She raised her face to him then, her wet full mouth falling open… and he kissed her. Her arms encircled his neck and her mouth clung to his hungrily. Almost subconsciously, his tongue slid between her opened lips and teeth and she softly began to suck on it, drawing it deeper and deeper into the warm moist cavern toward her throat as her soft, vibrant loins began to rotate against his already throbbing prick in tiny little stimulating circles. He gasped into her mouth, his long, sinewy hands dropping to cup at her soft, yet firm, hollowing buttocks so full and round in his grasp, and she pressed even tighter against him.
Eventually, they separated for a breath, and he said: "I-I didn't know, Cheri… I-I had no idea why you stayed with him… the way he treated you… I used to wonder why you put up with it… God… I've wanted you so bad a thousand times…"
She whimpered at his words and he felt the vibrations of sound against him more than he heard it. Her mouth searched for his and he kissed her again, this time, tasting the deliciousness of her tiny tongue as it darted forward between his lips.
"Oh darling," she hissed, "we must make love. I've wanted you for so long, too. But we have to be careful. He'd kill us if he found out."
"He won't find out… nobody but you and I will know," Antoine assured her, his hands caressing and stroking her back and buttocks covetously now, the soft, warm resilience of her flesh causing his hardening penis to throb vigorously between them.
"I can feel you so hot and hard and excited against me," she whispered. "God, how I'd love to take it out right here… right now, and suck it until it pumped its love sperm down my throat."
"Christ! Don't talk that way or I'll come right in my pants," he smiled, but said in a harsh, whispering voice. "I want those things too, but we have to find a place. We can't do anything here…"
"I know," she interrupted excitedly. "The summer house at Ste. Agathe des Monts. We can go there… tomorrow, darling."
He thought about it briefly. It seemed safe enough. Uncle Gaston wouldn't be opening it for a mouth… not until July. The idea intrigued him. Christ, he had to have her now, after this; there was no turning away from it any longer. He had to fuck her!
"All right. Tomorrow around two. I'll meet you there, Cheri. Are you sure you can get away without suspicion?"
"Yes, I'm certain of it… but it wouldn't make any difference. I'd come to make love to you even if I had to bring an audience."
"Damn!" he gasped, and kissed her once more.
Then, she eased back away from him and he read the concerned expression on her face. "Please, darling," she whispered. "You must listen to what I've told you. Galaxy Mines is in great danger… and that puts you in great danger. I don't know to what extent but maybe I'll hear more tonight and be able to tell you tomorrow."
"I'm not worried about that," he lied. "I'm more concerned about how I'm going to get you away from all this."
"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. What's important is that you take care of Madeleine and yourself. I know this evil man better than you, darling. I know him at his vilest, bedroom self… and that's where you really come to know a man's mettle."
"But I can't believe he would do anything to hurt me. I-It's just impossible to believe. I mean, after all, I'm like his own son…"
"Oh darling, please… You must try to understand the type of man he is," she almost begged him. "I realize why you've closed your eyes to these things… because he has been like a father to you. But in God's name, don't blind yourself entirely. He's the warlord over crime in Canada… and you must know about his connections with the syndicate…"
"Yes, yes, I know all of that," Antoine replied, not looking at her now as he fished out a cigarette and lighted it. Then, suddenly looking at her, he said: "But I'm not just a… a relative to him… I'm like his very own flesh and blood. He's raised me, Cheri, clothed, fed and educated me. No, Christ, I can't believe it! He just couldn't do anything to hurt me…"
"Unless…" she whispered.
"Unless? Unless what?"
"Unless… it becomes a matter of your neck… or his…"
She reached him at that point. Antoine stood very still and dragged at his cigarette. In his mind, he was endeavoring to evaluate Galaxy's situation. It occurred to him that he had never actually seen the mines in Alberta or the Yukon; Uncle Gaston had not thought that necessary. His task was to see that the ever-increasing stockholders received favorable dividends and that the Board of Directors met once a month, with quarterly reports being sent out on the day to all investors. Should there ever be a shortage of cash to meet dividend payments, he was to immediately report it to his Uncle so that whatever the deficit might be it could be made up. Investors don't like to be informed of non-dividend quarters, Antoine, he'd said to him once. So, even if it hurts, and we have to take it from other enterprises, we'll keep them happy, eh?
He questioned the illegality of it then, but the powerful little man had merely laughed.
Don't you worry about illegality, young man. That's my department. You just take care of board meetings and that cute little wife of yours, eh? She looks to me as if she might require lots of loving.
And then, he'd laughed, vulgarly, a little too vulgarly, Antoine had thought, biting his own tongue to keep from saying something he might later be sorry for…
"Darling… do you understand what I've been trying to tell you?" Ginny questioned, moving close to him once more.
"I-I… I've got to think," he said, walking to a table and stubbing out his cigarette.
"About me?"
He went to her quickly, enfolding her into his arms once more. "Hell no… not about you, Cheri. You've haunted my mind for a year now." He kissed her. "Look, we have to get out of here… get back to the party before we're missed."
"Yes, I know. Tomorrow then… at the summer place?"
"At the summer place… I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world."
"Oh… Oh darling," she moaned, kissing him a last time. "I wish I was twenty-one instead of twenty-nine… I wish I'd never known a man before you…"
"Funny," he said, grinning down at her, "I'm glad that you're twenty-nine… and more happy that you've known other men. Now, I'm going to get the benefit of all that experience… and it better be good."
"Whatever it is, it'll be for you and you alone."
"We'll see," he teased.
"Yes," she whispered, "we'll see…"
CHAPTER THREE
Madeleine could not sleep. She lay restless in the large bed of their expensive Ville de Hampstead apartment, waiting for Antoine to join her. He had wanted a nightcap, but she had been too upset and had gone straight to bed. Now, she could hear the soft music from the tape-deck and visualized him sitting in his favorite chair with his feet up on the ottoman, comfortably stretched out and leisurely enjoying a scotch… entertaining no idea in this world of the abhorrent secret she must now live with.
Her brain whirled in her still-shamed, utter debasement. Again, she had failed this proud young man she loved so much, and this time, there could be no forgiveness. If only she had told him of Igat in the beginning, bared her soul to him… made a clean breast of it. He'd loved her… would probably have understood, but now… it was too late. Dear God, how could she tell him now without laying the whole sordid story before him… yes, even the way Uncle Gaston had forced his salacious attentions on her? She couldn't, not without revealing the whole despicable truth. Yet, if she didn't turn to her Antoine for help, where could she go?