Chapter 53
“You’re just a baby.”
Peering around the bathroom door, completely nude, Lucas shouted, “Mrs. Bentley, I’m outta the shower.”
“Okay,” Marla said. “I’m coming.” Moments later, she knocked. Lucas cracked the door just wide enough for her to hand him a pair of black swimming trunks. “When you’re decent, come out to the patio. You can have your pie and ice cream out there.”
“Okay, ma’am.”
“Call me Marla, Lucas,” she said. “We’re down to earth. Having lots of money and white skin isn’t necessarily synonymous with bigotry.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lucas said, unsure of what she’d said.
“Don’t take too long, okay? The ice cream will melt.”
Lucas slid his long, muscular legs through each opening of the trunks, then tied the string tightly. Looking in the mirror, he made an Atlas pose and smiled at himself. A few moments later, he pulled back the curtains and looked at the pool. He saw Marla wearing a two-piece bathing suit and got an immediate erection.
When Marla heard the patio doors open, she turned around and looked at his bronzed body. Her eyes dropped to his bulging crotch. She took a deep drag of her cigarette and blew out smoke rings.
Lucas couldn’t help staring at her in that hot pink bathing suit, which showed off her vivacious curves. When he saw her staring at his stiff shaft, he sat down quickly, picked up his fork and dug into the pie and ice cream. To his surprise, the pie was still warm. He could feel Marla staring at him behind those dark shades he’d seen Marilyn Monroe wearing.
“Aren’t you going to have some, Marla?”
“No, Lucas. When a woman reaches my age, she has to be careful what she eats.”
Lucas opened his mouth to ask her how old she was, then quickly changed his mind, remembering the lesson Sadie had taught him earlier that morning. Marla recognized his desire to ask a question and invited it.
“Don’t be afraid to ask me whatever’s on your mind,” she said, feeling in control.
“That’s okay, Marla,” Lucas said shyly.
“Don’t be coy,” she said, sure of herself. “If you want something from a woman, you have to be courageous. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
Lucas shrugged his shoulders and continued eating without looking at her.
“Look at me, Lucas.”
He stopped eating and looked Marla in the face. He couldn’t see her eyes and it made him a little nervous. She took off her sunglasses and watched how his boyish face revealed his desire to have her.
“Do you think I’m pretty, Lucas?”
Embarrassed, Lucas lowered his eyes. He felt like she could see right through him.
“Well, do you?” Marla repeated.
“Yes,” he said reluctantly.
“And I bet you wanna know how old I am, don’t you?”
He nodded.
“I’m thirty-eight.”
Lucas opened his mouth to say something again, then quickly closed it.
“Don’t worry about it, Lucas,” Marla said. “You’re probably thinking I’m old. You should know that women are like fine wine. We get better with age.”
He nodded his head and finished off the rest of his pie and ice cream. He couldn’t help looking at her, wondering what it would be like to recklessly thrust himself inside.
“Would you like some more pie and ice cream?”
“No, thank you,” he said, lying.
“So, how old are you, Lucas? Twenty-two, twenty-three?”
“Seventeen.”
“You’re just a baby,” she said, grinning. “Tell me, are you a virgin?”
Feeling like he had to prove that he was a man, he said, “No. I’ve had plenty of girls.”
“Plenty, huh?”
“Yeah, plenty.”
“Any of them women? Or were they all little girls who have yet to understand their own sexuality?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean have they all been teenagers? Have you had a woman my age yet? I can teach you the art of making love and make you a strong yet sensitive lover. Would you be interested in learning how to make love to a real woman?”
“Marla, I already have a girl,” he said, doing his best to resist the temptation to accept her offer. “Besides, Napoleon is my friend. He gave me a job and everything.”
“Napoleon is your friend? That’s a laugh. Napoleon doesn’t have any friends. He uses people to get whatever he wants. One day it’s going to catch up with him.”
Stunned and confused, Lucas wondered about their relationship. Napoleon was rude to her right in front of him, and Marla obviously had no respect for him. Yet, they were man and wife. It made no sense.
“I know you want me, Lucas,” Marla said, interrupting his thoughts. “When you change your mind—and believe me, you will—I’ll be available.”
Having no idea how to respond to such an offer, he asked, “Is it okay if I take a swim now?”