by Mary Monroe
Since Calvin had come into my life, some things didn’t irritate me as much as they used to. Even Libby. I knew I had jumped the gun, by thinking of him as my soul mate, but I had convinced myself that he was.
Everybody was in the living room when I went back downstairs. It was one p.m. and I was about to leave to go meet Calvin.
I still got a little apprehensive each time I went to a hotel to meet a date, especially when it was a man I really liked. My legs felt like jelly when I walked into the hotel lobby. I didn’t know if it was because I was nervous or excited. Even though the people at the front desk didn’t know me from Queen of Sheba, I didn’t want them to think I was a hooker. That was the reason I always dressed conservatively, especially if it involved a hotel I visited regularly. For my date with Calvin, I decided to wear a simple white blouse with black cuffs and a knee-length black skirt with a wide white stripe on each side. Unless a date had a shoe fetish—like a TV producer from New York who’d told me a couple of months ago to wear the highest, sharpest stilettos I owned—I enhanced my prim and proper appearance with the same low-heeled black pumps I wore when I went out with Elbert.
“Dang, Lola! You look hella cool. Even your hair,” Kevin acknowledged in a loud voice with a toothpick hanging off his lip. He sat cross-legged on the floor, fiddling with his smartphone. I had pinned my hair back with a black and white barrette on each side of my head. I was surprised when Kevin gave me a smile, because he rarely did. I was not surprised by what he said next. “But with all that black and white you got on, you look like a penguin with long legs.” Being compared to one of the oddest-looking creatures on the planet really poked a hole in my ego, but I didn’t let it show. I gave Kevin an exasperated look and a dismissive wave, but I sucked in my stomach and laughed along with him, Libby, and Bertha. Jeffrey shook his head and frowned at Kevin.
“I hope you packed some clothes that are a little more stylish and attractive,” Libby added when she stopped laughing. “The men in Reno are going to think you’re an old maid librarian.”
“What men?” Bertha asked. She looked at me like I had just stolen her purse. “What about Elbert? He’s bringing me a rump roast from his market to cook for dinner this evening, and I know he’ll ask about you. . . .”
I was amazed that after all the years I’d been with Bertha and all the men I’d dated (that she knew about), the one she “approved” of the most was Elbert Porter. He was a good cover for me, but he was just as boring and dull as ever. And the only time we kissed after one of our ho-hum dates, which was a couple of weeks ago, I’d kissed him. That was one night I’d never forget, and every time I thought about it, I laughed. He had walked me to the door and just given me one of his hasty, weak one-armed hugs. Without warning, I’d hauled off and kissed him long and hard. “Goodness gracious! What’s gotten into you, Lola?” Elbert wailed, sliding his tongue across his lips. Then he skittered off the porch like a scared mouse. He called me the next day and made me promise I’d never behave like “a woman who’d just been released from prison” again. It was impossible for me to get mad at Elbert. He was just that lame. I laughed about his comment off and on for days. Some of the things he said and did were so amusing, I enjoyed spending time with him just for the comic relief.
“What’s so funny? What are you laughing at, Lola?” Libby asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Oh, nothing. I just thought of something funny that happened at work the other day,” I replied, clearing my throat. I turned to Bertha and added, “I talked to Elbert this morning. He knows I’m going to be busy today.”
“Did you ask him to go to Reno with you?” she wanted to know. Despite her age, I thought Bertha knew better than to ask such a dumb question.
Libby and I gasped at the same time. And then she gave Bertha an incredulous look. I shook my head in disbelief.
“No, I didn’t ask Elbert to go with us. My friend and I are only going to see a show, have a few drinks, and gamble a little,” I replied. “We just want to spend some time together without having men breathing down our necks. And anyway, Elbert doesn’t drink or gamble.” After my last statement, I left the house in such a hurry I forgot to put my cell phone in my purse. I had planned to call the hotel to get Calvin’s room number. When I stopped to get gas, I called from a pay phone. The hotel operator gave me the room number and then immediately patched me through to him. He answered right away.
