Gay Place by Billy Lee Brammer Read Free Book Online Page A

total loss to me. ’Stead of just a calculated risk.”
    “Your risk,” Roy said. “Not mine. I didn’t initiate this crazy business.”
    “You goin’ along, though, ’cause you’re okay,” Fenstemaker said. “Go home and go to bed. You hard-peckered boys need more rest than I do. Goodnight.”
    The connection was broken immediately, and Roy stood there with the receiver in his hand, staring at the wall.
    “Who was it?” Giffen said.
    Roy turned round and poured himself a fresh drink. “Just a political enemy,” he said, “giving me a bad time.”
    “Really?” Giffen said, genuinely excited now. “How come you sir-in’ him like that?”
    “I don’t know why,” Roy said. “I guess he had me rattled.”
    “Well …” Giffen began. He did not know quite what to say. He was reluctant to question anyone about political enemies — he’d never had a political enemy in his life. Everybody loved George Giffen in his home district. “Well …” He kissed Ouida again and said: “I guess I better move on to the Friendly before they close it on me … You seen my new car? I got a new Alfa. Come out and take a look.”
    Roy said he’d seen the new Alfa, and Ouida said she’d seen it several times. Giffen nodded and waited a moment for Roy to go on talking about his telephone conversation. When it was apparent that there would be no discussion, he waved goodbye and headed out the front door. In a minute they could hear the car sputtering in the drive. Ouida said: “What was all that about?”
    “Arthur Fenstemaker,” Roy said. “I’m suddenly one of Fenstemaker’s prince consorts or something. He’s got me handling a bill for him.”
    “How’d he know you were here?”
    Roy shrugged. “How’s he know anything? He knows, all right, though. He even told me Earle was in town and suggested the better part of valor.”
    “Apparently everybody knows Earle’s in town but me,” Ouida said.
    “I didn’t know.”
    “You want to leave?”
    “Not especially,” Roy said. “What I’d really like to do is sit down here and look at that place on your leg.” He showed her where. “It’s about the most desirable section of a woman I’ve ever seen,” he said.
    “Well,” she said. She sat down and examined her leg and said: “Looks like we’re making real progress. You think you might kiss me some more?”
    “I might kiss that place on your leg. Or lay my head up against it — that might be even better.”
    “I thought you were all set to change the rules? What about that meeting you were going to call? That other vote?”
    “Renewed convictions,” Roy said. “I’m feeling stronger — got whiskey in my veins now to make up for all that blood I lost.”
    “I thought you were making pretty good sense there for a while,” Ouida said. “Remember what you pointed out? If we’re going to be talked about anyhow, we might as well …”
    “I don’t want to get me in trouble,” Roy said, smiling.
    “ I’m the one who’s going to be in trouble,” Ouida said. “I could mess up the divorce — if there’s going to be a divorce — and lose custody of the boy and bitch up everything, and I’m not complaining …”
    He leaned forward, splashing whiskey on his wrist, and kissed the place on her leg.
    “Kiss me here,” she said, showing him where. He kissed her throat. She moved her arms around him and touched the back of his neck. “I like you here,” she said. “It’s nice to find a neck that’s not shaved … In Florence last year, when Earle was running around with that lady parachutist, I’d go out walking in the afternoons just to look at the backs of men’s necks. They all had such nice shaggy necks.”
    “We’re both sick,” Roy said. “You like hairy necks. I like that place on your leg.”
    “Listen,” she said. “You made the point — I didn’t. If we’ve already made spectacles of ourselves, why not — if we’re going to suffer the consequences — take