Finally, Harry's story was finished. The waitress brought their lunches. The food was tasty and enjoyable. Afterward, they all had another drink, before venturing out for the afternoon.
While Vivian's husband paid the luncheon check and Lois made for the Ladies' Lounge, Stan was alone with her… for the first time.
He leaned in close to her and hissed between clenched teeth, "Listen… I think you're damned attractive… sexy as hell, as a matter of fact… but I don't get why you're doing what you're doing… right in front of that big gorilla of a husband of your's!"
Vivian smiled with relief. "Oh… you do like me… then? I was afraid…"
"Afraid that I wouldn't?"
"Well… yes you didn't seem to react…"
"Did you expect me to do something stupid… in front of your husband and my wife…?"
"Not really… I just wanted you to know I…"
"You let me know one thing… loud and clear, baby! You're a little cock-teaser… so lay off… unless you're serious!" Stan ground out at her.
"It'll be worth your while… if you want to meet me somewhere!" she promised.
"Like where…?"
"On the ridge… up above the camp…?"
"Out in the open… and take a chance on your husband finding us? Not on your life!"
"You don't understand about my husband. I'd have to have time to explain…"
"As much as I'd like to… sample your wares, Mrs. Williams… the fact is… there's too much risk… and I'm not willing to risk crossing that husband of yours!"
"Harry wouldn't do anything! As a matter of fact… he'd…" Vivian stopped. Lois was coming toward them, and Harry was pocketing his change at the cashier's counter.
"He'd what…?"
"They're coming… no time to tell you, now… but will you meet me… tonight… like I suggested…?"
"I told you… the answer is no!"
Vivian was hurt. She'd never had a man turn down her offer… to take him to bed, and she didn't know what to think… or what to do. She decided to give up the pursuit! Damn it… it's not worth it! I practically throw myself at him… and he tells me, 'No thank you… I'm not having any!' I wonder more and more maybe he is some kind of a closet queen!
Her husband was there, big and jovial; he knew something had gone amiss. It was confirmed when Vivian looked up at him, her eyes miserable in defeat, and said, "Harry, darling… could I beg off… for the rest of the day? I'm getting one of those sick headaches… and… I'd just be an awful wet blanket… for everybody else…"
"Why… of course, Vivian… if you're not feeling right!" Harry sympathized.
"Oh, that's too bad, Vivian… you'll need some rest… so why don't we just call off the rest of our little tour?" Lois suggested.
"There's no need for that…" Harry said, trying to keep things together and going.
"I think that's best… too!" Stan added. "… And, we sure do thank you for taking us around to see the sights…"
"And… thank you for the lunch… too!" Lois said.
Harry Williams followed his wife inside their trailer. Closing and locking the door, he turned to her and asked, fiercely, "Well… what the hell happened?"
"He wasn't having any!" Vivian grated, vehemently.
"You mean… he turned you down… flat?"
"Yeah he seemed to think I was being too forward in front of you… and his wife!"
"Maybe… he's just being cautious…"
"I suppose…" she agreed. "He was afraid of being caught by you!"
"In other words… if I wasn't around he might not be scared off… is that it?"
"Maybe… but I got this crazy idea while I was talking to him that he might be…" She stopped, realizing she had no real basis for thinking of Stan Brewster that way.
"What? What are you trying to say?" Harry prodded.
"Well… that he wasn't… all man…"
"You think he might be gay?" He was incredulous. "Christ! I never thought of that!"
"… Except… he did have a nice, big erection!" she told her husband, remembering how she had felt its throbbing heat in Stan's pants.
"Well, hell… what are you worried about, then?"
Vivian sat down on the edge of the bed. "Well… he was almost prissy… when he took my hand off of it… and told me not to touch him… unless I was serious…"
"… Unless you were serious…?" Harry repeated. "I think you're wrong! He's interested… all right… but he's not taking any chances! After all I'm a pretty big guy… and he wouldn't want to tangle with me! You can't blame him for that… not many guys would be willing to…! And, too… maybe you came on too strong!"
Tears glistened in Vivian's expressive, gray eyes. "I–I'm not going to go through with it… Harry! I was practically throwing myself at him… and he wouldn't have anything to-to do with me!"
"No! God damn it! I'm going to get into those tight hot pants! I want to fuck that Brewster woman so bad I can taste it! Christ! It took every bit of will-power I've got to keep my hands off of her… waiting for you to score with that stupid son-of-a-bitch… and you know damned good and well… that the way we work it… it's always a sure thing!"
"Except this time, Harry!" she flared. "A-And I don't want to get turned down… again even for you! It makes me feel cheap… almost like I was out peddling it… like some street whore!"
Then, it finally penetrated. Harry realized that his wife was really upset… that she meant what she was saying. He softened, coming to sit beside her on the bed, his arms going around her, caressingly. "You know that isn't true… honey… and I'm sorry you feel that way about it! I'll make it up to you… you know I always do… and in the long run… everybody benefits! Hell! You like a strange lay just as much as I do!"
"Well… I bow out on this one!"
"After all the trouble I went to… to set it up?"
"There'll be others!" she said, with finality, rising from the bed and shrugging off his embrace. "Right now… I feel like being alone! I think I'll go down to the village and shop around in those little tourist trap shops…"
"You won't change your mind… then?"
"No! It's made up!"
"Then… I'll go after her… on my own!" he threatened.
Vivian stared at him, not believing what she had heard. "… But… our agreement…?"
"You're breaking it… by backing out!" he accused. "So think about it!"
"Damn you, Harry… you drive a hard bargain!"
"Then… you'd better reconsider…"
"All right! I'll think about it… for a good long time! Maybe I'll think about it for three or four days… until you get over that blonde… or spot another one… you'd rather have! Then, I'll consider playing our little game, again!"
"You're being bitchy as hell!"
"Okay… I'm being bitchy… because I'm upset… and I think I've got a right to be!" she defended. "… And that's why I'm going shopping… to be alone… and maybe work it out of my system."
"All right… all right!" her husband conceded. "Just don't spend too much money on those junk curios… Okay?"
Mickey Blackum had seen her first when she had gotten out of her car in the parking lot. The striking beauty of her jet-black hair… and the way she seemed to be poured into her capris attracted him… but when she had seemed to notice him, as he strode along toward the little delicatessen, giving him a smoky-eyed smile in passing, which caused him to stop and stare after her, her hips and buttocks doing provocative things inside those pants, he decided to get to know her better.
Terry McCauley was with him. When she had finished picking out the foodstuffs they needed, he carried the bag of groceries outside and called Buck Sloan to him.
"Buck… you take Terry on your hog… back to the camp and see she gets supper started!"
The other man looked startled, for a moment, his small, too-narrow eyes, regarding the tall, black-bearded leader, calculatively, attempting to fathom what was going on.
"Right on… Mickey!" he agreed, then asked, "What's happening?"
"I'm going to eyeball around… is all! Wunder Boy and Peeper can split with you, too!" He looked around, saw the two leather clad men talking to a couple of young, high-school age girls, obviously tourists and whistled them over.