Sunshine brightened her bedroom. Carol opened her eyes to it, looking vacantly around until she saw Sultan's big, stretched-out form on the floor beside her. As always, his presence gave her a warm, protected feeling, but then as she lay there open-eyed for a short moment, an unpleasantness began to spread through her.
Her head throbbed. She remembered it was Saturday… and then, she began to recall much more. Abruptly, the blonde-haired girl sat nakedly upright in her bed and glanced over at the empty space beside her. The indentation in the pillow was evidence enough if she still needed it! Peg had been there… there was even a strand of dark brown hair clinging to the pillow slip!
The whole shameful picture came flooding back in waves of shocking mental scenes, like something out of a pornographic book, her resisting brain rejecting each and every sequence at first, then reluctantly admitting to their individual truths as she began to vividly remember. But in final hope for escape, the naked girl kicked back the sheet and looked down between her spread thighs at the cum-soaked blonde curls tightly sprinkling her young loins. With discerning fingers, Carol began to examine, immediately detecting the bruised soreness of her fleshy vaginal lips, and then the more intense irritation of her sensitive vagina! God, he had! He had done it to her! She'd let Sultan fuck her…
Her own dog!
In itself, the knowledge that she'd allowed her beautiful pet to make love to her played a very unimportant part in the guilt Carol Dorsett felt as she came from the bath after showering for a full thirty-minutes. It was the realization that all of her other mentally recalled scenes were just as true… those forbidden acts with Peggy, and they had been utterly obscene… it was those shockingly lewd memories that were tearing at her self-appalled mind!
She'd been drunk… not to blame! Peg had taken lustful advantage of her! She was a lesbian, of course, and knew how to seduce a normal girl under the influence of liquor! She, herself, had been the perfect dupe, passionate and hungering for sexual love… what else?
God, she could never face that girl again… not after what she'd done… licking her cunt and sticking her finger up Peggy's anus… actually sucking her clitoris when the older girl was cumming! Not that the act itself was so bad… but the way Peggy had lured her into it when she was drunk…!
Carol brushed feverishly at her long blonde hair as the lurid scenes unfolded graphically now again and again in her self-deploring mind, the tight little tangles in her silken tresses almost as difficult for her to eliminate as the unwanted knowledge of her unnatural acts with Peggy. Beside her lay Sultan, looking up with innocent eyes, waiting for just a word of love.
"Oh darling, Carol isn't angry with you!" she said, hunching down to stroke his massive head, her tight green shorts pulling too snugly against the sensitive soreness up between her thighs. She straightened up and slipped on a loose, over-blouse. In a way, she was sorry now that she'd asked Mark Cannon for dinner… but how could she have known that this was ever going to happen?
Sultan rose to his feet and lovingly brushed against her. The feel of his heavy body rubbing hotly along her thigh made her remember again. God, what a breathtaking experience her darling had been! Even with all the rest…! Peggy had been right!
"Come on, baby? Let's go get some breakfast," she smiled down at him, the aspirin she'd gulped beginning to soothe the ache in her head. "Jonny used to say that nothing is as bad as it's painted… and maybe, it isn't. Come on, darling, let's cook up a bushel of eggs and bacon…"
Mark Cannon sipped at his third cup of coffee. He always enjoyed one before breakfast, one during, and then any number after. He smoked a cigarette and stared toward where he knew the window was. He was still not convinced that he ought to use her. She could be vulnerable as hell, especially against the likes of the people he wanted. But… but where did his loyalty lie? What did he know about her? Supposing she was just another neighborhood hooker with a more refined approach? Maybe she was hung-up, too. These bitches had habits they'd kill for. He ought to know that! Yeah… you ought to know that, Mr. Cannon! You've got no eyes, remember? And it was just one such darling little bitch who had thrown the acid that destroyed them!
