She immediately straightened and pouted. Her panties fell down to her ankles and she stepped out of them. "Fine. Have it your way."
"I intend to." He patted his thighs again.
June's steps were small, feminine, as she came to Eddie. Positioning her on his lap was easy enough, and he threw a leg over hers to keep her in place. This was going to be a harsh encounter, but it was necessary. He fully intended to make sure June knew she was his girl when the episode was over, but, for this punishment, she had to be taught that nasty behavior was not acceptable, no matter if she felt jealous or not. There were better ways to handle things.
Unable to help himself, Eddie rubbed the perfect globes of June's ass, so beautifully displayed before him. He unhooked her back garters and tucked them up into the garter belt. Her thighs were going to be an additional target for his spanks.
This was not an occasion for a warm-up, so Eddie got right to work, drawing back his hand and giving her a pink hand-print on her bottom accompanied by a resounding smacking sound. She squirmed, but didn't make a noise. Again, he struck her, this time on the other cheek, and she gasped. Four more spanks and she began to squirm. Another dozen and she was trying to kick, panting and groaning with every slap.
"Okay, Eddie! I'm sorry. I get it!"
He spanked her several more times and then he noticed her scent. It was arousal. He recognized it from their night together. Spanking along her thighs made her cry out, and her bottom was bright red, but there, glistening on the parts of her pussy that peeked out, was moisture that indicated her excitement. Was it excitement from her strip-tease show, or was the spanking enticing her?
Several more hard slaps to the juncture of her bottom and thighs and her moans were changing in tenor. "Fran is not my lover, June. You are my lover."
"Yes, sir! Yes, Eddie! I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to treat you like that."
"I'm a big boy," he said while landing several more hard blows on her hot behind. "I'm more concerned about the way you treated Fran. You will apologize. Today."
"Oh, Eddie, I was wrong. I don't know what got into me."
Eddie slowed down the spanks; that glistening moisture was getting to him, and June's position on his thighs had him hard like a steel bar. If he got either of them any more excited, he'd throw her down on the linoleum and do her right there.
Come to think of it…why not?
Chapter 5
Eddie didn't have to consider it long. Williams wasn't there, and he'd said it would take him a few minutes to crawl out from under some paperwork. Fran was off doing whatever Fran did at the times he pressed her to leave.
The spanking stopped, but June remained on his lap. She was sobbing by this point, and sniffling. Her bottom was hot to the touch, red as a cherry, and absolutely gorgeous. Eddie pressed June's thighs slightly apart and drew his fingers up their creamy softness to find that moisture that called his name.
She was wet, so wet. Eddie pressed two fingers against her opening and she gasped and arched.
"Eddie?"
"Shh. Relax. The spanking is over."
"That feels good."
Two fingers slid into her, and she moaned.
"I want you, June."
She sniffled again, but her voice was sure when she responded. "I want you, too, Eddie."
He helped her off his lap, stood and got his trench coat off the rack. Tossing it down on the floor, he reached out and took June in his arms.
"It ain't much, baby, but it's here, now, and I think it's what you want."
"Yes," she said on a sigh as she cuddled into his chest. "Kiss me."
Eddie tilted her face up toward his and gently took her lips. The kiss was soft at first, but grew in ardor until their lips were slanting against each other, their breaths mingling and their tongues tangling. The kiss ended and then began again. Eddie cupped one of her breasts and squeezed. June moaned and wriggled in his arms as she combed her fingers through his hair.
"I want you, Eddie," she whispered against his mouth. "On the floor, on the desk, I don't care."
"Lie down on the floor, on my coat."
She moved to do as he instructed, positioning herself on his gray coat like colorful feathers on a gray day. June's hands went to the buttons of her suit jacket and released them, letting it fall to the side, exposing her form-fitting white blouse. Eddie undid his belt and zipper, lowering his shorts and pants as he watched June open her legs, showing off exactly how excited she was. Eddie's breath was already picking up pace before he got down on the floor between her knees.
