Chapter Twenty-One
     "You want a drink, or something?" Earl asked as he reached down and opened the refrigerator.
     "I'm not sure I can handle any more of *that*," Simone said. "But I'd love a drink. Something light, not a martini, though."
     "Gin and tonic?"
     "Sounds delightful."
     Earl got off the bed and made the drinks. He pulled a joint from his cigar box, lit it, and passed it over to Simone. As she took the joint, Earl was amazed at how different it had all become with her, and how quickly. The first, tentative offerings of a few days before had now become a relaxed sharing, and the meek touches of hands on knees or shoulders had become, well, Earl knew what had become of that.
     "Thank you," Simone said as she sat up and curled herself under Earl's arm.
     "For what?" He was genuinely baffled.
     "You know," she said. "For everything."
     "Even for this?" he asked, reaching down and playing with one of her breasts.
     "Especially for that," she said. She looked away. "I guess it's different with a man."
     "Huh?" Earl asked, surprised. "What about me?"
     "Perris is very much a boy," she said. "I had a feeling it would be different with a man, and I was right."
     Earl said nothing, but continued to stroke her breast and play with her nipple. She purred in response, and Earl had a feeling they may go at it again. He kissed her, but she didn't respond with the earlier passion, and Earl simply enjoyed the taste of her and the warmth of her measured response.
     "I've never felt like this before," she said after laying in Earl's arms for awhile longer. "So spent, and also so alive."
     "Quite a combination, huh?" Earl asked. He'd never felt like this, either, but thought he'd let Simone think this wasn't virgin territory for both of them. "It's really something. I could stay like this forever, just having you over and over again."
     Simone laughed, and seemed to be called back to reality by Earl's comment. "I imagine you've had quite enough of me by now. There's nothing left, and I'm never like this."
     "I like you like this," Earl said, nuzzling her neck and licking an ear. He knew it was going to end soon, and wanted to get as much as he could before she had to leave. He lowered his hand from her breast and cupped her butt, gently kneading it and tracing its contours.
     "That's going to hurt," Simone said, squirming back into his hand. "When I can feel again."
     "What's that?" Earl asked. "Your arm?"
     "No, silly, my butt. That was a first for me."
     Earl gulped. "You mean..."
     "I never let anyone do that before." She reached back and rubbed her cheeks, fighting with Earl's hand.
     "I'm sorry," Earl said. He didn't know that he'd poked her there, and wondered what she thought about him. He'd done everything he could think of with her this afternoon, but hadn't considered that.
     "Don't be," Simone said, and began rubbing his chest. "I let you do it, I let you take me any way you wanted." She kissed him quickly and freed herself from his embrace and stood up. "I told you you were dangerous."
     Earl looked at her standing there, just taking her all in. She was the only woman he'd ever known who looked as good naked as he'd imagined, and he told her that.
     Simone blushed, and covered herself with her arms and hands. "You mean that?"
     Earl assured her he did, and Simone stopped blushing and began to glow. She spread her arms and turned around, and was smiling when she got back to looking at Earl. "So why didn't you say that earlier, in the car?"
     Earl laughed. "Then I would have missed this." He reached out to grab her hand, and pulled himself from the bed. Simone looked down and noticed the streaks and smears of blood that covered her body.
     "Your lip..." she said, and Earl nodded. "Your face is covered with blood."
     "So's yours," he said. "And the rest of you, too."
     "I better take a shower, and you need one, too."
     "Can I watch?" he joked.
     Simone surprised him by agreeing. She even added that he could join her.
     "There isn't room in the shower," he said. "It's a small one." Earl knew that he barely fit in there himself. He followed her in and actually did wash her while she washed. She smiled throughout and splashed him quite a few times.
     When she got out, Earl handed her a towel and she took it with a little reluctance. "Is this clean?" she asked, and Earl noticed that the towel was stained with blood.
     "I just washed it," he said. "That's from the fight."
     Simone studied the towel. "I'll get you some new ones, as a present."
     She carefully dried herself, avoiding using the more stained spots. When she was done, she carefully hung it up and began putting her jewelry back on. As she slipped on her watch, she exclaimed, "Oh, my God. It's so late!"
     Earl was used to losing hours at a time, especially when he was wired, and looked over at the clock radio to see that it was a little after four. "You have to be somewhere?" he asked.
     "Perris must be pissed," she said. "He was going to call me after two, when his meeting was over."
     "I didn't hear the phone," Earl said.
     "I didn't bring it with me." It's back at my house. She hurried past Earl and began throwing on her clothes. She had her shirt and underwear on and was about to put on her skirt when Earl stopped her.
     "Hey, Simone." She froze, her skirt halfway up her legs. "Can I make you a trade?"
     "What do you mean?"
     Earl reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out her stocking. "I'd like a souvenir. Can I trade you this for your underwear?"
     Simone laughed and dropped her skirt. "Oh, hell, why not? I got something," she said, reaching back and rubbing her butt. "You may as well, too." She stepped out of the barely-existent hint of black lace and tossed it to Earl. "But that means you don't get the towels."
     Earl laughed, and watched as she pulled her skirt up. "Oh," she said, while she slipped into her socks and shoes, "don't let Perris find those."
     Earl tucked them in his shirt pocket and assured her that Perris would never know. The whole afternoon, of course, would be a secret, but he could understand her concern. He had, after all, left her note on the mirror, and Earl couldn't begin to imagine what would happen if Perris ever stumbled upon her underwear.
     "I'll shower later, after I drop you off," Earl said, and pulled on his pants and shirt. He sat on the bed to pull on his socks, and Simone sat next to him. When his socks were on, he ran his hand up and down her leg, and Simone surprised him by spreading her legs as he reached her thigh.
