Chapter 73
“My dark Adonis.”
M
arla kissed him again, but deeper and more passionately than the first time. “Did you like that?”
“Yes, butâ”
Marla kissed him again, and this time Lucas kissed her back. Then he stood up, still kissing her passionately. They felt themselves being pulled further into their carnality. As they pulled and tugged at each other's clothing, they staggered around the kitchen, bumping into the stove and refrigerator.
With his shirt off and tossed on the floor, Marla looked up at the man-child towering over her. His rippling muscles excited her. When she touched him, his skin felt like velvet.
“My dark Adonis,” she heard herself whisper just before he picked her up and laid her on the kitchen table.
As he unsnapped his pants, he looked down at Marla. Her skirt was up, exposing the blonde pubic hair covering her inviting vagina. His mouth watered with anticipation. Lucas avoided her because he knew he couldn't resist this temptation, but now, here he was, right where he didn't want to be, sent by the man who gave him a job and promised a better future than the one he had. But none of that mattered now. Not only did he want her, but he needed to be inside her. It was the only way to get past the lust he felt every time he saw her.
With her legs spread wide, Lucas guided himself inside her. To his surprise, he had no trouble getting in. He lifted her legs up onto his shoulders and eased forward until all of him was in her. He leaned forward, placing both palms on the table and pounded her into an orgasm.
“Lucas,” Marla said softly. “I think I would be more comfortable if we used the chair.”
“Okay,” he said dryly.
A few seconds later, Marla was sliding up and down his pole like a toy horse on a merry-go-round. She rode his greased stallion like a cowboy busting a bronco. With each stroke, she seemed to hit just the right spot. Soon, Lucas found himself moaning uncontrollably. He felt himself on the verge of release and craved it all the more. Marla could sense the eruption and quickened her pace.
Then it came. The suddenness of it brought a smile to her face. She slowed down, feeling like the bronco was busted and now under her control. Lucas licked her erect nipples slowly. Marla allowed her head to fall back and enjoyed the sensation of his warm tongue. He grabbed a hunk of her blonde hair and kissed her mouth hard. Before long, they were grunting and groaning again.
Chapter 74
“He's dead!”
“A
re you sure it doesn't bother you that me and your brother had a thing together while he was in town?” Sadie asked Johnnie. They were in Johnnie's kitchen, having some pie.
“Yeah, I'm sure,” Johnnie told her. “I know how men are now, and my brother ain't no different.”
“Isn't any different,” Sadie corrected. “There's no such word as
ain't
in the English language, Johnnie. When you go to work for the Beauregards, Ethel will constantly correct your English until she's satisfied she's properly educated you.”
“I know, Sadie, but I'll remember that's how she is. Can you tell me anything more about the Beauregards?”
“Well, if you can get through the first couple of months or so, you'll have it made,” Sadie assured her. “Ethel Beauregard wants to be treated like the fucking Queen of England. That's why her last maid quit. Betty Jean got sick and tired of Ethel constantly putting her down because her English wasn't up to Ethel's standards.” Sadie laughed a little, then went on. “That damned Ethel still doesn't understand why Betty Jean quit a perfectly good and respectable job for a colored woman, as she called it, to work in a restaurant that paid less money. It wasn't just dealing with her. It was also dealing with the constant advances from Eric, her husband. When you start working for them, be on the lookout. The man has a thing for black women. He's been after me for years, and Betty Jean just couldn't take it anymore. Poor Ethel. She thinks the world of Eric. To her, he's the perfect southern gentlemen.”
“You know what, Sadie? I think I'm related to them.”
“What? How?”
“I'm pretty sure that Eric's father is my grandfather.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“No, I'm not sure. But I intend to find out when I start working for them. Do you know if there is a Nathaniel Beauregard related to them?”
“I don't know, but Betty Jean told me they have pictures of family members dating back to the early 1800s. If he's in their family, that's where you'll find him.”
