Crimson Palace (31 page)

Rather than hailing a cab, as she had expected he would, he directed her to an odd looking conveyance, which he called a cable car. Soon she was wedge beside him on the wooden bench. Between them was the ever present valise. With bells clanging, they were soon climbing a precariously steep hill. Her heart rose to her throat, sure that they would tumble to the bottom at any moment, but somehow the little car held to the track.

"We’ll stay where I stayed when I was here last time," he told her. "It’s not the swankiest place in town, but it will do until we get ourselves settled. They know me there; I’m sure they’ll find us a room even though I didn’t have time to make reservations."

Her sudden flash of disappointment was quickly dispelled. She had been looking forward to spending her first night in town in a luxurious hotel suite. But then, it would only be temporary, they would be living in the splendor he had promised in no time at all. It was only that he hadn’t had the time to get established. Why, most likely they would check into an elegant hotel first thing the next morning, and he would take her shopping for the beautiful clothes she craved.

Clay stood abruptly when the cable car pulled to a stop at the crest of a hill and reached for Jenna’s hand.

"This is where we get off," he said as he stepped to the ground, pulling her along with him.

Looking about, she saw nothing that even resembled a hotel. The neighborhood was crowded with narrow, three and four storied homes, none of them in the best of condition. She had never imagined that houses could be built so close together, many of them separated by a mere inch of space.

Not bothering to look back to see if Jenna followed, Clay started walking up a side street. Her heart began to beat a little faster as she quickened her steps to catch up with him. Something in his manner caused an icy chill to race through her. She pushed away the niggling sense of doom that had been slowly creeping into her consciousness.

They walked three steep city blocks before Clay finally stopped at an especially run down house. A hand lettered sign in a downstairs window announced that it was a boarding house. Jenna glanced at the peeling, powdery blue paint, the dirt smeared windows, and the sagging porch. Weeds forced their way into crevices along the walk-way leading to the front door.

It’s a joke, she thought, nervous laughter rising in her throat. Of course! Clay knows I would never be caught dead in a place like this. How like him to carry the joke to its limit by actually mounting the steps and acting as if he would really ring the bell.

Her heart sank as Clay reached up to ring the bell. Surely he doesn’t intend to stay here, she thought in dismay.

The woman who came to the door appeared to be in about the same state of repair as the house. It was difficult to guess her age; she might have been anywhere from forty-five to sixty. Her skin, course and sagging, had a yellowish, unhealthy tint. Her gray-streaked brown hair had been twisted into a loose knot at the top of her head, with stringy wisps of it hanging lankly around her face. By a careful scrutiny of her apron, one could guess the contents of at least a weeks’ worth of meals. Jenna noticed damp spots on it where the woman had recently wiped away the residue of the food she had been preparing when the door bell had interrupted her work.

"Back again?" the woman asked in a gravely voice. "Figured we’d be seein’ you again," she said as Clay and Jenna entered. As she passed the woman, Jenna was nearly overwhelmed by the smell of stale whiskey.

"Your old room’s taken, Clay. You’ll have to take the corner one on the third floor, front of the house. It aint’ much, but it’s all we got right now. Make yourself comfortable.

"I suppose this gal here’s with you, hey? Don’t make no difference to me, but the charge’s the same for her as for you. Share a room or not, the charge is still the same."

"Don’t worry about it, Mabel," Clay answered. "There won’t be any problem about money on this trip.

And we won’t be staying all that long anyway. Just don’t go getting upset about us."

"As I said, it don’t matter to me, not at all. You stay, you got a gal in your room or not, I couldn’t waste my time caring, as long as I get my money for the both of you."

Jenna was furious that Clay said nothing to rebuke the dirty old woman’s obscene suggestions. Why didn’t he tell her that they were to be married soon? Why didn’t he tell her that Jenna was not some cheap floozy who would stay with a man who wasn’t her husband? But Clay said nothing as he preceded Jenna up the stairs to their room.

