Chapter 6

"I take it you're not happy to see me," I said to the red and twisted face in my doorway.

"Fuck you," Penny spat.

"Come in," I said.

She stepped inside and I closed the door. "I shouldn't have come. I shouldn't ever seen you again," she said quietly. I had witnessed her tighten up and be afraid to let loose or let loose and be wild or be comfortable and loving and intelligent and witty. I had never seen her anger. It took the passive/aggressive route. Her restraint and pathological shyness made that likely.

"I don't remember telling you where I live. Why don't you sit down?"

As she sat at the bar between the living room and the kitchen she said in a near whisper, "There are a lot of things you never told me."

"I like to hear you talk about yourself, and I felt you needed to let things out, things you had bottled up."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she said stiffly.

"Why didn't I tell you what, Penny?"

"You're good. You must have fucked a lot of women in your life."

"What has that got to do with anything? There are not a lot of women here. There's just you."

"Yes, you're very good. I could blame myself for being the fool, for letting you into my life, but I didn't have a chance, did I?"

Before, Penny would look away from me when we talked. When communication became physical, when we made love, she stared into my eyes, but not when we talked. Maybe it was a peak emotional moment, a visceral moment like good sex, but she hadn't looked away from my eyes once since she arrived.

"Tell me what I've done and then we can figure out what to do about it or not do about it."

"I should have walked away, moved on, but I'm such a fucking actress. I promised Betty I'd do her play. I really do think it's a good play."

"Yes," I said. "I've been studying my lines. There are some interesting moments when things work on many levels. It's pretty deep."

"I shouldn't be doing some fucking amateur play. And I definitely shouldn't be doing it with you."

"I thought you said I was perfect for the part," I said. "You said Betty searched for me to fill the role."

Penny made a throttled noise that resembled a laugh. "How can I work with you?" she said, letting her voice rise. "How can I be with you?" She said louder. Then she yelled, "What am I doing here?"

"I don't know!" I yelled back. It seemed like the wind of my voice pushed her against the chair. She tightened even more, and then became suddenly relaxed. Tears streamed out of her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked again. She cried but her voice remained steady, quiet and tender.

"Please Penny; tell me what I didn't tell you."

"You know who I am. You know who I really am."

"I'm learning, Penny. You're a complicated woman."

She laughed, this time without restraint. Though brief, laughing through tears broke my heart. "You can say that again," she said. "Say my name."

"Penny."

"Say my real name."

"You are Penny to me," I said truthfully.

"I want to hear what my real name sounds like from the one man in my life who made me feel loved like only a man can love a woman."

"Which name? Your married name or your maiden name."

"Married please."

"Joan McAndrews."

"You're right. I like Penny better especially from you. What's my husband's name?"

"Jordan McAndrews."

"He hired you to find me?"

"He did."

"He sent others, other private investigators?"

"Ever since you left there have been several."

"You are good."

"I take pride in my profession, at least some of the time. But my partner did most of the work as far as putting me in the right place at the right time to find you."

"When should I expect him, or are you going to shackle me and bring me home?"

"That's a good question." I could see her tighten. "No, I'm not here to bring you home. Your husband, via Sandy, my partner, asked to keep my eye on you, to make sure you're safe."

"Is Sandy a he or a she?"

"Sandy's the woman who taught me everything I know about being a PI."

"And other things?"

"You mean..."

"Did she teach you how to make a woman purr," said Penny. Was she horny along with everything else?

"I guess every woman you make love to teaches you something. You just have to be willing to listen."

"Oh god Joe, why do you do this to me?" she moaned. "I should tear you into a million little pieces, but you say things ... I wish I never left. I wish I stayed the blissfully innocent wanton woman. We would be fucking like rabbits all weekend long."

I leaned over and touched her hand. She jerked it out of the way and tightened up. Then she jumped into my lap and kissed me, thrusting her crotch against mine, humping me. She stopped abruptly, gave me a big hug, and then hopped off my lap, returning to her seat.

After a long pause, I asked, "How did you find out?"

"Even though I hate you for your deceit, it was the hardest thing I have ever done not to fuck you where you sit."