The telephone rang. As Johnnie answered it, she said, “I'll be sure to check it out.” Before she picked up the receiver, she said, “I bet this ain'tâI mean, I bet this isn't anyone but Earl. She put the phone to her ear. “Hello.”
“Johnnie, I got great news,” Earl told her with unfamiliar excitement.
“Yeah, Earl. What is it?” Johnnie looked at Sadie, who was laughing silently.
“He's dead! The old bastard is deader than a doornail!”
Confused, Johnnie asked, “What are you talking about? Who's dead?”
“West is dead! The mangy old fart got drunk and wrapped his Rolls Royce around a tree.”
Johnnie frowned. “How can you be happy about something like that, Earl? The man is dead.”
“Fuck him! Have you forgotten that he was moving me out of the company just a few weeks ago?”
“No, I haven't forgotten. But to be happy about someone's death? That's sick.”
“I suppose you wouldn't be happy if someone killed the man who killed your mother.”
“That's different.”
“How is that any different?”
“The difference is your father-in-law didn't kill anybody.”
“Yeah, well, moving me out of the company would have killed me, if only symbolically.”
“Whatever you say, Earl. Whatever you say.”
“I thought you would be happy about this. It means that you can have anything you want now. Meredith is at his lawyer's office now, finding out how he divided up his fortune. I can see him telling Seymour Collins to leave Meredith the money, but leaving me in charge of the business. That's the only way things could have gone. What else could he do? I know he's not going to let her run Buchanan Mutual. He's too much of a misogynist for that. It probably killed him, but when little Buck died, he didn't have any choice.” He laughed.
“Sounds like you got everything figured out, Earl.”
“I do. And from now on, it's everything first class. We're going to move into that big mansion of his. I'm going to have his cars, his money, his company, everything.”
“I guess this is the end for us then. You don't need me anymore. You can have any woman you want now, Earl.”
“I know that, but I want you. Don't worry. I'm going to take care of you for the rest of your life. You won't have to worry about anything, ever. You can go to college if you want. I'll pay for it. Whatever you want. I can afford it now.”
“Whatever I want?”
“I promise. Whatever.”
“Okay, I'll remember that. Listen, Sadie is here, so I gotta go, okay?”
“Yeah, I'm at the office. I have to catch up on everything. I've been so busy since he died. There were so many things he hadn't shown me about the business. It's been a crash course. That's why I didn't go with Meredith. A lot has happened all of sudden, you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I know. A little while ago, my mother and I were at the Savoy sipping iced tea at the pool. Now she's been savagely killed and the police haven't done anything about it.”
“Johnnie, is there anything I can do? Just name it.”
“Thanks, but I don't think the killer will ever be found. He's white, you know?”
Earl was quiet for a second or two then said, “Okay, well, I gotta go. I'll call you, okay?”
“Okay,” she said and hung up the phone.
“So, that was Earl, huh?” Sadie asked.
“Uh-huh.” The doorbell rang. “I'll be right back. Let me see who this is. It's probably Lucas.”
Johnnie looked through the peephole. She frowned when she saw Napoleon Bentley. Instantly, she knew why he was there. He was going to hit on her again, and she was glad Sadie was there. That way, she could make just about any excuse to get rid of him.
Chapter 75
“That doesn't bother you?”
“S
orry to come over uninvited, Johnnie, but I have a couple of things to discuss with you. Is it a bad time?”
“Well, I have company, Napoleon. My next door neighbor is here. We were in the kitchen having some sweet potato pie. Would you like a slice?”
“Don't mind if I do.” He smiled. “But what I have to talk to you about is of a delicate nature. It's about Richard Goode and another matter.”
Johnnie's eyes widened with excitement.
Finally, the day of reckoning is here. I'll get rid of Sadie so we can discuss this thing in private.
Napoleon followed her into the kitchen where he saw Sadie sitting at the table, putting her last piece of pie into her mouth.
“Sadie, you know Napoleon, don't you?”
“Yes, of course. Who doesn't know Napoleon?”
“Napoleon, this is Sadie, my neighbor and best friend.”
