Evil in Paradise

by R. B. Conroy

  “Too bad she’s with her husband, Romeo. We need to find us a couple of single babes.”

  The two men climbed off their bikes and headed for the bar. A short time later, they squeezed into a slight opening at the crowded bar, garnering some annoyed looks from nearby patrons. The two bikers looked out of place with their black leather vests, gold chains, and heavily tattooed arms.

  “A couple of Bud Lights,” Reg said to the approaching bartender.

  Dirk took a look around. “Hell, we oughta spend more time here. Some of these old broads are really hot.”

  “I know, and they got money too. Somethin’ you and I don’t have.”

  “I still like the one in the green skirt the best!” Dirk exclaimed. “She’s got the whole package.”

  The bartender hustled back and banged two sweaty beers on the bar in front of them. Dirk paused his ogling long enough to take a major swig of his cold beer. He swiped his mouth clean with his shirt sleeve and barked at his buddy, “I wonder if that guy’s really her husband?”

  Reg gave the foxy babe and her friend a good look. “He’s laughing too much and being too nice to her. I was wrong, it’s probably not her husband.”

  Dirk’s eyes widened, “Hot damn! He’s going to the john or something. Here’s my chance!”

  “What are you doing?” Reg watched in horror as Dirk slid off his bar stool and made his way past the line of boisterous drinkers toward the end of the bar. Reg drank his nearly full mug of beer and quickly ordered another hoping to numb his growing anxiety. He watched in disbelief as the smiling Dirk approached the unsuspecting lady, now sitting alone, and extended his hand to her. She smiled coyly, shook his hand and pointed at Dirk’s clothes-they both laughed heartily. Rapid conversation ensued with the smiling lady giving Dirk a pat on the arm. Dirk leaned on the bar and gently pushed a few strands of dangling blond hair off her forehead-an amazingly intimate gesture for two people who had just met. A short time later, Reg looked across the room and saw her companion returning from the men’s room. He shot a glance at Dirk to see if he had seen him also, but he was still in major flirt mode. He apparently was unaware of the man returning. Not wanting to see another ugly brawl in a bar on the same evening, Reg shouted a sharp “Dirk!” at his buddy and jabbed his finger toward the returning man. Dirk looked at Reg and then at the other guy and then to Reg’s amazement, he gave the smiling siren a kiss on the cheek and fled the scene before the boyfriend arrived. Reg just about fell out of his chair. “The guy’s got balls the size of the Grand Canyon,” he murmured.

  Grinning broadly, Dirk returned to his seat at the bar and pushed in next to his buddy. He took a long swig of beer without a peep.

  Reg was incredulous, “What the hell happened over there?”

  “Not much.”

  “Not much! You gave her a kiss on the cheek, and all of that playing with her hair stuff!”

  The corners of Dirk’s mouth turned up in a smile, “I told her I was Marlon Brando’s grandson.”

  “Come off it, smart-ass! What happened?”

  Dirk laughed, “If you insist.”

  “I do!”

  “I just walked up to her and told her how foxy she looked. She thanked me, I introduced myself, and the rest is history.”

  “Why’d she laugh at your clothes?”

  “She made a joke. She looked at my Harley duds and asked me if I had been out golfing today. I said yes and we both laughed. Then she told me she liked my bike. I guess she saw us when we pulled up.”

  “How could she miss us?”

  Dirk frowned playfully at his friend, “When I saw lover boy returning, I gave her a little peck on the cheek and got the hell out of there.”

  “That was crazy.”

  “You liked that, huh?”

  “Was it her husband?”

  “No, she said he was just a friend.”

  “Be careful, buddy, he looked pretty tough.”

  Dirk doubled his fist and punched the palm of his hand. “That’s what I do to any Village idiot who gets in my way.” Dirk laughed out loud, “Hey, that’s pretty good! Village idiot, get it?”

  Reg shook his head and ordered two more beers. “Did you get her name?”

  “Yeah, it’s Cathy Roberts. She said her husband’s name is Ed.”

  Reg tossed his friend a skeptical grin. “Not good. She wanted you to know that she’s married. I think you got shot down, my friend.”