Mark sighed and drew at his cigarette. He hadn't slept worth a damn, his brain working overtime trying desperately to form an image of what Carol Dorsett looked like. He knew she was tall from where her voice had sounded when she walked beside him. He doubted that she was heavy because of her light footfalls and smooth, measured step. But such things as facial features, body contours, short or long-hair, blonde, brunette, redhead, or… or bald, dammit to hell… those were the things that drove him damned near mad!
A man didn't forget what female beauty was like in three years, especially such a lusty bird-watcher as he'd been. Christ, if he'd ever known that this affliction had been headed his way he would have stocked in a mental library of female pulchritude! To look at a beautiful face again, heavy young breasts, the rounded curves of touchable hips and buttocks, a well-turned calf and trim ankles… God, what he wouldn't give! He shook his head in the inner anguish eating at him.
Nancy had been a beautiful girl, Mark remembered, not wanting to but unable to help himself. A man denied sex as long as he had been was apt to think of the young, curvaceous wife he had enjoyed it with so much. Oh, there were plenty of whores around he could have for the going price, cheap enough too in the crummy neighborhood, some of them mighty cute little bitches, he'd wager, but his years in the department, to say nothing of the teenage hooker who had blinded him, had left him cold and bitter toward them. Their callused commodity destroyed any beauty they might possess… and like everything else, a man could learn to live without it… up until the point where a sultry voice like Carol Dorsett's made all his red corpuscles stand up and nudge each other. Dammit!
He thought of Nancy again, visualizing her naked beauty, her long chestnut hair streaming down her tapered, white back… the full up-thrust of her perfect, dark-nippled breasts. God, what a slender waist she'd had, and the sweeping flare of those hips and voluptuously rounded buttocks! He remembered her long legs, the fullness of her white thighs… and the vee-shaped mass of dark pubic curls up between! Sonofabitch… he was going to drive himself right up the frigging wall!
He tried to put her out of his mind, not a difficult task when it came to any sense of feeling for her, because that was long dead, but from the standpoint of sex… yeah, there was the rub! Damn, how she'd loved to fuck… or suck… or anything else that had to do with a man's cock! He doubted that he would ever come across another like her, not with her beauty and insatiable hunger for bed romping. Oh, somewhere she had sisters-in-kind running free no doubt, but they weren't for the likes of a blind-man… anymore than she had been, once he'd gotten out of the hospital and come home to sit in a chair and stare in numbed bitterness at a wall he couldn't see.
Maybe he shouldn't blame her. What a hell of a life to offer a girl of twenty-eight, a handicapped husband of the same age, with nothing to look forward to but a paltry police pension for the rest of their life. It was no damned wonder she'd wanted to get out and go to work, the way he had sat around for an entire year feeling sorry for himself… but on the other hand, she could have waited a little longer for the adjustment period to run its course, too. Instead, she'd started moving out on him, going by herself to parties when he refused, and finding male escorts from the office where she worked.
At first, it hadn't bothered him too much; he'd been so Goddamned concerned with his own self-pity, but sitting alone two and three nights a week had given him long, lonesome hours in which to think, and what he'd begun to conclude wasn't good. The loss of one sense makes the others keener, including that of character insight. He'd seen it coming. In bed, on those rare occasions when he'd begun to feel like it again, she had turned into a dead-assed log… no response… nothing there. It wasn't hard to figure: she was fucking someone else, one of her office friends… maybe all of them!
One of the boys in the department, Mark had known he could confide in had chased it down for him. Of course, he'd been right… except there hadn't been any office, or "friends", just a simple long list of "johns"! Sweet Nancy had joined the ranks of bitches fucking for gain! She'd become a whore!
The day he'd filed divorce papers, he had also left for New Jersey and a seeing-eye dog school, the one move that had saved him from losing his buttons altogether. Thinking about it now, he reached down and petted the big, faithful animal at his feet, a feeling of warm affection flowing through him.
