After Midnight

by Richard Laymon

  Arriving at the lamp table, he picked up his phone just after the fourth ring.

  “Hello?…Oh, hi, Harold…No, it’s fine. What’s up?”

  He turned toward me, made a face that made me smile, and ogled my exposed breast. Then his eyes lowered to my belly as if drawn by my injury down there. I knew how awful it looked, but I didn’t try to cover it. He frowned at the bruised and gouged skin, then met my eyes with a look of concern.

  I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

  Brightening up slightly, he said into the phone, “Yeah. Sure I’ve heard of him…Yeah, I saw those movies…He does?…” Looking me in the eyes, he suddenly grinned. “The most exciting book he’s read all year? Cool…Uhhuh…Sure…Yeah, maybe we’ll at least get an option out of it…Right, can’t hurt…Five copies? Geez. I guess they think I get ’em free…Yeah, I know…Today? They can’t get them today. Don’t they know I’m out here in the boonies? Where are they, in L.A.?…Oh. Same difference. Anyway, I don’t care who they are, I’m not driving to Culver City. Not today. It’s about a six-hour drive, and I’ve already got plans.”

  He gave me a smile.

  I flexed a muscle to make my breast hop, and his eyes got very wide.

  “I don’t care,” he said into the phone. “The best I can do is send them overnight express, and I’m not too sure about that…Well, they’re always like that. They want everything yesterday, and then you drop everything to get the books off and you end up never hearing from them again anyway…I know…Well, let me have the address. I’ll get the books to them as soon as I can.”

  He couldn’t seem to find a pen or paper on the lamp table.

  Leaning forward, I snatched a ballpoint and the TV Guide off the cluttered table in front of me. Then I twisted around and reached them over to him.

  “Thanks,” he whispered.

  He dropped the TV Guide onto the lamp table and started to write on its back cover.

  “Got it,” he said, and read the address back to Harold. Then he listened and nodded and said, “Okay. No problem. And thanks. You never know, maybe this’ll turn into something…Right. Take it easy. Bye.”

  He hung up the phone and said, “My agent.”

  “Sounds like he had some good news for you.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. Well, sort of. Some bigwig movie producer’s all hot for The Dark Pit. I’m supposed to drop everything and…”

  “I heard.”

  “It’s no big deal.”

  “They want to make a movie out of your book? Sounds like a big deal to me.”

  “These things usually don’t go much of anywhere. These movie people…They’ll tell you it’s the greatest book in the history of the world, then they’ll offer you about three hundred dollars for an option.”

  “Three hundred? You’re kidding.”

  “That’d just be for rights to fool around with the book for six months or something. And then you’d get maybe a hundred thousand if it goes into production.”

  “That’s a lot.”

  “But you never get it, because nothing ever gets that far.”

  “Some stuff must.”

  “Yeah. But not much. It’s mostly a big waste of time. I don’t jump through hoops for those guys anymore.”

  “I would, if I were you.”

  He smiled and said, “You being you, you might.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re not me standing here looking at you right now.”

  “I’ll keep,” I told him, and drew my blouse shut to hide my breast. “You shouldn’t pass up a fabulous opportunity like this.”

  “I know,” he said, and leered.

  “I don’t mean me.”

  “I do,” he said.

  He held out a hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet. I stepped around the end of the coffee table. When I was standing in front of him, he let go of my hand. With both his hands, he slipped my blouse off my shoulders and down my arms. It drifted to the floor behind me.

  “What’ll you do about the books?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Maybe call Federal Express.”

  “You don’t want to deliver them today?”

  “I’ve got better things to do,” he said, and slid his gaze down my body.

  Blushing, I said, “I could go with you.”

  “It’s an awfully long drive.”

  “I don’t mind. I could tell you my story on the way.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “If I can stay awake.”

  “Maybe you can take a nap while I go to the bank. You do still want your money, don’t you?”

  “Darn right,” I said.

  “And I can’t go get that till after I’ve raped you?”

  “Darn right again. So you’d better get to it.”

  “Are you sure you feel up to it?”

  “You bet.”

  “You’re awfully banged up. What happened to you? All these bruises and everything?”

  “Rough night.”

  “Were you in fights?”

  “Sure. Fights, falls, collisions. You name it, it happened. But don’t worry. I’m fine.” Bending down, I raised a foot and started to pull off my shoe.

  Murphy put a hand on my shoulder to hold me steady.

  “Thanks,” I said. I tossed the shoe toward the couch. It landed on the floor with a thump. “They’ve gotta be artfully arranged,” I explained.

  He shook his head. “Of course.”

  I shifted to my other leg, pulled off my other shoe, and tossed it across the room. Then I stood up straight and smiled at him.

  “Anything else?” he asked.

  “Just be a little careful around my stomach.”

  “What happened there?”

  “Nailed by a tree branch. Walked right into it in the dark. But maybe I’ll tell you all about it in the car. If we ever get there.”

  “I guess you want me to get on with it.”

  “Good guess, Sherlock.”

  “Where do you want me to start?”

  “Surprise me.”

  With a silly smile on his face, he put his arms around me and drew me forward. His mouth came at mine. I slapped him. The blow sent his glasses flying off his face. He looked startled and hurt.

