in her eyes, but apart from that he should be able to get her out of his way with a well-placed kick.
“Yeah, I’m going,” he said. “I’ll call you in the morning.”
“You’re quite a disappointment,” she said, not moving.
“Well, there you go,” he said. “I had a great time. You’re a very sexy lady, but you never know how these things are going to work out.”
He found it very disconcerting that she continued to ignore the blood that dripped from her nose. It trickled slowly down her torso toward her pubic patch. It was eerie that someone could so totally disregard an injury to herself.
“I tell you what,” she said, “since you don’t know how to use that thing of yours, you don’t really need it, do you?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you just leave it behind here with me. You’ll be better off without it. That way you won’t be making any more promises you can’t keep.”
Edgar thought he might very well leave without his shoe. She was getting weirder by the moment.
“What are you talking about?”
“You said you were going to take good care of me,” she said. “You promised.”
“Hey, I tried. You happen to have a little problem there.”
“You disappointed me,” she said. “Everyone is always disappointing me, and frankly. I’m getting just a little tired of it.”
She lifted her right hand to waist height. The thumb and forefinger were clasped around something.
“Come here, sweetie.” she said. “We’re going to relieve you of that thing that’s causing you all that trouble, and then you can run home to your mother.”
Edgar peered at her hand. She held a razor blade between her fingers.
“I told you to come here,” she said, her voice suddenly stem. “Do as you’re told. This instant.”
Dee took a step toward him and Edgar kicked out in panic, aiming for her crotch. His toes struck her in the abdomen and she tumbled forward. The razor blade fell from her fingers and Edgar picked it up off the carpet. She was on all fours, gasping for breath. He had half a mind to slash her on her exposed back just to show her how it would feel.
“You’re crazy!” he yelled at her. “You’re out of your mind!”
She muttered something he did not understand. He leaned over her, his mouth close to her ear.
“You’re crazy! You ought to be locked up!”
Her head hung down like a defeated animal and the blood dripped from her nose directly onto the carpet.
She muttered something again. Edgar bent closer, holding the razor blade as a weapon in case the crazy bitch tried to bite him or something else insane.
“What?”
She caught her breath.
“You think I’m crazy?” she said. She tilted her head up to look him in the face. She sounded amused. The blood ran over her lips, but she still did not seem to notice.
“I know you’re crazy,” he said.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. The huge man from the restaurant whom he had seen trudging along the highway sat on the stoop in front of the door like a dog awaiting its master.
“You think I’m crazy?” she said.
The man stood up, blocking Edgar’s way.
Edgar looked from the man to Dee, who had rolled into a sitting position. He wanted to suggest that things had gone far enough, that he had meant no harm, that there was no need to carry things farther. Edgar tried to grin at her, to demonstrate his good will, his certainty that she bore him no real hard feelings.
Dee looked at him and smiled beatifically. The blood was smudged across her stomach where he had kicked her and the entire lower half of her face now seemed to have been painted red. When she spoke her teeth were smeared.
“He hurt me. Ash,” she said.
Ash grabbed Edgar by the throat and squeezed. Edgar managed to slash at him once with the razor blade before his body was hurled against the wall.
After Ash put the man in the trunk of his car he returned to the room to clean up the mess. Dee was curled up on the bed, still naked, her
“Yeah, I’m going,” he said. “I’ll call you in the morning.”
“You’re quite a disappointment,” she said, not moving.
“Well, there you go,” he said. “I had a great time. You’re a very sexy lady, but you never know how these things are going to work out.”
He found it very disconcerting that she continued to ignore the blood that dripped from her nose. It trickled slowly down her torso toward her pubic patch. It was eerie that someone could so totally disregard an injury to herself.
“I tell you what,” she said, “since you don’t know how to use that thing of yours, you don’t really need it, do you?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you just leave it behind here with me. You’ll be better off without it. That way you won’t be making any more promises you can’t keep.”
Edgar thought he might very well leave without his shoe. She was getting weirder by the moment.
“What are you talking about?”
“You said you were going to take good care of me,” she said. “You promised.”
“Hey, I tried. You happen to have a little problem there.”
“You disappointed me,” she said. “Everyone is always disappointing me, and frankly. I’m getting just a little tired of it.”
She lifted her right hand to waist height. The thumb and forefinger were clasped around something.
“Come here, sweetie.” she said. “We’re going to relieve you of that thing that’s causing you all that trouble, and then you can run home to your mother.”
Edgar peered at her hand. She held a razor blade between her fingers.
“I told you to come here,” she said, her voice suddenly stem. “Do as you’re told. This instant.”
Dee took a step toward him and Edgar kicked out in panic, aiming for her crotch. His toes struck her in the abdomen and she tumbled forward. The razor blade fell from her fingers and Edgar picked it up off the carpet. She was on all fours, gasping for breath. He had half a mind to slash her on her exposed back just to show her how it would feel.
“You’re crazy!” he yelled at her. “You’re out of your mind!”
She muttered something he did not understand. He leaned over her, his mouth close to her ear.
“You’re crazy! You ought to be locked up!”
Her head hung down like a defeated animal and the blood dripped from her nose directly onto the carpet.
She muttered something again. Edgar bent closer, holding the razor blade as a weapon in case the crazy bitch tried to bite him or something else insane.
“What?”
She caught her breath.
“You think I’m crazy?” she said. She tilted her head up to look him in the face. She sounded amused. The blood ran over her lips, but she still did not seem to notice.
“I know you’re crazy,” he said.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. The huge man from the restaurant whom he had seen trudging along the highway sat on the stoop in front of the door like a dog awaiting its master.
“You think I’m crazy?” she said.
The man stood up, blocking Edgar’s way.
Edgar looked from the man to Dee, who had rolled into a sitting position. He wanted to suggest that things had gone far enough, that he had meant no harm, that there was no need to carry things farther. Edgar tried to grin at her, to demonstrate his good will, his certainty that she bore him no real hard feelings.
Dee looked at him and smiled beatifically. The blood was smudged across her stomach where he had kicked her and the entire lower half of her face now seemed to have been painted red. When she spoke her teeth were smeared.
“He hurt me. Ash,” she said.
Ash grabbed Edgar by the throat and squeezed. Edgar managed to slash at him once with the razor blade before his body was hurled against the wall.
After Ash put the man in the trunk of his car he returned to the room to clean up the mess. Dee was curled up on the bed, still naked, her
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