“Sure, why not. Those parties never start to move till after ten anyway. Hop in.”
“I do love this car, Cole,” Luana cooed breathlessly as she hooked on her seat belt. Cole felt like groaning when he saw the way it mashed her breasts. He wanted to reach over and slide it between her breasts instead of over them.
“By the way,” he said casually, “I left a present for you on your kitchen table. One minute you were there and the next you were gone.”
“I didn't want to see you leave. Everyone from the big house was going out. I saw Riley leave. I felt jealous, so I decided to work it off by going for a walk. You didn't have to get me a present. It was nice of you, though. What is it?”
“When I drive you back home, you'll see it.” Cole knew Luana was smiling in the darkness.
“I'm going to miss you guys when you leave. Just a few more days,” she said softly.
“I'll send you a postcard, or I could write you a letter.”
“That would be nice.” She noticed there was a Michael Jackson tape playing, although it was hard to hear with the wind roaring in her ears.
“What are you going to do this summer?”
“Summer school, and I got a part-time job as a mother's helper for some six-year-old runt. The guidance counselor got it for me. The pay is three fifty an hour. I can use the money for school clothes in the fall.”
“Too bad I won't be here to see them,” Cole said morosely. “Your clothes, I mean. I'm leaving the end of August for prep school for my senior year, and then it's college.”
“Riley, too?” Luana asked conversationally.
“Riley's going to Yale.”
“You sound pleased. Are you going to Yale?”
“No, Notre Dame. Riley almost had a perfect SAT score. Fifteen ninety. I only scored thirteen hundred. Riley is Yale material.” He wasn't going to tell her he actually felt proud of his cousin, even if he didn't like him.
“What are you going to do tonight?” he asked as one of McAllister's carhops brought them their Cokes.
“Read
The Red Badge of Courage
for a book report. It has to be in on Monday.”
“You want to use mine? I got an A on it. I think I have it in my old papers from school.”
“That'd be cheating,” Luana said virtuously.
“Hey, I just asked. You don't have to use it. I thought maybe instead of going to the party, I could take you for a drive somewhere. Unless your father is coming home early,” he added anxiously.
“No, he's out for the night. Okay, I'll use the report. Where do you want to go?”
“Hell, I don't know. We can't go to your place.” He slapped at his head as though he just remembered something. “Hey, I know! There's an old line shack at the end of the north acreage. It's got an old couch, a stove, and some chairs, I think. And a hurricane lamp. No electricity or bathroom, though.” He could feel his heart pounding.
“What'll we do there?” Luana asked innocently.
Cole grinned. “What do you think?”
“All the way?” Luana gasped.
“I have some rubbers. Come on, Luana, you're driving me crazy. You said you would when the time was right.”
“My pa would kill me. You, too, if he ever found out.”
“How's he gonna find out? I sure as hell won't tell him. That leaves you.”
“He might be able to tell. My pa watches me like an eagle.”
“Hawk,” Cole corrected. He could almost feel her full, round breasts in his hands. “There's no way he'd be able to tell. Make up your mind; the girl's coming to take the tray.”
Luana considered. “What am I gonna get out of this? The first time is supposed to hurt, and I'll have messy underwear. I've been saving myself. I know guys like you think that's corny, but I don't care. You're going away pretty soon. What am I supposed to do till you come back?”
“Wait for me. I won't hurt you. Maybe a little, but, you'll forget it in a hurry. I have about two hundred dollars. Will that help you make up your mind?”
“Two hundred dollars! Well, sure, but there's something not right about taking money for ... for ...”
“You don't have to take it.”
“I didn't say I wouldn't take it. I sure could use it....” She thought it over for a few moments. “Okay, let's go to the line shack.”
Cole's gut churned as he backed the Cougar out of the parking lot.
Forty-five minutes later Cole sat in the line shack staring at Luana. He handed her the two hundred dollars and she quickly slipped it into her hip pocket. Then he watched, fascinated, as she pulled her T-shirt over her head. He sucked in his breath. She was wearing a pink lacy bra that barely contained her breasts. A moment later the faded jeans slipped to the floor.