  “No way, she didn’t have much time before lover boy came back and she wanted me to be able to get a hold of her in the future. She coughed up her husband’s name so I could look her phone number up in the phone book.”

  “Are you going to?”

  “Hell, yes! She’s hot and she’s diggin’ me big time, buddy.”

  “Sure about that?”

  “Positive.”

  The bartender set two fresh beers in front of the two men. Dirk lifted his and pointed it toward Reg for a toast and Reg did the same. The two glasses clicked, “To The Villages!” Dirk exclaimed.

  “I thought you didn’t like this place.”

  “I do now,” Dirk laughed coarsely.

  “Just be careful. These folks don’t like Harley guys like us moving in on their turf.”

  “I know one who does.”

  “Who?”

  “Cathy Roberts.”

  7

  Eric laid his hand on Cathy’s shoulder, leaned down and gave her a moist peck on the back of her neck. Cathy loved the little kiss; it sent a tingle up her spine. After the titillating exchange with the edgy biker guy and the little kiss from Eric, her sexual energy was on high alert. “Who was that guy sitting with you? He looked a little rough around the edges,” Eric mused.

  Cathy giggled nervously, “Oh, he was just some Harley guy. He said he thought he knew me or something, but I didn’t know him from Adam.” Still buzzing from the peck on her neck, she took a sip of her drink to try to calm her jittery nerves. Waves of arousal flowed through her as she took in the handsome, sexy, figure occupying the stool next to her. “While you were gone, I checked out the parking lot and I didn’t see your Jeep.”

  “It’s not there. I parked in front of the hotel. Seemed like a good spot, you never know when you might need a room.” He gave her a wink.

  Cathy’s face flushed red. Oh my goodness, he wants me too and he’s not even trying to hide it. She attempted to take a sip of her drink, but her hand was shaking so badly she couldn’t lift the glass.

  The observant Eric leaned closer. “You look beautiful tonight.”

  “I…uh, do?”

  “You always do, my dear.”

  “Why, thank you.” Cathy was a mess now. The kiss, the compliments, the parking location, her own devious thoughts were almost overwhelming her. She was on the verge of making a fool of herself. She fought to keep her raging emotions under control while making a weak attempt at small talk. “How do you like your Jeep?” She said in a nervous, high-pitched tone.

  “Uh, it’s okay. Rides kind of rough and really doesn’t do very well on mileage. But overall, I like the openness of it.”

  Cathy tossed down the remainder of her drink and scooted her stool closer to his. Eric looked down at her shapely legs pushing in on his. He drained the remnants of his most recent beer, leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Why don’t we go somewhere a little more private? The hotel might be fun.”

  Cathy grabbed the side of her barstool and squeezed it tightly to calm her shaking hands. Her desperate eyes looked Eric’s handsome face up and down. “I know a better place,” she said softly.

  He laid his hand on her bare knee. “I’m game for anything, Babe. You name it and we’re out of here.”

  She smiled warmly, rubbing her breasts against him as she slid off of the stool. “I have some friends who are up north most of the year. We can use their place.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  “Me either.”

  Eric hopped off his stool and shouted at the nearby
bartender, “What’s the damages?”

  The bartender stepped in front of the bright computer screen and typed in a couple of quick commands. He waited for a second and then punched in a few more commands. “Forty-eight dollars and seventy five cents,” he shouted over the noisy patrons.

  Eric slipped his money clip from his pocket and laid three twenties on the bar. “Keep the change.”

  “Thanks,” the smiling bartender shouted.

  Cathy wrapped his left hand inside both of hers and pushed it firmly against her groin area. “Ready?”

  Somewhat surprised by the aggressive move, Eric scanned her face and smiled suggestively. “Your car or mine?” he asked.

  “Let’s take mine; the garage door opener is in the glove box.”

  “Let’s get outa here!” a beaming Eric exclaimed.

  8

  “You know you make me want to shout!” Alone in his cart and feeling kind of frisky, a normally staid Ed Roberts sang along with Rocky and the Rollers as he cruised around the square at Lake Sumter Landing looking for a parking spot. Ed felt a little silly, but that’s why people moved to The Villages-to have a good time. Unfortunately, Ed’s good times had been solo and few and far between lately.

