovely load. It was no longer large enough to cover the growth of her nipples and the tips spilled over the edges of the cloth.
"I do love you," Mary said softly. She reached out and caressed Cal's broad shoulders.
He drew in his breath, tearing his eyes away from her bosom. "You're the damnedest woman I've ever known," he admitted. As he said the words Cal caught sight of something white floating past them. He reached down and lifted a pair of soggy panties from the surface. Cal looked up at Mary for an explanation.
"I won't need them any longer will I?" she said softly.
"No," Cal said huskily. He pointed at her bra. "Or that either."
Smiling, she stripped the material from her body. It seemed impossible that the removal of such a small amount of clothing would make a difference. However it represented Mary's final surrender to the inevitable. Now she stood placidly in front of Cal, her bared breasts sweeping in delicious arcs out from her body, each drifting slightly to one side, each topped with a dark nipple that seemed to grow even as his eyes swarmed over her.
Cal touched one huge globe and his hand sank into the soft, receptive flesh. He tested the weight, fondled the hard tip and finally bent down to kiss her. He fought to get all of the mound in his mouth but there was too much. When he'd finished with one he drew on the other and felt her hands pressing him even deeper into her bosom.
And as Cal kissed her breasts, his passions flew to impossible heights. He was a child playing in a candy store. He was a man finding free money in the street.
Mary stood passively through it all, looking down at what he was doing to her, the trembling of her body the only indication of her feelings. She watched part of one breast vanish in his mouth and then the other. She saw them return to the open, the nipples larger than she'd ever remembered them. She felt him draw at her and weakness spread through her body. She wanted more from this man. She wanted much more.
It was Cal's turn to stare as Mary reached for his shorts. Gently, almost reverently, she unhooked the first snap, then the second and finally the last. Then she pushed the material away.
For a moment the water receded to their knees and they were two people naked in front of each other. Beads of water clung to Mary, adding to the illusion of loveliness. Cal touched her, fondled her, took possession of her. She sighed happily at what he did to her, and transmitted her feelings by caressing his body.
When the ocean returned, Mary came to Cal and pressed herself against him intimately. Her breasts against his chest were twin branding irons.
"That's so good," she sighed softly, nuzzling her lips against him.
She was really working Cal. He had a flame of his own going that was impossible to extinguish. There was no question of any control. If she rubbed against him much longer there'd be an explosion. And he was getting sick of all the water. "Let's get back to the beach," he suggested.
They moved into shallower water and Mary sat down just beyond the reach of the surf and reached up and put her hands around his hips, drawing him toward her.
"Love me," she said at last. Mary lay back on the sand and watched as Cal knelt beside her and grasped her knees and moved her legs to a position of acceptance.
He lowered himself onto her soft body. Cal knew that he was more man tonight than he'd ever been in his life. The week of frustrated waiting was over and finished when his body touched the core of her womanhood.
Mary writhed at the first contact and threw her arms above her head in complete surrender. Her world shattered into a thousand brilliant lights as her body accepted his, slowly, completely, absolutely; a searing rod of steel that brought her nothing but raw pleasure.
Cal was pleased. Few women had been able to take him completely. Mary was one of those. Their bellies were together and the union was sealed. Now he cared about nothing but driving her into the sand. Each movement sent him higher on his own personal skyrocket. Mary fought back, writhing, pushing, sobbing in ecstasy, waiting for the final moment that she knew must come.
It did, all too quickly, surprising Cal with the shortness of their mating.
"Oh, Cal," Mary cried out as it happened to her. Searing pleasures spread through every inch of her being until she thought they'd never stop.
But they did and she was disappointed. Now it was over and they were but a man and woman, one on top of the other.
Cal felt as if someone had drained all his energy in one swift motion. He damned himself for having made it so short. This was one woman he'd wanted to tease. But his pent-up emotions had betrayed him. He kissed her gently and rolled over onto his back, attempting to gather strength.
Mary sat up and looked down at him. "That was delightful," she said softly.
"Too quick," Cal grunted. He reached up and caressed a breast dangling above him. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Mary soothed. "We have all night"
"Did you...?" Cal began.
She finished the sentence for him. "At the instant you did."
As Cal stared at the woman he realized that she looked different. She almost had a wanton expression as she stared down at him. Some women were like that. Once the barriers are removed they no longer care about propriety. That's why you can bet a man who pats his girlfriend's behind in public has almost surely had her in the sack. Otherwise he'd get his face slapped.
"Get me a cigarette will you?" Cal asked.
Mary scrambled to her feet, found his pants and returned with the pack and a fighter. While he got the tobacco going she stood up.
"That's quite a vew," Cal smiled, looking up at her face framed by the dangling breasts and then dropping his eyes to other, more interesting parts of her body.
"I want you to look at me," Mary said softly. "I want you to see all of me."
Just watching her was getting Cal excited again. This was all woman and plenty of it.
Mary dropped to her knees, straddling him. "Touch me," she said slowly.
Cal ran his hand up the inside of her thigh and the pleasures she received showed in her expression. Mary arched her back until her breasts stood straight out and Cal took hold of one with his free hand. It was rock hard.
Finally, Mary bent over and kissed him passionately. "I want you again," she whispered. "I'm all on fire."
"Not so soon," Cal grunted. "I need some time."
"I can't wait," Mary panted. The motion of her hips told him that she was speaking the truth. Her tongue swept down his throat as she wriggled.
"Do it," she cried out at last. To help matters along she kissed him, fondled him with an animal urgency, every motion striving to make him a man again.
He felt his body respond to her caressees and kisses and it wasn't long before he was ready again.
Mary's eyes shined in the darkness as she again felt him next to her. She was still straddling his body. I'll do the work this time," she said huskily.
And she did.
Cal looked up at her glowing face and watched her big breasts bounce freely as she moved back and forth. It was an experience unlike any he'd ever had before.
She reached the peak swiftly and gave a gasping sound as the familiar weakness spread through her. Cal reached up, grasped her breasts and pulled her to him.
"Again," he said brusquely.
Cal had recovered control of himself and he meant to make the most of it. He reached down and grasped her buttocks and brought her more firmly onto his body.
"Again," Mary sighed. "Again and again and again and again ... don't ever stop."
Cal, thoroughly aroused, rolled her over onto her back and took charge of the situation giving Mary pleasure she had never dreamed was possible.
CHAPTER TEN
A touch of dawn painted the eastern sky as Cal drove along the silent highway. His mind was filled with the hours just past. What had passed between him and Mary was unlike anything he'd ever had before. Once her barrier was down she'd gone all the way, giving him absolute control of her body. The girl's passions were boundless. Cal had long since lost track of the times they did it. When he'd grown tired she knew ways to revitalize him.
At the moment he was too exhausted to think of anything other than getting home to bed. He'd have thought Mary would be the same but she wasn't. She sat beside him, humming softly.
Cal looked over at her and was forced to smile. She was a real sex pot and despite the number of times he'd taken her, Cal still found her highly desirable. He just didn't have any strength left to do anything about it.
Mary had put the evening gown back on but without underclothes the bodice refused to stay in place and lay in her lap. Her swelled breasts drifted gently with the movement of the car. She caught him looking at her and smiled. "Do you like what you see?"
Cal nodded. "I sure do," he said.
"I'm glad," she said softly.
"I wish we had time to stop," he said, glancing at the coming dawn. "But I have to get you home before people can see how you're dressed."
Mary looked down at her bare bosom. "You mean undressed don't you?" she laughed. "Anyhow I don't care if people do see. I feel wonderful and full and complete." Mary leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "We didn't take any precautions at all," she reminded him. "Maybe I'm pregnant."
Cal had thought about that. In fact he'd deliberately avoided being careful. What better way to nail her than make her pregnant. "Would you care?"
"I don't think so," Mary admitted.
They were entering heavy traffic now as they drew closer to the Beach. Here and there a milk or ice truck plodded along through the dawn's early light.
"You'd better get dressed," Cal warned.
"It won't stay up," Mary reminded him.
"You can't walk through the lobby like that."
"We can use the pool elevator," she smiled. "There won't be anybody up this early."
A few minutes later, as Cal parked in an empty space behind the hotel, Mary made another attempt at getting the dress to stay in place. She slid from the seat and almost immediately the cloth began to skid. For a precarious instant it clung to the enlarged nipples but as she began to walk, her big breasts bobbled and shook the material free.
Cal looked around them. He felt damned self-conscious walking beside the half-naked girl.
Mary didn't seem to mind. She even arched her back subconsciously so that her breasts showed to better advantage. "I feel like taking off all my clothing and going into the lobby stark naked!" she exclaimed.
Cal had seen this happen before. Sex to some women is like alcohol. In a way Mary was drunk with the power of her body. His only job now was to get her upstairs before they got arrested.
Luckily the self-service elevator was in its place with the door open. Cal shoved Mary in and quickly closed the panel. Only then did he breathe easily.
Once on their floor, Cal knew they had made it. He stopped in front of his door and brought out his key.
"Where are you going?" Mary asked.
Cal was blunt. "To bed."
She tugged at his arm. "Not in there," she protested. "Let's use my room. The bed's bigger."
Cal shrugged and followed her across the hall. One bed was as good as another, only with her he wasn't sure he'd get much sleep.
Once inside the room, Mary skinned out of her evening gown and let it fall in a crumpled heap. This was the first time Cal had seen her in the light. She came closer and he admired the lushness of the body. Her hips were perfectly rounded with just the proper amount of fullness to make it interesting. Bits of sand clung to her skin and as she brushed them away her breasts trembled.
"Get undressed," Mary said softly, beginning to work on the buttons of his shirt. "I want you next to me."
Cal grinned tiredly. "That's about all I can offer now, honey. I'm beat."
Mary stripped off his clothes and caressed him. Then she brought their bodies together and Cal could feel the sand gritting between them. "I love being like this," she said softly.
"You love other things too," Cal reminded her. "Now where's the bed?"
Mary made a face. "Spoil sport. You go to sleep. I'm going to take a shower."
Cal gave her a friendly pat on the fanny and weaved his way into the bedroom. Within minutes he was asleep.
When Cal awakened, the sun was streaming in through the slats, making odd patterns on the bed. He lay there motionless, waiting for his mind to wake up and tell him where he was. When the news came to him, Cal wasn't sure if he should be elated or sad. Maybe he'd gone too far and tipped the bucket over.
He looked around him but the room was empty. That worried him a little. Maybe Mary had come to and realized what she'd done the night before. Women were funny that way, he reflected. Once they take off their panties they'll keep doing it as long as inertia keeps going. But give them a break to think about it, like a good night's sleep, and they can get as cold as ice. Some of them are like drunks with a hangover.
Had that happened to Mary? Cal had no way of knowing. He swung his feet over the edge of the mattress and took a cigarette from the pack on the bed-table. The acrid smoke helped him come to a little more.
Now he tried to think, to make some sense out of what he had done die night before. The evening had started out with him intending to propose to Mary. As far as he could remember he'd never gotten that far.
What now? Cal scratched the stubble of his beard. He didn't really know the answer. Certainly he was in the same lousy shape he'd been yesterday, broke. Something had to be done and quick.
If he'd messed things up by making her too soon . ., Cal let the thought drift away.
On the other hand there was a possibility that she might have really liked what he had done to her. If that was the case then Cal knew the rest would be easy.
Cal looked up as the door opened and Mary came into the room. He relaxed when he saw her smile. That was the key he'd been looking for.
"Good afternoon, sleepy head," she said cheerfully. "I'd begun to wonder if you were ever going to get up."
"What makes you so cheerful?" Cal grumbled.