“Calvin, it’s Lola,” I announced, trying to sound demure and aloof at the same time. I still didn’t want him to know how anxious I was to be with him.
“Lola?” He paused. “Did you change your mind?” He sounded disappointed.
“Oh, no!” I said quickly. “I just called to let you know I’m on my way.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He sounded relieved, but his voice was hollow and distant.
When I got to his room, hoping he was ready for me, I stood outside in front of the door and twiddled my thumbs for a few seconds, and then I knocked.
My heart started beating a mile a minute when he slowly opened the door. The fact that he was buck naked told me he was ready for me.
Chapter 49
Calvin
ACCORDING TO HER ONLINE PROFILE, LOLA WAS A SIZE 6. THAT was a goddamn lie. And that was another thing about women that annoyed me. Unless they were the size of a piano, why did they have to lie about how big or heavy they were? Lola was at least a size 8. But her body was firm and the pounds were in all the right places.
“Lola, you don’t know how happy I am to see you again!” I hollered.
“I’m happy to see you again too, Calvin.” There was a dazed look on her face when I took her purse and overnight case out of her hands and set them on the dresser on the other side of the room. She looked even more dazed when I sprinted back across the floor and scooped her up into my arms. I stumbled and almost dropped her as I carried her to the king-size bed and gently laid her down on her back.
“That was a nice welcome. I wish every man would greet me the same way.” The way she was gushing, you would have thought that she had just reached nirvana. For the next few seconds, she giggled like a hyena.
I sat down next to her and massaged her knee. We chatted for five minutes about a few mundane things. Finally, I told her in a voice so low and gravelly it sounded more like a growl, “You look absolutely gorgeous. I’m glad you can stay a lot longer this time.”
“I don’t have to work tomorrow, so I can even stay all night if you want me to.”
“Um . . . I wish. I have to get back to work tomorrow morning and I have several things I need to take care of before I get on the road, so I can’t spend the night here. The room is paid for and check-out time is not until noon, so you’re welcome to stay if you’d like.”
“Thanks, but it wouldn’t be the same here without you. I hope we can spend the whole night together the next time. . . .”
I nodded. “We’ll do that, Lola.”
She touched my lips with the tip of her finger. “As for today, I’m sure we’ll both have a good time.”
I wasn’t sure about Lola, but I was going to have a good time. Women lied so much about sex, it was impossible to tell if they enjoyed it or not. But I didn’t care. Especially if it was with a woman who I was going to kill anyway. Almost every time I made love to Sylvia, she told me I was the best lover she’d ever had. But that wasn’t saying much. She claimed that I was only the fourth man she’d ever slept with. She’d wasted the previous ten years before me with a man who had promised to marry her someday. And he probably would have if he hadn’t died of a brain aneurism two months before I met her.
Without taking my eyes off Lola’s face, I stood up and placed my hands on my hips. Her eyes went straight to my crotch. She gazed at my rock-hard dick like she wanted to gnaw on it until her jaws locked, and that would have suited me just fine. “Would you like a drink? Something to eat?” I nodded toward the dresser where I had set a bottle of champagne that I had brought with me
.
“I’m not really that hungry, and I don’t want to drink before we . . . uh . . . I’ll have something to drink in a little while.”
“You’re a beautiful woman, Lola,” I said, giving her the biggest smile I could manage. “I want you to know right now that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Just tell me what you want.”
She gave me a deadpan look, so I had no idea what she was thinking. I didn’t have to wait long to find out. “Well, we’re on the same page, so I’m not going to beat around the bush, Calvin. You know why I’m here, so let’s get busy.” I had been with dozens of women, and except for the hookers I had never been with one as bold as Lola. I pitied the man who married her. Then I remembered—she was not going to live long enough to get married.
Since I was already naked, I didn’t have to waste any time taking off my clothes. She was out of hers in record time. I removed a condom from the package I’d placed on the nightstand and promptly slid it on.
