finally flushed confusion as quickly he shuffled through the lewd prints of his precious niece engaged in wild, salacious sex with two vile looking hippies like some common street trollop.
'Enlightening, aren't they, Judge? Nice and clear, too… No difficulty in determining the identity of the girl… although I wouldn't have any idea who the dregs are that she's fucking and sucking… would you?'
For a moment, Dianne thought he might burst. His face was flushed tomato-red and his breathing was coming in short, heavy gasps. She sat back in her chair once more, watching him calmly reveling in the descriptive filth she had spat at him.
'Wh-Where did you get these?' he snapped, his voice quivering.
Dianne smiled. 'That's not the important issue, Judge… the fact is, that I have them… and intend to use them, if necessary.'
He stared at her, vicious hatred distorting his already grotesque face. 'You bitch!' he spat venomously. 'You unscrupulous whore, you…!'
Dianne couldn't help but toss back her pretty head in laughter. She said: 'Bitch…? Whore…? Perhaps, you're right… but unscrupulous…? Isn't that kind of like the pot calling the kettle black… your honor?'
He gaped at her, then slowly seemed to relax into his massive flab, his head sinking down into his shoulders like a tortoise pulling partially into its shell. He sighed heavily, then began mumbling almost as if to himself.
'I-I can't believe it… always such a sweet, shy girl…' He fumbled through the pictures again, and momentarily Dianne thought she detected a glint of lust flickering in his unpredictable eyes, only to disappear then return in alternating fashion. 'I-I just can't believe it… such filthy looking animals… fucking and sucking them… Christ… look at her face… the little slut…' Suddenly, he raised his eyes and said: 'Blackmail, eh? Either I endorse the Senator or you turn these over to a newspaper or magazine… is that it?'
Dianne's eyes narrowed. 'Precisely, Judge… and I would doubt that such publicity would help your 'Kingly' position, or the party's nominee.'
'What makes you so sure that personal scandal would have any effect politically?' he shot at her.
'I'm not sure… but I'm willing to gamble, Judge… are you?'
Once more, he sighed. Finally, he said: 'No… I'm not… and you counted on that, didn't you, bitch?'
Dianne smiled triumphantly. 'Of course I counted on it. I was as sure of it as I am that Mark will be the next Governor.' Slowly, she arose, her chin high, her face a mask of vindictive hatred. 'And you will endorse him, Judge Reed… tonight.'
He stared at her. 'You… you give me little choice, Mrs. Coleman,' he said, his voice reminding her of a snake hissing. She shuddered inwardly. 'But remember… be on your guard, my dear… this is only a skirmish… not the battle.'
Dianne couldn't help but tremble openly at his warning. She knew that he witnessed her fear and angrily she struck back at him. 'Every since you first used my body for your loathsome depravities I've despised you… you repulsive gargoylish freak! I swore I'd get back at you, and I have. But this is only the beginning! I'll break you before I'm finished. I'll see you squealing for mercy like the mountain of pus that you are! You hear me, Judge Reed? I'm going to destroy you!'
'Get out, pig! Get out of here before I change my mind and rid the world of another broken down, two-bit slut!' he snarled at her. 'Just one thing… I want those negatives and prints up here by tomorrow morning, you understand?'
Dianne had reached the door. She turned. 'You do your part tonight and you'll have the negatives in the morning. Otherwise, every expose newspaper and magazine in the country will have them. Do you understand?'
'I understand, you fucking pig! Now, get out!'
'Freak!' she spat.
'Get out! Get out! Get out, you fucking whore!' he screamed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The sun was high, streaming in the open draped hotel window at ten o'clock in the morning. Laurie awakened with a start, saw that the other half of the bed had been slept in and was deserted. She sat up quickly, her head immediately beginning to spin. Slowly, she dropped it back to the pillow and lay deathly still to keep it from falling off.
My God, what was wrong with her; she was so dizzy? Again, she looked over at the empty space beside her. Phillip had come in while she slept and left without awakening her. She had no idea what time he'd come home, where he'd been, or where he'd gotten to now… Of course… he had to be someplace in the hotel… politics… with Uncle Julian, she would guess… Good Lord! How had she herself gotten home? She remembered none of it. She looked down at herself; she was naked, but for the life of her she couldn't recall undressing or anything after… after…
Oh, my dear God! It came back to her in bits and pieces… scraps of indelible, lewd scenes racing through her whirling brain… names and faces… Stones, Morgan, bearded and chinless… Mark Coleman… with she, her own self, in the middle, a human receptacle for their lust… My God, it couldn't be! It was a dream… a nightmare! But her body ached so… She touched her breasts with her hands, moving them carefully over the round full mounds of flesh… Oohhhh… so tender. She smoothed her hands down across her stomach, spreading her thighs slightly as she explored the sensitive lips of her vagina. Again, she moaned at the slight bruises her tenderly probing fingers discovered; the slippery sperm of strangers still oozing from the tight, inflamed mouth of her passage wetly covered her fingertips. It was no dream… it had actually happened!
A feeling of deep, cheapening shame immediately overwhelmed her. She rolled her face into the pillow and began to sob as more and more, the lewd, adulterous revelry she had participated in only hours before began to vividly present itself to mind in graphic, licentious detail.
Oh dear God, dear God! What happened to me? I was no better than an animal… wanting those vile, filthy men to perform their depraved acts on me… and I loved it… wanted it! Ooohhhh… what will happen if Phillip finds out? My God, I'm nothing but a slut… a wanton bitch! I don't deserve him… I don't! He'll leave me if he ever learns the truth; I'm sure of that… and then nothing will matter anymore… He mustn't find out… he mustn't! I'll go to Mark Coleman and beg him… I'll do anything he asks… only Phillip must never find out! Got to get out of this bed… go to Mark… beg him… anything…!
She sat up slowly, swinging her feet out to the floor, holding her head between her hands, desperately trying to focus her eyes on particular objects. Nausea gripped her, but then passed. With an effort, she got to her feet and plodded stumblingly in her voluptuous nakedness toward the bathroom. A cold shower was what she needed. She had to get hold of herself… had to. Coffee… Shower first, then, have coffee sent up… Get to Mark Coleman as soon as possible… Yes, yes…
Phillip Gates moved in a semi-coma. He had slipped into bed beside his innocent young wife's sleeping figure after leaving another women with whom he had made passionate, animal-like love for hours, then away from her in the early light of day before she could question him. He couldn't face her. Really, outside of getting the preliminaries straightened around, there was no reason for long dialogue anyway. It was over between them; Laurie was too good for him. If he'd ever had any principles, he'd long since lost them. When this was over, the nomination settled, he would sit down with her, try to explain… then, disappear. Someplace, there had to be a life even for a heel like him…
'Phil, boy. I'll buy your breakfast,' Byron Acker said, leaning over his table not seconds after he'd seated himself and picked up the menu.
Phillip forced a smile. 'Sit down, Byron. Let me buy the next Governor his breakfast.'
Acker grinned and sat down. He was not an unattractive man with his graying temples, his wide, honest dark eyes and white toothsome smile. He was in his forties and had held a Rio Lado City Councilman position for a number of years. He'd had no aspirations toward the gubernatorial office until Judge Julian Reed tapped his