"I feel wonderful," Mary said happily. "I've never felt so good in my life."
"Any particular reason?" Cal was fishing.
Mary came closer. She was wearing a tight skirt and sweater. The breasts beneath drifted from side to side as she walked. "You know why," she scolded.
Cal was surprised that he found her just as desirable as the night before. "You wouldn't happen to have a cup of coffee around?"
Mary sat beside him, carefully keeping the hem of her skirt at a proper level. "I have something much better," she smiled.
"What?"
Mary quickly lifted her sweater and brought a breast from beneath the material. "This," she said, moving towards him and raising the fullness towards his mouth.
They were right where they'd started, Cal reflected. But he didn't mind. This dame was luscious. He took the still-enlarged nipple between his teeth and bit gently into it as she pushed more of the breast against his face.
"Try the other one," Mary said softly.
Cal did and it was equally as tasty. He was rapidly developing an appetite for something other than coffee.
Mary lay back on the bed. Her dangling breasts became uplifted mountains. "I almost woke you up earlier," she admitted, smiling up at him.
"Why?"
She reached out her hand and ran it along his bare legs. "I wanted to play some more."
"So you got up and put clothes on instead," Cal scolded. "That's no way for a guy to see his girl in the morning."
"I had to let the man in with breakfast," she explained. "And you were out of cigarettes. I went down and got you some."
"No excuse."
"Anyhow," Mary added. "I haven't many clothes on. To prove her point she reached down and grasped the hem of her skirt and tugged it upwards, past her hips and up to the waist.
Cal drew in his breath as he saw nothing but her bare flesh beneath. "You shouldn't show me that," he grinned. "You know what will happen."
Mary's hand continued to roam Cal's body. "Of course I know," she said softly. "I want it to happen. I've been waiting for two hours for you to wake up."
The woman had certainly changed, Cal reflected. She was no longer the shy type that he'd grown used to. He reached out and touched her breast and let his hand slide lower.
Cal rolled over towards her and she raised her body to meet his as he came down. This time their mating was done with the skill that comes of two people knowing each other well. Cal slid into her swiftly and effortlessly.
Mary held him close and brushed their lips together.
"Don't move," she whispered. "I just want to stay like this."
"You're part of me now. I want to keep you forever."
"You can if you want," Cal said.
Mary looked up into his eyes. "How?"
Cal had intended asking at a less passionate moment but now seemed a good time to say the words. "By marrying me."
Mary's expression didn't change. She just wrinkled her nose. "This is an odd position for a proposal. Why aren't you down on your knees?"
"You want that?"
Her grip around his neck tightened. "No. Don't leave me.
Cal wiggled a little deeper into her body and watched the expression of passion from his movement cross her face. "Will you marry me?" he pressed.
"When?"
"Tonight, as soon as possible."
Mary smiled broadly and kissed him ardently. "I hoped that you'd ask me that today. Of course I'll marry you." She swung her feet around his back and pulled him tighter against her. At the same time she began regular movements calculated to drive Cal crazy ... which is exactly what they did.
In the minutes that followed they forgot everything except mutual fulfillment.
* * *
Cal looked around the room to make sure he'd put everything in his bag. Satisfied, he went to the window and lighted a cigarette. It had been a short but thoroughly satisfactory day. Across the way the lights in the other rooms were beginning to wink on.
Cal was pleased with himself. In one week he'd accomplished exactly what he'd set out to do. Within a few hours he'd be married to Mary and the proud possessor of that bank book. Then as far as he was concerned the sky was the limit.
The fact that Mary was as passionate as she was had proved to be an unexpected bonus. Cal's body still quivered from what they had done in the past twenty-four hours. Very few women had been that good as far as he was concerned. Cal was sure that for once he'd met his match in the field of sex.
Cal drew on his cigarette and did a little advance thinking. Fortunately he had just enough dough left to get them up to Georgia and before a justice of the peace. After that Mary would have to fork over a little money. He'd plead that a check was slow in coming or something like that.
It was time to go. Cal picked up his bag and stepped across the hall and entered Mary's room. "You ready?" he called out.
Mary appeared from the other room, buttoning her blouse as she came. "I'm so happy," she smiled, making a final adjustment. "I can't believe this is happening to me."
Cal pulled her to him, flattening a hand against her breast as he kissed her. He could feel a hard nipple through all of her clothing.
"Don't," Mary protested. "You'll wrinkle my clothes."
"I'd like to wrinkle something else," he grinned.
Mary slapped him playfully on the cheek, starting for the door. You'll have to take the bags," she said. "I called for a bellboy but it looks as if they've forgotten to send one.
Cal shrugged and was about to pick up the grips when he thought he heard a knock. He pulled the door open and saw two men at the entrance to the room he'd just left. He was instantly suspicious. He'd been around long enough to smell the law and these were it.
Before he could close the panel one of the men turned around and saw him. "Would you happen to know where the man in 706 went?" he asked.
Cal shook his head automatically. "No," he said hastily. "I don't."
Apparently satisfied, the figure turned back and was about to rap on the door again. Unfortunately, Mary was within hearing distance.
"Why, darling," she said sweetly, torpedoing his ship. "Isn't that the room you just occupied?"
Cal tried to push her out of the way but he wasn't quick enough. The tall figure had turned around again. "Are you Cal Simpson?" he asked.
Mary didn't help much. "Yes, he is," she admitted.
Cal could have slapped her across the mouth. He didn't know what was up but you never admit anything to cops. He was certain now that this is what they were.
His suspicions proved correct. The shorter of the pair came up to him. "You'd better come with us," he said.
Cal's mouth had gone dry. "What's up?"
"We're under orders to pull in one Cal Simpson. That's what you're on the hotel register as. The captain would like to see you downtown."
Cal's knees threatened to turn into rubber. No matter how nicely they put it he knew he was under arrest.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Cal was still in a daze as he was nudged out of the cruiser at the police station. He was escorted up a long flight of stairs into the building and led to a small office.
A figure looked up from behind a desk. "This him?" he asked.
The shorter cop nodded. "It's die guy. He fits the description too."
Cal found his voice. "What the hell's going on?" he snapped.
The man behind the desk waved his pencil. "You'll find out," he said. Then he turned to the men who brought Cal in. "I called the girl. Keep a lookout for her. She should be in any minute. She said she was taking a cab."
Cal shook his head in an effort to clear it. For the first time in his life he was clean. There was absolutely nothing he could think of that they could pin on him. Still, why the hell was he here?
"You're name is Cal Simpson?" the man at the desk asked.
"Yeah," Cal agreed. "That's me."
"And you came into town a little over a week ago on a flight from Chicago?"
"Sure." Cal looked at the little wooden plaque on the man's desk and saw the name, Captain Sweeney. "Look, Captain," he began. "Would you mind telling me what this is all about? I was on my way to be married."
Captain Sweeney leaned back in his chair and lighted a cigarette. "So I gather from what my men tell me. You're lucky. You made a score early. I'd say we just prevented a woman from making an unfortunate choice in the matter of her mate."
"That's not a funny joke," Cal said sourly.
Sweeney frowned. There was anger brewing in his deep-set eyes. "We don't like gigolos down here, Simpson," he snapped. "Any time I can pick one up I do ft It's a public service we offer free, like the weather forecasts."
"That's why you brought me in?"
"No. This is another matter." Sweeney looked up at the knock on his door. The taller cop stuck his head in. "She's here."
"Fine," Sweeney said. "Bring her here."
Cal stared at the door until his eyes blurred. Who the hell was she? It didn't take long to find out. A young woman appeared in the opening and Cal half rose from his chair as he recognized her. It was Myra, the airline stewardess. Even so it still didn't make sense. She'd asked for that loving she got ... and a good one it was.
"This the man?" Sweeney asked her.
Myra stared directly at Cal. There was no mirth in her expression. "It's him," she said crisply.
"You're certain?"
"Absolutely."
"And you still want to press chargers?" Myra nodded. "I've already signed the papers."
"Then you may go. Thank you for coming down."
Myra turned away and vanished as the door closed behind her.
Cal was losing his patience. "Now what the hell is this all about?" he exploded. "Sure, I know the girl. She propositioned me when I came off the plane and we went to her apartment."
"Where you stole fifty dollars from her purse," Sweeney added.
That took the wind from Cal's sails. He sank back into the chair. Up until this second he'd forgotten all about that. "Yeah," he admitted. "I did take the dough."
"Now that was a dumb thing to do," Sweeney said. "From what my men saw you'd make a good mark and you've lost the bundle over fifty dollars."
Cal had to agree with the captain. He could still see the look of disbelief on Mary's face as the law had dragged him off. It had been a pretty stupid thing to ds all right. "Can I get off the hook if I pay it back?"
"It's not that easy," Captain Sweeney said. "The girl is really mad. And I don't blame her. You took her and made her pay for the privilege. She's out for blood."
"What's blood in this state?" Cal asked. He was too weak to care any more.
Sweeney tapped his pencil on the desk. "Probably thirty days or a couple hundred dollars. It depends on what the judge had for breakfast."
Cal shook his head hopelessly. "You'd better call in your boys. It looks as if you have a guest for thirty days," he said bitterly.
Florida justice was swift and sure. Cal was booked and stuffed in a cell for the night. The next morning he went to court and found the captain's predictions to be absolutely correct.
An hour later he was back in his cell damning himself for his own stupidity. He'd been so close ... so damned close. Ten more minutes had been all he needed and he and Mary would have been long gone. That little time between him and that bank book with the five-hundred thousand lovely little marks in it.
Cal slammed his fist against the wall in frustration. How could he have been so dumb? But he hadn't thought Myra was that vindictive. She was certainly the first woman to put him in the jug. This trip was turning out to have a lot of firsts.
Cal looked up as the turnkey appeared on the other side of the bars. "Come on, lover-boy," he grinned. "You ain't going to be a guest after all. Too bad. I could have used a husky fella like you on these floors."
Cal got to his feet slowly. "You mean I've been bailed?"
"I never saw a handsome kid yet on this beach that didn't have someone on the outside to turn the key," the jailor chuckled. "Oh, if I'd only been born beautiful instead of rich." He swung the iron door open to let Cal through.
Cal was thoroughly confused. He was afraid to hope that Mary had paid his bill. He went to the property window and got his stuff back and then moved into the busy lobby of the station. Looking around he could see nothing.
Puzzled, Cal stepped through the doors and took a deep drag of the moist, Florida air. Had he ever smelled anything so good? He never had liked jails.
As Cal started down the stairs he saw a woman standing by the open door of a cab. He smiled broadly when he recognized Mary. Damned if she hadn't been the one to spring him.
Cal felt suddenly good again. Apparently it hadn't made any difference to her that he'd been hauled off to jail. When he loved them they stayed loved, Cal thought, thoroughly pleased with himself. It looked as if he was going to get at that bank book after all.
Certainly the truth must be out by now. Mary was no dummy. She'd have realized when he didn't pay his own bail that he was broke and had only been blowing hard.
However, none of that mattered for the moment. The important thing was that she'd come for him.
Cal bounded down the stairs two at a time and stopped in front of her, a trifle breathless. "You post the bail?" he asked.
Mary's face was somber. "I did," she replied. "Thanks," he said. "I guess you know the truth."
"I do," she admitted.
Cal didn't want to come right out and admit that he was only after her money. "After I met you I just got carried away," he explained. "I knew you were rich and thought I could only impress you by acting that way too. I meant it when I said I was nuts about you."
Cal tried to read some meaning into her expression. It was impossible.
"We'd better get back to the hotel," she said slowly, moving ahead of him into the cab.
