He left the room, slamming the door behind him. At the noise, the slow, steady snoring from the room across the hall fractured into a series of little hiccups and stopped. Good. Why should that sonofabitch sleep when
He got a sheet of paper from the sleepy attendant at the reception desk and wrote, “Oliver—Call me
“See that he gets this the minute he arrives.”
“Check,” the attendant said.
“Even before he registers.”
“Right.”
Marks formed his lips into a thin, tight line. “This is of the first order of magnitude,” he said.
“I hear you, I hear you,” the attendant said.
Marks glared at him a moment longer, then turned on his heel and went home for a few hours of hard-earned sleep.
Gideon was awakened by a gentle nuzzling high up between his shoulder blades. He lay on his side with Janet pressed close behind him, her hand resting on his hip, her soft belly against the base of his back, her knees fitting comfortably into the hollows behind his own.
So had he awakened peacefully with Nora on a thousand mornings. Nora… A black shadow of grief and despair darkened his mind suddenly. His stomach twisted, and a violent shudder ran across his back from one shoulder to the other.
“Oh oh, it’s awake, folks. Better stand back,” Janet said, snuggling in even closer and moving her lips softly over his shoulders.
The black shadow passed on.
Gideon closed his eyes again and sighed. “Ah, Janet, how good you feel.”
“Boy, do I ever,” she said. She moved her hand to his chest— the touch excited him—and she pressed him still more tightly to her. “Mmm, I’m glad you have a hairy chest.”
“Not always. I just wear it with girls who like truck drivers.” He was sorry as soon as he said it and twisted to face her. He placed his fingertips on her mouth. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was stupid. I’m glad you like me, Janet. I don’t think you have any idea how glad.”
He took his hand from her lips and softly stroked her cheek. She lay still, watching him with glowing eyes. Her hair was tousled and her cheeks a little flushed. Something made Gideon’s breath catch in his throat. He kissed her softly on the lips, a long, serene, relaxed kiss, with both their heads resting easily on her pillow.
This was getting serious. If he didn’t watch out, he was going to find himself right up to his ears in a Meaningful Relationship, and with an odd female of whom he barely approved, if at all. Somehow, the prospect failed to repel him.
Her hand had stayed at his chest and now began to lightly caress his nipple. He leaned toward her and kissed her again, harder this time, and stroked her long, solid thighs.
She caught his hand and lifted it to her lips. “Don’t get me excited. We don’t have time for that stuff.”
“It’s six o’clock in the morning,” he said plaintively. “And it’s Saturday.”
“We’re going on the faculty Rhine cruise. They do it every year, with whoever’s in town. I guess I forgot to mention it.”
“Janet, I hate stuff like that—”
“I know, but I have to go. I’m on the administrative staff, remember, and Dr. Rufus likes all of us to be there. I just figured that you’d want to come along, so I booked a place. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Well, I haven’t seen the Rhine yet, but the idea of a group cruise—”
“It isn’t, really. They’ve just reserved thirty places on one of the regular Rhine steamers from Rudesheim.”
“How do we get to Rudesheim?”
“Most of the others are going up on an army bus, but we’re driving up with John and Marti in their car.”
“Who are they?”
“John Lau.”
“John’s married?”
“Sure. You’ll like Marti. She’s really off the wall.”
“Do you know, I had no idea he was married?” It made Gideon feel vaguely guilty that he had never even asked. Had his relationship with John been as one-sided as that? “Okay,” he said, “sounds good. I’m game ”
“Great. We have to meet them at the Admin Building in half an hour. Let’s go.” She kissed him with a loud smack: the perfunctory sort of kiss shared by people who have kissed many times before and know that many more will follow. Then she reached down and gave his genitals an amiable little jiggle—as if she were scratching a friendly dog behind the ears—and jumped from the bed.
Gideon liked the possessiveness and indulgence implied by the gesture. Meaningful Relationships aside, he had wondered whether he would ever again share with any woman the comfortableness he was beginning to feel with this one.
