The Wild Zone (21 page)

It hadn’t even been his idea, for shit’s sake. It had been that damn Gary Bekker. “What say we do us some cherry picking?” Gary had said as they were leaving.

“Count me out,” Jeff said immediately. “Come on, Tom. We’re out of here.”

“Is that right, Tommy boy? You need Jeff’s permission to have a little fun?” Gary said, taunting him. “What’s with you two anyway? You got something going on the rest of us should know about?”

“Come on, Tom,” Jeff said again, refusing to be provoked.

“You go if you want to,” came Tom’s response. “Seems I’m in the mood for a piece of cherry pie.”

“Shit,” he said now, trying to banish the girl’s pain-stricken face with a final exhalation of cigarette smoke from his lungs. He should have listened to Jeff. Then he wouldn’t have been shipped home in disgrace. The army would have paid for his schooling. He could have gotten certified, been a personal trainer like Jeff, making good money while being surrounded by a bunch of adoring, scantily dressed women, instead of toiling for minimum wage under jerk-offs like Carter Sorenson at the Gap. Indulging himself with that stupid girl had cost him plenty.

And despite all her wailing, you couldn’t tell him she hadn’t secretly enjoyed every minute of it.

“Tom?” a familiar voice called out from halfway down the street.

Tom craned his neck around a group of young women walking eastward down the street. Nice ass on the little brunette, he thought as Will’s head suddenly bobbed into view. Shit. As if his day wasn’t bad enough already. What was he doing here?

“I’m glad to see you,” Will said. “I wasn’t sure you’d be here.”

“Where else would I be?” Tom ground his cigarette into the sidewalk, squinted through the sun at Jeff’s little brother. In his white shirt and khaki pants, he was a walking ad for the Gap, Tom thought, sneering.

“Jeff around?”

“What would Jeff be doing around here?”

“You haven’t seen him today?” Will asked, ignoring the question.

“Was I supposed to?”

“Somebody phoned the apartment first thing this morning. It wasn’t you?”

“Wasn’t me,” Tom acknowledged, volunteering nothing further.

Will shifted his weight from his right foot to his left. “Jeff said it was his boss, asking him to come in early.”

“Then why’d you ask if it was me?”

“Because he didn’t go to work. Apparently he called in sick.”

Tom shrugged his bony shoulders, although his curiosity was definitely aroused. Still, he wasn’t about to let Will know that.

“He left his wallet at home,” Will said.

Tom smiled, silently assessing the situation. Someone had phoned Jeff first thing this morning and Jeff had taken off in such a rush he’d forgotten his wallet. He’d also lied about where he was going. Interesting, Tom thought, deciding that one thing was obvious: If Jeff wasn’t where he said he’d be, he was where he
wanted
to be. Which could only mean one thing: a woman.

“Did he say anything to you about having to be somewhere this morning?” Will pressed.

“If he had,” Tom said coolly, “you think I’d tell you?”

“Look. I’m not trying to pry or butt into something that’s none of my business—”

“Really?” Tom interrupted, borrowing Carter’s earlier phrase. “Because it kind of looks like that’s what you’re doing.”

“I’m just a little worried. It’s not like Jeff—”

“It’s
exactly
like Jeff.”

“Okay,” Will said, conceding defeat. “I guess you know him better than I do.”

“Damn right I do.”

“So since you know him so damn well,” Will said pointedly, “where the hell is he?”

Tom felt his fists clench at his sides. He was thinking he’d like nothing better than to bloody little brother’s nose. Instead, he reached for another cigarette. “Think about it,” he sneered, lighting it and inhaling deeply. “Jeff lied to both you and his boss about his whereabouts. Why? What does that tell you?”

“It tells me he could be in some sort of trouble.”

Tom laughed. “They teach a course in ignoring the obvious at that fancy college you go to?”

“Suppose you enlighten me.”

“You’re sure you want to know?”

“I’m sure you want to tell me.”

“He’s with a girl,” Tom said.

“A girl,” Will repeated.

“And not just any girl either,” Tom continued, exhaling directly in Will’s face. “How much do you want to bet he’s with the Pomegranate?”

“What? You’re crazy.” Will thought about the afternoon he’d just spent with Suzy, the hours of soft kisses and gentle caresses.

