tearing them up, flushed them down the toilet in the bathroom.
A moment later she put herself under the shower and washed off the sweat from Tom's heated lovemaking, feeling greatly relieved. She was in the middle of soaping herself when the telephone began to ring. She cursed the instrument silently. It might wake him up and there would be a scene. She had hoped to dress and get out of the apartment before he had awakened.
She let the phone ring, hoping the caller would give up finally and call later. But to her annoyance the phone continued to ring and ring and ring. Perhaps it was Ruth who knew she must be home. But why would Ruth call. She was supposed to be under the dryer at her hairdresser's this morning and would not be finished for at least another hour or so.
After the fifteenth ring, her heart sank. The damned fool, whoever it was, would simply not give up. He or she was going to keep ringing the damned number forever. Well to hell with them whoever they were. She dressed in a kind of feverish panic and had just got her shoes on when she beard Tom Leonard answer the phone sleepily.
'Hello?' Tom's voice drawled over a large yawn. 'Yes just a minute… I'll get her.'
Mara came out of her bedroom just as he began to enter it. 'Call for you, darling,' he said. 'It sounds like a student.'
Mara picked up the instrument and spoke cautiously. 'Hello, Miss Blake?'
'Yes. Who is this?'
'Patty… Patty O'Hare,' a girlish voice responded… 'I hope I'm not bothering you?'
'No no… it's all right. What can I do for you?'
Patty hesitated… 'Well actually I'm just around the comer and I-I have a very important personal problem… I was wondering if you could spare me a few minutes… To kind of talk it over.'
For a moment Mara hesitated. She bad no desire to put up with Patty's confessions about a thwarted romance or some school matter right now.
'Well, can't it wait till Monday dear?' she asked.
'I don't think so. It's… well I'm in a kind of emotional dither about it,… And I haven't been able to eat or sleep for days… If you could just spare me a little time… '
Mara was silent for a moment as she stared alternately at the telephone and then at Tom Leonard's rooster-like triumphant grin.
'Of course if you don't have the time I guess it can wait till Monday,' Patty was saying. She sounded very disappointed.
Mara suddenly realized that the girl represented an opportunity to get rid of. Tom now that he was awake. It was an excuse to ask him to leave.
'No… no that's okay. Give me about fifteen minutes dear and then come up. I'd be delighted to talk to you about your problem. That's what I'm here for. To help my students.'
When she hung up, she turned to Tom, hoping he had overheard everything and would understand.
'That was Patty O'Hare, one of my girls. She has a problem… Would you mind?'
He shook his head. 'Not at all. I'm through,'… He paused 'for now anyway.'
That had an ominous ring to it but she decided to ignore it. 'Thank you Tom. You're very understanding.'
He grinned as he put on his jacket and then his grin vanished as he felt his inner pocket.
'Where are those photos, dear?'
She did not answer him.
He shrugged. 'No matter. I still have the negatives. You'll be hearing from me honey. And soon. I have a voracious sexual appetite.'
Chapter 12
Tom had barely slipped out the door, it seemed to Mara, when Patty knocked on the door. She realized that the girl must have been waiting in the hall.
'Were you outside just now?' Mara asked her apprehensively.
'You mean did I see Mr. Leonard leave?' Patty asked smiling. 'Yes I did. Why?'
'Mr. Leonard was here to discuss some charity drive project he wants me to help him with,' Mara said hurriedly.
Patty's eyes surveyed her with an intensity that disturbed her. The girl had an odd quality about her, Mara thought. She was reminded again of her instinctive feeling that the girl was gay.
'Sit down, Patty.'
The girl sat down demurely, her eyes fixed on Mara. 'Would you like some candy?' Mara asked, uncomfortable under the student's fixed stare.
Patty shook her head quickly.
Mara sat down next to the thin, lanky girl.
'What's bothering you dear? What is this problem you wanted to discuss.'
Patty squirmed a little. 'It's hard to tell you.'
'Please you can tell me anything dear.'
Patty hesitated a long while and then blurted it out, 'I guess this sounds crazy… but I'm in love.'
Mara smiled understandingly and patted Patty's hand.
'Why that's marvelous. Why should that bother you. How old are you?'
'Eighteen,' Patty frowned. 'I told you before.'
'Sorry. I forgot,' Mara said. She felt a great deal more relieved now that she knew what it was all about. She had had all the unpleasant surprises she could take that day.
When Patty O'Hare did not answer her next questions, Mara assumed the girl was too nervous to discuss her emotional turmoil. She took the girl's hand in her own.
'Now come on Patty. It's just the two of us. You can let your hair down and have some honest girl talk with me. I'm really not that much older than you, you know. You can be utterly frank and open with me. I'll respect your confidences.'
Patty nodded gratefully.
'Think of me as your friend, dear. A friend you can really trust,' Mara went on softly, wanting to release the seemingly frightened girl from her uptightness.
'I know Mara dear. I know,' Patty said. 'I felt that the first day I met you at the picnic. I felt so close to you. But you hurt me by sending me away. I was trying to be nice and friendly and you just sent me off.'
Mara was suddenly aware, and in a disturbing way, that the student's tone had changed. It now bore an unmistakable tone of rancor. Mara was at a loss to understand her.
'I don't understand Patty… I just had to be alone that afternoon. I was upset by what Mr., Leonard did… I suppose it was just a silly thing… an accident. I think he didn't really mean to, but I had to be alone, so I asked you to leave. There was nothing personal in my doing that dear.'
'You weren't alone for long,' Patty said tersely.
Mara blushed. 'What-what do you mean. I was… I just lay there and tried to think things out.'
Patty's tone now expressed not only rancor but sarcasm.
'You lay there and let Ruth Peter suck your pussy,' she said flatly. 'Please don't bother to deny it. I was there watching…'
Mara's heart sank. Oh no, she thought. This isn't happening again. First Joe Mills, then Tom Leonard and now Patty O'Hare. How many others had spied on them that afternoon?
'You were mistaken in what you saw,' Mara tried to say. But the words sounded very unconvincing.
Patty repeated some of the dialogue she had overheard. Mara knew it was hopeless to deny anything to the girl.
'What are you going to do?' Mara asked frightenedly.
Patty took Mara's hand and kissed it. 'Darling I don't want to do anything to hurt you or Ruth… But I'm… well