"We were supposed to go slower this time," he reminded her.
"I don't care." Her hands were on his prick, urging him forward toward her dewy center.
"I care." Despite June's efforts, Eddie rubbed the head of his cock over her wet folds and against her swollen clit. She moaned and grabbed at his hips, trying to pull him into her. But he wanted to tease her, make her as frenzied outside as he was feeling inside. More movement of his hardness against her softness and she was writhing beneath him as he held himself up on his arms. His shirt tail tickled her belly, but it didn't get in their way, they were too close to each other, too intent on their purpose to be distracted.
"Come on, Eddie. Stop teasing."
"Say it, June."
"I want you."
"What do you want?"
"I want…I want you inside me."
He needed to hear the crude words from her. Wanted her permission to do what he'd wanted to do from the moment she raised her skirt. "What does that mean?"
June's voice was a bare whisper and her cheeks were flushed. "Fuck me, Eddie. Now."
His abs contracted with pleasure, and he slowly entered her. Warmth surrounded his cock, small muscles pulled at him, squeezed him, drew him deeper. June yanked on his hips, her nails digging in as she encouraged him to go further, harder.
It was what he wanted, too, so he started to plunge faster, pressing between her legs, spreading her wider with as much eagerness as she showed to him. Her breath caught, small moans music to his ears. Their erotic pants grew quicker, ending with humming moans.
"Yes," she cried. "Oh, God, Eddie! Yes!"
She threw her head back and arched, forcing him to bump up against the top inside of her pussy, his furred mound rubbing on her clit. A final cry and her inner muscles squeezed him tightly, so tightly, like a fist holding him, milking him. And that movement was irresistible, as she orgasmed, and he thrust hard a few more times and finally released.
It took all the tension out of him. He felt energized, triumphant, and totally drained all at once.
"Oh, Eddie…" she said on a sigh.
The doorknob rattled, and they both looked toward it from the floor. There were three knocks. "Strong?" It was George Williams' voice.
"Oh, shit," Eddie said quietly, sneaking out of June slickly.
"Hurry," she whispered.
"Hold on a minute, George," he called at the door. "I'm on the phone."
As they rapidly dressed, Eddie couldn't help but think about June and all the ways she'd reacted over the course of their relationship. She was behaving very much like a real person. Of course, Romantek modeled their computer avatars after real people to cut down on computer processing time. But even then, how real could they actually get? He was an engineer, with a pretty good idea of just how far computer AI could go; it wasn't this far.
So June was very likely a real person. A real person dreaming in his dream, a dream girl who also had a life in the twenty-second century.
What was he going to do about it? Was there anything he could do without violating Romantek's rules and plunging himself back into his own time abruptly?
A note wouldn't work. Telling her he was from her time was certainly against the rules. He couldn't ask her for her real name or her comm address. He was hamstrung and hogtied.
All he knew was that he was falling for her and had to be able to find her when the dream was over. It could not be impo
ssible despite Romantek’s privacy policies.
* * * * *
The police captain was shorter than June was expecting. A slight potbelly softened his middle, but he still looked strong and his expression was one of authority. Thick gray hair topped his head, and bushy salt-and-pepper eyebrows shaded his brown eyes. Captain Williams smiled as Eddie opened the door. His eyes darted from Eddie to June and back again.
They hadn't fooled him for one minute, but at least he had the grace not to say anything. June felt her cheeks grow warm, just the same.
"Eddie," he said, his voice confident.
"Come in, George. I presume you met Miss Tarryton when she came by the precinct to see the police report."
"No, actually," George replied. She smiled at him as they exchanged handshakes. "The detective in charge took care of that."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Williams."
"And you, Miss Tarryton." He turned to Eddie and pulled up a chair. "So what did you need? I need to get back to that armed robbery. The paperwork is piling up on my desk as we speak."
"Yeah," Eddie said. "I appreciate you coming by. I have a few questions regarding the Grayson case."