"We kind of deceived each other, Penny. And though I've been attracted to you, most powerfully when I watched your audition, if the feeling hadn't been mutual, I would have played my part as a fellow thespian, a friend, and maybe that would have been better for when I finally told you why I had entered your life. But you needed me, you wanted me, and we've been very good together."

"No, what I'm saying is there's someone outside waiting for me. I was too out of sorts to drive, so she drove me here. The thing is, she's the one who told me. Her and my brother-in-law share similar work as yours. She caught you breaking into Cole's car at the club. She has pictures."

"We should invite her in." I looked discretely through my window. The Mustang parked on the street was empty. I saw a shadow at my front door.

"I don't think she likes you. She doesn't like what you did to me."

"Do you care how she feels about me?"

"I ... I ... I had a very strange weekend," said an uncertain Penny.

"Tell me about it."

"Martine..."

"Your brother-in-law's girlfriend?"

"She's his assistant, but yeah in a way. She prefers the ladies."

"Okay."

"I know I never told you, but..."

"I know."

"You do? How?"

"I'll tell you later, but please continue."

"She's beautiful, just like her twin sister. Well I guess they'd have to be since they're identical"

"Christine?"

"You really are good."

"So the twins are executive secretaries to each brother."

"Yeah. Weird, huh?"

"Very."

"You see, I always felt an attraction to Christine. I like women, but she was the first I had a crush on. She was always nice to me, and she even seemed flirtatious. I fantasized about her. So when I got off the plane and Christine met me, I hugged her. She laughed once we ended the pretty intimate hug. She actually rubbed herself against me. I thought I might cum right there at the airport. Not really but it was pretty intense. Martine introduced herself, told me she was my guide for the day and drove me a long way to the surprise Cole wanted to give me, the reason he sent for me. Anyway, as we drove along, she began touching me. I wore light cotton shorts, so I could feel her fingers pressing you know here," Penny wearing perhaps the same shorts rubbed between her thighs. "She took my hand and guided me under her skirt, where I found her naked. We rubbed each other. I got pretty excited. She touched me just right. She told me to take off my shorts and panties, which I did. She undid her white button down shirt, revealing her unclad handful of teardrop shaped breasts. I played with them, being gentle twisting the nipples.

"'Pinch them hard, ' she told me and when I did, her hips thrust forward and my fingers dipped deeper inside her. For the rest of the journey I concentrated on getting her off. Her fingers in me distracted, but just fondling this gorgeous woman, watching her face get excited, hearing her sighs turned me on. The road got windy; you know how it gets in Hana. We stopped at a turnout and kissed. Her fingers began to be more effective inside me, and mine on her pussy and her nipples made her rock in her seat. Finally she broke the kiss and moaned, and I felt her dampen inside.

"'I needed that, ' she said. 'You better get dressed.'

"A couple miles later we drove onto a long driveway which led to a large house hidden within dense trees. We got out and entered the sprawling, softly rounded modern house. Through the large back window I could see the ocean below us. She led me to a bedroom where she stripped and lay naked and stunning, spread out on the king sized bed. I joined her once I got naked. She turned me on my back and we licked each other until she made me cum, and then I made her cum again.

"Just as she shuddered in orgasm, Cole entered the room naked and shoved his penis right into Martine doggy style. It was thrilling and scary at the same time. My third cock pumped in and out of Martine right above me. She resumed licking me and stroking me with her hand and whether the shock and excitement of Cole's sudden entrance or her skill as a lover caused it I don't know, but I soon climaxed. Cole shoved deep, pushing himself against her perfect ass, grunting like a caveman as he ejaculated into her. I rolled out from under Martine, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, not wanting Cole's wet penis to end up anywhere near my face. I got dressed and walked out of the room."

Throughout the monologue, Penny rubbed her pussy, not hard, but enough to elevate her libido. Her stare continued with occasional glances at my tumescent cock stretching my pants.

The hand she which rubbed her crotch moved to my crotch. "I didn't want his cock, but I want yours," she said.

