Part Two

The sound of that voice, calling her by that name, hit her like a physical blow, even after two years. She realized that her heartbeat was thudding in her ears. For a moment, her vision blurred. She took one long, deep breath to try to calm herself before answering him.

“How did you get this number?” she demanded. “I said I didn’t want to see you again. Ever. Remember?”

“I remember real good, Red,” he chuckled. “If YOU remember, I never agreed with you ‘bout that.”

She gritted her teeth for a moment. “How did you get this number?”

“Oh, that. Little Dee gave it to me. She says ‘hi’.”

“I told her….” Claudia began, but he cut her off.

“I know what you told her,” he said. “Same as she told me at first. Don’t be too hard on her, Red. I kinda forced it out of her.”

Claudia felt suddenly cold. He’d always struck her as a man capable of violence. “What…” she swallowed. “What did you do to her? If you hurt her…”

“Aw, hell, Red,” he laughed. “Nothin’ like that! We didn’t do anything you and I didn’t do. Remember? Got her all tied down to the bed, and then got her wantin’ it so bad she’d just about do or say anything to get it.”

Claudia shivered at the recollection. If he had gotten Dianne anywhere near as aroused and desperate for release as she had been that day….yes, she could understand how Dee would finally talk to end that exquisite carnal torture.

“I’m going to hang up now,” she said.

“I think she’s feelin’ kinda bad about that now,” he went on. “You wanna talk to her?”

“She’s THERE?” Claudia exclaimed.

“Hell, sure,” he chuckled again. “She can’t leave ‘til I untie her from the bed, Red.”

This was too much. Too much! “Let her go.” Claudia gritted. “Now.”

“Or what, Red?” there was laughter, mocking laughter, in his voice now. “What’ll you do? You don’t even know where we are. Besides, I don’t think little Dee’s quite done yet.”

Claudia took another deep breath. Damn him! There wasn’t a single thing she could do about Dianne. She realized that on one level, but he sounded so damned smug about it that on a much lower level she dearly wanted to shoot him, or kick him in the groin with as much force as she could muster, preferably while wearing heavy, pointed boots. How had he gotten to Dianne? She quickly realized that that was a stupid question. Almost any woman would be attracted to him on a physical level, and Dianne was vulnerable after breaking up with Rom…

“Let me talk to her,” she said at last.

“Not polite, Red,” he admonished. “Say ‘please’.”

Claudia heaved a long sigh. “All right,” she conceded. “PLEASE let me talk to her.”

“Wasn’t so hard, was it?” he