blue eyes glittered as if a fire burned behind them.
"Why, Eve...I didn't recognize you."
I stared at her.
Her hair was dressed so it framed her pale face and it reached nearly to her shoulders and curled inwards.
"There's a gondola waiting," she said, and she took my arm and moved through the crowd to the waterside.
I went with her down the steps to the cabin gondola.
The gondolier raised his hat and bowed to us as we slipped into the dark little cabin.
The curtains were drawn. We were suddenly in a gently moving, dark little world of our own. There were thick cushions spread on the floor and she lay down, her hands supporting her head while she looked up at me.
I knelt beside her.
"I've been waiting for this moment ever since I saw you swimming," I said. "It has been a long wait."
"Don't talk now," she said, her voice husky. "Please don't talk now."
Across the waters came the sound of the bronze giants striking the half-hour.
The gondola bobbed gently in the ripples left by the vaporetta as it steamed from San Marco to the Lido.
"Half past nine," Eve said, raising her head. "We haven't much longer together." She lifted one of the curtains and called something in Italian to the gondolier. "We must go back now."
"We have the whole night before us," I said, pulled her down beside me. "We're not going back so soon. There's no need to."
"There is. You can stay out if you want to, but I must get back. I know her so much better than you do. When she wakes, she'll ask for me, and I've got to be there. She won't sleep longer than an hour."
"But I want to talk to you. There's so much I want to know about you.”
She turned to look up at me.
"We have no time to talk. We may never have time to talk. We have only time for hurried love. You don't want her to find out, do you?"
I thought of those seventy million dollars.
"No."
"Nor do I. Listen, Chad, if you don't do exactly what I say, this stops, and it will never happen again. I'm not going to lose my job for a love affair. Do you understand?"
"This is more than a love affair. I'm crazy about you."
She touched my face with cool slender fingers.
"Yes; and I'm crazy about you too, but I won't take risks. You must leave it to me to find another opportunity. Do you understand?"
"Well, I found this opportunity," I said sharply. "As soon as she got that headache I thought of you. It was I who fixed the meeting."
"Was it?" She laughed softly. "But who gave her the headache, Chad? Without the headache you couldn't have done anything."
I stared at her; a cold, creepy sensation ran up my spine.
"What do you mean?"
"What I say. This isn't the first time she has had a headache. When I can bear her no longer I give her something. It's harmless; it just makes her feel sick and gives her a headache."
"Are you sure it's harmless?" I said, not liking this at all.
"Of course. A doctor friend of mine gave it to me. It's quite harmless— it won't kill her, if that's what you mean."
"That's what I do mean, Eve. It's dangerous to monkey with drugs."
"Don't you want it to happen again then?"
I stared down into the glittering blue eyes. There was something in the set, determined face that startled me.
"You must hate her, Eve."
"More than anyone else in the world," she said softly. "More even than you do."
"What has she done to you?"
"Nothing: nothing at all. In fact she's always been as nice to me as she could be to anyone. It's just that she has everything I want, and she's not worthy of having it."
"Then why the hell do you work for her?"
"Why did you marry her, Chad?"
"That's different."
"It isn't. You married her for her money. I work for her so I can live in the shadow of her luxury." She glanced out of the cabin window. "We'll only be a few more minutes. Kiss me, Chad."
I held her to me, my mouth on hers.
I didn't believe this was happening to me. For the first time in my life I was in love with a woman. Eve was in my blood, like a virus, burning me up.
"No
"Why, Eve...I didn't recognize you."
I stared at her.
Her hair was dressed so it framed her pale face and it reached nearly to her shoulders and curled inwards.
"There's a gondola waiting," she said, and she took my arm and moved through the crowd to the waterside.
I went with her down the steps to the cabin gondola.
The gondolier raised his hat and bowed to us as we slipped into the dark little cabin.
The curtains were drawn. We were suddenly in a gently moving, dark little world of our own. There were thick cushions spread on the floor and she lay down, her hands supporting her head while she looked up at me.
I knelt beside her.
"I've been waiting for this moment ever since I saw you swimming," I said. "It has been a long wait."
"Don't talk now," she said, her voice husky. "Please don't talk now."
Across the waters came the sound of the bronze giants striking the half-hour.
The gondola bobbed gently in the ripples left by the vaporetta as it steamed from San Marco to the Lido.
"Half past nine," Eve said, raising her head. "We haven't much longer together." She lifted one of the curtains and called something in Italian to the gondolier. "We must go back now."
"We have the whole night before us," I said, pulled her down beside me. "We're not going back so soon. There's no need to."
"There is. You can stay out if you want to, but I must get back. I know her so much better than you do. When she wakes, she'll ask for me, and I've got to be there. She won't sleep longer than an hour."
"But I want to talk to you. There's so much I want to know about you.”
She turned to look up at me.
"We have no time to talk. We may never have time to talk. We have only time for hurried love. You don't want her to find out, do you?"
I thought of those seventy million dollars.
"No."
"Nor do I. Listen, Chad, if you don't do exactly what I say, this stops, and it will never happen again. I'm not going to lose my job for a love affair. Do you understand?"
"This is more than a love affair. I'm crazy about you."
She touched my face with cool slender fingers.
"Yes; and I'm crazy about you too, but I won't take risks. You must leave it to me to find another opportunity. Do you understand?"
"Well, I found this opportunity," I said sharply. "As soon as she got that headache I thought of you. It was I who fixed the meeting."
"Was it?" She laughed softly. "But who gave her the headache, Chad? Without the headache you couldn't have done anything."
I stared at her; a cold, creepy sensation ran up my spine.
"What do you mean?"
"What I say. This isn't the first time she has had a headache. When I can bear her no longer I give her something. It's harmless; it just makes her feel sick and gives her a headache."
"Are you sure it's harmless?" I said, not liking this at all.
"Of course. A doctor friend of mine gave it to me. It's quite harmless— it won't kill her, if that's what you mean."
"That's what I do mean, Eve. It's dangerous to monkey with drugs."
"Don't you want it to happen again then?"
I stared down into the glittering blue eyes. There was something in the set, determined face that startled me.
"You must hate her, Eve."
"More than anyone else in the world," she said softly. "More even than you do."
"What has she done to you?"
"Nothing: nothing at all. In fact she's always been as nice to me as she could be to anyone. It's just that she has everything I want, and she's not worthy of having it."
"Then why the hell do you work for her?"
"Why did you marry her, Chad?"
"That's different."
"It isn't. You married her for her money. I work for her so I can live in the shadow of her luxury." She glanced out of the cabin window. "We'll only be a few more minutes. Kiss me, Chad."
I held her to me, my mouth on hers.
I didn't believe this was happening to me. For the first time in my life I was in love with a woman. Eve was in my blood, like a virus, burning me up.
"No
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