Chapter 4 - Surprise

This is the first time that I'm not looking forward to seeing Elaine. The first time since we met, not merely since we consummated the love we've felt for so long.

Even that isn't quite right. I want to see her. I hunger to touch her, to stroke those wonderful breasts, to be inside her, to know her love for me as she fills my mind and my body with her presence. I long for her like a lovesick teenager longs for the first girl who kisses him.

We have not done well at keeping our resolve to see each other only when opportunity presents itself. We have made opportunities and taken risks. I've met her for lunch four times in the last three weeks, and twice we ended up spending the afternoon making love. My work lets me set my own hours, but if she keeps taking sick time someone's going to ask questions.

Last week her husband, Geoff, was travelling from Sunday to Wednesday. Telling my wife I had a deadline, I passed Sunday afternoon in Elaine's bed. When Anita had to travel from Tuesday to Friday, Elaine accompanied me to a show, then spent the night in my arms. We know we need to stop taking stupid risks, but we feel like newlyweds, and resent anything that gets in the way of our being together.

That makes the problem worse. Anita has found a zeal for lovemaking that I don't recall even when we were newlyweds. For about the last month she has been constantly horny, wanting me at every opportunity, even postponing work she needed to do at home for an early night of intimacy. Almost as surprising as how much and how often is where. When she returned from her recent business trip, we were cuddling on the couch, when without preamble she pulled off my pants and knelt before me, sucking my cock with the lights and TV on and the curtains wide open. A couple of evenings later found us naked on the living room floor, Anita holding me and licking like an ice-cream cone, while I slurped her to a climax that had her gasping while she rubbed my cock against the roof of her mouth.

At least that time we closed the curtains.

I did persuade her to move the mattress onto the deck, and make love and sleep under the stars. She was excited. When Elaine first showed me how wonderful it could be, I thought Anita would be horrified by the idea.

The two extended lunches with Elaine both led to nights that exceeded my capability. Fortunately, Anita attributed my lack of stamina to her driving me too hard in the previous days.

I don't object to being passionately involved with my wife. Even given how difficult it is while Elaine and I can't keep our hands off each other. I love Anita, and I have every inclination to make love to her whenever and however she is willing. What concerns me more is why the sudden urgency about physical intimacy.

Almost certainly I now know why, and I'm heartsick. Elaine needs to know this, too, and it could destroy everything - our love for each other and both of our marriages. Damn, I wish I could ignore it. If it didn't involve Elaine, I think I would, whatever it did to me. I can't keep a secret like this, though.

 

Elaine arrives at one. She's using up yet more sick time. I apologise for taking up her time. She gives me a hug. She looks nervous, too. She has no idea what this is about.

I wish it could stay that way.

"I have something you need to hear," I say. "I found it yesterday. I wish I hadn't. You're probably going to find it offensive, but keep listening. It's worse than offensive."

There's a cassette player on the table. As I reach to turn it on, Elaine says, "You're scaring me."

"I'm scared myself," I say. "This could change everything."

I push the play button. There are a few seconds of silence, then the sound of a woman panting. A small discontinuity, and the woman is crying out, "Ohh! Yes! YES!" regularly, getting louder and sounding more uncontrolled with each utterance. In time to the cries is a rhythmic twanging noise, not loud, but obviously the sound of not-perfectly-silent bedsprings. I glance at Elaine's face. She's frowning. Puzzling perhaps why I'm playing her what sounds like a porn movie soundtrack.

The sounds reach their peak, then slow slightly. The bedspring sounds get louder, even while slowing, and there is a quiet strained sound in a man's voice. A longer "Ohhhh" in a quavering voice, and the bedspring rhythm picks up as the woman makes ecstatic moaning sounds. The sounds get quieter, and become muffled. It sounds like a kiss, during shuddering sighing. Another discontinuity.

A sharp noise, sitting quickly on a bed, getting up from the bed, something like that, and a quiet voice. One word sounds like it might be "Elaine". A discontinuity.

A very clear voice: "So, what would your lovely sexpot wife do with you now?"

Anita's voice.

 

Elaine looks at me in dawning horror, which grows as she hears the man's voice answer. The words are muffled, but the tones are Geoff's.

Anita's voice is pitched too low to hear, too. There's some muted laughter, and after a second, another discontinuity.

I flick the cassette player back to stop.

