The Soft Centre

Then something happened that she least expected. She found he was not only an extremely accomplished lover, but his handsomeness and his gaiety turned the routine romp in bed into a fierce possessive love. This had never happened to her before, and it threw her off balance. She suggested she should move into the penthouse, and after only a moment’s hesitation, Hardy had agreed. He was getting bored with continually chasing women, breaking down their resistance, buying them presents, quarrelling with them, and finally trying to get rid of them. He found Gina intriguing, sexually exciting and a good cook. This state of affairs lasted some two months, then Hardy, from force of habit, began to look around for fresh diversions, but he quickly discovered this could be dangerous. He was shocked by Gina’s vicious temper. The row they had had when he had smiled at a girl in a nightclub was heard by everyone in the block. There was nothing he could do with her. She was like a demented wild cat. It was only when he rashly promised never to look at another woman again that she calmed down. Later, he tried to prepare himself to tell her to get out of his penthouse, but he hesitated, knowing he would never find a girl as intriguing as she was, and also the memory of her fury still scared him.

Satisfied that she now had hooked him, Gina was considering the best way to get him to marry her. She was sick of forever hunting for a new and substantial meal ticket, and having satisfied herself that Hardy was smart enough to keep with the big money, there seemed no reason why they shouldn’t get married. So this evening, she planned to force his hand.

For the next twenty minutes, she made herself as attractive as she could, and the result was impressive for Gina was an artist in making the best of herself. As she was struggling to pull the zipper up on the gold lamé dress that fitted her like a second skin, she heard the front door bell ring.

She looked at the dock on her bedside table. It was nearly eleven. She thought: Lee’s forgotten his key again!

Well, at least, for a change, he’s punctual.

She ran to the front door and opened it. It came as a considerable shock when she saw Jacko Smith standing in the corridor, his great fat face dripping with sweat and the smell of sweat oozing from him.

She knew Jacko Smith was Hardy’s strong-arm man. She had seen him from time to time on the race tracks, but she had never spoken to him. She had loathed the sight of him as soon as she had seen him. The fact he was a homosexual turned her loathing into revulsion. If there was a breed of perverts Gina hated most it was the homosexual.

‘Where is Hardy?’ Jacko demanded, eyeing Gina with as much contempt as she was eyeing him. He regarded all women as unworthy of his consideration.

‘He’s out!’ Gina snapped and began to close the door. To her dismay, Jacko moved forward with the power and force of an Army tank. He rode her back into the lobby and shut the front door.

‘Get out of here!’ Gina cried shrilly. ‘How dare you force your way in here!’?‘Shut up!’ Jacko snarled. ‘This is business!’?‘If you think you can push your filthy way …’?‘Shut up!’ Jacko repeated. ‘Hardy is in trouble. I’m in trouble. Where is he?’

Gina looked closely at the fat man. The restless movement of his little eyes, the sweat that soaked his shirt and the way his mouth tightened and loosened began to frighten her.

‘What’s happened?’ she demanded.

He waddled past her into the lounge and seeing the cocktail cabinet, he crossed to it and poured himself three fingers of Scotch, added a little charge water and greedily gulped down the drink.

She stood in the doorway, glaring at him.?‘What is it? The police?’?‘Yes,’ Jacko said and poured himself another drink. ‘Where is he?’ ‘He said he would be back by eleven. It’s eleven now.

‘What’s happened?’

He’ll tell you if he wants you to know,’ Jacko said. ‘I’ll wait.’?‘Not here… you won’t. Get out!’

Jacko looked at her, his little eyes gleaming viciously. ‘Screw you,’ he said. ‘You want me to push that flat nose of yours through the back of your head?’

Gina turned abruptly and went into her bedroom, shutting and locking the door.

Trouble! Police! She clenched her fists, her eyes glittering. What had Lee done? She sat on the bed and waited for his return.

*****

Toey Marsh was enjoying himself. He liked nothing better than to throw a party with Chinese food prepared by himself for a few boy friends, and after the eating, to put on discs on the gramophone and have a social evening lasting to three o’clock in the morning. His party was obviously a big success. He stood by the open window watching the boys dancing together, chattering and laughing and looking admiringly at him. His one regret was that Moe Lincoln hadn’t come. Moe fascinated him, and he kept assuring himself that sooner or later Moe would leave Jacko and come to him.