"Well, at least we've got each other, Queenie," the handsome, thirty-one year old man smiled at his inseparable companion and guide. "And that's more than a lot of people have. But… I'll be honest with you, girl, I wouldn't be the one to kick a luscious young lady out of bed, should such a creature happen along." He rubbed the big German shepherd's ears, the way he knew she liked it. "Man, how I wish you could talk, Queenie; then you could tell me with detail exactly what our charming Miss Dorsett looks like. Well… we'll make it a point to find out more tonight, eh? In the meantime, let's heat up the coffee again. I can use another cup before we head out after our bottle of wine… And what does one drink with meatioaf, girl… white or red."
Breakfast did wonders for Carol. She even found herself blaming Peggy White less and less for their lewd little party of the night before. After all, it did take two willing girls to complete the act, and she hadn't exactly been a reluctant one from any stand point… but it could never happen again! She was no lesbian and wasn't about to let herself become one, either. There were too many handsome, desirable men in the world, and one of those very young men was coming to dinner tonight, she remembered with relish, anything but sorry now that she had invited him.
She had been so right, though, about Peg and Sultan, and that thought raising mixed emotions inside her. Even though had it not been for her passionate neighbor's lustful educating of the big darling she would never have known the forbidden pleasure he could and would bring her whenever she wanted, at the same time Carol jealousy resented the shapely brunette's sneaky seduction, when she was supposed to be looking after him for her. But that would never happen again, either! She still didn't know what she would do with him while she looked for employment, but he was definitely not going to be left with Peggy…
"I wonder, baby…?" she said aloud, reaching down to toy with his ears as she thought. "Mark Cannon might consider it. I could pay him a little bit… so much per day… I suppose he could use the money; everyone can… and that raises a question. I wonder how he exists, where his money comes from? He must have an income of sorts… and he can't be too well off or he wouldn't live in this horrible section of town."
Suddenly Sultan growled his deep-throated sound that Carol had learned to recognize as an alarm of sorts, and she glanced down at him just as the buzzer gave her a start. Who could that be this early? She looked at her watch, surprised to see that it was five minutes short of eleven o'clock.
"Come on, baby, let's see who it is," Carol said, moving toward the door with the unsavory image of Ed White immediately forming in her mind.
It was Peggy… neatly dressed in a summer suit, looking somewhat haggard even with the benefit of carefully applied makeup, though Carol could understand that. She hadn't felt like any morning-glory herself a couple of hours before from all the liquor they'd consumed the previous night. But she hardly gave her neighbor's appearance much consideration; it was difficult enough for her just to face the girl after what they'd done, and she knew she was shamefully blushing…
"I-I can only stay a minute, Carol," the attractive brunette said, closing the door and leaning back against it, her hands resting behind her on the knob. "I-I had to say good-bye to you before I left. I might be back… I don't know… but it occurred to me that you'll have to make some other arrangements for Sultan… and… and I couldn't go anyway without telling you that I'm sorry… terribly sorry… you're such a beautiful, lovable girl…!"
Carol could only stare at her unexpected caller with open mouth, her own shamed feelings forgotten. Myriad questions began to rush to the forefront of her puzzled brain, but before she could ask the first one, Peggy said: "I'm leaving Ed. I don't know whether it's for good or not. Right now, I hardly know what I'm doing. I'm going to visit my mother in Kansas… at least for awhile… a month, maybe longer… maybe forever!"
"Peggy! My God. What's happened… or… or can't you tell me?" Carol gasped, her voice lowering to a near-whisper as she tried to search the girl's face for answers, a sudden feeling of being left very much alone in an undesirable situation welling up inside her.
"No, darling… I can't tell you… that is, it's better if you don't know!" Peggy answered. "It's something I learned only this morning, and all this time it's been going on… I just never realized it!"
"B-But you can't tell me what it is…?"
"It's better, baby, that you don't know!" the tall, dark-haired girl whispered. "But… but as soon as you can, move out of here… and get away from Westland, Carol! You don't belong here! Promise me you will?"
