exceptions.
“Can I see your bedroom?” Clay’s hand slid to the inside of Kelsi’s thigh.
“OK.” Kelsi grabbed Clay’s other hand and led him to the back of her apartment.
They stepped over a pile of casebooks. They maneuvered their way around a stack of commercial outlines. Kelsi was the first to drop to the bed. She unbuttoned Clay’s shirt and ran her fingers across his chest. It was easy to see that he spent a fair amount of time working out at the North Grounds Recreation Center.
Clay sat on the bed. It was his turn to unbutton her shirt. For most guys, unbuttoning a woman’s shirt for the first time was one of life’s great experiences. This time was no different. Kelsi was wearing a black lace bra. Clay admired her breasts, moved his eyes from her chest to her face, and kissed her deeply yet again.
They rolled around the bed like animals during mating season. Kelsi pulled Clay on top of her. She tore at the zipper of his pants. He tugged on the waistband of hers. His pants came off first. Hers quickly followed. She reached for his penis and placed it inside of her. Yet another one of life’s great experiences for a man: when the woman placed him inside of her.
The sex was fast and rough. Clay was working off instinct. Kelsi was trying to forget. He said he was about ready. She climaxed first. He immediately followed. They lay back on the bed and tried to catch their breath.
“Wow,” Kelsi said.
“Ditto,” Clay said. “And I thought Nancy Ellsworth was good.”
Kelsi elbowed Clay in the ribs. “Nancy Ellsworth, huh? I knew there was something going on between you two.”
Clay rolled onto his side and pinched Kelsi’s button nose. It was his favorite part of her perfect face. “I’m just kidding. I’ve never been with Nancy Ellsworth… . She only dates law review types.”
“OK. I guess I believe you… . Not .” Kelsi giggled and then said, “Would you like something to drink? There’s more beer, and I’ve also got 7UP and Dr. Pepper.”
“A 7UP would be great, thanks.”
Kelsi pecked Clay on the cheek, shot up from the bed, and headed for the refrigerator.
“Are you coming?” Kelsi shouted from the kitchen. She placed two cans of 7UP on the counter. She popped the tab on one and took a long drink. “Hey, lazybones, are you coming or not?” She opened a cabinet and scavenged for some chips. Sex always made her hungry, especially good sex. She spun around and saw Clay standing in front of her. “You scared me half to death,” she said.
Clay said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to. I guess I’m just light on my feet.”
They both laughed again.
“Here… . Your 7UP.” Kelsi tried to hand Clay the can. “Take it, lazybones. Take it.”
But the reason Clay wouldn’t take the soda can wasn’t because he was lazy. It was because he was holding a knife.
CHAPTER 37
A fiery summons had been issued. The brothers had once again gathered around a bonfire deep in the woods on the outskirts of Charleston. The burning cross signified that there was a konklave underway. This time, there hadn’t been time to string a nigger from a tree. This was an emergency meeting called on an hour’s notice.
Billy Joe Collier was the one who had called it. That wasn’t unusual. The Charleston den often met on short notice. What was unusual was that Collier had called the meeting on his own initiative rather than at the behest of Earl Smith, the grand dragon of South Carolina. The explanation for this breach of protocol? The meeting was about Earl Smith.
Kludd Johnny Bates opened the ritual book and said, “The sacred altar of the Klan is prepared; the fiery cross illumines the konklave.”
The konklave said, “We serve and sacrifice for the right.”
Collier said, “Klansmen all: you will gather for our opening devotions.”
Those words were usually spoken by Smith, but Collier had heard them often enough that he knew them by heart.
The konklave sang the Klan’s
C. J. Cherryh
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