Sultan watched with keen interest as his golden-haired mistress flitted about the shabby apartment, continuously humming a pleasant little tune as she busied herself. Her pretty face seemed bright, more so than he had seen it in a long time. It pleased him when she was this way, and he lay down in his favorite corner where he could observe her every move.
Carol could never remember being happier in her life! She felt as if she were floating about in a dream world too beautiful and impossible to be real. She knew it was real, yet she had to keep pinching herself to make certain she was awake. She was in love, not the Jonny Gains type of superficial love, but deep emotional love that was vibrantly alive inside her young body every single instant, even while she'd slept, and she knew with all of her heart that Mark Cannon felt the same! What a joy it had been to burst out of bed this morning, her brain saturated with the memories of her magnificent new lover!
Even the apartment had suddenly taken on a glow of splendor for her, and she realized that it was all because they had shared such an enchanting evening there last night, finding each other, then making breathtaking love, the likes of which she had only dared dream of. Oh, what a great life they were going to have together, and the thrills ahead in just the planning of it! He would come tonight, her darling and his beautiful Queenie, to begin discussing those plans and to set a date for their wedding, and she wanted everything neat and perfect for him.
She would have a report to give him too. Already there had been four young men and a girl who'd rung Ed White's buzzer, stayed only a matter of minutes, then left. It was difficult to see their faces without opening her door wide, but what she had seen of them, she'd tried to mentally record, so that she would know them if they came back.
Carol smiled to herself. How determined Mark had been about her not having any part in this business, whatever it was. But when she'd stomped her foot, insisting that she wouldn't have it any other way if he was going to carry on with it, he'd finally given in, hugging her and begging her to be careful. She'd loved that, but surprisingly enough, she was intrigued with the whole idea more than the slightest bit frightened. After all, she was perfectly safe in doing a little peeking; besides, she had Sultan to protect her. And, speaking of that handsome darling, he should be out in the backyard getting some exercise!
'Would you like to go outside, Sully baby?' Carol cooed at him, walking over and bending down to pet his massive head. God, she couldn't forget the delicious sensual pleasure he had brought her either, when there had been no one else but the two of them. Her faithful and gallant protector… with love-brimming eyes… she wondered if he was jealous? Did dogs of his brainy caliber know that bitter human emotion? She hoped not because she loved him so much, and she'd never, never knowingly hurt him. And then, it struck her that perhaps his canine affections had suddenly been transferred toward Queenie! Could that be?
'Do… do you like Queenie?' Carol heard herself ask, surprised at the resentful feeling she abruptly felt. He had gotten to his feet, and she kissed him between the eyes, holding his big head between her small hands. His tail wagged, but was it in response to her affection or the sound of Queenie's name? 'Y-You wouldn't let anyone take Carol's place… would you, darling? She's always going to need you. We've been through so much together… I'd be lost without you, baby… and… and we'll still have out secret times, I promise! So don't you run off after some new girl friend and desert me. Promise? Do you? Well, promise…'
The towering German shepherd with ears erect and tail waving excitedly, barked then and Carol kissed him again before straightening up, satisfied that she hadn't lost the loyal attachment of her animal-darling. 'All right, lover, come on, Mama's going to let you outside for a while, but you just remember your promise, eh?'
Closing the back door behind him, the happy, blonde-haired girl remembered that she had yet to shower and dress. She had hopped out of bed to the warm, California sunshine filled with an exuberance which had left her spinning. Tossing a housecoat over her nakedness, she had almost danced toward the small kitchen to make coffee, and, after a quick breakfast, had begun preparing for Mark's visit, which was at least twelve hours away! She had been and still was that happy! But it was time for a shower…
The faint sound of the door buzzer in the next apartment interrupted her thoughts. Momentarily, Carol enjoyed the thrill of excitement rippling upward over her naked curves beneath the housecoat. It was like a movie or TV play, and she was the secret agent! And it was for real, too, for the department was going to pay for her, Mark had said. But it was so simple, and hardly dangerous, she thought, gliding toward her front door and silently opening it to catch a quick glimpse of the teenage girl with the long brown hair. She couldn't be over seventeen, and dressed so cutely… Then, she disappeared inside and Carol waited with her door still cracked open… waited for perhaps three to five minutes before the enticing young girl left, walking flippantly toward the building's front entrance. She closed her door and dashed to the front window to see the teenager climb into an expensive sports car driven by a long-haired boy. She watched them speed off, at the same time mentally recording the license number and wheeling away to find pencil and paper… Mark had never expected her to be that alert!
