think it’s kid stuff. Kiss me.” I kissed her on the throat. At first it seemed funny but then it felt good. She guided one hand of mine towards her breast. It felt soft and warm. She whispered in my ear. It was almost as if she were talking to herself. “There’s something about you, Frankie. I can’t understand it. Kids don’t usually make me feel that way. But you—you’re different. You’re like a man, hard and selfish and calculating, and like a kid, soft at the tiny corners of your mouth. You’re strong, and when you hold me you’re as gentle as a baby. Say you love me.”
I shook my head, still kissing her throat. I held her tight. “Say it!” she commanded. “Say ‘Julie, I love you’.”
I moved my lips up to hers and didn’t say anything. We heard Marty whistling as he came out of the bathroom. We fell apart. I looked at her. She was beautiful. Her eyes were sparkling and her mouth was still puckered a little with my kiss.
“I’ll make you say it—later,” she whispered fiercely before Marty came into the room. I laughed happily. Just then Marty came in. “What’s funny?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said, feeling like a dope.
We sat down to eat. About ten minutes later Ruth came in. “I’m sorry I’m late for dinner, Julie, I was stuck at the club. We’re electing a new president, you know.” She sat down at the table and looked at me. “You here?” she said.
“Yes,” I said, feeling that nothing could bother me now. “Do ya mind?”
Julie brought over Ruth’s plate and sat down at the table. She looked at Ruth and me as if she could see the antagonism flowing between us.
I looked at Julie and it seemed to me that she was laughing down deep in her eyes where I couldn’t get to see it.
After supper we went into the parlour for a while. At 8.30 I said good night. Ruth again walked me to the door. “I see you didn’t take my advice,” she said.
“Why don’t you mind your own goddam business?” I replied nastily. I think the language shocked her a little because I heard her gasp. At the door when I turned and looked at her, I saw there were tears in her eyes. Instinctively I reached for her hand. “I’m sorry,” I said.
She shook my hand loose. “Don’t touch me!” she said coldly. “I hate everything about you. You’re not like other boys of your age. There’s something old and mean and hard about you; something basically vicious; something that makes me think you’ll spoil everything you touch—even my brother.”
I tried to speak but I couldn’t. I stepped outside and closed the door behind me.
Julie was waiting at the other door. “What took you so long? I thought you would never come out.”
“Nothing,” I said, following her into her room. I turned her around and kissed her—first on her lips and then on her throat where she had wanted me to kiss her before. I untied her smock and put my hands inside; her skin was cool and smooth. I pushed her towards the bed.
She stopped me. “Say ‘I love you’ first.”
I held her tight. Her knees seemed to sag and all her weight was against me. She stiffened her body against me. “No,” she said. “Say ‘I love you’ first.”
I held her. She felt straight and hard. I looked at her mouth; it was not soft but firm, determined.
“I love you, Julie,” I said hoarsely, pulling her closer to me.
Chapter Ten
“I T’S easy,” Jimmy Keough was saying to me. “You’ve got the whole territory from here to Sixty-fourth Street. I told the boys you’d be around. All you’ve got to do is take their bets, write them down, and bring ’em here to me before the races are run. If you can’t get here on time call me and tell me what you have. We’ll run your book on a split. As long as you’re ahead we’ll split fifty-fifty on the take. When you’re in the hole you have to make up your deficit before we split again.”
I nodded my head. We had gone over this many times before. I was anxious
I shook my head, still kissing her throat. I held her tight. “Say it!” she commanded. “Say ‘Julie, I love you’.”
I moved my lips up to hers and didn’t say anything. We heard Marty whistling as he came out of the bathroom. We fell apart. I looked at her. She was beautiful. Her eyes were sparkling and her mouth was still puckered a little with my kiss.
“I’ll make you say it—later,” she whispered fiercely before Marty came into the room. I laughed happily. Just then Marty came in. “What’s funny?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said, feeling like a dope.
We sat down to eat. About ten minutes later Ruth came in. “I’m sorry I’m late for dinner, Julie, I was stuck at the club. We’re electing a new president, you know.” She sat down at the table and looked at me. “You here?” she said.
“Yes,” I said, feeling that nothing could bother me now. “Do ya mind?”
Julie brought over Ruth’s plate and sat down at the table. She looked at Ruth and me as if she could see the antagonism flowing between us.
I looked at Julie and it seemed to me that she was laughing down deep in her eyes where I couldn’t get to see it.
After supper we went into the parlour for a while. At 8.30 I said good night. Ruth again walked me to the door. “I see you didn’t take my advice,” she said.
“Why don’t you mind your own goddam business?” I replied nastily. I think the language shocked her a little because I heard her gasp. At the door when I turned and looked at her, I saw there were tears in her eyes. Instinctively I reached for her hand. “I’m sorry,” I said.
She shook my hand loose. “Don’t touch me!” she said coldly. “I hate everything about you. You’re not like other boys of your age. There’s something old and mean and hard about you; something basically vicious; something that makes me think you’ll spoil everything you touch—even my brother.”
I tried to speak but I couldn’t. I stepped outside and closed the door behind me.
Julie was waiting at the other door. “What took you so long? I thought you would never come out.”
“Nothing,” I said, following her into her room. I turned her around and kissed her—first on her lips and then on her throat where she had wanted me to kiss her before. I untied her smock and put my hands inside; her skin was cool and smooth. I pushed her towards the bed.
She stopped me. “Say ‘I love you’ first.”
I held her tight. Her knees seemed to sag and all her weight was against me. She stiffened her body against me. “No,” she said. “Say ‘I love you’ first.”
I held her. She felt straight and hard. I looked at her mouth; it was not soft but firm, determined.
“I love you, Julie,” I said hoarsely, pulling her closer to me.
Chapter Ten
“I T’S easy,” Jimmy Keough was saying to me. “You’ve got the whole territory from here to Sixty-fourth Street. I told the boys you’d be around. All you’ve got to do is take their bets, write them down, and bring ’em here to me before the races are run. If you can’t get here on time call me and tell me what you have. We’ll run your book on a split. As long as you’re ahead we’ll split fifty-fifty on the take. When you’re in the hole you have to make up your deficit before we split again.”
I nodded my head. We had gone over this many times before. I was anxious
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