He went back into the bedroom and found his underwear. On the coffee table was a white hotel envelope. It was propped against an ashtray. He finished dressing, then picked it up.
"I'll be a sonofabitch!"
There was forty dollars in the envelope and the note was to him. It was written in an erratic hand, but was easy to read: "Dear Nathan, I have some business to take care of. Thank you for last night. I'll leave this money for you. Perhaps you'll need…"
"And how, sister, he muttered. "You don't know the half of it." He read on: "I'll be busy all day. Please meet me here at nine o'clock tonight; we'll have dinner in Little Tokyo. All for you. Don't worry about the club. Tell the owner to find a new piano player." Ha ha. It was signed "Paulette''..
This would be a tight squeeze, he realized. Nathan felt he couldn't let Buck Pappas down. He looked at his watch. Time was moving on. Maybe lie could get a fill-in at the club. Ha knew a broad that played some piano.. Her number? He racked his brain. What if she couldn't play in his place?
He stood there in the middle of the room and thought about it A wealthy, unattached, attractive widow with forty dollars already on the barrel head and Buck Pappas owing him for a week's piano-playing. There was no question. He had to keep the appointment.
He didn't think about the scene last night. He would think about that later. Maybe he'd have to make it again, but it didn't bother hint yet. Still he hated like hell to let Buck Pappas down. If he stood him up, Buck would be stuck, and there's nothing worse than a piano bar without a piano player; So he wouldn't, he decided. He'd go back to his and Nancy's apartment and find that lady piano player's number. He couldn't remember her last name. He juggled his time mentally. Dozen and one things to do.
"Christ, I got to move," he muttered. He scratched on the envelope; "Okay, Empress. I'll be back. Thanks for the dough. Your slave,"
On the way back to the apartment, he ran some errands, then bought a little booze and a few groceries.
Nancy was there when he opened the apartment door. The place was tidy and she was on the couch with a magazine, her grease face still on, and the
television going. The ashtray in front of her was full of cigarettes. And the room was full of smoke.
"Hello, Nancy!" he said. He took his bundle on into the kitchen and put the ham and cheese into the refrigerator. He put the liquor up on the liquor shelf. The lack of response was obvious. He called out from the kitchen. "Like me to mix you a drink?"
"No thank you."
She burned him. He ignored her sarcasm and brought in his suit. He went into the bedroom and hung it up. Then he opened his desk drawer and started looking for the piano player's address. He ignored Nancy.
"At least you could come over and kiss me," she said.
"I thought you were waiting to write me an invitation;" he said.
He hopped across the floor, hoping he hadn't overdone the sarcasm. Bending, he took her chin in his hand, lifted her face and kissed her. Nancy had deep full lips, soft and pliable and moist. Even with her grease face on, she was good-looking girl, he was thinking. He pulled her up and saw she didn't have anything on under her dressing gown. Her tits were firm and full. He kissed her until suddenly her arms went around his shoulders and she buried her face on his chest. She squeezed him tighter than usual.
"Hey, baby. Whatcha doing home in the afternoon?" he asked.
"Wailing for you. What else?"
"You know you don't have to wait brine."
"I don't know. I just wanted to see you."
"That's great, sugar. He kissed her. long and sweet. "I always want to see you, too," he whispered.
"I 'know things are bad for both of us. Sometimes I wonder what we are going to do. I'm just about at the end of my rope."
"Want me to get out, he asked.
"No, of course not, darling. I just want, I don't know… I want to work things out for us both."
"Well, when I first moved in, you didn't tell me you were hard up, too. But when you said get out and work or git, I've been there pounding that piano until sometimes I think I never want to see another one."
"Darling, I know how bad it is for you. I'm sorry. I wish you could get something soon.
He remembered. "Nancy, what about Weindorf…
your producer date last night? I forgot to ask She turned her head away and was quiet for a
moment. He wanted to ask her, but didn't know how. It wasn't easy to live with a woman and wonder if she'd had to put out for a producer, no matter what kind of an arrangement you 'ye made with her about both going your own way. Nathan knew very well that a man may think he doesn't mind sharing a woman, but eventually it gets under his skin.
Nancy answered for him "If you mean would I have to sleep with hint the answer is yes and no. Yes, I'll have to put out if I get the part, and no, I
didn't and I won't. Is that what you wanted to know?"
Nathan burned despite himself. He felt his face grow red. He patted her shoulder and slid his hands down to her well-rounded hips. She didn't have her panties on either.
"Nathan," Nancy whispered. "I'm in love with you. Don't you know?"
"Sure, baby. Sure, I love you, too," he said.
"No," she said. "You don't. Not the way I do."
"What's this sentiment all of a sudden?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me. I kept wanting to get away from Weindorf last night and come to you. I had a feeling that came over me all of a sudden, as if something was happening to you. I finally ditched him just after two, and rushed back here. I went to bed and waited and you didn't come. It never bothered me before. But last night, I wanted to have you in my arms something awful."
"Baby, I've never heard you say anything sweeter. If I'd known, I would have come on home.
She pushed back in his arms and looked up at him. Nathan was surprised. There were tears in her eyes and he'd never known Nancy to go sentimental. She was just a dumb kid. And would do anything for, her career. Yes, so dumb… as much as she was beautiful.
"Where were you last night?" she asked.
He couldn't help but laugh but a tremor ran up his spine. He didn't know if he liked it or not.
She'd never asked that before.
"Don't laugh, Nathan, please. I worried about you all night and today when I didn't hear, I went out and called your answering service several times."
"I know,!' he said. "They told me."
"It's no good, is it? I mean, to worry about someone so much. I wish I never met you that day on Hollywood Boulevard."
He pulled her back down onto the couch. She turned and cuddled against him; He felt her tit and left his hand there. "Do you really want to know the truth?" he asked.
"Not if you don't want me to. I have no right to ask. I don't want to be falling in love with you, but.I am. I know it complicates things."
"How?"
"Like last night. Don't you understand? All the while he was pawing me, I was thinking about you.
Nancy didn't tell him about the previous evening but the memory shot through her mind. Weindorf, the producer, had been something else! Of course she couldn't tell Nathan that, and the grip of guilt made her shudder. It was true, she had been thinking of Nathan while Weindorf was fucking her, but it had been obscene just the same. And she hadn't been thinking of the part Weindorf might give her either. No, she had to admit to herself now, she had been thinking of nothing but coming, being fucked amidst all that luxury. But that didn't mean she didn't low Nathan.
"I'm gonna eat your cunt until you die!" Weindorf' had said, beckoning her to the bed. "And then I'm gonna fuck your pussy until it screams!"