The Woman Aroused
Ed Lacy
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Principal Characters
GEORGE JACKSON
Since splitting up with his wife, he had seen her occasionally but then he met Lee—and no other woman would do!
He came to George with $7,000. When he died George didn't know what to do with the money—or Henry's wife either!
Tall, voluptuous. Next to her Lady Godiva looked like the winner of a baby contest. But no man could unlock the secret she kept from the world!
George's retired neighbor. He played poker to win money and loved to look into his neighbor's windows. He gave his age as reason enough for both forms of indulgence.
Worked for same company as George. A middle-aged Romeo, he got quite a shock when his son came home from overseas and acted just like him!
Joe's son. His father had planned for him to
to college when he was discharged but the Army had taught Walt a lot, and he was changed now, changed into a wise guy—with angles!
George's estranged wife. She saw him every now and then and they tried to start over, but when Lee came into the picture, her chances sank to a new low!
Chapter 1
I'M GEORGE JACKSON.
And this began about the time when you could still remember getting on the subway for a nickel, people were just starting to worry about the water shortage, and the current expression making the rounds was, “How corny can you get?” “How great can one be?” and the like. I know it sounds insane
I knew it was a Sunday morning when Flo walked out on me, and it must have been near the first of the month, because we only got together when I gave her the rent from the house. Flo was (and is) my ex-wife, and we were as much in love with each other as we could be—but that wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough—we once split up arguing as to whether a certain brand of Haitian rum was dark brown or yellow. But don't think we weren't in love.
That Saturday night we started fighting over a cup of coffee and a couple of bucks. It was after midnight and we'd seen two crummy pictures at some 86th Street theatre, if one can call a neighborhood movie house a theatre. Flo and I were “trying it again”—for a few days we had been enjoying one of our periodic reunions, complete with much kissing, tears, and a good deal of genuine love.
It was early Spring, about March, and I remember it was cold and brisk as we walked down Lexington Avenue. I was trying to remember which newsstands were open late, so I could buy a Sunday paper. Flo was dressed in an ankle-length red coat with a high collar that almost went over her head. She was wearing gold ballerina slippers, and I think she was hiding her upper lip that night. Flo had nice full lips but she used lipstick as a disguise, shaping her lips the way she thought they
“We'll make coffee at home.”
“Too much bother,” she said, pointing to a coffee pot that didn't look too clean. “Let's duck in here.”
“You're certainly wearing the correct outfit for a greasy spoon.”
She gave me a mock bow. “Knew you'd finally appreciate this coat—took me two days of begging before I could even buy it. If you like, we can go back to one of the better places on 86th.”
We were at 80th Street and I was damned if I'd walk back in all that cold—not to mention the fact I only had about twenty dollars to last the week. I said, “I'm broke.”
