Chapter 2

With an unexplainable, cold resentment welling up into her conscious mind, Betty Ballard, carefully, replaced the telephone in its cradle, breaking the connection.

It was all she could do to remain politely civil to Jay's new secretary, who had just called to tell her that her husband wouldn't be home... until late, again!

Betty hadn't met the new girl, Friday, yet, but intuitively she knew that she must be young... and pretty. Unbidden, a nagging suspicion rocketed around inside her brain. Could Jay be taking her... out to dinner... and... She shied away from completing the thought; it was too threatening... to her... to her marriage!

Sighing disconsolately, she looked at the two prime steaks she was marinating and had planned to serve for dinner that evening. There was nothing to do but put them back in the refrigerator to cook for the next day. Since she'd be eating alone, again, something simple was in order, so back into the fridge went the steaks.

... Of course, she had known, when she married Jay Ballard, that his work, as a private investigator, would keep him away from home... some of the time, but lately, it seemed that most-if not all-of his evenings had been spent away from home. He'd told her it had been necessary... that the case he was working on, involving a night-club singer's murder kept him going to various clubs, shadowing the suspect, gathering information on him... and finally getting evidence and a motive that led to his arrest. There had been a big splash in the newspapers and on TV about the case, but there had been no mention of Jay's work on it. Betty wondered about that.

Jay had explained it to her. "Actually... I don't want that kind of publicity. I'd rather let the police take the credit... so I can work... in the background!"

"It seems unfair..."

"Maybe... but it's like being an undercover agent... you don't want too many people to know who you are..." he went on. "Anyway... I get my fee... and that keeps the world going around for us!"

"... But you're away so much... at night..." It was a plaintive plea.

"Hell... that's part of the job! You knew that... when we got married!" he barked.

She hadn't wanted to start an argument over it, again, so she backed away from it. Anyway, the skirmishes had been going on... ever since they'd gotten married, two years ago.

Jay was older than she was... quite a lot older, really. He was thirty-six, a few day before their wedding... and she had been about six weeks short of twenty; however, nothing would change her mind about marrying him. She had been sure that their difference in ages would never be a real problem.

Well... she had been mistaken. Jay had been a bachelor for too long to be domesticated easily. His habits, his working schedule and his attitudes were too deeply ingrained, and Betty, in her naivete had thought she could change him.

It was sheer foolishness, she had found out... especially when she had had to face the reality that Jay could-and probably did-on occasion, hop into bed with some other woman. She remembered her disbelief... that first time, when she had become suspicious of him. Her husband had denied it... but there was the evidence: Lipstick... the dark hairs on his jacket... but even more damning, when she found them the next day in his car... was the diaphanous bra... and the sheer, nylon panties! He lied to her. She was sure of it... when he had told her, blandly, that it only seemed to look damaging. It had all been a part of his work!

Fervently, she had wanted to believe him, and in a way, she did; after all, she loved her husband, hating what he was doing to make a living and not wanting these things, he explained so easily, to come between them. In the end, he always ended up taking her to bed and making passionate love to her. Jay was a virile, potent man... and if he were engaging in some clandestine, extra-marital sex... it sure didn't affect his desire for her.

In a way, that was the trouble. He was almost more than she could handle... as far as sex went. It seemed he was always wanting it... wanting to make love to her... sometimes at the oddest times...

Unbidden, her luminous China-blue eyes brimmed over with tears, remembering how it had been just two nights ago. Ever since they had been married, Jay had been trying to make love to her in ways that seemed unnatural... even perverted to her, but she hadn't reached the point, yet of letting him do some of those revolting things. Then, as she had thought about it, she had decided... If I'm going to keep my husband... keep him from straying... I'd better learn to... d-do... some of those far- out things!

She tossed her long, golden blonde hair back over her shoulders, using her hand to brush some of the stray hairs back as she went about getting her lonely meal ready.

Gulping down his dinner, that evening, two nights ago, Jay had rushed off, telling her that he had a good lead on some new evidence. It was a currently hot case he was working on, and his interest in it was intense.

... But, it was when he had arrived back home, at three in the morning, that she remembered most painfully. She had heard him park the car, in the carport; glancing at the bedside clock, she had noted the time. It was an ungodly hour. Somehow she resented it. Why can't he work at an eight-to-five job... like most other people do... ? It was her strait-laced, conformingly structured mind at work.

As Jay came into the bedroom, the reeking fumes of alcohol preceded him. He was drunk, again. Betty sat up in bed and snapped on the bedside lamp, her deep-seated feelings of resentment rising even higher in her. He reeled over to the side of the bed and flopped down on the edge.

"Hello, darlin'... I'm home!" he smiled, crookedly.

"It's about time!" she said, coldly. "It's after three in the morning. "

"Sure... I know what time it is!... And you ought to be glad to see me! I got it all wrapped up... tonight!"

"Why don't you tell me about it... in the morning... when you're sober!" Betty suggested, stretching out again, and pulling up the sheet.

"Hey! You don't get it... Baby! I got something to celebrate about!" He reached out for her, roughly, to take her into his arms. "... And I'm going to wind up the celebration... with you!"

"No... please! Wait Jay... until later!"

Instantly, his anger boiled over. "Like hell... I'll wait! I came home to you... like a good husband... and I'll be damned... if I'll be put off" He hauled her up to him, forcefully slamming his mouth down on hers, like some savage animal, his tongue splaying her lips, as it shot into her mouth, exploringly, tasting and savoring the sweetness of her mouth.

... But, Betty was having none of that... at that horrible hour of the morning and with her husband in such a drunken state. She tried to writhe away from him, to escape his mauling hands on her body and his plundering tongue in her mouth.

Finally, she could twist her head away, breaking the unwanted kiss, and pleaded with him. "Darling... Jay, darling... please... wait... ?"

Her husband had pinned her to the bed. She was helpless. His hands were all over her, at first he pulled the sheet from her, then her filmy nightgown. She was stark naked, on the bed... but still she resisted him, stoutly, as he clutched and squeezed at her soft, sensitive flesh, his fingers digging, cruelly, into the pliant mounds of her full-orbed breasts. He was like a madman... and she didn't know how to cope with him.

Then, as she had watched in helpless horror, Jay had pulled off his own clothing, stripping himself naked in a matter of moments... and she saw his fully erect penis, standing out, rampantly, from his hairy loins; it was throbbing, hotly, with his sudden, furiously insane passion. She knew then that there was no escaping him. He would take her by force... make her do it... with him... whether she wanted to, or not. My God! My own h- husband... is going to r- rape me!

Jay dropped his weight down on his wife's cringing body, wrenching her fear-trembling thighs apart and pressing the white, lusciously tapering columns back against her breasts. He was breathing hard, and animal-like grunting sounds came from deep in his throat.

Desperately, she begged him, further. "OOoohh, Jay... ! Please... ? N-Not... this way! Please... D-Don't d-do it t-to me... like this!"

"Not this way... my way... or any other God damned way... I suppose... if you had your way about it... isn't that right... ?" he growled.

"No... th-that's not... t-true..."

"Bull crap! You just don't like sex... and that's what keeps me the most frustrated son-of-a-bitch I know!" he spat, his handsome face a leering mask of lust, as he added, "Christ! I was getting laid more... when I was single!"