As Luana put her hands behind her back to unhook her bra, the strangest thing happened to Cole. First, his whole life flashed before him. Then a vision of his future crowded out his past. When he could see clearly again, the half-naked girl who stood before him no longer interested him. He wanted to tell her so, but the words wouldn't come.
Her breasts were free now, large and pink-tipped. There was no hunger on his lips to taste them. He continued to watch her as the bikini slid down. She was beautiful. She beckoned him with her eyes as she lowered herself to the old leather couch; her movements slow, sensual. Suddenly she squirmed and yelped as the sharp strips of aged leather cut into her skin. She jumped up, twisting and turning.
Even in the dim light from the hurricane lamp, Cole could see the thin slashes of blood. He walked over, bent down to feel the cracked leather. It cut his finger like a knife. He drew in his breath sharply and straightened up, cursing. “This was the worst idea I ever had. Get dressed,” he said, sucking the blood from his finger. “I'll wait outside. Blow out the lamp before you leave.”
Oh, shit, now he was going to want the two hundred dollars back. Just her damn luck. If her pa ever saw the marks on her back and ass, she was going to have some real tall explaining to do.
“Do you want the money back?” she said when she climbed into the car.
“No. You were willing. We made a deal.”
“Why'd you change your mind?”
“Is it important for you to know?” Cole asked through clenched teeth.
“Well, sure it is. I thought you liked me. You been after me for a long time, and when I finally say yes, you tell me to put my clothes back on. You must be nuts, givin' me two hundred bucks for nothin'. Well, not for nothin', exactly. I did strip for you. But why'd you change your mind?”
Cole pressed his foot to the gas pedal. There were a lot of things he could tell her, but he decided to spare her. “I couldn't get it up,” he said coolly, hoping she could hear him over the rush of the wind.
When Luana had absorbed what he'd said, she laughed. At Sunbridge she got out of the car, leaned over, and said quietly, “I know a lie when I hear one. You decided I wasn't good enough for you. I saw it in your eyes.”
Cole looked away. “You better put something on those scratches,” he said quietly. Luana backed away from the car, and he spun out, burning rubber.
She watched till she couldn't see the taillights any longer, then sprinted up the stairs and tore open Cole's present. A real Gucci bag! Excitedly, she fished for her two hundred dollars and put it inside. Then, slinging the brown strap over her shoulder, she walked about the kitchen, feeling like the richest woman in Texas. She forgot about putting something on her cuts. After she'd tucked her gift safely away, cut the Gucci box into small pieces and carried them down to the trash, she settled down to read
The Red Badge of Courage
.
It was after one in the morning when the high-beam headlights of the Berlinetta swooped around the circular drive, shining upward to Martha's room. On her way to the bathroom, the housekeeper stopped to look out the window, a habit of many years. She watched Riley climb from the car and noticed that the bright red Cougar was parked alongside. He was headed toward the house when she saw him turn.
Martha drew back a little into the darkness of her room and watched as Luana raced across the driveway. She nodded in satisfaction when she saw Riley shake his head and motion to the house. Luana took his arm and tried to pull him toward the garage. Riley resisted but allowed himself to be pulled as far as his car. Then he jerked free and leaned back against it, his hands jammed in his pockets. Martha strained to hear their conversation, but finally had to give up. Whispers didn't carry to the second floor.
The digital clock on her nightstand read 1:23 when she climbed into bed. If she'd had her way, she would have sent Ben Simms and his daughter packing five minutes after they'd arrived. She was almost asleep when she heard a door close. Riley. She opened one eye to look at the clock: 1:44. Two minutes later, she was asleep.
Cole, too, had seen the Berlinetta's lights sweep into the yard. Must have been a good party, he thought as he got up to go to the bathroom. On his way back to bed, he looked down into the courtyard, just in time to see Luana run across and grab Riley's arm. He stood by the window a long time, watching them. He felt pleased when Riley turned and went into the house. A few minutes later his cousin passed by, and he heard the sound of a door closing.
Cole nodded in satisfaction. They'd both obeyed the rules. Neither of them would bring shame on Sunbridge or the Coleman name.