I don't know where to look. I can't bring myself to look at Elaine. Instead I look down at my hands while I speak. "I was looking for a blank cassette. I thought I'd borrow the one in Anita's recorder. She often forgets about it and leaves tapes in there until they are too out of date to be any use.

"She always records with it set to voice activated. Sometimes she forgets to turn it off, and records an evening of the TV. I'm guessing that she threw a blank tape in there and automatically turned it back to record. It must have been in her briefcase at the trade show."

I risk a glance at Elaine. She looks close to tears. I can't comfort her, though.

"There's more, too, and some of it is important," I continue. "Would you prefer me to summarize?"

She looks at me. There's a determination in those beautiful eyes that I haven't seen before.

"No, let me hear it. At least a few more minutes. I'm not sure if I quite believe what I'm hearing yet."

I press play. There is male and female laughter, and a faint hissing sound. "I think they're in the shower," I say. "It isn't loud enough to trigger the recorder, but when Anita laughs it starts recording."

The shower sounds are only a few seconds long. There is some noise of doors opening and closing, and then something being dropped or someone sitting heavily on the bed. After the next discontinuity, Anita is moaning slowly, blowing through her teeth. Her breath catches each time she breathes in. This goes on for about five minutes, with Anita slowly getting louder, sometimes making a frustrated-sounding whimper. There's an occasional sound like kissing. The bedsprings are almost silent, when we hear them there's no rhythm.

"He's using his tongue," says Elaine, flatly. That's what I think, too.

The moaning sounds have become much louder, and the lapping sound is more frequent. Anita suddenly cries out and starts panting, fast and loud. Then she makes a frustrated sound and moans. This happens a couple more times, then the panting doesn't stop. She makes fast sobbing sounds, then slows down, gasping loudly, and cries out, her voice catching. She breathes hoarsely for a while, slowing down. There's a discontinuity as she becomes quieter.

"Oh, my, Geoff," says Anita's voice. Elaine's face has gone hard.

We hear some of the following conversation. Something about Elaine being turned on around me, and worry that we'd end up as lovers. How the thought made both of them horny. How they have come close to sleeping together before. Elaine's face is somewhat calmer, but I wouldn't want for Geoff to walk in the front door right now. For his sake.

I'm feeling very strange, hearing all this again for the third or fourth time. I still have a disoriented buzzing feeling in my belly, a sense that "this can't possibly be happening to me". At the same time, listening to Anita being so expertly brought off has left me as hard as a rock.

Anita starts fantasizing out loud about what Elaine and I would be doing. I snap the stop button again. I recall what happens next.

"Why did you stop it?"

"We've heard the important stuff. It seems that they suspected you and I were in bed together, and that turned Anita on so much that she did what she has always wanted to do: make love to Geoff. What makes it worse is that they were right. I'd like to feel angry about it, but I feel partly responsible."

"We're not responsible for that," Elaine said tightly. "It was their imaginations. If we had made our separate ways home from the concert they would still have bedded each other. It sounds like they were looking for an excuse. Play the tape."

"Are you sure? I could just summarize the rest now."

"What is it you don't want me to hear? Play the damn tape."

That's strong language for Elaine. It wouldn't be wise to keep trying to talk her out of it. I hit the play button.

Anita is talking about us, about me getting Elaine's breast into my mouth (the thought goes straight to my groin, making me yet harder), about me removing Elaines panties (God, do I want to), about me being inside her (I want, I want), about her taking me into her mouth (I shiver with lust). There are loud licking sounds, and a gasp from Geoff, then "God, you're so big."

The color drains from Elaine's face. There's a discontinuity, and "It's beautiful," followed by more licking sounds. Elaine stands and slaps the stop button. Her face is white. She looms over me. That's hard for someone as short as Elaine, but her face is flint.

She holds her hand out to me.

"Take me to bed. Now."

 

I'm not going to argue with that. If I wanted to I wouldn't, not with her face set like that, but right now I want inside her so much it hurts.

We waste no time on preliminaries. She strips off her own clothes, and I remove mine. The top button of her blouse catches, and she just yanks at her collar, the button going flying. She pulls off her bra and panties, grabs my head and pulls it down into her face. Her kiss is almost violent with desire.