  Suddenly a parking spot opened up next to the dance area. Ed flipped on his turn signal and darted in the empty slot. “Wow! That was lucky!” he murmured. Parking spots were hard to get when Rocky and the Rollers were playing. Ed jerked to a stop, fell back against the seat and prepared to enjoy a few sets of Rocky and the boys.

  “Shout” groaned to an end with Rocky’s boys jumping in the air and landing in unison as they strummed the last cord. Rocky playfully swiped imaginary perspiration from his brow and waved an oversized hanky at the crowd like a flag of surrender. The appreciative crowd screamed their approval. Rocky, the drummer, leaned up to the mic, grabbed it with both hands like he was choking it and shouted at the enthusiastic crowd. “How about those Isley Brothers?” The crowd roared their approval. He swiped his brow dry once again and stuffed the hanky in his pocket. “Right now, folks, we’re going to slow things down a little bit. Grab your wife or favorite honey and get ready for that great hit from the Platters, “Only You.”

  Ed closed his eyes, his head fell back against the headrest as he prepared to enjoy yet another of his favorite tunes. He breathed deeply as the enchanting song brought back memories of his teenage years. He remembered the night he first met Cathy at a record hop at Tippy Gardens, a popular teen hangout on the shores of beautiful Lake Tippecanoe in northern Indiana.

  It seemed like only yesterday. The scene was so vivid in his mind. It was a lady’s choice and he watched in shock as the beautiful and statuesque Cathy strolled slowly across the empty dance floor toward him. All of the raw emotions he was feeling that night came rushing back to him-the excitement, the thrill that went up his spine when she arrived where he was standing with some friends and asked him to dance with her. A broad smile spread across Ed’s wrinkled face. Lost in the moment, he slid his arm around the passenger seat on the cart to pull Cathy closer to him, but all he felt was a disappointing thud when his hand slid off the empty backrest and fell to the bottom of the seat. He jerked up and nervously looked around, hoping nobody saw the embarrassing episode. Relieved that no one appeared to be watching him, he sighed deeply and fell back in his seat again, feeling alone and abandoned.

  Several obnoxious blasts from a cart’s horn on the street behind him brought him out of his momentary gloom. He spun around to see who was honking at him and instantly recognized the smiling face. “Will Jacobs, how the heck are you?”

  “Fine, thanks. Sorry to startle you!”

  “Oh, no problem. I thought it might be you when I heard that gosh awful horn. It’s a dead giveaway.”

  “It’s my pride and joy, you know.”

  “I know it is. Where’s the boss tonight?”

  “I dropped her off at IZOD and went to find a place to park. I’ve been around the square five times and haven’t found one yet.”

  “Yeah, a good spot is hard to come by when Rocky and the boys are in town.”

  The outspoken Will continued, “We just saw your bride having a drink with a younger fellow at Cody’s a few minutes ago. My wife thought it might be your son or something.”

  The smile quickly faded off Ed’s face. He didn’t have a son. “You must be mistaken. That wasn’t Cathy. She’s at a tennis tournament tonight.”

  “She might have been at one time, my friend, but I’m afraid she’s at Cody’s right now. I know I’m getting old, but I know Cathy when I see her and it was her.”

  Ed’s mind was racing, Is she having a drink with that Eric fellow? He fumbled for words, “Uh…well I suppose it…uh, could be her. She could have finished early.”

  Sensing Ed’s distress, Will tried his best to back away from his incriminating comments. “Well, ya know it was kind of crowded over there. Maybe it wasn’t her. I’ve been wrong before, ya know.”

  “Maybe it was somebody who looked like her.” Ed grinned, but his eyes were filled with doubt. He felt weak and violated. He wasn’t the jealous type. In the past he wouldn’t have thought a thing about Cathy having a drink with a male friend. But her new partner, Eric, was different. He was handsome, athletic and much younger than her. And, she seemed to act differently around him, preening and smiling, and acting kind of silly. Ed was starting to wonder if his wife of forty-seven years might be fooling around with her new playing partner.