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Ben Simms climbed the stairs to the apartment, his arms loaded with the weekly groceries. The stove light was on, casting dim shadows over the neat kitchen. He put the groceries away, folded the bags neatly, and stuck them between the refrigerator and stove.
He walked wearily to his room. He'd had a few drinks, shot some pool, played some poker. The woman he'd been seeing, he was told, had gone to Maine to see a sick sister. There'd been no point in hanging around at two-thirty in the morning, and as a rule he didn't like dingy bars anyway. So he'd taken his bag of meat the bartender had kept in the refrigerator, slapped it in the back of the pickup, and driven home.
He tiptoed to the bathroom, relieved himself, washed and dried his face and hands. He opened the laundry hamper and was about to throw his clothes in when he noticed Luana's faded yellow shirt and threadbare jeans. He pulled them out and held them up to the bathroom light. They seemed to be crisscrossed with lines of blood. He stared at them for a long time, then, his teeth clamped together, he strode down the hall to his daughter's room. He threw open the door and turned on the light switch. Luana was lying naked on the bed but hastily pulled the covers over herself when the overhead light came on.
“What's the meaning of this, girl?” he demanded harshly, shoving the blood-streaked clothes close to her face. Half-asleep, Luana could only stare guiltily at the soiled clothing. “You better give me some quick answers.”
“Pa, I didn't do nothin'. I swear I didn't.”
“Git up, right now!” Ben thundered.
“Paaaa, I ain't got no clothes on.”
“That's right; I'm yer pa. Now, get up and let me look at you.”
Having Cole see her naked was fun. She'd wanted to see him stare bug-eyed at her bare breasts, wanted to see him swallow hard when he saw her without a stitch of clothes. Having her pa see her was sinful; she felt ashamed as she slipped out of bed. There was a look on his face, in his eyes, that made her feel sick. He reached for her, turning her around. “How'd you get those marks?”
“I don't know, Pa. I swear I don't!” Luana cried.
“Ye're lyin' to me, girl. I kin see it in yer face.” He pulled her to him till he could feel her breasts against his own bare chest. “Ye're jest like yer ma,” he said softly. “Jest like her.”
Luana struggled. She didn't want to have him touch her, but suddenly his hands were all over her. The more she struggled, the more intense her father became. She found herself being dragged to the bed. She wanted to scream, to make someone hear what was going on, but she couldn't. Shame ripped through her at what she knew was about to happen.
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Exactly eight hours after Riley entered the kitchen the night before, his life changed. It was 9:14 when four sheriff's cars roared into the Coleman driveway. Martha blessed herself and used the intercom to tell Maggie she was wanted downstairs right away.
“Rape!” Rand shouted, staring at Ben Simms in stunned disbelief. He was still in his robe and pajamas, his hair tousled from sleep. Maggie stood beside him, clutching his arm.
“Who was raped?” she asked hoarsely.
“My little gal, that's who,” Simms said sharply. “If you want, you can go to the hospital and see for yourself.”
“Who raped her? Who'd do such a thing?” Maggie tried to organize her thoughts. “Why is she in the hospital?”
“She was found wandering the main highway, Mrs. Tanner,” said one of the sheriff's men. “Pretty badly beaten. The first aid squad was called and they took her straight to the hospital. She
said
she was raped, but there's no conclusive evidence yet, ma'am. They're doing tests on her now.” He looked pointedly at Ben Simms.
Maggie felt Cole standing beside her. “Will she be all right?” she asked.
“Yes, ma'am. She's been roughed up, but she'll recover.”
Cole's heart was thundering in his chest. He saw Riley, his face almost white, standing beside Rand.
“You got some gall askin' if my little gal will be all right!” Ben Simms cried. “She'll never be all right again! But she was able to talk to me when I got to the hospital. Wouldn't talk to nobody else, neither, not my gal. She knows her pa's the only one to help her. And she told me who did it to her. Told me clear and loud. It was that Jap kid, that's who it was!” Simms lunged for Riley. Two of the officers pulled him back.