The Good Life

by Gordon Merrick

  The simplest solution was to play it safe and stay away. He thought about all the nights when they would want to sleep together. With everybody on board going back and forth, they might as well assume that they’d get caught sooner or later if they went on taking chances. Was it worth it? He would have to talk to Bet about it.

  He didn’t know what it was like to have an open, straightforward love life. Bet whetted his appetite for marriage and for taking his wife out in public like everybody else.

  Two long strides took him across the corridor to her door. He opened it and slipped in and closed it behind him.

  She appeared at the bathroom door, beautifully naked, and hurried to him with a joyful little cry. She took the dressing gown from him, and their bodies met with a hunger that had been only stimulated by their time together. Their mouths made a breathless rediscovery of each other before they attempted to speak.

  “You’re making me more difficult to satisfy,” he said when they had dropped onto the bed. “This morning I thought that just to have you once was all I’d ever ask of fate. Now I want to sleep with you every night. I don’t want it to be a secret.”

  “It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? People aren’t so strict here. Monique says that if she had a lover, she wouldn’t try to hide it, but heavens, if I even looked at a man, Mummy and Daddy would have a fit, unless it was leading up to a grand wedding. I don’t want a grand wedding, but I don’t matter.” She shifted around and lifted his cock close to her face as if she had something to say to it. “Is a woman supposed to wait for a man to tell her what he wants?” she asked.

  “Of course not. She should take what she wants. You have to teach a man what you expect from a lover.” He was impressed by himself. How come he could hand out advice on such a specialized subject? He must have been learning things without knowing it. “I want to be the best lover you’ll ever have.”

  She guided his cock to her and stroked her breasts with it. “I wanted to feel that. It’s as heavenly as I knew it would be. I’m dying for you to come in my mouth. Boys like to taste it too, don’t they?”

  “Queer boys do, I guess. ‘Cocksucker’ is one of the worst things you can call a guy.”

  “Really? Men call each other that. It sounds awful, doesn’t it? Will you think I’m awful if I’m a… well, that? A cocksucker?”

  Perry laughed softly. “Of course not, baby. Lots of girls like it.”

  “You don’t?”

  “Doing it? I don’t think so, not generally. I don’t mind it as much as I should May be, but I admit I have my queer side.”

  “That’s one of the things that’s so thrilling about you: You’re not afraid to be different. I’m glad you’ve had boys. I’ll bet you don’t make love to me like most men. You’re so sweet, not the way I thought men were. You probably understand women better.” She leaned forward and ran her tongue along his cock. “Oh, darling, I love it. Teach me how if I don’t do it right.”

  It was quickly evident that she didn’t need a teacher. Her enjoyment was so spontaneous and unabashed that he saw it as a warning that other men were going to be a powerful temptation for her.

  Watching her perform the service she was adopting so enthusiastically, he felt almost as wanted as he had always dreamed of being. She was adorable. It wouldn’t be easy to accept her doing this for others. She was his.

  His thoughts traveled to the next few weeks of summer diversion as her mouth led him through the slow, lethargic ecstasies of passive possession. The future was beginning to seem real, more real now in a room with the sounds of the yacht’s activities around them than in the exuberant celebrations on the beach. It was a reality and a future that he was going to have to try to control.

  He had to get used to thinking for both of them if it turned out that they were serious about being together. It was very strange to realize that he might have undertaken responsibilities already without knowing how to handle them. He had thought of her only as somebody to go to parties with.

  Marlene Dietrich came for drinks, and the summer social season was launched. There were quite a few other people. Alexis, the noble drug peddler, was there with his lady companion, Hilda. The young men who had invited them for dinner, Michael and Jeremy, brought along a pretty young cousin of one of them, Natasha, who was in Bet’s age bracket but seemed much younger. She looked well-scrubbed and wholesome in the English style.

  “I know who she is,” Bet whispered. “Her grandfather is a duke, ever so grand.” She stayed close to Perry’s side.