  Will continued to back pedal, “Heck, there’s a hundred women who look like Cathy in this place. Could have been anyone.”

  Will’s new sense of determination to remove Cathy from this situation only served to heighten Ed’s anxiety. “What’d the guy look like?”

  “Aah... he had dark, curly hair and a muscular frame, but it really doesn’t matter. The more I think about it, Ed, it couldn’t have been her. These two were acting like newlyweds or something. Cathy would never act like that in public,” he laughed nervously.

  “Newlyweds!” Ed’s heart was in his throat.

  Several horns blasted at Will for blocking the road.

  “I better get going, Ed, I’m holding up traffic. Give me a call and we’ll all go to dinner some evening.”

  Still shaken, Ed paused and then spoke almost incoherently. “Yea sure, Will. Sounds good.”

  “Adios, my friend.”

  “See ya.”

  Ed sat in stunned silence as Will’s noisy cart groaned on around the square. He squeezed hard on the steering wheel and stared blankly at his dash, a battle royal was raging inside of him. He wanted desperately to go to Cody’s and check out what was going on with Cathy and her handsome partner, but he couldn’t do it. Of all the men he had known over the years, he was the least jealous. If he drove over to Cody’s now, he would be admitting that he didn’t trust Cathy. He would be admitting that he thought she was being unfaithful to him. The thought was almost too painful to bear. Yet, Cathy’s behavior had been different lately. It seemed like something happened to her after her sixtieth-fifth birthday party a few years back. She groused about being old enough to be on Medicare. She said she felt like an old lady even though the years had been good to her. He overheard her confide to a friend that she was on Medicare and the only man she had ever really been with in her life was Ed. “I’ve been dating Mr. Excitement since the ninth grade,” he heard her say that evening. Maybe she felt cheated and wanted to experience other men. It was a horrifying scenario for Ed to contemplate, but with the time away from home, the late nights and all of the sexy new clothes she had bought recently, it all seemed to be adding up. He hoped he was wrong, but he wasn’t sure-the knot in his stomach grew tighter.

  Ed let go of the wheel and fell back in his seat. Will’s comments kept rolling over and over in his mind. Finally, overcome by jealous curiosity, he leaned up, slid the cart in reverse and quickly backed out of his parking spot and headed toward Cody’s.

  A short time l
ater, the bright lights of the popular bar-restaurant loomed ahead. Ed’s cart rolled past the landscaped area that bordered the outside of the restaurant. He eased off the accelerator and carefully studied the noisy patrons lined up along the outside bar where Will said he had seen Cathy earlier. Ed looked carefully but he couldn’t find anybody wearing a lime green tennis skirt and white sleeveless blouse-the outfit Cathy was wearing when she left home today. He breathed a giant sigh of relief, happy that he had not caught his wife and a younger man acting like newlyweds at the busy bar. Feeling much better, he gunned his cart and continued his aborted trip home where he hoped to join Cathy for an hour or so of TV before calling it a day.

  Rounding the curve to Old Mill Run he glanced at the large public parking lot across from Cody’s. A woman in a lime green skirt and white blouse was being pressed against an auto by a well-built man with dark curly hair. Their behavior was alarming. The two of them were necking like a couple of oversexed teenagers. His hands were roaming freely over her legs and backside.

  Is it Cathy? A bolt of fear shot up his spine. Once again, not wanting to be suspicious of his wife, he struggled with the decision on whether to check out the two lovers a little closer or just keep on driving. Once again his suspicions got the best of him. He wheeled his cart quickly to his left and ducked into the entry to the darkening parking lot. He felt his ire growing as he sped between the narrow lanes of parked cars toward the two lovebirds. He glanced ahead-the lady’s tennis shoes had green on the side just like Cathy’s. How could my wife be doing this to me? In a fit of disbelief and rage, Ed charged toward the clueless exhibitionists, waiting until the very last moment to slam on his brakes. The cart screeched to a stop just yards away from them. Its bright lights shone directly on the two shameless lovers.

  Ed jumped out of the cart and ran toward them, fist doubled. “Cathy, what the hell are you doing?” He screamed. “You’re a married…..”