Hienie said: “For Gawd’s sake—how did you do that?”
She held the glass towards him. “It’s nice. I’m so thirsty. May I have some more?”
He still stood staring at her. “Didn’t it burn you? Jeeze! It must have burnt you!”
A little frown settled between her eyebrows. “Can’t I have some more?” There was a slight grating sound in her voice.
Hienie looked at her sharply, hesitated, then filled her glass. This time he took a long pull from the jar himself. The liquor made him choke and splutter. When he had recovered, he saw she was nursing the empty glass, her eyes on the jar. He put the cork back firmly, and thumped it home with his fist.
Don’t do that,” she said sharply, “I want some more.”
Hienie shook his head. He felt a sudden confidence. He was no longer nervous of her. He didn’t care how mad she might be, he could handle her. “You’ve had plenty,” he said, putting the jar by the door, away from her. “You don’t want too much of that stuff.”
She put her hand on his arm, and leant close to him. Her breath, smelling of the sweet, sickly spirit, fanned his face. “There’s such a lot left—I’m thirsty.”
Hienie shifted closer to her. She was giving him the works all right. He slid his arm round her back. “Maybe there is, baby, but we’ve got a lot of time to kill.”
“But it’s so nice,” she giggled suddenly. “It makes me feel tight.” She leant against his arm.
“Sure it makes you feel tight.” He encircled her waist, letting his hand rest on her hip bone. She looked down at his hand, then swiftly up into his face. He pulled her close to him. “Your pa’s got plenty of dough, ain’t he?” he said, waiting for her to pull away.
She didn’t move. “Why did you ask that?”
“I like talkin’ about dough.” His hand shifted up, closing over her breast, it felt firm and full, imprisoned in his hand. She shivered and stiffened. Hienie went on talking, trying to keep his voice normal. “I like hearin’ about guys with plenty of dough. It must be a swell feeling to give a dame like you just what you want without wondering where the dough’s comin’ from to pay for it.” He didn’t know what he was saying, but he knew he had to keep on talking. He could feel her relaxing against his arm. “I’ve been a bum all my life. Maybe you wouldn’t understand what that means.” He shifted his hand, taking the weight of her breast.
She made a little face. “Now you’re being miserable,” she said, her full lips parting a little. Her long slender fingers gripped his wrist and pulled at his hand.
“Let it stay, baby, it feels good.”
She hesitated, keeping her eyes turned away from him, then her hand fell away. Hienie said thickly: “You’re a swell kid. Gee! You’re a swell kid!”
She moved her long legs restlessly. “You haven’t told me who you are,” she said. There was no interest in her voice.
Hienie reached down and put his hand under her knees. “I’ll show you how to be comfortable,” he said, swinging her legs off the ground, so that she was half sitting, half lying across his knees. He expected some resistance, but she lay limply, her hand hanging by her side. He thought, “It’s a push over.” “Ain’t this comfortable?” he said, leaning over her. Her head fell back, her eyes closed, she murmured something that he couldn’t hear. He pulled her to him roughly and mashed his mouth down on hers. Her mouth opened and he could feel her breath in his throat. Her arms encircled his neck and she began to moan softly.
His free hand slid over her silken knee, touched warm, smooth flesh, and then she suddenly gripped him, forcing her mouth against his until it hurt. He found it was difficult to breathe and he tried to move his head away, but she moved with him. He jerked his hand from her, trying to push her off, the blood drumming in his head. Her arms were encircling his throat like steel bands, cutting the air from his lungs. In a sudden panic, he began fighting, but he couldn’t shift her. Then lights began to flash before his eyes, and he was conscious that she was strangling him, and he couldn’t do anything about it.
Long after midnight, Joe and a State trooper found them. The State trooper stopped his car close to the ambulance and they climbed out.
“It looks like he’s beaten it,” Joe said, looking into the cab. He climbed in and glanced through the aperture. Then he said, “For God’s sake,” and almost threw himself out of the cab.
The State trooper looked at him. “What’s up?” he asked.
Joe pointed a shaky finger at the ambulance. “I warned him, but he wouldn’t believe me.”
The trooper pushed past him and climbed into the cab. He remained at the aperture for several minutes, then he got down slowly. He looked bad. “The poor bastard,” he said unevenly. “The poor bastard. Hell! She didn’t ought to have done that. I guess no dame ought to do that to any guy.” He spat in the road. “It’s the only fun some guys have got.”
OVERHEARD
They occupied the end part of the long chromium and mahogany bar. They sat on high stools, their shoulders touching and their concentration on each other intense. For them, the ‘Silver Coast’ bar did not exist, and Mandell, the barman, listened to their conversation with amused tolerance. He leant against the counter, aimlessly polishing a small square of shiny mahogany very slowly with a soft duster. It was quiet in the bar with only these two and three men in white ducks who stood at the far end of the bar. The sun came through the chinks of the heavy sunblinds, making sharp little patterns on the coconut matting. It was noon, and very hot for the time of year.
Mandell left off polishing the bar and took out a clean white handkerchief to chase away a little trickle of sweat he felt running behind his ears. He put the handkerchief away and glanced over at the two sitting close to him.
She was tall and high-breasted. Her long silky hair was blue-black and hung on her crisp white collar in an ordered upward sweep. Her face interested Mandell very much. He liked her large deep blue eyes and her beautifully painted mouth. Her skin was clear and white, except for a touch of rouge high up on her cheek-bones. Mandell particularly liked her slender, beautifully shaped hands.
Her companion was a heavily built man with a fleshy, strikingly handsome face. His square jaw-line and light blue eyes gave him a look of authority which comes, sometimes, to wealthy men. Mandell envied him his tailor and envied him his figure; he also envied him his companion.
They were drinking Bar Specials, made with rum and absinthe; and Mandell had a large shaker by his side ready to replenish their glasses.
They had been talking about Havana for some minutes, and Mandell gathered that this was her first trip. Her companion seemed to know the place well, and from what he said he must have been living there for some time. Mandell couldn’t quite make out when these two first met. He could tell without any difficulty that the man was just crazy about her. He wasn’t sure whether it was reciprocated or not.
She said quiet suddenly, “Oh, must we talk geography any more?”
He fiddled with his long, frosted glass. “I’m sorry, I thought it would interest you. It is so lovely here. I’ve been looking forward so much to showing you around, I guess I got carried away.”
“Do you like it better than Stresa?”
He seemed undecided. “It’s different. Stresa was lovely, too, wasn’t it?”
She moved a little forward on her stool. Her eyes became for a moment very animated. “Do you remember the little albergo at Arolo?” she asked. “You couldn’t speak a word of Italian—and the fun we had. Do you remember Anita?”
He nodded. “The innkeeper’s daughter? I always think of something rude when I say that. She called me poverino because the sun blistered my nose.” He laughed. “I guess we had a swell time there. She used to chatter away to me in the early morning when you were still asleep, and I didn’t know what she was talking about. You know, I must really learn Italian before we go there again.”