The ride seemed to take forever. Mary said nothing. She sat beside him, looking straight ahead. It was as if a wall had suddenly been dropped between them.
Cal was desperate to know where he stood. He took hold of her hand and it was limp within his grasp. "Look," he began uncertainly. "We can still be married. Isn't that what you want?"
Mary turned to him and for the first time a whisp of a smile appeared on her lips. "Yes," she admitted.
He was making headway. The old Simpson charm was working. Cal pressed his advantage. "We could do just like we planned, go to Georgia, get married and then return here for the honeymoon."
"On my money?" she asked.
Put that way it sounded pretty cold. Even Cal had to admit that. "Just for the time being," he said. "I have several deals cooking that will bring in plenty of dough. It will just take me a little time to get organized."
"I think we'd better have a little talk," Mary suggested.
"Fine," Cal agreed. "You're right. Then we'll know where we both stand." He squeezed her hand. "I do love you."
There was moisture in Mary's eyes now. "And I love you," she said. "That's what makes it so terrible."
"That should make everything fine," Cal smiled.
She shook her head. The tears were coming faster now. "No. Nothing's right. Everything's terrible."
"Want to talk about it?"
"After we have a drink. I think you're going to need it."
Her last statement puzzled Cal more than anything else. There was something bothering her, that much was obvious. But Cal was certain he could take care of it A little sack time and she'd be as good as new. Mary was on the defensive. From what he could see, the experience at jail hadn't shattered her faith in him too badly. She said she still loved him and she still wanted to get married. And she had bailed him out. From where Cal sat things looked great. In a way he wondered if her finding out he was broke hadn't been a blessing in dis guise. Now he no longer had that to worry about. He was free to concentrate on how he could get his hands on that bank book.
The cab pulled up in front of the hotel and the well-braided doorman swung the door open. From his attitude Cal was confident that no one knew about his arrest. At that, Cal had to admit that the matter had been handled very well. The police had plucked him off the vine like a ripe grape and hustled him adroitly out the rear exit.
Once inside the room, Cal attempted to take Mary into his arms and re-establish his position. She avoided him and went to the bar. "Do you still want Scotch?" she asked.
Cal shook his head. With the truth out he decided to get back to what he liked the best. "Make it straight whisky."
She fixed the drinks and brought him his. "You'd better finish it," she said. "I think you may need it."
The girl was acting mighty funny, Cal decided.
Mary sat in the chair across from him. "Are you a fortune hunter?" she asked bluntly.
The question startled Cal. He sipped his drink, trying to think of a proper answer. "I was," he admitted, picking his words carefully. "That's why I came down here."
"Is that the reason you took up with me?"
"Yes," Cal agreed. "At least that's how it began. Then I fell in love with you and things were different. I wanted to tell you but I didn't dare." Cal had an odd feeling he was sounding like a soap opera.
"What about the girl?"
That was a mighty broad question, Cal reflected. Mary saw his hesitation. "I mean the one in your room. The one that left you and promptly jumped out of a window."
The little minx, Cal thought. She'd known all the time and kept her mouth shut. "She was a mixed up little kid who came to me for money. I don't even know her name." Cal was getting a little sick of this inquisition. "Look," he said, switching the subject. "We were going to talk about our future."
Mary nodded and drained her glass. "We were" she agreed. "I've just been getting up my courage." She smiled and it came off badly. "You see, Cal, I'm as bad as you."
Cal didn't understand her statement. It must have shown in his eyes.
Mary got to her feet and went to the desk. When she returned she was holding the precious bank book. She extended it towards Cal. "You have seen this?"
He didn't want to admit to it. "I noticed it on the desk," he admitted, "Read the figures," Mary suggested.
Cal didn't have to look at them. He knew the numbers by heart. "Five hundred thousand, two hundred dollars, and eighty-nine cents," he said aloud.
"It sounds impressive doesn't it," Mary smiled.
"Yeah," Cal agreed, wondering what she was driving at.
"Would you like half of it?"
"Who wouldn't?"
Mary took the book from his hand and ripped it neatly in two and handed Cal one of the pieces.
"Hey," he protested. "What's the idea?"
"It's very simple," Mary said slowly. "The bankbook is worthless. I'm a fortune hunter too!"
CHAPTER TWELVE
The news shook Cal to his heels. "You're kidding," he snapped.
Mary shook her head slowly. "I wish I were," she said soberly. "I had hoped it was a joke." She shook her head and tears sparkled in her eyes. "It isn't."
"But the minks and the diamonds," Cal protested. He was grasping at straws.
"The minks are rented. The jewels nothing but good paste."
Cal's little world had suddenly tilted on its end. He refused to believe what he was being told. He was too smart to be taken in like this. Maybe she was just testing him, making certain that he loved her, even if she weren't broke. He'd heard rich women act this way sometimes. "Quit your joking," he scoffed. "I'll never believe all this."
Mary shrugged. "You'll have to because it's true. I came to Miami Beach with one purpose in mind, that of marrying a wealthy man and living a life of leisure. I thought I'd found him in you. Imagine how I felt when the police came and took you away and I found you didn't even have enough money for bail. If this is a joke then it's a very cruel one."
Cal was still grasping. He went to the bar and filled his glass to the brim. "What about that bank book?" he asked. "It looked real enough."
Mary fiddled wkh the hem of her dress. "It should have. I wrote it owt myself. I'm actually a bank teller in New York. I've been planning this trip for two years, scraping every dime I could get my hands on. I called it my big investment in the future." She took a deep breath and continued. "I took a passbook from the bank and stamped a fictitious account number in it and filled in an amount I took out of the air. Then I left it laying on the desk where a possible suitor would see it." She shook her head. "I never dreamed I might meet someone like you who was after the same thing as I. That was the one place I miscalculated."
Cal stared at her as she talked. He was beginning to believe her now. And with belief came nausea. He felt sick to his stomach.
Mary continued somberly. "I always thought fortune hunters, male ones I mean, made the woman pay the check and buy them expensive presents. I was on the lookout for that kind. I never expected one to lavish money on me the way you did. I was caught completely off guard."
"You weren't the only one," Cal said bitterly.
Mary got to her feet and came to him. She put her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry you spent so much money on me. That's why I posted your bond. I felt I owed you that much."
"Is that the only reason?"
Mary shook her head. "No. I think I really am in love with you."
That was something anyhow, Cal reflected. There might be a way he could use her adoration. Right now he needed time to think. Every plan he'd had was bust. Because of Mary he was without any money to continue his search.
"We could still get married," Mary suggested hesitantly. "It might not be easy but we could get along. I'd get a job down here if you want to stay."
"I thought you were hunting a fortune," Cal reminded her.
She shook her head. "Not any more. It wasn't a very good idea anyhow. I wouldn't want to live with a man I didn't love. Besides, you've done things to me that can't be undone. I've never felt so much like a woman as I have the past two days."
Mary rose to her feet and came towards Cal. Her breasts thrust tightly against her blouse. "Will you marry me?"
"Do you have any money?"
She shook her head. "No. The two hundred I spent at the jail was the last of my savings."
"Then we'll have to wait," Cal said, stalling. He knew he should cuff her face for what she'd done to him. But as he looked at the woman he realized there was a lot he could do with someone like her, besides using her himself. He sure did like wading through that body in his bare feet.
Tears in her eyes, Mary put her hands on his shoulders. "Do you forgive me?"
"Of course," Cal lied. "I've checked out of my room so I'll have to move in here with you."
"That would be nice," Mary agreed.
Her closeness had its usual effect on Cal. He decided he could work out any other details later. "I could use a drink now," he suggested.
"Liquor or me?"
"You."
Mary smiled and her fingers quickly unfastened the buttons of her blouse. When she'd rid herself of the cloth she reached inside the bra and brought a breast into the open. "I never thought I'd like a man doing this to me," she said softly as his mouth closed over the fullness.
Cal drew at the rock-hard nipple and his head spun with pleasure. He reached down and impatiently pulled her skirt out of the way so he could caress Mary's entire body. "No panties?" he said.
She smiled. "I'll never wear any when you're around."
"You'd better strip," Cal suggested.
Mary did so with record speed. When she was naked she pressed against him and whimpered as she felt his hands move across her flesh, probing, feeling, enjoying themselves. "We'd better go to bed," she suggested.
Cal nodded. It wouldn't solve any problems but it was a damned good idea. What other way was there to work out his frustrations?
A week passed and Cal found himself treading water. After the blow Mary had handed him he just couldn't seem to get going again. Not that she gave him much time. With her it was sex morning, noon and night. Mary had taken absolute possession of his body.
At first Cal had enjoyed it. Now he wasn't so sure. Even a good thing can get boring if it's done often enough. Cal was used to variety being the spice of life. He wasn't certain he liked being nailed down to one woman.
The worst of it was his inability to make a move. Mickey, the bellhop, had already steered him towards two fine prospects but Cal didn't have the dough to move in. Being busted in Miami Beach was worse than being without water on the desert.
Now Cal walked along the crowded beach, his mind filled with his problems. His main project at the moment was to get ahold of some money. In the first place he couldn't stall Mary forever. In the second they'd be tossed out of the hotel on their ear if he didn't do something. Things were so bad now he had to come and go through the backdoor to avoid the manager, whose once gentle notes had begun to take on a threatening tone.
Cal sat on the sea wall and idly watched a couple of young girls playing volley ball with their boyfriends. They were sexy but Cal wasn't much interested. For now he'd had his fill of the sack. Mary had turned out to be insatiable and Cal had begun to wonder if she didn't have a streak of nympho in her.
A guy came by with a cart and Cal bought a bag of peanuts from him. Munching on the nuts he continued his walk. Some idea he'd had, Cal thought bitterly; come down to Miami Beach and pick up a rich broad just like that. Well, it might have worked. He damned Mary for having tossed a monkey wrench in the works. Other than that he might be sitting beside the pool right now with lackeys bumping into each other trying to wait on him.
Cal smashed a closed fist into his hand in frustration. It could still be done. All he needed was some money to operate on. Certainly his assets hadn't changed. He still had everything he'd had before. Of course they were a little worn out by now from Mary's constant demands.
Wasting time, Cal paused along the beach to watch a short, fat figure taking pictures of some good looking dames in bathing suits. From the load of equipment scattered around on the sand it was obvious the man was a pro at his work.
Finally the short man closed his camera and waved the women away. He glanced at Cal seated, on the sand. "You happen to have a cigarette, Mac?"
Cal nodded, offering him the pack.
The man sat beside him and wiped perspiration from his face. "What a way to make a living," he grumbled.
"Looks like nice work to me," Cal grinned.
"Hah," the man scoffed. "You are a newcomer to our fair beach. That's obvious."
"Is it that plain?"
"Sure, Mac. Those clothes you're wearing. You should be in shorts instead of slacks. You trying to give our sun a bad name?" He added, "Besides, you're still looking at dames."
"I'm not dead," Cal grinned.
The man waved his cigarette impatiently in the air. "You're taking in the wrong kind. Those I just took shots of are beasts."
He scrunched out the butt on the sand. "After you been here a while you get particular. "Got another cigarette?"
Cal handed it to him.
"If this work didn't pay so much I'd blow it," the man complained. He fumbled in his sweat-soaked shirt and brought out a damp card and handed it to Cal. "My name's Jim Talbot."
"I'm Cal Simpson." He grasped the extended hand, noticing the pudginess of the flesh. "Glad to know you."
"You from the east?"
"Chicago."
"That's a switch," Talbot said. He waved his cigarette in the air again. "Half this joint's from New York." He squinted against the sun at the dark-haired man seated beside him. "You're a handsome buzzard," he said suddenly.