  “None of that kissy stuff,” I said. “Get rough. This has to look good.”

  “Why does it have to look good? Nobody’ll ever know it happened.”

  “They will if you double-cross me.”

  “I’d never…”

  “You’re a guy. Guys do stuff like that.”

  “Not me.”

  “Guys’ll stab you in the back, lie…”

  “Not me.”

  “But I don’t know that for sure, do I?”

  “Guess not,” he admitted. Then he started to unhook the back of my bra.

  And I suddenly realized that I still had the miniature cassette tape from Tony’s answering machine hidden inside my panties. If this went much further…

  “Rough!” I snapped and shoved him away.

  As he came back at me, I tore the bra off, myself, and threw it to the floor. “Take me to your bedroom,” I gasped.

  He grabbed my arm, but I pulled free.

  He looked confused.

  “My God, do I have to draw you a picture?”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

  “Pretend it’s a game.”

  “But…”

  I whirled around and ran from him.

  Instead of coming after me, he went hunting for his glasses. So I stopped. With my back to him, I quickly slipped a hand down my skirt and plucked the cassette out of my panties. It was wet and slippery.

  What’ll I do with it?

  My purse was on the couch, all the way across the room. No way of getting there without Murphy seeing me and wondering what I was up to.

  I had no idea where to hide the cassette, so I kept it in my hand. I wiped it against the back of my skirt as I turned to face Murphy again
.

  He didn’t seem to know where his glasses had landed after I’d knocked them off his face.

  “There on the table,” I said, pointing.

  “Ah.” He found them, picked them up, checked them out, and put them on his face. “Thanks,” he said.

  “Now come and get it,” I blurted, and ran.

  This time, he chased me.

  All right!

  He probably could’ve caught me if he’d tried, but he stayed a stride or two back. I made straight for the doorway of his bedroom and lunged through it.

  Murphy close on my heels, I raced across the floor and leaped onto his bed.

  Luckily, his curtains were shut.

  I stopped in the middle of his springy mattress. Bouncing, I turned around to face him.

  He stopped at the foot of the bed and gaped up at me, his face strange with perplexity and delight.

  “What’re you staring at, big guy?”

  He didn’t answer, just watched.

  Even though I wasn’t bouncing very hard, my breasts were flying around like crazy. And he was gazing at them as if mezmerized by how they jumped and lurched.

  “What’re you gonna do now, hotshot?” I asked. “Just gonna stand there gaping at my boobs?”

  Bending over, he reached out and grabbed my ankles and pulled.

  I let out a squeal and landed on my back.

  He jerked my ankles wide apart. My left leg came out of the slit in my skirt, and was bare all the way up to my hip. “How’s that?” he gasped.

  “Shut up and fuck me,” I said.

  34

  THE ART OF SEDUCTION

  Off came his Bear Whizz Beer T-shirt. He pulled it up his torso and over his head. While his eyes were behind the T-shirt, I stuffed the cassette tape underneath the pillow.

  As he tossed the shirt aside, I braced myself up on my elbows so I could see him better.

  He was slim and nicely built, and had a good tan.

  Still in his shorts, he planted a knee on the mattress and got ready to climb up.

  “Why don’t you get rid of the shorts?” I said.

  “Huh?” he asked.

  “And how come you’re wearing swimming trunks? You don’t even have a pool.”

  “They’re comfortable.”

  “Well, take them off.”

  More flustered than usual, he said, “I don’t…I’m not wearing any…you know, underwear.”

  “Good. Take off the trunks and get up here.”

  “You gonna look?”

  “Of course I’m gonna look.”

  “Do you have to?” he asked.

  “You’re some rapist.”

  “I’m not a rapist.”

  “Are you a virgin?”

  “No,” he said. “It’s just that…we hardly even know each other.”

  “You’ve already seen plenty of me,” I informed him. “And you’re about to see the rest. So let’s have a look at you.”

  “Well…”

  “When do you plan to stop blushing?”

  “Sometime next year, I should imagine.” Bending over, he pulled down his trunks. When he stood up straight, they were out of sight. “There,” he said.

  “Wow,” I said.

  He gave me a twitchy, embarrassed smile.

  “Get up here,” I said.

  “Just a second, I’d better grab a condom.”

  “No, don’t. You’re raping me. I need your semen for evidence. You can’t use a rubber.”

  “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

  “It’s the whole point.”

  He looked hurt.

  So I said, “Well, it was the whole point, anyway. Before you got me all worked up like this.” Squirming a little and staring him in the eyes, I undid both the buttons that held my skirt together at the hip. I spread the skirt open. I still had my panties on, but nothing else. There was about as much to my panties as a pirate’s eyepatch. The band and patch were red like my bra. “I’ve still gotta have the evidence,” I explained.

  He gaped at me for a while, his mouth hanging open. Then he said, “We really need to use protection.”

  “I won’t get pregnant. You don’t have to worry about that. I just finished my period.” A fib, but so what?

