“This is terrible, you know,” Dana said. “Making me pay and pay and pay. All for a little slip of the tongue.”
“And I intend to make you keep paying,” Warren said.
“Maybe this will satisfy you.”
“Hmmm?”
“Put out your hands.”
“Okay.”
“You may now open your eyes.”
He opened them, glanced at the bra in his hands, then quickly looked at Dana
She’d already put her T-shirt back on.
“Will that keep your mouth shut?”
He laughed. “Sure. Do I get to keep it?”
“Of course.”
He draped the bra over the white leg of his trousers and turned toward her. She twisted in her seat, leaned in and kissed him. As they kissed, she felt his hand on her right breast. There was only the thin fabric of her T-shirt in the way. She felt the heat of his moving hand. He rubbed her, gently squeezed her, fingered her nipple.
Squirming and moaning, she lowered a hand onto the lap of his trousers. Soon, Warren was also moaning and squirming.
Later, he lifted the T-shirt up over her breasts.
Later, she pulled his zipper down.
Still later, as they held each other and tried to catch their breaths, Warren murmured, “Fraid I can’t...go in with you now.”
“We’ll wait till we’ve...calmed down.”
“Won’t help. My pants.”
“What’s wrong with ’em?”
“Mess.”
“Huh?”
“Feel.”
“Where?”
He guided her hand.
“Oh,” she said. “Sorry about that.”
He laughed.
“Why don’t you come in the house...too?”
He laughed harder.
“We can throw them in the washer,” Dana said.
“Oh, sure. With Lynn and her friend there?”
“We could be sneaky.”
“No, no. I’d better just get going.”
“I hope it is a friend.”
“Was she expecting anyone?”
Dana shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“I doubt if anything’s wrong.”
“But you don’t know who might own a thing like that?”
“Hell, I don’t know anyone who could afford one. Except for Janice, of course. It looks brand new, too. Doesn’t even have its license plate.”
“Maybe you should come in with me.”
“I could walk you to the door, anyway—stick with you till we find out who’s there.”
Smiling, Dana said, “You could hold my bra in front so nobody’ll see your wet places.”
“Maybe you should put it on.” He lifted her bra by a shoulder strap.
“It’s for you. You’ve got to keep it so you’ll always remember tonight.”
“I’ll never forget tonight.”
“A souvenir couldn’t hurt.”
Smiling, he shook his head. “If you insist.”
“I insist.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“Now, fork over your shorts.”
“Huh?”
“I want a souvenir, too.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“But they’re...wet.”
“All the better.”
Shaking his head and chuckling softly, Warren unbuckled his belt. “This won’t be easy,” he said. “The steering wheel...”
“Nothing really worth doing is ever easy.”
“Tell me if you see anyone coming.”
Dana laughed. “I’ll alert you immediately.”
Trousers and shorts around his ankles, he said, “Sure hope I don’t get in an accident on the way home.”
“If you’re in an accident bad enough for anyone to find out haven’t got underwear on, that’ll be the least of your worries.”
“You may be right.”
“Of course I am.”
When the shorts were off, he handed them to Dana. “Thank you, sir,” she said, folding them. She waited until he had his trousers on again, then leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “Thanks for the dinner, too. The steak was fabulous...once we finally got to it.”
He gazed into her eyes. “I wish you didn’t have to go in.”
“Me, too. But I have to. It’s already later than I planned. Tuck’s going to start worrying.”
“You might be the farthest thing from her mind right about now.”
“That’s another thing—I need to get in there and meet the mysterious visitor.” She reached for the door handle.
“Wait,” Warren said. “When’ll we get together again?”
“Tomorrow, I guess.”
“Want to come over to my place after work?” he asked. “Maybe we can go down to the beach if the weather’s nice.”
“I don’t know. We’ll see. The thing is, I’ll have to be back at Beast House before eight.”
“What for?”
“The picnic and stuff. I’m doing the whole bit tomorrow night.”
“The Midnight Tour?”
She nodded.
“Do you have to?”
“I want to. And I’ve already told Tuck that I would. She’s sort of counting on me to be there. Anyway, it’ll probably take me a day or two to recover from tonight.”
Warren huffed out a breath. It sounded almost like a laugh.
“You think you had it tough?”
“Aw, poor boy.” Smiling, she patted his cheek.
“I sure wish you’d spend tomorrow night with me,” he said.
Dana’s hand remained on his cheek. It drifted, caressing him. “Me, too,” she said. “But I gave my word about the tour.”
“If you explain to Lynn...”
“Nah. Anyway, maybe we can get together Sunday night. And Beast House is closed on Monday. Maybe we could spend the day together.”
He nodded. “That’d be great.”
“Yeah.”
“But I still wish you wouldn’t go on the tour.”
Dana lowered her hand. “It is safe, isn’t it?”
He didn’t answer.
“Is it?”
“I wouldn’t go in there at night.”
“You won’t go in there in daylight.”
“What I meant was, I wouldn’t if I were you.”
“So it’s not safe?”