"Yeah," Cal grinned. "I know it"
"How'd you like to make some dough?"
Cal was very interested in this subject "Sure," he agreed. "If it's not hard work."
"It ain't. Just find me some dames. I'll pay twenty clams apiece."
Cal was puzzled and said so.
"Hell," Talbot snorted. "With your looks you should have no trouble. Just steer them my way. I'll pay them a hundred bucks an hour for their time in front of the camera."
"Pornography?" Cal guessed.
Talbot winked broadly. "A gold mine. But I can't take the pictures and cany my equipment all at the same time." He struggled his bulk to his feet. "Help me pack this gear and show you how it's done."
Cal followed the fat figure across the sand. This should be something to see, he thought.
Cal wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. Talbot may have been short and looked a little like an ape but he had the gifted knack of a carnival grifter.
They stood near Collins and Godfrey Causeway, ogling the steady flow of girls between the hotels. There were already three knockouts inside Talbot's airconditioned Caddy parked at the curb, but Talbot kept looking for more as the dames passed. This one was a whore, that one a society dish, the one over there too proud.
A half block away he spotted what he was after. "She's almost broke," Talbot explained. "Good looking shoes with the heels run down. No tan, just a pasty look. You can tell by her looks she's worried, either money or a man. He nodded his head in satisfaction as the girl drew closer. "She's on the make. Look at the way her boobs bounce. Either she isn't wearing a bra or she's left it unhooked. Dames figure that's pretty tempting. I'll talk to her."
Cal lighted a cigarette and waited a short distance away. As he watched Talbot stop the girl and talk to her Cal couldn't help but admire the bastard. In a few minutes damned if the fat man didn't head for the car with the girl in tow.
He slammed the door on the giggling females and turned to Cal. "It's that simple," he shrugged. "You should make a fortune."
Cal shook his head. "I don't think that kind of work's for me."
"Suit yourself," Talbot smiled.
As the man started away Cal stopped him. In the back of his mind he'd been thinking of something. It might be crazy but this could be the solution to his financial problems. "Look," he began uncertainly. "These women just take off their clothes, right?"
Talbot nodded. "Correct," he said, wiping sweat from his face with a big, white handkerchief.
"Supposing I found you one that was willing to go all the way on camera?"
Talbot looked interested. His beady eyes began to gleam. "Those are hard to come by, friend," he grunted.
"But what if I brought you one?" Cal pressed.
"You do that, buddy boy," Talbot said, "and I'll see that you have fifteen hundred green bills pressed into your hot, little hand."
"Do I bring her to this address?" Cal took the card from his pocket and looked it over.
"Yeah," Talbot agreed. "I'm always there in the morning. If you get me a doll like that I'll drop everything and do the work myself."
Cal waved a final greeting and started down the street. For the first time he began to see his way clear. Of course there were problems. He'd have to talk Mary into doing .it. That might not prove to be easy. Still, he did have a weapon over her head-himself. If she wanted him as badly as she seemed to then she might be willing to do anything. He'd been around dames long enough not to predict their next movement.
Cal had walked a half block on his way to the hotel when he heard the horn sound. At first he didn't think much of it. But when the noise came again, closer this time, he swung around. There was a sleek-looking convertible creeping along the curb at his heels. He swung his eyes up towards the driver and stopped in his tracks. She was the crazy little dish who had jumped out of the window at his hotel.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Cal stood dead still in his tracks, not quite sure what he should do. The last time he'd seen this doll he hadn't been exactly gallant towards her. In a way she frightened him a little.
The girl broke the silence betwen them. "When I saw you I thought I'd better stop and apologize," she said, smiling.
Cal leaned on the door. The metal was hot. "Apologize for what?"
"Jumping out of the window I suppose," she said.
"You damned near scared me to death," Cal admitted. "You're lucky you're still alive."
"I suppose so," the girl agreed. She didn't appear too convinced. "I'm just sorry that I came into your room and created such a scene."
Cal glanced at the expensive car "Anyhow, it looks as if you've taken my advice."
"About letting a man support me?" She nodded her head. "It's something like that."
Cal wondered about this girl. By all that was logical she should have run him down instead of stopping to talk to him. After all, he was the reason she'd lost her boyfriend ... not to mention her leap into space. Still, she continued smiling up at him as if nothing had ever happened. Cal wondered if he hadn't been right about her in the first place, that she was nuts.
"Are you busy?" she asked.
"Yeah," Cal lied.
"She can wait. I'd like to talk to you."
"How do you know it's a she?" Cal smiled. "Her name is Mary and you're living with her in room 708."
Cal grew a little angry at the girl's intrusion of his private affairs. Still, he was curious as to why she knew so much about him. "Have you been spying?" he asked.
The girl nodded. "I have." She patted the leather seat beside her. "Get in and I'll tell you all about it."
This time Cal accepted the invitation. He was hardly in the door before she gunned the engine and they roared off like a jet on takeoff.
He hung on for dear life as the girl made a race track out of Collins avenue, bending the convertible around the slowpokes and in general leaving everyone in their dnst. Cal had to admire the skill with which she drove, if not the speed she did it at.
The concentration of hotels began thinning out and the beach a few blocks away became visible. With fewer cars to fight the girl slowed down.
"You a retired race driver or something?" Cal grinned.
She shook her head. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
"I haven't any idea," Cal said.
The girl turned to him. "You know I'm really grateful to you for what you did."
"You mean for helping you jump out that window?"
"Of course not. I mean for getting rid of John. He wasn't the right man for me. I don't think I'd have come down here with him if my father hadn't been so angry. He's a very possessive man about his daughter."
"What does he think of the way you're now earning your living?" It was a bad question and Cal was sorry he'd said it as soon as the words were out.
The girl ignored his comment. "Anyhow, that's all past now. I've got everything under control."
"Obviously," Cal grinned, looking around him at the convertible. Whoever she'd gotten hold of had money. Maybe he should ask her for the secret.
"Daddy read about me in the newspapers and came down her in a real lather," the girl continued. "It took me a week to calm him down."
Cal was beginning to wonder just why he'd come along with her. The news she was giving him was of no interest to him. Why was it he always wound up wasting his time on dames that had no future? Cal didn't have the answer.
The girl had slowed down even more. She seemed to be looking for a place to turn off the highway. When she found what she was after she zoomed off in second gear onto a narrow lane and then stopped in a grove of palm trees. Ahead was the beach with several people laying in the sun. Closer by, several other cars had parked in the shade.
As Cal stared at one of the autos he saw a girl rise into view from the back seat. It took him a moment to realize she was sans clothing above the waist. By then it was too late. A hand reached up and grasped a thoroughly adequate breast and pulled her out of sight again.
Cal brought his eyes back to the girl he was with. She'd turned to face him and had propped one leg up on the seat. For the first time he noticed what she was wearing. It was like a one piece coverall made out of some shiny material with a zipper that ran from her neck all the way down to her belly.
Cal also noticed that she wasn't as pretty as he'd remembered. In fact she was rather plain with little breastwork showing. Right now he wondered what he'd seen before to make him take her the way he had. "You wanted to talk," he reminded her. "So talk."
"You don't even know my name," she said slowly.
Cal realized the truth of her statement. "Yeah," he agreed. "I don't."
"It's Sally."
"That all?"
"It's enough," she smiled.
"I guess it is," Cal said. He added, "I suppose it's a little late to shake your hand."
"Your name is Cal," she continued. "Calvin Simpson."
"You know a hell of a lot about me," Cal grunted. He fished for a cigarette and lighted it. The humidity was causing sweat to gather across his forehead.
"I always take a great deal of interest in the man who makes love to me," Sally said pointedly.
"That was an experiment," Cal said, defending himself. "It was your idea."
"You're right," Sally agreed. "It was a lovely experiment. I would call it a great success."
"How so?" Cal questioned. "I thought it had failed by making you lose your man."
She smiled patiently. "On the contrary it taught me something."
"What?"
"That I'm very much in love with you," Sally said simply.
Smoke caught in Cal's throat and he nearly gagged getting rid of it. "You're cazy," he snapped huskily when he'd again found his voice.
"It's the truth," Sally smiled. "I didn't know it until after that night when I fell out of the window. I thought I'd done that because I'd lost John." She shook her head soberly. "That wasn't it at all. I was frustrated because you had turned me down."
Cal was flattered. But of all the things he needed at the moment the least was another woman in love with him. "Is this what you brought me out here to tell me?" he snapped.
"Yes."
"Then we'd better be getting back. I'm booked up."
"I know," Sally said sadly. "I've seen you with her. She's very beautiful. I've been trying to get near you for a week to tell you how I feel but you're always in bed with her."
As Cal stared at the girl beside him he realized there was a wild quality in her eyes that he hadn't noticed before. It frightened him a little.
"Is she as good as I am?" Sally asked suddenly.
"Now that's a hell of a thing to ask," Cal scolded.
"Is she?" Sally pressed.
Cal had never thought about it. Now he damned this girl for putting the thought in his mind. The two women were completely different. Mary was lush while Sally had been almost tender with her body.
For the first time since they'd parked, Cal felt the nudge of desire for the woman across from him. He had forgotten how much he had enjoyed her. And now in the back of his mind he wondered if she wouldn't be a pleasant change from the all-enveloping Mary.
This was crazy flunking and he washed it away as quickly as it came.
"No man has ever done to me what you did," Sally said. "I can still remember everything."
"You shouldn't talk like that," Cal grunted. "You're only getting yourself excited." She was working him up a little too. The car in the distance wasn't helping matters any either. Every now and then he saw a brief flash of fanny come into view.
"I want to get excited," Sally protested. "I want to get real excited."
"We'd better get back," Cal suggested.
"Just a little while longer," Sally begged. "I like being with you."
"I think you're crazy," Cal laughed.
Momentary anger flashed in her eyes. "Don't say that," she snapped. But as quickly as it came her annoyance passed and she smiled again. Her fingers idly fiddled with the handle of the zipper.
That zipper fascinated Cal. He'd never seen one so long. He found himself wondering what was beneath it.
Sally slid across the seat closer to him. "Would you kiss me?"
Before he could answer she'd moved even nearer, tilting her mouth. Cal always made it a practice never to pass up an offer like this. Certainly it couldn't hurt anything, he told himself.
Their embrace was sweet and gentle. The tenderness of it surprised Cal and he found himself kissing back.
"I do love you," Sally murmured.
"That's silly," Cal scolded. "You hardly know me."
"Do you love her?" Sally asked suddenly.
"That's my business."
"But you sleep with her."
"You don't have to love someone to sleep with them," Cal snapped. He knew he'd said the wrong thing.
Sally had hold of the zipper again and was pulling it down. Cal watched as more of her flesh came into view before she stopped at the waist. There was no clothing beneath, just woman, a strip of bareness from the neck to the middle of her body.
Despite his resolve to keep his hands off, he reached out and spread the cloth back, away from her breasts. It seemed almost indecent to expose a woman in this strong sunlight. The glare left no shadow, exposing every fraction of her little mounds.
Cal reflected that she had odd breasts. There was a lot of chest before the bosom arched outwards quickly into twin peaks. After Mary's massive watermelons Cal almost felt sorry for Sally. Still, as he touched her he felt a tingling sensation in his fingers.
"I do wish they were bigger," Sally complained as she watched the nipples protrude between his knuckles.
"Is this why you brought me out here?" Cal asked.
Sally nodded. "Partly," she admitted.
"And the other part?"
"I have lots more zipper left."
