blue shirt.
“Well, I’ve certainly learned my lesson,” he said solemnly, pausing dramatically. “I’ll never run a stop sign again.”
“I thought you said you didn’t run that stop sign.”
“They said I did.”
“But you said you didn’t and that’s why you chose two days in jail rather than pay the stupid ticket. A questionable move, even if you were innocent! Now you say you were guilty?”
“As charged, yes,” he agreed, nodding his head. “But I couldn’t let them know that, not after I made such a fuss. The principle of it all, you know.” He laughed.
She laughed as well, although she wasn’t sure why. In her mind, she was trying to come to quick terms with a man who would choose two days in jail rather than pay a traffic ticket he could well afford for an offense he now admitted he was guilty of committing—and still refer to it as a matter of principle.
They crossed over a bridge and headed onto South Ocean Boulevard. “So, how was it?” she asked. “Rough?”
“You better believe it. Two days in solitary confinement!”
“Solitary confinement?”
“There was no one else there.”
“You were the only prisoner?” He nodded. “Then you weren’t raped,” she stated more than asked. Why was she always talking about sex?
“I was hoping we’d save that for tonight,” he said, their eyes freezing on each other’s. “Watch the red light!”
Her foot moved immediately to the brake, slamming down hard, jerking them both forward. They were a good fifty feet from the stoplight and there were no other cars in the vicinity.
“Sorry,” he said immediately. “I just saw it out of the corner of my eye and I thought it was closer.” Donna’s heart was racing. “That’s okay. I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off the road.”
“Would you be insulted if I asked you to let me drive?” he asked, suddenly.
“You want to drive?” she repeated.
“If you wouldn’t mind.” He paused, smiling. “For some reason I feel a little nervous tonight, and I usually find that I can relax behind the wheel of a car.”
“I wouldn’t mind a bit,” Donna said earnestly.
Victor opened his door and Donna slid over into the place he left vacant while Victor walked around the front of the red Mustang and proceeded to occupy the driver’s seat Donna had given up.
“That’s better,” he said, and she immediately agreed. He advanced the fifty feet to the stoplight, which turned green precisely upon his arrival. A good sign, she thought.
He looked over at her briefly, the thin lines around his eyes relaxing into creases which, she thought, actuallyseemed to be smiling. His voice was very soft. “Home?” he asked, and then turned his attention back to the road without waiting for an answer.
Donna couldn’t believe what was happening to her.
She had been prepared for him to be a good, even an excellent lover (although she had also spent the previous two days convincing herself that he would probably not be—something was bound to go wrong somewhere—not even fantasies were as good as this reality). She had not been prepared, however, for just how good, how truly excellent he was. Beyond excellence. Into the realm of the fantastic.
She had never had a lover who was so willing to do anything—everything—to make her feel good. His dedication—a strange word to use, she realized, but she could think of none better—was all-encompassing. He wanted only to make her happy. He wanted nothing from her except for her to lie there smiling. She was simultaneously passive and delirious.
They had walked quickly and silently from the car into his moderately large bungalow and once inside, he had taken her hand and led her through the hallway, past the living and dining rooms and the kitchen, all of which Donna noted in passing were neat and tasteful, and back to the rear of the house where the bedrooms were situated.
Donna guessed there must be three, possibly four bedrooms, by the length of