shopping. A redhead looked at me and smiled. Bless her heart, I’d seen more sincerity in the grin of a presidential candidate.
I grinned at her, just to be sociable, but tried to discourage her by turning away and looking at my watch. Only problem was I wasn’t wearing one.
How long had I been inside now?
Five minutes?
Ten?
Soon, Leonard would be moving the car closer, and not long after that he’d be inside looking for me.
I turned slightly and the redhead was at my shoulder. She wasn’t gorgeous, but she was cute. She had a lump of a nose, good teeth, and freckles to go with the red hair, which was the color of copper and probably that way naturally. She was a little thick in the hips, but if she’d been wearing more than thin black panties that wouldn’t have been noticeable. Another ten years those hips were going to give her trouble.
She had me by the elbow. She said, “You need some company?”
“Well, I’m looking for somebody.”
“Here I am.”
“I’m looking for someone named Tillie. I hear good things about Tillie.”
She frowned. “You don’t hear good things about Darlene?”
“Well, I don’t hear bad things about Darlene. It’s just I’m looking for Tillie.”
“I don’t know any Tillie.”
I tried to remember the photograph I had seen of Tillie in Brett’s house. “She might go by Till. Something like that. She’s a redhead too. Big-breasted.”
“That’s it. You don’t like me because I have small tits.”
I knew she could care less if I liked her or her tits. She was doing what she was supposed to do. Drum up commerce.
I saw her glance toward the fireplace mantel a couple of times, looking at the guy in the blue suit. He glanced at us, then looked away, checking out the rest of his business. And I was sure it was his business. Or at least the one he was running for Big Jim. I figured he was the big guy Taxi Man had told me about.
“About this Tillie?” I asked.
“There’s no one named that here,” she said.
“Not even upstairs?”
“You really want this Tillie, don’t you?”
“I’d like to try her. I’ve heard good stuff.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, no Tillie. You get bored and I’m not playing the horizontal tango with some redneck’s weasel, you look me up. For two hundred dollars I can make you forget Tillie, or damn near anybody or anything.”
“I’ll remember that.”
She winked at me, went to join a couple of guys who had just entered the room, and they were damn glad to see her. One of them instantly had his arm around her, and I heard her laugh like she had just heard the funniest goddamn joke ever told.
Time was running out. Already Leonard was slipping shells into that double-barrel. Beard the lion in his den, I thought.
I went over to the guy in the blue suit. I said, “There’s a girl I’m looking for. A Tillie. She here?”
The guy studied me. The guy with him, Cement Head, studied me too. “No,” he said. “There used to be a Tillie here, but she’s not here anymore.”
“Where’d she go?”
Cement Head said, “She ain’t anywhere close. If you want loving tonight, Tillie’s out.”
Blue Suit turned his head and looked at Cement Head. There didn’t seem to be any expression on his face, but there was certainly an expression on Cement Head’s face. Fear.
Blue Suit turned back to me and gave me a smile. His face didn’t go along with the jock build. It was very suave and assured. Here was a man who didn’t have to pay for pussy and knew you did.
“There’s plenty of girls here can do it for you,” Blue Suit said.
A log shifted in the fireplace, crackled. I jumped a little.
“Nervous, aren’t you?” said Blue Suit.
“My first time in a whorehouse,” I said.
He smiled, “Well, we sure wouldn’t have figured that.”
Cement Head laughed on cue, but didn’t overdo it.
Blue Suit said, “That little redhead you were talking to can do more tricks with your dick than a monkey on a jungle gym.
I grinned at her, just to be sociable, but tried to discourage her by turning away and looking at my watch. Only problem was I wasn’t wearing one.
How long had I been inside now?
Five minutes?
Ten?
Soon, Leonard would be moving the car closer, and not long after that he’d be inside looking for me.
I turned slightly and the redhead was at my shoulder. She wasn’t gorgeous, but she was cute. She had a lump of a nose, good teeth, and freckles to go with the red hair, which was the color of copper and probably that way naturally. She was a little thick in the hips, but if she’d been wearing more than thin black panties that wouldn’t have been noticeable. Another ten years those hips were going to give her trouble.
She had me by the elbow. She said, “You need some company?”
“Well, I’m looking for somebody.”
“Here I am.”
“I’m looking for someone named Tillie. I hear good things about Tillie.”
She frowned. “You don’t hear good things about Darlene?”
“Well, I don’t hear bad things about Darlene. It’s just I’m looking for Tillie.”
“I don’t know any Tillie.”
I tried to remember the photograph I had seen of Tillie in Brett’s house. “She might go by Till. Something like that. She’s a redhead too. Big-breasted.”
“That’s it. You don’t like me because I have small tits.”
I knew she could care less if I liked her or her tits. She was doing what she was supposed to do. Drum up commerce.
I saw her glance toward the fireplace mantel a couple of times, looking at the guy in the blue suit. He glanced at us, then looked away, checking out the rest of his business. And I was sure it was his business. Or at least the one he was running for Big Jim. I figured he was the big guy Taxi Man had told me about.
“About this Tillie?” I asked.
“There’s no one named that here,” she said.
“Not even upstairs?”
“You really want this Tillie, don’t you?”
“I’d like to try her. I’ve heard good stuff.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, no Tillie. You get bored and I’m not playing the horizontal tango with some redneck’s weasel, you look me up. For two hundred dollars I can make you forget Tillie, or damn near anybody or anything.”
“I’ll remember that.”
She winked at me, went to join a couple of guys who had just entered the room, and they were damn glad to see her. One of them instantly had his arm around her, and I heard her laugh like she had just heard the funniest goddamn joke ever told.
Time was running out. Already Leonard was slipping shells into that double-barrel. Beard the lion in his den, I thought.
I went over to the guy in the blue suit. I said, “There’s a girl I’m looking for. A Tillie. She here?”
The guy studied me. The guy with him, Cement Head, studied me too. “No,” he said. “There used to be a Tillie here, but she’s not here anymore.”
“Where’d she go?”
Cement Head said, “She ain’t anywhere close. If you want loving tonight, Tillie’s out.”
Blue Suit turned his head and looked at Cement Head. There didn’t seem to be any expression on his face, but there was certainly an expression on Cement Head’s face. Fear.
Blue Suit turned back to me and gave me a smile. His face didn’t go along with the jock build. It was very suave and assured. Here was a man who didn’t have to pay for pussy and knew you did.
“There’s plenty of girls here can do it for you,” Blue Suit said.
A log shifted in the fireplace, crackled. I jumped a little.
“Nervous, aren’t you?” said Blue Suit.
“My first time in a whorehouse,” I said.
He smiled, “Well, we sure wouldn’t have figured that.”
Cement Head laughed on cue, but didn’t overdo it.
Blue Suit said, “That little redhead you were talking to can do more tricks with your dick than a monkey on a jungle gym.
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