"Yes, yes, of course… I already intended to do that as soon as possible… but… but you're frightening me, Peg!" Carol admitted. "And… and I don't know what it is that I'm supposed to be frightened of!"
"Oh God…! I wish I could tell you, but for your own sake I can't, baby!" Peggy said, tears glazing her eyes as she moved forward to warmly clasp hold of Carol's arms. "Please forgive me… for everything, love, including last night? I should never have let it happen… for your sake… but I couldn't help myself! Just… just don't hate me, Carol! Get out of here as soon as you can… today if possible… and everything will be all right! Do you understand me, baby? Get as far away from here as you can!"
"Peggy…!" Carol choked out for lack of knowing what else to say. "Please… you can't just run off like this… I'm in a fog! I… I can't just pick up and move like that… today! What is it? My God, you've got to tell me…!"
Instead, the ravishing brunette kissed her fully on the lips, hugged her tight, then swung away to jerk open the door. "Good-bye, Carol darling… and please… don't hate me…"
"Peggy…!" Carol called after her as the other quickly walked to her own door where two heavy valises sat, picked them up and hurried toward the entrance of the building without looking back again!
Slowly, Carol closed her door, locking it. God, she wasn't about to chase after her! Her brain swam. Excerpts of the older girl's words raced pelt-mell through it, some of them making sense, others making none at all! She went to the front window in time to see a taxi-door close, and the vehicle suddenly speeding off! An unpleasant emptiness filled her lower stomach. What was it Peg had been too frightened to tell her… and what was it that could make her leave Ed White this morning, when last night it had been he needs me… I love him…?
A clammy chill shivered frighteningly upward along Carol's spine. She looked toward the building down the street where Mark Cannon lived. Somehow, there was reassurance in knowing she had a friend there… for outside of Sultan, she didn't have another in the world at that very moment!
Extremely upset, Carol backed away from the window and walked to the small kitchenette, the powerful German shepherd's ever closeness rallying her. Thank God for him! She would be lost, utterly and totally lost! Mark would understand that. Yes, more than anyone, he would appreciate her feelings! She set the coffee-pot onto the burner to re-heat, then reached up into cupboard to find what was left of the brandy she'd bought months back. She had to think… to try and decipher some meaning from Peggy's alarming statements, as well as calm herself enough to do it, and spiked coffee sounded like the remedy.
Carol lighted a rare cigarette and finished her first coffee royale, blending a second as for the fourth time she went back over the extent of their short conversation to the best of her ability. She had arrived, at some very definite conclusions. Either Peg had found Ed in bed with another one of his teenagers, or he had threatened her to the point where she didn't dare stay in the apartment with him any longer! Whichever the actual reason, it hardly mattered. The poor girl was a hundred-percent better off away from the likes of him… even though she, herself, was going to miss Peg very, very much. Oh, not from the sexual point. Last night had been one of those unbelievable single episodes that might happen in any person's life, but it was over and done with, and she wasn't about to ever let it happen again!
And Peg… the darling… saying… don't hate me… please forgive me for everything… I couldn't help myself… please, don't hate me… and then kissing her the way she had. She blamed herself for the whole affair… the beautiful angel. In all truth, she wasn't anymore to blame than this blonde vixen who had wanted it all to happen as much as Peg had… and it had been an experience Carol would never forget, thanks in part to her animal-lover beside her…!
Her spirits bolstered by the brandied coffees and the brilliant sunshine pouring through the window, Carol began to enjoy lighter feelings, no less sorrowed by Peggy's abrupt departure from the scene, but more and more stimulated by the thought of handsome Mark Cannon coming to dinner. Outside of Jonny, she couldn't remember when a man had so appealed to her… and Jonny was long gone, almost forgotten. Could something come of it…? Why not…? It could if they both wanted it to… and more and more, for her part, Carol was thinking that she did…