Cal damned the woman. She was getting him excited. Still, he reasoned, why not give her what she wanted? As he'd thought before, a change of pace might do him good. Sally was a cute little thing and he found her being in love with him flattering. She helped his ego and that's what he needed most at the moment. "You really do want me, don't you?" Cal smiled.
"Isn't that obvious?" Sally said, glancing down at his fingers fondling her nipples to greater size.
Cal reached down for the tab to the zipper. It moved easily and more and more of her came into view until the movement suddenly stopped.
Cal's blood pressure jumped a few notches as he looked down and saw her lush body.
Sally leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. His hand continued to pull the zipper downwards.
"It goes all the way around and then up a little in back," Sally explained, lifting herself so that he could negotiate the curve.
"That's some outfit," Cal said admiringly. His hand burned from where it had touched her.
"They're called mating slacks," Sally explained. "A woman doesn't have to get undressed all the way when a man wants to pet her. To other people it just looks as if they're kissing."
"What won't they think of next?" Cal grinned. "Does it work?"
"I don't know," Sally admitted. "I bought them for you."
"You've been planning this?"
"Of course," Sally smiled. "For a week."
"What does the man who owns the car think of this?"
"You talk too much," Sally complained. "Here I am all out in the open and you're wasting time."
Cal had to admit that the most important parts of the girl were indeed in the open. He reached beneath the material and brought his hands around her bare waist and pulled her to him. This time her kiss was passionate and demanding.
The embrace sent the couple past the point of no return.
"Do it," Sally demanded.
During a brief remaining moment of sanity Cal looked around them. This was crazy, he thought, doing something like this right out here in broad daylight. Supposing someone should come back to their car? What if the cops dropped by?
Cal's eyes settled on the amorous couple close by. They'd finished whatever they'd been doing out of sight on the back seat. The girl was sitting up beside her boyfriend trying to get her bra in place, an operation made more difficult by the man's mouth which was in the way.
That was all Cal needed and he went at Sally in earnest. She moaned her pleasure as he kissed a breast, biting into the hardness with his teeth, running his tongue over the smooth tip.
But when it came to the basics of mating in the confined space this took some doing. Panting, Sally took hold of Cal and attempted to bring him close to her body.
"Not enough room," Cal grunted.
Sally wasn't to be denied. Her eyes wild with want of tke man, she struggled to a kneeling position on the seat. His touch drove her wilder. She moved her legs a little further apart. Now she let her weight bear down on him and cried in pleasure as things began to happen.
Cal wouldn't have believed it but he was making headway. He wanted this dame badly now and he was going to have her. He pushed her back against the rear of the seat and became a part of her.
Only when they were one did Sally open her eyes. She sighed softly. "That's wonderful."
Now they sat body to body on the seat, their arms wrapped around each other, looking to the outside world as if they were merely engaged in a passionate kiss.
"It works," Sally whispered.
"The guy that invented that outfit should make a fortune," Cal grinned.
"You're wonderful," Sally whispered, switching the subject abruptly back to what they were doing. She pushed her hips at him and Cal responded with an equal motion.
Their loving was slow and gentle, each relishing the touch of the other as they climbed towards that familiar peak.
Midway there, Cal ceased to care about the outside world and tugged the bodice of the coveralls off her shoulders. For a moment her arms were pinned until she freed them. Bare to the waist she arched her breasts against his chest and their hardness bore into his skin.
"Kiss me," Sally murmured, her eyes glazed from what was happening.
Cal forced himself at her body, squirming to gain more feeling. She responded with a soft moan and equal pressure and her mouth opened wide and Cal clamped his down over it.
"Oh, Cal," she cried aloud. "Now ... now ... now ... do it now."
As Sally reached the peak she felt an explosion within her, seeking out the nooks and crannies of her womanhood until she thought she could stand the ecstasies no longer.
It was over and in a way Cal was glad. He'd been a damned fool to give into his emotions. But what was oddest to him was his sudden thoughts of Mary. With a half-naked girl in his arms whose inner warmth he was still a part of, he had no business thinking of anyone else.
But the facts were there. Cal felt guilty because he'd cheated on Mary.
"We'd better be getting back," Cal said gruffly.
Sally looked up at him, surprised. "So soon?" So soon.
"I thought we could do it again in a while." Cal shook his head. "It's finished," he said with finality.
Again he thought he saw a strange wildness in Sally's eyes. But he must have been mistaken for she withdrew from his arms and quickly zipped herself up, making no further protest.
A half hour later Sally stopped the car a block from his hotel. "Will I see you again?" she asked.
"No," Cal snapped. "There's no future in it."
"I think there is," Sally smiled. "And I'll prove it to you." Without any further words she roared away from him and left Cal standing on the sidewalk scratching his head. Now he was convinced of it. The girl was nuts.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
When Cal entered the hotel room he immediately wished he hadn't been in such a rush to get home. Mary was waiting for him, sitting on the bed naked, her arms outstretched.
"Where were you?" she asked, a little annoyed.
"Walking," Cal replied. "I never have looked over the Beach so I thought I'd do it today.
"You sure you weren't out searching for wealthy women?"
Cal shook his head and sat down beside her. He slipped his arms about her and kissed the bare back. "Now why would I do a thing like that?" he asked.
"Because you're tired of me," Mary pouted. "I've been Waiting for you all day like this. I've just got to have you. Get undressed."
Cal hesitated, remembering the card he carried in his pocket. He knew he couldn't keep going through this. He had to have backing so he could get back into business. And he knew how he could get the money. "I've been thinking," he said, trying to appear casual, lighting a cigarette.
"About what?"
"You and me. I think we should be married."
"You said that before," Mary reminded him. Chilly, she pulled a blanket around her. "I mean next week."
Mary's face lighted up in a broad smile. "Oh, darling," she said, hugging him. "I hoped you'd say that"
"But there's a catch," Cal said slowly. "We need some money."
"I know." Her smile faded.
"I found a way to get it today. You'd have to do a little work. It wouldn't take long."
Mary looked at him questioningly. "What kind of work?"
Cal drew a deep breath. The next few minutes meant a lot to him. "A man wants to take some pictures of you without clothes." He let the words come out in a rush and gave no further details.
"No." Mary's answer was decisive.
Cal dropped his hand onto her body. Damned if touching her didn't make him want to take her. He wondered if his own capacities weren't bottomless. "We could be married right away with the money," he said slowly. "If you don't do this I don't know how long we might have to wait."
Mary came into his arms, trembling from the touch of his hands. "Oh, Cal," she moaned. "I love you so much. Do you really want me to do this?"
He shook his head, assuming a sober expression. "No," he lied. "But I can't see any other way. While I was out I looked for work. There isn't any. At least not the kind that would give us a quick stake."
Mary nuzzled him with her lips. "All right," she whispered. "If it's this important to you I suppose I can stand it. When do I start?"
Cal tried to keep the glee he felt out of his expression. "Tomorrow morning."
Mary slid the blanket off her shoulders and lay back on the mattress and raised her arms towards him. "Now that that's settled," she smiled, "You come to bed."
Cal wasn't sure he could do anything but he was willing to try.
The studio was a cheap store on the north side of town in the middle of the industrial section. Inside was nothing but a battery of lights, an ominous looking bear rug and one rather delapidated camera.
Mary held Cal's hand tightly as they poked their way through the semi-darkness.
Jim Talbot spotted them as they came out of the shadows. He held his pudgy hand out to Cal, looking at Mary. "This the doll?"
"Yeah," Cal admitted.
"Good," Talbot said, motioning towards the pool of light. "You go over there, honey. I'll be right with you."
Mary looked at Cal for encouragement. Her face was the color of chalk. He patted her hand, indicating that she should do as Talbot had suggested.
"Nice figure," Talbot commented, watching her move away. "She should do nicely. She know the deal?"
"Not quite," Cal admitted. "I told her she was to pose in the nude."
Talbot's face clouded. "Our agreement was fifteen-hundred long greens if she went through the act while on camera. Naked women I got panting by the telephone.
"She'll go through with it," Cal promised. "Just get the guy to work her up a little. She won't be able to stop."
"This your girl?" Talbot said. He had an odd expression on his face.
"That's right," Cal agreed. "That mean anything to you?"
The fat man stroked his chin. "It takes all kinds of skunks to make the world."
Talbot moved away before Cal could think of a suitable comeback. He watched from a distance while the little man fiddled with his camera. He then introduced an older-looking man into the circle of lights. Mary protested at first, staring into the shadows for help from Cal.
He remained silent, watching her relent under the pressure of Talbot's persuasion. Cal had to hand it to the fat man. He'd have made one heck of a salesman.
He finally got Mary settled on a bench over some stuff on the floor that must have represented grass. Talbot sighted through the camera, re-entered the pool of light and talked briefly to Mary. She pulled up her dress until the garters showed, twin black straps leading up into her panties. Then she unfastened the top buttons of her blouse and pulled the material apart until the swells of her breasts were in clear view.
From there on things happened rapidly. Talbot returned to his position and the noise of his ancient camera filled the barn-like room. The male actor entered the circle of lights and sat down beside Mary. He wasted no time ... or film, stripping off her blouse and tugging the strapless bra down over her bosom. Her freed breasts were tremendous, drifting down over the waist band of her skirt. The man riddled with the ripe melons for a minute, making them bounce for the camera.
At that point he got his face slapped but good. The sharp sound echoed through the room.
Cal held his breath. He didn't know if the slap was in the script or not. Mary seemed on the verge of refusing to go on. Cal could feel the fifteen-hundred bucks sliding from his grasp.
But the guy was good and an expert in his field. He kissed Mary with obviously ardent passion, all the time working her breasts over, occasionally slipping his hand further below.
Her struggles weakened rapidly after the first embrace and before long she was helping him get rid of the skirt and half slip. Now she stood in the glaring light with only panties, stockings and the garter belt on. One by one these were taken from her and she was on the floor being kissed.
The rest was routine as Mary accepted the guy completely. Two minutes after that she was a lonely, sobbing girl on the artificial grass trying to forget what had been done to her.
When the camera stopped the room deepened into silence, broken only by Mary's crying.
Cal realized he was sweating from what he'd just witnessed. He waited until Mary had pulled herself together and gotten dressed. Then he went to her.
She looked up at him, guilt written across her face. "I didn't mean to let him do it to me, darling," she said, fighting back a fresh onslaught of tears. "Something happened. I couldn't stop."
Cal put a protective arm around her and guided her gently towards the door. "That's all right, honey," he soothed. "You wait outside. I'll be right along."
He returned to find Talbot unloading his camera, his face deep in thought. "That will be fifteen-hundred dollars, old friend," he grinned.
The veins in the fat man's neck stood out like cords and seemed to throb as he stared at the dark-haired man before him. His voice was ugly. "We don't need people like you in Miami," he spat.
Cal shrugged. "I don't give a damn what you think," he said. "Besides, what room have you to talk? What are you? A dealer in filthy pictures."
"I'm clean compared to you, Mac," Talbot spat. "That little girls needs help. She's turning into a nympho. I know all the signs. And I'll bet my bottom dollar you've done it to her."
"Drop it," Cal snapped, tiring of the lecture. "Just give me the money."
His face dark with anger, Talbot counted out three five-hundred dollar bills into Cal's hand. "Take it and get out of here," he growled. "You smell up the place."
Cal closed his fist over the green and resisted the impulse to bust the bastard one. He was ahead now. Why ask for further trouble!
Outside, Cal squinted against the brilliant sunlight. Mary continued to cling to him, shivering.
"I've never done anything like that before," she sobbed. "What happened to me?"
Cal held her close, as if he were trying to chase the tremors away. "Forget it," he suggested. He handed her one of the five-hundred dollar bills. "Maybe this will make you feel better."
