The response to the beginning of my "Sheila" series was encouraging. However, most who left comments thought chapter 1 was too brief (which, to my mind, is a more favorable opinion than finding it was too long). In any case, the point is well taken. So for this segment, at one reader's suggestion, I have combined material from what was to appear in two chapters of my original plan into what I hope is a more acceptable length. (See there? Writers do occasionally listen to their commentators.)
To those readers who took exception to the reaction of my protagonist in seeing his wife degraded before his eyes, I can only say his arousal is in keeping with the ambiguous feelings I have given him at this point in the story. My hope is that I'll be able to make Tobe Lanscott more interesting and complex than just another angry avenger or another mere wimp.
"Sheila" is my attempt at a "hard-boiled" crime story, the kind that used to appear in pulp magazines (with an erotic slant, of course). In keeping with that style of writing, I've tried to move the story along largely through dialogue and action, and have accordingly minimized interjections, explanations and background.
In addition to the main plot idea -- a man tracking down his runaway wife -- I'm introducing several subplots in this installment and the next, all of which will be resolved in the last chapter. I'm a slow writer, so I hope "Searching for Sheila" will be of sufficient interest to earn your patience. Unlike my "Mrs. Sutton" series under the "mature" category, in which I intended each installment to be self-contained, in "Sheila" my intention is to present one continuous narrative.
I've been carrying this story around in my head for weeks, so I know where I'm going (I think). Anyway, I've found all comments, of whatever persuasion, to be helpful. Thanks for listening.
Beware
*
Three days later Lanscott was headed north to Piedmont, hardly hearing the rattles of his eight year old panel truck. To keep his mind from thoughts of Sheila, he went over the two jobs he had just completed - kitchen cabinets for the Suttons, and new paneling downstairs for the Cochrans. Both were routine jobs, but finishing them up occupied him the last couple of days, keeping his mind off where he was going and what he thought he had to do. And, yes, off those images of Sheila being ravished by Pharaoh and his men -- and seeming to enjoy it. He couldn't bring himself as yet to dwell on what he had felt while watching those images - that incongruous combination of anger, humiliation and undeniable arousal.
Approaching Piedmont, Tobe noticed changes in the landscape. Passing through flat farmland he entered an area of evident economic depression. He glanced at a drive-in that hadn't shown a movie in years. The front gates to a cavernous empty factory were padlocked. A strip mall was largely boarded up with grass growing in the parking lot. The large windows of a car dealership were smashed and its expansive lot empty. The road to Piedmont was bordered with busted dreams. And maybe that's what I'm bringing here, Tobe reflected -- a busted dream.
A mile or so from Piedmont's corporate limits, Tobe pulled into a motel which looked as though it might have been built about the time Nixon was resigning. It looked like another dream about to go bust. The man behind the counter seemed surprised he had a customer. He was pale and thin with cheeks sunken from missing teeth. His breath came at Tobe in equal amounts of alcohol, tobacco and a stale life.
" Where you from, buddy, if you don't mind me asking? "
" Ravensfield. "
" No kiddin'. And you're stopping here? You got friends around here? "
" Don't know a soul. But I heard if a man wanted to get laid he could do worse than come to Piedmont. "
The man grinned, revealing about as much space as teeth.
" Buddy, you got that right. Maybe I could help you out along those lines. What's your pleasure, if you don't mind me askin'? "
" Anything, as long as it involves a woman. " Tobe gave the man a broad wink. "My wife left me about a year ago, and I'm so dumb, I've been faithful to her ever since. "
" That's not only dumb, buddy, but downright unhealthy, if you don't mind me saying. A man's gotta get his horns trimmed regular, if you know what I mean. "
Tobe signed the coffee-stained ledger and put some money on the counter, saying, " You said you could be helpful. "
" Sure, buddy. But it'll cost you more than that. I get a hunerd up front myself. For my services, you understand. "
" No problem, " Tobe said and laid out more bills. The man looked down and then up at Tobe as if he hadn't seen that much money in one pile before.
" Hell, buddy. For that I can get you a real high class whore. "
Tobe wondered what passed for "high class" in Piedmont, and said, " That's what I'm looking for. "
" I'll give you the room at the far end. What time would you like company to drop by? "
" Say, about nine. "
" Nine it is, buddy. "
Tobe gathered up the bills, leaving enough for the room and the service fee.
" Hey, buddy. Where you goin' with that? I'll pay her. You can trust me. "
" I'm sure I can. But tonight I'll have the pleasure of paying the lady myself. "
The room wasn't exactly flea-bag material, but it was working on it. The air smelled as stale as the manager's breath. The single window wouldn't open and the air conditioner was about to end its feeble life. The bathroom looked as if it had been cleaned a week ago and the sheets replaced about the same time. Tobe pulled a bottle of whiskey from his back pack, poured a couple of fingers into a plastic cup and sat on the edge of the bed. He took a sip and once again considered what he was doing.