I lie on the bed, and she starts to straddle my waist, but I stop her, and instead make her straddle my head. She lowers herself fairly gingerly onto me, and I get my tongue into her. She wants quick release. I don't spend a lot of time working her up to it. I rub her labia with my tongue, seeking the movement that turns her on as fast as I can. I approach her clit sooner than normal. She's very wet, and she doesn't stop me as I brush her clit with my tongue. Instead, she starts moving up and down. That's horribly uncomfortable, but this afternoon she can do what she wants, short of breaking my neck.

I tickle her clit directly, and she catches her breath. I make a crescent with my tongue, and surround her clit with it. I start to pump hard with my tongue, and she starts grunting. She grabs my hair and holds tight, even pulling me more into her by my hair.

I suck her clit, and she squeals. She rides me harder, working her pussy against my mouth and making strangled noises, until her whole body shivers. She pushes furiously against my mouth, crying out with every slowing motion. I keep sucking her even after she stops moving. I feel her still spasming internally.

I lay her down on her back and get my face between her legs. I tickle and suck her clit gently, and lead her into another orgasm. I don't let up, I keep making her come, and she keeps responding feverishly. After several such, I realize that the little sobs she makes sound different. She's crying. I release her and lie down beside her. She climbs on top of me, tears streaming down her face, and buries her head in my shoulder.

She says something, but I'm not sure I heard her right. I ask her to tell me again.

"Don't leave me. Please don't leave me," she says.

"Why would I leave you? I love you."

"You'll want to work this out with Anita. I don't want to lose you."

She's crying really hard. I stroke her back.

"Elaine, I don't want to lose you. I have no idea what we're going to do, but the one thing I want more than anything is to know that we can stay together. I'm terrified about letting you hear that tape."

She lifts herself up, tears still streaming down her face. "Did you consider just destroying it, not telling me?"

Is she telling me I made it worse by playing her the tape? What else could I do?

"For a few seconds, perhaps," I say. "but I couldn't keep that from you. I just couldn't."

I have misunderstood what she was implying. She plants her lips on mine and kisses me. Then she backs off and waits for her sniffling to subside some.

"I thought about something the other day," she says, breath catching still. "Having a secret from Geoff bothers me, but I can live with it. That wouldn't be true for you. I couldn't keep something from you. It would tear me up." She starts crying again. "Does that tell you something?"

"That you're a lousy liar?" I ask. She slaps my leg. "Or that, just possibly, you've decided that I may be your one true love, after all?"

She kisses my ear, then buries her face in my shoulder and weeps uncontrollably. "Oh, Patrick, what are we going to do?"

I hold her to me. I don't have an answer for that.

 

I stroke her breast, which quivers against my chest as she shakes. "Have I ever told you you're beautiful when you cry?"

She slaps my leg again, and laughs among the tears. I stroke her back with both hands, and slowly she calms down.

"Can I say something serious?" I ask. I feel her nod her head against my shoulder. "As long as you want me, I'll be here for you. I don't know what we're going to do, yet, but if I have to choose between my marriage and you, I will choose you. I don't think I want it to come to that, but I will. If you'll have me."

She hugs me. "I don't know what I want." Her voice is muffled against me. "I'll hold you to that promise, though. I'm not going to give you up."

I reach for the box of tissues on the nightstand and hand them to her. She snuffles and wipes her eyes. "What's on the rest of the tape?" Her voice breaks, and her expression is apprehensive.

"More talk, more sex. Something that sounds like it made Anita very happy. Several times. The last time sounds like she loses control, and Geoff's pretty noisy, too. I think that's the end of the day, because there's an arrival after that. Phone call from me. Another arrival, she thanks him for the flowers and drags him into bed. I hope it's Geoff."

"You hope... do you think it wasn't?"

"No, I'm sure it was. Just my natural sarcasm showing. I'd hate to think she gave the first day's treatment to all the salesmen. Which is also sarcasm. This tape has shocked the hell out of me, but it doesn't mean she sleeps around. Other than this, I mean." I'm getting flustered.

"No, of course it doesn't," Elaine says. "Geoff and she have always been good friends. Would it bother you," I feel her shiver, "would it bother you more if it had been a one-night stand?"

"Yeah, I think so. Yes, definitely. In fact, rationally, I guess it shouldn't bother me at all. What's different between what they did and what we're doing? A one-night stand, no, I couldn't take that. That would be for sex, not for friendship or affection. If I had thought that we couldn't continue beyond that first night I'd have taken you home. I wouldn't ever forgive myself if I'd just used you for temporary sex."