“It probably is,” he said, his voice at a higher pitch than usual. He grimaced as if in pain. “The beast hasn’t shown up since the night it came after me. And there’ve been plenty of Midnight Tours since then. I guess you could say it’s safe. But you never know. You just never know. If I ran things, there wouldn’t be any more Midnight Tours. I’d make sure nobody ever got into Beast House after dark. I think it’s tempting fate. One of these times, the shit’s going to hit the fan.” For a few moments, he stared into Dana’s eyes and didn’t speak. Then he said, “I don’t want you in there when it does.”
“Tuck goes in every Saturday night,” Dana said. “She doesn’t even know that a beast attacked you. She thinks they’re all dead. The way you and Janice kept her in the dark, she isn’t even aware of the risk she’s running.”
“I doubt if it would stop her.”
“Maybe not. But she oughta be told.”
“You won’t tell her, will you?”
I should, she thought. I really should.
“I can’t have people knowing what happened to me in there,” Warren said.
“You told me.”
“Because I...I had to. I couldn’t let there be any lies between us.” He tried to smile. “Besides, you wanted to know my deepest, darkest secret, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So I told you. But it has to stay a secret. if it ever gets out...that’d be it for me. You know? I’d have to leave.”
“Leave?”
“I couldn’t stay in a town where people knew that about me. I’d probably just drive away and nobody wo
uld ever see me again.”
“Can’t have you doing that,” Dana said.
“Then don’t tell on me.”
“I won’t tell,” Dana said, “but I’ll be on the Midnight Tour tomorrow night.”
Warren shook his head.
Trembling, Dana leaned close to him. “If the place isn’t safe for me, it isn’t safe for Tuck, either. Or for the thirteen guests. So I have to go in with them.”
“You wouldn’t be much help...”
“I’d have to try. I’m a lifeguard, remember?” She kissed him lightly, quickly, then leaned away and swung open her door.
“Tell you what,” she said. “You don’t have to walk me to the door. Just wait here. I’ll take a peek inside and let you know if everything’s okay.”
She grabbed her purse and climbed out. On her way around the front of Warren’s car, she slipped the strap onto her shoulder. She stuffed his underwear into a front pocket of her shorts.
“I’ll be right back,” she called over her shoulder. “If I’m not, you’d better come running and rescue me.”
Chapter Forty-One
SPIES
Earlier, Owen and John had been sitting in the car behind the ice cream stand, still working on the stumps of their cones, when John said, “How about going for a little drive in the hills?”
“Are you kidding? I know where you want to go.”
“What do you wanta do, go back to the motel and sit in our room till bedtime?”
“I don’t...”
“Watch television?”
“I just don’t think we should...”
“Play footsie with me?”
“No.”
“Suck my dick?”
“Shut up!”
“Beat me up some more?”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Hey, man, you owe me. You really hurt me and you busted my glasses.”
“You’ve got your contacts.”
“I like my glasses, man. They make me look smart.”
“Sure they do.”
“Anyway, I’m going for a drive. You’re too chicken to come with me, that’s your prerogative.” He stuffed the dripping end of the cone into his mouth, wiped his hand on the leg of his Bermuda shorts, then started the car. Headlights on, he drove onto Front Street. “What’s it gonna be?” he asked, his mouth full, his words mushy. “Just say the word, I’ll drop you off at the motel and go without you.”
“You’re never gonna find their house, anyway. Just because you’ve got the address...”
“Good point.”
A block later, John swung his old car onto the lot of a gas station, parked beside the mini-mart, and hurried inside. He came out carrying a map. Grinning, he dropped onto the driver’s seat, rocking the car. “Malcasa Point and vicinity,” he said. “Still think I’ll never find their house?”
“Even if you can, you shouldn’t.”
“That’s okay, I’ll drop you off. God knows, I don’t wanta make you do anything against your principles. No sweat off my nuts if you wanta miss out on the chance of a lifetime.”
“If you go, I go.”
A big grin blossomed on John’s face. “Why am I not surprised?”
“But it’s not so I can spy on anyone. It’s to keep an eye on you.”
Laughing, John said, “We know.”
We know.
Sure that’s why.
He ached to spy on Dana.
But he didn’t do such things.
Ever.
We’ll never find the house anyway, he told himself as they drove past the Welcome Inn and headed up Pacific Coast Highway.
“That’s it!” John blurted, stopping his car at the foot of a driveway. The rural mail box beside the driveway not only showed the address they wanted, but bore the names Tucker and Crogan.
The sight of the names gave Owen a sudden sickish feeling down low inside.
Dusk had already deepened into night. The driveway curved uphill into dark, heavy woods. There was no sign of a house, or any light.
“Let’s just get out of here,” Owen said.
“Good idea.”
John sped forward, leaving the driveway behind. But just up the road, just around a curve, he stopped his car and shut off its headlights. “We’ll walk from here.”
“Let’s just leave,” Owen said. “Let’s go back to town. Come on. We’ll think of something else to do.”
“I know what I’m gonna do. Gonna find the fuckin’ house and see what the babes are up to. You don’t wanta come, stay here.”