"It's not a case to us, Strong," George said, frowning. "It's done, over, finito." He stood. "If that was all you wanted-"
"Please, Captain," June interrupted, hoping her gentle voice and smile would keep his interest, at least briefly. "Just a few minutes. I really need to be able to close this file, and I can't do it as it stands."
"Sit down, George. Tell us about Hendrickson Grayson."
With a sigh, the Captain sat down, leaning back in the chair with his arms crossed over his chest. "He's your usual rich Joe. There are rumors about money issues, but they're a lot of society talk. He'll probably sell off something to change his cash-poor status pronto. He's active in the community. You probably saw that bit in the paper about him getting his name on a wing at the natural history museum. He's a regular philanthropist. Always in the celebrity news crap. He gets his name in the paper even more than you do, Eddie."
June wondered why Eddie was in the news so much, then she remembered how Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer was always in the paper for the trouble he stirred up and the bad guys he killed. Trying not to get distracted by this, June asked, "Do you know anything about Hendrickson’s relationship with his wife?"
George shrugged. "They were separated. Don't know why. Maybe they were just tired of each other. This was a recent thing. They did some charity function only a few weeks ago and they looked like a pair of peas in a pod, all smiles."
Eddie had a skeptical look. "Hmm. You didn't think it strange that he needed money and his wife with the big insurance policy suddenly turns up dead?"
"Women act loony when it comes to divorce." He turned toward June. "Beg pardon." George's gaze went back to Eddie. "She might have been depressed."
June didn't think Elizabeth had been depressed, but one couldn't be sure. "There wasn't another woman in the picture?"
"Not that we could dig up. Basically, it's an open-and-shut case of suicide. You two are wasting your time." He stood again, adjusting his hat. "And mine. We'll have a drink once I dig out from under the paperwork, Eddie. Nice to meet you Miss Tarryton." The interview was over.
June stood and offered her hand. He shook it warmly. "Thank you, Captain."
Eddie reached across the desk and shook hands with his friend. "We'll do Rocko's on Vine."
George grinned. "You got it." As he walked toward the door, he bent and picked up something. There was a decided twinkle in his eyes as he handed the garter to June. "You lost something, Miss Tarryton."
June blushed to her roots, accepting the garter with a nod.
The door closed quietly after George left, though June could hear the captain exchanging pleasantries with Fran.
June put the garter in her pocket and paced a short distance. "What do you think?"
"I think you lost your garter when you were busy getting sexy with me."
"Eddie!"
He laughed. "Okay. I think the death is suspicious, no matter what George says. We need to have a talk with Mr. Grayson."
June nodded. She'd like to meet the man and evaluate him for herself. "I agree."
Eddie stood and grabbed his hat.
* * * * *
The Grayson mansion looked utterly out of place on its hillside in the Glenwood Estates gated community. While other homes had sweeping lawns and Tudor-accented houses, the Grayson place had Grecian columns and marble stairs leading up to huge double doors. June thought it looked more like a government building than a place where people lived.
Eddie drew the car up the long gravel driveway and parked near a stand of pine trees that stood to the right of the drive. He let June out of the car and they walked past a busy gardener to the front doors. Eddie pushed a button and pretty soon a man in a white suit and black tie opened the tall left door. Music was playing in the background, some kind of classical piano music, and the smell of fresh baking was on the air.
"Yes, sir? How may I help you?"
"We're here to see Mr. Grayson."
"Is he expecting you?"
"No, but you can tell him Eddie Strong is here about his wife."
The door opened a little farther, and Eddie and June walked into the huge foyer.
"Please wait here." The butler strode away, deeper into the house, and rounded a corner to the left.
June took the opportunity to study the place. The floors were marble-tiled, with a black and white pattern. Large mirrors decorated the walls, in ornate gold frames. There were two crystal chandeliers in the foyer and hallway, and a gigantic flower arrangement sat on an antique drum table in the center of the space. It was opulent and ostentatious.