"I wouldn't have forgiven you either," she says, forcefully. "I'd have made Glen Close look like a saint." She narrows her eyes. "Or I'd have made you look like Marty Bobbit."

I chuckle. "Quick, hide the knives, here comes Elaine."

She turns serious again. "So why do I feel so betrayed, when we're just as guilty?"

"I think that's a key question. Are they going to feel betrayed if or when they find out about us? They half suspected us. They know we're attracted to each other. We didn't have a clue about them. That may be part of it. I think... I think there's more. At least for me."

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Well... its... oh, hell, this is very hard to say. It's the... it's how extreme their sex was. Not that it happened, but that it was... wanton, I guess. Anita isn't like that. Wasn't, anyway. Not with me. It's... I'm not jealous. Well, I am, but not like I would expect to be. It's more that I'm... disappointed. All these years, and I've never given her what she wanted. Apparently. And to hear her talk about his... about his... endowment... that way. I can't compete, and I don't know if I want to try any more."

Elaine grips my right hand tightly in her left. "Lover," she says, "you compete very well. I'm not here only because I love you. I'm here partly because you are - no, we are - something special in bed."

"Yes, but you also... I have to compete with that."

"But that's what I'm saying," she argues. "You do. Let me tell you this." She props herself on her right elbow, and draws patterns on my stomach with her free hand. "They say size doesn't matter. That's a lie, it does, but not in the way you're thinking. It's just different, that's all. Sometimes it's good when the guy's... oversized. Sometimes it's painful. Or at least uncomfortable. Some things are just impossible. I've done things with you... well, I've done things that I wanted to do for a long time, and couldn't do with Geoff. Not that it really has mattered to me, I'm not saying that I was disappointed before, but... I've been very happy to be able to give you pleasure. And if you think you're a disappointment to me, well... I guess you just haven't been paying attention."

She's watching my face as I smile guardedly.

"That isn't all of it, is it?" she asks.

"Are you a programmer, or a shrink?" I grimace. "No, that isn't all of it. There's her reaction, too. Not just to his size, though I'm sure that's a part of it. That wouldn't make any difference when he used his tongue." Elaine shivers slightly. She's perhaps not as comfortable talking about this as she's trying to be. "It sounded like she was in the seventh heaven. He must be incredibly proficient."

"Oh, he is," she says, quite casually. "He told me how he got that way. Being as well endowed as he was, he got a reputation... and as many girls as he wanted. He had his pick of any girl who was sexually active. And a lot who weren't. His high school years sound like one long orgy. Anyway, with so many willing teachers, he perfected his techniques. That's all behind him. Well, it was... he promised me he'd be faithful before we were engaged." Her mouth is tight and she's frowning. "Sometimes, we make love, and it seems that he spends hours giving me these fantastic experiences, then when I turn away I realize that I could have gotten as much emotional involvement from a dildo. All the sex you can use, and as erotic as a rice pudding." She looks through her lashes into my eyes. "A very tasty rice pudding, mind."

I grin in spite of myself. "Do you see me as a pudding?"

She thinks. "Yes. 'Death by chocolate'. I'll invent a new flavor, 'death by sex'. You can help me bake it." She moves her left hand lower and starts drawing patterns on my cock, but she starts to speak seriously. "No, I don't. You have a gift for the erotic. You stroke my leg, and it turns me on more than Geoff getting his tongue..." she turns red. "When you make love to me, I feel like I'm in danger of losing myself in you. It scares me a little. I don't want to compare you and Geoff. I promised myself when we became lovers" - it always sends a small thrill through me when she says that - "that I wouldn't ever do it. You're different. You don't need lessons in technique. You've had my mind reeling more than once. You don't need anything to be bigger, you've certainly enough for me, and not so much that it's limiting. Geoff is what he is, and I do love him, and... and don't ever make me compare you and him again, because you'll be embarassed at how strongly you make me feel when you make love to me." Her eyes fill with tears again.

She takes another tissue and wipes her eyes. "I feel a little sorry for Anita. She's had all she's going to get from Geoff. Oh, I'm sure she can get more of it, as much more as she can handle, and it's great sex, but that's... that's all it is. Do you understand?"

