Mary sent her daughters to Nancy’s car and glared at it as it drove away. As soon as we were alone, Mary stomped over to me. “Couldn’t keep it in your pants, could you? Well, enjoy today ’cause it’ll be your last one working here!”
My initial panic was suddenly replaced with recognition. At the birthday party I had thought Mary’s voluptuous figure looked familiar, but I hadn’t realized I’d seen a picture of it before, naked. At the party Mary had been all smiles, but now, with her face twisted into a sneer, I knew where I’d seen her face before. I smiled.
“What’s so funny, you bastard? Alice finally admitted that you screwed her, but said she only did it because she had watched you screw her sister. Nancy just admitted it, too. My husband’s on the club managing committee, and as soon as I tell him, we’re going to get you fired and charge you with rape!”
“Get real, Mrs. Sharmon! I didn’t rape either of your daughters, and you know it. And you truly don’t want to get me fired.”
“Really? Why the hell not? Give me one good reason!”
“Actually I have several. Pictures.”
Mary looked really puzzled. “Pictures? What . . .”
“Yeah. In the first one, Richard Johnson has his little four-inch dick up the ass of his blonde secretary, and in the background you’re screaming your head off while you fuck Bob Hamilton. In another one, Richard has his dick up YOUR ass, Bob’s is in your cunt, and your mouth is covered with cum you’ve just sucked out of a third husband’s prick. In another one, you’re licking the blonde secretary’s cunt while Richard . . .”
Mary had turned pale. “STOP IT!” She screamed. In a softer voice she asked, “Where did you see those?”
“I have a complete set.” I lied. “Maybe I should make some copies and send them to the members of the country club. I imagine some of the spouses would be interested in the various activities of their mates. It might even cause some divorces and paternity suits, but what the hell. I mean, does your husband know that his daughters are just following the slutty example of their mother? I don’t remember seeing him in the pictures!”
Mary’s face was now bright red with anger. “If you try to blackmail me with those pictures I’ll . . . ”
“Not blackmail, Mrs. Sharmon. Retaliation if you get me fired. If I were into blackmail, I’d make you fuck me. Right here. Right now. Maybe get your daughters back so all three of you could take turns.”
Mary stood and glared at me for several seconds. I continued. “How about I just send you a set and you can show Alice and Nancy all the interesting ways their mother has found to have a good time? Maybe Jack would be interested, too. You’re really very versatile with both men and women!”
“FUCK YOU!” Mary shouted, and she turned and stomped out the gate.
Just before she got to her car, I called out to her, “Hey Mary! Why don’t you give me a call when Jack’s away and we’ll see if you’re as good in bed as your daughters are!”
Mary stopped, turned, and with an ugly, sneering face, gave me the finger. I laughed for the first time in a long time.
I knew that Connie hadn’t told Richard that she knew about his collection of pictures, so they were almost certainly still where he had hidden them. I’d found them and Connie had seen them, but she didn’t want to break up her own marriage. I decided I’d take a camera the next time I went to Connie’s and I’d secretly make copies of everything. I’d just pulled off a colossal bluff, but Mary might get smart and demand proof that I really did have copies of the pictures. If so, I intended to have them.
It suddenly occurred to me that I had just behaved a lot like Doris and Karen. The thought didn’t make me feel good at all. But I was still going to copy those dammed, fucking pictures.
The following Monday was my birthday. I turned twenty-three, and I got a letter from Europe. My excitement quickly disappeared when I saw it was from Doris, not Angie. It was succinct. “You did your part well. Leave it alone.” Enclosed were receipts for two deposit slips to my meager savings account. Each was for $5,000, dated on two consecutive days, presumably to avoid the $10,000 amount that triggered criminal investigations. I was truly just a piece of meat to her. I kept watching the mail, but nothing ever came from Angie. I was certain that Doris saw to that.
In a final, futile gesture to the memory of the Angie whom I still loved but who was probably being corrupted by her mother, I gave the money to charity. I wondered if Doris would show Angie the videotape of Bud getting gang-raped in jail. I was almost certain she would. It would help Angie understand what men really meant to women, at least to women in their family.
That birthday Monday afternoon I went up to the pool at a time when I was supposed to be off-duty, and I walked into the pump room to the sight of a completely naked Katrina. It was the third time that summer that this had happened. She just stared at me but didn’t cover herself. I said, “Excuse me, Kat. I didn’t mean to intrude.” I turned and walked out. Seeing her naked body almost knocked me out of my depression.
The fact that my penis didn’t even twitch at the sight of her incredible body was perhaps the best measure of the depth of my anguish about losing Angie. But it also made me think about Angie, how she smelled, how she tasted, and how she held nothing back. As I remembered making love to Angie, I suddenly felt tears running down my face, again.
Behind me Katrina called out, “Don, you stupid bastard!” I smiled and stopped crying. I knew Katrina was probably right. In a matter of days I was to find out just how right she really was!
Continued in Poolside Ch. 04 Pt. 1