“Think about it,” Tom said again. “Who else would have called him first thing in the morning, and why else would he lie?” He paused several seconds to let his questions sink in. “Face it, little brother. He’s with your girlfriend. Blood might be thicker than water, but pussy trumps blood every time.” He laughed. “Shit, man, you should see your face.”

Tom was still laughing as Will turned and ran down the street, swallowed by a horde of approaching tourists.

TWENTY-ONE

J
EFF’S
HEAD WAS SPINNING
as he closed the motel room door behind them. He felt as if he’d been drinking straight whiskey all morning instead of coffee, as if someone had slipped him a mind-altering drug, making everything he was seeing and feeling all the more vibrant and intense, and he raised his hand to the nearest wall to steady himself. Suzy’s hand was instantly inside his, her body draped around his own, her breath warm on the side of his neck.

The room was dark, the heavy drapes blocking out all but a few stubborn slivers of morning sun. Jeff could make out the shapes of a round table and two chairs next to the window; a dresser with a TV along one wall; a standing lamp beside it; a king-size bed in the middle of the room, taking up most of it; a bathroom at the far end. He was thinking that it was pretty basic, almost seedy, and that if he hadn’t forgotten his wallet they could have checked into one of those charming little boutique hotels in South Beach and spent the day making love between crisp white sheets and lounging in a Jacuzzi full of scented bath oils, maybe even ordering in champagne. He was thinking she deserved better and that he wanted to give it to her. He wanted to kiss her and make everything all right, to prove to her not all men were brutes, that they could be gentle and kind and loving. He was thinking that he had to tread slowly, carefully, that he had to be on guard not to hurt her because she’d been hurt more than enough already, and he didn’t want to be the source of any more of her pain.

“Don’t worry,” he heard her say. “I won’t break.”

And then her lips were pressing against his with such urgency he felt as if he were fourteen years old again and his stepmother’s best friend was initiating him into the wonder of a woman’s body, showing him where to put his trembling hands, how best to use his eager mouth. All those afternoons when his stepmother was helping young Will with his school projects, she’d had no idea Jeff had been equally busy, learning some important life lessons of his own.

Or maybe she had. Maybe she just hadn’t cared.

When was the last time a woman had really cared about him?

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Jeff mumbled as Suzy guided his hands toward her breasts.

“You won’t.”

He felt her small, girlish breast pushing against the inside of his palm, and he groaned out loud, his other arm snaking around her narrow waist as his right leg pushed its way between hers, and they tumbled toward the bed. He proceeded with deliberate care, his lips never leaving hers as he undid the buttons of her blouse and pushed the delicate fabric aside. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, his eyes now comfortable with the dark, seeing her clearly as his fingers flitted delicately across the expensive lace of her bra, effortlessly locating its front clasp and opening it, exposing her breasts to him. Her body arched, her nipples lifting toward his lips.

Soon they were lying naked beside each other, exploring each other’s bodies as if it were the first time either of them had ever made love. And later, when he buried his head between her legs, when he probed her gently with his tongue, she cried out and grabbed the back of his head, pushed his tongue harder against her, until her body shook with repeated spasms and she was laughing and crying at the same time.

In the next second, she was rolling him onto his back, tracing a line from the middle of his chest to his groin with a series of soft kisses, and then taking him in her mouth and slowly, expertly, bringing him to the brink of climax. He pulled out of her mouth and entered her quickly, their bodies meshing perfectly as they held tightly on to one another, their every caress pulsating with the heady mix of surprise and familiarity. Jeff felt as if he was making love to a stranger who’d somehow known him all his life.

When it was over, they lay quietly in each other’s arms. “Are you all right?” he asked after several minutes. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“You didn’t hurt me,” she replied, kissing his chest. “You’re a wonderful lover.”

“I wasn’t fishing for compliments,” Jeff said honestly.

“I know. But
I
am,” she said, raising herself on her elbow and giggling like a teenager. “Was I any good?”

Jeff laughed. “Are you kidding me? You were fantastic.”

Suzy smiled from ear to ear, her pleasure evident even in the dark. “You know, I’d almost forgotten what it’s supposed to be like. Usually I just kind of lie there, let Dave do his thing, wait till it’s over.”