"It's filthy money," Mary said.
"But it's money," Cal said gently. "Now we can pay the hotel bill."
"And get married," she said, smiling wanly.
"Soon," Cal promised. "Real soon." He started down the street with her but his mind was still back in the studio. He wouldn't admit it to anyone else but himself that he'd been pretty shook up by what had happened in that darkened room. His thinking puzzled and worried him at the same time. He wondered if he didn't think more of the girl beside him than he wanted to admit.
The next five days passed rapidly for Cal. Mostly they were spent stalling Mary a little longer about their wedding date. She guarded the two bundled dollars she had left as if it were her life savings.
Cal had most of the thousand left. He was in a real bind and wasn't sure what to do about it. Mickey kept giving him leads but Cal was hamstrung at following them up. He knew he certainly couldn't conduct a wide open courtship with Mary breathing down his neck.
Cal knew the solution but he stalled. He could tell Mary where to get off at, that he was finished with her. He didn't. And why he didn't Cal wasn't sure. One reason was that she was the best bed partner he'd ever known. With her around he had absolutely no interest in other women ... at least from the sex angle. Sure, he got sick of her demands now and then. But a guy likes to feel needed and with Mary around he did.
Once or twice Cal even thought of going through with the marriage. Then he got to thinking of being tied down and all the other crap that went with having a steady woman. It was enough to make him sweat.
For the moment Cal was neither fish nor fowl. He'd come to Miami Beach to find and marry a wealthy woman. That had been-and still was-his avowed purpose. If he hadn't gotten tangled up with Mary the chances were good that he'd be in clover right now.
But he had gotten mixed up with Mary. Now she was a weight around his neck that he couldn't find the guts to get rid of. He told himself that he'd be nuts to get hitched to her. Like all dames, she'd eventually expect him to go to work. That was crap. He'd come down here to the Beach just to avoid such a responsibility.
The rub was that Cal knew he had a soft spot in his heart for the girl. This was the first time this had ever happened to him and he didn't like the feeling. It was a struggle to keep it from her.
Cal had come in from a walk along the beach when Mickey approached him with a strange look in his eye. "I thought you'd retired from the fortune-hunting business," the bellboy grinned.
"What the hell you talking about?" Cal spat.
"Nothing much," the youth shrugged. "This came for you about an hour ago. I figured you might want to read it first yourself." He extended a long, slender envelope towards Cal.
Cal ripped it open and skimmed the note inside. It was short and to the point: 'Mr. Simpson. I would like to see you. There will be a car waiting at the back entrance to your hotel at four this afternoon. Please don't disappoint me. Mike Caldwell."
That was all. No more. Cal fingered the sheet of paper, wondering what the hell this was all about. "Who's Mike Caldwell?" Cal asked Mickey.
The youth tipped his cap to the back of his head. "Right now he's the hottest man in the country. I guess you don't read the newspapers much."
Cal glanced at the clock on the lobby wall. It was ten after four. His curiosity was aroused and he had to know what was going on. Cal started away from the bellhop.
"Hey," Mickey called after him. "I thought you wanted to know about Caldwell?"
"Later," Cal snapped impatiently. He planned to take care of that little matter himself.
Outside in the sunlight Cal blinked against the brilliance and looked over the parking lot. A big, black Caddy sat close by, its engine idling. There was a man behind the wheel and he put down his paper when Cal came into view. "You Cal Simpson?" he called out of the open window.
Cal nodded and crunched across the gravel. "That's right."
"Hop in," the stubby figure grunted. He swung open the back door.
Cal hesitated. He felt cool air flowing over him from the interior of the car. "What's this all about?"
The man clamped tighter on his cigar. "I got orders to take you to the house. That's all I know. Any more you'll have to get from the boss."
Cal had to follow this through. He started getting into the car but the man held out his hand. "Uh uh," he grunted. "Let's see some identification first."
What the hell was going on, Cal puzzled. He pulled out his wallet and showed the man his driver's license. Apparently satisfied, the driver let him get in, slipped the Caddy into gear, and they purred out onto the highway.
Several times during the ride Cal tried to draw the man on the front seat into a conversation. Each attempt met the same stone wall so in the end Cal sat back and tried to relax. It wasn't easy. The driver seemed as nervous as a cat in a den of dogs. Every few minutes he turned around and seemed to be searching the road behind him for something. More than once he ducked the car into an alley or narrow street and doubled back on his original route. His odd movements confused Cal even further. He was beginning to be a little sorry he'd come along.
Finally the short man behind the wheel seemed satisfied and they turned onto one of the causeways. They hadn't gone far when he made another turn, this time through a pair of iron gates manned by a guard and out onto a small island.
Cal realized at once that this was one of those islands he'd seen from the stewardess's room. What was it she'd said about them? "That's where the multi-billionaires live."
Cal took a new interest in life as he watched the homes that looked more like palaces slide past his window. The joint smelled of money.
The house behind the driveway they pulled into was the largest of the lot. Fronted by huge, white pillars, it stood in massive tribute to the dollar. The lawn would have made a good eighteen hole golf course.
"Okay," the driver grunted. He opened Cal's door. "You follow me."
As Cal moved onto the walk he caught sight of a small car in the garage that looked vaguely familiar. Before he had the chance to investigate further the driver was motioning him impatiently through the front door.
The inside of the home was more of a palace than the outside. Everything reeked of elegance. The vaulted ceilings were high enough to lose sight of in a heavy fog.
Growing even more curious by the moment Cal followed the small man down a long hallway. Their rubber heels make a strange, squishing sound on the marble floor.
"In here," the man said as he opened an inlaid, wooden door.
The panel closed silently behind Cal and he was left alone in what must have been a den. There was a large desk at one end and plenty of leather furniture scattered around. He tried to relax but under the circumstances that was difficult. His mind buzzed with questions. Who had brought him here and why? He felt suddenly like a fish out of water.
Cal hadn't noticed the other door at the far end of the room. Now it opened and a slender figure wearing glasses stepped over the threshold. As he came closer what might have passed for a smile crossed his face.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Simpson," he said pleasantly. "Won't you please sit down?"
Cal picked out the nearest chair and did so, balancing nervously on the edge. "Are you Mr. Caldwell?"
"Quite so," the man said, smiling thinly. He moved to the bar. "Would you like a drink?"
"Yeah," Cal agreed. "I could sure use one."
Caldwell measured out two ounces in a glass, added a little soda water and handed it to the dark-haired figure in the chair. Then he repeated the formula for himself and took a seat on the couch across from Cal.
Cal jumped the gun. "Just what the hell's this all about?" he snapped.
"Finish your drink," Cadwell suggested. "You'll find out in due course."
Cal downed the stuff in his glass rapidly. The liquor gave him some badly needed courage.
"You don't know me do you?" Caldwell said.
"No," Cal admitted. "Should I?"
"You don't read the newspapers?"
"I've been a little busy," Cal admitted.
"So I've observed," Caldwell said. It was a flat statement with the meaning behind it well hidden. He added, "I suppose I should get right to the point."
"I wish you would," Cal snapped impatiently.
The thin man reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a check and handed it across to Cal. "This is for you," he smiled.
The figures blurred on the paper as Cal tried to read them. Was that five-thousand dollars? He felt the room begin to spin around him. "What the hell's this for?" he asked huskily.
"I suppose I should explain myself," Caldwell said patiently.
"I wish you would," Cal urged. Despite the coolness of the room he could feel sweat gathering in the roots of his hair.
"I have two loves," Caldwell began slowly. "One Is money. The other is my daughter. Several weeks ago she became mixed up with a man that I wasn't particularly fond of. To put it bluntly he was a fortune hunter. Despite repeated warnings my daughter left our home in New York and came here with this man to be married. Something happened and she refused to go through with the ceremony. That something I have been able to ascertain is you. Again to put it bluntly, she liked your body more than his." Caldwell took a deep breath and smiled. "That is part of the reason for the check."
Cal began to have a faint glimmer of understanding. However, what he was thinking was impossible. It had to be. He had trouble getting his next sentence out. "Just who is your daughter?"
Caldwell had taken a slim cigar from his breast pocket and was applying a gold lighter to it. "Sally Caldwell, of course," he said.
Cal caught his breath at the name. She was the crazy nut who'd jumped out of the windowl
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The irony of the situation would have been funny if Cal hadn't felt so shook up. Here he'd had one of the richest dames in Miami Beach in his grasp all the time and he'd been treating her like dirt. Of all the stupid jerks. Still, he told himself, how was he to know? Who'd figure a rich babe like her would coming crawling to him for supper money?
Cal took a deep breath, trying to recover his senses. As his head cleared he made a mental note to get busy on Sally. She was his real gold mine.
Mike Caldwell must have read his mind. "There is a second part to that check," he reminded Cal. He drew on his cigar before continuing. "I'm well aware that you also are a fortune hunter. I have taken this into consideration in the amount I have given you. From now on you are to leave my daughter strictly alone." He added, smiling thinly, "This is for your own good as well as hers. Sally has never been a well child. I'm afraid where men are concerned she has little judgment. This isn't the first situation she's gotten herself into. Sometimes I fear she's a little mentally unbalanced in the male direction."
A man could take a lot of kookiness for the money Sally represented, Cal thought idly. Still, he remained silent.
The check in his sweaty hand was a good reason to do so.
Caldwell broke into his thoughts as he got to his feet. "It doesn't matter anyhow," he said. "I have to leave the country soon and am taking Sally with me. That will remove her from all further temptation." He extended his hand as a signal that the interview was ended. "If you want you may take the little sports car back to your hotel and use it as long as you wish. Just tell the clerk when you have finished with it. He'll know what to do."
Cal grasped the wiry hand and then watched as Caldwell vanished through the same door he'd entered.
Cal stood in the center of the room trying to collect his thoughts. Much of what had just happened was beyond his grasp. One item was real enough: the check in his hand. He looked at it again, making sure the figures hadn't vanished.
As Cal lighted a cigarette his fingers shook. Who would have thought it? Sally. A wealthy darnel Cal shrugged to himself and as the facts hit home he began feeling pretty good about everything.
There was even a bounce in his step as he moved back into the hall and started towards the distant outside door.
Cal never made it. Off to one side he heard a familiar voice calling softly to him. He glanced in that direction and saw Sally motioning at him from behind a half-open door. He hesitated, making certain no one was around and then went over to her.
"In here," she whispered.
"I don't know," Cal said uncertainly.
Sally grasped his arm and pulled him into the room and closed the door behind him. "We haven't much time," she said softly.
Only then did Cal get a good look at her and his breath caught in his throat. Except for stockings and high heeled shoes, she was naked. The rest of her clothing was scattered on the couch and chair. "Why didn't you take everything off?" he asked.
Sally smiled and looked down at herself. "I always heard a woman looked sexier this way."
Cal had to admit that. The abrupt change in color from where the dark nylons left off and the lighter colored flesh came into view was a magnet that led his eyes directly to the focal point.
He was nervous about being with the girl. Supposing her father caught them and voided the check? Still, he had some unanswered questions. "Why didn't you tell me you had money?" he asked.
Sally laughed, brushing an imaginary fly from the Hp of her breast. "Because I liked having you make love to me for my body and not my money. She took a step closer and her nylons hissed softly when her legs rubbed together. "I've only had a few men in my life. None of them have made me feel the way you do. When you finish with me I stay on fire for days." She changed the subject abruptly. "Did daddy pay you off?"
"He did," Cal admitted.
"He never lets me have any fun," Sally pouted.
Cal knew he had no business in here. He'd just been given a handsome sum of money to stay away from the girl.