"Nice digs," said Eddie quietly, popping a PEZ as they waited.
"Not to my taste," June replied.
"Mine neither. But I guess if you've got big bucks, you have to live a big lifestyle."
"I guess so."
The butler approached. His expression had never changed; it was sour. "Mr. Grayson will see you. Follow me, please."
They wound their way down a hall and into a wide atrium, then through a partially opened doorway into a large, well-appointed room. The wall-to-wall carpet was a deep forest green, and expensive-looking art hung on the paneled walls. Grayson sat in a brown and beige wingback chair, smoking a cigar. He didn't rise, even as June entered the room.
Eddie stiffened when Grayson didn’t move, but removed his hat politely. "Mr. Grayson, thank you for seeing us. I'm Eddie Strong and this is my colleague, June Tarryton. Miss Tarryton is from Premier Insurance."
Grayson watched them silently and puffed on his cigar. June found the scent and process of smoking the big brown thing offensive, but she kept her thoughts to herself. She wondered if Eddie felt the same way. Grayson was a fat, older man, older than June expected, wearing a finely made dark suit and a red silk tie with a diamond stickpin. There were several rings on his fat fingers, and they flashed in the light of the lamps placed tastefully around the seating area of the room.
"I've seen your picture in the paper, young man. You're a private investigator, if I remember correctly."
"That's right, Mr. Grayson. We're here to talk to you about your late wife."
Grayson’s smile was pleasant, but didn't reach his eyes. "Please sit down."
June and Eddie perched on a long dark leather sofa. Eddie held his hat in his lap, his dark hair neatly combed back on his head. He wasn't traditionally handsome, but he had a fine profile; it sort of grew on you, June realized.
"My poor Elizabeth," Grayson said with a twinge of sadness in his voice. "So fragile."
"I'm sorry for your loss," June said.
"It came as a great shock," he said. "She left me and then she left the world. Terrible tragedy. I still feel as though I failed her in some way. If she was that upset about our separation, she could have come to me. We'd have worked something out. She w
as always welcome to come home."
"So, if you'll pardon me for asking," June began, "was this a mutually agreed upon separation, or was it one-sided?"
Grayson puffed on his cigar again. "Can I offer you a drink?"
The non-sequitor indicated to June that he didn't want to answer that question.
"Sure," Eddie said, though June thought it strange. Maybe it was a man thing.
"Carrigan!"
The butler came immediately. "Yes, sir?"
Grayson's little dark eyes fell upon Eddie. "What will you have? I have some excellent twenty-year-old scotch."
"That'll do," Eddie replied.
"Miss Tarryton?"
Hesitant to show any weakness, and realizing that it was approaching the traditional cocktail hour, June said, "I'll have the same." If Eddie or Grayson thought it strange, they said nothing.
"Carrigan, you heard them. I'll have one, too."
"Yes, sir." The butler went to a wet bar near one of the bookcases and made the drinks. The three sat silently while they waited. Once the drinks were served, Eddie took a deep draught and so did Grayson. June sipped at the stuff, but found it tasted like fireplace ashes. It was not something she'd try again. It was also positively fumy with alcohol. She put her glass down, resigned not to pick it up again.
"Can I get you anything else, sir?" Carrigan asked Grayson.
"No. Close the door behind you."
Carrigan gave a little bow and left.
Grayson smoked his cigar for a few moments, blowing the strong-smelling smoke up toward the ceiling. It was getting hazy up there. "Elizabeth and I mutually decided to separate. She was unhappy, and I saw no reason to chain her to a situation she found unpleasant. We talked. She moved to the Valley."
It made June uncomfortable to pry, but she had a job to do. "Was a divorce planned?"
Grayson gestured dismissively. "I suppose we'd have gotten around to it. My good name is very important to me, and in my position a divorce would be something of a scandal."
Plus, June thought, he’d no longer have access to Elizabeth’s accounts.
"When was the last time you saw her?" Eddie asked.
Eddie, My Love Page 7