Jeff said nothing. He didn’t want to think about Suzy with anyone else but him.

“Dave doesn’t like to, you know . . . with his mouth.”

“Then he’s an idiot as well as a bastard,” Jeff replied.

Suzy sighed, nestled in tighter against Jeff’s side. “Are you going to tell anyone what happened?”

“No.”

“Not even your brother?”

“No. Not yet.”

“What about Kristin?”

“What about her?”

“Will you tell her?”

“No,” Jeff said.

“Why not?” Suzy asked. “I thought you had one of those open arrangements.”

“This is different,” Jeff said, although he wasn’t sure how. Or why.

“Tell me about her.”

“Kristin? Why?”

“Just curious. What’s she like? Aside from being drop-dead gorgeous.”

“Aside from being drop-dead gorgeous,” Jeff repeated, “I really don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know? You live with her.”

“Kristin’s kind of guarded. She doesn’t let anyone get too close,” Jeff said, knowing he’d never really tried. Even in bed, she kept that air of detachment, he was thinking. Oh, she made all the right moves, said and did all the right things, but there was something missing. And for all her bravado, she rarely took the initiative. In some ways, she was a lot like Suzy’s description of being in bed with Dave, just lying there, letting Jeff do his thing, waiting for it to be over.

“How would you feel if you found out she’d been with another guy and hadn’t told you?” Suzy asked.

“I don’t know.” Surprised, more than anything, Jeff thought. Maybe a little hurt. And something else, he realized. He’d be relieved. “Did you know that Dave paid a visit to the Wild Zone yesterday?”

“What?”

“He hit on Kristin, gave her his card, told her to give him a call.”

“I don’t understand. Why would he . . . ?”

“You know how a dog marks his territory by peeing over another dog’s scent? I think your husband was doing essentially the same thing.”

“Interesting analogy,” Suzy remarked.

“What are we going to do about him?” Jeff asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you going to leave him?”

“He’d never let me go.”

Jeff nodded understanding, said nothing for several long seconds. “My mother’s dying,” he said finally.

“I’m sorry.”

“According to my sister, it could be any day now. She wants me to come home to Buffalo.”

“Will you?”

“No,” he said.

“Why not?”

“My mother handed me over to my father when I was eight years old. She said I looked too much like him and that basically looking at me made her sick. I saw her infrequently over the years, and then not at all. She didn’t feel any particular need to see me when she was well; I don’t feel any particular need to see her now that she’s sick. I guess that makes me pretty callous.”

“Hey, I’m the one who said she wished her husband was dead,” Suzy offered with one of her sad smiles.

“We make a great pair.”

“I think we do.”

Jeff reached over to brush some hairs away from her cheek. “So do I.”

“I think you should see her,” Suzy said.

“What? Why?”

“Because I think you should tell her how you feel.”

“Tell a dying woman I loathe and despise her?”

“Do you?”

Jeff shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“I think you should see her,” Suzy repeated. “Find out.”

“I think you should leave your husband.”

Suzy smiled. “How can I do that?”

“I’ll think of something,” Jeff said.

KRISTIN WAS CHANGING
the bedsheets when she heard the door to the apartment open and close. “Will?” she called out. “Is that you?”

“No, it’s me,” Jeff said, coming into the bedroom, surreptitiously sniffing his fingers to make sure he’d washed away all traces of Suzy. “You see my wallet anywhere around? I thought I left it on the dresser.”

“Will has it,” Kristin said, a puzzled look filling her face. “He was supposed to take it to you at work. Didn’t you see him?” Was it her imagination, Kristin wondered, or had she just seen Jeff flinch? She pushed her hair away from her face and tucked her blue-striped shirt into her cutoff jeans, waiting for his answer.

“I wasn’t at work,” he admitted after a pause.

“You weren’t?”

“No.” Another pause. “I lied to you. And to Will. And then to Larry. I told him I was sick.”

“Why?” Kristin asked. “Where were you?”

Another pause, longer than either of the previous two. “I was with Tom.”