Suddenly the door broke open. I grabbed Penny, pulling her to the floor, using the momentum to swing me to the doorway and twist the arm leading Martine into the house. The gun went off, the bullet becoming a harmless projectile except for a kitchen cupboard and what hid inside it. I pulled Martine's beautiful face into my knee, knocking her out. "Handcuffs in the cabinet behind you on top of the safe, get them for me," I told Penny. Her mouth and her eyes were wide. She didn't move. "Please, Penny, before she wakes up. You have to trust me. I'll explain everything. But you have to obey me. Hurry."

She finally did as I asked, handing me the cuffs. "Kinky guy," she said, trying to steer her way back to sanity. I cuffed our intruder.

"Thanks sweetheart. You better sit down."

Penny wobbled on her feet like she might pass out. Once she sat I told her to put her head between her knees.

Martine was a big girl, not in a broad way, in a tall way, but I managed to drag her so that she sat on the floor, her hands cuffed behind her.

I rested the door in place, examining the damage. As soon as things calmed, including my heart, I'd call Diana and get her recommendation for some emergency repair. The thought of talking to her steadied me. I looked forward to a kind voice.

Darting to the utility closet I grabbed a roll of duct tape. I thought of finding something to shove into Martine's mouth, contemplating a container of tennis balls in the closet. I decided to be less cruel, but kept it in the back of my head if Martine became trouble.

Once I had Martine's legs and mouth bound with tape I grabbed the phone. My adrenalin charged state was a good place to be for the phone call. I'd written Carol's number on the top of the message pad. Thankfully she was home.

"Is Sandy there?" I asked as soon as I heard Carol answer.

"Hi Joe, yes she is. Should I put it on speakerphone again?"

"Okay." The echo in Sandy's voice told me Carol had done what she asked.

"What's up, Joe?" asked Sandy.

"Don't worry about Washington. We have the answers here," I said breathlessly.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. My front door isn't in such good shape, and the bullet did some damage to the kitchen."

"What!?!" yelled Sandy while simultaneously Carol cried "Oh my god!"

"Everything is in control here. We are about to get answers from the horse's mouth. We have a hostage."

"Who?" asked Sandy.

"I want it to be a surprise. But listen. I need you two to leave as soon as possible. I don't know if you are in danger there, but just in case, Carol, toss everything you need in a bag and head to Sandy's hotel."

"I've got everything with me Joe," said Sandy.

"Good. Head to the airport and get the first plane west. If you can't get one to Hawaii, go to Los Angeles or San Francisco and find one there. I need you here, Sandy."

"I knew you missed me, but never knew it was this much," said Sandy helping me calm down a little.

"Watch out for tails. Try to find if you have any. I'm more afraid of confrontation then letting them know you're flying away. I'm sure they'll figure that out soon enough, but you should be a step ahead of them."

"Who is them?" asked Carol.

"It could be Jordan himself or a friend of his, but probably a hired hand, one of the shadier PIs or something, I don't know. I could be paranoid."

"Sounds like a good thing to be right now," said Sandy.

"Yeah," I said.

"Maybe you should go to Diana's house," said Sandy.

"I'd love to, but I don't see myself dragging a hostage around. I'm going to call her as soon as I hang up. I need to get this door fixed as soon as possible. I'm not sure if I can get it done on a Sunday."

"If anyone knows, it would be Diana."

"Yeah. Do you want to come over when you get here?"

"I'll get Carol settled in my guest room and head over."

"That sounds good to me," said Carol, saying the first sensible thing of the evening. We laughed.

"I'm sorry I got you into this," Sandy told Carol.

"I'm not. It's the most excitement I've had ... ever. But there's only so much excitement I can take."

I heard the groan of an awakening intruder. I looked over at Penny. She stared at Martine with wide eyes as she sat slumped on the couch. Fear is not an emotion one pursues except thrill seekers looking for fun. Certainly not when violence surprises you. But Penny frightened made me glad. Guessing whether she would come to the rescue of her lover or not became less of an issue.

"I have to go. My uninvited friend has awakened."

We said our goodbyes quickly and I hung up.

"I need to make one more call, and then we'll talk, okay Penny? Are you okay?" She nodded, then shook her head, then shrugged.