  You should’ve seen him go red. Guys really hate to hear about your period. Normal guys, anyway. Perverts are a different story. I knew this pervert named Jack, and he used to keep track of my time of the month so he could…Never mind. I can’t tell every story I know, or you’d never find out what happened between me and Murphy. Anyway, believe me, you don’t want to know about Jack. He was mental.

  Murphy, still on the subject of condoms, said, “It’s not just about you getting pregnant.”

  “I know. You’re worried about diseases.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you have any?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “I still think we’d better…”

  “Don’t you believe me?” I asked. “You think I’m lying?”

  “You might be. Hell, you’re afraid I’ll turn you in the minute I get alone. Why can’t I be afraid you’ll give me AIDS and kill me?”

  “I haven’t been with a guy in about five years,” I told him. “I don’t shoot up drugs. I haven’t had any blood transfusions. And I’ve had annual check-ups. I’m not gonna give you any disease.”

  “Five years?” he asked.

  “I’ve been saving myself for you.”

  He smiled and said, “Right.”

  “By the look of things, it was well worth the wait.”

  “Thanks, but I still want to use a condom.” He turned away and walked toward his dresser.

  “Come on, no. I want to feel you in me.”

  As he pulled open a drawer, he looked over his shoulder at me.

  “You wear one of those,” I said, “it’s like getting fucked by a balloon.”

  He laughed softly and shook his head. “It’s not much better from this end, believe me.” Then he started searching through the drawer. “Maybe after we’ve known each other longer…”

  “Next time, I’ll bring a note from my doctor. If there is a next time.”

  “I hope there will be,” Murphy said.

  I said, “Me, too.”

  Then I pulled the skirt out from under me and pushed it aside until it fell to the floor. On my back, I brought my knees up to my chest and peeled my panties off.

  Murphy found what he was looking for, turned around and came back toward the bed with a foil packet pinched between his thumb and forefinger.

  “Would you like me to do the honors?” I asked.

  “Like what?”

  “If you have to wear it, I might as well get the fun of putting it on you.”

  “Okay. If you want to.”

  Sitting up, I swung myself around. I sat on the edge of the bed, my feet on the floor. “Right here.” I spread my knees and patted the side of the mattress.

  Murphy stepped in between my legs.

  “Man, look at that thing.”

  He glanced at it and shrugged.

  “Looks like a cannon.”

  Blushing deep red, he muttered, “No it doesn’t.”

  “Hope it doesn’t go off by accident.”

  “Hey.”

  “Might blow out my eye.”

  “Jeez.”

  I grinned up at him. “What?”

  “Do you have to talk about it?”

  “Just admiring the equipment.”

  “Do you have to?”

  “I don’t have to.”

  “It’s just…sort of embarrassing.”

  “Okay. I’ll stop talking about it.”

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “Me and my big mouth,” I said.

  “That’s all right.”

  “But are you sure you want to cover this baby up with a nasty old rubber?”

  “That’s the only way I’ll…yeah. I’m afraid so. So
rry.”

  “Okay. It’s a shame, but if you insist…”

  “I do.”

  “Okay. Well, give me that thing.”

  He handed the packet to me. I tore it open and pulled out the condom. It felt warm and slimy. “Yuck,” I said. “I really want this in me. What is it, used?”

  “Just pre-lubricated.”

  “I know, I know. I was kidding. But yuck. I mean, really.”

  “We don’t have to do this,” he said, and placed his hands gently on my shoulders.

  “Don’t have to use the rubber?”

  “Not if we call the whole thing off.”

  I looked up at him. “Do you want to call it off?” I asked.

  “Do I look like it?”

  “Hardly.”

  He started to rub my shoulders. And kept rubbing them as I leaned forward.

  But it wasn’t the condom I put on him.

  It was my mouth.

  He gasped and arched his back and squeezed my shoulders. But he didn’t complain or try to pull back.

  Dropping the condom, I clutched his buttocks. I dug my fingernails in, drew him closer to me and slid my lips down his thick shaft, taking him into my mouth until no more could fit in.

  He stood rigid and moaned.

  I pulled slowly back, sucking as I went.

  He shuddered.

  I squeezed his buttocks and went down again, my lips a tight, sliding ring.

  “Don’t. Uh. Y’better stop.”

  Up again, pulling at him, sucking.

  “Ahhh!”

  Down, taking him in deeper and deeper.

  “No, y’gotta…I’m gonna…!”

  I jerked my head up suddenly and he popped out of my mouth with a wet slurp. I tugged his ass. As he stumbled toward me, I shoved at the floor with my feet, springing up from the mattress and wrapping my arms around his back.

  He fell forward, trapped between my thighs. I fell backward, pulling him down on top of me.

  On the way down, he prodded my right thigh so I shifted a bit to take care of the aim.

  My back hit the mattress.

  And in he went.

  He was awfully big, but I was juicy.

  Pre-lubricated.

  He went sliding in all the way. It felt huge, but I liked how it filled me and stretched me. I hugged him tightly and clamped my legs around him.

  Grunting, he tried to push himself off me.

  For about two seconds.

  Then, with a moan, he kissed me and shoved his tongue into my mouth and jammed a hand in between us and grabbed one of my breasts and thrust at me with his hips and throbbed deep inside me, spurting.