“We’re gonna get in trouble.”
“Not if we don’t get caught.” John opened his door. “You coming?”
“I don’t know.”
“Live a little, man. Don’t be a loser all your life.”
“I’m not a loser.”
“I’m going. With our without you.” John climbed out, eased his door shut, then hurried around to the trunk.
Owen followed and found him twisting a telephoto lens onto his camera.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t.”
“We’ll get doubles made. That’s if we get lucky and find anyone worth shooting.”
“You can’t do this.”
“Sure I can. That’s the difference between me and you, buddy. You wanta do shit, I do it.” Laughing, John slammed the trunk shut. “Come if you’re coming.”
“You asshole.”
“I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
“Bullshit.”
Together, they left the road and started climbing the dark, wooded hillside.
John gasped and huffed for breath.
Owen smiled. He said, “Hope you don’t have a heart attack, you fat piece of shit.”
“Eat me,” John said.
It took some hard work and searching, but at last they found the house.
Then they crept around its perimiter, staying in the shadows of the forest, and came upon a swimming pool behind the house. Though the pool was deserted, its lights were on. It shimmered, clear and blue. Steam was drifting off the surface of the hot spa over at the pool’s far corner.
“Let’s...stick around,” John whispered, out of breath. “See what happens.”
“We oughta just go.”
“Not me, man. This is perfect.” He panted for air, then continued. “You wanta chicken out, go ahead. I’m staying. I’m not gonna miss this.”
“We’re trespassing.”
“Big fucking deal.”
“If we get thrown in jail, we could miss the Midnight Tour.”
“Hey, man, that’s a chance I’ll take...You know what we got here? Lynn’s gonna come outa the house...any minute...and take herself a swim. Maybe go in the jacuzzi.” After pausing for air, he went on. “And who knows what the fuck she’ll be wearing? Maybe nothing!... No neighbors, man...She might go skinny-dipping...Dana, too.”
“Dana’s on a date.”
“Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t. You wanta...miss a chance to see her skinny-dipping?”
Owen didn’t need to think about that one. “I guess not,” he whispered.
“You guess.”
Not that it’ll happen. Great stuff like that never happens. Not to me.
They found a good place to hide in the bushes near the end of the pool, directly across from the hot spa. Kneeling down, they began to wait.
Though lights were on inside the house, all the curtains were shut. Owen couldn’t see through them. Nor could he hear any sounds from the house. The wind was loud in the trees and bushes.
Maybe nobody’s home.
Somebody must be, he told himself. You don’t go off and leave your pool lights on. For that matter, you don’t crank up your hot spa unless you’re planning to use it.
Somebody has to be home...and has to come out.
But nobody did.
Ten minutes passed. Fifteen.
Watching the steam rise, Owen wished he could jump int
o the spa. He wished he’d worn his windbreaker. Or even a long-sleeved shirt. He thought about how badly he would like to be back in the warmth of his room at the Welcome Inn.
After half an hour of waiting, Owen swayed sideways, bumped his shoulder against John and whispered, “Now can we go?”
“Go whenever you want to. I’m staying.”
“How long?”
“Long as it takes.”
“Aren’t you freezing?”
“Ask me if I care.”
“This is insane.”
“Think so? What if I wimp out and take off—and two minutes later, out come the babes...bare-ass naked?”
“Like that’s gonna happen.”
“You’ll never find out if you go running away like a...”
At the back of the house, a curtain was sliding aside. Owen saw someone behind the glass door. As he tried to figure out who it might be, the door glided open and Lynn stepped out.
John nudged him. “Here we go!”
Hardly able to believe this was really happening, Owen watched Lynn stride toward the hot spa at the corner of the pool. She wasn’t much compared to Dana, but she was cute, all right. Really cute. And what was she wearing?
White tennis shoes and no socks.
Hugged against her belly was a folded blue towel.
At the edge of the spa, she crouched and set down the towel.
Owen heard a click. It came from beside him. He knew what it was, but he didn’t look.
Couldn’t take his eyes off Lynn as she stood up.
Didn’t care that she wasn’t naked.
Her swimsuit looked like small, buttery patches of doe skin tied to her body with leather strings.
John clicked more photos. His automatic film advance made a quiet buzzing sound after each shot.
Lynn didn’t seem to hear the camera.
Instead of climbing into the spa, she turned away from it and walked toward a corner of the house.
There were no buttery patches of doe skin behind Lynn. Owen could hardly even see the strings.
Beside him, John moaned. The camera clicked and buzzed.
“Save some film for Dana,” Owen whispered. His voice came out raspy and trembling.
“Don’t worry, man. I’ve got plenty. Look at her, will you?”
“Yeah.”
“How’d you like to lick the sweat off an ass like that?”
“Shut up.”
“You’d love it.”
Lynn vanished around the corner of the house. Then came an engine noise, followed by burbly sounds from the hot spa. Through the steam, Owen saw the water in the small enclosure turn frothy white. Its surface began to shift and roll.