"I was going toward Istanbul?" She repeated. Suddenly she laughed. "Damn! How you like that. I thought I was going home! I've been at the Lido, drinking. Drowning my sorrows. Guess I took a wrong turn, huh?"
"I guess you did. So how about it — drive me into Istanbul? I'll pay you plenty."
The red pout again. "Money? I don't need money. I'm loaded, honey! Or my husband is — same thing, huh! He's not home tonight, though. That's good, huh?" The girl took a swig from the bottle. She made a face then smiled at Nick. Her teeth were white and even. "Whyn't come home with me, doll? We can have lots of fun, huh? You know — mice can play when cat's away." She took another drink and swayed into his arms again.
Why not? He could at least get a bath and something to eat and — well, he would let that work itself out! Nick had never cared much for married women — they were usually trouble.
"Have you got a phone at your place? I'll have to make a call."
The girl smiled and took his arm. "Sure we got a phone, darling. What you think we are — peasants? We're not. We're big shots. We got two phones. You can use them both if you want!"
Nick followed her back to the car. She slid behind the wheel. "We pointed right now? For the Black Sea?"
"You're pointed right," said Nick. "But maybe I'd better drive?"
"No. You're my guest. I'll drive."
She pulled her loose skirt high up on her thighs. "Can't drive in the damned thing," she explained. "Binds my legs. How you like my legs, honey. Good?"
Nick surveyed the revealed expanse of startlingly lovely leg. The skirt was nearly to her waist. He could see the black garter straps and a fringe of panty.
"You have lovely legs," he agreed.
The girl leaned to stare at him. Her tone softened, she did not seem drunk now. "You do look a little beat up, honey! Maybe I hurt you after all, huh? Maybe I better take you to a hospital — or to the police? We can always meet another time."
The police! A hospital! Neither held any fascination for Nick Carter. Especially the police.
"Nice of you to offer," he said. "But I'm all right. Drive on."
Chapter 15
Kosk Manzara
The Kosk was not so much a villa as a sort of minor league palace. It stood, a pink and cream stucco edifice, on a wooden eminence overlooking the Black Sea and a view of fantastic beauty. It had once been the summer home of Turkish royalty, or so said Tessa Travis, the girl who had brought Nick to the place. He had taken her word for that, along with everything else. It was very dark and he had not been able to see much of the road, or anything else, because she had driven like a fiend.
Now, his wounds bathed and anointed after a lovely tepid shower, he lay on a soft round bed, in a borrowed terry-cloth robe of her husband's, and wished he could go to sleep. N3 sighed. He wasn't going to get off that easy and he knew it. Tessa Travis — her husband was at the moment in Greece on business — had been very patient with him. She had sobered up with surprising speed, and had been quick to anticipate his every need. She was not with him at the moment, but she would be back. Oh, yes! Tessa had made it very clear that she expected a certain payment for her generous hospitality.
The phones were out of order. Both of them. Nick pondered that as he watched the stark white beam of the Feneri light sweep through the ornately furnished boudoir every minute, like the sweep hand on a gigantic watch. The beam passed over his stolen garments tossed carelessly on a chair.
Nick sipped at the scotch and water he was nursing, the glass cold on his flat belly, and dismissed the matter of the phones. Turkish phone service was lousy at times. He drew luxuriously on his cigarette — American — and stamped it out in an ashtray on the bed beside him. He wished again he could, sleep — for days! Yet he knew it was impossible — he would remain here a few hours, then get into Istanbul, call Hawk, and go after Johnny Ruthless! Get it over with. Fast!
The door of the boudoir opened and Tessa Travis came in. She was still fully dressed, which surprised Nick a bit. He had expected she would slip into "something comfortable." Wasn't that the routine?
Tessa came to the bedside and bent to kiss him lightly. As her moist lips slid across Nick's he felt himself responding in spite of his utter weariness. Her perfume teased him, the sight of her breasts as she bent over him was aphrodisiacal He sought to kiss one of those exciting pale pears, with its cherry tips, but to his surprise — and faint annoyance — Tessa backed away. She gave him an odd smile. She put her hands on her hips and writhed her pelvis at him in revolving motions.
"Not so fast, huh, doll? Let little Tessa set the pace? Okay?"
For a moment something moved in N3's brain. Was there something familiar about this girl? No — couldn't be. He had never seen her before in his life. He wouldn't have forgotten this one — because she was a definite kook! Some kind of a lovely nut! N3 sighed inwardly. It took all kinds. And she was exciting, even in his present state of mind and body.
Tessa had retreated to the center of the room. She flicked off the single light. For a moment, in the dark, she was a phantom figure, a perfumed redheaded ghost shimmering in the murk. Then the Feneri light came around in its broad sweep and Nick saw her. She was pulling her dress over her head. From the depths of the frock she said, with a little laugh, "I'm gonna do a strip for you, doll! You like that? I'll bet you don't know something about me — I used to be a stripper! In Chicago! That was a long time ago, before I met Joe. He don't even know it!"
"Your husband must be a very understanding man," said Nick. "Or maybe tolerant is the word I want?"
He saw the white shoulders in a shrug of dismissal. "I couldn't care less what Joe is. honey! We don't get along so good. But, we get by — he has his kicks and I have mine. Right now you're my kicks, doll!"
The light swept the room again. He saw her coming slowly toward the bed. She was wearing opaque black panties, a garter belt and long black stockings. She still wore the high stilt heels.
Tessa halted a few feet from the bed. Her voice was husky now. Nick sensed a terrific excitement building in her. An excitement that more than matched his own — that was, in some way he could not define, not a normal excitement! Tessa was an odd one, all right! A real kook!
The girl did a sudden bump and grind. She revolved her torso in a shuddering convulsion. She laughed. "You know something, doll? If I'd known about Turkish belly dancing back in old Chi I could have knocked them dead! But who knew from belly dancing then? I was strictly a bump and grind and take it off girl! I was good, though. Sometimes I wish I hadn't give up my career to marry Joe!"
She's crude, thought Nick. Crude and more than a little vulgar! She's also beautiful and exciting and, at the moment, terribly desirable. He felt the urge rise in him. He held out his arms. "Forget your husband, Tessa, and come here. If I'm going to put the horns on him, and I've a feeling I am, let's get started, shall we?"
"Don't be in such a hurry," she whispered. She came to kneel on the bed beside him. When Nick tried to move into the dominant position she said no and pushed him gently back. "You let little Tessa take charge," she whispered in his ear. "You just relax, honey bun. Little Tessa will do everything." Her tongue, warm and moist, moved around the inside of his ear.
It was practically a rape. With Nick playing the unaccustomed role of rapee. Tessa began to breath hard as she laved his entire body with moist red kisses. Their tongues fought a dozen battles in the caverns of their mouths. Tessa was sobbing and panting now, but when Nick tried to remove her scant attire she fought him off. He gave up. The panties, it seemed, were to stay on! He thought again that she was a real — kook seemed inadequate now — a real nut! Maybe she was a little mad! If so it was an exciting madness!