“I like a man who comes prepared,” she cooed. “If we need more protection, I have some in my purse.”
“That’s good to know. I like a woman who comes prepared.”
I was admiring the way she was admiring my generous equipment, with her eyes glistening and her mouth hanging open like a female dog in heat.
“I was so glad on Tuesday when I saw that Mother Nature had not been stingy with you,” she told me with awe on her face. Her mug was now as disgusting to me as a sheep’s ass. “You’re packing a whole lot of meat. . . .”
“Think you can ‘handle’ this a little longer than the last time?” I asked. I gently stroked my dick and then wagged it in her direction. I was so hot for this woman, I was already in a cold sweat and I could feel my stomach knotting up.
“It’ll be a challenge. But I love challenges.” She smiled.
“I’ll be gentle anyway. I don’t want to hurt you or have you limping out of here like somebody shoved a baseball bat up your. . . you know.” I almost laughed out loud as I thought back to a night when a horny, foul-smelling, hitchhiking bitch with an ass as wide and flat as the side of a barn insulted the size of my dick! I couldn’t recall her exact words, but she had said something about seeing “more meat on a hot dog bun.” I couldn’t even remember if I’d enjoyed having sex with her in the cab of my eighteen-wheeler during one of my interstate runs. But I could remember how exhilarated I had felt when I choked the life out of her and left her body on the ground in a wooded area. That husky blond wench—a poor man’s version of Paris Hilton—must have provided an elaborate buffet for the snakes, flies, and other creatures to gnaw on.
I shook off that disgusting memory and returned my full attention to Lola. The sight of such a luscious woman was so intoxicating, I felt light-headed for a couple of seconds. She was like an elaborate buffet too, and I wanted to devour everything on her menu. If I could have, I would have literally eaten her alive, munching on her dainty toes first and then working my way up to her plump, juicy lips. I knew other women in their thirties who had already begun to age. But Lola hadn’t. Her body was as fit as a teenage girl, and her skin was flawless. I hadn’t really noticed all that on Tuesday, but I noticed it this time. Everything else about her was just the way I liked it. The best word to describe her was: perfect. My most perfect project. Lola didn’t just look like Glinda, she smelled like her and moved like her.
Without another word, I climbed on top of her, plunged into her, and started grinding. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and within seconds she was bucking and rearing like a spooked stallion. Had I closed my eyes, I could have sworn that Glinda was in bed with me.
Lola got so loud when she climaxed she almost brought down the house. I covered her mouth with my hand, just like I used to do with Glinda. When she stopped yipping and started moaning, I froze. It sounded like the same ghostly moaning noises I’d heard coming from my garage!
Lola stopped moaning and froze too. “Is something wrong?” she asked, panting in my ear.
“No, baby,” I managed. And then I began to pound into her again.
Even though I was as deep inside her vile body as I could go, it was Glinda who was deep inside me. She would be until I erased everything from my life that reminded me of her. I couldn’t stop reliving the pain she’d caused me. Killing her had been the biggest thrill of my life. I kept recalling some of the events that had occurred the night I became a monster. A monster that was now out of control . . .
I had never seen a woman more beautiful than Glinda. The memories of our last encounter rarely left my mind. She had come to the house to get some more of her stuff that fatal night and to brag about the man she had been sleeping with while I was in the military. No matter how hard I tried to talk her out of leaving, she refused to listen. She taunted me, told me how much she hated me and what a lousy fuck I was. I had married her because she’d told me she was pregnant with my child. She admitted that she had used me because the other man she’d been seeing behind my back was married. The pregnancy turned out to be a false alarm, but she told me she wanted to stay married to me anyway just so she could collect my military benefits. She’d laughed when she said that. I had never physically harmed a woman until that night. Glinda’s betrayal had turned me into a killing machine and now I couldn’t stop.
