-one-
I got undressed, climbed into bed, turned the light out and tried to go to sleep. It wouldn't work. I kept thinking about her, how it all started, and the worst part, how it all finished. No, don't think about that, I told myself, think about making love to her, think about the sweet times.
But that only made it tougher to sleep, and it was no use not trying to think about her at all, no matter how hard I tried. I was all alone with her again in a dark motel room.
Joan Lennox. There, I'd done it, let myself say her full name. I started getting a hard-on thinking about her. I felt my cock getting harder and harder against the sheets, the damn shaft was straight up.
How long ago was it that she had stopped ignoring me? When had it first happened? Not the second time Lennox was in the hospital. No, it was the first time, in Pittsburgh, when he'd busted a couple of ribs. I went to see him and she was there in the room with him.
"Scott, I don't think you've ever met. This is my wife, Joan."
I looked at her, straight into those big blue eyes that just went on looking right through me.
"Oh, I think we've met," I said. "The team party."
"I don't remember," she said.
"How's it going?" I asked Lennox.
"Hell, I'll play in a week. Flying back tonight?"
I nodded and looked at Joan. I didn't expect to see her here. I figured she'd be back in Minneapolis with all the other Viking wives. Lennox must have seen my puzzled look because he said: "Joan's folks live just out of Pittsburgh, in Chatsworth, so she flew down for the game."
"How nice," I said.
"It was," she said. There was an edge in her voice.
"Ah, come on, honey," said Lennox. "I'm only in the hospital overnight."
"I know. I know," she said. "Then next month you'll be in again."
"Lay off," Lennox said in a weary voice.
"He'll be okay," I told her and she turned her face away and looked out the window while Lennox and I started talking about the game. We'd won 13-10, using screen passes to set up the running game, but Lennox had dropped a couple flare passes and I thought we better iron out the matter now, even if he were in the hospital.
"What was the trouble?" I asked. "You never drop that ball on a flare pass."
He looked away, ashamed, like I'd stuck a knife in him.
"Well, think about it," I said. "Stiff fingers?" "No, they're okay. Maybe I was just pressing."
"Hell, you've caught that flare too many times to press."
He shook his head and I saw his wife glance at him and then quickly look away.
"Forget it," I said. I looked at my watch. "I better get going. Have to check out and catch the plane."
I picked up the telephone and dialed for a taxi.
"Send a cab to -" I started to say when Lennox reached across to the stand, put his hand down on the phone and cut the connection.
"Save your money," he said. "Joan's got her father's car. She'll give you a lift."
I raised both hands to protest the offer.
"I'll be happy to," she said.
I damn near fell over. I know I blinked I was so damn astonished. I looked at her, but she didn't bat an eyelash. Just looked at me with that cool smile and said, "Really, no trouble at all."
She rose, leaned over the bed, kissed Lennox on the cheek and then on the lips, but it wasn't much of a kiss, not quite a peck, but not a real deep kiss, either, kind of a routine warm peck.
What the hell, I thought, maybe that beautiful body's frozen. Maybe that's why he's dropping passes. His old lady's got her legs crossed. All that body and She didn't say anything on the elevator going downstairs. Nor did I. She got in behind the wheel and I got in beside and told her the name of the motel but she knew it anyway. I thought it might break the ice, but the freeze was so deep in the car I thought it was February in Minnesota. She just nodded her head and we went tooling along the freeway, both of us looking straight ahead.
That beautiful ass and tits, I thought, and she's an iceberg. Ah, to hell with the bitch. I'd break her ice.
"I understand you won a lot of contests here down east before you were married," I said.
"What contests?" Her voice was cold, harsh, bitter.
"Miss Glacier of the Decade," I said.
"Don't be funny!" she said in a furious voice. "Don't you try to be funny with me for one second!"
"The guy's got busted ribs and maybe a concussion and you kiss him like he had a skin disease."
"A lot you know!" she said. Her-voice filled with cold rage.
"No wonder he drops flare passes."
"Shut up!"
"I know the type," I said. "Thinks her ass is Baked Alaska and we all ought to come running with spoons."
"Shut up!" she screamed, and lashed out with her right hand and back handed me across the mouth with her wrist. I tasted blood.
She was weaving all over the freeway and everybody in Pittsburgh was honking at her. I grabbed the wheel and she grabbed it back and steered us back into the lane where we belonged.
"If you want to commit suicide, I'll take a cab," I said.
"You and your big mouth."
"You and your frozen tits and ass. No wonder your husband's dropping easy passes."