Sally broke into his thoughts. "Make love to me, Cal," she said softly. "It's been too long since you last did it. The fire's all gone out."
"There isn't time," Cal stalled. He was tempted. He was always tempted when a woman took off her clothes in front on him.
"It won't take long," Sally promised, "and then you can leave." She moved away from him and walked around the room, accentuating the movements of her hips and breasts in a teasing maneuver. "Don't you like me any more?"
Cal had begun to sweat "Yeah," he admitted grudgingly. "I like you all right."
Sally set her feet apart. With the window behind her he could look right through her legs. It was quite a sight.
Cal stared at the girl and at the same time he felt that five-thousand dollar check pushing out his wallet. Supposing he took her and got caught? Was any dame worth that kind of dough?
The answer was short and sweet, no. He put his hand on the knob of the door behind him.
"It's been fun, sweetheart," he smiled. "But I'm afraid it's all over."
"No. You can't leave me like this."
Cal tucked her under the chin and opened the door. "Watch and you'll see me do it," he suggested. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the hall, thankful that no one was around.
Only when he was back on the front steps did he stop. Cal had to congratulate himself. He hadn't known he had that much resistance.
Cal said nothing to Mary about the five-thousand dollars. That night and the next day he savored the amount of money safely tucked within his wallet. He made plans and more plans of what he'd do with it. He imagined he bought a car and some clothes and took a trip.
But none of these thoughts included Mary. Cal felt a little guilty about this. After all, the girl had served him well. And he did feel some affection for her, though not enough to share the money.
What he wanted now was his freedom. He'd treaded water for too long. It was time to get busy and find another dame, one with whom he could parley the five-thousand into some real dough.
It was late in the day as Cal sat around the room, deep in his problems. He had to break the news to Mary. The question was-how? Of course he could just walk out on her but that seemed like the cowardly thing to do.
No, he decided, the only thing to do was come right out with it and get it over with.
His mind made up, Cal stared moodily at the closed door leading to the hall. He wondered where Mary was. She'd been sick this morning and had gone out to see a doctor. Why didn't she come home so he could get this over with before he lost his nerve?
The ringing of the telephone shook his already jangled nerves. He snatched up the instrument and much to his surprise Sally was at the other end. Didn't she ever give up, he reflected.
Her opening words were blunt enough. "Come to me, Cal," she pleaded. "I need you."
"We've been over that," Cal said sharply. He didn't want anything more to do with the girl. Fooling with her could lead to nothing but trouble.
Sally's voice purred on, undaunted by his gruff reception. "I'm on the bed, darling," she whispered. "I'm naked and ready for you."
If her statement was meant to entice, it missed the mark. "You'd better find another boy," Cal suggested. "I'm busy."
"Too busy to marry me?"
Cal took a sudden interest in what she'd said. "You're kidding."
"No," Sally said firmly. "I've made up my mind."
"But what about your father?"
"I don't care what he says," Sally continued defiantly. "He's controlled my life too long. I love you, I want you, I want to marry you, tonight, this instant, whenever you want. Only come and take care of me."
Cal had begun to sweat as his plans did a sudden switch. He remembered that big house and the cars, not to mention the boat parked in back. All of that meant money, plenty of it, Sally had more money than he could probably count. So what if she were a trifle wacky.
Cal grinned to himself as he hoped he was on the verge of finishing what he'd come to Miami Beach to accomplish. All of a sudden the five thousand dollar check he had looked puny. Who did her father think he was, buying him off with pennies when there was a hell of a lot more where that had come from? "You are serious?" he asked, making sure of his ground.
"Definitely," Sally assured him. "Are you coming?"
Cal had made up his mind. "Yes," he agreed. "I'll be over there this evening."
"Hurry," Sally purred and hung up.
Cal put his end of the phone down and noticed he was shaking. The end of his dreams finally looked as if they were in sight.
This time he said to hell with being a coward. He went into the bedroom and threw clothes into his grip, hoping he could get away before Mary came back.
No such luck. He was just fastening the latches when he heard the front door close.
Mary came into the room. Her eyes were expressionless as she looked from the bag on the bed to Cal. "I wondered how long before you'd do this," she said evenly.
"Look," Cal said hesitantly. He felt like a small kid caught stealing candy. "It's best this way."
"What woman are you going to now?" There was bitterness in her voice.
"Let's not make a fuss over it," Cal said, trying to soothe her. "These are the facts of life. I have a better offer."
Mary slid her coat off and threw it on the bed. Under the circumstances she seemed extremely calm. "I won't let you go," she said. Her words had a final ring to them.
Mary's attitude angered Cal. No woman ever told him what he could or couldn't do. "What's there to stop me?" he snapped.
Mary smiled but there wasn't much mirth in the expression. "I think I can," she said evenly. "If not then I can ask the police to do it."
Mention of the police slowed Cal up considerably. "You're crazy," he spat. "You haven't got a thing to hold me with."
"I think I have," Mary said, almost gently. "I'm carrying your child. I'm pregnant."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
That rocked Cal back on his heels. He stared at Mary in disbelief. "How the hell can you tell so soon?"
"There are ways," Mary said patiently. "It's not certain yet but the doctor says there's a better than eighty percent chance."
And there went the old ball game, Cal thought bitterly. Just when he had the brass ring in his grip. He was beginning to wonder if maybe he wasn't jinxed or something.
Mary went over to the bed and lay down. "I'm tired now," she explained. "We can go out to dinner when I wake up."
Cal left the room and went back to his chair by the window. He stared morosely out of the window, not seeing the beautiful white clouds scud across a blue sky.
To him everything was black. He swore at himself for ever having gotten mixed up with Mary in the first place. But he'd been over that before.
This time he really felt like a prisoner. Up until now he'd been free to walk out the door whenever he wanted. Wasn't he now?
Cal realized he could leave and there wouldn't be much Mary could do about it at the moment. It was later that bothered him. Once that damned kid was born she could have blood tests taken and all that crap and nail him to the wall. If he had control of Sally's money by then Mary would likely get all of it. He'd wind up with a nut for a bed partner and no dessert.
Cal went through a pack of cigarettes as he tried to think out every angle. As he sat before the window the blue sky gradually changed to an ashen color and the wind began to rise. The atlantic began to churn violently and white caps sputtered over the surface.
The storm matched Cal's mood. Since the day he had set foot in Miami he'd had nothing but trouble. What had seemed so easy had actually turned into a nightmare.
But the worse of it was that Cal knew he now had it made. Sally was waiting for him. All he had to do was go to her and the world would be his. She was exactly what he'd been searching for ever since he arrived.
The single thing that prevented this was Mary. What do you do with a woman that's in your way, Cal asked himself. You certainly can't stuff her into a closet out of sight.
You could kill her. Cal tried to shake that last thought away but it wouldn't leave. He kept coming back to it. At first he told himself he was kidding himself that he could do such a thing.
Time dragged on and it grew dark outside and only the glow of Cal's cigarette was visible in the darkness. What if there was an accident? She could drown. Mary herself had said that she couldn't swim.
This was madness, Cal told himself. He had no business thinking like this. He'd done a lot of rotten things in his life but killing a woman wasn't one of them.
But all that money. The life for himself that he'd always dreamed of. No more work or sweat. Cal figured that he deserved a better deal than he was getting. la the midst of his thoughts Mary appeared from the bedroom. "I thought you were going to wake me?" she complained.
Cal turned on a light and looked up at her sleep-filled face. "You didn't say anything about it."
"Oh." Mary yawned and came to him. "I thought I had." She bent over and kissed the top of his head. "Are you still leaving me?"
Cal wrapped his arm around her ample hips. "Of course not," he grinned. "I'm really happy about the kid. We'll get married tomorrow if you want."
Mary smiled broadly and clapped her hands together. "That's wonderful," she gushed.
Cal wondered how he'd ever gotten mixed up with a simple minded broad like this. By rights she should have hit him over the head with a hammer instead of forgiving him. "I got an idea," he said. "Why don't we have dinner and then take a drive down to the beach where we first swam together?"
Mary looked through the window at the palm trees bent over by the wind. "In this weather?"
"It'll be a ball," Cal coaxed.
Mary finally nodded her head. "If that's what you want," she agreed.
Cal knew now that he was in too deep to back out. He was going after Sally's money and nothing would stop him. Whether he liked it or not he was planning a murder.
Mickey, the bellhop, came up to Cal as he and Mary left the hotel. "You hear about Caldwell?" he asked.
Cal gave him a dirty look to hush him up. He didn't want Mary to hear who Sally was. "Forget it," he growled.
The youth moved away, muttering to himself.
Cal's next problem was explaining the car. He finally took the simplest route and told her he'd rented it. After a brief lecture concerning thrift they drove off down the highway.
Cal's hands were slick on the wheel as he guided the convertible towards their destination. He had no idea of how he was going to accomplish what was ahead for him, except that it had to be done. He'd mustered up some courage and now he kept it under a tight rein. In a way Cal was sorry that Mary had to go. There'd never be another bed partner quite like her.
"I love you," Mary said, snuggling against him.
Cal slid his arm around her and pulled her closer. He dipped his hand beneath her clothing and took a breast in his grasp, cradling it in his palm, feeling the movement of her fullness respond to the roughness of the highway. The hardness of her nipple bore into his flesh.
Cal wished he hadn't touched her as desire added itself to his other emotions. It was odd, he reflected, no matter how many times he took Mary to bed each time was like the first. She was a monument to the sex act-capable, willing and desirable.
He rebuked himself for his thoughts. This kind of thinking wasn't going to help the job he had ahead of him.
Cal found the turn off and pulled down to the beach. As soon as he shut off the engine the sound of die surf flooded over them.
Mary twisted in his arms and looked up at him. "This is where it all began isn't it?" she said softly.
Cal nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "This is it."
"Were you wondering how you could get my clothes off that night?" Mary asked.
"Maybe," Cal answered, not wanting to commit himself.
"I'll tell you a secret," Mary said softly. "I was wondering how to get you to take them off."
"Now you tell me," Cal grinned.
"All you'd have had to do was start unbuttoning things and I'd have helped."
Cal unfastened the buttons of her blouse. "Like this?"
"See how easy it is?" Mary said.
He looked down at what he'd just exposed, wondering why he'd done it. She'd worn a full slip with no bra beneath, cut into a low vee at the top that formed a deep canyon between her breasts. Damn, he reflected, she was as attractive now as the first day he'd met her.
"You like those don't you?" Mary said, following his eyes with hers.
"I sure do," Cal said. He shook himself from his trance. He certainly wasn't acting like a man about to commit murder. "Let's go for a walk," he suggested.
"Like the last time?" Mary smiled. "Are you going to take off my clothes?"
"You ask too many questions," Cal grunted. He went around and opened the door for her, watching her skirt slide to the top of her stockings as she got out. "You'll never make the beach," he grinned.
"I don't have to be modest with you any more," Mary said slowly. "You know me inside and out."
Hand in hand they walked down to the edge of the ocean and stood there watching the surf. It was tremendous, boiling onto the land in a mighty display of unharnessed power. Once, when the wind slackened a little, Cal thought he spotted a light a little ways from shore.
Who'd have a boat out on a night like this, he thought.
Mary shivered beside him. "It frightens me," she said, pressing closer to him.
Cal had to admit that it did the same to him. Right now he hadn't figured out how he'd get her in swimming.
Mary kissed him softly on the cheek. "Undress me, darling," she whispered. "I want it to be just like the last time, you and I on the beach alone, naked."
