beat.
"I—I'll stay here."
She smiled.
"Scared of me, Harry?"
"Maybe. Anyway, I'm not looking for trouble."
"Aren't you? I wonder
She gave me a long inquisitive stare, then went into the bedroom, leaving the door open.
I drank some of the whisky and tried to keep my eyes from straying to the open door, but after a minute or so I looked. I saw her standing before the long wall mirror, clad only in a white brassiere and panties, and the sight of her, like that, set any heart racing and turned my month dry. I watched her slip into a flame-coloured silk wrap. She came out, fastening the wrap and I saw her smooth, naked thighs and long legs before she flicked the wrap into place.
That glimpse and what I had seen in the bedroom had a devastating impact on my good intentions, and I had to take a grip on myself to stop grabbing her in my arms.
"How do you happen to be here tonight?" she asked, coming over and sitting on a stool by the bar.
"My wife's gone to see her mother."
"So you thought you would come and talk to me."
"Yes."
She lifted her glass.
"You've come at the right time, Harry. I'm just in the mood for you."
And I was in the mood for her.
"I—I want to talk to you about Dix."
"Are you sure?"
"Gloria, what do you know about Dix? Did you know he's a crook?"
She finished her drink and set it down on the bar. Her face was expressionless. Then she slid off the stool and came close to me.
The look in her eyes had me going. Seeing her, the orange wrap accentuating her black hair and eyes, she seemed to me to be the most desirable woman I had ever seen.
"I must know, Gloria," I said, scarcely knowing what I was saying.
She took my hand. The feel of her flesh against mine sent a shiver down my spine.
"Let's go into the other room, Harry."
I was beyond resisting. I went with her across the room and into her bedroom. She clicked on the lights. Instead of the two shaded lamps coming on that I had seen previously, fights came on everywhere; in the ceiling and around the big wall mirror which reflected down on to the white rug that lay by the enormous bed.
"I love lights," she said and went over to the mirror and stood before it looking at herself. "Why do people always make love in the dark? I want lights, and lights and more lights. I want you to see me and I want to see you." She turned, looking at me, her eyes glittering, "Do you think I'm beautiful, Harry?"
"The most beautiful woman I've ever seen," I said huskily.
"I believe you mean that. But you haven't seen me yet as I want you to see me."
She undid the clasp at her waist and slipped out of her wrap, letting it fall to the floor at her feet. Her hands moved quickly, shedding her other garments. In the blaze of light, her skin had the lustre of pearls.
For a few seconds she stood motionless, letting me feast my eyes on her, then she held out her arms to me.
chapter ten
O kay, okay, you two, break it up."
Dix's sneering voice sounded as if he were in the room.
Gloria slid away from me. She snatched up her wrap and slipped into it.
I lay on the bed, paralysed, and stared around the room, trying to see from where the voice had come.
"What was that?" I said. The words came out of my mouth in a croak.
"Oh, shut up!" Gloria said, and went over to the mirror and fluffed up her hair, then she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand with such a grimace of disgust that it turned me sick to see.
"Who was that talking?"
"Who do you think, you dumb, stupid ox?"
I was off the bed by now.
"Was that Dix?"
She ignored me as she touched up her lips in the mirror.
My hands were shaking. I could scarcely breathe.
"Gloria! He's not here, is he?"
"Oh, shut up!"
I went across the room and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her round.
"Is he?"
She wrenched herself free and hit me three times across my face so quickly and violently I had no change of avoiding the blows.
"Don't touch me, you stinking lout!" she said shrilly, her face white and
"I—I'll stay here."
She smiled.
"Scared of me, Harry?"
"Maybe. Anyway, I'm not looking for trouble."
"Aren't you? I wonder
She gave me a long inquisitive stare, then went into the bedroom, leaving the door open.
I drank some of the whisky and tried to keep my eyes from straying to the open door, but after a minute or so I looked. I saw her standing before the long wall mirror, clad only in a white brassiere and panties, and the sight of her, like that, set any heart racing and turned my month dry. I watched her slip into a flame-coloured silk wrap. She came out, fastening the wrap and I saw her smooth, naked thighs and long legs before she flicked the wrap into place.
That glimpse and what I had seen in the bedroom had a devastating impact on my good intentions, and I had to take a grip on myself to stop grabbing her in my arms.
"How do you happen to be here tonight?" she asked, coming over and sitting on a stool by the bar.
"My wife's gone to see her mother."
"So you thought you would come and talk to me."
"Yes."
She lifted her glass.
"You've come at the right time, Harry. I'm just in the mood for you."
And I was in the mood for her.
"I—I want to talk to you about Dix."
"Are you sure?"
"Gloria, what do you know about Dix? Did you know he's a crook?"
She finished her drink and set it down on the bar. Her face was expressionless. Then she slid off the stool and came close to me.
The look in her eyes had me going. Seeing her, the orange wrap accentuating her black hair and eyes, she seemed to me to be the most desirable woman I had ever seen.
"I must know, Gloria," I said, scarcely knowing what I was saying.
She took my hand. The feel of her flesh against mine sent a shiver down my spine.
"Let's go into the other room, Harry."
I was beyond resisting. I went with her across the room and into her bedroom. She clicked on the lights. Instead of the two shaded lamps coming on that I had seen previously, fights came on everywhere; in the ceiling and around the big wall mirror which reflected down on to the white rug that lay by the enormous bed.
"I love lights," she said and went over to the mirror and stood before it looking at herself. "Why do people always make love in the dark? I want lights, and lights and more lights. I want you to see me and I want to see you." She turned, looking at me, her eyes glittering, "Do you think I'm beautiful, Harry?"
"The most beautiful woman I've ever seen," I said huskily.
"I believe you mean that. But you haven't seen me yet as I want you to see me."
She undid the clasp at her waist and slipped out of her wrap, letting it fall to the floor at her feet. Her hands moved quickly, shedding her other garments. In the blaze of light, her skin had the lustre of pearls.
For a few seconds she stood motionless, letting me feast my eyes on her, then she held out her arms to me.
chapter ten
O kay, okay, you two, break it up."
Dix's sneering voice sounded as if he were in the room.
Gloria slid away from me. She snatched up her wrap and slipped into it.
I lay on the bed, paralysed, and stared around the room, trying to see from where the voice had come.
"What was that?" I said. The words came out of my mouth in a croak.
"Oh, shut up!" Gloria said, and went over to the mirror and fluffed up her hair, then she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand with such a grimace of disgust that it turned me sick to see.
"Who was that talking?"
"Who do you think, you dumb, stupid ox?"
I was off the bed by now.
"Was that Dix?"
She ignored me as she touched up her lips in the mirror.
My hands were shaking. I could scarcely breathe.
"Gloria! He's not here, is he?"
"Oh, shut up!"
I went across the room and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her round.
"Is he?"
She wrenched herself free and hit me three times across my face so quickly and violently I had no change of avoiding the blows.
"Don't touch me, you stinking lout!" she said shrilly, her face white and
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