I put my arm under hers and lift her onto me. I kiss her lovingly. She melts into me, then pushes away for a moment. She speaks vehemently. "And if Anita throws you over for Geoff, she's an idiot. She may be your wife and my friend, but she's an idiot." Then she throws herself back into the kiss, writhing against me, trying to devour every last part of me.

We continue to kiss. I stroke her hair, her back, the sides of her breasts. I want to explore her. I love her body. I love her mind. I love the person that she is.

Without breaking our kiss, she lifts herself to her knees. I take those exquisite breasts in my hands and squeeze them gently. She guides me into her, and lowers herself down on me. She breathes heavily through her nose as I slide into her. She pushes against me to get me all the way inside, and immediately starts moving. She lays her hands against the side of my face as she kneads my lips in her own.

Kissing like this and feeling the cool strokes of desire flowing from my loins is overwhelmingly sensual. Elaine's feeling the passion, too, and she is beginning to pant through her nose. I put my hands on her ass and hold her tightly too me. She gasps and starts pushing against me more quickly. I push hard and feel myself getting to the edge of climax. She feels it too, and moves fast against me, still gasping through her nose. I reach the edge, and as I tumble down, I feel her tremble and come. She's breathing fast and deep, trying to find enough air, but she won't release my mouth. I buck against her. She feels glorious around my sensitive shaft, and I press hard onto her as I move, stroking her firmly with my cock. She lets the climax pass, and as we're both recovering our breath, her mouth is still glued to mine.

 

She doesn't release me until the last slight quivers of her orgasm are completely gone. Then she stretches her arms and lifts her head above me, incidentally giving me the most perfect view of her body.

"That was nice," she says, "but it didn't answer any questions."

I grab her and pull her face back to mine. "Speak for yourself," I say. "That is the only answer I need."

She chuckles and hugs me. She's right, though, we still need to find answers.

She rolls off me, and lies along my side. "Did he really give her flowers?"

"Two dozen roses," I reply. "And a card."

"I wish I could read the card," she says.

"I think I'm beginning to have an idea," I say. "Can I ask you some very direct questions?"

"Of course you can. You don't have to ask that."

"No, perhaps not," I say, "but I don't want to be rude. First. If you can, would you prefer to stay with Geoff?"

"I don't know, that's a hard one. I think so, but it will take a lot for me to accept what he has done."

"Okay, second. If Geoff doesn't want you to see me, what will you do?"

"Is this if I tell him about us, or if he ever finds out?"

"Whatever. Assume you tell him and he blows his top."

"I'd leave him. I want to see you. That isn't negotiable. Unless you can't because of Anita."

"I already covered that one. As long as you want us to be together, we'll be together. So, third. If you leave Geoff, will you marry me?"

"Oh, God. Don't ask that. You'll make me want to leave Geoff."

"That isn't what I'm trying to do," I say. "This is a what if. If you're happy with Geoff, and if we can still love each other, I won't offer. If that doesn't work, I want you for myself. Sharing you with Geoff is one thing, but if you leave him, I don't want you part time, leaving you lonely and eventually looking for someone else. I'm not going to give you up to anyone. Think about it, you don't need to answer now, I just want you to know that as far as I'm concerned, having you in my life is a necessity."

"Idiot. I'd love to marry you. I'm just going to have trouble seeing it as a fallback plan, that's all."

She grabs me and kisses me passionately. I break free - eventually - and say "Let's finish these thoughts first."

She pretends to pout, but doesn't object.

"We've got some difficult choices ahead, but I think that gives us the security before we go in to know that the outcome will be good."

"Are you an artist or a programmer? You sound like my manager."

I wink at her. "Four. This may be the hardest. Knowing everything that you know, are you willing to go back to the way things were for a time? Go back to Geoff and act as if nothing had happened?"

She shivers. "That's hard. I think I'd find it easier to go back if he knows that I know and if he knows about us. And still wants me. Even then, when I think about him and Anita..."

"I know. I'm going to be very uncomfortable. Especially the way Anita has been coming on to me lately."

Elaine raises an eyebrow.

"I guess I haven't gotten around to that part. She's been... very demanding since she came back from Seattle. I had no idea why. Now I still don't know. Is it because the encounter with Geoff made her hornier, or because she's trying to recapture what he gave her and isn't making it? Or is it because she really does suspect us and wants to own me?"

