Body Rides by Richard Laymon Read Free Book Online Page A

turned the lights on for you. Next room down the hall. You can’t miss it. I’ll be along in a couple of minutes. Make me a vodka and tonic, okay?’
    ‘Well . . .’ He wondered if there might be an inconspicuous way to rescue his briefs from the small heap of clothes on the bathroom floor. Sort of embarrassing to think of Elise picking them up.
    ‘Chop-chop, move it or lose it.’
    ‘Let me get my socks and underwear,’ he muttered.
    ‘They’ll be safe with me. I promise. Out of my way, buddy.’
    Blushing, Neal smiled and shook his head and stepped past her. She entered the bathroom.
    Okay, he told himself. No big deal. Forget it.
    The next room down was lighted, just as she’d said. An L-shaped counter occupied a corner near the sliding doors to the pool. It had four padded stools in front of it.
    Neal stepped down off the hallway and walked toward the bar. The carpet felt soft and thick under his bare feet.
    Ahead of him, a wall of glass faced the pool area. He couldn’t see the pool, though. He couldn’t see much of anything out there. The glass, like a black mirror, reflected the living room and Neal walking in the white, terry robe.
    He looked a little transparent. So did everything else.
    He didn’t enjoy the view.
    He wondered if someone might be on the other side of the glass, staring in.
    Turning away from the glass, he gave the den a casual scan. It had a long, oak coffee table, a large sofa that looked very comfortable, several lamps and a few reclining chairs. Most of the wall space consisted of bookshelves. Across the floor from the sofa was a television with a screen that looked about four times larger than the screen of Neal’s TV.
    Man, he thought, what would it be like to watch some videos on that baby!
    That’s a reward I might be tempted to accept.
    But I won’t, he told himself. I won’t accept anything. Wouldn’t be right.
    Before stepping behind the bar, he grabbed the handle of the sliding door and pulled. The door skidded sideways.
    My God, he thought. Doesn’t she lock anything? She’s lucky she’s lasted this long.
    He shut the door and locked it.
    Then he stepped around the bar. Behind it were shelves of drinking glasses and bottles, a sink, and a small refrigerator. He took down a couple of glasses. In the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, he found ice cubes.
    What a set-up, he thought. What a house. Must be incredible to live like this.
    What the hell, he thought. You, too, might have a place like this someday. All it’ll take is a little luck, a little hard work, a major miracle . . .
    From somewhere near the other end of the house came a faint, low humming sound. The washing machine starting, he supposed.He made a vodka and tonic for Elise, and the same for himself. He had just squeezed a wedge of lemon into each drink when she arrived.
    ‘All set,’ she said, stepping down into the den. ‘Did you find everything you needed?’
    He lifted both glasses.
    ‘Great.’ She walked toward the bar, her bare feet silent on the carpet. Neal saw the way her breasts were moving inside her satin pajama shirt, and looked away.
    My God, he thought, if Marta ever found out about this . . .
    Not that I’ve done anything wrong.
    Just that it would seem so bad.
    Elise stopped at the other side of the bar. As she reached for one of the drinks, her sleeve slipped away from her wrist.
    She wore a brilliant, gold bracelet.
    It looked heavy and very expensive.
    Though Neal only caught a glimpse of the bracelet, it appeared to have a reptile design – a slender body in the shape of a lizard, or maybe an alligator or snake.
    ‘Thank you, sir,’ she said as she took the drink.
    ‘Thank you . Your stuff.’
    ‘What’s mine is yours.’
    ‘No. Huh-uh.’
    ‘Oh yes it is. Everything. From now on.’
    ‘I don’t want anything of yours,’ he told her. ‘Really.’
    ‘You don’t have to take anything you don’t want,’ she told him. ‘But everything is yours.’
    He shook his