Chapter 1: Renata

Warren sat hunched over, on a wooden bench about five yards inside the eight-foot high fence surrounding the yard. He gazed forlornly at the rivulets of early morning light breaking through the birch trees. He wore only his pajama pants and sandals. He took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled the smoke through his nostrils and reached for the cup of coffee on the bench beside him.

He sighed, leaned back against the garage wall and sipped the last of his coffee. The wall was cool on his naked shoulders. He listened to the birds gabbling and bickering at the feeders in the trees and continued to calm down. Last night had been a bitch.

"Only a rich cunt can save me now," he thought with an air of utmost weariness. "I get so tired of chasing after new cunts all the time. It gets so friggin' mechanical."

He slapped his leg, which had fallen asleep and continued with his soliloquy.

"I can't seem to fall in love. Why? Am I such an egotist? Its painfully obvious women are my vice, an addiction like booze or heroin. I gotta have a new one every day. I think about it all the time, trying not to get morbid, or worse."

He takes a deep drag on his cigarette and half sighs, half exhales, the vapor of the smoke drifting away over the fence behind him.

"Sometimes I amaze myself, I mean, know the guys are in awe of my successes, and how quickly I pull them off. If only they knew how little it really means. I'm on automatic fucking pilot most of the time. Sometimes I'm not even thinkin' about a woman at all, but suddenly I spot one lookin' at me, and then wham! It starts all over again. Before I know what I'm doing I've got her alone someplace. Shit! I don't even remember what I say to 'em."

Laughing out loud, Warren takes a last drag on the cigarette and flips it into a nearby shrub.

"Shit, the guy's would kill to know what I lay on 'em, but for the life of me, I don't remember. I get 'em alone, give 'em a pat on the ass, and before I know it, I've nuzzled their pussy, they've sucked my cock, and we fuck like rabbits. It's wham, bam, thank you Mam! Over and out. Getting rid of them is harder than finding and fuckin' 'em. It's kinda like a dream. I'm beginning to wonder, is it really a dream?

She lived on a small side street just off Carolina Beach Road before it intersected with College Road, at Monkey Junction. It was one of four bungalows that faced onto a common courtyard with a small swimming pool as its focal point. Red zinnias, mauve petunias and white azaleas threatened to overflow the concrete walkway leading to the pool.

The evening air was rich with the smell of dampened plants and steaks being grilled next door. Warren had spotted her while walking through the Mall earlier that afternoon. He allowed her to observe his interest in her there, then removed himself from her field of vision. He was an expert at this. Intuitively, he knew which shops she would visit and in what order. Other girls passed through his field of vision. Some were attractive, some not, but he remained fixated on her. It was a simple matter to follow her out of the Mall, to her car and to her apartment. He didn't care if she knew he was following her. In fact, he thought he saw her adjusting her rear mirror and observed him behind her.

Warren parked up the street from her residence and waited patiently like a big game hunter stalking his prey. Sitting in his car in the searing heat for two hours, watching the comings and goings from the bungalows, until he was satisfied that she either lived alone, or was alone at the moment. He'd seen the curtains move on two occasions, an announcement to him that she was aware of his presence.

Since no police had cruised by to check him out, Warren's confidence rose and he allowed the car door to slam shut, in part to announce his arrival, in part to convey to any observers that he was not hiding anything; and walked to her door and rang the bell. It took a full minute before the door opened. She appeared surprised to see him standing there.

"Hello," he said, a faint smile breaking across his handsome face. "We almost met at the Mall earlier today."

Her black hair was long, and fell over her shoulders. Warren had the impression she usually wore it up and had just combed it out. She wore a simple black cotton dress that reached nearly to her feet and fit at the waist in a way that made it quite clear she had special charms hidden beneath it. He felt that special tingle in his groin that signified hot, raw, sex was near at hand. He stood straight with his hands by his sides, and appeared relaxed.

"I remember you. How did you find me? Did you follow me?" There was a lilt in her voice that reflected an amusement with his appearance.

"Yes, when a man falls in love he has to act quickly or risk losing his intended forever." He said this with all sincerity. "My name is Warren," he smiled, "and I'd very much like to know you."

"My friends call me Renata," she responded in a friendly fashion. "I saw you following me. You waited quite a while before ringing the doorbell." Her eyes met his briefly, then turned down, and then away. "Now we've met. Warren, is it?"

"Yes."

"Other than meeting me to declare your love," and her eyes sparkled as she uttered the words, "why are you hanging around my place for hours in this heat?" Her left hand was slowly stoking her right wrist.

"To make sure there's no husband around with a gun or an ax. I'm a little crazy but not that crazy," he grinned, opening his arms as if in surrender.

"You're in luck," Renata said, leaning towards him, her posture erect and alert. "There's no one here but me." She turned away and closed her door and motioned for Warren to follow her and led him to the rear of the building where the trees offered a cool shade.

Renata smiled, flashing a perfect set of white teeth as her large dark eyes fixed on him with greater interest than was implied by the casual manner in which she spoke. "I hope you don't mind sitting out here," she said gesturing to two old-fashioned wooden porch chairs. "The air conditioning is broken, they promised to fix it, but... "

"That's fine," Warren said softly, looking directly at Renata. "I was admiring your zinnias."

"Thank you, but they are not mine," she quickly pointed out as she adjusted her hair by brushing it back.

"Teresa is the one to thank for the flowers. She's very talented in that area." She glanced at him and then looked down. "Oh, Teresa is my roommate," she volunteered. She'll be back tomorrow afternoon." Renata caught herself wondering why she'd let that vital piece of information out.

Warren nodded as he sat down and crossed his legs - then seemed to change his mind and uncrossed them. His arms rested on the chair's arms. "Do the flowers remind you of home?" he inquired.

"No, not really. They remind me of Mississippi. I spent many years there, near Biloxi."

Warren looked into Renata's eyes briefly and then away. Renata wore no makeup, but her coloring was elegant, with the subtle variety of shading he often saw in the cinnamon complexions of Latin women.

They sat silent for a moment in the soft lavender light that proceeded dusk, in that hour of day during Wilmington's lowland summer when it seemed time had ceased, and night would be held forever in abeyance.

She gazed into the dusk and not at Warren as she said: "So you followed me home from the Mall."

This murmured more as a statement of fact than a question.

"That's right," he said. "I found you to be the most attractive woman I've seen in a long time," he said, his voice grew huskier as he continued. "I couldn't let you drift out of my life without at least trying to meet with you, to talk to you. To let you know how you affect me." He was staring into her eyes as he lightly licked his lips. Casually, his eyes dropped to her breasts, he took a deep breath and returned them to meet her eyes.

It was her turn for a brief inspection, and Renata discretely took in the long bulge running from his crotch and down his thigh. He dresses to the right, she thought, and he takes a large at that. Her eyes met his again, there was a sparkle in them that was missing before, then she smiled, and asked, "And how do I affect you?"

Warren watched Renata stoke her arm, as she asked the question. He decided to be direct.

"As I said earlier," he leaned towards her, "I think you're the most attractive woman I've seen in a long time." He reached out and took her hand in his, and kissed the palm. "I meant it. I want you."