at her probings, the suck and tickle of her lips, the breeze that pulled at the wet spots her movement left open to it. I shuddered, then unbidden, through the relaxation of sensual pleasure, the stark image of the woman eaten and flayed by the creatures of the night struck me, catching and jerking my thoughts away from the present morning to the past night.
I lay still, trying to push the macabre image aside, to immerse myself in the merely physical. But I couldn’t. The harder I tried to thrust her memory aside, the more insistent the image became. Until I sat halfway up, to tell Joanne to stop.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just don’t seem able to…” I trailed off. Stop thinking of a dead woman.
“Want me to try something different?” she offered.
“No, that’s okay.”
“Is it something I did?”
“No,” I answered quickly, not wanting her to think it was her failure, when it was mine alone. “No, you’re great. It’s me. I can’t help thinking…about the scene in the woods.”
“I see,” she replied. “Try something for me?”
“Sure, if you want. But you really don’t need to waste—”
“I’m not wasting anything,” Joanne cut me off. “Lie back down.” I did. “Watch the trees, the light through the branches. Now, the only thing you can think of is what I do between your legs. I want you to concentrate on that. Understand?”
“Yes,” I replied.
I felt Joanne’s mouth cover me, warming where the breeze had threatened to cool. Then her tongue, a hard spot in the midst of her warmth. I closed my eyes, feeling only what she was doing to me, the pure carnal pleasure of her long strokes moving against me. Up again and away, until all I knew were a few inches of flesh and the rising heat from her friction. Then she touched me, held me, sent a bolt of sensation through me, a feeling that was pleasure, but more than that, release, a powerful relinquishing of tension, holding me until I had to jerk up and roll away from her, having nothing more to let go of.
I lay motionless, gradually becoming aware of the call and cry of morning birds, and Joanne beside me, holding me.
“Thank you,” I finally said.
“I like you, Micky,” she replied. It was the best thing she could have said. Then she pulled a handkerchief out of one of her pockets and gently wiped me off. She stood up. “Time to head back. The others will be looking for us before they leave.”
“What about you?” I asked as I sat up.
“You owe me.”
“Of course I do. But aren’t you…?” I asked.
“A bit. Alex and I made love earlier. She knows to expect it whenever I have to go look at dead people.”
“Oh,” I said, nonplused at her admission. “I feel like I took advantage of you,” I finally said.
“Hardly. Remember, I offered.”
“That doesn’t mean I didn’t.”
“Micky, needs and emotions are such a tangle, particularly sex, at times, it’s impossible to say who’s right or wrong. Do you feel used?”
“No, I don’t. I feel a hell of a lot better than I did an hour ago.”
“So do I. Why don’t we leave it at that?”
“Okay,” I said. “Thank you.”
“I think Danny’s going to hang around for a while. But I know Alex and Nina want to get out of here as soon as they can,” she said as we started walking back to the house.
“Poor Nina,” I said, remembering the abject terror on her face as she stumbled from the woods. “Nothing like walking into the scene of a horror movie.”
We were back on the lawn. I could see Danny and Elly over near their car. Then Cordelia, Alex, and Nina appeared from around the house carrying suitcases. We walked up to the cars, Joanne’s parked next to Danny’s, Cordelia’s several yards away.
Danny eyed the bottle of Scotch that I was carrying back with me. I put it in her trunk.
“Here, you look like you need this more than I do,” I said.
She picked up the bottle, examined it, then shrugged her shoulders and put it back in the
I lay still, trying to push the macabre image aside, to immerse myself in the merely physical. But I couldn’t. The harder I tried to thrust her memory aside, the more insistent the image became. Until I sat halfway up, to tell Joanne to stop.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just don’t seem able to…” I trailed off. Stop thinking of a dead woman.
“Want me to try something different?” she offered.
“No, that’s okay.”
“Is it something I did?”
“No,” I answered quickly, not wanting her to think it was her failure, when it was mine alone. “No, you’re great. It’s me. I can’t help thinking…about the scene in the woods.”
“I see,” she replied. “Try something for me?”
“Sure, if you want. But you really don’t need to waste—”
“I’m not wasting anything,” Joanne cut me off. “Lie back down.” I did. “Watch the trees, the light through the branches. Now, the only thing you can think of is what I do between your legs. I want you to concentrate on that. Understand?”
“Yes,” I replied.
I felt Joanne’s mouth cover me, warming where the breeze had threatened to cool. Then her tongue, a hard spot in the midst of her warmth. I closed my eyes, feeling only what she was doing to me, the pure carnal pleasure of her long strokes moving against me. Up again and away, until all I knew were a few inches of flesh and the rising heat from her friction. Then she touched me, held me, sent a bolt of sensation through me, a feeling that was pleasure, but more than that, release, a powerful relinquishing of tension, holding me until I had to jerk up and roll away from her, having nothing more to let go of.
I lay motionless, gradually becoming aware of the call and cry of morning birds, and Joanne beside me, holding me.
“Thank you,” I finally said.
“I like you, Micky,” she replied. It was the best thing she could have said. Then she pulled a handkerchief out of one of her pockets and gently wiped me off. She stood up. “Time to head back. The others will be looking for us before they leave.”
“What about you?” I asked as I sat up.
“You owe me.”
“Of course I do. But aren’t you…?” I asked.
“A bit. Alex and I made love earlier. She knows to expect it whenever I have to go look at dead people.”
“Oh,” I said, nonplused at her admission. “I feel like I took advantage of you,” I finally said.
“Hardly. Remember, I offered.”
“That doesn’t mean I didn’t.”
“Micky, needs and emotions are such a tangle, particularly sex, at times, it’s impossible to say who’s right or wrong. Do you feel used?”
“No, I don’t. I feel a hell of a lot better than I did an hour ago.”
“So do I. Why don’t we leave it at that?”
“Okay,” I said. “Thank you.”
“I think Danny’s going to hang around for a while. But I know Alex and Nina want to get out of here as soon as they can,” she said as we started walking back to the house.
“Poor Nina,” I said, remembering the abject terror on her face as she stumbled from the woods. “Nothing like walking into the scene of a horror movie.”
We were back on the lawn. I could see Danny and Elly over near their car. Then Cordelia, Alex, and Nina appeared from around the house carrying suitcases. We walked up to the cars, Joanne’s parked next to Danny’s, Cordelia’s several yards away.
Danny eyed the bottle of Scotch that I was carrying back with me. I put it in her trunk.
“Here, you look like you need this more than I do,” I said.
She picked up the bottle, examined it, then shrugged her shoulders and put it back in the
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