your boss?"
"Yeah."
"She sounds like a bitch."
Digger looked at Koko who had collapsed back on the bed, still wearing her bikini, silently mouthing at him "Elmo" and then giggling.
"That she is," Digger said.
"Listen, I’m sorry it took me so long, but I couldn’t find Donnelly’s records in the file. And then today I looked again, and they were there. Good health, no problems, I can’t read all that stuff, but the doctor’s letter said okay. He was due for his physical next month. Dr. Richard Josephson, Harborview Avenue, is the doctor."
"Thank you. That helps."
"You ever going to be able to get away from her?"
"I’m trying," Digger said. "Really trying. I’ll let you know."
"Okay. I’ll be around."
Digger hung up the telephone.
"If you say anything, I’ll slug you," he said.
"Elmo? Elmo what?"
"Elmo Lincoln."
Koko started giggling again.
"Elmo Lincoln," she said. "How’d you meet that one? She come swinging in on a vine?"
"Very funny."
"Why’d you pick the name of some movie Tarzan?"
"I asked her what her name was and she said ‘Me Jane.’ I couldn’t say ‘me Tarzan,’ could I? Elmo Lincoln just came to mind."
"You’re beautiful, Digger. Why didn’t you tell her your real name?’
"I forgot. She asked me kind of fast."
"You’re crazy. Who is she, anyway? You jump her bones, too?"
"Jane something. She works at the airline. No."
"What’d she say about me?"
"She said you sounded like a particularly evil, but lustful, sex-driven, horny, beautiful bitch. She said she bet I was going to service your account right away."
"And you agreed?"
"Yes."
"Tarzan has more brains than that. So did Cheetah, for that matter. You ain’t got a chance, sucker."
"How long are you going to punish me? Didn’ I take you to the freaking beach?"
"Sure. You’re a bag of fun. You slept all day until you turned the color of a peeled tomato. Then you asked people on the beach if they had cheese Danish to sell. Then all you did was bitch about the sun." She smiled. "You want to make love? Good. We’ll do it on the floor. You lay on this genuine indoor-outdoor steel wool rug. I’ll get on top. Watch me squirm. Your back will love it."
"I never realized until this minute just how evil and sadistic you Oriental-Sicilians are."
"You don’t know anything yet. I’m going to take a bath in musk."
"Musk?"
"Yes. Horny mink musk. And then I’m going to bed and I’m going to smell like a French whore in estrus and if you touch me I’m going to stab you in the balls with a stiletto. I’ll teach you to mess with me, Elmo. Elmo. Do you really think I’d give it up to somebody named Elmo?"
Digger went into the bathroom to pour himself a drink, and when he came out, he sat in the chair in front of the television set. Koko went into the bathroom to take a bath. When she came out, Digger was sleeping in the chair. She let him stay there.
At 6 A.M., Digger looked up Dr. Josephson’s telephone number and dialed. A tape-recorded message told him that office hours began at 10 A.M. and he could leave a message at the signal, but if he really needed emergency service, fast, Grade-A emergency service, the best thing to do was to go to a hospital. Any hospital.
Digger looked at Koko. The sheet had slipped from her body and her bare breasts invited him to come to bed. He thought about it for a moment, then sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her. She slept on her back in what psychologists called the royal sleep mode, the position assumed by someone who feared no enemies or no danger. She was not just beautiful; she was perfect. Her face was a delicate bronze and her hair was not dark brown but black. Her face, so quick to smile, was unlined.
She was everything he had ever wanted in a woman. She was beautiful and smart and funny and warmhearted. She had never been married and she never talked to Digger about marriage. He couldn’t tell if she even thought of being married to him.
They had met in a hotel
"Yeah."
"She sounds like a bitch."
Digger looked at Koko who had collapsed back on the bed, still wearing her bikini, silently mouthing at him "Elmo" and then giggling.
"That she is," Digger said.
"Listen, I’m sorry it took me so long, but I couldn’t find Donnelly’s records in the file. And then today I looked again, and they were there. Good health, no problems, I can’t read all that stuff, but the doctor’s letter said okay. He was due for his physical next month. Dr. Richard Josephson, Harborview Avenue, is the doctor."
"Thank you. That helps."
"You ever going to be able to get away from her?"
"I’m trying," Digger said. "Really trying. I’ll let you know."
"Okay. I’ll be around."
Digger hung up the telephone.
"If you say anything, I’ll slug you," he said.
"Elmo? Elmo what?"
"Elmo Lincoln."
Koko started giggling again.
"Elmo Lincoln," she said. "How’d you meet that one? She come swinging in on a vine?"
"Very funny."
"Why’d you pick the name of some movie Tarzan?"
"I asked her what her name was and she said ‘Me Jane.’ I couldn’t say ‘me Tarzan,’ could I? Elmo Lincoln just came to mind."
"You’re beautiful, Digger. Why didn’t you tell her your real name?’
"I forgot. She asked me kind of fast."
"You’re crazy. Who is she, anyway? You jump her bones, too?"
"Jane something. She works at the airline. No."
"What’d she say about me?"
"She said you sounded like a particularly evil, but lustful, sex-driven, horny, beautiful bitch. She said she bet I was going to service your account right away."
"And you agreed?"
"Yes."
"Tarzan has more brains than that. So did Cheetah, for that matter. You ain’t got a chance, sucker."
"How long are you going to punish me? Didn’ I take you to the freaking beach?"
"Sure. You’re a bag of fun. You slept all day until you turned the color of a peeled tomato. Then you asked people on the beach if they had cheese Danish to sell. Then all you did was bitch about the sun." She smiled. "You want to make love? Good. We’ll do it on the floor. You lay on this genuine indoor-outdoor steel wool rug. I’ll get on top. Watch me squirm. Your back will love it."
"I never realized until this minute just how evil and sadistic you Oriental-Sicilians are."
"You don’t know anything yet. I’m going to take a bath in musk."
"Musk?"
"Yes. Horny mink musk. And then I’m going to bed and I’m going to smell like a French whore in estrus and if you touch me I’m going to stab you in the balls with a stiletto. I’ll teach you to mess with me, Elmo. Elmo. Do you really think I’d give it up to somebody named Elmo?"
Digger went into the bathroom to pour himself a drink, and when he came out, he sat in the chair in front of the television set. Koko went into the bathroom to take a bath. When she came out, Digger was sleeping in the chair. She let him stay there.
At 6 A.M., Digger looked up Dr. Josephson’s telephone number and dialed. A tape-recorded message told him that office hours began at 10 A.M. and he could leave a message at the signal, but if he really needed emergency service, fast, Grade-A emergency service, the best thing to do was to go to a hospital. Any hospital.
Digger looked at Koko. The sheet had slipped from her body and her bare breasts invited him to come to bed. He thought about it for a moment, then sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her. She slept on her back in what psychologists called the royal sleep mode, the position assumed by someone who feared no enemies or no danger. She was not just beautiful; she was perfect. Her face was a delicate bronze and her hair was not dark brown but black. Her face, so quick to smile, was unlined.
She was everything he had ever wanted in a woman. She was beautiful and smart and funny and warmhearted. She had never been married and she never talked to Digger about marriage. He couldn’t tell if she even thought of being married to him.
They had met in a hotel
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