"Or because she feels guilty, or because - perhaps - she's a lot more satisfied by sex with you than you're willing to admit."

"So why only since Seattle?" I ask.

"Perhaps because when she came to look back on it, she found that bigger attributes and experienced technique don't compensate for love, desire and enthusiasm. And talent. I'm not saying that's the reason. She sounded to be having a hell of a time with Geoff. I'm just saying," her breathing catches, "I'm just saying don't condemn her for wanting you as much as I do."

I sigh. "You could be right. I don't want to drive her away, anyway. We've had five very happy years. I'm certainly not in a position to reproach her for sleeping with a friend. It's just hard, knowing... I really do want for us to take the time to think this through, though. I'd hate to make a decision in the anger or heartache of listening to the tape."

"So, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that we should clear round here and go out for a drink. Let's talk this over away from reminders and personal stuff, where no-one is likely to walk in on us."

"I hope no-one is likely to walk in on us now!"

"I don't know," I reply, "it would certainly solve some problems."

"That it would. We could both be out on the street. Even if I have to marry you, I'm not going to live in a homeless shelter."

"Have to? You don't have to do anything."

"Yes I do," she says, nibbling my ear. "I have to show you what isn't possible for those poor deprived overendowed males."

 

She turns around, lies along me, her face over my thighs, and starts licking the head of my cock. It hardens quickly, and she kisses all along the shaft. She moves herself forward, squashing my cock against my stomach, and licks the base, around my balls. I adjust the position of her legs around my head, and get my tongue to the lips of her pussy. As I tongue around and inside, she moves back and puts her mouth over my erection. Holding my shaft in her hand, she scrubs the head around inside her mouth. The emotional jolt makes me shiver.

I continue to stroke her with my tongue as she slowly slides her mouth over and off the head of my cock. My thighs are turning to jelly with the sensations. I part her pussy with my thumbs and gently touch her clit with my tongue. She lowers her head down on my cock, and slowly moves down and back, down slightly further each time, taking in more and more of my shaft until I'm completely inside her. The sensation of being surrounded is deeply arousing, and my nerves are on overload. She starts to slide up and down, dragging needles of pleasure along my cock, and a profound sense of joy flows through me.

I flick her clit with my tongue and hear her gasp through her nose. I start to work on it exclusively. She rocks against me, and I rub more firmly. She moves her head more quickly, massaging pleasure into the whole length of my shaft. I trap her clit between my tongue and lip and suck gently. She gasps, and I keep sucking. She's moving her head quickly and rocking harder against me. I manipulate her clit with my tongue quite roughly, then drag it back into my mouth and suck hard. She presses down on my face and I scrub her clit with my tongue. She cries out through her nose, still drawing fire along my cock. I feel the pressure build, my muscles tightening. I try to relax as I flick her clit as hard and fast as I can. She pulls off my cock as she needs to breathe. Gasping, she pushes down on me as her body stiffens, then with whimpering noises she gets the head of my cock into her mouth and as her body spasms and shakes she scours the tip of my cock remorselessly. I keep dragging at her clit as she groans loudly with each breath, and she sucks powerfully and scrapes with her tongue, sending shivers through me. My cock tenses acutely, convulses and erupts in powerful throes. Elaine lets the fluid trickle back onto me, not relinquishing her control, and I groan with stress and pleasure.

She scrubs at my cock, making each waning contraction thrill, as I slowly release her clit. She rests on me, relaxed but for her tongue, until finally she releases me, too.

She turns around, lies atop me and nibbles my ear. "See...", she gasps, "there are... advantages... to not being oversized."

"It would take something really special to compensate for missing that," I say.

It is fast approaching five o'clock. Anita will be home soon after five, and I want us both out of the house by then. Elaine grumbles, but dresses.

"I'm going to check around behind you. I'm not forgetting that you threatened to leave your underwear between the sheets."

She turns to me, smiles sweetly, and links her hands behind my neck. "Pat, you may check around my behind whenever you wish." She kisses me, letting her tongue linger.

"Unfair," I say. "We need to leave, and you're trying to get me right back in bed."

She nods and ruffles my hair, but finishes getting dressed. After straightening the bed and wiping up incriminating traces, we pick up the cassette and player and drive to a nearby mall, where I leave my car. Then Elaine drives us to a nearby town to eat, drink, and make our merry plans.