Gale Grayson - Door-to-door sex-girl

Virginia was disappointed. Her overtures toward reconciliation were spurned, and she felt the sting of his rejection; at the same time, there was a pervading sense of the unfairness of his attitude. She voiced it. "But you're blaming me… and then doing the same thing yourself."

"Yeah! The difference is I'm telling you what I'm going to do… and then I'm going to do it!"

With an effort, Virginia pulled herself together before they arrived at the sprawling hotel in Palm Springs, which was hosting the Eko-Klean meeting. She was thankful for her dark sunglasses masking her swollen, red-rimmed eyes. All of her excitement and anticipation over the meeting had fled from her; all that was left was a huge, aching void as she felt that everything she had ever held dear, the most precious of which was her marriage to Leon Brooks, was just about lost… forever. God! We can't go on this way!

They checked in at the hotel's desk and were soon in their room. Virginia repaired the damage to her face as best she could, bathing her eyes in cold water and putting on fresh make-up. Then she left to attend the first of several meetings on the program. True to his word, Leon accompanied her to the small auditorium and told her that he would be back to pick her up when the meeting was over.

"You don't trust me at all?" she asked, new anguish coursing through her.

"No!" Leon told her. "No, I don't trust you any more than I trust those two bastards who've been fucking you!"

Sarcasm dripping from her words, Virginia spat hissingly, "But you – you're different?"

"I'm honest about it! Now, go on in to your meeting – and don't leave until I pick you up, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" she hissed. "Do I salute too?"

Gripping her arm angrily, but mindful of the scores of other people milling about the entrance to the meeting hall, Leon hissed back menacingly.

"Don't get smart with me, Virginia! You're just damned lucky I haven't marked you up so far… but you just keep it up, and you'll be asking for a scab on the end of your nose."

When he released her, Virginia was so terribly frightened that she scuttled away from him and darted into the auditorium, finding a seat near the rear corner where she could be alone. It was the first time since she'd known Leon that he had threatened her with physical violence. Remembering the grim anger in his eyes, she was sure that he was capable of doing it. Unbidden tears streamed from her eyes; she dabbed at them with a tissue and wished that she'd decided to stay away from this meeting. Her first reaction when she'd gotten the notice about it was to refuse to go. But it's mandatory! I have to be here!

Hugo Foxx conducted the meeting, spouting sales statistics and pointing out areas for improvement along with quoting stimulative suggestions and anecdotes urging greater volumes of sales. He was every bit the ebullient sales manager, acting the part of coach and mentor, as he exhorted his team to greater effort.

Afterward, there was a period of about three hours of free time before the dinner meeting in the evening, at which time the president of Eko-Klean was to give one of the major talks. When Leon met her at the door of the meeting hall, Virginia had regained her composure somewhat and had decided to try to enjoy herself.

"Let's go for a swim, Leon darling," she suggested.

"Okay, I haven't been in for ages."

He was grinning, and as she came close to him and smelled his breath, she knew that he'd been drinking.

"Have you been relaxing with a drink, darling?"

"Yeah, I had a couple," he admitted. "If you want, I'll order for you, out at the pool."

"That'd be nice! Thank you," she murmured.

They swam for a while; each had a drink, and Leon dozed off in the warm afternoon sun. Virginia had no intention of doing anything to provoke Leon further. She had made up her mind that she'd stand up to Hugo Foxx and Art Hartman, refusing to let them use her any more, come what may. Now that Leon knows, the rest of it doesn't make much difference! Anyway, he must know about the money, too, and maybe we can work something out, so that it gets paid back! Except for her husband's threat to take his sexual pleasure with those other two women, if he got the chance, she was rather glad that he was there with her acting as a guardian. At least with Leon so close, Hugo and Art wouldn't dare try anything with me!

Suddenly she was startled. A loudspeaker near the pool was blaring out her name, informing her of a telephone call. A cocktail waitress with the thick red hair and scanty bikini directed her to the nearest house phone.

"H-hello?" She was worried and apprehensive.

"Virginia, baby…" Hugo Foxx purred, rumbling in his bass voice. "I see that your husband's taking a little nap…"

"Mr. Foxx, don't try to get me into your room, because it won't work any more! I'll see that you get your money now, because my husband knows all about it!"

"That's what I heard!" he growled. "And I also heard that he was with my wife the other day."

"And I kn-know all about that."

"I suppose he told you?"

"Y-yes! He told me!"

"Now I'm going to tell you something! You're going to come to my room, now! Standing right behind you are a couple of my friends. They're going to escort you here – and don't you dare make a scene!"

Virginia glanced behind her, her eyes widening with fear, as she saw that two well-dressed, smiling men stood lounging easily waiting for her. "You wouldn't d-dare!" she rasped hissingly into the telephone.

"Oh, but I do! You still owe me something, and I'm going to collect! Now, hang up the telephone, turn around, smile, and accompany Jack and Bruce to my room – with no fuss!"

"You bastard!" Virginia spat. The telephone went dead. Her brain was spinning in confusion, and she wondered briefly whether she had any chance of making a run for it. Numbly, she cradled the phone and turned to face the two men, knowing that she couldn't willingly go with them. Instinctively, she gathered herself and spun away from them, breaking into a desperate, loping run that lasted for two or three steps. They caught her. She didn't struggle and no one apparently noticed the brief action.

"Mrs. Brooks," Jack Keller smiled. "I'm surprised at you… after Mr. Foxx issued you such a nice invitation to come to his room."

She looked up abjectly into their implacable faces and knew that there was no hope of escape from them.

"Come, Mrs. Brooks, shall we go now?" the other man, Bruce Holcombe, grinned. "We don't want to keep Mr. Foxx waiting, do we?"

Virginia shrugged her terry cloth robe close around her, shivering with fright and already visualizing what was going to happen once she was inside Hugo's room. God! It'll be another nightmare of sex – and more sex! She hated to think about it, but much worse, she hated to think about Leon's reaction to it… when he found out! He'd never believe that I was practically kidnapped.

Hugo met them at the door, standing there huge and bearlike with a drink in his hand. Glaring at her, he grunted. "One thing you're going to have to learn, doll, is that when I tell you to do something, you do it!"

Defiantly, Virginia rapped out, "I-I told you before – you don't own me!"

"I never said that!" Hugo said with elaborate, placating tones. "We just have a business arrangement! Now, I'd like you to meet our associates. You already know Art Hartman…?"

Virginia shot a glance at her sponsor, lounging at ease in his chair sipping an icy drink, his jacket and tie off already. God! Him again…?

"The two gentlemen who escorted you here: Jack Keller and Bruce Holcombe!" Hugo was going on. "And, of course, you know me."

Jack Keller, she had noted before, was stocky and quite short, with a broad, ruddy face and silvering blond hair. Bruce Holcombe was younger, athletically trim, dark hair graying at the temples, and nice eyes. Virginia thought, as she glanced at each of them in turn: four? Four of them? My God! No! No! No! Her mind refused to accept it. She could have screamed – but she wondered whether it would do any good.