If this Pharaoh was into prostitution, as Redding had told him, the way to get information was possibly through one of his women, Tobe figured. It was likely that the woman being procured by the motel manager would have direct ties to Pharaoh's mob. But even if she didn't, Piedmont wasn't all that big,and the women who practiced the "oldest profession" here probably knew each other and would have some knowledge of Pharaoh's operations. That's the game plan anyway, Tobe thought.
Then a disturbing thought hit him. Suppose the woman coming here tonight turned out to be Sheila herself? Was he ready to face her now? Would he be able to control the anger and pain he had been feeling the last few days? Remembering Sheila on the screen being degraded by those men and now the thought of her possibly being involved in nightly prostitution compounded Tobe's despair. What kind of woman had she become? Did he truly want to find her and urge her to come back to him? Tobe took a swallow which emptied the cup. The liquor soothed something way down inside and suppressed both the hope and the hopelessness of his mission. He poured another drink.
Tobe found a mom-and-pop home- cooking restaurant down the road. He hardly tasted the food, but the noise of the place helped him relax. I'll have another drink when I get back to the room, he thought. He was back in plenty of time and took the drink he had promised himself. He stretched out on the bed and was surprised he was brought out of a hazy doze by a light tapping.
Tobe got up and opened the door to early evening dimness. He couldn't make out the woman's features in the motel's weak outdoor lighting, but he knew, with some relief, that she was not Sheila. He heard her say, " Well, you don't look like an ax murderer, honey. "
Tobe smiled and said, " I haven't used an ax on anybody in years."
" A girl can't be too careful, you know. " She was serious, Tobe realized.
" You'll be safe with me, " he said. " All I have tonight with me is a strong urge to fuck you, to put it bluntly. ".
" Say, I like the direct approach, " she said lightly. " I think we'll get along. "
She turned and signaled to a car across the lot. It went slowly away, driven by a dark shadow. Was the driver one of Pharaoh's mob, or even Pharaoh himself?
" Well, aren't you even going to ask me in? "
" Was that your bodyguard out there? "
" Forget about him. It's just you and me now, baby. "
She was about thirty-five, Tobe judged, a couple years younger than himself. She wore a fur coat even though it was warm outside. Clear glass earrings, not quite glittering in the dull light of the room, almost reached her shoulders. She had an abundance of dark hair which had recently had professional attention. Her eyes had too much make-up in an effort to make them look larger. Her nose was a trifle too prominent for her high cheek bones and her mouth was not generous. But her figure was good and her legs exquisite. Tobe thought she would turn heads whenever she walked into a room. She undoubtedly was what passed for "class" in Piedmont, Tobe decided.
" Aren't you going to help a girl with her coat? You're forgetting your manners, " she said playfully.
" Excuse me, " Tobe stammered. " But I wasn't expecting someone so attractive. " And he meant it.
" Baby, you know just what to say. I have the feeling this is going to be a lovely evening. "
He took the fur from her shoulders and draped it over the back of the chair. Her dress was simple and black and low cut, showing off her large, well-proportioned breasts , which prompted Tobe to recall Sheila's. Was this the handiwork of the same surgeon? The hem of her dress barely met the tops of her stockings held up by a garter belt. Again Tobe was reminded of Sheila's black corset and garter belt in the film. He felt his excitement rise. She struck a pose and said, "Leonard said you wanted class. Is this classy enough for you, baby? "
Tobe felt that old warm churning inside that he hadn't felt in well over a year. For an answer he went to her and roughly embraced her, putting his open mouth hard on hers. He tasted her open mouth and felt her body melt into his. He held her for a long time.
" I can see you're not interested in preliminaries, and, my, you are pleased to see me, " she said placing her hand over his growing hardness. " How long has it been for you, baby? "
" Forever. "
" Well, we'll have to make this a very special evening then, won't we? You can call me Angel What shall I call you? "
"Tobe."
"Tobe?"
"My real name's Elwood, but my parents nicknamed me Toby, thank God. It sorta got shortened to Tobe."
"Well, let's get comfortable, Tobe."
She helped him undress, letting her hands roam over his body and caress his cock with long, slow strokes. Tobe brought her to his nakedness and lost himself in her neck and hair. Angel pressed her thigh against Tobe's hardness, her hands sliding down his back and then grabbing his ass. Tobe almost forgot what he wanted from this woman -- information which would lead him to Sheila. He quickly put that thought away, far away, and pulled Angel's dress over her head. "Let's get you out of this," he said.
He pulled down the lacy cups of her bra and fondled her large, firm tits. Angel drew her arms behind her and unfastened her bra, letting it drift to the floor. With her tits fully exposed, Tobe locked his mouth on one nipple, swirling his tongue around the sensitive tip.
