want to do nice things for you.”
Warren’s guts knotted.
Missy wriggled, as though snuggling into heavy blankets on a cold winter’s night. “I have a secret to whisper in your ear.”
She put her chin on his collarbone and rubbed her cheek against his. Her lips brushed his ear. She breathed, “I want you to love me. Love me, and I’ll do…anything.” Then the tip of her tongue wetly flicked into his ear.
Jesus!
Warren swung her off his lap and plopped her down on the bed as he stood up. The look of surprise instantly disappeared from Missy’s face to be replaced by a teasing look, like the goddamn teen queen who knows it all, has done all of it at least three times, and wants to teach it all to you!
He fumbled for his wallet in his back pocket and fought to keep his voice even. “Here’s ten dollars, Missy.” He handed her the bill. “How about you take your mother out for a late lunch and—well, talk about what you have to talk about.”
“Whatever you want, Daddy.”
He wanted to get the hell out of there, that’s what he wanted.
He grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
He wasn’t quick enough not to hear her, “I love you, Daddy.”
“Where have you been? You’re…You’ve been drinking!”
Nodding the loose nod of drunkenness, Warren said, “Observant as hell.” He smiled sloppily. “Sometimes that’s one of your most endearing traits, Vicki. Other times, it’s a pain in the ass.”
“It’s almost midnight!” Vicki shouted, rising from the living room sofa. “Without a word to me, you take off like Jack the Ripper’s after you, and then you come home like this!”
Warren put a finger to his lips. “Shh, hold it down, Vick. You’ll wake the kid.”
“No,” Vicki said, “no, I told you I wouldn’t go through scenes like this again, Warren. I’ve had enough of it.”
“Aw, poor Vicki had a real shit day.” With his thumb, he tapped himself on the chest. “Maybe my day wasn’t a passport to paradise, either, ever think of that? Of course not. What do you know about what it’s like to be me?”
Eyes blazing, Vicki said, “I know you, all right. You’re an alcoholic…”
“I’ll drink to that!”
“…and if that’s what you’ve chosen to be, that’s your decision. But you’ll do it without me.”
He couldn’t stop himself—and didn’t want to. “And you’ll get along without me very well, right?” He smiled. “I can name that tune in three notes. You’ll find some fine feller to keep you from the lonelies, a shoulder to cry on, someone to fill that empty space in your heart, and”—he winked—“and that ain’t all, folks.”
He made a show of scratching his head and raising an eyebrow, as though a thought had just at this moment occurred to him. “I never did ask. Was Greenfield, old Davey boy, my pal and my colleague, any good in the sack?”
Rage twisted Vicki’s face. “You…you…”
“Too bad you can’t swear worth a shit, Vicki,” Warren said. “You’d be surprised—times like this, it helps. But you’re just too goddamn nice to put dirty words into your mouth, aren’t you? You know, I never did figure out how Nelly Niceness wound up doing the dirty deed with David. That wasn’t nice now, was it?”
She took a step toward him and raised her hand.
Quietly, Warren said, “Going to slap my face, too?”
In slow motion, her arm dropped. Then she said, “You bastard!”
“See, sometimes it feels right to swear.”
She marched out of the living room. At the foot of the stairs, hand on the banister, she turned her head to look at him with cold detachment. With no expression in her voice, she said, “Don’t come up to bed, Warren. I’d rather wake up to find a corpse alongside me than you.”
“Hey, I live here too, sweetheart.”
“You take one step into the bedroom, and…”
“You’ll slap my face?”
“I’ll telephone the police.”
He thought about that. No sense bothering the police with a simple
Warren’s guts knotted.
Missy wriggled, as though snuggling into heavy blankets on a cold winter’s night. “I have a secret to whisper in your ear.”
She put her chin on his collarbone and rubbed her cheek against his. Her lips brushed his ear. She breathed, “I want you to love me. Love me, and I’ll do…anything.” Then the tip of her tongue wetly flicked into his ear.
Jesus!
Warren swung her off his lap and plopped her down on the bed as he stood up. The look of surprise instantly disappeared from Missy’s face to be replaced by a teasing look, like the goddamn teen queen who knows it all, has done all of it at least three times, and wants to teach it all to you!
He fumbled for his wallet in his back pocket and fought to keep his voice even. “Here’s ten dollars, Missy.” He handed her the bill. “How about you take your mother out for a late lunch and—well, talk about what you have to talk about.”
“Whatever you want, Daddy.”
He wanted to get the hell out of there, that’s what he wanted.
He grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
He wasn’t quick enough not to hear her, “I love you, Daddy.”
“Where have you been? You’re…You’ve been drinking!”
Nodding the loose nod of drunkenness, Warren said, “Observant as hell.” He smiled sloppily. “Sometimes that’s one of your most endearing traits, Vicki. Other times, it’s a pain in the ass.”
“It’s almost midnight!” Vicki shouted, rising from the living room sofa. “Without a word to me, you take off like Jack the Ripper’s after you, and then you come home like this!”
Warren put a finger to his lips. “Shh, hold it down, Vick. You’ll wake the kid.”
“No,” Vicki said, “no, I told you I wouldn’t go through scenes like this again, Warren. I’ve had enough of it.”
“Aw, poor Vicki had a real shit day.” With his thumb, he tapped himself on the chest. “Maybe my day wasn’t a passport to paradise, either, ever think of that? Of course not. What do you know about what it’s like to be me?”
Eyes blazing, Vicki said, “I know you, all right. You’re an alcoholic…”
“I’ll drink to that!”
“…and if that’s what you’ve chosen to be, that’s your decision. But you’ll do it without me.”
He couldn’t stop himself—and didn’t want to. “And you’ll get along without me very well, right?” He smiled. “I can name that tune in three notes. You’ll find some fine feller to keep you from the lonelies, a shoulder to cry on, someone to fill that empty space in your heart, and”—he winked—“and that ain’t all, folks.”
He made a show of scratching his head and raising an eyebrow, as though a thought had just at this moment occurred to him. “I never did ask. Was Greenfield, old Davey boy, my pal and my colleague, any good in the sack?”
Rage twisted Vicki’s face. “You…you…”
“Too bad you can’t swear worth a shit, Vicki,” Warren said. “You’d be surprised—times like this, it helps. But you’re just too goddamn nice to put dirty words into your mouth, aren’t you? You know, I never did figure out how Nelly Niceness wound up doing the dirty deed with David. That wasn’t nice now, was it?”
She took a step toward him and raised her hand.
Quietly, Warren said, “Going to slap my face, too?”
In slow motion, her arm dropped. Then she said, “You bastard!”
“See, sometimes it feels right to swear.”
She marched out of the living room. At the foot of the stairs, hand on the banister, she turned her head to look at him with cold detachment. With no expression in her voice, she said, “Don’t come up to bed, Warren. I’d rather wake up to find a corpse alongside me than you.”
“Hey, I live here too, sweetheart.”
“You take one step into the bedroom, and…”
“You’ll slap my face?”
“I’ll telephone the police.”
He thought about that. No sense bothering the police with a simple
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