“What? Why?” Kristin asked again, studying Jeff’s face. She could almost see the mechanics of his brain working, ticking behind his eyes like the inside of a clock. She listened as he explained his earlier lies with what she recognized immediately were more lies, something about Tom freaking out and having to go over to calm him down, talk him out of doing something crazy. And then more lies about not telling her or Will the truth because he hadn’t wanted to worry them. “You don’t usually lie to me,” Kristin said, her voice soft, betraying nothing. “You’re surprisingly good at it.”

“I’m really sorry.”

Kristin nodded as she absorbed his false apology. Did men really believe women were so gullible or did they just not care? “How is he?” she asked, deciding to play along. “Were you able to calm him down?”

“Yeah.” Jeff sighed with what Kristin understood was relief that his story had been so easily accepted. “Took half the morning,” he continued, embellishing his account unnecessarily, as liars often did. “He was literally bouncing off the walls when I got there. He’s really upset about this shit with Lainey.”

“She was here this morning,” Kristin told him.

Jeff’s body instantly tensed. “Lainey was here? Why?”

“She wants you to talk to him.”

“Well, there you go.” He forced a laugh from his throat. “Mission already accomplished.”

“You really think you got through to him?”

Jeff shrugged. The shrug said, “Who knows?”

“You don’t think he’d actually do anything, do you?” Kristin asked, the feel of Lainey crying in her arms still fresh.

“Like what?”

“Hurt Lainey or the kids.”

“No. Of course not. Tom’s all bluster and bullshit.”

“He wasn’t all bluster in Afghanistan.”

“That was different.”

“Tom’s the same.”

“He’ll be okay.”

“He has a gun.”

“No,” Jeff said. “
We
have his gun. Remember?”

Kristin pictured Tom’s gun lying in the top drawer of her nightstand. So it’s still there, she thought. “He said he has others.”

“Tom says a lot of things.”

“Most of which scare the shit out of me,” Kristin said.

“Which is exactly why I didn’t tell you where I was going.”

Kristin walked over to Jeff, put her arms around his neck, and raised her lips to his. “You’re very sweet.”

Jeff kissed her lightly, then backed out of her embrace. “I should get going. I told Larry I’d try to make it in this afternoon.”

Oh, no you don’t, Kristin thought, catching the faintest whiff of expensive perfume clinging to his skin and batting her eyes seductively as she reached for him again. You’re not getting out of this as easily as that. “You sure you don’t have a few minutes?”

“I wish I did.”

“I just changed the sheets. They’re nice and fresh.”

“Sounds very tempting, but I can’t.”

“We could do it standing up,” Kristin teased. “Save time. Do it right here against the wall.”

“And if Will comes home and finds us?”

Kristin smiled. “Guess we could ask him to join in.”

Jeff laughed, backing into the hallway. “Rain check?”

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice a singsong as she began undoing the buttons on her blouse. “It might not rain for some time.”

“Ah, come on, babe. Don’t do this to me. I really have to go. You don’t want me to lose my job, do you?”

Kristin plopped down on the freshly made bed. “Okay. Be a spoilsport. Go to work. But you owe me.”

“I do, indeed.” Jeff returned to the bed, planted a delicate kiss on Kristin’s forehead. “See you later.”

“See you,” Kristin called out as Jeff left the room. Seconds later, she heard the front door close.

She remained sitting at the foot of the bed for several minutes, trying to digest what had just happened, to understand exactly what everything meant. Jeff had lied to her, which was unusual in itself. He’d also lied to his brother and his boss and only confessed when confronted. That confession had consisted of even more lies, although kudos to him for coming up with something even vaguely plausible under the circumstances. It wasn’t every man who could think on his feet like that when cornered.

Just as it wasn’t like Jeff to turn down an offer of sex, no matter what the circumstances, no matter how great the risk to his job. Hadn’t he lost his last job because he’d gotten a little too chummy with a client?

Which left only one possible explanation for the deception: He’d been with someone else.

A woman.

And not just some woman he’d picked up at the gym or in a bar, a woman to be used and discarded, like an old tissue. Not just another notch on his belt, another conquest to boast about with the boys. This one was different. This one wore expensive perfume and was worth lying about. Which meant their encounter went beyond mere sex, that Jeff actually felt something for this woman, and
that
was the reason he hadn’t told her the truth.

The reason he hadn’t told his brother was also easy to deduce, since it only confirmed what Kristin already knew.

The reason’s name was Suzy Bigelow.