Cal wasn't sure they were so alone. Earlier he thought he'd seen a car park some distance behind theirs. However he reasoned that neckers had other interests than them. Cal turned his attention to the woman at his side and got rid of her skirt. He admired the full figure in a slip. She was almost statuesque.
"I'm a long way from undressed," Mary teased.
"You should wear a bra," Cal scolded. "You're positively indecent."
"After what you've done to me there isn't one that will fit me." She reached down and grasped the hem of the slip and pulled it over her head, following it with her panties, undressing in the casual fashion of a woman who has been nude many times in front of her man. "That's better," Mary announced when she'd finished.
Cal had to agree. He found himself staring at the woman as he'd never done before, analyzing every curve and turn of her body, finding each was perfection. For the moment he decided to hold off doing anything violent to her. If she had to die why not let her die happily? Just seeing her this way had worked him up to taking her one last time.
"You have clothes on," Mary reminded him. "That's not fair." Her fingers fumbled with his buttons and soon he was as naked as she. Two people on the beach in their birthday suits.
Mary went into his arms. "Kiss me," she said softly, wiggling her belly next to his, letting the warmth of their flesh blend together, moving her legs so that he had room to tuck himself between her thighs.
Their embrace was almost gentle, filled with subdued passion. And before it was finished, Mary's body was telling his what it wanted. She put her arms about his neck and pulled him gently down on top of her as she sank to the sand.
What followed was a precision performance by two people who had grown used to each other. Mary moved Jber legs apart and dug her toes into the sand. She raised her body to his for acceptance and felt him easily become a part of her.
Cal didn't understand but at that moment he wanted her more than at any other time. He knew he should hate her. He knew that because of her he could lose everything he'd ever dreamed of having.
It didn't matter. Nothing mattered at that timeless moment except their fiery passions. Using his hips, he pounded at her, over and over and over, forcing himself to depths he'd never known he could attain, inching their bodies along in the sand from the strength of his attack. Cal's hands on her breasts felt them tremble violently with every downward stroke.
And Mary's voice cried out in the wind as she felt the ravishment being done to her, demanding even more, forcing herself up to meet the power of his body.
When Cal finally exploded it was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. It was a sensation that seemed to last forever. He felt her writhe in pleasure as they reached fulfillment together.
Mary moaned softly and held him close with her hands on his buttocks.
And only when the magic moment had passed did Cal feel a shiver sweep through him. He looked down at the sweet face of the woman beneath him, studied the heaving breasts and the dark tips still wet from his tongue. In that fraction of time a revelation swept over him. It was as if he were reborn and had seen Mary in a new light, possibly the light of a love he'd refused to believe.
Cal knew then the full truth. He couldn't kill her.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Cal was staggered by his thoughts. He called himself a fool for giving up what money had to offer. He still wanted those things but the price was too high. Whether he loved Mary or not didn't matter. What did was that he couldn't kill.
Exhausted, he rolled off the girl and lay on his side beside her. Mary stirred and turned her head to his. "That was marvelous," she said softly. "You've never done it like that before." She ran her hand across her flat belly. "You must be trying to give me another baby."
"Could be," Cal admitted.
Mary rolled on her side and looked at him. "How many women have you put babies in, Cal?" she asked.
It was a hell of a question, he thought.
The whites of her eyes glowed in the dark. "It's so simple for you, darling," Mary continued, not waiting for him to reply. "All you do is fondle and caress us and we women turn into jelly and let you have us. Then, when you're satisfied, you leave us to face the truth ourselves." She shook her head. "It's not fair."
She was working herself up to something, Cal reflected. He wondered what.
"When are you going to leave me?" Mary said sadly.
"When will you get tired of what I can give you and leave me to look for someone else?"
"Stop talking like that," Cal scolded.
"It's the truth isn't it?" Mary said soberly. "You're a handsome man. You won't be satisfied with me for long. There are too many women prettier than I. When I'm all swollen and ugly with your child you'll hate me and want something flat and cute."
"Damn it," Cal growled. "Cut it out."
"All right," Mary said simply. She raised herself on her elbows until her big breasts dangled over his face. "Open your mouth. I have a present for you."
Cal grinned at the sudden switch of interests. This was something he enjoyed much more than conversation. Mary leaned down and the tip between his teeth was fat and delicious.
"More," Mary moaned. "Let me put as much in you as you did in me."
Cal opened his mouth wider and accepted what she had to offer. The flesh was sweet and warm and vibrant and flowed around his face as she pressed her weight harder against him.
"I don't think it would be right if you left me," Mary was saying. "Not after all you've done to me."
Cal was having trouble getting his wind. Her enveloping womanhood was cutting off his breath.
"You've humiliated me," Mary continued. "You've made me a harlot. You've used my body for your own selfish purposes."
Cal began to gag as the weight of her body increased. Her breast was no longer beautiful. It was a weapon that was strangling him.
Mary's voice rose above the sound of the wind. "You're no good, Cal," she cried. "You're no good to anybody. There's only one thing to do with a person like you."
Cal felt convulsions setting in as his lungs screamed for air. He began to fight against the weight of the woman above him. Now he knew what she was up to and he panicked as fear momentarily paralyzed his body.
"You'd be better off dead, Cal," Mary said, her voice now a scream. "All women would be better off if you were dead. I'm only doing everyone a favor."
Cal began to fight as he never had in his life. Pain etched his lungs and he felt as if his heart were about to burst. The flesh of the woman was a gag, a sickening sweet gag that was drowning him on the sand.
And above it all he heard her ranting on. A witch over her brewing pot. A woman gone mad with frustration and anger. "Die," she cried. "Die and we'll all be rid of you."
Cal didn't want to die, not this way, not any way. He felt himself growing weaker and a strange blackness passing over him. At that sensation he finally lashed out blindly and struck his knee between her legs.
Mary cried out in pain.
Cal did it again. This time she moved a little and air flowed down his throat. With renewed vigor he raised up on his elbows and shoved her aside.
Coughing, choking, Cal staggered to his feet. "You little bitch," he spat. "You vixen." Blindly he reached for her, his rage bursting out of control.
Mary screamed in sudden fear and began to run, her white body a slender reed against the sand.
Cal summoned the strength to follow her, to show her what he did to women who tried to kill him.
It was then he saw her turn and head directly for the ocean, looking back at him, not seeing where she was going.
Cal yelled a warning. It was too late. What followed was an instant or an eternity. Mary's scream rose above the wind as she saw the wrath of the surf bearing down on her. For an instant her expression revealed pure panic. And then the undertow caught hold of her and she was down, her arms flaying wildly.
Cal swore an oath and came to life. But by the time he reached the spot Mary was gone. He was alone with only the ruthless sea for a companion.
Cal walked the beach for an hour as a blind man walks the streets. He searched for some sign of Mary. There was none. All that was left were her clothes on the sand, limp, mute testimony to the woman who had been.
In the end he had to give up. He returned to the car, still in a daze, unable to believe the tragedy he'd witnessed.
But the facts were firm. Mary was gone.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Cal had his hand on the key to the ignition when he heard the voice. He paused, the hairs on his neck standing up. Was Mary still alive?
But the figure that came out of the darkness was Sally. "I saw," she said simply. "It was a terrible tragedy."
Cal nodded soberly. "It was," he agreed. "What are you doing here?"
Sally smiled. I've been here all the time. I followed you from the hotel. When you didn't come to the house I knew something must have delayed you. I might have known it would be her."
Cal bristled at the inflection. The memory of Mary was still too fresh to be touched. "Go back home," he snapped, wanting to be alone with his thoughts. "This is no place for you."
Sally ignored his anger and moved into the car. "Now that we don't have her with us any more there's no reason for waiting to get married."
Cal held his temper in. He wanted to slap her sassy face.
"You don't have to worry about being taken care of," Sally continued quickly. "I can do it just as well as she could." Her hands reached for her skirt and she pulled it to her waist There was nothing but her womanhood beneath. "Let's do it now," she suggested, beginning to breath hard. "It will help wash her out of your system."
As Cal stared at the girl beside him he was numb. His anger rose to a crest and then fell unused. He realized that he was partly responsible for her actions. She'd been held in check by her father and he'd encouraged her to let down the reins. These were his own faults coming back to haunt him.
"Touch me," Sally insisted. "Touch me good."
Cal shook his head. He closed his eyes, hoping that she'd go away. But when he looked she was still beside him. "Aren't you afraid of your father?" he asked at last.
Sally shook her head in a defiant motion. "No. I told him what you and I were going to do. He said he'd disinherit me if I did. But I don't care. I just want you, nothing else."
"So you're broke," Cal said.
Sally nodded her head.
Cal felt like an empty shell. Because of this girl he'd brought Mary out here to kill her. She was dead because of what he'd done. And now Cal knew he wasn't even going to have the dignity of turning the money down. "We aren't going to get married," he announced.
Sally's face went scarlet. "We have to," she screamed. "You promised."
Cal's mind was made up. He'd made too many mistakes in the past and wasn't about to make another. "I think you'd better go home," he suggested as gently as he could manage.
I'll tell the police you killed her," Sally warned. "I'll tell them everything you did. They'll lock you up forever."
Cal sighed He knew that was a possibility. But suddenly his life seemed very empty and he didn't care what they did to him. He knew now, too late, that he'd been In love with Mary. If only he had been smart enough to recognize it earlier. But how could he? Cal had never been in love. The symptoms were completely foreign.
He looked at the car and realized that even this wasn't his. With Sally's shrill warnings ringing in his ears Cal slid from the machine and started to walk away, ignoring the nude figure behind him.
He didn't get far when a police car slid to a stop beside him, it's blinking red light a firefly in the darkness. Two cops got out and surrounded him. One of them looked at the girl.
"Man," he said. "You're walking away from her?"
"Yeah," Cal agreed. "That's just what I'm doing. She has a very interesting story to tell you."
"We got problems of our own, Mac," the first cop snapped. He tilted his hat to the back of his head. "You been down here long?"
Cal nodded. "Quite a while." Had he ever been so tired?
"Did you happen to see a dame go in swimming by herself, sans clothes?"
Cal looked up at the man sharply. "What about her?" he asked, his pulse quickening.
The first cop turned to his partner, glancing at Sally who was still raging. "You better go see what she wants, Pete," he suggested. "Try to get some clothes on her. I'm too beat to haul anyone in for indecent exposure." He turned back to Cal. "What kind of a party you been throwing here anyhow?"
"What about the girl?" Cal pressed. He didn't breathe, scarcely daring to believe that there might be hope.
The cop shrugged. "Damned funny thing about that. Couple of fishermen were working the banks a couple hundred yards out when they got something in their net. When they pulled it in, here was this dame, naked as a jay bird."
Cal's pulse doubled. "Was she alive?"
"Hell yes. They pulled anchor and came right on in. We got her down at the city hospital. All she'll tell us is that she went swimming nude. Sounds phony as a two dollar bill to me." Cal exhaled relief and silently gave thanks. "You know her?" the cop asked. Cal nodded. "I certainly do. She's my future wife." The first officer returned. There were scratches across his face. "Bill, this dame doesn't want to put any clothes on. She keeps pleading with me to make her. When I didn't she cut me up. You mind waiting in the cruiser a while?"
The cop named Bill chuckled and took Cal my the arm. "We'll wait," he agreed. "This guy has some explaining to do."
Cal looked at the distant horizon and saw streaks of color beginning to appear as dawn approached. He felt good, better than he ever had in his life. The road ahead would be hard. He'd have to work to convince Mary that he really did love her. It meant a whole new existence for him, the kind he'd never known before.
The lesson had been hard but worth while. To get something worth while a price must be paid. In the night that was passing he'd thought everything was finished. He'd been wrong. It was just beginning.