When Jenna entered the room she was so disgusted she nearly turned and left. It was barely habitable.

Its only attribute was that, being a corner room, it had two fairly large windows, each facing in a different direction, making it bright and airy. But the light only managed to expose the dirty, pealing wallpaper, the sagging bed, the spindly rocker by the window.

She supposed that the scarred bookcase that leaned precariously against the wall was to be used in place of a dresser. In her imagination she could see crooked stacks of tattered clothing stacked on its shelves.

Instead of an armoire, someone had driven several large nails in the wall where clothes could be hung.

"You expect me to stay in this deplorable place?" She felt like screaming at him, but somehow she managed to control the volume of her voice.

"Ah, come on, honey. We’ve got to stay somewhere tonight and it’s too late to start looking around for a better room. We need some dinner and a good night’s sleep. And believe me, you’ll be surprised at what a good cook Mabel is."

"But we can’t stay here together. We’ve got to get married first!" She nearly wailed the last words.

"Now, Jenna, just think for a minute. Where are we going to find anyone to marry us tonight? Honey, it can wait for a day or two, don’t you think? I want our marriage to be special, sweetheart, not just some hurried up, sleazy affair."

He reached out and put his hand on her waist, pulling her to him. She delighted at the sensation of his lips nuzzling at her neck, the tip of his tongue teasing at her ear. She squirmed with pleasure as his hands began to explore her body.

"Well, I suppose it won’t hurt if we spend this one night together," she managed to say, although it seemed that his kisses would steal every bit of oxygen from her body. "After all, we’re nearly married already."

"We are married, darling. No mere words could bring us closer than we are at this moment," he crooned as he edged her nearer to the bed.

She accepted his kisses with a passion she had always before denied. No longer constricted by her mother’s influence, she felt free to express herself as never before. Each thrust of his tongue through her waiting lips was matched with an even more fervent thrust of her own. She felt she could drink in his maleness as they exchanged lip-bruising kisses.

It felt so natural to lie on the bed with him, to feel his body cover hers. She was acutely aware of his sexual arousal as he pressed his body against her.

She gasped in pleasure as his fingers began to knead her breasts provocatively.

Her body writhed with desire under his touch. Suddenly she wanted more. She wanted to feel his hands on her bare flesh. She wanted his kisses to cover her body, to fulfill her wildest sensual fantasies.

"Undress me, Clay," she breathed. "I want to feel your skin next to mine."

In her passion she failed to see the look of triumph in his eyes as he removed his shirt and began to unbutton her shirtwaist.

With trembling fingers, she tried vainly to help him release her from her garments. At last she lay naked beneath him, her body waiting impatiently for his magic touch.

She gasped with surprise and pleasure as his lips found her breasts. First teasing an already hardening nipple by circling it with the tip of his tongue, bringing it to a sensitivity she would not have thought possible, then drawing it into his mouth, sucking and kneading it until she thought she would scream with the pleasure of it.

Jenna swam on a crest of ecstasy as he slowly awoke her entire body to the pleasures of love. So expert was he in his conquest, she felt no shyness as he began stroking the hot pulsating core of her femininity.

Her body rose to his touch, aching to achieve the final thrill. Clay, sensing unerringly that he had aroused her to that moment of no return, plunged into her almost brutally.

Her eyes flew open in shock at the sudden, unsuspected pain. He lay still for a moment, allowing the pain to subside, then he continued to claim her for his own. Gradually the pain left and in its place was a sensation such as Jenna had never imagined. She never wanted it to stop. She floated on a cloud of delight at his every thrust. Her body craved more. She pulled him into her harder, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps.

She felt she was being pulled upward toward some undefined plane of pleasure. Upward, upward she climbed until she was suddenly filled with a searing, liquid heat. She cried aloud as the heat exploded within her. Seconds after she had reached her peak, Clay threw his head back in ecstasy, allowing his body to release its pleasure into hers.