  There was an English couple called Courtland, who had a big property somewhere around and a beautiful young son called Trevor, who was probably intended as a potential escort for Bet. He was obviously more interested in Perry. “It’s love at first sight,” Bet whispered.

  Mado came with a very smart middle-aged couple. The deck was well-populated. Marlene had transformed herself into a movie queen and effortlessly charmed everybody. Music was provided by the port. Clusters of passersby kept gathering at the foot of the gangplank, ogling the rich and beautiful.

  The food was plentiful — elaborate hors d’oeuvres that weren’t quite a meal — and the three boys were kept busy refilling glasses. Billy invited everybody to a lunch party he was going to give in a pine grove at the end of the peninsula. He knew a local fisherman who made the best bouillabaisse in the world. They all exclaimed about the local bouillabaisse while Bet explained that it was a fish stew accompanied by a special sauce called rouille, which in French means “rust.”

  “It has to be cooked on the beach just an instant before you’re ready to eat it. It’s worthy of being served in heaven.” Her eyes rolled with visions of gluttony.

  There were references to other parties up and down the coast. It was a companionable gathering, and everybody spoke of their glamorous lives as if they hadn’t a care in the world. Who could have under the circumstances? Perry didn’t let himself be lulled into forgetting appearances. He left Bet to her own devices in case Billy was keeping an eye on her and noticed with approval as Bet talked to Mado that Trevor was with her.

  Perry talked with Marlene for quite a while and decided he would gladly die for her. Her wickedly husky voice and endearing lisp were enough to enslave him even without her taking a lively interest in him. He was on a yacht in the south of France with Marlene Dietrich hanging on his lips. Not bad for a poor kid from Oakland. Her dour Frenchman was planted immovably beside her.

  “I hope I’m going to see you again,” Trevor said when he caught Perry alone for a moment near the rail.

  “I hope so too. You’re coming to the fish fry, aren’t you?”

  Trevor laughed. “Is that what you call bouillabaisse? I wouldn’t miss it. You’re smashing-looking.”

  “Thanks,” Perry said, looking at the long lashes that curled luxuriantly on his cheeks when he lowered his eyes. “I might kiss you if you don’t look out.”

  He continued on his round of guests and was soon with Bet again.

  “Are you going to come see me later?” she asked in a muted voice. She wanted him. That was all he could ask for. It was up to him to exercise restraint.

  “I better not, honey. We mustn’t get into a routine. If we’re seen below once, it might not matter all that much, but I don’t want us to make it a habit.”

  “What are you afraid of, dearest? Daddy doesn’t wander around at all hours.”

  “The boys might carry tales if they think they’ll get a big tip. Sylvain is watching us. This afternoon was a bonus. I don’t want to take risks unless we get desperate.”

  “I get desperate rather quickly.”

  “You’re a sweetheart, baby. Wasn’t Trevor a distraction?”

  “He’s mad about you. He told me.”

  “You tricked him into it.”

  She smiled slyly. “Perhaps a little. We both like talking about you. He might not be entirely a poof, you know. Girls terrify him, but I think I detected a faint flicker of interest.”

  �
��Really? Well, I’m not going to encourage you to take pity on him. I wouldn’t like it at all. You wouldn’t want me to damage his beautiful face, would you?”

  “Would you mind that much? How exciting.” Her face lit with glee. “Are you sure you’re not intending to take pity on him yourself?”

  “Listen, baby,” he said, lowering his voice still further. “Don’t misunderstand. When I say I have fun with boys, I don’t mean I make a habit of it. It can happen sort of faute de mieux. How’s that for French? Now that you’ve discovered sex, you’ve got to start taking it seriously. It’s not like a toy shop where you walk in and take your pick.”

  Laughter bubbled from her. “I don’t see why not. I have to find out what to expect with men.”

  “I thought you were finding out with me.”

  “Oh, yes, beautifully. I’m not talking about being promiscuous, but we’re not getting married, so we don’t have anything to be faithful to. Monique says even married people aren’t always faithful.”

