Kim chuckled appreciatively. “Okay, then. But if my husband Is angry, you’ll have to shoulder the blame,” she teased.
"Deal."
Kim fetched her purse. She debated briefly putting away the vacuum, and straightened up a little more-and then decided that that could wait until tomorrow. She would have plenty of time for continued housewifely chores then.
Gaily, she took Jack Goren’s arm. “Shall we go, sir?”
“By your leave, madam.”
They were both laughing as they climbed into Goren’s impressive Lincoln Continental parked in front.
Chapter 4
The drive from San Francisco was beautiful and relaxing, and Kim sat next to Jack Goren with pleasure. She talked continually, usually about nothing in particular or especially important. Things were finally going well for her, for Barry, and she felt the need to talk, to release some of her bubbling enthusiasm. Goren smiled and drove the Continental with one ear cocked toward the young, beautiful woman.
Occasionally Goren would add something, but only to praise Barry, and this made Kim all the more glad that she had decided to accompany him. The miles passed swiftly, and the quiet comfort of the luxury automobile made the passage of time effortless. Yes, Kim was at the very height of happiness. Her husband could get the book finished at last, she would not be worried nearly so much over him, and the two of them had met just the finest of people, the Gorens.
Shortly after they passed San Raphael, Goren said: “Reach in the back, Kim, and open the ice chest, will you?’
Kim turned her body, noticing the bright red Styrofoam container balanced on the rear seat. Goren watched her as she moved, her legs stretching the elastic of her pants as she brought them up under her, as she swiveled to lean over the back rest. Her breasts were outlined against the thin jersey blouse, the material clinging to the bra underneath so that her protruding hillocks were shadowed and detailed provocatively. She flattened them against the cushions as she leaned, and Goren gave out an involuntary groan of desire, for he wanted to have his palms around those breasts, squeezing and kneading and pressing them into the same kind of shape. She kneeled on the seat, exclaiming, “Oh! What did you bring along, Jack?”
“Open it and see, Kim.” He brought his vision back to the highway, his tongue licking dry, hungry lips. “I wasn’t sure whether Barry would have thought to stop for groceries, so there’s some steaks in there, along with some leftover cole slaw and some other things.”
Kim laughed and squirmed her tightly-encased buttocks in an unconscious way.
“You’re probably right about Barry. I don’t think he’d remember me, once he’s there by himself. That book seems to have taken over everything.”
Goren chuckled. “Well, it’ll all work out for the best, if the book is a success. Which I’m sure it will be.”
Kim started to turn around again, but Goren stopped her, placing a hand on her upper thigh. “Grab the thermos in there, will you, Kim?” She hesitated from the touch of his friendly, almost too friendly-hand on her leg. Oh, his morals were unquestionable, of course, and she felt perfectly safe with him in the car… but still a faint, swiftly passing mental image of him, a perfect stranger, lewdly grasping and pawing her, rippled with cold dread through her mind, and she froze, shivering slightly.
The hand stayed a split second too long, she thought, but before she could object or move away, or really become aware that the hand was the menace her intuition warned her it was, Coren placed it back on the steering wheel.
“And a couple of those plastic cups, too,” he added.
It must have been her imagination, Kim thought, returning to comply with his request. She lifted the lid of the case and on top of the cubed ice, packed next to the butcher-paper wrapped steaks, was a large, ribbed aluminum thermos jug. The cups were handily beside the thermos, and she took two along with the thermos as she rolled around to face front again.
“What’s this, Jack?”
“Well, it was for tonight, but I’ve developed a thirst for some reason…“ he paused, smiling at her warmly but honestly.
She unscrewed the thermos cap and poured a small cupful of its contents. “What is it?”
“Vodka Collins. I made them before I left today.” Again the open, frank, almost boyish grin crossed his features. “See that? I remembered.
“Remembered?” For a moment Kim didn’t understand, and then she recalled asking him to fetch her a drink at the Tatum party. “Oh, you mean-” She had to smile back. “Yet, it is my favorite drink. In fact, about the only one I really like.”
“Have some, then,” he urged.”
“I don’t know…“ it’s too early in the day.”
“Go ahead. There’s plenty.”
Kim poured herself a glass and slowly sipped the Collins. As she did, a vicarious thrill, brought about by the teenage act of drinking in a car, completely blanked out her fleeting fear of a moment previous. “Mmmmm. This is good, Jack,” she enthused.
“I used to be a bartender years ago,” he said proudly.
Well, now, Kim thought as the car sped on towards Salmon Creek. This is really the last word, drinking in the middle of the afternoon with a strange man in his fancy Continental. A little twinge of schoolgirl guilt made her giggle inwardly, and her mind recalled a long-ago drive-in movie when she was I; her freshman year of college, and the six-packs of beer her date had taken along, and her abandoned actions after the alcohol had gotten somewhat to her. Another shiver crossed her mind, and the fuzzy picture of that night returned, as it had many times. That was the night after she had first seen a man’s erect organ, standing like a sentry, guarding the trousers open fly-and the first time she had handled one, though not allowing it to capture her virginity. But it had come so close, so close…
Well, that was enough of that kind of thinking! She pressed her buttocks into the cushion, “Here’s to Barry,” she said.
“Here’s to him, all right. I hope he gets everything he deserves, Kim.
Everything.”
She took a heavier swallow from her cup, the bittersweet liquid warming her belly with comfortable fire. She had to watch it-she hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. But before she could protest, Goren had picked up the thermos from the seat and refilled her cup, placing his empty cup down as he did so.
She in turn refilled his.
By the time they reached the Salmon Creek turnoff, Kim was happier than ever.
The liquor had soothed her into a mellow effervescence. As they approached the redwood cabin, she recognized the Ford in front as Barry’s and hers, and with a squeal, she said: “Are we there, Jack? Oh, is that the cabin? It’s lovely!“
Goren had to laugh at her impassioned words, and was tempted to reach over and squeeze her leg again; but he remembered her rather negative reaction to his familiar attempt earlier, and decided against it. He drove up next to the Ford; and shut off the quiet engine and stepped out. The sand was noiseless under his feet. He shut his door as quietly as he could, and Kim latched the passenger door with feminine grace, making: not a sound.
Perfect, he thought, perfect. Now if everything was as planned…
Kim impulsively locked her arm with his as they walked to the cabin. “They must be inside,” she said. They walked, to the front window and she peered in. “Oh, this is perfect, Jack. It really looks comfortable inside. But I don’t see Barry and Lynn." “Oh, they’re around somewhere,” Goren answered, his face slightly frowning as though he was somewhat worried. “The cars are here.” Then he turned and: smiled. “Perhaps they took a walk down to the beach.”
Suddenly, the sounds of giggling and girlish twittering reached Goren’s and Kim’s ears. It seemed to be coming from around to the rear of the cabin.