“Charmed, I'm sure,” Napoleon said, kissing her hand.
“I don't mean to be rude, Sadie, but we have some business to discuss,” Johnnie told her. “Can I catch up with you later?”
“Sure, no problem,” Sadie said and left quietly.
“Have a seat, Napoleon,” Johnnie said, cutting him a slice of the pie. “So, are we ready? Are we ready to get him?”
“Yes, we're ready,” Napoleon told her eagerly. He pulled the German Luger out and placed it on the table. “This is it, the gun that he killed your mother with.”
Johnnie stared at the weapon closely, almost afraid of it. “Can I hold it?”
“Sure, go ahead. It ain't loaded.”
Johnnie picked up the Luger and rubbed her fingers over the barrel. “It's heavy,” she said.
Napoleon watched her look the gun over for a few moments while deciding what his next move would be. He had to be careful. If he said the wrong thing, it could ruin his plans for bedding her.
“How did you get the gun, Napoleon?”
“We just followed him around for a while to learn his habits. After dropping his wife at the train station, Goode and his crony Joseph King went out drinkin' last night. We knew the wife was outta town. That's when we went into his house and took the pistol. Nothin' to it. He probably won't even miss it, at least not before the deed is done.”
Excited, she asked, “When are you gonna do it? And remember, you promised that I could be there to see it.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Napoleon said with a twisted smile. “We're going to take care of it this weekend. Saturday night. He's preached his last sermon.”
A smirk suddenly appeared at the corners of her mouth. It was pure joy to know that Richard Goode would be dead in just three short days.
Seeing the merriment in her eyes, Napoleon decided to tell her the other reason he was there. “Johnnie, there's another matter we need to discuss too,” he said, becoming deathly serious all of a sudden.
Noticing the change in attitude, Johnnie became serious also. “What's wrong, Napoleon?”
“Do you know what it's like to be betrayed, Johnnie?”
“Yes,” she said almost inaudibly. “I know that feeling all too well. Why do you ask?”
“I guess there's no other way to say this, other than coming out with it. Lucas is having a thing with Marla, my wife. A man in my position can't afford to allow that to go on without an immediate response. I'm going to have to kill him.”
What are you up to now? You come in here talking about betrayal, talking about Lucas and your slut of a wife. Have you forgotten all the moves you've made on me?
“I saw them in my pool one day,” Napoleon continued, “splashing around like a couple of school kids with the hots for each other, but didn't think anything of it. He's so much younger than her.”
Yeah, but that didn't stop you from approaching me. I'm only sixteen, you hypocrite.
While Napoleon was talking to her, it occurred to him that she wasn't surprised. She wasn't hurt like he thought she would be. He was planning to use her emotions as a means to get her into bed. Now he had to try something else.
“That doesn't bother you?”
“No, and I'm not surprised the way she was all over him. You know how Marla is. She's your wife. And you of all people know how men are. Did you really expect him not to? Ya know, Napoleon, I'm surprised you would even try this. Coming to my house in the middle of the afternoon when you know Lucas won't be here. You know I'm devoted to him, no matter what. For all I know, you set this whole thing up to trap me into sleeping with you. The way Lucas tells it, you and Marla don't even have that great of a marriage.” The doorbell rang. “I swear this place is busier than the Quarter during Mardi Gras today. Hold on for a second.”
Stunned by her revelations, Napoleon took a bite of his pie and decided to kill Lucas. Johnnie's resistance made bedding her more desirable. His mind was made up. He was going to have Johnnie, and if killing Lucas was the price, so be it.
I'm well within my rights. You don't fuck a man's wife and expect to get away with that shit. On top of that, I'm a made man. I have to do something. I don't give a damn if I did set him up. I didn't make him fuck her. He did that on his own.
Johnnie opened the door and saw an expensive-looking white woman standing on the porch with a leather briefcase in her hand, wearing a black suit and pumps and a black veiled bonnet.
“Ms. Wise, I'm Meredith Shamus. I need to speak with you immediately.”