Carol hurried in the shower, hopeful that she wasn't missing any of Ed White's callers. With a haphazard toweling, she dried herself, caught up her negligee hanging behind the bathroom door and hustled toward the living room. She went to the front window, saw nothing unusual to arouse her, then, for a moment, concentrated on the windows of the fourth floor across the way. Behind them, her darling Mark was doing whatever he did this time of day! God! How she loved him, and very, very soon she would be doing anything and everything for him…
Her own buzzer jarred the reverie so warmly sweeping over her. Carol stiffened upright, trying to tie the sound into something familiar. Peggy was gone! Was it Mark? She might have missed him walking into the building if she'd gotten to the window too late… Who else? It sounded again, more pressing this time. She wished she'd kept Sultan inside with her as she walked toward the door…
His foot came against it in a blocking barrier the moment Carol drew the door a few inches inward! The first thing she saw was his grin, the invariable cold chill coiling up her spine at the sight! Reflexively, she leaned her weight against the door, but she couldn't close it!
'Good morning, Miss Dorsett,' Ed White spoke through a leer.
'Wh-What do you want?' Carol managed, drawing the folds of her sheer negligee tighter together and trying to shield her thinly covered breasts with her arms as she desperately attempted to force the door closed, her whole body tensing with fear at his resistance!
'Just a little chat, lady,' he said, applying his powerful weight and easily pushing the door, and her, inward!
Carol fell back, one hand dropping to modestly clutch at the wispy covering she had ridiculously answered the door in, endeavoring to hide what she knew was visible through the see-through garment while her other arm and hand feebly tried to do the same over her full breasts. By then, the big, white-haired man had crowded into her living room and was closing the door behind him… and locking it! He continued to leer at her, his lead-gray eyes raking over her near-nakedness with open lechery. His tongue appeared to lick at his lips and then… in one fast glance, Carol even thought she could see his penis stir in the front of his dirty pants…!
'J-Just what do you think you're doing?' she shot at him, fighting to keep the frightened quiver from her voice. 'Get out of here this instant…!'
'Keep cool, baby… you and me have to talk!' he hissed at her, his mean eyes lewdly running up and down her nearly exposed young curves. 'You've been clocking my friends since seven this morning… and that ain't kosher. Could it be that you're working with Mr. Fuzz… like that blind creep across the street?' He laughed a harsh, grating sound. 'Surprise you, doll? You think old Ed don't know what's going on… like you meeting with him in the park yesterday and him coming here last night?' Again he chortled. 'For the record, Miss Dorsett, I've had that blind crumb pegged for weeks… but now, you've entered the game… and you're too close for comfort, as the saying goes!'
It was long seconds before the blunt meaning of his words took their full, stunning effect on Carol, though she realized that regardless of what he had said she would have been terrified, she so feared and detested the brutish man. But he had specifically mentioned Mark, and from that moment on her growing fright was for him, her own situation hardly mattering. Her brain raced as the protective instincts of her newborn love reared up in defense, and she said with a cold, steady voice: 'I don't know what you're trying to get at, Mr. White, but so far you've said nothing but a lot of gibberish! If you're referring to Mr. Cannon, he is a friend and nothing more! And… and that's all I have to say to you, now get out of here before… before I turn Sultan loose on you!'
Ed White grinned without moving. 'You're a spunky little bitch, ain't you? But you're wasting your breath,