     Half an hour later they were getting dressed again, and this time Simone made it clear. "No more fooling around, Mr. Dangerous," she said, and Earl hung his head in mock shame.
     "I don't know what came over me," he sighed. "But I bet it could happen again."
     "Not today it won't," Simone said. "And are you always like this?"
     Earl just grinned, and opened the door to lead her to the car.
     "My God!" Simone whispered, and pulled Earl back into the room. "That was Perris' car out there."
     Earl caught his breath and looked at Simone. He'd already seen the calm, controlled Simone and, lately, the freed and uninhibited one, but this was a new Simone, a frightened one.
     Earl put his arm around her to comfort her, and peeked out the window. She was right, and he was upset that he hadn't recognized the Prelude that had taken him to the fight. "What's he doing *here*?"
     "I don't have any idea," Simone said. "But I hope it isn't to visit you."
     Earl dropped the window and turned to Simone. "Maybe he's with Vicky," Earl offered, but he knew that wasn't likely. When Perris had come here before, it was only to visit Earl. "He would have knocked by now, he isn't in his car, y'know."
     Simone was shivering, and Earl felt that he may have been, too. He was glad that there hadn't been a knock earlier, interrupting his day. He wasn't sure that, depending on the time, he wouldn't have wrapped a towel around himself and answered it.
     Earl told Simone to hide in the bathroom, that he was going to check things out. It wasn't in Simone's nature to hide, but she went along this time meekly and without complaint.
     Earl opened the door again, and began walking down the sidewalk to the street. There was no sign of Perris, and he managed to make it to his car and back without seeing the frat brother. He looked up at the tower room as he passed beneath it, and the windows were closed. Earl looped back, through the lot, and made it back to his room.
     "It's all clear," he said as he tucked his head in the bathroom. Simone was seated on the toilet, looking flushed and frightened. "C'mon," he said, "lets get a quick jolt and get out of here."
     Simone silently followed Earl into the bedroom. He opened the cigar box and filled his pipe with a little amount of pot and handed it to her.
     "I don't think this is a good time to get stoned," she said, but it was a hollow protest.
     "None better," Earl said as he lit the pipe. "We need to calm down."
     They quickly finished the small pipe, and Earl lifted a picture from the wall and poured a tiny amount of crystal onto it. He quickly laid out a couple of thin, white lines, and snorted one of them through a short straw.
     He handed the straw to Simone, who'd been watching him in curiosity. "You snort this?" she asked.
     "It burns like hell," Earl said. "It's not as good, but it will keep you going for the rest of the evening."
     "I don't think I need any more," Simone said.
     "That's cool," Earl said, and slid the picture carefully under the bed. "Let's hit it. I'll check it out again, and if it's clear, I'll whistle. Then, you run out and get in the car."
     Simone nodded. Earl knew it was a dumb plan, but it was the only one they had and he didn't want to risk walking back and forth across the Single Spire parking lot. Each time they did that he knew that his chances of running into Perris were higher.
     Earl left the room, and tiptoed along the sidewalk. Perris' car was still there, but he couldn't see him anywhere. When Earl reached the street he looked around, and gave a loud, sharp whistle.
     Simone nearly beat Earl to the car, so quickly did she run. Earl opened her door and helped himself to one last look up and between her legs as she sat down. He jogged around to his door, which Simone had opened, and got in and drove off down the block.
     "I think we made it," Earl said, as they rounded a corner and doubled back to catch the freeway entrance.
     "I hope so," Simone said. She still looked frightened and was playing with her hair, hiding her face.
     They made it onto the freeway without incident and Simone was quiet most of the way back home. Earl's hand rested in her lap, holding hers, and he tried to comfort her as much as possible.
     "I should have checked," Earl said. "I wasn't watching the time."
     "It's not your fault," she answered, but Earl felt that she was glad he was taking the blame. "But next time we'll have to be more careful."
     Earl brightened at that, at the idea that there would be more of these encounters. He'd been afraid to ask, afraid to puncture the dream, but Simone evidently had no use for one-time shots. He began wondering when and where and how many more of these days he could expect, and said, "This was way too close a call. I almost blew it."
     "Me, too," Simone said. "But we escaped."
     "I'm glad," Earl said, "for both of us."
     Simone squeezed his hand, and even rubbed it a little against her. "I'll call you when I can get away," she said. "But I don't want you to call me."
     "That's cool," Earl said, slipping a finger between her legs and feeling the warm softness of her thigh. "I understand. And I hope you call me soon."
     "Me, too" Simone said. "I can hardly wait."
     As Earl approached her home, Simone began getting nervous again. He could feel her squirming, even as he drove, by the brief touches of her leg that brushed against his hand. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "What's the problem?"
     "It's nothing," Simone said. "Only I'm going to have to lie to Perris when I talk to him. He's going to want to know where I've been all day, and I don't have an answer."
     "Oh," Earl said. "Just tell him you went for a walk to the beach. That way you can explain needing to take another shower."
     "Why do I need another shower?"
     Earl grinned and shut off the car, a few houses down from her home. "I think you smell terrific and I wouldn't want to change a thing about you, but Perris may wonder why you smell like me and like sex."
     "Do I smell like sex?" Simone asked, looking horrified.
     "You reek of it," Earl said. "And I love it."
     "You, Earl, cannot be trusted at all," she said, and let go of his hand. She was acting upset, but couldn't keep it up and giggled. He got out of the car and walked around to let her out. As she stepped out of the car, Earl looked down between her legs and Simone caught him.
     "I see where the scent's coming from," he said, and ducked when Simone made a playful swing at his face. She kissed him briefly on the cheek and began striding to her home, and Earl thought that she was swinging her hips a lot more than she usually did. Also, she was slightly bow-legged, and he knew that was new.
     When she turned and disappeared down her driveway, Earl patted his pocket and grinned.