watched with bitter amusement as Eve’s eyes took in Neil’s large, husky body, her admiration unconcealed. If only she knew, Laura thought to herself. What would Eve Blair have done, faced with the same decision? Would she have sacrificed her own physical needs for the sake of a man who was incapable of performing sexually. Studying the dark beauty, Laura found the prospect unlikely.
Eve accepted her drink with a warm smile at Neil, and turned toward Laura. “I don’t suppose you’d consider loaning him out,” she said with a nod in Neil’s direction.
“I don’t think so,” Laura answered, trying to keep her tone light and bantering.
“That’s just what she says,” Neil commented.
Laura blushed at the exchange. Surely Neil wouldn’t create embarrassment for them both by revealing the truth about their marriage.
“Will I sound smug if I say I’ve got nothing to worry about?” Laura asked aloud, with a cold glance in Neil’s direction.
He laughed again, but said nothing more. Eve Blair looked from one to the other of them, apparently weighing the situation. What conclusions she reached Laura could not guess, but of one thing she was certain: Eve had not been entirely joking when she made the suggestion. Everything about the woman was sensual, hinting at wanton desire for physical sensation.
“Well, I imagine the two of you will keep one another quite well entertained for a while,” she said dryly.
They sat for a moment in silence. Laura felt uncomfortable in the other woman’s presence, and was painfully aware that Neil was rapidly drinking himself into a stupor.
“May I say, your husband is a very fortunate man?” Eve said finally, breaking the silence.
Laura turned in Eve’s direction, flattered by the compliment, but the words of thanks caught in her throat as her eyes met the other, darker pair.
The impression was gone at once, but the shock stayed with Laura, lingering in her awareness. Had she been mistaken, or had she seen in Eve’s eyes the same frank admiration, even desire, that had been directed a moment before toward Neil?
Surely not, she assured herself. True, she had heard of such things. She knew, mostly from books she had read, that some women did have an attraction for other women. But certainly there was no reason to suspect Eve Blair of that sort of perversion. After all, the woman was married—or presumably so. Eve had not specifically made any comments on her own marital status.
“What sort of work does your husband do?” Laura asked aloud, wanting to reassure herself on that point.
“Hank?” Eve said the name with a shrug that made Hank Blair seem like the most unimportant subject in the world. “Oh, he sells insurance. At least that’s what it says on his income-tax return. Most of his time is spent hopping from one bed to another.”
Laura blushed at the boldness of the statement. Eve Blair might be married, but it was evident that the marriage was not a very romantic one.
“What about you, Neil,” Eve was saying, directing her attention once more in his direction. “With that build, you must be an athlete.”
Neil swelled with noticeable pride although, in his drunken condition, he did not look particularly athletic to Laura.
“I was,” he answered proudly. “In school. Now I’m an aeronautical engineer. At least that’s what it says on my income-tax return.”
Eve laughed aloud at that. “Touché,” she answered, lifting her glass in a salute before she drained it. “It sounds terribly intellectual.”
“Not really. I’m a stress analyst, actually. I look for the weak spots in planes, and make recommendations for the design.”
Laura remembered the past. How enthusiastic Neil had been about his job when he got it, and how often and long he had talked about it! It occurred to her that he had scarcely mentioned it at all since she had arrived in Los Angeles.
Eve stood, stretching her shoulders lazily.
“I won’t make a pest of myself, not just yet. Incidentally, if you should be bored with one another’s company, we’re having a little get-together for the neighbors tonight. Nothing fancy, just the typical all-American barbecue. Feel welcome to join us.”
“Thank you,” Laura said, standing also. “We won’t be bored with one another, but we’d love to come. It would give us a chance to meet our neighbors.”
“Don’t thank me until you’ve met them,” Eve told her, starting toward the back door. “You may regret the decision. I’m in the house next door—but you’ll see us gathered joyously about the patio. Come whenever you feel up to it.”
Laura moved impulsively to show her out, but Eve waved away the gesture with a brisk sweep of her hand.
“I know the way. This house is exactly like mine, you know.”
With that, she was gone. Laura found herself staring after the woman. Her initial reaction to Eve’s visit had been one of gratitude and pleasure. She had been happy to learn that her neighbors were the friendly, sociable sort.
Now, with the visit concluded, her feelings were mixed. Eve Blair impressed her as altogether too friendly, and not in a mere neighborly way. Laura wondered about the others. The evening, she concluded, should be interesting, if nothing else.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