The look on Lola’s face made me pump into her as hard as I could. A woman who was not as sexually active as Lola was would have experienced a hell of a lot of pain. Knowing her and all the traffic that had traveled between her legs, she was used to it. With my mouth hanging open and my spit dripping onto her shoulder, I stared at her face as she closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and writhed beneath me like a fish on a hook. The more I looked at that face, the more she looked like Glinda. I was glad she had closed her eyes so she couldn’t see the mounting anger in mine. I got so caught up in the moment, my trembling, sweaty hands moved toward her neck. The only thing that saved her was the fact that she climaxed just in time and opened her eyes. “Oh, Calvin!” she screamed, and that was what brought me out of the trance I had drifted into.
While she continued to grind against me, begging for more, I closed my eyes and pumped into her even harder. I couldn’t believe how deeply I’d pushed myself into her body. Only a woman in a coma couldn’t feel the pain I was inflicting on her.
Chapter 50
Calvin
“CALVIN, SLOW DOWN! TAKE IT EASY! YOU’RE HURTING ME!” Lola yelled, beating a tattoo on my back with her fists.
I slowed down my movements, and a few moments later I pulled my dick out but I stayed on top of her. I lifted myself up a few inches so I could see her face better. She looked like a deer caught in high-beam headlights. Sweat was dripping off me, splashing onto her like raindrops.
“I am so sorry, Lola,” I apologized, still straddling her. “You feel so damn good inside, I got carried away.” I gave her a tender look and rubbed the side of her arm.
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I . . . I’m okay,” she whimpered, gasping to catch her breath. “I was just as caught up in the moment as you were. I hope you don’t have too much trouble explaining the scratches and bruises on your back to anyone.” Her unexpected giggle put me at ease, but it also annoyed the hell out of me. She must have read my mind, because she stopped giggling and her face became serious. “Calvin, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?” The tone of her voice was so soft and meek now. She didn’t seem like the same woman who’d been squealing like a stuck pig and flopping around like a seal beneath me a few minutes ago.
Her large, almond-shaped, brown eyes sparkled like jewels as she gazed at me. Her being such a whore, I wondered if she looked at every man the same way. Especially the ones she allowed to sample her luscious body.
“Sure.” I was still on top of her, but at least I had stopped showering her with my sweat.
“Are you currently in a serious relationship?”
I remained as cool as I could, but the rate of my heart doubled as I tu
ned up my mouth to tell another lie. “No, I’m not in a serious relationship with anyone at the moment.”
“Oh. I was just wondering,” she mumbled. There was a skeptical look on her face. “I’m surprised to hear that a man like you is not seriously involved with someone.”
“Are you?” The question must have startled her, because her body stiffened and she blinked a few times.
“I go out every now and then with a man I went to high school with. I was supposed to go to a bingo tournament with him today.”
“Oh? You cancelled a date with him to be with me?”
“Not exactly. I forgot all about my date with him until he sent an instant message this morning asking me what time I wanted him to pick me up today.”
“You could have cancelled on me, you know. As much as I wanted to be with you today, I don’t want to interfere with anything else you have going on. Was dude mad?”
“Not really. He’s so mild-mannered, it would take a lot to make him mad. There’s a hot-air balloon race coming up in Fresno that he wants to take me to. I’ll probably go because he is a really sweet guy and I don’t like to disappoint people.”
“Hmmm. Well, you haven’t disappointed me.” I gave her a quick peck on her forehead.
“I’m glad to hear that.” She giggled again, and that annoying shit was about to drive me crazy!
“Are you in love with him?” Had I been an actor, I would have collected numerous awards by now. That’s how good I was. It was amazing how I was able to hide my disgust and continue speaking in my normal tone of voice when I really wanted to yell my head off and bite hers off.
“Him who?”
“The dude who wanted to take you to the bingo hall.”
“No, I’m not. We’re more like brother and sister. I’ve known him for years and he’s kissed me only one time. Actually, I kissed him. He’s such a devout Christian he doesn’t smoke, have sex, drink, or gossip. He won’t even take me to R-rated movies. One time I slipped and said a cuss word in front of him and he almost jumped out of his skin.”