  “They are if they don’t want anybody else.”

  “I think it could be like that with us if we were really together.”

  She took a step closer to him and laid a hand on his chest. He glanced around to make sure that nobody was looking at them curiously and encountered Sylvain’s probing eyes. A good servant remained alert to the guests’ wishes. Perry took her hand from his chest and held it at his side.

  “Don’t forget my fortune,” she said. “Fortunes have men attached.”

  “Does Trevor qualify as a fortune?”

  “As big as they come, but he’s such a child. Can you imagine my taking him seriously after you?”

  “If you’re expecting a man to make you forget me, you might have quite a wait. The law of averages. How many men like me do you expect to find in a season?” He laughed and held her hand and started across the deck toward the group around Billy.

  “You’re so wonderfully sure about everything,” she murmured. “I love it. I hope I’ll be like that when I’ve had more experience.”

  He chuckled. “You mean when you’ve had a few more men? I don’t want to hear about it. I might get violent.”

  “I know. I can feel it in you. It’s thrilling.”

  He released her hand and let Michael and Jeremy and their ducal cousin take over for him while he wandered on to do his duty with other guests. Trevor soon joined him.

  “What are you doing after?” Trevor asked. “Wouldn’t you like to go out to the beach for a midnight bathe? Perhaps Bet will go with us.”

  “Fine. We’ll ask her. One of us will be the chaperon. Her father wouldn’t let her go with just one of us.”

  “Oh, I say, I wouldn’t want to go without you.”

  “That’s nice.” Perry gave him a friendly smile, carefully devoid of ambiguity. “Several people are about to go. I think the party’s over.”

  “It’s getting late, but nobody pays any attention to time here. I’ll ask Bet, shall I?”

  “Sure. I think she’ll like it.” Perry smiled to himself as the beautiful young man went to look for her. Perry couldn’t be accused of standing in Bet’s way. Trevor seemed like their junior although he was Perry’s age. Sheltered backgrounds. They made Perry feel like a sinful old pervert.

  He saw Billy standing at the head of the gangplank with Mado and her friends. He joined them, and they all said effusive good-nights. “If people staying all night means it’s a good party, it was a triumph,” Perry congratulated Billy as they turned to the others.

  “Plenty of drink never fails. Were you able to enjoy yourself, my dearest?”

  “Of course. I’ve fallen madly in love with Marlene. I think Bet has a bit of a yen for pretty Trevor. He’s asked us both to go for a swim in the moonlight. I told him you wouldn’t let her go alone.”

  “Quite right. We don’t want her to start thinking she can come and go as she chooses, not that even Arlene could find fault with Trevor. No title but a vastly distinguished family. Mountains of money. Tastes that aren’t unusual in a British aristocrat. You’re more at risk than Bet.”

  The others slowly drifted off, confirming dates for drinks and dinners as they went. Marlene made a delightful fuss over Perry, making him feel that she could hardly live without him.

  “Shall I go home and get my car, or can we go in yours?” Trevor asked as his parents were saying good night.

  “My car’s right there waiting for us,” Perry assured him. “Did Bet say yes?”

  “She loved the idea. She’s super.”

  Perry asked her if they should take swimming things.

  “Heavens no. Nothing at night. Nobody does. Bring towels.”

  They all sat in the front seat, and Perry drove them out along the road he knew now, past the brightly lit beach place where they had stopped, and he pulled off the road where he’d parked before.

  There were no other cars around. It was very dark. A fragment of moon was sinking in the west. The sky was ruled by a million stars.

  They picked their way over the low dunes, holding on to each other and laughing as they careened along, all slightly unsure of their feet after hours of drinking. They reached firm sand, with the hiss and murmur of the sea ahead of them.

  “I hope nobody else is around,” Perry said. “We’re apt to step on them. Who’s this?” He was holding some part of a human body.

  Bet giggled. “Who do you think it is?”

