Unknown - Sally_s Secret Lover

He turned on his heel and strolled through the store in a leisurely manner as if they had discussed nothing more important than the weather. Ray stared after the retreating figure, his fists clenched unconsciously, until Blodgett passed through the front door. Then he reached for the bottle of whiskey, poured a double shot into his coke, tilted his head back and drank.

He was thankful for the sound of the faltering piano notes that could be faintly heard from upstairs … Sally had a pupil … he could postpone giving her the news at least for a little while. Me didn't have to tell her at all today, of course, but he knew that he would. As much as he loved Sally, he wondered if it would have been better to wait a few years before marrying. A man had no business getting married before he was making a good income and could provide the things girls had come to expect. Why should Sally be penalized … not able to have a modern house with nice furniture and the latest appliances … or pretty new clothes? They'd never even had a real honeymoon, a thing which Ray bitterly regretted most of all. Because maybe their sex life would have gotten off to a better start if he had been able to take his inexperienced young bride to some romantic, relaxing spot for the first few nights. Instead of staying in some plush hotel or motel with a pool, they'd moved directly into a grubby little campus apartment that was as bad as the one they lived in now. Her folks had been very upset … they'd wanted the couple to wait at least until graduation … they hadn't given Sally any presents or any financial help at all except paying her college fees for the rest of the year. No, they hadn't wanted their daughter to throw herself away on some no-account southerner!

It seemed ironic now that the quality about Sally which had first attracted him to her was a sort of coolness about her … something that said «don't touch me.» He was sure that Sally was one of the very few virgins on the campus, which had indeed proved to be the case. Fiercely proud as he was, it was important to Ray that his wife should be a woman whom no other man besides himself had ever possessed … or ever would possess!

Once they were married, though, he had looked for a change in her standoffish attitude. He knew she loved him and had been eager to marry as soon as possible. He had mistakenly believed she was just as eager for the physical side of marriage, but from the first night, sex had been a fiasco … his bride seemed to turn into a lump of ice under him. Maybe it took more time than he'd realized, especially for a girl brought up in a very conventional manner as Sally had been.

Absently, he carried the empty cola cups out to the soda fountain. The girl reached out to take them, tossing the paper liners into the trash can and stacking the gleaming metal bases expertly on a shelf. «Something else for you, Mr. Denham?» she inquired solicitously, her made-up dark eyes bright with curiosity. No doubt she'd overheard the row with John Blodgett.

«Uh, no … thanks,» he stared at her. God, he couldn't even remember the little tart's name; she was new … long black hair fixed into an elaborately artificial set and a long slender body that seemed far too mature for her sixteen or so years. Ray ran his suddenly dry tongue around his mouth … it must be the whiskey … sweet little ass, Blodgett had said … Christ, it was a beautiful ass, perfectly outlined by the electrically clinging nylon fabric … and all at once he found himself wondering what it would be like to rip the skimpy uniform off the girl … spread her legs out.

Drops of sweat beaded on Ray's brow. Yes, how would it feel to ram his cock into that soft little belly? Christ, he groaned inwardly, how could he think of such things when he had a beautiful young wife upstairs at this very moment? He hadn't so much as looked at another girl since he married Sally.

Yet as he stood there in confusion, he was uncomfortably aware that his cock had in mere seconds responded to his lewd thoughts about the soda fountain waitress and it was now lying heavily against his stomach, fully erect. Turning hastily, he retreated to the prescription department. God, what would happen to his «good name» in this town if he started making passes at his clerks? As he sat there staring blankly at the forgotten list for the wholesale house, Miss Minnie suddenly entered the little cubicle, her face flushed with excitement.

«Mr. Denham!» she blurted, «he's going to sell the store, isn't he?»

«I -« obviously she knew something was up, so why evade her question? «That's what he's talking about, yes.»

«I knew it! I knew the other day that something was wrong. Mr. Blodgett brought some men from Memphis in, they was going all over everything … asking questions.»

«When was that?» Ray inquired.

«Well, you weren't here. Must have been the day you were in the city. See, he made sure to bring 'em when you wouldn't be around!»

«Look,» Ray said, «I'm sure it's as much of a shock to you as it is to me, Miss Minnie. More, because you've worked here a lot longer than I have. But I don't think you have anything to worry about. Whoever the -

– the new owner is, he'll need employees, and there's no one who knows the store like you do.»

«Mmmm … and what about you, Mr. Denham?»

He shrugged unhappily. «I don't know. We'll just have to see. If I can't get at least part ownership, then I don't want to work for someone else. I can do that anywhere, for a hell of a lot more money!

When Ray came upstairs that night, a half hour after closing time, Sally sensed immediately that something was wrong. It was in the defeated slump of his shoulders and the bleak gloominess of his face. But she said nothing, waiting for him to tell her about it. She had fixed him a good dinner for the hot weather … cold sliced ham, snap beans, macaroni salad and cornbread. Sally was proud that she was learning to cook in the southern way.

But her husband only picked at the tempting food she loaded on his plate, and halfway through the tense meal he suddenly laid his fork down and announced to her, «Blodgett's selling the drugstore – to a discount chain.»

«W-what?» Sally stammered, her heart plummeting. «But he can't do that, Ray! Where did you hear it?»

When he told her she kept on shaking her head in disbelief, «I just can't understand how he could do such a thing.» She pushed her chair back abruptly and came around to her husband's side, taking him in her arms and holding him protectively against her warm body as if she were comforting a child, «Don't you care, Ray!» she said fiercely. «Don't you worry about it for one minute. Oooh, I never trusted him – that smooth-talking old hypocrite!»

She meant to soften the blow, to bolster his crushed feelings. Unfortunately, her action and choice of words only brought home to Ray more strongly his feeling of failure. The husband should be the one to comfort the wife and shield her from life's harsh realities – not the other way around. And then to rub salt in his wounds she had to say that she had seen through John Blodgett all the time whereas he had been taken in by the glowing promises.

In fact, Sally's thoughts were racing rapidly into the future … her only sorrow was for Ray. Why, it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened, after all. They had money in the bank … now they could leave Quiggville and make a whole new start somewhere else … somewhere more lively and stimulating. But one glimpse at the desperately unhappy face of her husband sent these hopeful thoughts crashing into limbo. Ray had to make it here, he had to prove himself in exactly the way that he had set out to do.

«Darling,» she said gently, «maybe we can buy the store. I mean how do we know unless we try? It is a lot of money, but everyone here knows you … Mr. Quigg at the bank is John Blodgett's brother-in-law, you know. I'm sure he'd consider loaning you the money … Mr. Blodgett could talk to him … why, everyone in town likes you!»