The Trouble With Eden - Lawrence Block [127]
“I knew you’d be good, Melanie Melontits. I didn’t know you’d be this good.”
“Well, life has its little surprises. Jesus. It’s so completely different.” —
“What is?”
“Three.”
“You never—”
“No, never. It’s a whole new world.”
“Another dimension.”
“Yeah, right.”
Warren drained his glass and approached the bed. “You have a fantastic body,” he told her. He reached out a hand, took her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “I’ve never had any enormous predilection for breasts per se. Not since infancy, at any rate. But your breasts have an undeniable appeal. They have character.”
“Watch it, you’ll get me started again.”
“This is nice, too. So warm and so tight. You’ve had children, have you?”
“No.”
“Never have them. Disgusting little beasts. They’d stretch this all out of shape, and that would be a dismal shame. Have you ever considered shaving this?”
“Are you serious?”
“You ought to think about it. Give it some serious consideration. Not that this fur is without its own special charm, but if you shaved it you would look like a little girl down there. And think how much more sensitive you’d be without that hair getting in the way.”
“I’m too damn sensitive as it is. Hey, don’t do that. You’ll get me all worked up.”
“You mean this will get you worked up?”
“Jesus—”
“Why, that’s the whole idea, you silly thing!”
“Hey!” She drew away. “I’ve got to get home.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Melanie. The night’s a pup. Not even housebroken. You’ve got hours.”
“I—”
Warren took her chin in his hand, tilted her head, and looked down into her eyes. Bert was sitting impassively at her side.
“One time’s not enough,” Warren said levelly. “You know that, don’t you?”
She didn’t say anything.
“Why, Bert and I have been boggling down Vitamin E all day long in preparation for the great event. And you’re hot as a cheap stove, Melanie. But there’s something you’re afraid of, isn’t there?”
She nodded.
“Do you want to say what it is? Never mind, I don’t think you have to. So let me tell you a thing or three. You don’t have to worry that Bert and I are going to wind up owning your soul. Is that part of it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Because this is just one night. There won’t be any repeats. This is not how we normally live, Melanie. We normally live normally, as it happens. This is excess. There is a place for excess, anything worth doing is worth doing to excess, but even excess has a place and must be kept in its place. Are any of my words penetrating that charming little dumpling of a head?”
“I’m not as stupid as you think I am, Warren.”
“As a matter of fact I think you’re probably brighter than you know yourself, Melanie.” He looked away for a moment, then fixed his eyes on hers again. “To continue. This is one night and that’s all. So we might as well use it all up while we have the chance. And we will not talk about this, Melanie. Not to your husband, not to anyone else.”
“I wasn’t worried about that.”
“It’s probably something you should worry about. Not in our case, but generally.”
“That’s my business.”
“Of course it is. What are you worried about, Melanie?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re trying to think. That’s the whole problem, you know.”
“Is it?”
“Of course. Women aren’t designed to think. Men think, women feel. That’s the way it’s supposed to work.”
“Oh.”
“And now I’ll play with you some more to keep your little mind out of mischief. What a sweet little cunt you are. Why don’t you give Bert some head while I do this? He generally likes it. That’s right. You have an aptitude for this sort of thing, don’t you, Melanie? A rare attribute among women. Don’t be shy, go right ahead. One of us will be sure to tell you if you do anything wrong.”
It was after four when she left. Warren and Bert backed their cars out of the driveway, then pulled in again after she had driven off. They walked back to the house in silence.
Bert said, “I really felt like putting clothes on and doing an automobile juggling act.”
“You could have given her the keys and told her to move