the chair. “I don’t know how it happened, or why.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she interrupted. “But from the moment I saw you, I began to live again. I was alone.”
“You’re not alone any more,” I said.
“No?” she questioned softly.
We came together in the centre of the room; there was a fire inside me.
I could feel the muscles in my body straining with an almost forgotten beat. My arms had a strength all their own and held her close to me.
Her arms tightened round my neck. I turned my face to her.
Her eyes stared at me, vague, unseeing; only her lips were moving. “No, Brad, no. Please.” I rose quickly to my feet and picked her up in my arms.
My voice was husky as I looked down at her. “There is no word for it. This never happened before.” I pressed my lips to her mouth. “Only to us.”
Her lips were warm and trembling, and slowly the trembling stopped and nothing but the warmth remained. She was a figurine in old ivory and the orange flush of the fading sun turned her flesh into a delicate gold.
Her body was like a fire that had been too long without a spark to make it flame and in a moment we were in a world all our own, on a cloud just across the moon, racing faster than light like an interplanetary rocket.
I found her mouth with my lips, and a comet caught me in its grip, then burst inside me like a shooting star. There was a startling moment of stillness and then I was tumbling into a bottomless void, a crazy thought trailing through my mind.
What a way to get even with Matt Brady for costing me half a million bucks!
Chapter Nine
THE sound of running water woke me up. I lay there quietly, letting my eyes get used to the strange darkness. Instinctively I reached for my cigarettes. They were not in their usual place. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized where I was.
I rolled over to the edge of the bed and sat up. I turned on the lamp on the night table and looked at my watch. Nine o’clock. Marge would be worried. I picked up the phone and gave the operator the number.
I could hear the dial clicking as the bathroom door opened and Elaine came out. She stood there a moment looking down at me, framed by the light in the doorway behind her. There was a small towel around her head and a large turkish towel wrapped around her body.
“Calling home?” It was more a statement than a question. I nodded.
She didn’t answer. Just then Marge’s voice came on the phone. “Brad?” “Yeah,” I answered. “Everything okay, baby?”
“Yes, Brad. Where are you? I was worried.”
“I’m okay,” I said into the phone, looking up at Elaine, still in the doorway. “I been out drinking.” “You sure you’re all right?” she insisted. “You sound funny.”
“I said I’m all right,” I replied impatiently. “I just had a few drinks.”
Elaine went back into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. I picked up a cigarette and tried to light it.
“Where are you?” Marge asked. “The office has been trying to locate you all afternoon.” “I’m in a bar on Third Avenue,” I lied. “What do they want?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “Chris said it had something to do with the Steel Institute. He said for you to call him at home.” She hesitated a moment. “What happened, Brad? It didn’t go so good, did it?”
“No, it didn’t,” I answered brusquely.
I could almost see her smile encouragingly through the phone. “Don’t feel bad about it, Brad. It’s not that important. We can get along without it.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Chris said you might have to run down to Pittsburgh to their main office. He didn’t know, when I spoke to him last, but I packed your bag and sent it down to your office in case you need it. Are you going to call him now?”
“Yeah,” I answered.
Her voice brightened. “You’ll call me back and let me know what’s happening, won’t you?” “Of course, baby,” I replied.
“I hope you didn’t drink
“It doesn’t matter,” she interrupted. “But from the moment I saw you, I began to live again. I was alone.”
“You’re not alone any more,” I said.
“No?” she questioned softly.
We came together in the centre of the room; there was a fire inside me.
I could feel the muscles in my body straining with an almost forgotten beat. My arms had a strength all their own and held her close to me.
Her arms tightened round my neck. I turned my face to her.
Her eyes stared at me, vague, unseeing; only her lips were moving. “No, Brad, no. Please.” I rose quickly to my feet and picked her up in my arms.
My voice was husky as I looked down at her. “There is no word for it. This never happened before.” I pressed my lips to her mouth. “Only to us.”
Her lips were warm and trembling, and slowly the trembling stopped and nothing but the warmth remained. She was a figurine in old ivory and the orange flush of the fading sun turned her flesh into a delicate gold.
Her body was like a fire that had been too long without a spark to make it flame and in a moment we were in a world all our own, on a cloud just across the moon, racing faster than light like an interplanetary rocket.
I found her mouth with my lips, and a comet caught me in its grip, then burst inside me like a shooting star. There was a startling moment of stillness and then I was tumbling into a bottomless void, a crazy thought trailing through my mind.
What a way to get even with Matt Brady for costing me half a million bucks!
Chapter Nine
THE sound of running water woke me up. I lay there quietly, letting my eyes get used to the strange darkness. Instinctively I reached for my cigarettes. They were not in their usual place. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized where I was.
I rolled over to the edge of the bed and sat up. I turned on the lamp on the night table and looked at my watch. Nine o’clock. Marge would be worried. I picked up the phone and gave the operator the number.
I could hear the dial clicking as the bathroom door opened and Elaine came out. She stood there a moment looking down at me, framed by the light in the doorway behind her. There was a small towel around her head and a large turkish towel wrapped around her body.
“Calling home?” It was more a statement than a question. I nodded.
She didn’t answer. Just then Marge’s voice came on the phone. “Brad?” “Yeah,” I answered. “Everything okay, baby?”
“Yes, Brad. Where are you? I was worried.”
“I’m okay,” I said into the phone, looking up at Elaine, still in the doorway. “I been out drinking.” “You sure you’re all right?” she insisted. “You sound funny.”
“I said I’m all right,” I replied impatiently. “I just had a few drinks.”
Elaine went back into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. I picked up a cigarette and tried to light it.
“Where are you?” Marge asked. “The office has been trying to locate you all afternoon.” “I’m in a bar on Third Avenue,” I lied. “What do they want?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “Chris said it had something to do with the Steel Institute. He said for you to call him at home.” She hesitated a moment. “What happened, Brad? It didn’t go so good, did it?”
“No, it didn’t,” I answered brusquely.
I could almost see her smile encouragingly through the phone. “Don’t feel bad about it, Brad. It’s not that important. We can get along without it.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Chris said you might have to run down to Pittsburgh to their main office. He didn’t know, when I spoke to him last, but I packed your bag and sent it down to your office in case you need it. Are you going to call him now?”
“Yeah,” I answered.
Her voice brightened. “You’ll call me back and let me know what’s happening, won’t you?” “Of course, baby,” I replied.
“I hope you didn’t drink
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