Chapter 6

On the way down to Palm Springs, as Leon drove rapidly along the freeway arrowing through the desert, Virginia told him that she was glad he had decided to take the weekend off to have some fun for a change.

"You haven't had any time off for a long time."

"Actually, I came along to keep my eye on you!" Leon told her bluntly, deciding that this was as good a time as any to get things out in the open.

Virginia stared open-mouthed at his profile. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked with more than a little apprehension.

"It means I know you've been playing around... getting yourself laid!" he rasped out at her, taking his eyes from the road for a moment to flash a look of disgust at her.

"Th-that's not true, Leon!" she lied.

"Do you want me to name names?"

"N-no... because there isn't anybody else!" she sobbed. "I love... j-just you!"

"Let's start with Arthur Hartman... then Hugo Foxx!"

The two names stabbed out at her, and she cringed away. "Ooooohh, God! N-no!" How did he find out?

"I know... so there's no need to lie about it!" he pursued grimly. "Would you like to know how I found out?"

Virginia was absolutely miserable. She was sure that now Leon would be leaving her, asking for a divorce, but nothing would force her to admit to him that his knowledge was correct. She persisted in her plea of innocence. "There's nothing to find out... be-because I-I didn't do anything!"

"Their wives told me!" he grated. "Annabelle Foxx and Phyllis Hartman told me themselves... and do you want to know something else?"

He didn't wait for her answer. Plunging ahead, he told her gloatingly, "They both threw themselves at me... to get even with their husbands... and I fucked them both... at the same time!"

Virginia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Leon? Leon did something like that? "H-how could they?" she sobbed.

"What? Find out... or offer themselves to me?"

"F-find out..."

"I don't know how they found out, but they were positive about it!" he growled. "So positive that they arranged a little sex party for me... and did you hear what I told you? I fucked them both at the same time! Would you like to know how I did it?"

"No!" Virginia flared. "Do you have to be s-so crude?"

"Hell, yes! I want you to suffer! I want you to know all the little details about it, so you'll know how I felt when I found out you were nothing but a lying little cheat!"

"B-but you don't understand!"

"Yes, I do, you bitch! I understand plenty, and you're going to listen while I tell you all about it!"

Then, as his wife sobbed and cringed in the corner of her seat, Leon proceeded to shower her with the welter of details of his sexual encounter with the two sensually attractive women. Surprisingly, Virginia found herself becoming aroused as his tale went on and on. Finally, when he was finished, she crept close to him and murmured, "Leon, darling, could w-we make up... maybe sort of pretend that nothing's happened, since you figure you've evened the score..."

At that point, Leon wasn't sure the score had been evened. "How do you think we can just wish it away? The fact is you were cheating, getting laid behind my back... and I'm not ready to forgive and forget yet! I'm going to have some more fun with those two women! They practically told me that they'd both take me on, again... and by God, I think that's exactly what I'll do! But, as for you, you've been having your fun already, and I'm going to make damned sure you don't go bouncing around from one hot bed to another!"

Virginia was disappointed. Her overtures toward reconciliation were spurned, and she felt the sting of his rejection; at the same time, there was a pervading sense of the unfairness of his attitude. She voiced it. "But you're blaming me... and then doing the same thing yourself."

"Yeah! The difference is I'm telling you what I'm going to do... and then I'm going to do it!"

With an effort, Virginia pulled herself together before they arrived at the sprawling hotel in Palm Springs, which was hosting the Eko-Klean meeting. She was thankful for her dark sunglasses masking her swollen, red-rimmed eyes. All of her excitement and anticipation over the meeting had fled from her; all that was left was a huge, aching void as she felt that everything she had ever held dear, the most precious of which was her marriage to Leon Brooks, was just about lost... forever. God! We can't go on this way!

They checked in at the hotel's desk and were soon in their room. Virginia repaired the damage to her face as best she could, bathing her eyes in cold water and putting on fresh make-up. Then she left to attend the first of several meetings on the program. True to his word, Leon accompanied her to the small auditorium and told her that he would be back to pick her up when the meeting was over.

"You don't trust me at all?" she asked, new anguish coursing through her.

"No!" Leon told her. "No, I don't trust you any more than I trust those two bastards who've been fucking you!"

Sarcasm dripping from her words, Virginia spat hissingly, "But you - you're different?"

"I'm honest about it! Now, go on in to your meeting - and don't leave until I pick you up, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" she hissed. "Do I salute too?"

Gripping her arm angrily, but mindful of the scores of other people milling about the entrance to the meeting hall, Leon hissed back menacingly,

"Don't get smart with me, Virginia! You're just damned lucky I haven't marked you up so far... but you just keep it up, and you'll be asking for a scab on the end of your nose."

When he released her, Virginia was so terribly frightened that she scuttled away from him and darted into the auditorium, finding a seat near the rear corner where she could be alone. It was the first time since she'd known Leon that he had threatened her with physical violence. Remembering the grim anger in his eyes, she was sure that he was capable of doing it. Unbidden tears streamed from her eyes; she dabbed at them with a tissue and wished that she'd decided to stay away from this meeting. Her first reaction when she'd gotten the notice about it was to refuse to go. But it's mandatory! I have to be here!

Hugo Foxx conducted the meeting, spouting sales statistics and pointing out areas for improvement along with quoting stimulative suggestions and anecdotes urging greater volumes of sales. He was every bit the ebullient sales manager, acting the part of coach and mentor, as he exhorted his team to greater effort.

Afterward, there was a period of about three hours of free time before the dinner meeting in the evening, at which time the president of Eko-Klean was to give one of the major talks. When Leon met her at the door of the meeting hall, Virginia had regained her composure somewhat and had decided to try to enjoy herself.