"Let me just say, and I know how you feel about me and what I did to you, but you have to trust me, Penny. I'm pretty sure I just saved your life. The set up isn't clear to me, like how the broken door would be explained, maybe in the heat of anger you busted it down, I don't know, but we're looking at a murder suicide here that didn't quite go as planned."

Martine made noise behind the tape. Her sad and pleading eyes looked at Penny. Penny may be a great actress on stage, but she was witness to great acting in real life. I thought about the tennis ball, but, though tempting, it would probably make Martine out to be a victim rather than a cold blooded murderer.

I called Diana to tell her about the door. When she told me she'd take care of it immediately, I wanted to warn her off, but realized I wouldn't need to hide the hostage if she did the work.

"I'm blessed to have you as my friend," I said to her.

"Me too," she said in her simple kind manner.

After hanging up I asked if Penny wanted something to drink. "I'm having a beer," I said.

"Okay," she said, sounding like a frightened child.

I grabbed the beers, opening one and handing it to her. I sat in the overstuffed chair near her, putting me in a position to watch our guest while facing Penny. I twisted the top off my beer bottle, took a cold, refreshing, slightly numbing swallow and began to talk.

"I'm sorry I wasn't truthful with you, Penny, I really am. But I have to admit, I wouldn't have changed a thing. Being hired by your husband to find you and then to follow you was the only reason we met. I haven't acted, or thought about acting since high school, and that was anything but an encouragement to pursue it further. With a friend's help, I discovered I could do it. Even Pat, my trainer, told me he hadn't expected to get as far as we did in the month or so I worked with him. I hope we do perform together on the stage in front of an audience. I'm looking forward to it. And then the radio show, my god, what a wonderful thing to happen to me. I 'd thought about getting more education, matriculating as much as I could with my job and such, and now I have a reason to be an eternal student, so I can work at my favorite station forever. You made that happen.

"And of course making love, hanging out, being your friend has been wonderful. You are so unique. You are so lovely. I mean, the fact that you let me into your life, a life that you never let anyone into was so humbling. I could see the struggles you had in order to open up to me, and after restraining your shyness and your fear for so long, the pressure in the tight place you kept your emotions exploded when it released. I never experienced such passion.

"So if it wasn't for your husband, and my less than reputable career choice, none of it would have happened. You've done so much for me. And I hope I've done something for you. I hope you've enjoyed our time as much as I have." I paused to let what I said sink in. Her face played out a confusion I wished I could draw her out of. She smiled, then frowned then tightened then eased back. Her hand took my hand a moment then retreated back to her lap. She continued the stare she had broken rarely since arriving. Glancing occasionally at Martine who twitched and struggled became her one distraction.

"Before I get into why we have the beautiful Martine tied up in my entryway, I have one more thing to say. I love you, Penny. If built to be a monogamous man, you would be my first choice for a mate. Of course I'm not, and this whole disguise thing on both our parts makes such a choice probably impossible anyway. But if we stayed friends, even lovers after all this drama, I for one would be overjoyed.

"Enough about me, let's talk about you. I don't have all the answers, and you have more than me, so feel free to steer me in the right direction anytime. Where should I begin?"

"At the beginning, silly," she said childishly.

"No, that's a little dark. We'll get there later. Let's start with six months ago. That's when Cole returned to your life, isn't it? He came by one day. After talking about the old days, getting you relaxed and open like the smooth operator he is, he got you talking about your life with his brother. He made you see Jordan as a shithead, a cad and a selfish bastard treating you badly. He made you think of all the times your husband rejected you in bed. He reminded you about how many times Jordan wanted to hold you back from what you love, your acting. Once he had you baited he pulled the hook. How can you take revenge and come out on top? You could go have adventures, something that had become rare. You could do all the acting you ever dreamed of with no one telling you you can't. And best of all, the silver tongued devil said, you could be wealthy. Not just the wealth you'd get from divorcing the bastard, but much more. And even better than the best, it would mean you shafted the asshole, and he couldn't do anything about it. The money couldn't be discussed. It really wasn't his. How am I doing?"