Read Online Sadie's Surrender by Afton Locke - Free Book Online Page A

have let Jon lead the meeting? He’d be Grand Titan, mayor, and everything else eventually. It was only a matter of time.
    Mother had gone to bed early. Hopefully, his sister, Mary, would stay in her room, too. She’d spent a lot of time in there since she’d been raped in Baltimore last year. At least he had enough privacy to put his free time to good use by listening to the party line.
    His plate of cake lay half-eaten and forgotten beside the telephone. What he heard was much tastier. Sadie Johnson was on the line with Pearl Point talking about men. Very intimately, he might add.
    Mary picked the most inopportune moment to enter the room. Her feet barely made a sound on the thick rug.
    He pressed his hand over the mouthpiece. “What is it?”
    “I’d like to buy some ribbons to re-trim my hat.”
    “I’ll take you to the general store. Soon.” He paused, waiting for her to go.
    “But you’re always so busy.” Her blonde curls shifted as she cocked her head. “I’m ready to walk around town by myself.”
    “Sounds splendid, darling.”
    “Really? I thought you’d object.” Her blue eyes narrowed. “With whom are you speaking?”
    “Someone important.”
    If she assumed he’d let her roam this town alone with so many colored men around, she was mistaken. He’d explain it tomorrow, but at least he’d gotten her out of the room.
    He returned his attention to the telephone.
    “What was it like when Caleb courted you?” Sadie asked.
    She had to be close by. Where in the hell was she calling from? He intended to find out, eventually. For now, he listened with the earpiece pressed to his head. Hearing what Leroy Johnson had done in the backseat of a car unsettled the cake he’d already eaten. But Pearl Rockfield was now on the line. The conversation was about to get more interesting.
    “He was always looking into my eyes and kissing me.” She paused to sigh. “The things that man did with his mouth and raw oysters. And the time he unrolled my stockings, inch by inch…”
    “It sounds so romantic,” Sadie said. “You’re a very lucky woman.”
    Jonathan made a sour face. And now they were married. Very illegally, he might add.
    “D-did he face you when he made love to you?” Sadie asked.
    “’Most always,” Pearl replied. “Except for that time in Caleb’s old house. He took me from behind in the kitchen while I was cooking.”
    Jon slapped his hand over his mouth to keep from gasping his disgust out loud. It’s a wonder steam didn’t pour out of the earpiece. Such intimate discussion over public phone lines was obscene. But, in this case, useful.
    “Why are you so curious to hear about me and Caleb? Is someone courting you?” Pearl asked.
    Yes, who? Jonathan felt like adding.
    “I can’t say,” Sadie finally replied. “You never know who may be listening in.”
    “He’s not white, is he?”
    He had to hand it to Pearl. She took the questions right off the tip of his tongue.
    Sadie’s answer was so soft he barely heard it. “Maybe. I don’t think he sees me romantically, though. After all, I’m not very pretty.”
    She had that right. None of those women were, in his opinion. Except Rose, when she’d pretended to be white. He’d never forgive himself for being stupid enough to fall for her ploy. Thank God he hadn’t married her.
    “Sadie Johnson, you stop that nonsense,” Pearl protested. “You’re beautiful in your own special way. I hope you’re still smiling at everyone like I taught you.”
    If she kept throwing oysters at white supervisors, he’d see to it she never worked in this town again.
    “I’m trying. I think he was just filled with lust. The way he rubbed against me… Never mind.” Something rattled in the background, such as a key in a lock. “I have to go!”
    “Wait,” Pearl said. “Who is he?”
    “I can’t say,” Sadie hissed.
    “If it is who I think it is,” the other woman replied, “be very careful. You’re playing with