slow ascent, silently urging on legs that frequently refused to move. With brief pauses on each landing, she arrived at last at Ben's front door.
Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes and began searching for any remaining strength to help her through what she knew was coming when she opened the door. Although she heard Mary Louise's door open, she couldn't seem to lift her eyelids to acknowledge the girl's presence. Then she heard an eerie, gruff voice echo through the hall.
"What's long and yellow and seldom rings?"
Sunny chuckled weakly at her friend's attempted improvement on the riddle of the Sphinx. Suddenly the chain rattled and the door squeaked open wider.
"Jeez, you look awful," Mary Louise said slowly, but strangely she didn't sound amused as Sunny had expected.
"I feel awful. That man could have made a fortune hiring himself out during the Spanish Inquisition."
"Didn't I tell you he was a horror?"
"Yes, you told me," she murmured, her voice faint from exhaustion. "But you didn't do him justice. He would have, made Ivan the Terrible look like a sweet guy in comparison."
"Ivan who?"
"He was a sixteenth-century punk rock star," Sunny muttered, then opened her eyes and shoved her body away from the wall. There was no sense in postponing the inevitable.
After looking at her suspiciously for a moment, Mary Louise shrugged and said in her gruff voice, "Ben's been acting real weird. Every once in a while he opens the door and looks around, then goes back in looking like he's ready to explode. And it sounds like he's been fighting with the furniture."
"Uh-oh," Sunny said apprehensively, staring at the closed door. Then she sighed in resignation. "I guess I might as well get it over with. Wish me luck." She paused. "By the way, what is long and yellow and seldom rings?"
The girl grinned. "An unlisted banana."
Sunny laughed as she turned away, then groaned when the sudden movement sent a pain shooting down her back. Raising her chin bravely, she reached for the knob.
***
Ben turned away from the window in exasperation, kicking a chair out of his way as he began to pace again. Why wasn't she there? This day had been three weeks long. When had his life started to revolve around a woman who was as solid as Alice in Wonderland? He knew without a doubt that any minute she would dissolve in a mist, leaving not even a Cheshire smile behind. So why had he—rational, logical, sane man that he was—come to depend on her for his peace of mind?
Yesterday he had pretended not to see her trying to stay out of his way, as though she thought that would please him, when all he really wanted was to be near her, to watch her vital animation, to feel the electricity of her presence.
Who do you think you're kidding? Running his hand through hair that was disheveled from a hundred identical gestures, he admitted scornfully that he wanted much more than that from her. The days were bad enough, but the nights, God, the nights were pure hell.
Ben had never had to practice self-control as far as his sex life was concerned. He hadn't made love to a woman in over six months, but that had been a matter of choice. He hadn't felt the need. Before, when he had felt the biological urge, it hadn't been difficult to find a willing partner.
The thought that he could find one just as easily now didn't occur to him as he paced in frustration. His mind had been taken over by a fantasy, a woman of no substance, who would disappear at any moment.
Where had she been today? He walked back to the window and looked toward the city that loomed large beyond his small neighborhood. Who could she have been with? She knew no one—did she?
Before he could explore that particular unwelcome thought, Ben heard a noise behind him and swung on his heel, the veins in his temples beginning to throb as anger surged through him. He wanted to shout at her in a fury that was directed more toward his weakness for her than at Sunny herself, but the powerful
Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes and began searching for any remaining strength to help her through what she knew was coming when she opened the door. Although she heard Mary Louise's door open, she couldn't seem to lift her eyelids to acknowledge the girl's presence. Then she heard an eerie, gruff voice echo through the hall.
"What's long and yellow and seldom rings?"
Sunny chuckled weakly at her friend's attempted improvement on the riddle of the Sphinx. Suddenly the chain rattled and the door squeaked open wider.
"Jeez, you look awful," Mary Louise said slowly, but strangely she didn't sound amused as Sunny had expected.
"I feel awful. That man could have made a fortune hiring himself out during the Spanish Inquisition."
"Didn't I tell you he was a horror?"
"Yes, you told me," she murmured, her voice faint from exhaustion. "But you didn't do him justice. He would have, made Ivan the Terrible look like a sweet guy in comparison."
"Ivan who?"
"He was a sixteenth-century punk rock star," Sunny muttered, then opened her eyes and shoved her body away from the wall. There was no sense in postponing the inevitable.
After looking at her suspiciously for a moment, Mary Louise shrugged and said in her gruff voice, "Ben's been acting real weird. Every once in a while he opens the door and looks around, then goes back in looking like he's ready to explode. And it sounds like he's been fighting with the furniture."
"Uh-oh," Sunny said apprehensively, staring at the closed door. Then she sighed in resignation. "I guess I might as well get it over with. Wish me luck." She paused. "By the way, what is long and yellow and seldom rings?"
The girl grinned. "An unlisted banana."
Sunny laughed as she turned away, then groaned when the sudden movement sent a pain shooting down her back. Raising her chin bravely, she reached for the knob.
***
Ben turned away from the window in exasperation, kicking a chair out of his way as he began to pace again. Why wasn't she there? This day had been three weeks long. When had his life started to revolve around a woman who was as solid as Alice in Wonderland? He knew without a doubt that any minute she would dissolve in a mist, leaving not even a Cheshire smile behind. So why had he—rational, logical, sane man that he was—come to depend on her for his peace of mind?
Yesterday he had pretended not to see her trying to stay out of his way, as though she thought that would please him, when all he really wanted was to be near her, to watch her vital animation, to feel the electricity of her presence.
Who do you think you're kidding? Running his hand through hair that was disheveled from a hundred identical gestures, he admitted scornfully that he wanted much more than that from her. The days were bad enough, but the nights, God, the nights were pure hell.
Ben had never had to practice self-control as far as his sex life was concerned. He hadn't made love to a woman in over six months, but that had been a matter of choice. He hadn't felt the need. Before, when he had felt the biological urge, it hadn't been difficult to find a willing partner.
The thought that he could find one just as easily now didn't occur to him as he paced in frustration. His mind had been taken over by a fantasy, a woman of no substance, who would disappear at any moment.
Where had she been today? He walked back to the window and looked toward the city that loomed large beyond his small neighborhood. Who could she have been with? She knew no one—did she?
Before he could explore that particular unwelcome thought, Ben heard a noise behind him and swung on his heel, the veins in his temples beginning to throb as anger surged through him. He wanted to shout at her in a fury that was directed more toward his weakness for her than at Sunny herself, but the powerful
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