  “It doesn’t feel like Trevor.” He handed her one of the towels he’d brought from the boat. “There. That’s for the girls’ dormitory. Stay over there so we know where you are. We’ll take three discreet paces over here.” He put his hand out for Trevor. “Is that you?”

  “I’m here.” Trevor moved in close beside him.

  “There,” he said, putting a towel into Trevor’s hands and closing them around it. “Spread it out, okay? We know where we are, I think. The sexes are properly segregated. We can now discard the trappings of civilization.”

  “Are you going to take off everything?” Trevor’s voice was close to Perry’s ear.

  “Here? Lord yes. I’m just beginning to get a rough idea of where your head is. Bet? Are you getting undressed?”

  “I already have. I’m going for a swim.”

  “Don’t go far. Splash a lot so we can find you.” In a moment he could hear splashing and saw the dark surface of the water disturbed just beyond the line of gentle breakers. He dropped his Jockey shorts at his feet with the rest of his clothes, and Trevor moved beside him. A timid hand moved along his shoulder.

  “You promised to kiss me.” It was a hesitant whisper from a voice with the suggestion of a break in it. Perry was touched by it.

  “Not exactly, but that doesn’t mean I won’t.”

  He turned and reached for a pleasing naked body and pulled it closer. He felt a hardening cock prodding up alongside his thigh. He leaned closer and found parted lips, and their mouths joined. For a moment the kiss locked their bodies to each other, and then Perry gently pulled back with a pat on a beguiling behind. His cock remained almost blamelessly inert. “Come on. Bet’s waiting. The sea will sober us up.”

  He ran down to the water’s edge and plunged in. He surfaced close to Bet but kept his distance so as not to make a spectacle of themselves in front of Trevor.

  “Isn’t it heaven?” she called to him. “It’s my favorite time to swim. It’s a crime to wear anything.”

  “It’s dark enough. I don’t suppose you’ll drive our friend mad with desire.”

  “You probably have even in the dark.”

  “Oh, honey, isn’t it fun to be like this together? We’re pretty lucky.”

  “Almost too lucky. Trevor’s awfully sweet. We mustn’t let him feel lonely.”

  “I’m sure you won’t.”

  He felt married, if feeling married gave you a sense of having a new, fixed direction in life and of being with someone who could give you everything you wanted and needed. It was a lot to happen to him
so quickly. He wondered if he really was falling in love this time. If she felt the same way he did, they both would have big adjustments to make. His life was nothing but adjustments.

  He would never get used to the way everyone here acted as if there were no other way to live, luxuriating in the sun and stuffing themselves with fabulous food with never a worry about money. He supposed they fought and parted like everybody else, but their manners were too good for it to show in public. He didn’t have to wait for the good life any longer. This was it.

  Trevor swam smoothly out of the night. “Is it you?” he asked. “I daresay it would be jolly easy to end up with total strangers out here.”

  “If there were any. It’s just us.” Perry swam lazily, drawing Trevor a little farther from Bet. It was very easy for hands to float where they weren’t supposed to be. “Don’t go out any farther, baby,” he called back. “We don’t want to lose you. Call if you decide to go in.” He swam aimlessly, leading Trevor with him.

  Trevor shortened the distance between them, and his hands found Perry underwater. They slid amorously over him. Perry couldn’t help sort of enjoying it, but he didn’t want it. He submerged as a hand reached his cock and swam as far as his breath would take him. When he surfaced, he could see nothing but the night around him and heard only the surge of the sea. His only point of reference was the smudge of light where the beach bar must be. Bet was in that direction.

  He started back but stopped, treading water. It wouldn’t do any harm to leave her for a little while. If she was going to go after every guy who came along, the sooner he found out, the better. He wasn’t a hopeless case yet.

  He reversed direction and swam away from her. When he got tired of swimming, he climbed out and walked. He figured he’d been gone fifteen minutes when he turned back. Another fifteen minutes to return. A lot could happen in half an hour. If he got back at an awkward moment, May be it would help him come to his senses. Falling in love with Bet was the silliest thing he could do.