As they lay together on the bed, Jenna no longer thought about how poor the room was or that they were not registered in an expensive hotel. Her thoughts were centered entirely on what she had just experienced. Sweat still glistened on her body as she contemplated how she could entice him to make love to her again.

Chapter 23

A light breeze from the ocean ruffled the curtains, bringing with it a clean, sea-salt fragrance. The aroma mingled pleasantly with the sweet scent of huneysuckles, which grew along the side of the house.

Stretching sensually, Jenna gave the appearance of a completely satiated feline as she gradually came awake the next morning. She purred with pleasure as she recalled the delights of the night before.

She gazed lovingly at the sleeping man beside her. The sight of his long, dark lashes lying gently against his cheeks, coupled with his thick, wavy hair, tousled by sleep and their ardent loving, made him even more desirable to her in the morning light. An intense sexual craving nearly overwhelmed her as her eyes traveled along his naked body, partially exposed by the crumpled sheet. The thought of waking him with kisses brought a smile to her lips.

But, glancing out the window at the position of the sun, she realized they had spent nearly half the day in bed. If she didn’t go out shopping for clothes soon, she would be left with only her traveling dress to wear for yet another day. Reluctantly, she climbed from the bed and began to dress. Clay awoke just as she finished dressing.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"I’ve got to go shopping. I need a million things. I certainly can’t go around in the same dress day in and day out. And besides, I need a special dress for the wedding."

"I’ll tell you what, why don’t you take those things back off for just a few minutes? I can’t think of a better way to start the day then by making love to the most beautiful woman in San Francisco." Throwing back the sheet, he exposed his potent arousal as evidence of the seriousness of his proposal.

She hesitated for the briefest of moments before tearing at the buttons she had finished closing just seconds before.

***

I need some shopping money," she said, her face still glowing from their recent lovemaking. "The money I brought with me won’t be nearly enough."

"Why don’t you go down to the kitchen and sweet talk Mabel into giving you a couple cups of coffee.

While you’re gone, I’ll see what I can do about the cash."

As she bounced happily down the stairs it suddenly occurred to her how odd it was that Clay would be so hesitant to get the money out while she was in the room. He certainly likes being mysterious, she thought as she entered the kitchen.

When she re-entered their room, the first thing she saw was the money fanned out across her pillow. Her eyes glowed with happiness as she gathered it up.

"Will you have time to come shopping with me? Or are you expected at your new job this afternoon?’

"You’ll have to go on without me, I’m afraid. I’ve got important business to take care of. Why don’t you ask Mabel where the better shops are? She can tell you which cable cars to take to get to just about anywhere in San Francisco."

The thought of exploring her new city was almost as exciting to Jenna as shopping for new clothes, although she rather doubted that Mabel would be of much help as far as shopping went. Filled with exhilaration, she headed for the trolley.

Trying not to be too extravagant, she happily went from one shop to another. Although it had seemed Clay had given her more than enough money, she soon learned that lady's ready apparel, though quite stylish, was far from inexpensive in this fashionable city. She quickly scaled down her list of "must haves"

when she realized how rapidly her money was disappearing.

While sipping tea at an elegant tea room, she refigured her list of necessities. On her original list she had written seven complete sets of lingerie. She crossed out the number seven and wrote in two. She could handle laundering for herself for a few days, she reasoned. The four day dresses were also cut to two.

After she and Clay had gotten married and settled into a more permanent residence she would have a better idea of what her daily needs would be.

Reluctantly, she realized she would not be able to get by in San Francisco without an overcoat. It was unbelievable how cold the city could be in the middle of July! Though Boston’s cold winters had been severe, she had never expected to be chilled in the middle of summer in California.

The most important item on her shopping list by far was the dress she would be married in. No matter what else must be discarded from her original list, she would have the most beautiful dress in San Francisco for the wedding. Though she was resigned to a less than formal wedding, she still had every intention of being married in the most beautiful gown she could find. After all, Clay deserved to see his bride at her best when they married, didn’t he?